Practice amp

[Ricochet]

Had a Bandit too and liked it but was too big for the house even with the power switch on the back.

 

I've had 2 different Peavey Bandits, but neither came with a Power-switch?

[Svet]

I absolutely love my Carr Mercury for everyday around the house use! It has a pot on it that alternates between 1/10, 1/2, 2 and eight watts! This knob only controls the output dBs and it has no change to the tone! This allows me to use it whenever I want at whatever volume I desire. Those 8 watts can get very loud too! My new room has a sound that is more lively than my previously heavily dampened room. Some of my other combos are far too powerful for the space. As such the Mercury will probably see more use as it is easier to control. It also doesn't hurt that the Carr is by far the lightest of my Tube amps.

 

Read about it and hear it here

 

 

[stan 58]

Very nice collection of amps, Svet. But no British? Stan.

[charlie brown]

I absolutely love my Carr Mercury for everyday around the house use! It has a pot on it that alternates between 1/10' date=' 1/2, 2 and eight watts! This knob only controls the output dBs and it has no change to the tone! This allows me to use it whenever I want at whatever volume I desire. Those 8 watts can get very loud too! My new room has a sound that is more lively than my previously heavily dampened room. Some of my other combos are far too powerful for the space. As such the Mercury will probably see more use as it is easier to control. It also doesn't hurt that the Carr is by far the lightest of my Tube amps.

 

Read about it and hear it here

 

 

 

Show Off!!! LOL! (Just kidding, Svet) Where've you been? We haven't seen you posting, for awhile (well, I

haven't, anyway.

 

CB

[johncart]

i use several setups for around the home..one is the digitech rp10 this i run into my hotrod deluxe that has the correct volume control installed for lower sound levels.(heavily modded,see omegaamps.com)two is the rp10 by itself with headphones,three is a pod xt live w/ headphones,four is a washburn strat with a fender mini hot rod deluxe amp installed inside the guitar, and fifth(the most i use) is a tascam cd-gt1 guitar trainer with head phones...this unit has effects and allows to play along with cd's ..I also have a valve jr but i seldom use it. I was going to get a line 6 but the local fix it shop here told me that line 6 would not send him any info for repairing one of their amps..this meant that it would have to be sent back to the factory...i got the Fender HRD so i could get it (if it ever needed it ) fixed locally and quicker.

[rafaelh]

What is your favorite amp to practice with around the house? What's your fave small amp that doesn't go out on gigs yet is toneful at a reasonable volume?

 

I have a little G15RCD Marshall SS that I really like and use only at home. Then again to tell the truth I don't waste to much time thinking about what amp to use around the house so just about any SS amp will do for me....heck most of the time I rahter use my acoustic. Although a few months ago I started messing around with a POD into a Crate Power Block too. Got the POD to use as DI box a while back' date=' which I'm not any longer, so I thought I'd mess with it...LOL...it mostly messes with me. These amp modelers drive me crazy .

 

Heres a picture (pardon the flash and usual bad picture) of a mount I had friend make for the Crate Power Block so I could mount it on a mic' stand ....got the idea from the POD's mic stand bracket. Anyways I was planning on using the CPB as DI thing also, or as a backup, but never did or have so I figured I'd use it around the house.

 

[img']http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p222/rafaelh/CPBPODonstand2.jpg[/img]

 

[CodeMonk]

Svet, knock that off!

You have to much stuff.

 

Anyways...for practice, my AD30VT works good around the house.

For small jams at my house or someone elses house, I use either that or my AD50VT.

Depends on how loud we get (I live in the middle of nowhere, nearest neighbor is about 1/4 mile away).

[gvdv]

My Roland Cube 30 is fantastic, but a little loud for my apartment (neighbours), so I use headphones a lot when playing it there.

 

slag, I know that you had problem with your Roland Cube 30 and you were speculating it was because it had a two pronged plug (possible here in N. America with older appliances, usually). Mine has a three pronged plug (i.e. it has a ground/earth) and I have had no problems.

[TWANG]

I just got a roland micro cube..

 

was using a digitech rp7, and then tried a tascam GT2 guitar trainer..

this micro is just perfect for the price and features.

 

I was really surprised... tone tone tone. sure it's solid state, it's emulations.. but via phones, you don't give a crap about that

at all.

jc 120 is great cleans.. the twin the vox the marshall.. these four are my faves for sure.

but it'll do metal too, with the mesa rectifier setting..

 

I bought mine new.. but you can find them on ebay for half the new price..

 

I've just had one day with it.. but I already know it's a keeper.

I wound up jamming bb king last night, his blues album with the smaller band.. and I had tone and sustain that .. well I played the dang cd

all through twice!

1 am!

 

this is exacty what I was talking about when I said a SS amp for practice ought to be a first choice consideration..

for one thing, sure. a real roland jc120 is going to sound better.. even though it's solid state, too.. but this is so close..

so are the rest.. there's a large dollop of real tube tone and responsiveness in there..

If you dont have access to these amps in real life.. this is about as good a way of familiarizing yourself with why certain amps are

called classic.. what their differences are..

it's that close.

this thing and a vj.. man... just over a couple hundred bucks and you've everything you need to jam, practice with tubes.. practice at low volume

*cube into vj* and with phones.

you could certainly record with this amp and listeners would be hard pressed to tell you didn't have a 'real' amp in there.

 

efx are limited but very useful.. have no complaints at all with delays and reverb..

cho. fla. pha. and trem also handy.. not real hot.. but ok..

 

according to experienced players I trust. this thing into your pa will sound pretty incredible.. and, I do believe them.

 

runs on 6AA batterys, too.. comes with adaptor for AC.

 

I also tried vox amplug and wasn't happy at all with that.

 

I really recommend the micro cube.

[Svet]

 

Show Off!!! LOL! (Just kidding' date=' Svet) Where've you been? We haven't seen you posting, for awhile (well, I

haven't, anyway.

 

CB[/quote']

Hi CB, my fiancé and I bought a house and we've been in the process of cleaning, packing and moving. I just finally got around to setting up my computer so I've had a little time to surf my favorite forum. The guitars have survived the trip and are enjoying their new digs. They have their own storage room now that I need to make some minor repairs. The room was only sheet rocked and never spackled or painted. Once I do that I'm going to start investigating the best option to make the room completely climate controlled. So I'll be poking around from time to time but now that I am a home owner and not a renter well there is just more to do. The Yard is 1.5 acres of mowing bliss! LOL

Svet

[ef_in_fla]

Fender G-Dec 30

 

VOX Pathfinder 15w

 

PODxt w/headphones

[rubbieus]

Roland Cube 15, although it sounds like 20watts to me :/

[L1Picker]

The Epi VJ head into a 1x12 cab was my go to amp until I got my Cube 60...now that VJ sits idle. Still a good amp, but I just love the Cube.

[Charles Obscure]

Rafael, I like that setup you have for the Pod & Crate! Pretty convenient. Like CodeMonk, I live out in the country and can crank up the volume when I want to (annoy the wife).

For playing at home, I have a tiny Fender Champ 600 that's nice for warm tube sound. It's a good amp for playing blues harp through as well, but I have to crank it loud to get it to break up. My favorites are a Fender G-DEC 30 that's always ready to plug in and play, and also a B-DEC 30 for working on my bass chops. There's usually a Pod XT Live hooked up to the comp if I want to go that route.

I have a few options, just not a lot of time, so I like to have things set up and ready to play ASAP.

[Dave]

The search for the perfect tone... You find it and then discover that you can't get the same tone at home without alienating the neighbors (grin).

 

Heaphone amps/ headphone jacks are probably the best solution. You can crank and generate harmonics with no ill feelings from the family.

 

I'm still playing the Roland Cube 60 at home. It still doesn't sound nearly as good at low volumes than it does at gig volume. True of most amps.

I generally end up using a Mesa emulation for the overdrive stuff. The clean JC120 emulation is good anywhere.

[rafaelh]

Rafael' date=' I like that setup you have for the Pod & Crate! Pretty convenient. [/quote']

 

Thanks for the kind words Charles, and yes sir it is very convenient.

[Doth]

I have a Roland Cube 60 and a Epi VJr half stack. I love the Epi for the tone, but the Roland gives flexibility.

 

But to be honest, when I practice, I pull out my Ovation 12 string acoustic. I find it keeps you very honest with the practice and sound. If you can play a 12 acoustic live, you can do very well with an electric. Just my opinion. I have found the more I play the 12 string, the easier it is to play my Boneyard.

[keoki]

I used a couple of Crate 15's for a long time with my Parker's at home and on the job (stereo, miked thru the PA with Shure's). I recently purchased the Roland Micro Cube RX which has put the Crate's back on the shelf. My Epi is awsome thru this amp. Very rich tones, able to handle the bottom end with ease, and great stereo reverb and chorus.

[SlagJones]

Is there such thing as a tube amp you can crank to get tube distortion but still not blow out your windows or piss off the significant other? The 1/2 watt Killer ant? Many have said that the Vjr at 5 watts can still be a little too loud for bedroom practice. the Carr Mercury seems perfect but WAY out of my price range. Is using pedals in front the only real option? What about amps with separate gain and volume controls?

[ken361]

Really can't go wrong with this Carvin amp, From clean to metal with 9 tubes of power!50 or 100 watts

https://www.carvinguitars.com/products/single.php?product=MTS3212

[snookelputz]

The only way I ever heard of getting the tone of tubes driven near the cooking point, is to drive them near the cooking point - and that's LOUD! no matter the wattage, it's going to be almost the maximum loud the amp can make. So, if that's what it takes to get the tone, you either live with the volume or find some way to cut it to human levels while still glowing in the dark. Tada! Attenuators work better than anything else I know of. Webers are reasonable on ebay, some of the really fancy ones are pretty expensive, but they all work AFTER the sound is sent out of the amp.

[rafaelh]

Is there such thing as a tube amp you can crank to get tube distortion but still not blow out your windows or piss off the significant other?

 

Ha...you just went from "maybe" to "zero" on the choice scale. Not piss off the significant other?...that's a good one.

 

I normally practice with a clean sound so any SS amp works for me at home..or acoustic. However the Epi jr head I tried was not bad at all I thought.....can still be loud though. The thing about it is it breaks up pretty early, which means it doesn't really need to be cranked up to loud...then again it depends on how much grit you want or what you play I guess.

 

If you're thinking of an amp with a master volume you could choose to just stick a Volume pedal in the FX loop...if your amp has one. IMO basicaly doing the same thing and cheaper. Unfortunately the tube saturation I like is with the O/P tubes.....and the speakers dancing. The only way I can get that, or know how to, is cranking the amp up.

[charlie brown]

I actually practice with a Marshall AVT-20, mostly. It's loud enough, that I could "gig" with it...and have,

in small bars/clubes. But, it can be set for a decent tone..even overdrive, at pretty low volume. I sometimes

use it "clean," and just use pedals, for OD, compression/sustain, and rotary. Which, is about all I use, anyway.

Gigging, is with that same little Marshall or a Fender Blues Junior, mostly. Outdoor gigs, I may use the HRD or Twin

Reverb, if I can get away with it...;>) It's probably a good thing I'm so far away from any music stores, GC, Sam Ash

or even E.M. Shorts...which is the closest. Otherwise, I'd be dead broke all the time, instead of just most of the time,

with my guitar and amp G.A.S!

 

CB

[bluelake07]

This is the practice amp I'd like to have:

 

http://www.drzamps.com/miniz_head.html

[Gashole]

Is there such thing as a tube amp you can crank to get tube distortion but still not blow out your windows or piss off the significant other? The 1/2 watt Killer ant? Many have said that the Vjr at 5 watts can still be a little too loud for bedroom practice. the Carr Mercury seems perfect but WAY out of my price range. Is using pedals in front the only real option? What about amps with separate gain and volume controls?

 

 

 

Look for something that offers a class A option. Tubes begin to overdrive at a lesser volume in Class A. Paired with a tube rectifier (like the awesome Epi BC 30 or the most excellent but pricey Vox AC30TB for example) you get just about the best damn sound you can get IMO. You might not agree if you're a Fender devotee. For me, Fenders sound "brighter" than I prefer. Not saying they don't sound good by any means! I like Twin Reverbs quite a bit...but I really love the darker tone of Vox's and Voxish sounding amps (the BC 30 IMO fits that description, though by no means are they the same thing)in class A with the rectifier doin it's thang, better. It still might be too loud though for a bedroom with a sensitive wife. But Class A is the way to go if you have tubes and want to be quieter...The Vjr's 5 watts class A sounds like a good plan. Though I don't own it. I'm sure you could "make" it loud, but wouldn't "have" to to get good tone. The volume thing is a little subjective. I can play my BC30 at a low enough volume not to peeve the wife with 15 watts class A, and the master vol at 3. That's why I can't imagine 5 watts class A having to be so loud that it couldn't be used in the bedroom...though I have no doubt it could be cranked to jam with a stereo and probably get nicely rude.

 

alternatively, you could learn a few tunes of her choosing to hear over and over again!

 

 

 

I know you are wanting tubes, but possibly consider a hybrid? Vox valvetronix amps are great for practice, and they *do* have a pre amp tube (one 12ax7). Took me a while to be willing to even consider a non tube amp. But they really do sound organic. You can get good bedroom volume with these things...I should have gotten the 30 watter rather than the 15. Same features except wattage, and the 30watt and above models have a knob on the back that allows you to cut volume but not at the expense of overdrive (simulates class A funciton)