audioservant Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Hey guys, Happy New Year! I realized that there is seemingly a new trend: everyday a new 5 Watt (say up to 10) tube amp gets released... What do you think of them and what is your favourite one? Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Poobah Posted January 13, 2009 Share Posted January 13, 2009 Many tube aficionados feel that an amp sounds best when it is being pushed hard. Most venues the average guitarist will play are too small to allow a powerful tube amp to be driven to its full potential, so it's better to use a low-wattage amp and drive it hard than to use a high-wattage amp and barely crack the volume. Most players mic their amps and get a monitor mix anyway, so a powerful amp is really just adding unnecessary stage volume. 5-watt amps may be a little meager for some performance applications, but they're great for general practice and recording. I have an old Airline amp I keep around the house for just such a purpose. If you're after something a little less vintage I'd suggest Fender's Champion 600 or Victoria Amps's Model 518. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I-love-Led-Zeppelin Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 any good 5watt amps for jimmy page sounds (or something similar)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmsofAtlas Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 I plan on gettin a Rebel Egnater 20. Not exactly in the 5 watt range, but definitely a product the popularity boom. The totally variable wattage and tube blend knob sound pretty sweet. Plus the thing is a tone slut. Now I just gotta figure out what kinda speaker cab to get. I was thinkin a Celestion Blue 1x12 or pairing that with something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatbo Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 get the marshall G15Rcd if you can find one. the tones are smoking, the cleans are cutting, i love it. it's more than 5 watts but not much. here's a link for ya: ultimateguitar.com i just noticed the thread was for tube amps. my bad.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zep41 Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 any good 5watt amps for jimmy page sounds (or something similar)? visit www.schreyeraudio.com I have played the Sage 7 and its HEAVENLY with a Les Paul. A heavy duty high quality piece of equipment. Maybe the best tone I have ever heard from just an amp and guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Poobah Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 get the marshall G15Rcd if you can find one. the tones are smoking, the cleans are cutting, i love it. it's more than 5 watts but not much. The G15RCD is a great starter amp, but doesn't really cut it when it comes to tone. The entire MG series is geared toward the budget-minded rock guitarist and, as such, is fairly one-dimensional. The amps lack input headroom, which is a problem for heavy-hitters and players with high-output pickups. The overdrive channel has gobs of gain, which is great for modern rock and metal, but not so good for players looking for those vintage and "in-between" tones. The best of the series has to be the MG100DFX, which has a "crunch" feature that overdrives the clean channel like a non-master volume tube amp would, but it still lacks the warmth and overall presence that a true tube amp provides. Everything has its place, and the G15RCD's is in some fifteen-year-old's bedroom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audioservant Posted January 16, 2009 Author Share Posted January 16, 2009 Thanks so far! Any other suggestions? And by the way, I own the MG 15 DFX and I rellay think it is a great starter amp, above many other transistor amps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmsofAtlas Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Thanks so far! Any other suggestions? And by the way, I own the MG 15 DFX and I rellay think it is a great starter amp, above many other transistor amps Are you planning on buying? If so, I can give you a review of the Egnater this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audioservant Posted January 16, 2009 Author Share Posted January 16, 2009 Are you planning on buying? If so, I can give you a review of the Egnater this weekend. Say I'm certainly going to test some in the near future. I doubt that I will have the opportunity to test the amp your going to buy(never heard of it) but you are free to post a review anyway Cheers (Lets have a whiskey with Irish Cream) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danelectro Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Low wattage amps are useful for getting the tone and feel of an amp being pushed hard without going deaf or having the cops show up. IMO more important than the tone is the feel, the dynamics and response. An amp being pushed feels different than one that isn't, the way the speaker behaves etc. That said even a 5W tube amp is still very loud when cranked. Personally I think smaller amps, like a 1W or are more useful at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audioservant Posted January 17, 2009 Author Share Posted January 17, 2009 Low wattage amps are useful for getting the tone and feel of an amp being pushed hard without going deaf or having the cops show up. IMO more important than the tone is the feel, the dynamics and response. An amp being pushed feels different than one that isn't, the way the speaker behaves etc. That said even a 5W tube amp is still very loud when cranked. Personally I think smaller amps, like a 1W or are more useful at home. Can you recommend one? Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danelectro Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Can you recommend one? Thank you! Sure, there are several out there and a nice one can get kind of expensive. The best low wattage amp I ever heard is the 1W Bumbox Lead 1, but those are tough to find and expensive. On the cheap the Epi Valve Junior is a good amp with lot's of after market mods available. Many are crazy about the Blackheart amps and they make both 5W and 1W amps. some of the nicer ones are the Bad Cat, Fargen and I think Dr Z makes a 5W. Some amps have built in power scaling, the Fargen Mini Plex does this so it offers versatility in that you can dial it down or up depending how much power you need. At 15W full power it's loud enough to gig with. Then there are some super nice amps that have switchable power options from Carr and Cornford but you're into the $2K USD money for those, freakin' badass amps though. Oh yeah don't forget the ZVEX Nano, head over to youtube to see what that sucker can do. I think it's .25W (1/4W) and sounds amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmsofAtlas Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Say I'm certainly going to test some in the near future. I doubt that I will have the opportunity to test the amp your going to buy(never heard of it) but you are free to post a review anyway Cheers (Lets have a whiskey with Irish Cream) I take it you're not from the states? They just came out, so be on the lookout for them. All the big retailers over here just got them in. Picked up the amp yesterday. After a pretty extensive run through, I have to say this has gotta be the most bodacious amp I have come across. Played it on 1w through a 1x12 with a drummer and it was beefy enough to outrock a Marshall AVT halfstack with a greenback loaded 4x12 cab. Of course, I had to take over that cab and see how awesome it could really be, and I gotta say, though I didn't a/b them, the little Egnater held its own with my Marshall JVM combo. For the price($600US) there isn't an amp that comes close. It's got variable wattage(1-20w), 2 sets of power tubes(el84,6v6) that can be blended in pretty well any proportion. It does everything from Fender-y clean to the lower levels of high gain(think Tool) and it cleans up beautifully when the gain is dimed. Very responsive to the player. I dunno what it would cost in other countries, but if you are interested in a low wattage amp or a lot more look hard for the Egnater Rebel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humbucker Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 I dunno what it would cost in other countries, but if you are interested in a low wattage amp or a lot more look hard for the Egnater Rebel. I've just checked out their web site. They look interesting, and will seek one out when (and if) they are marketed in the UK. RB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatbo Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 The G15RCD is a great starter amp, but doesn't really cut it when it comes to tone. The entire MG series is geared toward the budget-minded rock guitarist and, as such, is fairly one-dimensional. The amps lack input headroom, which is a problem for heavy-hitters and players with high-output pickups. The overdrive channel has gobs of gain, which is great for modern rock and metal, but not so good for players looking for those vintage and "in-between" tones. The best of the series has to be the MG100DFX, which has a "crunch" feature that overdrives the clean channel like a non-master volume tube amp would, but it still lacks the warmth and overall presence that a true tube amp provides. Everything has its place, and the G15RCD's is in some fifteen-year-old's bedroom. okay. i know more than a few pro bands where the 15 is onstage.....specifically for the tone and especially the cleans.... ...but hey, sounds like you own one and know all about it, so there you go... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmsofAtlas Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 okay. i know more than a few pro bands where the 15 is onstage.....specifically for the tone and especially the cleans.... ...but hey, sounds like you own one and know all about it, so there you go... There may be some pro bands that use them, but there are no pro bands with a good sound using them. Maybe one could get by with it's cleans, since solid state excel in that area................. You can get better dirty sounds outta cheaper amps, quite honestly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatbo Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 There may be some pro bands that use them, but there are no pro bands with a good sound using them. Maybe one could get by with it's cleans, since solid state excel in that area................. You can get better dirty sounds outta cheaper amps, quite honestly. i'm with you on the dirty sounds cheaper but the good sound comment is obviously made by someone who has never owned this amp. i only talk about what i've owned and lived/played with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audioservant Posted January 18, 2009 Author Share Posted January 18, 2009 I take it you're not from the states? They just came out, so be on the lookout for them. All the big retailers over here just got them in. Picked up the amp yesterday. After a pretty extensive run through, I have to say this has gotta be the most bodacious amp I have come across. Played it on 1w through a 1x12 with a drummer and it was beefy enough to outrock a Marshall AVT halfstack with a greenback loaded 4x12 cab. Of course, I had to take over that cab and see how awesome it could really be, and I gotta say, though I didn't a/b them, the little Egnater held its own with my Marshall JVM combo. For the price($600US) there isn't an amp that comes close. It's got variable wattage(1-20w), 2 sets of power tubes(el84,6v6) that can be blended in pretty well any proportion. It does everything from Fender-y clean to the lower levels of high gain(think Tool) and it cleans up beautifully when the gain is dimed. Very responsive to the player. I dunno what it would cost in other countries, but if you are interested in a low wattage amp or a lot more look hard for the Egnater Rebel. Thank you very much! Gonna listen to some youtube clips Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audioservant Posted January 18, 2009 Author Share Posted January 18, 2009 Sure, there are several out there and a nice one can get kind of expensive. The best low wattage amp I ever heard is the 1W Bumbox Lead 1, but those are tough to find and expensive. On the cheap the Epi Valve Junior is a good amp with lot's of after market mods available. Many are crazy about the Blackheart amps and they make both 5W and 1W amps. some of the nicer ones are the Bad Cat, Fargen and I think Dr Z makes a 5W. Some amps have built in power scaling, the Fargen Mini Plex does this so it offers versatility in that you can dial it down or up depending how much power you need. At 15W full power it's loud enough to gig with. Then there are some super nice amps that have switchable power options from Carr and Cornford but you're into the $2K USD money for those, freakin' badass amps though. Oh yeah don't forget the ZVEX Nano, head over to youtube to see what that sucker can do. I think it's .25W (1/4W) and sounds amazing. Thank you too! Gonna listen to some clips also Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Poobah Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 i'm with you on the dirty sounds cheaper but the good sound comment is obviously made by someone who has never owned this amp. i only talk about what i've owned and lived/played with. Was this comment directed at me? If so, it might surprise you to know that I have been a Marshall retailer since 1999 and am intimately familiar with the G15RCD, having sold a few hundred of them. In addition, I once owned an MG15DFX which, apart from cosmetics and the addition of digital effects, is the same amplifier as the G15RCD. What's more is that I've been teaching on a pair of MG30DFX's for the past several years and feel I have a fairly good idea of what the amps can and cannot do. If the G15RCD suits your needs and pleases your ear, wonderful -- you're one of a handful of musicians who can say he's satisfied with his tone. But in recommending a 15-watt solid state amp to someone interested in a 5-watt tube amp, I have to question your experience and critical listening ability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatbo Posted January 20, 2009 Share Posted January 20, 2009 Was this comment directed at me? If so, it might surprise you to know that I have been a Marshall retailer since 1999 and am intimately familiar with the G15RCD, having sold a few hundred of them. In addition, I once owned an MG15DFX which, apart from cosmetics and the addition of digital effects, is the same amplifier as the G15RCD. What's more is that I've been teaching on a pair of MG30DFX's for the past several years and feel I have a fairly good idea of what the amps can and cannot do. If the G15RCD suits your needs and pleases your ear, wonderful -- you're one of a handful of musicians who can say he's satisfied with his tone. But in recommending a 15-watt solid state amp to someone interested in a 5-watt tube amp, I have to question your experience and critical listening ability. don't be silly. i was wrong to even post in this thread. why so insecure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audioservant Posted January 22, 2009 Author Share Posted January 22, 2009 I have to make a serious contribution, although its not a 5 watt tube amp: the VOX AC 30 amplug (it's a headphone amp): it really has the sensitivity of a tube amp which means you can regulate from clean to overdrive with the volume poti of your guitar and it only costs 40 €.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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