If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

[75lespaul]

Out of these three, which one do you think would be best for my uses? Just a backup amp to lug around to gigs. Cleans need to be good as I would use it as my amplification for my Vox Tonelab LE. I like the idea of an amp having its own distortion in case something happens to the Tonelab, so a kind of two in one amp to cover main amp failure or Tonelab failure is what I'm striving for. We play rock anywhere from the 60s (if you consider Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin "60"s) to now. Nothing thrashy or death, just heavy.

Crate Stealth combo..Had one once and it sounded fantastic. Cleans were fine for what I need and the distortion sounded killer, but only when cranked. Around $325

Carvin XV-112 with factory hot rod mod. Same amp as the X100B but in combo form. Around $360

Traynor YCV80Q 4x10 combo. Big and heavy, but supposedly great amp. The Celestion Tube 10 speakers, reverb broke, Traynor logo missing. $300, maybe less

I've never heard the Carvin or Traynor. The Carvin seems to be a love or hate amp as far as the distortion, but everyone seems to love the cleans. Like what I've heard as far as clips. The Traynor everyone seems to love, but the clips I've heard have been poor. Not the amp, but the quality and the person playing. I guess I could go with my Vox AD60VTX, but I don't have a pedal for it, and I don't want to spend two bills for just a pedal. The Tonelab also doesn't sound too good through it for some reason.

EDIT: Geez. I don't want a halfstack, but some guy near me will give me a Marshall Vintage Modern 100w head and cabinet for a grand. Don't have that much money, but wow. The head priced at six seems about right, but I think a greenback loaded cab for four is pretty cheap. I'd hit that right now if I had the cash...alas. Plus with no power switch, would be too much amp anyway. One can dream though, lol.

 

[Ascension]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

Out of these three, which one do you think would be best for my uses? Just a backup amp to lug around to gigs. Cleans need to be good as I would use it as my amplification for my Vox Tonelab LE. I like the idea of an amp having its own distortion in case something happens to the Tonelab, so a kind of two in one amp to cover main amp failure or Tonelab failure is what I'm striving for. We play rock anywhere from the 60s (if you consider Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin "60"s) to now. Nothing thrashy or death, just heavy.

Crate Stealth combo..Had one once and it sounded fantastic. Cleans were fine for what I need and the distortion sounded killer, but only when cranked. Around $325

Carvin XV-112 with factory hot rod mod. Same amp as the X100B but in combo form. Around $360

Traynor YCV80Q 4x10 combo. Big and heavy, but supposedly great amp. The Celestion Tube 10 speakers, reverb broke, Traynor logo missing. $300, maybe less

I've never heard the Carvin or Traynor. The Carvin seems to be a love or hate amp as far as the distortion, but everyone seems to love the cleans. Like what I've heard as far as clips. The Traynor everyone seems to love, but the clips I've heard have been poor. Not the amp, but the quality and the person playing. I guess I could go with my Vox AD60VTX, but I don't have a pedal for it, and I don't want to spend two bills for just a pedal. The Tonelab also doesn't sound too good through it for some reason.

No contest the Carvin.
Owned both amps in the Stealth ( head and a combo) and the X100B and if for nothing else but the build quality I would go with the Carvin.
Like the Stealth for what it does but it's a one trick 80's hair metal tone amp and The X100 will give you a lot more tonal variety and a hugely better clean. Head to head the crunch tones on the right Series II hot rod mod X100B will stomp the Stealth in the ground ( and hang with a lot of seemingly more desirable amps also).

 

[jimijames]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

+1 for the carvin

I also like the idea of having a 4x10 but idk if you'll want to carry that to and from gigs.

 

[75lespaul]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

Got a line on an X100B EL34 model halfstack now. Not the fuzzy one, not the hot rod mod, the older Carvin cab with the grate (my fav as far as looks) and for five hundred. Needs tubes. More than I wanted to spend for sure, but...can I pass this up? Would only bring the head for gigs so it really doesn't matter if it was just the head or the combo. Guess I'm asking if you guys think the tone on the hot rod combo would be that much better on the drive channel, or would an el34 vinyl model still rock if I needed to use it for distortion?

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

Got a line on an X100B EL34 model halfstack now. Not the fuzzy one, not the hot rod mod, the older Carvin cab with the grate (my fav as far as looks) and for five hundred. Needs tubes. More than I wanted to spend for sure, but...can I pass this up? Would only bring the head for gigs so it really doesn't matter if it was just the head or the combo. Guess I'm asking if you guys think the tone on the hot rod combo would be that much better on the drive channel, or would an el34 vinyl model still rock if I needed to use it for distortion?

Which model was/is fuzzy then ?

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

Just a backup amp to lug around to gigs. Cleans need to be good as I would use it as my amplification for my Vox Tonelab LE. I like the idea of an amp having its own distortion in case something happens to the Tonelab, so a kind of two in one amp to cover main amp failure or Tonelab failure is what I'm striving for. We play rock anywhere from the 60s (if you consider Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin "60"s) to now. Nothing thrashy or death, just heavy.

is there any reason you are not considering the humble but hard working fender hot rod deluxe in your list of options?

 

[Aceman]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

is there any reason you are not considering the humble but hard working fender hot rod deluxe in your list of options?

Nice call. HRD + dirt box (if heavy isn't heavy enough....) of choice and there you go. Better cleans than any mentioned and very portable. DOn't know the Carvin though. Probably the most amp for the money.

I have to say - I'd go combo purely for ease of carry. Do you really want a half stack with a Tonelab? In fact, why amp at all Tonelab => PA done.

 

[Dr. Vegetable]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

I was thinking a small Fender combo, too. My first thought was a nice Blues Jr. - cheap but might not be loud enough. HRD would do the job, but I don't usually put that in the same sentence with "ease of carry."

+1 for ToneLab straight into the PA. It doesn't get any easier to carry than that!

 

[75lespaul]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

I had a HRD. Hated it. I may have been prejudiced because I had a 1967 blackface that was incredible and the cleans on the HRD just didn't come close. Gotta admit though, I didn't know about tube swapping and stuff like that when I got it. I tried the Tonelab through the PA, but didn't like the sound. It sounds fantastic through my head and 2x12 so I use that. Believe me, going direct would be a dream. I just like the sound of the amp too much. No way I'm bringing a halfstack either. Whatever I buy, it would only mean I'd be carrying either an extra combo or an extra head.

 

[Grenade]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

My friend got a Vox AD15VT and loves it, when he joined our band he bought an AD50VT. He uses the AD15VT for practice at home and a backup for live.

 

[dominus]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

You can get a Peavey 6505+ 1x12 combo in the $400 range used easily.

 

[SongsForTheDeaf]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

Traynor all the way... My friend has the YCV80 2x12 combo and with pedals and it cranked with the expander switch on it sounds BIG and beefy.. Love it! and it is self biasing and Traynor stuff is built to last!

 

[RealtyViking]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

If it is the Crate Stealth Lee Jackson combo with the purple line on the front I would go for that in a heart beat.

 

[75lespaul]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

Which model was/is fuzzy then ?

From what I've read, and then heard on sound clips, the "fuzzy" models, aka ratfur, were covered with a carpet like covering instead of vinyl or tolex. Some had a factory hot rod mod that fattened up the sound and when they came with EL34s, were supposed to be the best sounding models they ever made. Ugly as hell, but ugly doesn't make sound, lol.

 

[75lespaul]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

If it is the Crate Stealth Lee Jackson combo with the purple line on the front I would go for that in a heart beat.

It is. Only problem I ever had with that amp was that it had to be loud to sound really good. Can't do that in bars, really. However, when cranked, the sound is heavenly, and I found it could do a lot more than just hair metal or 80s stuff if you played with the EQ and gain settings. I also had a Lee Jackson XLS-1000 halfstack that was the same. Low volumes it sounded fizzy, but turn it up and it sounded insane. I just don't play anywhere anymore where I can let an amp like that loose. I could get a distortion pedal for backup, but I'd rather have the drive come from the amp, in the event something happens to the Tonelab. I really miss those two amps. Especially the halfstack. It was tweed covered and had a button that just said "more". It didn't have to go to 11. It had more.

 

[Ascension]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

From what I've read, and then heard on sound clips, the "fuzzy" models, aka ratfur, were covered with a carpet like covering instead of vinyl or tolex. Some had a factory hot rod mod that fattened up the sound and when they came with EL34s, were supposed to be the best sounding models they ever made. Ugly as hell, but ugly doesn't make sound, lol.

Hot Rod mod was a factory 20 DB gain boost and turns those into metal monsters. On the X100B's Carvin was and is notorious for making unannounced design changes in their amps. All of them have great cleans and many have great high gain tones and many don't the right one however is pure magic! On the higher gain tones just about any X100B with the block not script letters ( Post 1988) is going to have a decent gain channel.
On the Steath vs X100B I have owned both and the right Hot Rod Mod version of a X100B is a monster and will bury that Lee Jackson designed Stealth in high gain tones!
Owned the HRD also and a good X100B is going to nuke the Fenders both in cleans and high gains + has a MUCH better build quality than the HRD ever though of having!
The old X100B's are one of the most underrated and best bang for the $ amps out there! The later EL 34 versions sound the best and make sure you get the footswitch because they run around $75 if you can find one.
The new Carvin footswitches won't work without some mods.
Another Carvin that is a underrated killer with a great clean and drive is the series II Valvemaster that replaced the X100b in the early 90's. Look for the ones with the 2 controls on the back.

 

[75lespaul]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

Hot Rod mod was a factory 20 DB gain boost and turns those into metal monsters. On the X100B's Carvin was and is notorious for making unannounced design changes in their amps. All of them have great cleans and many have great high gain tones and many don't the right one however is pure magic! On the higher gain tones just about any X100B with the block not script letters ( Post 1988) is going to have a decent gain channel.
On the Steath vs X100B I have owned both and the right Hot Rod Mod version of a X100B is a monster and will bury that Lee Jackson designed Stealth in high gain tones!
Owned the HRD also and a good X100B is going to nuke the Fenders both in cleans and high gains + has a MUCH better build quality than the HRD ever though of having!
The old X100B's are one of the most underrated and best bang for the $ amps out there! The later EL 34 versions sound the best.

You are making me jones for that Carvin so badly, lol.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

Traynor all the way... My friend has the YCV80 2x12 combo and with pedals and it cranked with the expander switch on it sounds BIG and beefy.. Love it! and it is self biasing and Traynor stuff is built to last!

I like Traynors YCV stuff a lot, they're really decent, dependable amps. Takes pedals well, pretty useable/effective EQ to change the way the amp sounds, decent clean/gain channels. The one knock I have against them is that the spring reverb circuit that they use is pretty bland. It does the job, but isn't as deep/lush as I'd like to hear.

 

[SongsForTheDeaf]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

Yeah the reverb is nothing to jump up and down about but if you just use a little for some space to your sound you will be fine. I actually like warmer reverbs that come on Mesas than the bright fender reverbs so I don't mind the Traynor YCV verb.

the 4x10 is a steal at that price just pay a bit if you want the reverb fixed from a shop, throw some new tubes in it and throw some pedals in front and you got beastly amp.

The way I see it the YCV series is like a better version of the Hot Rod Deville/Deluxe amps.

 

[Bludave]

Re: If you were buying a cheap amp...which one?

Gorilla amps..... Awesome


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