Best tube amp in the 30watt range on a budget?!?

Hoss

Hoss

Joyfulnoiseologist
soooo...i've finally come to the conclusion that i need an amp with more headroom! it took me FOREVER sunday night at church to tweak a tone that wasn't to harsh at a volume that i could hear (and feel) and it's still lacking!

right now i play through a Blonde Blues Jr and while i LOVE the dirty tone this thang can give up and how well it takes to pedals...i just need a little something extra in the clean dept!

my budget is...well...i don't know...i haven't really thought about the $$$'s right now, but the cheaper the better of course...lol! (and i will go used for sure!)

will a DRR do the trick or do you think it won't have enough headroom either!? maybe a Blues Deluxe...is there something new out there that i should look into?!

thanks in advance fellas,
mike
 
Re: Best tube amp in the 30watt range on a budget?!?

why not run two blues jrs?
 
Re: Best tube amp in the 30watt range on a budget?!?

that's a thought...i could easily do it with my Rocktron Tsunami pedal...it has two outputs?

i guess purely from a lazy convenience standpoint and the more i play the junior the more i'm starting to hear that "boxy" sound everyone always talked about from the shallow cab...i dunno though...it might be worth a try?!

i've always been intrigued by a blues deluxe...but i've never really sat down with one before?
 
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Re: Best tube amp in the 30watt range on a budget?!?

Are you looking for a purely clean amp or one with some drive in it?

If you want pure clean that takes pedals well, the Workhorse Pony amp by Visual Sound is an incredible value. It's a 30 watt 1x12 and is built for the player who gets drive from pedals out front. One of the cool features is the 9VDC tap next to the input jack so you can power your pedals with the supplied 12' cord and not have to use a DC brick or other outboard power supply. They run between $800 and $900.
 
Re: Best tube amp in the 30watt range on a budget?!?

I like the 2 blues jr's ideas.

You may check out a Crate Vintage Club series. You can pick them up used for a good price, and I see them pop up on ebay or thegearpage on occasion. Not the greatest amp ever by any means, but I have been singing their praises since I picked one up myself. Tonally I would say they are kinda Marshall-ish once you get them opened up.
 
Re: Best tube amp in the 30watt range on a budget?!?

ErikH said:
Are you looking for a purely clean amp or one with some drive in it?

If you want pure clean that takes pedals well, the Workhorse Pony amp by Visual Sound is an incredible value. It's a 30 watt 1x12 and is built for the player who gets drive from pedals out front. One of the cool features is the 9VDC tap next to the input jack so you can power your pedals with the supplied 12' cord and not have to use a DC brick or other outboard power supply. They run between $800 and $900.
Click to expand...

i'd like one with some drive in it...i checked out that workhorse amp by VS...i don't think i could get over the "hubcap"...lol! i do like the ability to power the pedals though!
 
Re: Best tube amp in the 30watt range on a budget?!?

I can tell you for sure that a Blues Deluxe would give you what you want. I just sold one for my bro Kyle for $400 and it was only a year old AND in mint condition. I used it once while my Lux was in the shop and it was a pretty killer amp. The OD channel is useless, but the clean headroom was there and it took my rig really well!
 
Re: Best tube amp in the 30watt range on a budget?!?

Hoss said:
i'd like one with some drive in it...i checked out that workhorse amp by VS...i don't think i could get over the "hubcap"...lol! i do like the ability to power the pedals though!
Click to expand...

The hubcap may look weird at first but it does what it is supposed to. You do not hear any high spikey treble from the speaker and you can stand almost right next to the amp and still hear it clear as a bell. It dispurses the soundwave from the speaker in a much wider pattern than a speaker without one. And for 30 watts, it's pretty freakin' loud.
 
Re: Best tube amp in the 30watt range on a budget?!?

a guy who i play with uses a blues deluxe and its on its way out, not a bad amp but playing with me has sent him into a tonal vortex trying to get better tone than me, and a blues deluxe just cant keep up with a good sounding bf deluxe reverb.

do you just want more volume, cause it seems like you are searching out a better tone as well. a good deluxe reverb with a strong speaker is a potent amp that is small enough to work in lots of applications
 
Re: Best tube amp in the 30watt range on a budget?!?

volume is not the issue...my jr gets plenty loud enough...i just can't get clean volume when i want it...which isn't constantly but i need the clean about 50/50 with the dirt.

i gotta admit the VS is interesting...but it's something i'd definitely want to try out first...that would be a problem since i don't have a pedal board right now and i'd have to haul my pedals in and set them all up and etc?!

sooo...jeremy will the DRRI get me some more headroom with a higher watt speaker? i think those are a bit more than a Blues Deluxe used right? $400 for a BD sounds really tempting!?
 
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Re: Best tube amp in the 30watt range on a budget?!?

sooo...i've been doing some research on the DRRI and the BDLX...from what i've been reading, the DRRI is bright with pedals and the BDLX is muddy with pedals....:eyecrazy::confused::smack::dunno::33:

maybe a Texas Heat would tame some of the bright and add to the low and to the headroom?
 
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Re: Best tube amp in the 30watt range on a budget?!?

Maybe a similar output 6V6 or 6L6 amp ?

Run in stereo or together, EL84s & 6V6s sound KILLER !!!!
 
Re: Best tube amp in the 30watt range on a budget?!?

these are all 30 watts and extremely good:

laney vc30
genz-benz black pearl
peavey jack daniels amp
budda superdrive 30
 
Re: Best tube amp in the 30watt range on a budget?!?

PUCKBOY99 said:
Maybe a similar output 6V6 or 6L6 amp ?

Run in stereo or together, EL84s & 6V6s sound KILLER !!!!
Click to expand...

i'd probably have to sell the BJr to get some cash towards the other amp...i'd love to keep both and experiment with running two amps!
 
Re: Best tube amp in the 30watt range on a budget?!?

Not a tube amp but what about a Tech21 Trademark 60?

It has a Fender clean channel and a drive (Marshall or Boogie...) channel with XLR output that could run to the mixer to help with house volume too...

Inexpensive, light, and has an effects loop as well...

Dan
 
Re: Best tube amp in the 30watt range on a budget?!?

i would look into a silverface deluxe, pro, or vibrolux. i say silverface only for the money involved, blackface is obviously good too.

the deluxe with a good speaker will give you more headroom than your jr for sure and a very nice clean tone. bright? maybe but with the right speaker, no. i love a cannabis rex in a deluxe for a warm but detailed tone.

if you dont think that is enough then the larger fenders would be good options. i think any of those amps will serve you very well for a long time.

i dont think youll be happy going from a tube amp to a ss amp. i play bass with a guy who uses a tech21 and its pretty good but it doesnt cut thru a mix as well as i think it should and honestly i think the tone the other guitar player gets with a modded pro jr is better
 
Re: Best tube amp in the 30watt range on a budget?!?

older laney AOR pro tube 30 watt head. last one i saw went for 270 on ebay.
 
Re: Best tube amp in the 30watt range on a budget?!?

Hiya Hoss!

I'd look around for a SF vibrolux, and get it 'blackfaced'. That'll give you the clean headroom you're after along with a nicer tone than a blues deluxe. The blues deluxe will benefit greatly from a speaker swap if you head that way.

The Peavey delta blues 2x10 and 1x15 are also very good amps for the money, and may suit your needs very well.
 
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