New to tube amps... please advise

Mike D

Mike D

New member
Hi guys. I've finally come to the conclusion that it's time for me to join the world of tube amps after playing through SS and modeling amps for so long. I've thrown so much money into guitars over the years and mistakingly never invested in a good tube amp to do them any real justice. I was hoping I could get some advice as to an amp or two I should look into that would fit my needs.

I play a variety of rock/metal, but primarily 80's stuff like Ratt, Poison, GNR... I'm also into Steve Vai, KISS, and Ozzy. I'm not looking to replicate any artist's particular sound, I just thought I'd give you an idea of what I'm into. The amp will primarily be for relatively small gigs, and home use. I don't have a particular price range and would consider looking for an older model, used amp as well as new. Something along the lines of a JCM 800 came to mind, but I'm concerned that it would be too powerful for what I'm using it for unless I use an attenuator - let me know what you think about going that route as well. Someone told me to try out a DSL 401. A combo amp would be ideal.

Please offer any suggestions you may have. Thanks ahead!
 
Re: New to tube amps... please advise

if you can find a used-good condition Laney pro tube/aor series 50W head you can get the jcm tone with more tonal options and save alot o cash. they made a 30 watt model that is along the lines of an orange rockerverb 30.

Other laneys to look at would be the GH50L and tt50 series, both newer than the protube/aor and the vc30 will get a good classic rock sound.

a used peavy 5150 combo would do great and sound better than the heads

the genz benz 60 is very versatile but very tweakable, can get the old rock tone, just needs some patience to dial in tones.
 
Re: New to tube amps... please advise

I'd recommend a head/2x12 cab set up over a combo. It sounds like a closed back cab would suit your music better than open, and closed backs in combos are much less common.

A Marshall DSL 50 would suit your style, paired w/an Avatar cab. You can easily find a used DSL 50, and Avatar cabs brand new are very decently priced, and are great quality. You have some spkr options w/Avatar, also.

The 5150 combo, mentioned above, would work well. I think those are closed back...not sure about that, though
 
Re: New to tube amps... please advise

they are closed, but depending on the size of the back opening and the speakers inside, a semi closed back will do fine imo
 
Re: New to tube amps... please advise

If volume is a concern look for an amp that has master volume. A MArshall 900 can be had pretty reasonable and they are channel switching too. The drawback to these is a shared EQ. Amps that have 2 channels can be more versatile if they also have seperate EQ's. Another amp worth looking at if you can find one is a MArshall 30th Anniversary. Great amp and very versatile. I've seen 50W Marshall 900's on craigslist for as little as $450. Then you will need to look at a good 4 12" as well. The 900's usually had the 75W celestians in the bottoms. This would be a good way to go. If you don't mind spending money for new the MArshall DSL is a decent amp for what you describe you want out of it. Its a little heavy sounding for my taste, but I'm a blues guy.
 
Re: New to tube amps... please advise

If you go for the DSL 401, a newer one is a better bet. There was a point where Marshall addressed the early overheating issues of the 401. If my memory doesn't fail me it was 2002 or 2003. I remember a forumite on another forum dealing with the issue with Marshall directly. Supposedly, the newer ones are more reliable.

Some things to ponder about tube amps:

Keep extra power and preamp tubes around for testing purposes when things seem to go wrong.

Learning how to bias an amp is always a help. :)
 
Re: New to tube amps... please advise

All you need is a combo amp with 1x12... there are plenty of combos that size that sound great. 1x12 and 50 watts of will give you more than enough power for small venues and practices, and having only 1x12 instead of 2 makes home practice better too. Don't make the mistake of buying something too big, or something that's designed more for professional/recording uses.
 
Re: New to tube amps... please advise

alex1fly said:
All you need is a combo amp with 1x12... there are plenty of combos that size that sound great. 1x12 and 50 watts of will give you more than enough power for small venues and practices, and having only 1x12 instead of 2 makes home practice better too. Don't make the mistake of buying something too big, or something that's designed more for professional/recording uses.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was a little concerned about having more than one speaker due to the extra volume it can push. I know it will already be plenty loud if I get something 50w or so. Unless you guys see another benefit of multiple speakers for my application.
 
Re: New to tube amps... please advise

wixedmords said:
If you go for the DSL 401, a newer one is a better bet. There was a point where Marshall addressed the early overheating issues of the 401. If my memory doesn't fail me it was 2002 or 2003. I remember a forumite on another forum dealing with the issue with Marshall directly. Supposedly, the newer ones are more reliable.

Some things to ponder about tube amps:

Keep extra power and preamp tubes around for testing purposes when things seem to go wrong.

Learning how to bias an amp is always a help. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up - that's good to know! Also, thanks for the advice about the extra tubes and stuff since I'm new to all this!
 
Re: New to tube amps... please advise

Bludave said:
If volume is a concern look for an amp that has master volume. A MArshall 900 can be had pretty reasonable and they are channel switching too. The drawback to these is a shared EQ. Amps that have 2 channels can be more versatile if they also have seperate EQ's. Another amp worth looking at if you can find one is a MArshall 30th Anniversary. Great amp and very versatile. I've seen 50W Marshall 900's on craigslist for as little as $450. Then you will need to look at a good 4 12" as well. The 900's usually had the 75W celestians in the bottoms. This would be a good way to go. If you don't mind spending money for new the MArshall DSL is a decent amp for what you describe you want out of it. Its a little heavy sounding for my taste, but I'm a blues guy.
Click to expand...

Is looking for an amp with seperate EQ's generally the better way to go? Seems to make a lot more sense that way... How do the DSLs and TSLs compare tonewise?

Thanks everyone for your input - please keep it coming!
 
Re: New to tube amps... please advise

An extra speaker only adds a few decibels, but it can make a difference when you want a good tone at bedroom levels. Plus if you mic your amp for shows you only mic one speaker, so any extra speakers you have will just act like a monitor and help with your onstage volume. Though nothing beats the awesome power of a 4x12 stack :headbang:

Really though, 1x12 is all you need. I used to have a Fender Hot Rod - 40 watts of tube, and I rarely turned it above 3 even for our biggest shows. At practice I couldn't even turn it above 2, so I couldn't push it because it was louder than the band even at those low settings. My amp now is 50/100 watts, and I have to put it in the other room at practice so I don't blow people away by turning it up at enough to sound good. You really don't need that many watts, especially if you want to be able to crank the amp a bit. Tube amps are just so darn loud, and they fill a room with sound. Check out a Mesa F-30 if you can, they're one of the best sounding smaller amps I've played, good at low volumes but with more than enough power for shows. It sounds huge like Mesa should but not as aggressive and fizzy as Dual Rectifiers.
 
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Re: New to tube amps... please advise

Seperate EQ for dirty and clean is a nice feature. I've found that in most situations the EQ I use for my dirty tone is good enough to be used for clean, but I'm not very picky about my clean tones. I play either rock, metal, or jazz - so I just go for a couple different distorted tones and then straight up clean.

Another option would be to get an EQ pedal if you end up with only one EQ and want another. I think ideal amp controls are two channels, one dirty one clean, each with their own gain and volume controls, (with seperate EQ being optional), and a master volume. That way you can set up your ideal gain structures for clean and dirty, balance them volume-wise, and then set your overall output level. You can always add the pedal if you need the extra EQ, or add a Tubescreamer or something if you want a 2nd flavor of distortion.

Make sure the amp has an effects loop if you plan on using pedals that need to be placed at the end (instead of between guitar and amp) of the chain.
 
Re: New to tube amps... please advise

Orange Tiny Terror...15 watts with a switch to make it 7, all the British tube crunch you could need.
 
Re: New to tube amps... please advise

Empty Pockets said:
Orange Tiny Terror...15 watts with a switch to make it 7, all the British tube crunch you could need.
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I've heard very good things re this amp. It may be a nice alternative to a 50 watt amp.

I agree w/what is being said re the benefits of a 1x12. If you end up w/a head, Avatar also makes some decent 1x12 cabs, closed or open, I believe.
 
Re: New to tube amps... please advise

How about a Marshall Silver Jubilee 1x12 combo? (25w/50w selectable)
 
Re: New to tube amps... please advise

How does a JCM800 differ from a Jubilee? Do you think I could still get a great sound from 1 12" speaker?
 
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Re: New to tube amps... please advise

Mesa Single Recto with Oversized 4x12
 
Re: New to tube amps... please advise

Three words, Hughes & Kettner. I have the Edition 20. 20 tube watts are plenty for what most of us are doing. You could play out with this. It has an awesome dirty channel and an excellent clean. I mostly use the clean with an OD pedal. If you can find a local distributor try one of these out.
 
Re: New to tube amps... please advise

im not trying to steal a thread but someone mentioned a closed back cab would sound better for what he plays (i play that stuff too) and i also noted that they said that closed backs aren't common for combo amps... could you get a combo tube amp and make it a closed back?
 
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