Cheap tube amps selection

Re: Cheap tube amps selection


That sounds like a very cool amp!

Well guys, thanks for the suggestions.
After few days of consideration, both Super Champ and Bassbreaker with reverb pedal would blown my budget, watched some videos about HT5, the cleans doesnt really appeal to me

Vox might do me good. Nice clean, Marshally' overdrive tone and decent high gain, and certainly cheaper than other 3....

So I ordered myself a VOX AV30. Thank you guys!

Congrats man! Hope you enjoy!
 
Re: Cheap tube amps selection

I had a X2 head & cabinet, I was relatively unimpressed by it...

If they lost all the modeling garbage, worked on the Blackface tone some, & one decent gain CH it would have been a much more useful head IMHO....
 
Re: Cheap tube amps selection

I had a X2 head & cabinet, I was relatively unimpressed by it...

If they lost all the modeling garbage, worked on the Blackface tone some, & one decent gain CH it would have been a much more useful head IMHO....

The modeling is the thing that put me off from these things. Based on some videos on Youtube it does sound nice but modeling stuff doesnt seems reliable to me.
 
Re: Cheap tube amps selection

I had a X2 head & cabinet, I was relatively unimpressed by it...

If they lost all the modeling garbage, worked on the Blackface tone some, & one decent gain CH it would have been a much more useful head IMHO....

Thanks for the heads up on that.

I played a Bassbreaker 45 last night...WOW! If I was still playing live I would have to get that one. It does offer 1 to 45 watts which I thought was very cool. The tone is superb...just too loud for my usage right now. lol
 
Re: Cheap tube amps selection

Let us know how satisfied you are with the Vox, I'm interested if you find it as good as I do. :D
 
Re: Cheap tube amps selection

I am interested to hear your opinion of the amp! :)

Well I think it's lovely. I'm not a very good player and don't have much experience with more expensive amps, but I record bands. Still, it's fair to aknowledge that I'm not an expert.

I mostly use the amp at home, as far as volume goes, I haven't been able to even set the Power Level (master volume) to 12 as it's already loud as hell there. I mostly use the two Clean channels, which I think sound just amazing. Lately I've spent most of my time on Clean 1 turned up to slight crunch. Very responsive.
As far as distorted sounds go, OD1 has a great mild distortion which I do use. I use a tele, so I don't really use the high gain channels, so I can't really say much about those. I've heard some people play them on youtube and they sounded great too.
The built-in effects are usable and sound good to me, I use all of them (I expected to hate the modulation, but I don't at all), slight delay and reverb color everything nicely.
What's important is that ALL of the sounds are usable and responsive.

tl;dr
I really like the amp, for me it's great.
 
Re: Cheap tube amps selection

Well I think it's lovely. I'm not a very good player and don't have much experience with more expensive amps, but I record bands. Still, it's fair to aknowledge that I'm not an expert.

I mostly use the amp at home, as far as volume goes, I haven't been able to even set the Power Level (master volume) to 12 as it's already loud as hell there. I mostly use the two Clean channels, which I think sound just amazing. Lately I've spent most of my time on Clean 1 turned up to slight crunch. Very responsive.
As far as distorted sounds go, OD1 has a great mild distortion which I do use. I use a tele, so I don't really use the high gain channels, so I can't really say much about those. I've heard some people play them on youtube and they sounded great too.
The built-in effects are usable and sound good to me, I use all of them (I expected to hate the modulation, but I don't at all), slight delay and reverb color everything nicely.
What's important is that ALL of the sounds are usable and responsive.

tl;dr
I really like the amp, for me it's great.

I read it from somewhere that it takes pedals quite well. I never liked modulation effects (except some chorus on uber clean channel for some Metallica)



EDIT: Anddd what does the power level switch do?
 
Last edited:
Re: Cheap tube amps selection

Power level is a knob that controls the SS power section, like a master volume. Just clean volume for both channels.
Each channel then has a Volume knob, which controls the tube-ish 12ax7 power section. This beyond 3 doesn't add much volume, but saturation (like I presume tube amps do)
 
Re: Cheap tube amps selection

Power level is a knob that controls the SS power section, like a master volume. Just clean volume for both channels.
Each channel then has a Volume knob, which controls the tube-ish 12ax7 power section. This beyond 3 doesn't add much volume, but saturation (like I presume tube amps do)

That sounds very exciting!
 
Re: Cheap tube amps selection

Guys! I need a few recommendation from you guys!
If you were going to pick an amp which of these will you choose?
Blackstar HT5
Vox Av30
Fender Bassbreaker 007 (with a reverb pedal)

I'm in a dilemma now.....

Well I can't speak for the vox or the fender but I have the Blackstar HT5R and I love it
and before anyone jumps in and says yes but it's not a true valve amp, well so what!
The output stage is valve and having had an all solid state amp before I would say the HT5R is a huge difference.
You mentioned playing at home, well that's why I got mine it's more than loud enough for home a day could perhaps handle small venues .
It's a great little amp with the 2 channels and of course an fx loop (great for my delay and electric mistress.

I love it, and if it blew up tomorrow I would go straight out to buy another!
 
Re: Cheap tube amps selection

Well I can't speak for the vox or the fender but I have the Blackstar HT5R and I love it
and before anyone jumps in and says yes but it's not a true valve amp, well so what!
The output stage is valve and having had an all solid state amp before I would say the HT5R is a huge difference.
You mentioned playing at home, well that's why I got mine it's more than loud enough for home a day could perhaps handle small venues .
It's a great little amp with the 2 channels and of course an fx loop (great for my delay and electric mistress.

I love it, and if it blew up tomorrow I would go straight out to buy another!

Actually months before Chappers and Captain's video about the VOX AV series amp I thought to myself Im going to get a Blackstar HT5R, because you cant go wrong with Blackstar's stuff anyway. But when I was A B ing them I found that Blackstar is quite limiting (for me) in terms of clean, Fendery tone. It does have decent clean tone for what it is, but it just dont appeal to me much.
 
Back
Top