Thinking about getting my first valve amp and am looking for some general advice on what I should be looking for eg: type of valves ,circuits etc.
I am currently leaning towards this one http://www.arbiter.co.uk/soundcity/sound_city_mark6_sc40c.htm as I think its what I am after.I am looking for a bit of an allrounder but leaning towards blues/rock etc.(THE BLACK KEYS)
Budget around £400. so HRD not an option
Any advice much appreciated.
bob
My Band: http://www.myspace.com/thelanterns2010
playing whilst drunk is only permitted if all band members are in a similar state!
Have you had a look at Laney amps? They have the VC30 which straddles your budget, depending on what speakers you get - 2x12 is over your budget, but 1x12 or 2x10 are under.
http://www.laney.co.uk/show_type.php?tid=1
I started with nothing - and I've still got most of it left.
Did you know that the word "gullible" is not in any dictionary?
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They look pretty tasty, thanks greybeard.
My Band: http://www.myspace.com/thelanterns2010
playing whilst drunk is only permitted if all band members are in a similar state!
my brother in law has a laney valve amp and he has an excellent sound. it helps he's also bloody good though.
"I like to play that guitar. I have to stare at it while I'm playing it because I'm not very good at playing it."
Noel Gallagher (who took the words right out of my mouth)
I do like the cranked amp tone on the Black Keys' Thickfreakness and Rubber Factory CDs. Don't know what he uses. Bet you could Google up info on his gear.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
This is slightly over your budget, but have you tried a Fender Hotrod Deluxe? They have a killing sound and are good for both Blues and Rock.
I am not familiar with that particular brand of amp, but it uses EL84 power tubes. I personally love the tones produced by these tubes. These tubes were made very popular by Vox amps. My Marshall DSL401 has EL84 power tubes as does the Epiphone Valve Jr.. Great cleans. Not a Fender clean, but a very crisp clean nonetheless. Go to You Tube and listen to some clips of Vox amps to get an idea of this sound. They get great overdriven tones as well, think Beatles distortion.
Here is a clip of a Vox amp with EL84s.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1ZQ8qPmjZQ
If you want a Marshall "heavy rock" type tone, look for amps with EL34s like the new Peavey Windsor amps. If you love clean Fender tones, look for amps with 6L6 power tubes.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
