Lunchbox Amps - Legit or Toys?

[PoorMan]

Haven't played any yet, but as my old combo is requiring WAY more maintenance than I have time for so I am curious about some of the newer lunchbox heads. I live in a townhouse so my 100 watt Marshall is a bit much for practicing at home. Would be great to get some good live tones at lower volumes (I don't record). I don't have any specific requirements--simple is good, lots of gain on tap and I'd like to keep the wattage low, but not at the expense of tone. I currently have Voodoo modded JCM800 that I love. Something along those lines would be perfect. I had a ZVex Nano and that thing (IMO) definitely qualified as a toy. I am not willing to go smaller if the lunchbox heads sacrifice tone. So what's the consensus? Are these new lunchboxes legit or toys?

I mainly play high gain stuff (hard rock to thrash). The Peavey 6505mh and Tweaker lunchbox heads seem interesting. But coming from playing 50-100 watt amps, will I be disappointed? I know I need to get out and play some, but input, experience and advice are welcome.

The plan would be to slap a lunchbox head on my 4x12" cab.

Sorry for the semi-rambling post...I'm a bit of a mess from sleep deprivation.

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Lunchbox Amps - Legit or Toys?

I think they’re real amps.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Lunchbox Amps - Legit or Toys?

They're legit but they still sound best cranked up so it's kind of a moot point in my opinion.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Lunchbox Amps - Legit or Toys?

If you daisy chain about 50 of them, they are legit, otherwise they are a practice amp.

 

[Ascension]

Re: Lunchbox Amps - Legit or Toys?

Own 4 EL 84 powered low wattage amps and they are not toys!!
My 25 watt Zinky Velvet and the new little Jet City JCA22H Custom I own are both in particular hard hitting high gain amps that both can hammer out some metal with the big boys.
My pair of old Mesa Subway Rocket combos also are beasts but more traditional hard rock to lighter voiced rigs.
This is with the little 1/12 25 watt Zinky combo running unmiced.

Was being recorded off a camera mic looking down from the balcony a floor above in the lobby of an old Hospital complex with my amp volume under 5. This room is HUGE and where I was standing the amp was bouncing off the wall in front of us and killing me. Could have been louder in the mix and trust me had a LOT more in it!

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Lunchbox Amps - Legit or Toys?

No way a 25 watt amp is as good as you claim it to be,Sure, the old bright Fenders are, but they are or small to medium clubs or recording. just my considered opinion.Just talking to you like a guy in a bar talking back and forth, BS'ing, not a forum bro that needs accounting for..

 

[Ascension]

Re: Lunchbox Amps - Legit or Toys?

No way a 25 watt amp is as good as you claim it to be,Sure, the old bright Fenders are, but they are or small to medium clubs or recording. just my considered opinion.Just talking to you like a guy in a bar talking back and forth, BS'ing, not a forum bro that needs accounting for..

Play out in Black Churches often unmiced and at volume levels that are as high or higher as you will see on stage at any club with a couple 25 watt amps. They work in real world live settings and I have the video and other live recordings to back it up!
Outdoors my amp is unmiced using the 25 watt Zinky running no effects on my Blackstar 1/12 cab and trust me here she had a LOT more in it!!

 

[Ascension]

Re: Lunchbox Amps - Legit or Toys?

The 25 watt Zinky again on my Blackstar cab running the WGS ET 90 in the combo and the WGS Retro 30 in the cab Sunday morning set unmiced no effects.
Had a LOT more in the amp but could not hear the rest of the band where I was standing if I was playing any louder. Kinda important to hear the rest of the guys as most of this is spontaneous and we are just jamming :cool2::naughty: .

I play services with a 25 watt amp and get over the drums bass and Hammond / Lesley that at times make the tent revival scene in Blues Brother II look tame with no problem so---.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Lunchbox Amps - Legit or Toys?

In terms of lunchbox amps, I’ve only owned a Vox Night Train and for me the clean tones sounded thin and sizzley...even through a two 12 Matchless cab.

Just couldn’t get a big, clean sound.

Sold it to my buddy and rewired his two 10 cab for 16 ohms and found that the Night Train sounded better with a 16 ohm speaker load than it did with the same speakers wired for 4 ohms.

Asked my brother Bruce (Mission Amps) about this and he said that set for 16 ohms, the output tranny was using the whole wind...all of the wire. And that’s why it sounded bigger and better at 16 ohms.

My friend loves it...but he doesn’t play out.

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Lunchbox Amps - Legit or Toys?

Sold it to my buddy and rewired his two 10 cab for 16 ohms and found that the Night Train sounded better with a 16 ohm speaker load than it did with the same speakers wired for 4 ohms.

Asked my brother Bruce (Mission Amps) about this and he said that set for 16 ohms, the output tranny was using the whole wind...all of the wire. And that’s why it sounded bigger and better at 16 ohms.

I have also found this with smaller tranny amps. With big amps it doesn't seem to matter that much, but I can hear a bigger sound when running something like a DSL15 through 16 ohms.

 

[Ascension]

Re: Lunchbox Amps - Legit or Toys?

No way a 25 watt amp is as good as you claim it to be,Sure, the old bright Fenders are, but they are or small to medium clubs or recording. just my considered opinion.Just talking to you like a guy in a bar talking back and forth, BS'ing, not a forum bro that needs accounting for..

Miced little tiny 1/10 Mesa Subway Rocket 20 watt combo here no effects. Now you tell me this tone out front is lacking anything other than it being lower in the mix than I would have liked!

These little low wattage amps are not toys if you run the right rig and set them up right. In fact if you mike these up right out front your tone will be (if you have a good soundman and system) MUCH better in the room than if you run a cranked 100 watt full stack!!!

 

[ThisDyingSoul76]

Re: Lunchbox Amps - Legit or Toys?

The all tube Lunchbox amps are legit. Especially in the 15 to 20 watt range. They may not quite be suitable for home use in an apartment or townhouse because they can get quite loud, but they will produce nice tones.

Even the hybrid ones like the Orange Micro Dark and Vox MV-50 are good provided you don't push their solid state power sections too much. I have both of these and I'm quite happy with them for times when my 50 watt head is overkill.

 

[Ascension]

Re: Lunchbox Amps - Legit or Toys?

In terms of lunchbox amps, I’ve only owned a Vox Night Train and for me the clean tones sounded thin and sizzley...even through a two 12 Matchless cab.

Just couldn’t get a big, clean sound.

Sold it to my buddy and rewired his two 10 cab for 16 ohms and found that the Night Train sounded better with a 16 ohm speaker load than it did with the same speakers wired for 4 ohms.

Asked my brother Bruce (Mission Amps) about this and he said that set for 16 ohms, the output tranny was using the whole wind...all of the wire. And that’s why it sounded bigger and better at 16 ohms.

My friend loves it...but he doesn’t play out.

How you set a small amp up is more critical to getting a big tone and that's a FACT! Every small amp is also not capable of those big round tones like many larger amps are---but the right ones ARE! Let's be honest here I ran 100 watt stacks for years on stage and there is something just primal about playing with pant leg flapping volume levels. However out front most times it's not so pleasant as you have spots were the mix is ok and others where it's killing the crowd. Not to mention the hearing damage many players have after years of beating their ears on stage. The right small amps set up well miced and with a good sound man on the board are hard to beat for great tone night after night anywhere other than arena settings!!

 

[Ascension]

Re: Lunchbox Amps - Legit or Toys?

I have also found this with smaller tranny amps. With big amps it doesn't seem to matter that much, but I can hear a bigger sound when running something like a DSL15 through 16 ohms.

Seen the same thing with smaller lower wattage amps and have wondered why that was. Have a 16 OHM WGS ET 10 in my Mesa Subway Rocket that sounds absolutely HUGE in that amp even though t is only supposed to run 8 or 4 OHMS.

 

[Jacew]

Re: Lunchbox Amps - Legit or Toys?

In terms of lunchbox amps, I’ve only owned a Vox Night Train and for me the clean tones sounded thin and sizzley...even through a two 12 Matchless cab.

Just couldn’t get a big, clean sound.

Sold it to my buddy and rewired his two 10 cab for 16 ohms and found that the Night Train sounded better with a 16 ohm speaker load than it did with the same speakers wired for 4 ohms....

For me Night Train 15 always sounded fizzy; with chainsaw-like overdrive. But I'm not sure if that hadn't anything to do with it.

Tiny Terror has really great overdrive, and haven't been able to notice signinificant difference in tone between 8 and 16 ohms

15 watts is not enough if you want clean tones (unless it's AC15 I guess....) But TT definitely isn't just a toy. If you play all out rock in small clubs etc... it definitely works.

Dual Terror has 30 watts and two channels, so they've already fixed the shortcomings of original model. I would have no reservations to by that as my main amp.

 

[Ascension]

Re: Lunchbox Amps - Legit or Toys?

I currently have Voodoo modded JCM800 that I love. Something along those lines would be perfect.

Might want to look hard at the Jet City JCA22H Custom as you are pretty much nailing that amp's tone. Several of us just grabbed one of these on a sale at Musicians Friend from last week. I got mine a week ago today and think a couple others here have also gotten theirs. I love mine and it flat nails that big hotrooded Marshall tone!
Super low volume phone clips recorded on my Samsung S-5 with mine on a Blackstar 1/12 cab and WGS Retro 30 only delay and verb in the effects loop rest is amp tone.
https://app.box.com/s/ci76wewlbs4v6lxoc92m08q6d3gcq5pp
Solo voice over a jam track also off my phone at super low volumes.
https://app.box.com/s/lumdakko58cjkknmkca1ptr1i0z20faf

 

[AlexR]

Re: Lunchbox Amps - Legit or Toys?

The old forum bro WahWah.....the guy who has/had the most experience with gigging of anyone here.....used a small Fender princeton or similar mic'd up. He used to laugh at all the guys who would think his rig was insufficient.This is all the amp you need - take it from a guy who has actually been there.

 

[Ascension]

Re: Lunchbox Amps - Legit or Toys?

15 watts is not enough if you want clean tones (unless it's AC15 I guess....)

Depends on the amp but for the most part your right. Once you get in to the 20-30 watt range though there are quite a few rigs that have pretty nice cleans. The new 20 watt PRS Sonzera is one that come to mind as well as the little mesa Subways i have my Zinky and the new Jet City JCA22H Custom also. The 1st jet City I owned had no real clean but this new one is actually pretty usable. The Sonzera in particular is nice as it runs a pair of 6V 's instead of the EL84's you normally will see in these small amps. Wish they would build that amp in a head as right now only the 50 watt is available in a head the 20 is combo only.
Played a Sonzera last week and it was a really nice rig!!

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Lunchbox Amps - Legit or Toys?

Yeah, they're fine & sound the same..just not as loud maxed out (But ear-bleeding loud anyway :lol

If you want to split straws..some may not produce the n'th degree of deep (ambient kinda..) bass/weight in a room that a bigger amp/bottle does. They don't sound comparatively thin/weak though. The right one's sound as ballsy, thick & mean as anything out there


I use mine regularly for gigs (all six of them..ranging from 15-30 watts) along with my bigger (100-120 watt) heads & it makes no diff whatsoever ..especially mic'd up :bigthumb:

And they're a hell of a lot more fun to lug around too :laugh2:

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Lunchbox Amps - Legit or Toys?

Yeah, they're fine & sound the same..just not as loud maxed out (But ear-bleeding loud anyway :lol

If you want to split straws..some may not produce the n'th degree of deep (ambient kinda..) bass/weight in a room that a bigger amp/bottle does. They don't sound comparatively thin/weak though. The right one's sound as ballsy, thick & mean as anything out there


I use mine regularly for gigs (all six of them..ranging from 15-30 watts) along with my bigger (100-120 watt) heads & it makes no diff whatsoever ..especially mic'd up :bigthumb:

And they're a hell of a lot more fun to lug around too :laugh2:

Here's a comparison video. I made it to demo a Load-box I'd just bought for silent DI recording..but it features my smaller wattage 15-30 watt heads (all running EL84's except for the AMT which is solid state & the Cicognani Brutus which runs a couple of 5881's) ...as well as my 120 watt Bugera (with 4xEL34's). They all sound different but I don't hear any "toy-like" characteristics from the smaller heads :bigthumb: