I'm a beginner with only an acoustic guitar, but I'm giving some thought to getting an electric and am trying to figure out amps. I've read various things here which have been very helpful.
I'm interested in the usual classic rock/blues/hard rock thing, and a tube amp seems to be the way to go. However, right now I only practice in my apartment, and then usually late at night after the kids are asleep, so while good sound is important, volume is not at all. Are there any very-low-power tube amps that would be able to saturate and deliver a good tone, but still be quiet? I appreciate the existence of attenuators and such to quiet a bigger amp, but this would really be more than I need--iit would seem to make more sense to get a good small quiet amp at the start (if available), rather than some amp that's more than I need and might never grow into.
In the ads, most smaller amps are designated "practice" amps, and I don't know if that's a euphemism for "lousy", or if they're just quieter, and which of these is good for what I want.
Thanks.
Hi Jester
You might have gotten a little misled by some of the posts here.
A tube amp does not HAVE to be pushed into saturation to sound good. But they do sound better when you can crank them up into saturation.
If you know you are going to strictly play at home, then a 5-15 watt tube amp would be all you ever need. You could play it at low volume and it will sound great. And once in awhile if no-one is around you could crank it way up and it will sing!
What you really want is great tone.
There are some small amps known for great tone. The Fender Blues Junior or Pro Junior come to mind. They are 15 watts and quite loud when cranked. You can play small venues with these amps unmic'd. But they sound great at low volume too.
Reverend has the Goblin.
The Goblin has a switch so you can play it at 5 watts or 15. 5 watts is almost ideal for playing at home, but still very loud! You couldn't play this thing cranked late at night. :shock:
Ricochet recently got the Epiphone Valve Junior. This is a super basic 5 watt amp. According to Ricochet it has great vintage tone. And very affordable.
You should be able to get great Blues tone with any good sounding tube amp. Now, Hard Rock or Metal you will need a pedal.
Maybe someone else like Joe (Forrok Star) will come on and give some recommendations.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Yes, I'm quite fond of my little Valve Junior. But remember, it's only got a volume knob, and the tone varies according to where it's set. When it's turned down low, it's very "clean." As you turn it up, it hits full volume somewhere near the halfway point, then just gets "crunchier." That's the way tube amps generally were before separate gain and master volume controls came along. 5W is LOUD, too. I was playing it (halfway up) the other night when my wife came in yelling at me to turn it down. I really knew what she was telling me, of course, but I couldn't hear her and kept on playing. She made some gestures that made her meaning quite clear, and I turned it down!
:lol:
A 5W guitar amp cranked up has been compared in volume to someone blowing a trumpet, or yelling as loud as they can. That's about right.
None of the major guitar amp builders have made a low power tube amp that'll make the pleasing "cranked amp" tones at bedroom volume levels. Lots of do-it-yourselfers have done so, and a few boutique amp builders. What I've found acceptable for this sort of thing is a little Danelectro Honeytone mini-amp. It's not half bad sounding, really!
I certainly do disagree with the folks who insist that tube amps always have to be cranked. That's like saying it's no good when your car's gas pedal isn't pressed to the floor. It's fun to crank either one up wide open now and then, but you can't do it all the time. I've done a lot of very quiet playing with 10-60W tube amps and been quite happy with them. The volume knobs are on there for a reason.
:D
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
The output saturation is the tone you hear most often and is whats highly sought after. I would get the amp you want. That is what it really comes down to. Whether it be a 1 watt or 100 watt amp. Real volume is not an issue. There's plenty of ways to bring the volume down. If you clipped -28 to -32 dB's off a tube amp it will be down to headphone volume level.
I use attenuators on everything from 1 watt amps to 100 watt amps, not only to bring the volume down, but the amp takes on a certain characteristic when you clip a few dB's off them allowing them to run a little harder. Which creates the power supply to sag trying to to keep up with the power tubes. 1 watt tube amps will drive a 4x12 cabinet.
What comes to mind is how much you want to spend on the amp. what output saturation tone are you looking to create. All amps sound different. Being there plenty of low watt and boutque amps on the market, some even come with attenuators built in. Do you have a particular tone your looking to get from it?
A good start for a signal chain would be an All tube amp, equalizer, attenuator.
Joe
I'm an absolute beginner, so I don't really know what I'm looking for, to be honest. But for now, I'm looking for something relatively inexpensive and easy to deal with--when I'm good enough to tell the difference, and to want to play somewhere other than my back room late at night, I'll worry about something more elaborate and better.
If you're really new to electric guitar and amps you might want to try a low watt modeling amo (like the Vox AD15/130). You'll get a huge variety of asounds which can all be used at every volume. And when you progressing and learning more about what sound you're after you can take a look at the various tube amps that you were using in your modeling amp.
the pro jr is loud. 15 watts is a lot of power. Its way to loud to turn up all the way in a house.
I've been imitated so well I've heard people copy my mistakes.
- Jimi Hendrix
the pro jr is loud. 15 watts is a lot of power. Its way to loud to turn up all the way in a house.It's a great amp for playing in a small club setting.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
