Tube Amp For Home Use

oliverracz5240

New member
Hey guys! I have decided to make the jump from acoustic to electric. I have already picked a guitar, now all I need is a tube amp to go with it.
I would like to ask if you know of any tube combos that are suitable for home use/practice but can also go loud enough to jam with others (without a drummer).
I have a budget of around 500$, but if it is justified I am willing to spend more. I like the tones of Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC etc (blues rock and hard rock) so that is kind of what I'd like to go for sound-wise.
I appreciate any help. Have a nice day!
 
Re: Tube Amp For Home Use

I just got a Peavey Classic 20mh to mimic the tone I get from my Classic 30 at lower volumes around the house & I’m pretty pleased with it!!! Great clean CH, plenty of gain on tap for what I need it for, & it takes pedals fantastically!!! It would do what you need it to, the 20W/5W/1W power scaling is absolutely great, & it’s got an onboard speaker defeat which allows you to get real tube tone through headphones at 3am!!!

I paid $350 shipped for mine which is what I’d call typical price if you are willing to search a bit & it would leave you enough to get a used 1X12 cabinet as well... Also, they do make a Classic 20 combo but I’ve not tried those so I cannot speak to their quality or tone. I’d imagine they are just as good & have the same features though???
 
Re: Tube Amp For Home Use

I just got a Peavey Classic 20mh to mimic the tone I get from my Classic 30 at lower volumes around the house & I’m pretty pleased with it!!! Great clean CH, plenty of gain on tap for what I need it for, & it takes pedals fantastically!!! It would do what you need it to, the 20W/5W/1W power scaling is absolutely great, & it’s got an onboard speaker defeat which allows you to get real tube tone through headphones at 3am!!!

I paid $350 shipped for mine which is what I’d call typical price if you are willing to search a bit & it would leave you enough to get a used 1X12 cabinet as well... Also, they do make a Classic 20 combo but I’ve not tried those so I cannot speak to their quality or tone. I’d imagine they are just as good & have the same features though???

Thank you!
 
Tube Amp For Home Use

For your first amp, definitely aim for cheap and reliable. There’s a VERY high chance that you’ll get some ways in and realize you want to try other amp flavors, so best not to shell out loads on your first rig.

Great recommendation on the Peavey already - I would throw in a Fender Bass Breaker to give you a variety of tones.


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Re: Tube Amp For Home Use

My recommendation is a Fender Blues Junior. Sounds good for home or jamming, could even gig if the volume isn't too high. Takes pedals great and allows for mods if you ever get the itch, but not necessary for a good tone. (Speaker, transformer, circuit mods) In fact I wish I would have gone that route instead of a Line 6 Spyder back in the day... ;)
 
Re: Tube Amp For Home Use

Blues Junior is always a great choice. I’ve got a Peavey Classic 30 I love that’s plenty loud to gig with. For home needs to be set around 1 on volume though. I also recently picked up a Hughes and Kettner Edition Tube 20 that’s great. Clean channel loses headroom a bit when turned up for use in band situation but gain channel is awesome. Like a mini Marshall I’ve been told.
 
Re: Tube Amp For Home Use

I'm gona put in another vote for the Bassbreaker 15 combo. The only reason i haven't bought one is that i already have seven awesome tube amps. If my house burned down with all of my amps in it I'd replace them with the Bassbreaker immediately.
 
Re: Tube Amp For Home Use

Fender 5F1 Champ. The best since the 1950's
The year 1957 was one of change. A Texan singer called Charles Hardin Holley changed the name of his backing group to The Crickets, and recorded a single called That'll Be The Day. The Soviet Union changed the world by launching Sputnik 1 into orbit and the UK did some gardening in the Pacific, changing a small island paradise into a radioactive crater with its first hydrogen bomb.

Meanwhile, in California, a small (but for us guitar players equally significant) change happened when CL Fender modified the circuit of his Champ amplifier to remove a filter choke and a couple of other small components. This historic event was recorded by changing the circuit designation from 5E1 to 5F1, resulting in an amplifier that would make a little history of its own - the famous 'Narrow Panel' Tweed Champ.

Originally intended as a small, inexpensive practice amp for beginners, the overdriven distortion that occurred when you turned the Champ's single volume knob all the way up to 12 made it a hit with many producers and top players all over the world.

"If you want to hear how it all started, this is as good as you can get."

According to legend, Duane and Eric plugged into the tweed Champ for the Derek And The Dominoes classic Layla. Practically every early ZZ Top album features a Champ and the same thing goes for many Rolling Stones recordings.
 
Re: Tube Amp For Home Use

For your first amp, definitely aim for cheap and reliable. There’s a VERY high chance that you’ll get some ways in and realize you want to try other amp flavors, so best not to shell out loads on your first rig.

Blues Junior is always a great choice. I’ve got a Peavey Classic 30 I love that’s plenty loud to gig with.....
A used Blues Jr. (~$350) or Peavey Clsc 30 for ~$400 are great choices in line w/ the above recommendations.
 
Re: Tube Amp For Home Use

I love my fender bassbreaker 15(head). It’s got a great sound at low volume and it is so versatile. Literally from jazz to blues to classic to hard rock you name it! It combines staggeringly beautiful fender cleans that we all love with marshall like modern distortion and it’s jaw dropping. It’s also so cheap for what it is! And it can be played without a pa at a small gig. I play mine through a Marshall 1936 2x12 and it sounds immense
 
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