I need some recommendations for a travel amp. My Randall is too big to haul to friend's houses so I need something smaller. Not so small that I can walk around the park with it but somewhere between 5-15 watts. I was thinking about the Epiphone Valve Junior. Any opinions on this or suggestions on other amps are appreciated.
"In what, twisted universe does mastering Eddie Van Halen's two handed arpeggio technique count as ABSOLUTELY NOTHING?!" - Dr Gregory House
I have an Epi Valve Jr, and it is a good amp. You may want to look into some of the lower wattage Vox amps, and the Roland Micro Cubes come highly recommended around here too.
"The only way I know that guarantees no mistakes is not to play and that's simply not an option". David Hodge
I know the Roland Cube 30 will get the tones for the style music you play.
I've got the Hybrid Fender Super Champ XD. It's a 15 watt tube with digital voicings and some built in effects. I lacks a mid EQ and I ended up puting an EQ pedal in front of it. The clean tones were a little thin for me. There were several heavier tones that didn't need any help though.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
if I'm not sure what I'm going to play stylistically, I always grab the Cube 30 on my way out the door. the Micro Cube only goes if I need a battery-powered amp: if you consider the Valve Jr. a travel amp, then the Micro Cube is probably too small -- not ballsy enough. so back to the 30: the Cube 30 makes a great practice and small gig amp if the tones work for you. it also doubles in a pinch as a personal on -stage monitor, a real jack-all-trades that even does a few things really well. the Vox equivalent is a good bet as well. If you must have tube, then the Valve Jr will be one of the least expensive ways to go, plus there is a whole new crop of low cost tube amps now on the market.
-=tension & release=-
I need some recommendations for a travel amp. My Randall is too big to haul to friend's houses so I need something smaller. Not so small that I can walk around the park with it but somewhere between 5-15 watts. I was thinking about the Epiphone Valve Junior. Any opinions on this or suggestions on other amps are appreciated.
Depends on your budget. I like my VJr stack, but it needs a good distortion box to push it into grunge or metal territory. I didn't really like the combo VJr with the 8" speaker.
Vox Pathfinder 15 is a versatile little package. Lightweight, the "modern" gain voicing gets you plenty of dirt, and the 8" bulldog speaker has a good bit of grunt and volume - enough to surprise people. No built-in FX though.
The Vox valvetronix series amps are nice too. The AD15VT would probably bee a nice addition for you. I really like the Vox hybrids, and my VR15 is a top choice when I'm headed to gigs where space is at a premium.
Playing guitar and never playing for others is like studying medicine and never working in a clinic.
For travel, I use a Behringer V-Amp2 modeller.
It doesn't amplify, but with headphones it's a great little travel companion.
You can also plug it into any amp for volume if needed. $100 brand new isn't bad.
Bish
"I play live as playing dead is harder than it sounds!"
Vox Pathfinder 15 is a versatile little package. Lightweight, the "modern" gain voicing gets you plenty of dirt, and the 8" bulldog speaker has a good bit of grunt and volume - enough to surprise people. No built-in FX though.
+1 on the Vox Pathfinder. I got one of these for my son last year - he's 14 & plays mostly metal - and he loves it. It does have reverb & tremolo too. Realy nice clean tone to boot. 8)
"The only way I know that guarantees no mistakes is not to play and that's simply not an option". David Hodge
First, there's this thread - http://forums.guitarnoise.com/viewtopic.php?f=40&t=43388
I ended up buying the Vox DA5 as a travel amp - fit in a suitcase size amp. It's pretty good in general and as far as the small travel amps go it's actually very good. I tried out the Micro Cube and in comparison to the Vox DA5 it lost. This amp is for the really light weight travel - I took it with me to a summer workshop.
Now, if you really mean luggable then the larger Cubes are great. I've got a Cube 30 that I use a fair bit at home and for jams. It's still light enough (9kg / 20lbs) to be luggable and the amp models are pretty decent.
Pop music is about stealing pocket money from children. - Ian Anderson
