Can You Recommend a Good Small Practice Combo?

[ExplorersRock]

Hey guys. I have a Fender Frontman 25 watt combo. Sounds like ass! Want something small I can jam on for fun. As far as power, features etc, I just want a clean channel, a distorted channel, and reverb. If it has more features that's fine, but that's my minimum. Between 5 and 30 watts max. Also, I want good tone (or at least decent tone). This thing makes my best sounding guitars sound awful, and I want to get rid of it.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Can You Recommend a Good Small Practice Combo?

Did Fretted Americana ever release that micro Evil*Robot? May be exactly what you are looking for!

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Re: Can You Recommend a Good Small Practice Combo?

Maybe a small Blackstar, or a Blues Junior? What sort of music do you play, and what guitars do you play?

 

[Rockstar216]

Re: Can You Recommend a Good Small Practice Combo?

Maybe a Peavy Vypr Or the new Blackstar ID series or one of the HT 5 or 10 watt heads or combos

 

[Securb]

Re: Can You Recommend a Good Small Practice Combo?

Love my Fender Excelsior 13 watts and a 15 inch speaker, but it doesn't have the features you are looking for. There is one channel that gradually overdrives, tremolo and a bright/dark switch (people mod the switch to a tone knob in some cases). Quirky little amp but it sounds great and is fun to play through. I have had it over a year and still haven't plugged a stompbox into it. It sounds so good on its own. It looks real cool too!

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Can You Recommend a Good Small Practice Combo?

Roland Cube?

 

[SongsForTheDeaf]

Re: Can You Recommend a Good Small Practice Combo?

The fender mustangs are pretty good and sound awesome with good headphones too!

 

[ExplorersRock]

Re: Can You Recommend a Good Small Practice Combo?

Maybe a small Blackstar, or a Blues Junior? What sort of music do you play, and what guitars do you play?

Well I have some varied guitars and I like many styles, but to keep it simple, I want a rock-tone. Classic to hard rock with good clean tone. I was considering the Fender Mustangs or the Fender Super Champ SD.

 

[SongsForTheDeaf]

Re: Can You Recommend a Good Small Practice Combo?

I hear the super champ is pretty good an for the price it seems pretty versatile and its tube!

 

[Aceman]

Re: Can You Recommend a Good Small Practice Combo?

Roland Cube?

+1

 

[Aceman]

Re: Can You Recommend a Good Small Practice Combo?

Well I have some varied guitars and I like many styles, but to keep it simple, I want a rock-tone. Classic to hard rock with good clean tone. I was considering the Fender Mustangs or the Fender Super Champ SD.

On the B channel of the Cube:

Blackface - there is your clean
Vox - Brit Pop / Rock
Bassman - Southern/Zepp
Stack - AC/DC
5150- 80's
Recto - :headbang:

Select an Amp - BMT, verb/delay, then gain and level done. Super fast to dial in, headphone out. Also a nice JC120 model on the other channel for jsut clean clean. Also a single knob for chorus/Flange/Phase/Tremolo if you want to toss a touch of one of those on.

 

[ExplorersRock]

Re: Can You Recommend a Good Small Practice Combo?

On the B channel of the Cube:

Blackface - there is your clean
Vox - Brit Pop / Rock
Bassman - Southern/Zepp
Stack - AC/DC
5150- 80's
Recto - :headbang:

Select an Amp - BMT, verb/delay, then gain and level done. Super fast to dial in, headphone out. Also a nice JC120 model on the other channel for jsut clean clean. Also a single knob for chorus/Flange/Phase/Tremolo if you want to toss a touch of one of those on.

Me LIKEY! I think they have some at my local GC to try out. Any particular model/size you recommend?

 

[Drunken Bowling]

Re: Can You Recommend a Good Small Practice Combo?

Yamaha THR10

 

[IM4Tone]

Re: Can You Recommend a Good Small Practice Combo?

You didn't give a budget, so here's a range of small tube amps:
1) As mentioned...the Fender Excelsior. Get the Pro version (if you can do with their color options) or the standard and changeout the speaker to an Eminence 1518. Add a TS-9 or OCD for soloing and a good reverb pedal (such as a Boss FRV5).
2) The Blackstar HT20. B* amps are quite high gain if that appeals to you, but you can 'tame' the gain channel with another lower gain pre-amp tube.
3) Ibanez TSA15 or TSA30. You'll need to add a reverb pedal here also.
4) Fender Blues Jr. + a TS9 or OCD. BJ's are not typical Fender CLEAN, however.
I have all of these except the TSA30, and choice really depends on the style music you prefer. Go somewhere like a GC and try all of them.
Haven't played the Fender Super Champ XD (a hybrid), but the demos sound great.
And the Roland Cube isn't bad for solid state.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Can You Recommend a Good Small Practice Combo?

Me LIKEY! I think they have some at my local GC to try out. Any particular model/size you recommend?

Whatever fits your bill and what is too big/small, too loud/too quiet, etc. really. The models are all pretty similar and are fun toys for practice.

 

[Stratman]

Re: Can You Recommend a Good Small Practice Combo?

Egnater Tweaker 15

 

[philthis]

Re: Can You Recommend a Good Small Practice Combo?

Love my Fender Excelsior 13 watts and a 15 inch speaker, but it doesn't have the features you are looking for. There is one channel that gradually overdrives, tremolo and a bright/dark switch (people mod the switch to a tone knob in some cases). Quirky little amp but it sounds great and is fun to play through. I have had it over a year and still haven't plugged a stompbox into it. It sounds so good on its own. It looks real cool too!

Man I have to agree with this. Bang for the Buck this amp is unbeatable. Its tone is pure and simple and for a cheap practice combo its awsome. just an OCD out front for drive and your rockin. Its a cheap set up for a practice amp. Bigger louder more expensive practice amp that is unbeatable with half power switch is the Marshall 40c. its around 700 but you could easily take it from your bedroom to band practice and it handles this job very well. It has a great cliping gain tone that you could also record with. For Rock tone its the shizzle in its price range.

 

[MistaSnowman]

Re: Can You Recommend a Good Small Practice Combo?

Either this...

$499 US

or this...

$899 US

Both are very versatile and pedal-friendly.

 

[Psykel]

Re: Can You Recommend a Good Small Practice Combo?

Check out Orange's new Crush series of solid state amps. They seem quite awesome for SS.

 

[ExplorersRock]

Re: Can You Recommend a Good Small Practice Combo?

I'm sorry, I forgot to leave a budget: $400 or less. I think there are some really good options here. Time for a test drive at a local GC!