Best "apartment " amp?

[Davey]

Re: Best "apartment " amp?

If you want something tube I kow that the ENGL Screamer 50 combo is a powerful beast, and it sounds good at any volume. You don't need to crank it to get awesome real tube tones out of it, from sparkling cleans to crunch to searing high gain...it'll do it at any volume.

Of course it will get better sounding even as you turn it up

here we go, one saying that a 50w full tube amp is good for apartment use, on the other hand, we got guys that are saying, that a 30w amp, is all you can ever need, for any application.
:11:

 

[ErikH]

Re: Best "apartment " amp?

here we go, one saying that a 50w full tube amp is good for apartment use, on the other hand, we got guys that are saying, that a 30w amp, is all you can ever need, for any application.
:11:

Very true. The difference is, a 30 watt amp "can" be used in any application. There's only 3db difference between 100 watts and 50 watts using the same speakers. There's less than that between 50 and 30 watts. Need more volume? Add more speakers. It's surprising how much air a 30 watt amp can push when used with sufficient speakers. A good 1x12 or 2x12 with an external speaker jack covers a lot of ground.

 

[aloha]

Re: Best "apartment " amp?

I use both a Gibson Goldtone with the 5 watt setting and a Mesa F30 in my apartment.

The cleans sound great at a quiet level, but the Mesa needs to be opened up a little more. It isn't deafening, but I have to think about closing my patio doors.

Having said this, I have never gotten any complaints for my playing or the noise. I don't know if this means I'm getting better, everyone's deaf, or everyone's working so hard they aren't home...YMMV...

For getting better, because this is where you are starting to make that commitment, I'd say get a small tube amp and practice clean for at least a year or two. If you can find a little recorder, then buy that too; it will challenge you to listen to your playing very carefully. I did this and got much better.

Remember: think clean...save the distortion for later...

Aloha

 

[D-EJ915]

Re: Best "apartment " amp?

POD XT into this: http://www.jolida.com/catalogue/models/jd3000a.shtml


...on a serious note I actually thought the GDEC was pretty cool when I used one, but I much prever the Vox Valvetronix to Line6 stuff.

 

[Davey]

Re: Best "apartment " amp?

Very true. The difference is, a 30 watt amp "can" be used in any application. There's only 3db difference between 100 watts and 50 watts using the same speakers. There's less than that between 50 and 30 watts. Need more volume? Add more speakers. It's surprising how much air a 30 watt amp can push when used with sufficient speakers. A good 1x12 or 2x12 with an external speaker jack covers a lot of ground.

we've had that discussion, came to the conclusion that... wait, we didnt come to any...

 

[ErikH]

Re: Best "apartment " amp?

we've had that discussion, came to the conclusion that... wait, we didnt come to any...

:chairfall

The Tim Allen in us always says otherwise though.

 

[noth]

Re: Best "apartment " amp?

Guys,

Thanks so much for all your input.

There's one other possibility -I could easily build something. Are there any existing tube kits that fill the bill?

Noth

 

[B2D]

Re: Best "apartment " amp?

PodXT + Sennheiser HD-280 headphones is my apartment rig.

+10! These are gret little rigs for practicing, getting satisfying tone, and helping songwriting at 3 am.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Best "apartment " amp?

I've found that even small tube amps are too much for some apartments.
When we're talking 'apartment amps,' you've got to realize that this means you may be playing at night time, with a grumpy old lady trying to read on the other side of a 4" thick wall.

I love tube amps, but the only place I use them is a rehearsal room or sometimes on a Saturday afternoon in the living room. I'm a night owl, so I do a lot of practicing at midnight, and a modeler on 1W setting or headphones is the only option. Heck, I've even p!ssed off a neighbor SO much that I walked out to my truck the next morning to see that he'd poured coffee all over it. Speaking of which, I still need to get him back for that one!

 

[B2D]

Re: Best "apartment " amp?

Speaking of which, I still need to get him back for that one!

Drink a buttload of beer, wait until nightfall, and then relieve yourself in his windshield fluid tank.

 

[CapoFirstFret]

Re: Best "apartment " amp?

Maybe I'm the only one saying this (I didn't thoroughly read all of the posts so far), but man if you've got a GDEC, that's already a great apartment amp! Got lots of tones to choose from, I believe a drum machine built in, etc. That's a great little practice tool! I say stick to that thing for your apartment and find an amp that you can play out, ya know?

 

[noth]

Re: Best "apartment " amp?

Maybe I'm the only one saying this (I didn't thoroughly read all of the posts so far), but man if you've got a GDEC, that's already a great apartment amp! Got lots of tones to choose from, I believe a drum machine built in, etc. That's a great little practice tool! I say stick to that thing for your apartment and find an amp that you can play out, ya know?

Well, I certainly agree. Don't get me wrong, I'm having a blast with it. I just thought maybe I'm missing out on part of the "real thing". I hear so many people here talk about things that I understand, but haven't experienced. I guess that's one of the benefits of being a real musician.

Thanks!
Noth

 

[baritone]

Re: Best "apartment " amp?

The Sennheiser HD280 headphones are awesome. I use my Pioneer DJ headphones with my Vox tabletop ToneLab. The sound of a real speaker is much more satisfying than simulated speaker response. There are some tones and dynamics that just don't articulate unless you play through a real speaker, even if it's with a small solid state amp.

 

[Danglin' Fury]

Re: Best "apartment " amp?

Man I play my Peavey JSX full stack because it sounds really good at low volumes. I use a Behringer parametric and a Zoom G2.1 in the loop. For low volume, the only effect I turn on is the volume pedal, dial the master volume down to about 8 and it's at a reasonable apartment level. If it wasn't, my wife would be bitchin' zbout me waking up my son.:chairshot

 

[Kivitel]

Re: Best "apartment " amp?

I was going to build a small tube amp. Try the gerhart gilmore (gilmour? somthing) tube amp. It puts out about a watt I think. You can get a kit from those folks. Google it.

 

[Mephis]

Re: Best "apartment " amp?

Guys, I'm still pretty green in the guitar playing world. Home player only, with only a Fender GDEC, so I'm pretty sure I've yet to experience what it's like for a guitar and amp to really get it together.

What would you say is the best and smallest amp I could get that would give the experience of really playing, without having to turn it up too much. I'd like to experience real overdrive and feedback.

Thanks,
Noth

Anything tube over 100watts and at least 6ft tall. :rocket:

Seriously though, don't fear getting a big amp if it's really what you want. I can manage to tame my 6505 for bedroom playing with people sleeping in the room below me, and still have an awesome tone. (And no I don't believe in pulling tubes.) Just get something with a usable volume knob, those things actually do control the volume! Who would have thunk it?

Well, I certainly agree. Don't get me wrong, I'm having a blast with it. I just thought maybe I'm missing out on part of the "real thing". I hear so many people here talk about things that I understand, but haven't experienced. I guess that's one of the benefits of being a real musician.

Thanks!
Noth

If you're looking for the "real thing" a 5 watt tube amp isn't it... You'd be missing the entire point of owning the "real thing."

 

[Skarekrough]

Re: Best "apartment " amp?

Well, I certainly agree. Don't get me wrong, I'm having a blast with it. I just thought maybe I'm missing out on part of the "real thing". I hear so many people here talk about things that I understand, but haven't experienced. I guess that's one of the benefits of being a real musician.

Thanks!
Noth

Owning a tube amp in a situation where you can't crank up is just frustrating. You never really get the same sound you get with it cranked no matter how many pedals you get or how hard you crank the attenuator down.

There's more to it than volume; there's an electricity in the air from it being mvoed so much. I truly feel that aside from tubes being slammed and speakers being pushed alot of it has to do with the feeling of the reverberations when you've got a guitar strapped on and it's there out in the open moving things.

You just can't get that in an amp in an apartment that's not intended to piss off the neighbors.

Stick with the GDEC....it's a decent amp for your needs. If you find that you're going to be playing out or rehearsing then start looking at tube amps and asking questions about tone and tubes and speakers.

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Best "apartment " amp?

All I know is that JeffB has posted some great sounding clips using a little ol' Vox DA5 portable amp. It looks to a versatile and cool tone machine. I'd say that would be a good "apartment" amp. You might like to check that one out. I'd like to get one soon for myself.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Best "apartment " amp?

All I know is that JeffB has posted some great sounding clips using a little ol' Vox DA5 portable amp. It looks to a versatile and cool tone machine. I'd say that would be a good "apartment" amp. You might like to check that one out. I'd like to get one soon for myself.

Right on Bro (and thank you for the compliment). Da5 is a fun little amp, and PLENTY loud for an apartment (and records great).

I'd also reccomend the Vox AD15VT. Its MUCH louder than the Da5, but it it doesnt need as much volume to open up as the AD30VT and AD50VT do, and is much warmer and tube-like than the Da5.

and this is despite the fact that the 30/50 have the wattage reduction..I specifically went in and tested all 3 for a couple hours at the lowest volumes cos I have overly annoying neighbors and paper thin walls in my apt. The 15s 8" speaker simply doesn't need as much push as the 30/50's speakers do with the wattage selector down.

I've done the modeling thing...and I've tried to do the "real" tube amp thing for my apt. My conclusion, The Vox modellers or Tech 21 amps TOTALLY CRUSH a low wattage tube amp at low volumes...Tube amps NEED to be pushed...whether they are clean or distorted...doesn't matter.

Another idea would be a low wattage tube amp with a REALLY good distortion pedal, like Rid's Plexitone (which I did for awhile with my Rivera Chubster)..

or...

Look into a Bumbox 1 (one) watt amp.

But really the Vox AD15VT and DA5/15 is the best solution I've found among the various modellers and low wattage tube amps. Its not perfect, but it's close. They sound good at a whisper, you can use the headphones if need be, and they sound dang good at low-moderate to cranked volumes when you have that luxury.

 

[daemon barbeque]

Re: Best "apartment " amp?

http://www.musik-service.de/ibanez-valbee-vbg-watt-prx395752869en.aspx

i played it for some hours.A real amp with great feeling!And a good price!