Best bang for the buck starter tube head?

  • Thread starter Thread starter moronmountain
  • Start date Start date
I'm going to offer two dissenting opinions, food for thought.

High power: Peavey Ultra 120. Cheap is the word here, usually $350 or less, and built like a missile silo. Great tones, a bit thicker and more compressed than a 5150, but a great clean side too.

Low power: Blackstar HT5. Cheap, great tones, with the lower power he can learn just how good a tube amp sounds when the power section gets cooking, something he may only find out once with a 120w beast.
 
find a used ada mp1 preamp (150$) and plug it in the effect loop return of any cheap tube combo like a used peavey valveking (250$) with upgraded speaker (celestion g12t75 is my choice : 50$ used)
you'll get alot of versatility and could also use the peavey valveking combo itself because it sounds great too.
I've been using this combo for a while in my bedroom
you can check one of my youtube video I did with the kit :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9j1cK8HEXU
 
Get a 5150/6505 and surf around Craigslist for a used Mesa Rectifier cabinet, which can be found for around 300-500 dollars. It's a popular, cheap combination, and isn't just for beginners. I've been using this rig for a handful of years in touring bands, just adding bits here and there.
 
Ancient Alien":1l62cwa5 said:
Check out the Jet City Amplifiers.
They are selling their SLO clone for $100 off this week.
Their amps are really kick ass and cheap.
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Not that it matters that much, but it seems it`s more a clone of the Hot Rod 100 than the SLO.


To the OP, a used 5150 would do the job at an affordable price, and they just keep on going and going an going.....
 
Heritage Softail":3gun0hzx said:
I have an SLO 100. Played thru a Jet City again for a while yesterday when trying out a guitar. I had played JC amps before and didn't really like them. I did not want to spend 3K on an SLO if a Jet City could sound close for 1/4 the price. I wanted to like them. I really really wanted to like them, but did not.

Not sure about the look Jet City was going for. It looks like Toy-R-Us designed the thing. A young person in a band that has any desire to look cool...... I am not thinking they would like that behind them. This is an amp with a good personality maybe?

They sound nothing like an SLO. Not even remotely. Unless the way a Crate sounds like an SLO qualifies. If someone has a decent rig, going to a Jet City would be a move backwards. Band mates would snicker, tone would be average. Soldano makes a few other amps, Avenger, Hot Rod, Lucky 13, and they say they have the SLO cirucit in some form. They do not have the same components. They don't sound the same. The Soldano variants sound close, the ultra cheap Jet City does not come close. It would be marketing suicide to sell and amp for $799 that sounds even 90% like your $3500 amp. Especially noticiable at loud gig level volumes. The SLO comes alive once you get past 3 on the master volume. There is a reason people pay 3K and up for an SLO with a few mods.

For a young metal rocker.... I woudl say avoid Jet City like the plauge, unless you are in the Toys-R-Us cover band playing 'The Barney Song'. It is average at best and looks somewhat silly. Not that I have an opinion......

All Jet City owners please flame on.....

Peavey rocks for the $$$ Any variants of the 5150 based amp are a great bang for the buck.
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Well, I don't know what to tell you since I too own an SLO with all the mods.
When I ran both amps at high volumes for over an hour side by side, same guitar, same cabinet, same ears, I found them to be extremely close to each other.
I know Jet City is shitting all over the high priced amps for cheap, that is their goal, and they are doing it very well.
I know some times people have a hard time realizing that a cheap amp can sound as good as their high dollar boutique amp.
Luckily, I only paid $1200 for my SLO, cause that's about what it's worth realistically.
For $699, I would easily go for the JC over a 5150, but I also hate the 5150 sound.
Just tell the guy to plug in and see what he likes to play through.
For example, value aside, if you gave me a choice between a Dumble ODS and a Fuchs TDS, I'd take the Fuchs in a heartbeat simply based on better tone.
 
ke2":fp3lh53o said:
Ancient Alien":fp3lh53o said:
Check out the Jet City Amplifiers.
They are selling their SLO clone for $100 off this week.
Their amps are really kick ass and cheap.
Click to expand...


Not that it matters that much, but it seems it`s more a clone of the Hot Rod 100 than the SLO.


To the OP, a used 5150 would do the job at an affordable price, and they just keep on going and going an going.....
Click to expand...


Never played a Hotrod, but the Jet City definitely has more gain than the SLO
 
Ancient Alien":mga9nb32 said:
ACShreds":mga9nb32 said:
Carvin Legacy amps can be found very cheap on the used market.
Click to expand...

Yes, another good choice.
Click to expand...

You `ll never have the problem of not being heard with a Legacy. They`re crazy loud amps :)
 
Can't beat a used 5150 or even a XXX. Plus, they sound good through most any cab.

:)
 
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