I've been shopping around for a stronger amp because I might be doing some gigging and I was wondering for amps around the price of $500-$700. What are some basic things these amps should have. I really want a tube amp. I searched, one of the Fender Hot Rod amps only has 15w through a 12' speaker. For me, in this price range, I'm at least expecting 2 speakers and at least 40 or 50w. Am I correct in this assumption or am I expecting to much?
A 40W amp is only marginally louder than a 15W amp. To double the output you need to multiply the power by 10, i.e. to be twice as loud as a 15W amp, you're going to have to have an amp of similar construction putting out 150W!
Having said that, I think that you could possibly get a Traynor 40W 2x10 for around $600-700
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I own a Hot Rod Deluxe and it is easily a gigging amp. This amp is used by many gigging musicians. It is 40W into one 12" speaker. It is plenty loud for any gig. It has one of the best clean sounds around. It is not a Metal type amp. But you can get great Classic Rock and Blues tones with the Drive channels. You can get modern distortions with pedals. I have owned mine for several years, used it for many gigs, and it has performed flawlessly.
The Traynor 40W amp greybeard described is also 40W and 1 X 12. I have never heard one personally, but they get excellent reviews.
Another popular gigging amp is the Peavey Classic 30. The Classic 30 is known to have a good clean tone, and the Overdrive is said to be better than the Hot Rod Deluxe by many. This amp is used by many gigging musicians.
Another amp in this price-range is the Reverend Kingsnake 20-60. A nice feature of this amp is that it is switchable from 20 watts to 60. I have not heard one of these amps, but Reverend has an excellent reputation.
Randall has just come out with the RG50TC 50W tube amp. This amp has EL34EH tubes, so I think it would get more of a Marshall amp type tone.
You will be able to play almost any club with a single 1 X 12. For large clubs or big crowds you could add an extension cabinet or mic the amp through the PA.
The nice feature of a 1 X 12 combo is that they usually weigh in under 50 lbs. and are portable. 2 X 12 amps will usually weigh in around 75-80 lbs.
These amps are not fun to carry around.
I would read reviews and try these amps if possible. But any of these would quite easily play just about any gig you encounter.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Is there a difference between let's say a 40w amp through a 1x10 speaker. Or a 40w amp through a 2x10. But other than that, the amps are identical
Yes, there is a difference. You are going to get deeper bass response through a 12" vs. 10". However, 2 X 10" should be very rich.
Another amp just at the top of your range to consider is the Fender DeVille 4 X 10". The DeVille series are just the big brother of the Hot Rod Deluxe. The DeVille comes in either 2 X 12 or 4 X 10, but many people say the 4 X 10 has the much better tone. These amps are not all that heavy either, around 50 lbs. I believe. They are a little bulky to carry around. But the DeVille is a very popular amp used by many gigging musicians.
Now this may throw some people, but people who need clean tones like Jazz or Country actually need a more powerful amp than someone who plays metal. Because Jazz and Country players need to be able to play at high volume without the signal breaking up. But a Metal player wants breakup and saturation. They want to crank the amp up and then add a good pedal. So they would be better off with a LESS powerful amp, or to add an attenuator to their amp so they could crank it up.
So that is another thing you should consider, what type of sounds you are after.
And consider weight. Yeah, a big stack looks impressive on stage. But when you are hauling these things around at 2 A.M. you're gonna wish the thing wasn't so big and heavy. That gets old real quick.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
About the speakers: at low volume there is hardly any difference at all. The difference between them only becomes really obvious when you start to drive them hard. Apart from the deeper bass Wes mentioned, a 12" usually projects it sounds over a wider area, where a 10" projects it more straight ahead. (also depends on how the speakers are positioned, and not important at all if you'll mic it and dump it into the PA)
Oh Wes, it's ofcourse all subjective, but I myself really didn't think the 4x10 was that better sounding then the 1x12. Different, yes. Better, not really.
Blackzerogsh
Exactly what kind of music are you looking to play? If you are looking to play Blues or Classic Rock you could go with a Blues Junior or Pro Junior even. The only problem with 15 watts is you usually can't get enough clean tone. When you crank them above the drummer they start to break up. But they are great amps and VERY popular.
The Classic 30 is right there. You can get cleans up above a drummer, and they start into saturation before the 40-50W amps.
As for the Traynor you talked about originally, they have a nice 1 X 12 extension cabinet. I wish Fender would make one of those for my HRD.
Arjen
Yes, great tone is in the ear of the listener. I have played through the 4 X 10 and I thought it was fabulous. But still, the Hot Rod series amps are still best for Classic Rock or Blues. But they are all pedal friendly and can be used easily for heavier music.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
The Traynor YCV40 is a great amp and very loud, like a Hot Rod Deluxe. It is really a stage amp and not that great for around the house because it is so loud. There are a lot of sounds available from it, from a Fendery clean with a strong high end and upper presence, to a very Voxy overdrive and a somewhat Marshally distortion (well, not really, but it's a strong distortion).
It's a bit harsh for my taste, but I wasn't able to turn it up enough to get to where it would sweeten up, because it was so darn loud! Very nice amp for rock or even metal (but I wouldn't really know about that), I think, not as good as a Fender for country or blues, but there was a lot of variety in the sound and I didn't explore it all.
Well, I mostly play classic rock but I would also need the amp for good clean tones and some light distortion. The things I play ranges from led zeppelin to the beatles, to cream, nirvana. LOts of different stuff. In my opinion I just thought that amps between $500-700 should at least have 2 speakers and 40w
One make I forgot to mention, but was reminded when their newest catalog came in the mail is Carvin. They have the BelAir and Nomad amps in your price range. They are both 50W. The BelAir is 2 X 12 and the Nomad 1 X 12. One nice feature I see on these amps is seperate EQ's for both channels. You don't see that too often on this size combo.
Carvin is one of those companies people either love or hate. I don't know why. The other guitar player in my band has a 20 year old Carvin 65W tube amp and he loves it. It does sound great to me also. Carvin's prices are very good. I think these amps would lean more toward a Marshall sound than a Fender.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
There are many amps in that price range both all tube and solidstate. It comes down to what works for you. I know I could use anyone of them to achieve or imitate the sounds your asking about. You'll find that some of us that have been playing for sometime use all tube amps, whether its a guitar amp or rack mounted. I use a combination of everything along with racks full of processors and other equipment.
Using a tube pre-amp into a Eq into a delay into a 15 all tube watt amp with an attenuator, can be adjusted to get just about anything I hear or imagine by turning a few knobs. All for under or at that price range. If you look through the Amps & EFX you'll find places were some of us have listed many, many amps that will work great for your Quest.
Joe
