Your favorite cheap high gain tube amp

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Your favorite cheap high gain tube amp

Keep your eyes open for a used Egnater Vengeance. For $600, it's sort of like a two channel Diezel Herbert, and the features it's got are very intuitive.

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: Your favorite cheap high gain tube amp

Go solid state.

This.

There are a lot of really nice solid state amps that are extremely cheap (like under $200 cheap) because they are overlooked simply because they aren't tube amps. I have a tube amp, and while I love it, I still play my solid state amp just as much. By all means, if the amp you want HAS to be tube, then go for it, but I think that limits your options. Don't fear the transistors.

One thing I can't understand though is how much some stresses the importance of 100% tube amps, and the first thing they do with their amp is throw a tube screamer or some type of Tube Screamer or some other popular OD/Dist in front of the preamp. It makes the person appear foolish and hypocritical to me.

 

[trevorus]

Re: Your favorite cheap high gain tube amp

A pedal in front of a tube amp doesn't bother me. Every device is a way of coloring the tone, and adding a boost or bit of dirt before a tube amp has a certain color. For an amp, I like all tube, and I do use pedals for a lot of my drive tones. I just like how they work together.

As far as solid state amps goes, I used to own a Sunn Beta, and it was one of the best solid state amps I've played. But, it just didn't quite have what I wanted.

That Randall does sound nice, and might be what I go with.

 

[dominus]

Re: Your favorite cheap high gain tube amp

I'd take a Randall RG over the Diavlo. In fact, I have.


Yes I've played both.

 

[trevorus]

Re: Your favorite cheap high gain tube amp

I dunno, I'll still take tubes, particularly because the voicing can be tweaked by changing tubes, etc.

 

[jclogston]

Re: Your favorite cheap high gain tube amp

Peavey Bravo, though now i have an Engl Ironball...

 

[Red_Label]

Re: Your favorite cheap high gain tube amp

This.

There are a lot of really nice solid state amps that are extremely cheap (like under $200 cheap) because they are overlooked simply because they aren't tube amps. I have a tube amp, and while I love it, I still play my solid state amp just as much. By all means, if the amp you want HAS to be tube, then go for it, but I think that limits your options. Don't fear the transistors.

One thing I can't understand though is how much some stresses the importance of 100% tube amps, and the first thing they do with their amp is throw a tube screamer or some type of Tube Screamer or some other popular OD/Dist in front of the preamp. It makes the person appear foolish and hypocritical to me.

Foolish might be still being young, inexperienced, and thinking you know enough to call people who have been playing on stages for decades before you were even born "foolish and hypocritical". I'm not sure you really know what those terms mean. By your skewed definition of hypocrisy, anyone who wants and all-tube head shouldn't use solid state rectifiers, or any pedals at all. Even in the purest of tube amps, there are circuts and components that are not tubes. They are all tools. The amp is the truck that gets me and my tools to the job site. But if I don't put tools in my truck... I'm going to have to use rocks and sticks found on the site to do the work.

Btw... OD pedals can tighten-up the bottom end and make amps roar. Most of the best tones recorded throughout the 80s and beyond were done with Marshall JCM800 2203 heads with Ibanez Tube Screamers in front. Oh those foolish, hypocritical guitar legends...

I prefered my OCD in front of my 2203, Bogner Shiva and XTC, etc. It really made them roar and stay tight. But I'm just all foolish and hypocritical that way... ;-)

 

[jon the art guy]

Re: Your favorite cheap high gain tube amp

well...
if you're using your TS as a major tonal gain section, you're mostly playing a hybrid amp setup then. Might as well cut out the middleman and get a Musicman or a Peavey VTM with tubes in the butt and solid state frontend.

If you're playing hi gain, you're also really putting your power section into useful areas of tone anyway. A light saturation, slow onset compression and oddball harmonic content is what you get out of tubes. A tube amp really only shows it's full plumage when you're playing on the edge of breakup.

So honestly, you might as well play solid state.

AMT makes excellent pedals that do the hi gain thing, and other companies make med-vintage gain pedals that do a great job. Tracking down the outliers and transients is just a matter of calculating splits in transistor gains and putting them in the right place.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Your favorite cheap high gain tube amp

well...
if you're using your TS as a major tonal gain section, you're mostly playing a hybrid amp setup then. Might as well cut out the middleman and get a Musicman or a Peavey VTM with tubes in the butt and solid state frontend.

If you're playing hi gain, you're also really putting your power section into useful areas of tone anyway. A light saturation, slow onset compression and oddball harmonic content is what you get out of tubes. A tube amp really only shows it's full plumage when you're playing on the edge of breakup.

So honestly, you might as well play solid state.

AMT makes excellent pedals that do the hi gain thing, and other companies make med-vintage gain pedals that do a great job. Tracking down the outliers and transients is just a matter of calculating splits in transistor gains and putting them in the right place.

A peavey vtm sure as hell isnt the same as a TS9 and a JCM800... please tell me that your not implying they are? In reality many high gain set ups dont push the power section hard and thinking that you always have to push the power section into clipping is narrow minded. Some tube amps sound spectacular at low volumes.

So no you shouldnt just as well play solid state cause its still not the same thing. Why does it offend people in this thread that he wants tubes? The dude doesnt want a tranny amp. So what? Let him have his tube amp no need to try and convince him that hes doing it wrong.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Your favorite cheap high gain tube amp

This.

There are a lot of really nice solid state amps that are extremely cheap (like under $200 cheap) because they are overlooked simply because they aren't tube amps. I have a tube amp, and while I love it, I still play my solid state amp just as much. By all means, if the amp you want HAS to be tube, then go for it, but I think that limits your options. Don't fear the transistors.

One thing I can't understand though is how much some stresses the importance of 100% tube amps, and the first thing they do with their amp is throw a tube screamer or some type of Tube Screamer or some other popular OD/Dist in front of the preamp. It makes the person appear foolish and hypocritical to me.

So your thinking is if you let one transistor into your signal chain that then you might as well make your whole chain SS? Are you saying that playing a tube amp with a pedal in front is the same as playing a full transistor amp? Have you ever compared the difference between putting a TS9 infront of a tube amp as opposed to a SS one? There is an important interaction that goes on when you do this. It sure doesnt make one a hypocrite.

 

[jon the art guy]

Re: Your favorite cheap high gain tube amp

A peavey vtm sure as hell isnt the same as a TS9 and a JCM800... please tell me that your not implying they are? In reality many high gain set ups dont push the power section hard and thinking that you always have to push the power section into clipping is narrow minded. Some tube amps sound spectacular at low volumes.

So no you shouldnt just as well play solid state cause its still not the same thing. Why does it offend people in this thread that he wants tubes? The dude doesnt want a tranny amp. So what? Let him have his tube amp no need to try and convince him that hes doing it wrong.

no, but a VTM loaded with a good set of 6l6s or converted to el34 with a TS9 in front of it will get bretty glose and will be cheaper and sound better at volume from offstage due to tighter shelving to let the speakers not waste their time and energy reproducing the junk.

If you have a solid state rectifier and a new set of 6l6s, you might as well be playing SS. el34 tone can be compensated for with a little EQ.

There's 2 trannies in tube amps. big ones.

No. He cannot buy a tube amp. I forbid it.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Your favorite cheap high gain tube amp

no, but a VTM loaded with a good set of 6l6s or converted to el34 with a TS9 in front of it will get bretty glose and will be cheaper and sound better at volume from offstage due to tighter shelving to let the speakers not waste their time and energy reproducing the junk.

If you have a solid state rectifier and a new set of 6l6s, you might as well be playing SS. el34 tone can be compensated for with a little EQ.

There's 2 trannies in tube amps. big ones.

No. He cannot buy a tube amp. I forbid it.

When i say tranny i mean transistor not transformer. But many tube amps use transistors in some form or another but this isnt a bad thing and doesnt mean you have to go full out solid state in your rig.

I guess if you like pretty close then your VTM will suit you but not everyone wants pretty close and not everyone will agree it sounds better. You can keep your VTM as far as iam concerned there is a reason you can find them all day long for 150 bucks.

 

[jon the art guy]

Re: Your favorite cheap high gain tube amp

When i say tranny i mean transistor not transformer. But many tube amps use transistors in some form or another but this isnt a bad thing and doesnt mean you have to go full out solid state in your rig.

I guess if you like pretty close then your VTM will suit you but not everyone wants pretty close and not everyone will agree it sounds better. You can keep your VTM as far as iam concerned there is a reason you can find them all day long for 150 bucks.

He's looking for cheap!


back to OP, still suggest a 6505 or 5150.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Your favorite cheap high gain tube amp

He's looking for cheap!
View attachment 55397

back to OP, still suggest a 6505 or 5150.

Hes looking for cheap AND a tube amp. He didnt say amp he didnt say hybrid.

BTW he never defined "cheap" large difference between 200 dollar cheap and 800 dollar cheap.

 

[jon the art guy]

Re: Your favorite cheap high gain tube amp

Hes looking for cheap AND a tube amp. He didnt say amp he didnt say hybrid.

BTW he never defined "cheap" large difference between 200 dollar cheap and 800 dollar cheap.

STOP DODGING ME I'M GOING TO MAKE SURE OP IS PLAYING A JOYO PEDAL THROUGH A KEYBOARD AMP BY THE END OF THE NIGHT

 

[trevorus]

Yeah, I'm thinking under 500. That Randall Diavlo stuff is sounding fun, especially since I can likely mod it to use EL34's. Mellow out, guys. I just wanted some suggestions, not evangelism. I've got a solid state or three already, and I'm definitely set on tubes.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: Your favorite cheap high gain tube amp

how about half-tube? lol (Randall T2HL - you can still change your voicing with a full 3x12AX7 tube preamp.. )

I got mine new for 250/ + shipping...though they're a bit more than that now.

..it's all-out nuts for high gain & does'nt sound too shabby dialled back a bit too.




I tried a Diavlo a while ago (RD 20) & it just did'nt have the meat & chunk this thing has (granted ...20 watt vs 100 watt) ..still sounded sweet though. Might even be awesome with a better set of tubes..





EDIT: Oh, I just noticed it's the RD45 that's mentioned up there earlier in the thread ^ ....have'nt had any experience with those..

 

[Gone_Shootin]

Re: Your favorite cheap high gain tube amp

What's all this talk about a tubescreamer in front of a VTM? It's not needed.

Just flip both of the gain mod switches on, with the compression off. Then max the post gain and dial the pre somewhere around 3-5 and plug your guitar into the high gain side. Plenty of gain.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Your favorite cheap high gain tube amp

Used Carvin V series and Legacy amps
Are in the $500 range

*(Sent from my durned phone!)*

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Your favorite cheap high gain tube amp

What's all this talk about a tubescreamer in front of a VTM? It's not needed.

Just flip both of the gain mod switches on, with the compression off. Then max the post gain and dial the pre somewhere around 3-5 and plug your guitar into the high gain side. Plenty of gain.

Needed no.. but its not the same sound. I punch the face of my MKIV in with a TS sometimes too. Its not cause the MKIV lacks gain its cause it tightens up the sound.