Ready for my first tube amp. Too many choices!

Re: Ready for my first tube amp. Too many choices!

After consulting with a friend I'm strongly considering getting a carvin vt50 head and maybe an avatar cab. Anyone have any opinions regarding these two pieces of equipment?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
 
Re: Ready for my first tube amp. Too many choices!

Rockstar216 said:
Tube wattage has more to do with head room than volume. A 30watt tube amp will be more than enough volume wise but your cleans won't stay as clean once you push the volume.

Ex. A Fender Deluxe Reverb turned up to 5 will break up more and not be as clean as a Fender Twin Reverb turned up to 5 on the volume. The Deluxe has 22watts and the Twin has 60watts.
Click to expand...

This is kind of misleading. While it is true that a Deluxe is rated at 22W, this doesn't mean that it will put out a maximum of 22W. Tube power sections (and maybe power amps in general, not sure) are rated at onset of clipping and will put out additional wattage beyond this point albeit distorted. In the case of my Marshall 2555, my amp tech once scoped it putting out a maximum of 140W rather than the rated 100W for this very reason.

Speaker efficiency and surface area should also be considered. A blackface Twin is 85W into two very efficient speakers while the Deluxe's speaker is much less efficient. In short the twin has nearly 4x as many watts, twice as many speakers, and will be louder watt for watt due to great efficiency; hardly apples to apples. I really don't have a stake here, so feel free to buy a 100W amp if you really want to. The simple fact is that unless you're playing metal and need the tight chugging palm-mute sound, that much amp is overkill 99% of the time.
 
Last edited:
Re: Ready for my first tube amp. Too many choices!

I play a 1962 Fender Champ (~4-5watts) with a really loud drummer unmiced for practice all the time. It's more than loud enough (granted I don't get much of a clean tone from it). 30 watts will be more than sufficient for gigging unmiced and for practicing. Sure, you might get a bit of break up as you push the volume up higher, but you're not going to be loosing your clean tone just to keep up with a drummer in most cases.
 
Re: Ready for my first tube amp. Too many choices!

A nice sizzling break up isn't a bad thing imo, even if the song calls for cleans. I'll definitely look into some 30 watters then. Anyone try the carvin vt50 though?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
 
Re: Ready for my first tube amp. Too many choices!

Fuzzy Duck said:
A nice sizzling break up isn't a bad thing imo, even if the song calls for cleans. I'll definitely look into some 30 watters then. Anyone try the carvin vt50 though?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

That's the amp I want. More than serviceable. One of the guys that haunt this forum mods these amps but I don't know who exactly. Its a vintage series amp, and the Nomad is the 1x12 and the Belair is the 2x12 version of this amp.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk
 
Re: Ready for my first tube amp. Too many choices!

I've heard the bel air is really sub par, any insight on this? If it was as good as the head I'd snatch it in seconds haha.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
 
Re: Ready for my first tube amp. Too many choices!

Fuzzy Duck said:
A nice sizzling break up isn't a bad thing imo, even if the song calls for cleans. I'll definitely look into some 30 watters then. Anyone try the carvin vt50 though?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I tend to agree. And when you are dealing with a 30 watt amp, you wont be getting it loud enough to get much past that on the clean channel.

My ideal amp size is about 15w-20w. Any more than that and I just don't feel like I can turn it up enough to be worth it.
 
Re: Ready for my first tube amp. Too many choices!

Fuzzy Duck said:
I've heard the bel air is really sub par, any insight on this? If it was as good as the head I'd snatch it in seconds haha.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

amp snobs don't like them. The soak channel is apparently pretty muddy sounding and it could use a speaker change as well as a new set of tubes from JJ. There are mods for the Vt amps that turn them into real serious amps, but I would probably leave it the way it is personally. I like muddy.

I haven't seen a Bel Air get so much lower than Carvin sale prices that it would be worth buying it used, unless it was modded. The modding opens up to the tone alot. People say it's like taking a thick blanket off the amp.

Hardware-wise, the Nomad, Bel Air and VT50 are exactly the same. The Nomad is a 1x12, the Bel Air is a twin and the VT50 is the head form factor. The VT16 and Vintage 16 are different from those.

If you're looking for quickest 1 and done amp buying, get the Nomad. If you have a cab already, get the VT50.
 
Re: Ready for my first tube amp. Too many choices!

I have half a dozen amps and my Egnater Rebel 30 is one of my favs...a really good solid amp. Its cleans are much louder than my Marshall 50 watter. It can make a strong drummer sound like a kitten slapping at a yarn ball. Even in a large hall I haven't been able to get it past "4" on the volume. Plus it has 6V6 and EL84 tubes that you can run separately or blended together and an attenuater that gets you as low as 1 watt (which is still enormously loud, just breaks up sooner).

I have the head version which I run through an Avatar 2x12.

Something to consider.
 
Re: Ready for my first tube amp. Too many choices!

How is the on amp crunch? I was looking through the egnater catalog, I knew they looked really quality!

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
 
Re: Ready for my first tube amp. Too many choices!

I think I'm leaning more towards a combo now to be honest. Still appreciate all these head recommendations too though. Anyone know of any killer combos? Loving the rebel 30 right now.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
 
Re: Ready for my first tube amp. Too many choices!

Good Deals?:D
Carvin X100B & X60B the best deal
Marshall JCM900 Duel Reverb 50 Head or Combo
Marshall JCM2000 DSL50
Fender Bandmaster & Bassman pre-1980s heads
Traynor YBA-1 lots of Traynor stuff looks pretty good
Fender Hot Rod / Blues Deluxe work fine, sound ok, readily available
 
Re: Ready for my first tube amp. Too many choices!

Fuzzy Duck said:
How is the on amp crunch? I was looking through the egnater catalog, I knew they looked really quality!

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I think the crunch sounds great with both the "tight" and "bright" switches on.
 
Re: Ready for my first tube amp. Too many choices!

So it seems as though the classic 50 is the best combo I can find under 500 bucks. And for the wattage, and the sound I think it may be the best choice all around anyone else have other suggestions? The only thing I dislike about the peavey is it's weak reverb :'(

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
 
Re: Ready for my first tube amp. Too many choices!

Fuzzy Duck said:
So it seems as though the classic 50 is the best combo I can find under 500 bucks. And for the wattage, and the sound I think it may be the best choice all around anyone else have other suggestions? The only thing I dislike about the peavey is it's weak reverb :'(

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Get a verb pedal. The more I get into fat reverbs, the less I like the amp's built in one. Just make sure you find something with a loop is all. Its reason #2 I got a POD, so when I finally serve up some meaty tube goodness to myself I'll have something to stick in the fx loop that will give me multiple digital reverbs out.

The more I'm looking, the more the Carvin MTS3200 is sounding like a good amp too. It's more Marshall-esque but people are saying the clean is nice as well. If you were in the Sacramento, CA area, I could point you to a $299 combo or a $360 amp + 4x12. I've been officially rebuked on getting either of them from the wife :(
 
Re: Ready for my first tube amp. Too many choices!

Hmmm interesting! I haven't been able to find any info on the combo, what 4x12 would the head come with?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
 
Re: Ready for my first tube amp. Too many choices!

Btw I'm mildly close to Sacramento so I am very much interested lol.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
 
Re: Ready for my first tube amp. Too many choices!

Fuzzy Duck said:
Btw I'm mildly close to Sacramento so I am very much interested lol.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

oh dude!
Well, there's one in Auburn, CA. He's been posting this for like 3 months. It's a Behringer cab, but...it's a 4x12.
http://sacramento.craigslist.org/msg/4384697133.html

Then this is at a pawn shop in Del Paso hts. Bring some stuff you don't like and sell it to them, then buy the amp.
http://sacramento.craigslist.org/eld/4366255053.html

Here's a good demo:

if you go to Hasserl.com, there's some guides on how to mod the VTs that will also apply to the MTS, AKA the diode-removal. It'll make the amp less distorted, but open it WAY the heck up and make it sound like a real amp.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top