Choice of Amp

[Tonray's Ghost]

OK..a hypothetical that will likely turn real in 2024

I want a new amp, having said that I need the following:

1) Mainly clean Fender-ish and/or Vox-ish tones capable of dialing in edge of breakup
2) Don't gig, never have, never will, never had the talent, never will
3) Reliability over time, Thailand is a great place but getting anything complicated repaired or adjusted is not for the faint of heart
4)Price range $350 to $800
5) Prefer 12 inch speaker just because I once had a Fender Mustang (II or III ?) with a 12 inch speaker and with a mediocre modelling amp, it sounded divine. The smaller Fender with the same modeling engine sounded like..well you know.
6) Must have reverb but reverb and tremolo would be a plus

Here are some choices I have narrowed it down to:

1) Roland Blues Cube Hot (about $630) 12 inch speaker, reverb, SS amp
2) Fender '68 Vibro Champ reverb (about $1000..ouch) 10 inch speaker, reverb and tremolo, tube amp
3) Blackstar Silverline Special, (about $500) 12 inch speaker, reverb and tremolo, SS amp
4) Vox Cambridge 50 (about $350), 12 inch speaker, reverb and tremolo, SS amp with NuTube ?
5) Vox AC10 C1 (about $525), 10 inch speaker, reverb only, Tube amp

I could live with any of these no doubt but interested in what the AGF brain trust has to say. Merry Christmas

[deeaa]

No idea about these particular amps, but if you don't exactly need it to be loud, don't get an all-tube amp. Because there's no tube amp in existence that won't sound a lot better when it's too loud.

So if you plan to play at living room volumes, definitely better get SS or a modeler.

Not that tube amps can't sound "good" at lower volumes too, but it just bugs me to no end that they invariably sound yet better and better the louder you turn them up. Sooooo much easier to find great tones with SS/modeling because you aren't tempted to turn them up more and more all the time.

If you have a playing room where you can open them up to 100+ dB then by all means get a tube one and some ear plugs.

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[Tonray's Ghost]

No idea about these particular amps, but if you don't exactly need it to be loud, don't get an all-tube amp. Because there's no tube amp in existence that won't sound a lot better when it's too loud.

So if you plan to play at living room volumes, definitely better get SS or a modeler.

Not that tube amps can't sound "good" at lower volumes too, but it just bugs me to no end that they invariably sound yet better and better the louder you turn them up. Sooooo much easier to find great tones with SS/modeling because you aren't tempted to turn them up more and more all the time.

If you have a playing room where you can open them up to 100+ dB then by all means get a tube one and some ear plugs.

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Thanks, excellent input. Glad to hear from you, I was afraid you were activated for border defense and on the front lines !

[deeaa]

No idea about these particular amps, but if you don't exactly need it to be loud, don't get an all-tube amp. Because there's no tube amp in existence that won't sound a lot better when it's too loud.

So if you plan to play at living room volumes, definitely better get SS or a modeler.

Not that tube amps can't sound "good" at lower volumes too, but it just bugs me to no end that they invariably sound yet better and better the louder you turn them up. Sooooo much easier to find great tones with SS/modeling because you aren't tempted to turn them up more and more all the time.

If you have a playing room where you can open them up to 100+ dB then by all means get a tube one and some ear plugs.

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Thanks, excellent input. Glad to hear from you, I was afraid you were activated for border defense and on the front lines !

Too old for that, LOL And no worries even if I were. No threat here.

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[Tonray's Ghost]

Update: wow.. craigslist here is abysmal but I found that at least here in Bangkok, Facebook marketplace is where it's at. Listed my little Mooer Hornet amp plus the Valeton GP100 unit this morning and sold by 7 pm with multiple suitors to boot. The guy in Bangkok sent a Grab driver on motorcycle (our Uber) to pick it up at my house, paid me via his banking app, clean as a whistle. None of that sketchy craigslist weirdo meets in McDonald's parking lots anymore. So now I am pedal and amp-less.

Have narrowed it down to 2 challengers:

1) Vox Cambridge 50

2) Yamaha THRII30

Will think on it over new years holiday. Traveling to Ayutthaya, Thailand's ancient capital for new years and once I get back will pull the trigger.

Yamaha has an advantage in size and portability being it will fit nicely on the shelf I had the other stuff on but the Vox has a nice 12 inch speaker. Of course the THRII30 has stereo which always sounds great especially with effects. Vox a lot cheaper however at $350 vs $600 for the THRII30. We'll sleep on it !

[Partscaster]

I have a THR10C, and it sounds surprisingly great. With all the convenience of choices of modeled amps and effects, headphones, mp3 input, etc... you cant go wrong. The sound is really rich. Yamaha is a good company.

[Tonray's Ghost]

I have a THR10C, and it sounds surprisingly great. With all the convenience of choices of modeled amps and effects, headphones, mp3 input, etc... you cant go wrong. The sound is really rich. Yamaha is a good company.

I had always planned to buy the 10C but then they discontinued the original line , jacked the price up and turned the all metal case into 50% plastic. I know you get all the models yada yada but man $600 bucks is pushing it. I could almost get an AC15 for that..not that it would be a good idea for a living room amp but just saying

[toomanycats]

My 2¢.

First, I've both seen and heard you play guitar, you've got the skills, there's no reason related to sheer ability why you can't gig if you really wanted to. Yeah, there are plenty of other valid reasons to stay out of the bars (like psychopaths, stalkers, etc.), but your perceived lack of talent is not one of them. Go for it if you've got the guts, because you've got the talent. Just make sure you keep your guard up and have your lady aggressively run cockblock.

Given that you prefer clean/edge of breakup tones, with a 12" speaker, with onboard reverb, with reliability over time, all coming in below $800, I would highly recommend the Blackstar Studio 10 6L6.

I thrashed my Blackstar Studio 10 6L6 on the gigging circuit for a couple years (a few hundred gigs at minimum), knocking it over multiple times, slamming into doors and walls lugging it in and out of venues, spilling beer and liquor on it. I abused that Blackstar like one of Hunter Biden's whores. I can fire that amp up right now and it still sounds as good as the day I bought it. I never had to change tubes or perform any other maintenance whatsoever. The only mod I made was to replace the stock speaker with a Celestion Greenback. With a Bogner Ecstasy Blue pedal in front of the Greenback loaded Blackstar it produces an unbelievably convincing Plexi tone.

[BatUtilityBelt]

I get your preference for a 12", but agree if you pair that with anything tube based, it's probably got to get loud to reach the tone you want. Given that, I would suggest considering a separate 12" cabinet and maybe a modeling head that can drive it. Both, of course, to your own ears' preference. The cabinet can always get a different speaker to match your mind's ear better, but the amp is pretty much going to stay whatever you choose.

[uwmcscott]

I check all the same boxes you to ( don't gig, never plan to, my living room is my stage ). I would echo the recommendations for a SS amp as you can do a lot more at low volumes ( or with headphones ) than you could ever do with tubes. I currently have a gen Boss Katana and it does just about anything I could ever want to do.

I tried a lot of tube amps over the years to fit my needs over the years and while I don't have one anymore, the Peavey Classic 30 checked most of the boxes. It's got a 12" speaker, made in the USA ( the earlier models anyway ), has a nice master volume so you can get dirt at reasonable volume levels, and also has pretty good cleans. Also has a really nice reverb which you can control with the factory foot pedal, along with the channel switching. @tonebender will likely second this nomination as I think he still has my old one I had a really cool 50th anniversary edition model that I somewhat stupidly sold ( at a nice profit ) to fund the purchase of a Fender Princeton reverb - the Sweetwater version with the 12" Speaker. For cleans and the tremelo/reverb the Princeton is amazing. For dirt there is no master volume of course so you have to crank it up or use a pedal for dirt.

[Tonray's Ghost]

Thanks all for the input and suggestions !

Wil be ordering the following:

Vox Cambridge 50 (12 inch speaker)
Valeton GP-200 LT

This replaces :
Mooer Hornet (6.5 inch speaker)
Valeton GP-100

All in all I loved the flexibility of the multifunction pedal and with the new 12 inch amp, the new version will be even better for my setup. Amp has a flat Line model to accommodate pedal and also sounds great in its own right. With what I got for the old gear sale all in for $500. Hard to beat . After new year a new video introducing the new setup. Happy Holidays to all !

[Tonray's Ghost]

My 2¢.

First, I've both seen and heard you play guitar, you've got the skills, there's no reason related to sheer ability why you can't gig if you really wanted to. Yeah, there are plenty of other valid reasons to stay out of the bars (like psychopaths, stalkers, etc.), but your perceived lack of talent is not one of them. Go for it if you've got the guts, because you've got the talent. Just make sure you keep your guard up and have your lady aggressively run cockblock.

Given that you prefer clean/edge of breakup tones, with a 12" speaker, with onboard reverb, with reliability over time, all coming in below $800, I would highly recommend the Blackstar Studio 10 6L6.

I thrashed my Blackstar Studio 10 6L6 on the gigging circuit for a couple years (a few hundred gigs at minimum), knocking it over multiple times, slamming into doors and walls lugging it in and out of venues, spilling beer and liquor on it. I abused that Blackstar like one of Hunter Biden's whores. I can fire that amp up right now and it still sounds as good as the day I bought it. I never had to change tubes or perform any other maintenance whatsoever. The only mod I made was to replace the stock speaker with a Celestion Greenback. With a Bogner Ecstasy Blue pedal in front of the Greenback loaded Blackstar it produces an unbelievably convincing Plexi tone.

These amps intrigue me...perhaps a future upstairs amp...why not ? I particularly like the 6L6 version, the EL34 ver sounds meh like all the rest of the Brit clones...but the 6L6 to my ears anyway sounds like a Fender / Vox hybrid which is a really good way to be. Nice catch..look for a sale on these guys down the line for sure.

[andrewsrea]

I don't have any experience with the amps mentioned, except for different variants of the Roland Blues Cube (which is nice). Spend some time trying them out (aggressively) and let your ears decide. On that note, recognize when your ears are fatigued from trying amps.

[tonebender]

@uwmcscott is right I always recommend the Peavey Classic 30. I keep it in the band rehearsal studio and still play it all the time. It covers all the bases all of the time. Yes, there are other great amps out there but the C30 is iconic.

[Partscaster]

Fender Champ, same as I put on other thread.

I own one. Good tone. Works for jam w guitarists, bassist and drummer, especially w/ a boost.
But its only 6 watts, so you dont have to play it on such lower settings. You can crank it and get that natural edge of breakup.
Mine has 8" weber alnico with 1.25" voicecoil. It has good cleans, it gets to edge of breakup well.
Its like this vid:


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[tlarson58]

Happy AMP Purchase Day! Let us know when it arrives.

P.S. I had a Roland Blues Cube and should have kept it. 'Just place it in line with the poor gear choices i have made over the years.

[Tonray's Ghost]

Boy these long pre-holiday weeks give a gasser plenty of time to choose a path, reconsider, choose yet another and reconsider again.

Ok.. pre new years holiday getaway (back on the 1st), the new reconsideration is the following:

Roland Blues Cube Hot (30 watter with 12 inch speaker and reverb)

This will be acquired first and then down the line instead of a Valeton GP-200lt ( as much as I loved the GP-100), I feel the effects and overall switch and panel configuration is better on the Nux Trident (for me anyway). So the eventual setup will be :

January 2024: Roland Blues Cube Hot

1st quarter 2024: Nux Trident

I'm looking at a rig that can last me for years and if the longevity of those old Roland JC amps is any indication, it's likely this setup will outlive me.

So Instead of the $500 all in cost (after including old gear sale) the total cost net will be about $1000. Hey why not ?

Ok..now to holiday getaway, then off to amp shopping !

[deeaa]

$1000?

Man, if I had $1000 to spend in an amp, I'd get a Marshall tube head and a small cab with a Greenback, and something like a Boss GX-100 in front of it.

Or maybe like a Katana and the same.

My main rig now, a PC (80€) with a good soundcard (100€) into a power amp(100€) into a Greenback 69(80€) in a rack/speaker enclosure (20€) and a Neural plugin (80€) and a large MIDI controller with 2 expression pedals (100€) can do anything I could imagine, straight to PA/recording and as a singular amp. And total cost with all the wiring and such under 600€.

For a few hundred more I'd buy a proper VST host program for it, and another Neural plugin...still be well under a grand and it's perfect at any volume and straight to records too

My other rig is an Origin head (400€) which I modded (~50€) and a 4x10" cab (40€) for which I changed two speakers into Eminences (75€ with sale of two original speakers)... slightly over 500€.

I do have the GX-100 I bought at full price ..

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[nomadh]

Sounds like you're set. I was going to suggest a vox vt40x for on the cheap. Not so much for the $300 price but killer for the $60 used I see around. Decent tones. It is my drag to a jam or open mic amp. A few times guys with fancier setups and even already setup on stage wanted to use my amp because they liked the tonez. But if not dragging it around and for the money your seperate pedal board works much better to my limited few preset buttons.

[Tonray's Ghost]

Decided on an amp. Need to go into downtown Bangkok to order in the central business district and arrange delivery 'cause I ain't driving into Bangkok on a Friday no way no how.

My only hint is that it's very closely related to one of the suggestions offered here in this thread but not quite exactly what was recommended. 10 watts, all tube. That's all I'm gonna say for now. Hopefully by early next week it should arrive and then a full pictorial and sound demo to soon follow .

[Tonray's Ghost]

Amp has been ordered.. supposed to be delivered tomorrow (Saturday Bangkok time). I guess this may be my first unboxing video..stay tuned..or maybe just post some pics...