A
again_i_rise
New member
I am looking for a new low wattage amp head. I own and love the
tweaker, but a second amp is calling to me . I figured i would post
here because rather than try to describe the tones i like and am
seeking, i can tell you what tweaker tone set up i use so you know
exactly what my favorite tone is, that is an excellent barometer for
the tonal character i like. The challenge is that the tweaker is a
great amp and blows away a lot of amps in it's price range so i think
i almost have to go up a price bracket to find a great apples to
oranges amp that can sound as good but different than the tweaker.
There are a few boutique heads that i am looking at but i could only
buy them if i found a good used one because i am looking to spend
between 500-1000$.
On the tweaker i always go back to this as my favorite setting
Vintage switch
Vox voicing switch
treble 95-100%
Mid 45-50%
Bass 55%
Hot channel switch
Normal switch
Deep switch
Gain 45-55%
played through a celestion v30 2x12 cab with a les paul with duncan
antiquity bridge and phat cat neck pickup.
Sometimes i like to drop down to the clean channel but my eq stays the same.
Another thing, i love the way marshall amps sound, but have never
found the right marshall in my price range ( or wattage range). I
really want to try the marshall DS15. Now the tweaker's marshall
channel to me has to be cleaned up with the modern switch or run on
vintage with lower gain. To my ears the marshall channel sounds farty
and obscured/muffled compared to the vox channel. The vox channel
sounds very colorful on vintage where area's i find the marshall
channel just sounds muddy.
The fender channel sounds better with a strat than it does with a les
pau to me. I use it sometimes for variety but it is not my true tone
love.
I like vintage rock tones and vintage metal tones. AC/DC, Zeppelin ish
on the rock side. Iron maiden, judas priest, black sabbath type metal
tones. I love listening to metal but oddly i dislike alot of the guitar gear associated with metal like emg pickups, most disortion
pedals and the like. I also really dig late 80's early 90's danzig
tone, that to me is a smooth sounding metal. So the tone i am looking
for is warm, thick and creamy.
Real super clean amp tones tend to sound sterile to me. Stuff that a
different ear might says is dark and slightly muddy sounds colorful
and harmonic rich to me. I've been told the tones i like are classic
british amps. So i am hunting for a thick tube tone that still has
definition and articulate tone.
These are the amps that i have played and some owned and are now
checked off my list.
Vox ac15 and vox night train, i liked them both but they came just
below the egnater in my purchase when i tested them head to head at
guitar center. The tweaker was a 9/10 for me. Those two vox amps were
8/10. Defintely still in the vein of sound that i liked. A little bit
on the bright, chimey side.
Marshall class 5, nice little amp, but a one trick pony.
I owned an orange dark terror. Good, heavy, aggressive and fast
sounding. I had fun with it, i bought it used and later sold it for
the same price. Not a keeper because it just did'nt sound like a truly
great pure tone. Even for high gain. 7/10 to my ears. i was interested
in the other low watt orange amps as well, but the curiosity has since
been sated.
Jet city JCA20 watt combo...> bought for 100$ at a steal price later
sold for a profit. Sounded like crap, had a good reverb, but the bare
bones tones were thin. Ditto for the Bugera entry level tube amps.
Fender hot rod deluxe (30 watt i think). Good distinct sounding amp
that i owned for a bit. It was extrememly powerful and excelled at
high volumes and i could not drive it hard at home. I would say i am
not really a fender guy from my experience with it. But nothing bad to
say about it. Quality amp.
Blackheart little giant 5watt head. Very Thick sounding, but lacked
refinement and feaures. Higher wattage models have more features. Good
bang for the buck amp. But i'm looking for something a little higher
in class.
That's been my experience with tube amps so far. There are a few amps
i have my eyes on that again are not available for me to try out, so i
lust over them like forbidden fruit. I'm interested to hear what
others have to say about these amps and how you all feel they stack
up, and based on the tone palate i described..which might work best
for me. And also i would welcome anyone to participate in discussing
what their favorite amp in this 5-25watt bracket is, particularly when
matched with a Les Paul.
This is my watch list
* Laney lionheart 20watt head ....> My question is would it still
sound good at low volumes? I need an amp that sounds great in the
bedroom. Wattage has been deceptive to me because some higher wattage
amp 50+ still have a full tone at low volumes, some are just the
opposite. I like what i heard on youtube on this amp. It seems to have
marshall and vox tonal qualities.
* Mesa boogie Transatlantic TA15 15 watt head. If it really sounds
good i could justify the price, i am intrigued by it but also
suspicious that it may be an overpriced amp.
* Hughes and Kettner tubemeister 18. Not an easy amp to find in
american stores. It's versatile and even can do high gain metal like
the dark terror. Sounds great on the internet.
* Marshall DSL15 watt head. This one is fairly new. I do like the
"marshall" crunch tone. But i just wonder if it is a cheapy. I had a
marshall MA series 100 watt amp and it was terrible, every bit as bad
as a bugera. I also had a 50 watt made in england hybrid tube/solid
state valvestate series amp that was pretty good all in all. So if
this is an effort from Marshall to truly capture their past great
tones in a low wattage affordable package then it could be something
great.
On the boutique side which i would not be able to demo before buying most likely
Fargen Miniplex II
Rivera Venus 3
Granger (20 watt plexi)
top hat club CS-S16
Any others? Those are the ones i am most contemplating.
tweaker, but a second amp is calling to me . I figured i would post
here because rather than try to describe the tones i like and am
seeking, i can tell you what tweaker tone set up i use so you know
exactly what my favorite tone is, that is an excellent barometer for
the tonal character i like. The challenge is that the tweaker is a
great amp and blows away a lot of amps in it's price range so i think
i almost have to go up a price bracket to find a great apples to
oranges amp that can sound as good but different than the tweaker.
There are a few boutique heads that i am looking at but i could only
buy them if i found a good used one because i am looking to spend
between 500-1000$.
On the tweaker i always go back to this as my favorite setting
Vintage switch
Vox voicing switch
treble 95-100%
Mid 45-50%
Bass 55%
Hot channel switch
Normal switch
Deep switch
Gain 45-55%
played through a celestion v30 2x12 cab with a les paul with duncan
antiquity bridge and phat cat neck pickup.
Sometimes i like to drop down to the clean channel but my eq stays the same.
Another thing, i love the way marshall amps sound, but have never
found the right marshall in my price range ( or wattage range). I
really want to try the marshall DS15. Now the tweaker's marshall
channel to me has to be cleaned up with the modern switch or run on
vintage with lower gain. To my ears the marshall channel sounds farty
and obscured/muffled compared to the vox channel. The vox channel
sounds very colorful on vintage where area's i find the marshall
channel just sounds muddy.
The fender channel sounds better with a strat than it does with a les
pau to me. I use it sometimes for variety but it is not my true tone
love.
I like vintage rock tones and vintage metal tones. AC/DC, Zeppelin ish
on the rock side. Iron maiden, judas priest, black sabbath type metal
tones. I love listening to metal but oddly i dislike alot of the guitar gear associated with metal like emg pickups, most disortion
pedals and the like. I also really dig late 80's early 90's danzig
tone, that to me is a smooth sounding metal. So the tone i am looking
for is warm, thick and creamy.
Real super clean amp tones tend to sound sterile to me. Stuff that a
different ear might says is dark and slightly muddy sounds colorful
and harmonic rich to me. I've been told the tones i like are classic
british amps. So i am hunting for a thick tube tone that still has
definition and articulate tone.
These are the amps that i have played and some owned and are now
checked off my list.
Vox ac15 and vox night train, i liked them both but they came just
below the egnater in my purchase when i tested them head to head at
guitar center. The tweaker was a 9/10 for me. Those two vox amps were
8/10. Defintely still in the vein of sound that i liked. A little bit
on the bright, chimey side.
Marshall class 5, nice little amp, but a one trick pony.
I owned an orange dark terror. Good, heavy, aggressive and fast
sounding. I had fun with it, i bought it used and later sold it for
the same price. Not a keeper because it just did'nt sound like a truly
great pure tone. Even for high gain. 7/10 to my ears. i was interested
in the other low watt orange amps as well, but the curiosity has since
been sated.
Jet city JCA20 watt combo...> bought for 100$ at a steal price later
sold for a profit. Sounded like crap, had a good reverb, but the bare
bones tones were thin. Ditto for the Bugera entry level tube amps.
Fender hot rod deluxe (30 watt i think). Good distinct sounding amp
that i owned for a bit. It was extrememly powerful and excelled at
high volumes and i could not drive it hard at home. I would say i am
not really a fender guy from my experience with it. But nothing bad to
say about it. Quality amp.
Blackheart little giant 5watt head. Very Thick sounding, but lacked
refinement and feaures. Higher wattage models have more features. Good
bang for the buck amp. But i'm looking for something a little higher
in class.
That's been my experience with tube amps so far. There are a few amps
i have my eyes on that again are not available for me to try out, so i
lust over them like forbidden fruit. I'm interested to hear what
others have to say about these amps and how you all feel they stack
up, and based on the tone palate i described..which might work best
for me. And also i would welcome anyone to participate in discussing
what their favorite amp in this 5-25watt bracket is, particularly when
matched with a Les Paul.
This is my watch list
* Laney lionheart 20watt head ....> My question is would it still
sound good at low volumes? I need an amp that sounds great in the
bedroom. Wattage has been deceptive to me because some higher wattage
amp 50+ still have a full tone at low volumes, some are just the
opposite. I like what i heard on youtube on this amp. It seems to have
marshall and vox tonal qualities.
* Mesa boogie Transatlantic TA15 15 watt head. If it really sounds
good i could justify the price, i am intrigued by it but also
suspicious that it may be an overpriced amp.
* Hughes and Kettner tubemeister 18. Not an easy amp to find in
american stores. It's versatile and even can do high gain metal like
the dark terror. Sounds great on the internet.
* Marshall DSL15 watt head. This one is fairly new. I do like the
"marshall" crunch tone. But i just wonder if it is a cheapy. I had a
marshall MA series 100 watt amp and it was terrible, every bit as bad
as a bugera. I also had a 50 watt made in england hybrid tube/solid
state valvestate series amp that was pretty good all in all. So if
this is an effort from Marshall to truly capture their past great
tones in a low wattage affordable package then it could be something
great.
On the boutique side which i would not be able to demo before buying most likely
Fargen Miniplex II
Rivera Venus 3
Granger (20 watt plexi)
top hat club CS-S16
Any others? Those are the ones i am most contemplating.
