Low Wattage Mid-gain vs. Hi-gain Tube Amps

[bubucci]

What about Soldano Astroverb ?
For home playing is master volume taper everything and it is paradox that lunchbox amp doesn't have it Or adding Captor -20dB setting makes most amps usable at home.

 

[psychodave]

Get a Jet City 20 and have someone do the mods I posted. You’ll be in it for less than $500 and it will liked sounds better than most amps in its class.

 

[skullfxr]

What about Soldano Astroverb ?
For home playing is master volume taper everything and it is paradox that lunchbox amp doesn't have it Or adding Captor -20dB setting makes most amps usable at home.

That is a killer recommendation. I had one temporary 'parked' in my studio and went in withdrawal when my buddy took it back.

 

[dirtyfunkg]

I'll throw my two cents in, not that it will necessarily be helpful given all of the great advice you've gotten so far, with so much info now to try and sift through.

You just need an amp for playing at home. It sounds like you want an all-tube solution, right? Do you have kids/wife/neighbors that would preclude cranking even a lunchbox amp?

I would throw the Fryette GP/DI into consideration. I've had mine for a few years now and keep falling more and more in love with it. Mine is primarily paired with the Fryette R112 (I was a Kickstarter backer for both of these products when Fryette rolled them out).

Over the past six weeks or so, I've been playing through my GP/DI and R112 at home exclusively. It's a single channel but it tonally do just about anything, and it never really feels like I'm compromising with any of the tones. THAT is hard to find. Sure it has a bunch of bells and whistles to add utility in different situations, but none of that really matters if the tone isn't there. From clean to mean and everything in between, it doesn't just do it, it excels. It's just incredibly versatile.

From a volume perspective, I'm rarely able to crank the GP/DI up unless I am in the basement and my wife/daughter are on the second floor. It's the perfect practical volume for playing at home and getting a great tone. 1W of tube amp is more than enough for playing around at home without a drummer.

Another really nice thing about it is that it has so many utilities to where it's always relevant. If you start playing in a band, you can make the GP/DI a foundational part of your rig as a preamp running into a power amp (or for a silent stage using the cab sim out). If you decide to start recording, it can be your foundational amp, both miked or with the cab-sim out. Need a re-amper? It does that too. DI Box? Yup.

The only thing I wish it had is an effects loop just to be able to put time based effects behind the preamp section, but the circuit precludes that with the 12DW7 sharing preamp and power amp duties.

Something you could do is find a used GP/DI (they seem to go for ~$500 used) and, if you want to add more volume or effects loop later, add a Power Station or some other power amp. V2 of the GP/DI also includes an IR loader to go along with the analog cab sim, if that matters to you (goes for $800 new).

This seems to stay well within your budget and checks off all of what you've stated you're looking for.

 

[ShredHeadJHJ]

dirtyfunkg - I already play at fair volumes at home through what I have. Not really too worried about neighbors or anything like that.

I checked out a clip of that Fryette on the site. It does indeed sound great. The guy is a great player also. Does it serve as a power amp? Like, can I play it straight into a 1x12? I'll look more into that, although I've never used anything like that before I don't think.

 

[dirtyfunkg]

dirtyfunkg - I already play at fair volumes at home through what I have. Not really too worried about neighbors or anything like that.

I checked out a clip of that Fryette on the site. It does indeed sound great. The guy is a great player also. Does it serve as a power amp? Like, can I play it straight into a 1x12? I'll look more into that, although I've never used anything like that before I don't think.

You can go straight from the GP/DI into a 1x12 (or really any 8 or 16 ohm cab of your choice). This is how I use it, though for jam sessions I've used it with a Power Station for more volume to compete with a drummer/bassist.

 

[Speeddemon]

If the mid-gain tones are less important to you,
you could always go for something with a great clean and great high-gain channel (like the PRS MT15) and then add a Bogner Ectasy Blue (not the Red!!!) pedal in front.
I've owned the Red and the Blue, and while the Red is great in its own right, it was the Blue that -for a 9V pedal, mind you- really does that great low to mid-gain crunch rock sound. You can play AC/DC sounds with it, not Metallica basically.

I would skip the Mesa Mini Rectifier; gets really woofy/wooly and would need a boost in front to tighten things up. I *can* recommend the Mesa Mini Mark (25W) and while you can't really switch between clean and crunch (because the awesome Crunch mode is on Channel 1), you would have one of the most versatile small tube amps, that does it all.
The new Engl Ironball SE (with onboard IR loading, additional fx etc.) also seems promising. I have the older version and that can do good mid-gain sounds as well, but in that department, the Mesa is more convincing, and the Mesa has better cleans too. The Engl is more easy to set and forget and hard to get a bad tone out of.

 

[marvcus]

You may look into the Egnater/Synergy modules. I had an M4 and it was excellent, especially for this application, where you can have stellar low, mid, and high gain tones. Also maybe a Marshall 20 watter or another lunch box type with a great clean and build gain off that.

 

[blackie13]

I had an Engl 530 preamp that had a 5W transistor power amp inside...
It was great playing at home...
I used an engl power amp when I needed more...

 

[ShredHeadJHJ]

You may look into the ... Synergy modules.

Yeah, these look awesome, but they're so expensive. I'll need a power amp and a 1x12 with it also. Not exactly out of the question, but still probably more than I would be willing to spend.

 

[cardinal]

AC15? A modern one with a top boost channel and a master volume will have plenty of gain and of course can still do clean and break-up tones too.

 

[Whatamada]

The PRS MT15 is one of the best sounding amps I've played. It sounds amazing with just about everything. When you then add the price into the equation, it's a steal!
Like mentioned above, if you truly miss something from the MT15, then there are alot of pedals to sort that out.
A big difference between the MT15 and other lunchboxes is that it uses big tubes, 6L6's, which I believe is what makes it sound so huge in that small package.
MT15 all the way.

 

[ShredHeadJHJ]

The PRS MT15 is one of the best sounding amps I've played. It sounds amazing with just about everything. When you then add the price into the equation, it's a steal!
Like mentioned above, if you truly miss something from the MT15, then there are alot of pedals to sort that out.
A big difference between the MT15 and other lunchboxes is that it uses big tubes, 6L6's, which I believe is what makes it sound so huge in that small package.
MT15 all the way.

What do you think about the PRS Archon? I know it's higher wattage, but how does it compare to the MT15? I have played both at music stores, although very very very briefly.

 

[Whatamada]

The PRS MT15 is one of the best sounding amps I've played. It sounds amazing with just about everything. When you then add the price into the equation, it's a steal!
Like mentioned above, if you truly miss something from the MT15, then there are alot of pedals to sort that out.
A big difference between the MT15 and other lunchboxes is that it uses big tubes, 6L6's, which I believe is what makes it sound so huge in that small package.
MT15 all the way.

What do you think about the PRS Archon? I know it's higher wattage, but how does it compare to the MT15? I have played both at music stores, although very very very briefly.

They are similar, but still different. Same family, different siblings if that makes sense.
I would say that the MT15 has a little sweeter midrange to it, where the Archon seem to have it's midrange focus a little higher up. If memory serves right the MT15 has a little "wetter" sound, but on the other hand doesn't have the low end and body of the Archon. Both are great, but very different price points on the other hand.
The Archon was my favourite amp out of all I've tried and/or owned, but the lack of a master 2 and a proper shitty loop has me waiting on a KSR st the moment.
But, would definitely get another Archon if the price was right.

Did this help at all!?

 

[ShredHeadJHJ]

Oh yeah, that helps. Thanks. The Archon is a little too big for what I'm looking for, but I do know it's there.

Amp buying kind of got put on hold. I'm on vacation for the next week. Kind of car shopping also. Plus I just got a new little Ampeg bass amp I'm messing with. I'll get an amp before long, and am sort of set on getting the Dover 20w w/ 1x12.

 

[Whatamada]

Oh yeah, that helps. Thanks. The Archon is a little too big for what I'm looking for, but I do know it's there.

Amp buying kind of got put on hold. I'm on vacation for the next week. Kind of car shopping also. Plus I just got a new little Ampeg bass amp I'm messing with. I'll get an amp before long, and am sort of set on getting the Dover 20w w/ 1x12.

The Dover has my interest as well. Although it seems very british sounding compared to Archon/MT15.
Seen the video where Misha Mansoor compares the Dover, Invectice and Omega?

There's always the option of getting the Archon 50W version

 

[JSutter]

The PRS MT15 is one of the best sounding amps I've played. It sounds amazing with just about everything. When you then add the price into the equation, it's a steal!
Like mentioned above, if you truly miss something from the MT15, then there are alot of pedals to sort that out.
A big difference between the MT15 and other lunchboxes is that it uses big tubes, 6L6's, which I believe is what makes it sound so huge in that small package.
MT15 all the way.

What do you think about the PRS Archon? I know it's higher wattage, but how does it compare to the MT15? I have played both at music stores, although very very very briefly.

They are similar, but still different. Same family, different siblings if that makes sense.
I would say that the MT15 has a little sweeter midrange to it, where the Archon seem to have it's midrange focus a little higher up. If memory serves right the MT15 has a little "wetter" sound, but on the other hand doesn't have the low end and body of the Archon. Both are great, but very different price points on the other hand.
The Archon was my favourite amp out of all I've tried and/or owned, but the lack of a master 2 and a proper shitty loop has me waiting on a KSR st the moment.
But, would definitely get another Archon if the price was right.

Did this help at all!?

What's wrong with the loop?

 

[jsp]

Mesa Mark V (full size). It's 90W, but it's got a great master volume. Ch2 crunch in 45W mode, tube rectifier on, with a boost, absolutely kills. And, they can be found used for reasonable prices relative to the quality of the amp.

 

[Whatamada]

The PRS MT15 is one of the best sounding amps I've played. It sounds amazing with just about everything. When you then add the price into the equation, it's a steal!
Like mentioned above, if you truly miss something from the MT15, then there are alot of pedals to sort that out.
A big difference between the MT15 and other lunchboxes is that it uses big tubes, 6L6's, which I believe is what makes it sound so huge in that small package.
MT15 all the way.

What do you think about the PRS Archon? I know it's higher wattage, but how does it compare to the MT15? I have played both at music stores, although very very very briefly.

They are similar, but still different. Same family, different siblings if that makes sense.
I would say that the MT15 has a little sweeter midrange to it, where the Archon seem to have it's midrange focus a little higher up. If memory serves right the MT15 has a little "wetter" sound, but on the other hand doesn't have the low end and body of the Archon. Both are great, but very different price points on the other hand.
The Archon was my favourite amp out of all I've tried and/or owned, but the lack of a master 2 and a proper shitty loop has me waiting on a KSR st the moment.
But, would definitely get another Archon if the price was right.

Did this help at all!?

What's wrong with the loop?

It adds a lot of noise and isn't transparent.
The Archon is (so far) the best sounding amp I've owned and played (for me).
But Mesa, Diezel and ENGL have far better loops.

 

[paulyc]

Get a Jet City 20 and have someone do the mods I posted. You’ll be in it for less than $500 and it will liked sounds better than most amps in its class.

THIS in spades.