This Amp is a Series of Tubes

February 8, 2009 5:12 PM

Help me find a good, reasonably priced Tube Amp

I am looking for a tube amp that has a nice trebly sound and some real crisp overdrive for between $300-500. If it had tremolo/reverb built in, that'd also be pretty nice. I recently played a Music Man 210 HD and I was really happy with the sound, so I would like to get something like that, but that amp seems a bit out of my price range. Please help!

posted by orville sash to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

(For the sake of those playing at home, it's probably worth it to mention that he's looking for a guitar amplifier, given that there are a lot of different kinds of tube amps.)
posted by koeselitz at 5:52 PM on February 8, 2009 [1 favorite]

are you looking for combo amps or just a head?
posted by tylerfulltilt at 5:54 PM on February 8, 2009

I have no idea what the prices are going for these days, but if you can find a used fender cyber-twin, the modeling on those is incredible. It'll be able to emulate whatever sound you want.
posted by tylerfulltilt at 5:59 PM on February 8, 2009

Best answer: At what volume do you intend to do most of your playing? Tube amps, with the exception of those with built-in attenuators tend to have a volume that they perform best at. This is why, in my experience, guitarists who like the sound of a trebley, Fender--type amp on the cusp of power tube distortion will tend to own, for example, a Princeton (15 w?) for rehearsals, a Deluxe (22 w) for small venues or those with good monitors/PA and a Twin (TOO MANY WATTS) for outdoor shows or when you want to punish the other band members with your Awe Inspiring Stage Volume.

Point of interest about Music Man amps, they are quite rare (unique?) in that they've got a solid-state preamp and a tube power stage. The common configuration of a tube/solid state combo is tube pre/solid state post because it's easy to overdrive a tube preamp into a fuzzy, distorted sound and then save money on the power amp section which gives the signal it's volume. One of the reasons I and other like MM amps is the combination of the squeeky-clean preamp with the warmth of a tube power section. That's a minority opinion though.

For similar amps that might be cheaper, I'd look for a used Fender Deluxe Reissue or maybe a Pro Junior or Blues Junior. You're likely to get recommendations for the Peavey Classic Series but, based on your fondness for the Music Man, I don't think you'll be satisfied with the tone. FWIW, my opinions on the Peavey Classic series are: Classic 20, one of my all-time favorite amps. Daily player and I've never gone to a studio gig without it; Classic 30, decent all-around amp for the working musician but not my favorite; Classic 50, fizzy, sterile dog crap.
posted by stet at 7:02 PM on February 8, 2009

I've always favored low-wattage amps because you can crank them and get a good over-driven sound without having them be super low (but believe me, 5w is still quite loud, 1w is a lot louder than you think).

I have (and like) the epiphone valve junior although it's totally no-frills (no reverb or anything, there's one knob, for volume). Blackheart makes some very similar amps with more options, not sure if they have anything with reverb.

I've owned a few fender amps and liked most of them. I think the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe is a pretty decent sounding amp although it gets a lot of bad reviews and stuff. I've also had a blues deville that I liked, I don't think they make them any more.

Actually yeah, I've liked the peavey classic 20 and 30 also. Every venue I've ever seen has one or two around, and they appear on stage in a lot of jazz session recordings. Never played a 50.
posted by RustyBrooks at 8:07 PM on February 8, 2009

I have a Hot Rod Deluxe that I'm very happy with, though it is very loud. It would be overkill unless you are playing out with a loud band. I've seen them going used lately for $400-$500.

A Super Champ might be a good choice if you need something smaller.
posted by InfidelZombie at 12:55 PM on February 9, 2009