dorm room TUBE amp

Re: dorm room TUBE amp

Okay! If walls are of the thin cheapy variant as BluesGuyJ says. Then I'd also say no to the tube amp, I didn't realize that collage dorm rooms don't have to "normal" 200+ cm thick walls that is between apartments in highrise buildings.
 
Re: dorm room TUBE amp

Well for the year that just passed, I had my 100w tube quarter stack with me. It is loud, but I'm glad I have a master volume, the gain from the pre-amp is great, and it still sounds good at lower volumes. During year I usually played the amp around 2. I only had one complaint from the hall, but I had my room open and someone was playing it at 3 on the master volume. If tube amp sounds good at lower volumes, I bet it sound better even louder. I definitely like the tone on tube amps, but thing is tube amps have major costs like repair and tube replacement that may be hard on you as a college student. If you can deal with paying for tube amp maintence I would prefer a tube amp, but if you can't try other suggestions others have said and get a modeler.
 
Re: dorm room TUBE amp

There's no way in hell I could ever put a tube in my future dorm room. That thing must be 12'x12' for two people, not to mention that it would be waayy too loud. I'm just gonna stick to my Microcube and headphones along with my Mini Martin acoustic ^ ^.
 
Re: dorm room TUBE amp

Also, just because no one is coming to you with complaints, does not mean it isn't bothering anyone. A lot of people get annoyed by other people on their foor for different things and never say anything to them.

I'd reallly go with what I said and look towards your acoustic for the most of your playing. Buying a $150-$250 set of studio monitors looks like the most cost effective and efficient method for this problem.
 
Re: dorm room TUBE amp

Unless you plan on entertaining everyone else on your floor or annoying them to the point that they want to throw you out or the RA knows you by name within the first week, go with the POD and a pair of headphones. A dorm is no place to be playing a tube amp. Any tube amp will be too loud, even those cute little 5 watters. Dorm rooms aren't very big so it'll get loud real fast.
 
Re: dorm room TUBE amp

I've run a 40watt tube combo in my halls for a whole year. Only people who complained were the security guards. Everyone is noisy at uni, we just deal with it.
 
Re: dorm room TUBE amp

Having been through it, let me recommend a modeler of some sort into a computer into either headphones or monitors. Not only will you keep your neighbors happy, you can have the piece of mind that something like a POD is small enough to be locked up. Also, at dorm room or bedroom levels, IMO you can't get any tube amp to do as well as a modeler in regard to tone (unless you like lots of bumble bee pre-amp distortion).

Even my 25 watt 12" SS practice amp was way too much for a dorm room. The thing never saw a volume past 2, and even that was a bit excessive for a 4 person dorm.
 
Re: dorm room TUBE amp

My dorm room had 4" concrete block walls, but I still wouldn't want to try getting by with ANY tube amp. They're just too loud, IMO.
 
Re: dorm room TUBE amp

JacksonMIA said:
My dorm room had 4" concrete block walls, but I still wouldn't want to try getting by with ANY tube amp. They're just too loud, IMO.

Echo chamber?
 
Re: dorm room TUBE amp

JumpMarine said:
The only problem with these two great amps is that they are not quiet enough for dorm room play, especially the C30. Very nice amps though, especially after a tube and speaker change. I'm also in the camp that if you want good tone at a resonable volume look at the Valvetronics combo's.

Tonally, at a dorm room volume they'll be very different sounding than when tey're cranked up. The reason I suggested them was that they were both Master Volume amps so you could effectively dial in an appropriate volume and then use the overdrive pedal to color it a bit.

The value of doing this is that if you're going to be gigging, either amp could serve both needs. The dorm room tone isn't going to be fantastic, but it's certainly better than nothing. Additionally an investment in a POD or other digital amp is nice, but if there's going to be live gigging done and the digital amp isn't something player is into then it means another investment, money that could be used for beer...I mean...for books.
 
Re: dorm room TUBE amp

I heard one of those mini Marshall half stacks the other day that you clip on your pocket and it didnt sound that bad. Its got built in distortion, but u can just crank up the normal channel for a distorted sound. I am definitely going to get one for college. They also got the Fender Tweed one and a few other fenders, but I never heard them. Ill probably go to a music college, so everyone will have their amps...
 
Re: dorm room TUBE amp

I love myTraynor YCV 20. IMO it sounds better than any of the small Fender tub e combos. The bright setting on the clean channel sounds very AC30 like. It distorts good too. In the vain of an old Marshall. Like Jimmy Page or early Van Halen
 
Re: dorm room TUBE amp

BluesGuyJ said:
Also, just because no one is coming to you with complaints, does not mean it isn't bothering anyone. A lot of people get annoyed by other people on their foor for different things and never say anything to them.

Two Points:

-All it takes is one person cranking up too loud too often to make things an issue. When I was a Resident Assistant someone made it so big of an issue that guitar amps were banned from the dorms straight-up. As I was a gigging musician at that time it pissed me off, but I had to abide by it. I never told my residents to get rid of their amps, but I did tell them that I needed to never see that they had one and I never should ever hear that they were playing it loudly enough to disturb others.

-The first step towards someone stealing something of yours is knowing it's there. If you crank up too often and too loud then you're announcing to the world that you have at least two VERY easily hawk-able items in your room. If you piss off your neighbors they're not going to be especially helpful should they see someone breaking into your room to snap up your gear. Matter of fact, they might be more inclined to forget they saw someone altogether rather than deter the thief.
 
Re: dorm room TUBE amp

MikeS said:
Even my 25 watt 12" SS practice amp was way too much for a dorm room. The thing never saw a volume past 2, and even that was a bit excessive for a 4 person dorm.
I think about most amps can be way too loud for a dorm room. Even my 15 watt ss fender amp is loud above 1.
 
Re: dorm room TUBE amp

i hadnt even thought about lofting my bed.... that would save me a ton of money to just keep my atomic. i am going to look into that.
 
Re: dorm room TUBE amp

as it turns out, i cant have my bed height changed in my dorm... soooooo i am going to need a dorm amp after all. I have considered the headphone thing, but that is such a pain in the a**, imo. also, i have always found the little spider and valvetronix amps cool, but kind of lacking. but i am hearing from experience that tubes are bad in dorms. now i am just confused.....
 
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