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Amplifier suggestions please?

WeiJuin

By WeiJuin
in Gibson USA

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WeiJuin

WeiJuin

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Hey guys,

 

I need suggestions for valve amplifier to use with my LP studio. I play jazz/blues kinda stuff. With a budget of about £300 / $470. The suggestions I've got so far are the blackstar ht-5 for its versatality. Personally I've tried a ht-20 which is wayy over my budget and a Fender Super Champ. Are there any others i should take a look at?

 

Thanks. =)

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WeiJuin

WeiJuin

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Try a Blues' Jr. or maybe a used Crate v30 <USA Version> or v33 Palomino. Those are all great amps I believe in your price range, perfect for blues or heavy blues.

 

 

 

 

cheers,

 

 

J

 

 

Hey Josh,

 

Thanks for the quick reply! love the tone on fender valve amps so i'm definitely gonna give blues junior a try with my guitar. crate on the other hand is quite difficult to find here in the UK. appreciate the opinion though. Cheers!

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Big_Guitarra

Big_Guitarra

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I have a Fender Blues Pro Jr. in the form of the Fender Woody Pro Jr. It has great sound and is housed in an ash solid wood cabinet. Marshall has a Class 5 tube amp that is a bit less costly than the Blues Pro Jr. and a bit less output power. The Marshall Class 5 = 5 watts and the Fender Blues Pro Jr. = 15 watts.

http://www.marshallamps.com/product_range.asp?productCode=Class5

 

Good luck in your amp hunt [biggrin]

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WeiJuin

WeiJuin

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I just got my Egnater Tweaker 112 combo, today and im really digging it.....Very versitile and the tones are great, too early to give a full review as of yet tho.

 

 

I have a Fender Blues Pro Jr. in the form of the Fender Woody Pro Jr. It has great sound and is housed in an ash solid wood cabinet. Marshall has a Class 5 tube amp that is a bit less costly than the Blues Pro Jr. and a bit less output power. The Marshall Class 5 = 5 watts and the Fender Blues Pro Jr. = 15 watts.

http://www.marshallamps.com/product_range.asp?productCode=Class5

 

Good luck in your amp hunt [biggrin]

 

Egnater? wow, i think they only do those in the US. and the one i found on ebay here in the Uk costs £750! haha. must be really good. enjoy it man.

 

Guitarra, would you say u prefer the fender amp then? Some of my mates claim that fender amps are "one trick ponies" with clean tones being the only "tricks" they can perform. is this true?

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T Bone

T Bone

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Egnater? wow, i think they only do those in the US. and the one i found on ebay here in the Uk costs £750! haha. must be really good. enjoy it man.

 

Guitarra, would you say u prefer the fender amp then? Some of my mates claim that fender amps are "one trick ponies" with clean tones being the only "tricks" they can perform. is this true?

I'll throw my opinion on that. In a word, bollocks (did I use it correctly? [biggrin] ). Fenders do have a wide range, and for that matter, make a wide range of amps. I've got a Blues Deluxe (early 90's American version), a reissue Deluxe Reverb and the decent little el cheapo, the Champion 600 (these are a great little inexpensive practice amp, I had the real thing, it's grandfather from 1949 in my collection I let go about 13 years ago). I also had a dozen other vintage Fenders. They do distortion beautifully (the original Marshall JTM 45 was actually a very nearly direct copy of the circuit from the Fender 4-10 Bassman of the 1950's). There are lot of great choices out there though, and I'm not sure how available or affordable Fenders would be on that side of the pond.

 

Really like that Marshall Class 5, and also the Vox AC4 TV (not sure how much power you need, is this for gigging, jamming, or practice -or all of the above)?

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WeiJuin

WeiJuin

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I'll throw my opinion on that. In a word, bollocks (did I use it correctly? [biggrin] ). Fenders do have a wide range, and for that matter, make a wide range of amps. I've got a Blues Deluxe (early 90's American version), a reissue Deluxe Reverb and the decent little el cheapo, the Champion 600 (these are a great little inexpensive practice amp, I had the real thing, it's grandfather from 1949 in my collection I let go about 13 years ago). I also had a dozen other vintage Fenders. They do distortion beautifully (the original Marshall JTM 45 was actually a very nearly direct copy of the circuit from the Fender 4-10 Bassman of the 1950's). There are lot of great choices out there though, and I'm not sure how available or affordable Fenders would be on that side of the pond.

 

Really like that Marshall Class 5, and also the Vox AC4 TV (not sure how much power you need, is this for gigging, jamming, or practice -or all of the above)?

 

well done, mate! =) blues deluxe is waaay over my budget. could either get that second hand or the blues junior brand new. which do u think is a better bet? u seem to have used fender amps for decades now. I guess that's testimony enough for the quality they provide.

 

i'm getting mixed reviews on the class 5 but the vox seems superb! im not sure about gigging man, 4W?

 

Check out this video i came across:

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Big_Guitarra

Big_Guitarra

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I'll throw my opinion on that. In a word, bollocks (did I use it correctly? [biggrin] ). Fenders do have a wide range, and for that matter, make a wide range of amps. I've got a Blues Deluxe (early 90's American version), a reissue Deluxe Reverb and the decent little el cheapo, the Champion 600 (these are a great little inexpensive practice amp, I had the real thing, it's grandfather from 1949 in my collection I let go about 13 years ago). I also had a dozen other vintage Fenders. They do distortion beautifully (the original Marshall JTM 45 was actually a very nearly direct copy of the circuit from the Fender 4-10 Bassman of the 1950's). There are lot of great choices out there though, and I'm not sure how available or affordable Fenders would be on that side of the pond.

 

Really like that Marshall Class 5, and also the Vox AC4 TV (not sure how much power you need, is this for gigging, jamming, or practice -or all of the above)?

 

The Woody Pro Junior I have has plenty of distortion but you have to crank it up to achieve it unless you stick a distortion pedal in line for achieving distortion at lower levels. Also there are no bells or whistles with this amp.

 

I have not seen the Marshall Class 5 in person but I have seen a video demo and the guy at the local guitar shop tried one out they had before it sold who gave it a thumbs up. The Marshall Class 5 is manufactured in England so the quality should be there. You can't beat the price of the Marshall Class 5 either. [thumbup]

 

Also the Vox is a nice little amp too [smile]

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G McBride

G McBride

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I bought the Blues Jr a few weeks ago and I really like it. I have played a lot of guitars thru it and they all seem to work well with that amp. Great little amp with a lot of tone when you start playing around with the settings on the guitar and the amp. I think you would like it.

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WeiJuin

WeiJuin

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Thanks for the replies so far guys. but i was thinkin, would it be cheaper or better if i got a valve amp head and paired it with a cabinet (perhaps a used fender cab)? been looking at blackheart's little giant by crate. seems very good.

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T Bone

T Bone

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Thanks for the replies so far guys. but i was thinkin, would it be cheaper or better if i got a valve amp head and paired it with a cabinet (perhaps a used fender cab)? been looking at blackheart's little giant by crate. seems very good.

Only exposure I've had to the Blackheart was at a round of the Detroit Blue's Society's Blues Challenge. One of the contestant's guitar player (Rusty Wright of the Rusty Wright Band) had one of these little 5 watt gems. Sounded really great miked through the clubs sound system (a top notch PA and Sound Man). It was very cool, only time I've heard one (never heard of them before- as I've stated, been away from playing, got back into it less than a year ago). I asked the guitarist what it was and how he liked it, he was quite fond of the little bugger. FWIW, he was playing a higher end Epiphone hollow body electric trough it. IIRC, P90s, though I'm not sure.

 

 

I wasn't even aware they were from Crate. TBH though, going that route, I'd be more inclined towards the little Vox in piggy back. Having the option of switching to 1 w or even ¼ w is desirable to me at times, I can see using that anytime there's someone else in the house who's not into my music. Great sound without "disturbing the peace" so to speak.

 

Last, if you want something that low in power, check the pricing on the little Fender Champion 600 reissue too. Over here they are a bargain, well under $200. If you want a low dollar solution, it's a good one, though I'd pick the Vox over it I think, the Fender is less money, at least over here.

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Thundergod

Thundergod

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If you are going to play jazz you should look for an amp with a lot of clean headroom. For blues you can ad a cheap OD pedal (like the boss super overdrive which is as cheap as they come).

 

For jazz I'd go with a Jazz Chorus from Roland. It's solid state and it's a little above your budget, but maybe you can find one used.

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TP

TP

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I'll add my 2 cents (or british sterling across the pond)....

 

I had been searching for a small tube combo for use at home or mic'ing through a PA and think I found my personal little slice of heaven in........ (really surprised nobody here in this forum has mentioned them [confused] ) a 1967 Gibson Skylark. Mine is the Medalist version, ugly looking but all point to point wired and tone you wouldn't believe with the upgraded 10" Jensen P10R speaker installed. This thing rocks, the tremolo is deep and smooth and throwing a nice distortion/boost pedal in front makes it even more fun. They are fairly cheap on Ebay (under $300 usually) and after a few small mods like installing a 3 prong grounded cord, replacing fiter caps and some good tubes (mine features 2 12AX7's for preamp and tremolo; 1 6x4 rectifier tube and 1 6BQ5 power tube) it is a killer little amp. I have yet to replace the cord and caps but that is coming soon and it still sounds great. Best of all..... It's a GIBSON!!!

 

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100_0955.jpg

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WeiJuin

WeiJuin

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If you are going to play jazz you should look for an amp with a lot of clean headroom. For blues you can ad a cheap OD pedal (like the boss super overdrive which is as cheap as they come).

 

For jazz I'd go with a Jazz Chorus from Roland. It's solid state and it's a little above your budget, but maybe you can find one used.

 

Will look it up mate, thanks =) Is maintaining a tube amp expensive? how often do u guys send urs for tuning or repair work?

 

The gibson amp looks great! real solid looking but i'm afraid i cant seem to find many here. ebay only came up with a couple of hits when i searched. do gibson still manufacture amps?

 

I'll try to go for amps which are common here on my side of the pond (which arent many) for easier maintenance. which means i'm down to the common brands such as fender, blackstar or the local roland or vox ones..

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Wild_Rose

Wild_Rose

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Hey guys,

 

I need suggestions for valve amplifier to use with my LP studio. I play jazz/blues kinda stuff. With a budget of about £300 / $470. The suggestions I've got so far are the blackstar ht-5 for its versatality. Personally I've tried a ht-20 which is wayy over my budget and a Fender Super Champ. Are there any others i should take a look at?

 

Thanks. =)

funnily enough, I have a LP Studio and I'm looking around for a tube amp for bedroom playing. I have mega GAS over the Blackstar HT-5 and also been thinking of getting the HT-20 (if I get the money!). Let us know what you think of it when/if you try it!

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WeiJuin

WeiJuin

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funnily enough, I have a LP Studio and I'm looking around for a tube amp for bedroom playing. I have mega GAS over the Blackstar HT-5 and also been thinking of getting the HT-20 (if I get the money!). Let us know what you think of it when/if you try it!

 

 

will do! m rooting more for the blackheart coz one of my mates ere just got himself a ht5. they're almost similar spec so i tot i'd add to the variety. will update the post on whichever one i end up with =)

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Wild_Rose

Wild_Rose

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will do! m rooting more for the blackheart coz one of my mates ere just got himself a ht5. they're almost similar spec so i tot i'd add to the variety. will update the post on whichever one i end up with =)

 

thanks! I've read that the Blackheart has less gain than the Blackstar.

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WeiJuin

WeiJuin

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thanks! I've read that the Blackheart has less gain than the Blackstar.

 

Check this out man:

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/squawk-box/32717-blackheart-blackstar.html

 

I'd say there's an equal number of votes for either blackstar ht-5 or blackheart little giant. the downside of the little giant being less gain. I'm alright with that i guess as i dont really go for metal or grundge. I'm after the clean tones plus the ability to get slightly dirty. Hence, i think the little giant suits me best. Plus, i read that it's built like a tank!

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