I think I'm going to sell all my big amps and buy a bunch of little ones!

[Mr 9finger]

Probably a little extreme, but I've been hearing a lot of good tones coming out of them little lunchbox heads! I wish could afford the space for both, but it's just not happening.

First up on the hit list is a Jet City Pico Valve for some quiet jamming and to feed my need for tube experimentation.

Then I'll probably move on to the H&K Tubemeister. That one demo that Joe put up pretty much blew my mind.

Then I'm thinking the Jet City JCA22H and 22V

Marshall Class 5 of course has to be on the list cuz well, it's AWESOME

Lastly but most def not least. I can't sell my Mesa's and not get some more Mesa's. So a Mini Rectifier, TA-15, and Lonestar Special round out the end.

Honorable mention has to go to the Bogner Panama. It might bump one or 2 of the others off the list. There's just so many cool little amps out there. Like the Tweaker and Tiny/Dark Terror. Fender Excelsior, so on and so forth.

Now the real troubling part of it is, I don't know if I can actually go ahead in doing this. I love my big amps. The thought of selling my Mesa's makes me really sad .

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: I think I'm going to sell all my big amps and buy a bunch of little ones!

I too am considering dumping the half stack....in favor of a mini recto no less!

Fwiw I use my class 5 combo at rehearsal every week and they always tell me how great they think it sounds.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: I think I'm going to sell all my big amps and buy a bunch of little ones!

Dibs on the Tremoverb!

 

[Kostas]

Re: I think I'm going to sell all my big amps and buy a bunch of little ones!

Why do you need so many amps? The amps you mentioned are not special. If you have a space problem a Mark V head is a versatile amp to cover all your needs. If it's a GAS thing you can save money and buy really good amps to last a lifetime. If you have GAS all the time and you like changing your amps it's better to invest in the amps you mentioned.

 

[Inkstained]

Re: I think I'm going to sell all my big amps and buy a bunch of little ones!

Can't speak for anyone but myself, but I'm not in a band, so small amps are where it's at right now. You can play them at home, you can play them closer to their potential, and they're usually more affordable. They just work.

Tom, owner of a Class 5 combo, a Fender Princeton Recording amp, a first-generation U.S. Blues Jr. and other (small) toys.

 

[JeffB]

Re: I think I'm going to sell all my big amps and buy a bunch of little ones!

Ill give ya toofiddy for the DSL.

I love my class5, but it took awhile for me to warm up to it. Love/Hate thing. I struggled with the stock speaker and tubes for almost a year. Once those were upgraded, I love it cranked, clean, or clean as a pedal platform. I do wish it had more clean headroom, just cos Im used to big Marshall rigs, but for the home its fine. I will eventually get a matching red Avatar for it.

 

[Van Noord]

Re: I think I'm going to sell all my big amps and buy a bunch of little ones!

I would seriously reconsider that.
Definitely not a fan of the lunchbox craze.

 

[FretFire]

Re: I think I'm going to sell all my big amps and buy a bunch of little ones!

Don't make any rash decisions. Selling a Mesa to get a Jet City just seems wrong to me :laugh2:. Plus, I'm pretty happy with a couple of amps and an assortment of pedals, I can't imagine needing five or more amps.

My advice: decide what kind of basic tones you want from your amps, and get a couple that do those really well.

 

[DankStar]

Re: I think I'm going to sell all my big amps and buy a bunch of little ones!

some days I want to get it all out and rock a pignose. although I could probably rock the first transatlantic that came out pretty hard. if I didn't have a heard of small PAs, I'd probably go with the night train and call it a day. dang, now I'm gassing for stuff that the conscious side of my brain didn't even know about!

 

[Hoss]

Re: I think I'm going to sell all my big amps and buy a bunch of little ones!

LOVE my VHT Special 6! One of the best investments for me, that i've made gear-wise, in a long time.

I got tired of lugging around the Traynor all the time. Now, i leave it set up at Church, and practice through the VHT. I also actually use it (VHT) if i play other venues as well!

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: I think I'm going to sell all my big amps and buy a bunch of little ones!

Honestly, if you're not gigging, owning a small amp is the way to go. They are more versatile in terms of the spaces they can be played in, they weigh less, they cost less, and the good ones sound just as nice as any big amp.

If I didn't play in a gigging band, I'd probably sell my Mark V half stack and get a DRRI and a Mini Rec with the proceeds.

 

[Jay 77]

Re: I think I'm going to sell all my big amps and buy a bunch of little ones!

Honestly, if you're not gigging, owning a small amp is the way to go. They are more versatile in terms of the spaces they can be played in, they weigh less, they cost less, and the good ones sound just as nice as any big amp.

If I didn't play in a gigging band, I'd probably sell my Mark V half stack and get a DRRI and a Mini Rec with the proceeds.

Don't count out the small amps for gigging either. All depends on the venue. Right now I'm using an Orange TH30 w/ 1x12 (or 2x12 on occasion) and our other guitarist uses a Mesa TA-15 w/ Mesa 2x12 and we don't always mic them. We're playing medium sized pubs and bars, for the most part.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: I think I'm going to sell all my big amps and buy a bunch of little ones!

Don't count out the small amps for gigging either. All depends on the venue. Right now I'm using an Orange TH30 w/ 1x12 (or 2x12 on occasion) and our other guitarist uses a Mesa TA-15 w/ Mesa 2x12 and we don't always mic them. We're playing medium sized pubs and bars, for the most part.

Yeah, I hear you. Personally I like the tonal characteristics of the 4x12 and the headroom of the Mark V (especially on channels 1 and 3), and there are very few gigs we've played where I'd say it was too much amp for the room. Not because we're playing big venues, but because it sounds good at most volume levels. Plus we have a drummer who's got anvils for feet and hammers for arms, so I need something that can stand up to him (not a criticism at all ... he's awesome). Oh, and I'm the only guitarist now.

In a different band I might be cool with gigging through a smaller amp.

 

[Gypsyblue]

Re: I think I'm going to sell all my big amps and buy a bunch of little ones!

I'm very pleased to see more players using smaller amps. Guitarists have played at damaging volumes for far to long. Trust me on this: your hearing is a terrible thing to lose. When I play electric guitar I'm a blues player but I do play with some pretty loud bands sometimes. My Deluxe Reverb has always been loud and clear enough and my Princeton Reverb is usually all I need. My amps are always in perfect operating condition and I always upgrade the speakers. And I always put my amp on a chair or something to get it up off of the floor. It's always loud enough and clear enough. I don't know anything about the little head and cab amps tho.

 

[lpmarshall]

Re: I think I'm going to sell all my big amps and buy a bunch of little ones!

Every time I think someone needs a bigger amp for gigs I think of wahwah and his small Princeton (I think) combo on stage at festivals.

I understand what ratherdashing is saying though, it all depends on context of the band. My Splawn and Marshall were too much for most gigs, I'd barely get them cooking before some soundmen would complain it was too loud.

 

[XSSIVE]

Re: I think I'm going to sell all my big amps and buy a bunch of little ones!

You'll regret it. Buy one small head before selling any of the big ones and try it first. Small amps, almost always sound small. Especially ones aimed at gainier playing styles and tones. That may sound silly and obvious but when you've spent years playing 50w and 100w amps you get used to their sound and feel. My Jim Root Orange was a lot of fun and I still think it sounds great with a boost into it....but the KT88 loaded 100w Splawn Nitro I replaced it with is a hell of a lot more fun and just MASSIVE sounding even at lower volumes (not that I bother playing it low, where's the fun in that)!!!

 

[Maynardo]

Re: I think I'm going to sell all my big amps and buy a bunch of little ones!

Check the new Mesa Express 5:25 plus... taht one looks like a lotta fun

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: I think I'm going to sell all my big amps and buy a bunch of little ones!

I'm waiting till I get to try the H&K Tube Meister 36, before pulling the trigger on the 18.

My gigging amp is almost always the Bogner XTC on it's matching 212 cab. I like my other tube amps too much to sell them for a lunchbox head, so I'm trying to sell a bike I don't use. At this point, I don't spend significant money on new gear. I have to part with something first.

 

[Mr 9finger]

Re: I think I'm going to sell all my big amps and buy a bunch of little ones!

I don't think I can sell the Mesa's. I'm very attached to them even though they're huge, loud, and heavy. The DSL has been up for sale for awhile. I just don't play through it enough to warrant keeping it, but I'm not going to let anyone steal it from me either.

Most of the ones I listed are cheap enough second hand, that I can pickup with a little bit of saving, so I'm going that route. I've no intentions of doing the band thing ever again, but ya never know. I think I'd much rather have them big heads and not need them, then have to scramble to come up with something if the need arises. Plus it's fun pissing the neighbors off every now and then.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: I think I'm going to sell all my big amps and buy a bunch of little ones!

I would seriously reconsider that.
Definitely not a fan of the lunchbox craze.

Small amps don't have to be lunch box amps.

Big amps are cool, and they are fun but they are not practical for 98% of guitar players today.