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  • #31
    Re: attn. smaller tube or SS amp users

    Those little Yamaha THR amps blow-me-away with sound quality every time I hear one.

    Just sayin'
    Originally posted by Bad City
    He's got the crowd on his side and the blue jean lights in his eyes...

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    • #32
      Re: attn. smaller tube or SS amp users

      A new day and another day of self-quarantine gave me an idea as I gazed upon a shelf of unused guitar effects pedals...I eyed this Guyatone ST2 comp/sustain pedal, thought, "what the heck, might as well see if I can do something to get those power tubes warmer in that Deluxe Reverb of mine." My rig is set up in stereo at the end of my signal, out of a Line6 DL-4 echo splitting to the DR and a Blues DeVille. These two amps compliment each other well, and the DeVille has a master volume switch which enables very usable tube power for some nice warmth...the DR's higher end mixes well with that warmth. So I inserted the ST2 into the signal between the stereo line out, my pedal board, and the DR...I tweaked the sustain/comp to a minimum in keeping it's use primarily as a volume lowering device, and adjusted the level setting at a lower position while keeping the amp's volume pot at 4. Played alone with a Strat, the DR sounds slightly compromised to me but it is slight and I expected that due to the fact that the ST2 is what it is, however running that amp at 4 now helped me achieve some good breakup with the guitar volume pot, something I couldn't do before because of self-imposed lower amp volume settings. The tubes were glowing nicely. Some line noise is a little more present especially with distortion/overdrive pedals, but I have a Hush noise suppressor that might help that out. Tapped on the TS-9 I knocked out some rock n roll riffs, some SRV "pride and joy," and some "bridge of sighs" with a Fulltone Deja Vibe...great ringing peak at the top of the modulation wave...it's just a bit compressed. The little dab of sustain isn't a bad thing though.
      Could be a fix for now, I think an attenuator would be much better in keeping the tone and signal cleaner...however there's the flex and vibration of a speaker at natural low or high volume levels suited for an amp that also factors into the grand scheme of things. So I'm not ruling out a smaller output combo amp with a 10" or 12" speaker.
      I really appreciate all of you for helping me out with your suggestions and references, I have some homework to do and hopefully can get to a guitar store sometime down the road and plug into a few suggested amps for road tests and talk more to someone there about attenuators.
      Stay safe!!
      Last edited by midnite_man; 03-26-2020, 08:09 PM.

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      • #33
        Re: attn. smaller tube or SS amp users

        i like my little champ X2 combo because it sounds good at low volume and has real tube tone immediately from 1 on up but again it does start to mush above 5. It really only a practice amp. I have toyed with the idea of getting the head and running it to different speaker sizes because it does sound good at low volume like maybe through a 15 when I break out the Gretsch White Falcon or a 2 or 4x10 cab for some super strat tones like Sultons of Swing. or of course a 2x12 cuz I have several of those some english V30 celestions and 1 2x12 anniverary 30s. it just makes it super versatile to mix and match speakers to amp for even more choices. you can pay Kruse Kustom Amplification to mod a larger head like a super sonic 22 and they sound great but you need to tame it for low volume practice sessions. I sold one to one of the players from the original Kingsman "Louis Louis Oh ya" the guitar player for those guys. He was a super cool dude and full of cool stories from playing back in the 60s all over the country. He had a big enough practice space he could krank that amp head to 3 or above and nobody cared. but even he admitted.....he used to use a kick @ss Fender dual showman but it was just too loud. He went 22 watts now and just swapped speaker cabs with the super sonic head for his versatility

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        • #34
          Re: attn. smaller tube or SS amp users

          Yamaha thr series. For small versatile modeler.

          Laney lionheart L5 studio head. 5/.5w all tube head with two channels.
          Kinda voxy?

          Takes pedals well too.

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          • #35
            Re: attn. smaller tube or SS amp users

            Silverface Vibro Champ, Super Champ X2 or Vox MV50 Clean model with your favorite pedals. For a small, low power, battery option would be the Blackstar Fly 3.

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            • #36
              Re: attn. smaller tube or SS amp users

              I use a Fender Champion 600 for the OP issue. It’s a single 6V6 amp and sounds and responds similar to a Deluxe. (Not exact because of the smaller speaker, but it’s surprisingly satisfying for the purpose)

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              • #37
                Re: attn. smaller tube or SS amp users

                I have both a 68 Princeton Reverb, which I’ve had forever, and a Super Champ Xd, that I bought sort of on a whim. The previous owner bought a cheap solid state Fender amp with a 12” speaker, and transferred the Xd chassis into that cabinet. So my Xd is a bit different than most, because of the larger speaker. It looks factory correct.

                My wife usually lets me keep a small Fender GDEC amp in the living room so I can play a bit while she does her school work. Right now she’s on a 14 day quarantine at her moms house, so screw the GDEC, I have the Xd in the living room. I normally play the Princeton or the GDEC, and I forget how great this Xd is. I played my Les Paul Traditional the other day; straight in, no pedals. Sounded incredible with just reverb. It’s a versatile amp with all kinds of modeling features. I say for the money you can’t go too far wrong.




                Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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                • #38
                  Re: attn. smaller tube or SS amp users

                  Originally posted by FuseG4 View Post
                  I've had a deluxe reverb reissue and supersonic 22 which is deluxe reverb basically on one channel and dirty channel on other...

                  I have a Princeton Reverb the custom '68 one now and I gotta say it's a little warmer and smoother at low volumes and sounds plenty tubey in my house but to get dirt without letting all the neighbors hear, I still use dirt pedals.
                  But I love it and maybe you can find a deal on it cuz I would take it over a blues Jr hands down

                  If you can't swing a PRRI and I get that, try the super champ xD or X2. They are a speaker swap away from being a poor man's Princeton reverb. They are boxier in sound as they have a small cab, but if you're not cranking it you'll probably not notice....Ymmv
                  Well, I came across a used Super Champ XD for a fair price, so will play a few guitars through it and see how it sounds. I do have a cabinet equipped with a pair of V30's, so can run the amp through that for a better speaker. I'll post a review afterwards.

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                  • #39
                    Re: attn. smaller tube or SS amp users

                    Sweet! Hope you like it. They are a good deal and if my Princeton crapped out tomorrow I would consider a super champ.
                    Should sound pretty good though your 212 but the stock speaker and cab have a boxy honk that actually goes somewhat well with the tweed champ and the bf Princeton voices I think

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                    • #40
                      Re: attn. smaller tube or SS amp users

                      Originally posted by midnite_man View Post
                      Well, I came across a used Super Champ XD for a fair price, so will play a few guitars through it and see how it sounds. I do have a cabinet equipped with a pair of V30's, so can run the amp through that for a better speaker. I'll post a review afterwards.
                      Those are nice amps. A student let me borrow his for the weekend, and it sounded great at all volumes.
                      Administrator of the SDUGF

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                      • #41
                        Re: attn. smaller tube or SS amp users

                        I recently just got back my SCXD (orig model) after my son "borrowed" it for a few years. And I missed it. Channel 1 has great BF tone, on board reverb is decent. I had swapped the preamp tube for a tung sol and a Weber Alnico Sig speaker (smooth cone ) and it sweetens up the amp even more.
                        Last edited by AniML; 05-05-2020, 08:02 AM.

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                        • #42
                          Re: attn. smaller tube or SS amp users

                          Very small = check
                          Super light = check
                          Master Volume = check
                          Deluxe Reverb quality tones = check

                          Then do look into the Victory V40 The Duchess (head)

                          Just add your own 1X12, or 2X12 cab.
                          Formerly known as; SirJackdeFuzz (7400+ posts)

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                          • #43
                            Re: attn. smaller tube or SS amp users

                            Personally, I think the attenuator idea would suit you the best here. Specifically reactive attenuators/the ones that don't completely destroy your tone.

                            If you don't want to spend $500+ on a new amp, two specific attenuators come to mind.
                            The Weber Mass series, specifically the Weber MiniMass.
                            And the Tone King Ironman II Mini, for 30W amps (Sweetwater, as of the time of this post, is currently out of stock, Reverb might have some).

                            Both companies sell higher wattage versions for much more powerful amplifiers, but I think both of these are fairly budget friendly (sub $400).

                            Here are some midrange ($500 - $1K) options that might include some extra functionality if you need it, such as direct DI out.
                            The Rivera RockCrusher (also currently out of stock at Sweetwater).
                            The Tone King Ironman II (full size) for 100w amps (again currently out of stock).

                            If you want to go all out, you could also consider something like the Ox Box or the BOSS Waza Tube Amp Expander, but those are both $1K+ and in this price range, you could also look into other amps that may very well have the lower wattage setting you want as well.
                            Last edited by GreatOz; 05-05-2020, 04:39 PM.

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                            • #44
                              Re: attn. smaller tube or SS amp users

                              I've learned the hard way that when you can't get good volume through the speaker that even attenuators don't give me enough of what I want for the investment
                              At least with the non reactive ones from Weber I've owned
                              Modeling amps try to give you that high volume tone at any volume and sure it's never as sweet and creamy but it can get close
                              I think in most people's houses, modeling is the simplest cheapest way to get the results
                              Better attenuators that basically are reamp boxes with impulse response are something I would like to try but alas they're expensive

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                              • #45
                                Re: attn. smaller tube or SS amp users

                                Originally posted by FuseG4 View Post
                                Better attenuators that basically are reamp boxes with impulse response are something I would like to try but alas they're expensive
                                thats basically a modeler aint it
                                EHD
                                Just here surfing Guitar Pron
                                RG2EX1 w/ SD hot-rodded pickups / RG4EXFM1 w/ Carvin S22j/b + FVN middle
                                SR500 / Martin 000CE-1/Epiphone Hummingbird
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                                Ehdwuld branded Blue semi hollow custom with JB/Jazz
                                Reptile Green Gibson Custom Studio / Aqua Dean Shire semi hollow with piezo
                                Carvin Belair / Laney GC80A Acoustic Amp (a gift from Guitar Player Mag)
                                GNX3000 (yea I'm a modeler)

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