Best Lightweight, Gig-worthy 1X12 under $800 (new or used)? - Page 2

teletard · June 8th, 2007, 11:41 PM

there is a silverface princeton reverb on craigslist los angeles right now for 750.

Hoodster · June 9th, 2007, 12:02 AM

Bender, no offense and no worries. Boxy is the way people often describe the tone of an amp in a too-small cab, like the tone is trapped in a box and needs more room to breathe. The Pro Junior is especially notorious for this, and pretty much all smaller amps suffer from it to some degree. A/B a BJ with a bigger amp like a HRDLX and you will hear it immediately (or better yet play a BJ/PJ through an extension cab).

bender-freak · June 9th, 2007, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoodster

Bender, no offense and no worries. Boxy is the way people often describe the tone of an amp in a too-small cab, like the tone is trapped in a box and needs more room to breathe. The Pro Junior is especially notorious for this, and pretty much all smaller amps suffer from it to some degree. A/B a BJ with a bigger amp like a HRDLX and you will hear it immediately (or better yet play a BJ/PJ through an extension cab).

glad i didn't offend, hoodster, certainly didn't mean to...i didn't A/B as such when i chose the Bjr., but did play through 3 other amps of various sizes/price ranges, and it was what i came home with...part of the difference in perception may be that i play a sorta country/jazz/Chet Atkins wannabe style with thumbpick and fingers and utilize multi-benders on my guitars...what you describe as "boxy" is what i always described as "hitting a wall" with the projection....just am not perceiving this as of yet with this amp, but if it does become an issue, is why i invested in the Peavey EDI but 90% of my playing is in my own little "studio" or clubs that seat 200-300 people and 15 watts does it for me...i also do a 2 piece thing with another lead guitarist/singer(electronic drums, bass, rythym) so am never "drowned" by crashing banger/drummers or booming bass players...if i ever were to run into that situation with an actual band i always have the line out option, but trying to compete with drummers and bassists who are trying to fill Carnegie Hall is why i went the electronic route long time ago; i'm too old and cranky for loud wallpaper burning volume levels....again...good luck...cheers

klast · June 9th, 2007, 05:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoodster

TO CLARIFY:
Again, weight is a big issue for me. Finding a great-sounding heavy amp is a no-brainer.

Seeing that most 1x12 tube combos weigh in at more than 20 kg, maybe you should try to find a 1x10 tube combo.
The Laney VC15 seems to meet all your requirements except it is 1x10 instead of your required 1x12.
Haven't tried it myself, but have it's big brother VC30. If it sounds like the VC30 you have a voxish chime on the cleans.

Klas

Bill Ashton · June 9th, 2007, 08:51 AM

+1 on the Laney VC30-112. Not sure what the weight is, but not too much for the two troublesome discs in this back. Very loud, clean, Marshally with a telecaster when driven up to full-tilt-boogie...

Also have the Rivera 55-12. I don't especially like it, but bought it right, a few repairs and my son uses it constantly. To my ears, the "Marshal" side is very dark and gainy, no matter how I try to tame it with tube swaps. The "Fender" side is OK, but to me the sound is sort of Carlos-Santana all the time... (son plays a 2000 MIM Tele Standard)...not bad, but not what I 'd exactly call "Fender." Oh yeah, must be almost as heavy as a twin or Standel in a smaller box!

You might want to look for an older Guild tube amp. I had a 66-J that I used all through Jr. High and High school back in the day. Light, loud, clean. I had a Jensen C12 in mine. Still have her down the basement. These are out there very reasonable.

klast · June 9th, 2007, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Ashton

+1 on the Laney VC30-112. Not sure what the weight is, but not too much for the two troublesome discs in this back. Very loud, clean, Marshally with a telecaster when driven up to full-tilt-boogie...

It weighs approx. 21 kg, about the same as Fender HRD and Peavey VK 112.
It's a breeze to carry as compared with the 28 kg 2x12 combo I had before.

Klas

bajabuster · June 11th, 2007, 02:47 PM

Out of what you are still considering The YVC-20is a fine choice. I had a Mesa/Boogie Express 5-25 until I tried a friend's Traynor. It's Class A 15 watts and has a tonal character that its bigger brothers the 40 and 80 watt don't have. In Clean mode it has this Voxy bell-like chime that's just beautiful. I was told to turn down twice last weekend at a jam, so have no fears about volume. It does channel switching. The overdrive channel just sounds like the amp breaking up, but at a controllable volume. (unless you always play a little too loud, like me

) And I carry it and a gig bag in one hand, my Baja in the other. Ya gotta love that.

QUOTE=Hoodster;838507]In general I'm looking for a simple, light, toneful 1X12 tube combo for jams and small gigs, with a solid base clean tone for blues, classic rock, and alt-country. Preferred food groups lean toward Blackface and Vox.

Preferences:

40 lbs. or under
Reverb
Master (not a deal breaker)
Single channel (not a deal breaker)
Don't care how many tone controls
$800 is absolute max, including shipping

Amps tried and rejected for various reasons:

Hellhound
BJ
Carvin V16
DRRI
HRDLX
Rivera-era Fenders
PV C30
Vox AC-15CC
Tweed Champ and Deluxe clones

Amps still considering:

Ampeg Jet
Gibson Goldtone GA-15RV
Traynor YCV-20
Rivera Pubster/Clubster
PR clone w/12" (Allen, Gries, etc., but pushing budget)

Input on these and/or other choices MUCH appreciated.[/quote]

spankdplank · June 11th, 2007, 05:37 PM

Magnatone MP-1. They were made between about 65 to 67 when Magnatone was made by Estey, as direct competition to the Fender Deluxe Reverb. They show up on ebay about once a month and always go for less than $400. All tube, point to point wired on a turret board, about 20 watts, reverb, tremolo and 1-12'' speaker. Imagine a Deluxe reverb crossed with an AC-15. Very chunky and muscular sounding, but with the fender clean and reverb sounds and a bit of a Brit flavor because of the EL type power tubes. Two channels and controls like a DR. No master volume, so you will probably need an overdrive pedal for higher gain. One of the great, "undiscovered" vintage amps.....No wait, on second thought, disregard this post...they are horrible....sounds like a Gorilla with a blown speaker...really.

Texasjack · June 11th, 2007, 05:56 PM

Fender Hotrod Deluxe ? A bit over 40 lb and you may have to swap out some some pre-amps to tone it down to your liking . I know a few fellows that use them all the time for gigs and no problems .

Another amp that impressed me was the Crate V30 or the blonde model (which is the same but dressed up ) and that's the Palomino V32 . I found them to be a decent sounding amp and I guess no big reliability issues . I guess the optional tonetubby sounds killer .

Also , the Peavey Delta Blues 15" .

Lots of good amps out there at or below your price range...get looking and have fun

maxvintage · June 13th, 2007, 11:00 AM

I picked up a used, excellent condition Budda Twinmaster 12 for $700--an amazing simple amp, just volume, bass and treble but great tone, really loud and really light. It's all hand wired in immaculate turret board construction. Gig-worthy, great tone, easy to haul

grantbob · June 13th, 2007, 11:15 AM

Orange Tiny Terror and a 1x12 Cab.

scooteraz · June 13th, 2007, 11:26 AM

Of the ones still on your list, the Rivera would be my choice.

However, I agree with Telenator that the Chub 40 sound better (but does weigh a little more).

I also like the used Boogie F series (30 or 50), but don't know where that would fit in your price/wieght scale.

tweedtone · June 13th, 2007, 11:27 AM

Vox AC-15CC and put a Weber Blue Dog in it. Yowza.

JohnnyCrash · June 13th, 2007, 11:35 AM

After having built a 1x12" and installing a neodymium speaker...

I can't stress enough how light neo speakers are. Perhaps you can rethink the amp with a super lightweight neodymium speaker swap-out in mind?

I'd suggest a Peavey Classic 30 with an Eminence Tonkerlite (extremely loud, although it was very prominent low mids you may not like)... I might suggest the Jensen Neo12-100, but I haven't finished the cab for that one yet, so I'm not sure how it'll sound.

I gigged in a metal-ish band with a Classic 30 and a 1x12" extension cab. Yes, metal-ish. Insanely loud drummer and bass player, the other guitar player used a 100w Marshall halfstack... with the V30 speaker, that Classic 30 hung in like you wouldn't believe!

Kelsey · June 13th, 2007, 12:18 PM

The Jensen Neo 10 actually sounds pretty similar to their Neo 12 -- more so than comparable 10 and 12" speakers usually do. So, if you find a good 1x10 combo amp with an American tonality, then you can likely put in a Neo 10 and wind up with something not too different sounding from the same amp through a 1x12 Neo cab. In other words, I don't think you would lose anything by sticking with a Neo 10 in a Princeton instead of refitting it with a Neo 12.

And JohnnyCrash, I'll let it slide this time...

JohnnyCrash · June 13th, 2007, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelsey

And JohnnyCrash, I'll let it slide this time...

??

Poppatwang · June 13th, 2007, 01:11 PM

+1 on the Laney VC30. A reliable gig amp for me for over 10 years.

I also managed to assemble an 18 watt Marshall clone for under $800. Yowza!
No reverb, but I don't miss it with this amp. Nice tremelo!

Poppatwang · June 13th, 2007, 01:12 PM

PS the Laney looks Voxish but more neutral in style.

Hoodster · June 18th, 2007, 02:54 PM

Well, I ended up going with the Rivera Clubster 25--snagged one mint on the Bay for $600, so it was hard to resist. I did break my cardinal criterion of wanting a 1X12, but from what I read these little Rivera 1X10's sound plenty big and loud enough for small rooms, and if not I always have a nice Weber-loaded 1X12 cab in reserve.

I'll post a review when the Hoodster's Clubster arrives.

Clubster 25:

http://www.amazingtone.com/servlet/t...-Guitar/Detail

June 13th, 2007, 01:11 PM	#57 (permalink)
Poppatwang Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: St. Paul, MN Posts: 1,842 13 Photos	+1 on the Laney VC30. A reliable gig amp for me for over 10 years. I also managed to assemble an 18 watt Marshall clone for under $800. Yowza! No reverb, but I don't miss it with this amp. Nice tremelo! __________________ The Dieselfitters http://www.dieselfitters.com Roy Hubbs http://www.royhubbs.com

June 13th, 2007, 01:12 PM	#58 (permalink)
Poppatwang Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: St. Paul, MN Posts: 1,842 13 Photos	PS the Laney looks Voxish but more neutral in style. __________________ The Dieselfitters http://www.dieselfitters.com Roy Hubbs http://www.royhubbs.com

June 8th, 2007, 11:41 PM	#41 (permalink)
teletard Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2007 Location: hollywood california Age: 34 Posts: 244 11 Photos	there is a silverface princeton reverb on craigslist los angeles right now for 750.

June 9th, 2007, 12:02 AM	#42 (permalink)
Hoodster Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Oregon Posts: 271	Bender, no offense and no worries. Boxy is the way people often describe the tone of an amp in a too-small cab, like the tone is trapped in a box and needs more room to breathe. The Pro Junior is especially notorious for this, and pretty much all smaller amps suffer from it to some degree. A/B a BJ with a bigger amp like a HRDLX and you will hear it immediately (or better yet play a BJ/PJ through an extension cab).

June 9th, 2007, 08:51 AM	#45 (permalink)
Bill Ashton Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Central Massachusetts Posts: 461	+1 on the Laney VC30-112. Not sure what the weight is, but not too much for the two troublesome discs in this back. Very loud, clean, Marshally with a telecaster when driven up to full-tilt-boogie... Also have the Rivera 55-12. I don't especially like it, but bought it right, a few repairs and my son uses it constantly. To my ears, the "Marshal" side is very dark and gainy, no matter how I try to tame it with tube swaps. The "Fender" side is OK, but to me the sound is sort of Carlos-Santana all the time... (son plays a 2000 MIM Tele Standard)...not bad, but not what I 'd exactly call "Fender." Oh yeah, must be almost as heavy as a twin or Standel in a smaller box! You might want to look for an older Guild tube amp. I had a 66-J that I used all through Jr. High and High school back in the day. Light, loud, clean. I had a Jensen C12 in mine. Still have her down the basement. These are out there very reasonable.

June 11th, 2007, 02:47 PM	#47 (permalink)
bajabuster TDPRI Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Claremont Ontario, Canada Posts: 70	Out of what you are still considering The YVC-20is a fine choice. I had a Mesa/Boogie Express 5-25 until I tried a friend's Traynor. It's Class A 15 watts and has a tonal character that its bigger brothers the 40 and 80 watt don't have. In Clean mode it has this Voxy bell-like chime that's just beautiful. I was told to turn down twice last weekend at a jam, so have no fears about volume. It does channel switching. The overdrive channel just sounds like the amp breaking up, but at a controllable volume. (unless you always play a little too loud, like me ) And I carry it and a gig bag in one hand, my Baja in the other. Ya gotta love that. QUOTE=Hoodster;838507]In general I'm looking for a simple, light, toneful 1X12 tube combo for jams and small gigs, with a solid base clean tone for blues, classic rock, and alt-country. Preferred food groups lean toward Blackface and Vox. Preferences: 40 lbs. or under Reverb Master (not a deal breaker) Single channel (not a deal breaker) Don't care how many tone controls $800 is absolute max, including shipping Amps tried and rejected for various reasons: Hellhound BJ Carvin V16 DRRI HRDLX Rivera-era Fenders PV C30 Vox AC-15CC Tweed Champ and Deluxe clones Amps still considering: Ampeg Jet Gibson Goldtone GA-15RV Traynor YCV-20 Rivera Pubster/Clubster PR clone w/12" (Allen, Gries, etc., but pushing budget) Input on these and/or other choices MUCH appreciated.[/quote]

June 11th, 2007, 05:37 PM	#48 (permalink)
spankdplank Tele-Holic Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Houston, Tx. Posts: 549 22 Photos	Magnatone MP-1. They were made between about 65 to 67 when Magnatone was made by Estey, as direct competition to the Fender Deluxe Reverb. They show up on ebay about once a month and always go for less than $400. All tube, point to point wired on a turret board, about 20 watts, reverb, tremolo and 1-12'' speaker. Imagine a Deluxe reverb crossed with an AC-15. Very chunky and muscular sounding, but with the fender clean and reverb sounds and a bit of a Brit flavor because of the EL type power tubes. Two channels and controls like a DR. No master volume, so you will probably need an overdrive pedal for higher gain. One of the great, "undiscovered" vintage amps.....No wait, on second thought, disregard this post...they are horrible....sounds like a Gorilla with a blown speaker...really.

June 11th, 2007, 05:56 PM	#49 (permalink)
Texasjack TDPRI Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Ontario Canada Age: 52 Posts: 22	Fender Hotrod Deluxe ? A bit over 40 lb and you may have to swap out some some pre-amps to tone it down to your liking . I know a few fellows that use them all the time for gigs and no problems . Another amp that impressed me was the Crate V30 or the blonde model (which is the same but dressed up ) and that's the Palomino V32 . I found them to be a decent sounding amp and I guess no big reliability issues . I guess the optional tonetubby sounds killer . Also , the Peavey Delta Blues 15" . Lots of good amps out there at or below your price range...get looking and have fun

June 13th, 2007, 11:00 AM	#50 (permalink)
maxvintage Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Age: 49 Posts: 427	I picked up a used, excellent condition Budda Twinmaster 12 for $700--an amazing simple amp, just volume, bass and treble but great tone, really loud and really light. It's all hand wired in immaculate turret board construction. Gig-worthy, great tone, easy to haul

June 13th, 2007, 11:15 AM	#51 (permalink)
grantbob TDPRI Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Kentucky Posts: 36	Orange Tiny Terror and a 1x12 Cab.

June 13th, 2007, 11:26 AM	#52 (permalink)
scooteraz Tele-Holic Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Peoria, AZ Posts: 740	Of the ones still on your list, the Rivera would be my choice. However, I agree with Telenator that the Chub 40 sound better (but does weigh a little more). I also like the used Boogie F series (30 or 50), but don't know where that would fit in your price/wieght scale.

June 13th, 2007, 11:27 AM	#53 (permalink)
tweedtone Tele-Holic Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Tampa Bay, FL Age: 41 Posts: 646	Vox AC-15CC and put a Weber Blue Dog in it. Yowza.

June 13th, 2007, 11:35 AM	#54 (permalink)
JohnnyCrash Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lost Angeles and Orange County Posts: 7,127	After having built a 1x12" and installing a neodymium speaker... I can't stress enough how light neo speakers are. Perhaps you can rethink the amp with a super lightweight neodymium speaker swap-out in mind? I'd suggest a Peavey Classic 30 with an Eminence Tonkerlite (extremely loud, although it was very prominent low mids you may not like)... I might suggest the Jensen Neo12-100, but I haven't finished the cab for that one yet, so I'm not sure how it'll sound. I gigged in a metal-ish band with a Classic 30 and a 1x12" extension cab. Yes, metal-ish. Insanely loud drummer and bass player, the other guitar player used a 100w Marshall halfstack... with the V30 speaker, that Classic 30 hung in like you wouldn't believe!

June 13th, 2007, 12:18 PM	#55 (permalink)
Kelsey Tele-Holic Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 711	The Jensen Neo 10 actually sounds pretty similar to their Neo 12 -- more so than comparable 10 and 12" speakers usually do. So, if you find a good 1x10 combo amp with an American tonality, then you can likely put in a Neo 10 and wind up with something not too different sounding from the same amp through a 1x12 Neo cab. In other words, I don't think you would lose anything by sticking with a Neo 10 in a Princeton instead of refitting it with a Neo 12. And JohnnyCrash, I'll let it slide this time...

June 18th, 2007, 02:54 PM	#59 (permalink)
Hoodster Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Oregon Posts: 271	Well, I ended up going with the Rivera Clubster 25--snagged one mint on the Bay for $600, so it was hard to resist. I did break my cardinal criterion of wanting a 1X12, but from what I read these little Rivera 1X10's sound plenty big and loud enough for small rooms, and if not I always have a nice Weber-loaded 1X12 cab in reserve. I'll post a review when the Hoodster's Clubster arrives. Clubster 25: http://www.amazingtone.com/servlet/t...-Guitar/Detail