Thoughts on the small amp trend

[blackba]

Just curious what your guy's thoughts are on the increased number of small tube amps that seem to be available. Sure a 5 or 6Watt amp is nothing new, but there seem to be alot of amps out there under 15Watts. Here are a few of the amps I am referring to:

-Orange Tiny Terror
- Vox nighttrain or AC15C
- Marshall Class5
- Vox AC4TV
- Mesa Transatlantic
etc....

So is anyone actually trying to gig with an amp under 15Watts, or under 10Watts? I am thinking that the metal amp crowd will probably never embrace the 5Watt amp.

Myself, I am GASing for a Marshall Class5 (seems like a cool mini plexi)....

 

[glpg80]

makes great practice or noodling amplifiers - but unless you have a really light hitting drummer or those models are the above all be all tone for you, i dont see where/why/how it could replace a 50watt or 100W for headroom or tone.

granted those little guys still get really loud - they dont compare in other categories.

drummers i have played with need at minimum 20 watts. i own a 60 watt vypyr for this reason - when i dont want to use the 5150.

 

[Mudder]

I recently took a Tiny Terror to a jam session with a moderate drummer. Through a 4x12 on 15w mode it kept up fine. With a Bloody Murder OD in front it was metal, well, 80's metal at least. I think part of the trick is how the mids on the little Orange help it cut.

 

[glassjaw7]

It's pretty cool I think. I mean, if you're a bedroom wanker you can still get killer tube tone at low volumes. As far as use with gigging, any amp can hang volume-wise at a gig IMO. You just set it moderately loud and mic it. Actually sound guys probably like 5-15 watters better than 50-100 watters. "Turn that amp down, it's starting to sound good!"

However, I don't think they're made for "rock band" rehearsals. At least not the ones that I go to. I jam with a band that has two other guitar players, and I swear it's nothing but a volume-off between the three of us. One guy brought his Tiny Terror and I blew him through the door with my dual rectifier!

 

[Audioholic]

I love it

I used a blackstar HT-5 several times in a band situation, I was able to get far enough away from the drummer to hear myself just fine , micd up. Sounded and worked pretty great on the drive, the clean channel was pretty broken up at that level, but I still dug it! I love that they are generally lighter weight, and I dig the smaller wattage, and some of them like the blackstar sound stinkin great, not to mention savings in price. Probably we will see all major amp manufacturer's come out with their small head version, as most of them already have jumped on the bandwagon. Not sure how much they will continue to upgrade and enhance that line, but might be around for a bit.

 

[stephen sawall]

It is better for your back ..... I still like the big stuff better for most stuff. I find 5 watts is more than enough for me to play with any band any kind of music.

 

[stratotone]

Cab makes a huge difference volumewise too... I'd blow your doors off with an 18 watt budda head into a 4x12 vs your favorite 100 watt head into a 1x12 cab of my choice.

Pete

 

[Zachman]

Like my thread yesterday, I love the HT-5. If I ever used it to play out, I would use my slave w/d/w rig.

^^^ THIS^^^ But... confession, I wouldn't gig w/ mine with the other higher watt options available

I don't understand why guys can't use their 50 or 100+ Watt amps and load them down and/or reamp them, instead of going nuts w/ small wattage amps, because it cost me less for my hotplate than a small wattage boutique amp. I like the HT5 too, but I just got it because...

At home I still use the Camerons, Marshalls (100 Watt), Boogies 180 Watts and 75 Watts and don't have to crank them to get them to sing -- BUT some guys insist they have to be cranked to sound good. BS, just gotta know what you're doing.

My $.02

 

[strungup]

Like my thread yesterday, I love the HT-5. If I ever used it to play out, I would use my slave w/d/w rig.

At home I still use the Camerons, Marshalls (100 Watt), Boogies 180 Watts and 75 Watts and don't have to crank them to get them to sing -- BUT some guys insist they have to be cranked to sound good. BS, just gotta know what you're doing.
My $.02

one thing to consider. A tube change on a ht-5 vs a tube change on your 100 watt amp. Over years of use your gonna save money. I don't have a ht-5 or similar amp I use my bigger amps since they do lower volumes very well. I am ust stating a reason for why someone might. Maybe for a light easy gig back up also.

 

[Zachman]

Like my thread yesterday, I love the HT-5. If I ever used it to play out, I would use my slave w/d/w rig.

At home I still use the Camerons, Marshalls (100 Watt), Boogies 180 Watts and 75 Watts and don't have to crank them to get them to sing -- BUT some guys insist they have to be cranked to sound good. BS, just gotta know what you're doing.
My $.02

one thing to consider. A tube change on a ht-5 vs a tube change on your 100 watt amp. Over years of use your gonna save money. I don't have a ht-5 or similar amp I use my bigger amps since they do lower volumes very well. I am ust stating a reason for why someone might. Maybe for a light easy gig back up also.

While that may be true (unless you crank your non-mv amp to get the sounds these guys are going for-- it certainly would NOT be true-- because doing that will take them through power tubes WAY more often than I will/do). We both know that isn't at the heart of the small watt amp trends. It's because there is a lot ignorance with people thinking you have to have power tube saturation to get nice gain tones, and doing that means a high watt amp will be too loud-- and it just isn't true, when you know how to choose the right amps for the job, or run gear in other than conventional ways such as re-amping and/or running load boxes (which will go through power tubes more often).

You'd be surprised how many times I've heard guys tell me the problem w/ my 180 Watt MKIII Coliseum to get the sounds they want, and when I get it at TV volumes they go into their "Oh I heard....." diatribe, which was just proven false.

Don't get me wrong, I couldn't possibly care less if guys use whatever they want and it happens to be a 1.5 Watt Sears Silvertone. I just shrug at the insistence that it's the "Only way" to get from point A to point Z

 

[bste328]

........You'd be surprised how many times I've heard guys tell me the problem w/ my 180 Watt MKIII Coliseum to get the sounds they want, and when I get it at TV volumes they go into their "Oh I heard....." diatribe, which was just proven false.

but...that's what he said!!!!






BTW i think a 2203 sounds better at 1 of volme than any marshall inspired small wattage amp...a 100w has its own balls even at low volume...it's a matter of character that only these amps have

 

[Zachman]

........You'd be surprised how many times I've heard guys tell me the problem w/ my 180 Watt MKIII Coliseum to get the sounds they want, and when I get it at TV volumes they go into their "Oh I heard....." diatribe, which was just proven false.

but...that's what he said!!!!






BTW i think a 2203 sounds better at 1 of volme than any marshall inspired small wattage amp...a 100w has its own balls even at low volume...it's a matter of character that only these amps have

Actually I was addressing the fact that if guys are cranking their low watt amps, they'll go through tubes more often that I will/do.

* one thing to consider. A tube change on a ht-5 vs a tube change on your 100 watt amp. Over years of use your gonna save money.

Then I went on a rant-- Not aimed at him.

re: 100 Watt amps sounding bigger, I agree

 

[stephen sawall]

I have about a dozen amps, 5 ~ 150 watts and they all have their place. Sure a lot of times amps sound better turned up, but like said a lot of them sound great at lower volumes.

I never buy a amp because of numbers .... in this case watts. I buy them because I like the sound. All the stuff about not having enough power or needing a low watt amp to crank it is nonsense to me. Most can be used in many different ways and volumes if you know how.

I guess a lot of people do not understand how loud 1 watt is thru a full stack and 200 watts is not a lot louder than 30 watts.

 

[duesentrieb]

In a couple of yoears I will force my drummer to use a "plexi-cage", the bassplayer to get a tube powerded DI - and I myself will use max. 20 Watts on stage.

In the living room my Little Joe sounds as full as my VH4. In many other cases a 100 Watter may sound bigger than
the average 15 Watter, which is true, but with some "magic" thats also possible at room level, its just a question of design.

Of course the 100 Watter will sound bigger at higher volume levels.

 

[Zachman]

I have about a dozen amps, 5 ~ 150 watts and they all have their place. Sure a lot of times amps sound better turned up, but like said a lot of them sound great at lower volumes.

I never buy a amp because of numbers .... in this case watts. I buy them because I like the sound. All the stuff about not having enough power or needing a low watt amp to crank it is nonsense to me. Most can be used in many different ways and volumes if you know how.

I guess a lot of people do not understand how loud 1 watt is thru a full stack and 200 watts is not a lot louder than 30 watts.

100% agree

 

[johnnyjellybean]

What small amp trend???? Did I miss something?

 

[stephen sawall]

What small amp trend???? Did I miss something?

No .... nothing to see here.

 

[billboogie]

I've been gigging small (150-250 capacity) places with a Rebel 20 with a 2x12 and a Mesa dc-5 combo with GT Substitubes (L-84s drops amp to about 25w) for a couple of years now and this works fine. I am able to pretty much dime both amps and have the benefit of cranked tube heaven.I do bring the 6l6s with me for the Mesa if need be,but I only had to install those twice in the two years. At first I get funny looks but when we play that turns into looks of astonishment because of my tone. Remember a 10w amp cranked is half the decibles of a 100w amp. I do need clean tones as well and rolling back the guitar volume accomplishes that just fine. I play mostly guitar rock.

 

[stephen sawall]

Remember a 10w amp cranked is half the decibles of a 100w amp.

 

[JTyson]

I was under the impression the smaller amps were aimed at recording, maybe that was a wrong assumption. With the drummer I used to play with a 10 watt amp would not cut it at all