lower power tube amps

[Destroying Angel]

i've been looking into smaller tube amps (5-10 watts) for bedroom jamming and was wondering if anyone had experiences with the epiphone line? I've been looking at the valve special (5w, 10 inch speaker, reverb and some random fx) I can't find any locally so i don't know how they sound. Also i saw that Peavey has a small combo coming out in the valveking line that was 8 watts or something like that, but i can't find a whole lot of info on that one. Any help would be much appreciated

 

[jeremy]

Re: lower power tube amps

how far upstate?

having a small tube amp for the bedroom is a good idea but even a small tube amp can be loud. i heard a guy who had a mercury modded epiphone valve jr and it was amazing!!

 

[TeleJr24]

Re: lower power tube amps

I've heard good things about the Valve Jr.

I have a Fender Pro Jr and for bedroom level playing it never goes past 1.5.

 

[jeremy]

Re: lower power tube amps

like most tube amps the pro jr (cool amp by the way) doesnt get much louder past 5 or 6 with most guitars

 

[Destroying Angel]

Re: lower power tube amps

how far upstate?

having a small tube amp for the bedroom is a good idea but even a small tube amp can be loud. i heard a guy who had a mercury modded epiphone valve jr and it was amazing!!

Im in utica. Im aware of the volume thing, i've got my buddys 50 watt half stack as my practice amp right now, and i can only get it up to around 2 before i get the parents telling me to turn down.

 

[baritone]

Re: lower power tube amps

I have the Valve Jr. head, and I left it stock because I really like how it sounds. Nowdays, there are so many options in this category. For those who are willing to spend a little more, the Orange Tiny Terror is cool, and the Dr. Z Mini Z might be worth checking eBay for.

My sister lives in Albany.

 

[jeremy]

Re: lower power tube amps

is she cute?

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: lower power tube amps

The Peavey Valve King Royal 8 is nothing more than another ****ty practice amp. I played one for a long time on a few guitars I know sound good (Suhr Strat, G&L ASAT, my own Fender Strat)

I expected a lot and got very little. YMMV

 

[krankguitarist]

Re: lower power tube amps

I got the chance to play around on a valve special a few days ago. I only spent something like 10 mins with it, and It really wasn't jivin' with me. Pretty lackluster IMO.

I'd love to get my hands on a valve JR for some modding though...

 

[Destroying Angel]

Re: lower power tube amps

I got the chance to play around on a valve special a few days ago. I only spent something like 10 mins with it, and It really wasn't jivin' with me. Pretty lackluster IMO.

I'd love to get my hands on a valve JR for some modding though...

what types of tones were you getting through it though? For the price i'm not expecting anything jaw-droppingly amazing, just some nice cleans and something i can throw a boost in front of to get some crunchy tones. I'm more interested in the gain though, is it mainly a clean amp?

 

[Destroying Angel]

Re: lower power tube amps

The Peavey Valve King Royal 8 is nothing more than another ****ty practice amp. I played one for a long time on a few guitars I know sound good (Suhr Strat, G&L ASAT, my own Fender Strat)

I expected a lot and got very little. YMMV

What was so ****ty about it if you don't mind me asking? could you compare it to any other amps? i haven't been able to find a whole lot of info anywhere about it

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: lower power tube amps

The Matamp minimat sound like a good choice, though you'll need a cab.

 

[krankguitarist]

Re: lower power tube amps

what types of tones were you getting through it though? For the price i'm not expecting anything jaw-droppingly amazing, just some nice cleans and something i can throw a boost in front of to get some crunchy tones. I'm more interested in the gain though, is it mainly a clean amp?

From what I can remember the cleans were pretty lackluster...and the distortion was pretty mild. Was trying to coax a nice, lightly overdriven lead tone from it, but...like I said...it just wasn't jiving with me. Part of the problem coulda been the speaker that they throw in those things, but either way I wasn't real impressed.

Back when I tried it out was during a monster sale at a local guitar shop round here. They were sellin it for about 100 dollars. Wasn't worth it for me even at that price.

 

[Destroying Angel]

Re: lower power tube amps

From what I can remember the cleans were pretty lackluster...and the distortion was pretty mild. Was trying to coax a nice, lightly overdriven lead tone from it, but...like I said...it just wasn't jiving with me. Part of the problem coulda been the speaker that they throw in those things, but either way I wasn't real impressed.

Back when I tried it out was during a monster sale at a local guitar shop round here. They were sellin it for about 100 dollars. Wasn't worth it for me even at that price.

thanks for the heads up, i guess i'll look elsewhere

 

[d1dsj]

Re: lower power tube amps

I've tried both the Matamp Minimat and the Orange Tiny terror.. both great.. the Orange is loud enough for small gigs and has a great crunch but for me the Matamp has serious tone... it has soul!! Surprisingly loud for 4 watts, but it takes pedals well if that's what you want. The only thing is that they are not cheap... here in the UK they retail around £270 and £300 respectively. There is also another Matamp out now for £300 and it has a proper eq section and not just a TONE control, I would think THAT'S the one to go for!! All the best.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: lower power tube amps

There's also the new Satriani peavey mini colossal amp, that may be pretty good for what you need. It has attenuation built in. It'll be built a lot better than the small valve king, too.

 

[James Rock]

Re: lower power tube amps

Crate V5 meant to be quite good.

 

[Pink Unicorn Horsey]

Re: lower power tube amps

i've been looking into smaller tube amps (5-10 watts) for bedroom jamming and was wondering if anyone had experiences with the epiphone line? I've been looking at the valve special (5w, 10 inch speaker, reverb and some random fx) I can't find any locally so i don't know how they sound. Also i saw that Peavey has a small combo coming out in the valveking line that was 8 watts or something like that, but i can't find a whole lot of info on that one. Any help would be much appreciated

What's your budget?

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: lower power tube amps

Another thought:

Perhaps just get a 1x12, plug your valvetronix into it and set it to a low wattage setting?

 

[Gr8Scott]

Re: lower power tube amps

Another thought:

Perhaps just get a 1x12, plug your valvetronix into it and set it to a low wattage setting?

This makes the most sense to me. The valvetronix will still achieve a nice cranked tone, but it will need a little EQ help because the speaker won't likely be playing at the volume it was designed for. Get an outboard EQ like a Boss GE-7 etc and give the sliders a workout until you find a spot that sounds good. More than likely you'll have to give the treble and the bass a boost on the EQ to get it sounding good at quieter levels. Then your presets on the head will sound good at quieter levels.