Small Tube Amp Shopping

I'm interested in finding a cheap reliable good sounding small tube amp for the house. Since my wife works out of an office in our home I've got to find something that is quiet. Right now I'm looking at two amps on ebay.

1. Crate Vintage Club 2112

2. Vox AC4TV


Both of these are low volume amps that look to be selling for under $200.

Does anyone here have any experience with either of these? Any advise? My style leans toward classic rock/americana. I need to spend a lot of time working on cleaning up my playing and learning how to use tube distortion to my advantage. :lol:

Why dont you save yourself a $100 and get a Vox Pathfinder they sound just as good as those you mentioned.If youre set on a tuber than the AC4tv is a good choice also Fender champion 600

Highwayman makes a good point. I was in the store the other day with the intention of testing a Champ 600, which sounded sweet when I played a MIM tele through it. But the AC4tv was nearby, and the tone to my ears was even sweeter. Then I noticed the Pathfinder. For a solid state, it sounded great.

There is more discussion on the virtues of the AC4tv vs the Pathfinder here.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/amp-central-station/184715-vox-ac4tv-vs-pathfinder-15r.html

How bout a valve jr? Buy it local and you can try it... theres no shipping...

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/msg/1769566749.html

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/msg/1772115688.html

Unless you have a fairly soundproof practice space, or a detached garage, probably only a headphone out setup is going to be quiet enough for one person to work, while the other practices electric guitar in the same house.

I don't know about the sound this model Crate, but I believe it has a headphone jack, although I've never heard a Crate that I would care to own, given my limited experience with them in music stores. The Vox AC4 seems like a nice sounding amp, although I don't know if it has a headphone out like the nifty Pathfinder.

I would suggest trying a VOX DA-5 before commiting to a tube amp in this situation.
I was intreagued by the variable out put of the AC-4 (which the DA 5 also has) but in a true low level situation the DA-5 is to me much more usefull ( I find the ability to quiclky add delay or 'verb to my late night play to be quite valuable) it may not work for you, but it's worth a listen. I also find the ability to run on batteries to be useful as is the mic input when working small gigs with a singer ( I play a bit of jazz) all in al a Very useful little amp.

I would suggest trying a VOX DA-5 before commiting to a tube amp in this situation.
I was intreagued by the variable out put of the AC-4 (which the DA 5 also has) but in a true low level situation the DA-5 is to me much more usefull ( I find the ability to quiclky add delay or 'verb to my late night play to be quite valuable) it may not work for you, but it's worth a listen. I also find the ability to run on batteries to be useful as is the mic input when working small gigs with a singer ( I play a bit of jazz) all in al a Very useful little amp.

Or, look at the Micro Cube. Of course I'm a bit biased. :grin:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v521/kecline/Amps/mc/DSC02167.jpg

Thanks for the input so far guys! Big Mike, it's cool to have someone close to home and the tip CL is also nice. I look there about once a day, but you can't see everything.

I've just finished watching a demo for the Bugera V5. It looks like a versitile little amp too and it has reverb. They are asking 149 and include free shipping on a new one from a store in Kansas City.

Reverb is a + for me. I don't think the eppi has it, nor does the Vox. Anyone ever try a Bugera V5?

FWIW I love my AC4TV (10). No reverb but I haven't missed it. Serious tone at home volume, though I don't like the 1/4 watt setting at all. I actually prefer the 1 watt sound at home and the 4 watt is too loud when anyone else is here. But this is not an amp if you want a clean tone at any kind of volume. If you want to rock, oh yeah. I don't even bother with my pedals most of the time. Great sound from such a small amp. I gig with it, too, but obviously we mic it. Hard to beat the sound/size/cost ratio.

I also own the AC4TV. I really like the tone that I get. It sits in the living room so I can noodle in front of the TV. I had my guitar teacher over, and he played a Line 6 pod floor board through it. I know he could probably play through anything and make it sound good, but I thought it sounded great. He also commented that he was impressed by the Vox.
As always, it's better if you can try all the different amps yourself.
Good luck.

CC

I was in GC and I went in the sound room with am Ac4tv- Bugers V5 and an Epi valve JR.It wasnt even a contest the AC4 sounded by far the best followed by the Bugera (which didnt impress me at all) Try for yourself and pick the one you like.

Is your budget $200? The reason I ask is that the Class 5 has a headphone jack. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a master volume or attenuator.

The HT-5 which can also be found $399 retail before coupons (pricematch AMS), has a headphone jack, 2 channels and an effects loop. I have this amp and the gain channel is pretty awesome but not sure about the cleans yet.

Have you thought about a something vintage?

I had a friend with a similar problem and we tried out a lot of the cheaper 5 watters and found that the vintage Fender Champs, Supro Supers and Gibson GA-5s sounded better for the same price. Speakers were a little flappy (8 inch speakers are pretty cheap to replace or recone), but overall for the money the Gibson GA-5 we found wiped the floor with the modern Fender Champ 600s and AC4s.

Vox Amplug is not a bad option at all and will only set you back $30. Get that and used Pro Jr. for when she goes on an errand...

I've owned a champ 600 for a few months now, and all I've done for upgrades is replacing the stock tubes with Tung-Sols. The amp is very responsive, but even in my attached garage, gets loud enough to draw fire from my wife when the kids are sleeping...

I just ordered a new guitar yesterday, and was checking out gear at my local GC on a couple of visits in the past two weeks. I played a CV50's tele through their champ ($148), the Vox ($199), and the Bugera ($149). Honestly, I left wishing I'd bought the Bugera to begin with. I own some other Behringer equipment, and am happy with it; I'm just a bit concerned with how it holds up over time.

To me, the Vox liked to break up quite a bit. I play mostly country and early rock (think Everly Bros. and Ricky Nelson), so this didn't do it for me. It's a very nice sounding amp, though. The Champ seems to hum the most of all of these amps--this doesn't bother me, but might offend your ears, so I'm mentioning it...

The Bugera was very quiet, and the sound was very versatile. I'm not an expert on reverb, but after playing the Bugera, I missed it on my champ. I almost ordered a holy grail with my new tele, but decided that I'd rather wait and upgrade my amp later in the year (Christmas?). I'm not playing out at all right now, so there's no big hurry for me.

I would recommend trying to find a local GC/etc. and A/B the amps that you're interested in. I'm familiar with the Valve Jr., too, and would suggest that you kick the tires on one of those as well. There's also the DSP champ, etc., etc., etc. that I'm sure others will chime in on.

Seriously, though--go play on a few of these amps before you order one. Do it soon, though--schools are letting out, and a little 5W amp won't compete with a kid playing noise through a stack...get there when they open, if you can.

I don't want to spend a lot, but I'd really like to have a small tube amp that won't shake the house to get to the sweet spot. I've got an old Mesa Boogie that I really love but I can hardly crack the volume to 1.

The Vox may be just the ticket. I liked the demo of the Bugera V5 because of the little touch of reverb. It just had a better sounding decay than a dry amp.

Going out and playing them is probablly the best idea for sure but it's good to hear about other peoples experiences.

The Roland Cube has been on my radar for a while but I really love tube saturation. Thanks for all the imput so far. If someone else has any other ideas that would be cool too.

You can always pick up a reverb pedal for any amp that does not have reverb. On these little amps you are not going to get a tube reverb anyway and a pedal will give you more reverb choices.

Another option is a Boss ME 50 and a set of headphones.

Another awesome little tube amp is the Kustom Tube 12A. New around $100, Sometimes less than $50 on the bay. Do yourself a favor and try one. I have an old champ and a valve jr, but the kustom gets the most play time.

For around $100 you won't find a better sounding new amp with reverb and tremelo than the Vox Pathfinder 15R in my opinion. It is a solid state amp, but it sounds great.

I've never found a tube amp that had the sweet spot at actual bedroom volume, and I even own a NanoAmp. For practicing at home without bothering anyone (my wife also works from home), I'd go with a modeling amp and usually headphones.

current fave Very Low Volume amp is the Tech 21 Trademark 10. Solid state but a lot of different (and fun) sounds, decent reverb, holds together well down to really quite volumes. Has headphone out if that's not enough. Has a DI out so I throw it in the car for a spare on gigs. Cheap. Likeable.

OK, here I go again: try the Laney Cub 10 but it's around 300$ CAD.

+1 on the Pathfinder. That's my go-to amp when I want to jam in "Stealth" mode. Have even used it in small rehearsals and for recording (really great for this application). 100 USD and you're there.

When it comes to being "quiet" and have variety of sounds, clean or otherwise, I've found modeling amps are hard to beat. VOX ToneLab ST into a small powered speaker is a pretty good alternative. One can even use a pair of computer speakers or an iPod dock works really well. It even has a tube in it for those must-have-tube crowd, too. :)

I usually use whatever that sounds good and appropriate for the situation calls for. It doesn't matter amps are SS or tube to sound good.

vcxd is a good amp for the price. also check out the kustom contender.
i was real happy with my vcxd, 5 watt, plenty loud with good tweed and blackface tones.

i have the vox ac4 And two Epi valve jnr's 1 10" combo and one 12" cab and head.

For your reference, NONE are quiet when you hit the sweet spot. Not quite loud enough to be in a band but VERY close.....so prettty loud (my wife lets me crank them often fortunately!)

I love the vox for mild to dirty (it has NO useable clean)

I love the epi cab for semi clean and marshal raunch when cranked.

No reverb at bedroom level is a pain for me.....

Bugera looks very tempting to me. Pathfinder 15r also gets good reviews and being SS might be more manageable at medium volume.

But 5w tube are surprisingly loud.

I think tube amps need to be turned up to sound like they are designed.

For your application, I would go SS. To me SS is better at the low volume thing. And by low volume I mean at a point where it won't bug others in the house.

A 5W tube amp is really loud, and if they are not turned up much, they sound dark and boring to me.

I agree with the Pathfinder or maybe a cube or a DA5 (or a Frontman if clean is your thing). Or a Pod type thing with headphones, lots of fun there and it won't bug anyone.

another vote for the Pathfinder 15R, just a great little amp. good sound at low volume, can be played loud for small gigs. Pound for pound it is the best solid state out there and holds its own in my opinion with many low watt tube amps. . .the price is low, the durability is high.

it really is a win win amp. also has head phones and a external speaker jack so you can plug into 4 x 12 cabs with 8ohms. with a very nice tremolo and a decent reverb. all in all, quite versatile.

I vote for an SF Champ. I know it'll cost a few bucks more but down the road it'll all come back to you. Great warm tone at home volume with attitude when dimed, I sorely miss my mine. Dave
BTW, the Champ 600 pales by comparison, YMMV of course.

I vote for an SF Champ. I know it'll cost a few bucks more but down the road it'll all come back to you.

+1

The little guy shown here. A silver faced Champ. (Vibro Champ actually!) This thing sounds righteous even turned down. And a Telecoustic sings through it.:smile:

Let your ear help you pick a amp. Play a few and decide what will be a good fit. Do not forget to take the guitar with which you will be playing through the amp with!

A modeler can be a lot of fun and offer many tonal varieties. The SCXD is a fine little amp to explore on. A hybrid SS and tube amp. For the changing moods and tunes I play.

I have a Crate VC212RB. IIRC, The RB means tube driven reverb. It's a great amp for crunchy Marshall sounds, but not much for clean headroom. At the $200 range I recommend a new Fender Vibro Champ XD or used Super Champ XD.

You guys are great! Now I've got a lot to think about, but it's a good thing. The Boss ME 50 & now ME 70 has been on my radar for a while now. Maybe that's the way to go because I can always put it in front of my Boogie, though I'm trying to concentrate on basic tone with a touch of reverb. The Pathfinder might work as well. I supose there is a comparable Line 6, ect. to think about if I go with SS.

My desire for a small tube amp is a result of my wanting to try to get back to the basics of playing with the least amount of stuff. I kind of want to try to sound good without "putting icing on the cake". Does that make sense to anybody here? Back when I played in bands during the 80's & early 90's everything revolved around "effects" Now that I'm older and understand how amazing my guitar heros were in the 60's & 70's using little or no effects in the early days, I kind of want to develop my playing to the best of my ability without hiding behind "grease."

It's possible that a 5 watt amp is too much while my wife toils away in another part of the house. I'm going to go out and try a few of these little amps at GC soon. I'd welcome any other insite from all.

I would like to see more pictures of this cab you have the MicroCube! I have one of the original one's and love it a lot. I can take it to the park (runs on batteries) ans people freak as to how I am playing an electric guitar in the middle of no where!!! :-)

Or, look at the Micro Cube. Of course I'm a bit biased. :grin:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v521/kecline/Amps/mc/DSC02167.jpg

There's no substitute for going and trying them out yourself. You should do that. I have two 5watt tube amps, both are far too loud to crank up unless I want the rest of the house to hear it.

My Vox DA5 is excellent. It's one I'll never get rid of. Visited friends vacationing at the beach last weekend, tossed it in my motorcycle saddle bag and off I went. It amazes me how good it sounds.
It has a lot of effects, but I mostly stay on Blues 1 with a little reverb. Another bonus with it over many of the tube amps is the headphone out. That will really comes in handy when you just HAVE to crank it up, BUT you have to stay quite for others.
I've never tried the Pathfinder, but based on this forum, I'll grab one when I find a super deal.
My son uses a Line6 Spider 15w and it does a pretty good job too.




You guys are great! Now I've got a lot to think about, but it's a good thing. The Boss ME 50 & now ME 70 has been on my radar for a while now. Maybe that's the way to go because I can always put it in front of my Boogie, though I'm trying to concentrate on basic tone with a touch of reverb. The Pathfinder might work as well. I supose there is a comparable Line 6, ect. to think about if I go with SS.

My desire for a small tube amp is a result of my wanting to try to get back to the basics of playing with the least amount of stuff. I kind of want to try to sound good without "putting icing on the cake". Does that make sense to anybody here? Back when I played in bands during the 80's & early 90's everything revolved around "effects" Now that I'm older and understand how amazing my guitar heros were in the 60's & 70's using little or no effects in the early days, I kind of want to develop my playing to the best of my ability without hiding behind "grease."

It's possible that a 5 watt amp is too much while my wife toils away in another part of the house. I'm going to go out and try a few of these little amps at GC soon. I'd welcome any other insite from all.

I would like to see more pictures of this cab you have the MicroCube! I have one of the original one's and love it a lot. I can take it to the park (runs on batteries) ans people freak as to how I am playing an electric guitar in the middle of no where!!! :-)

Your wish is my command Mike - I like your avatar :lol:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v521/kecline/Amps/mc/DSC02156.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v521/kecline/Amps/mc/DSC02158.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v521/kecline/Amps/mc/DSC02160.jpg

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That is just AWESOME Kec! Did you make the grill custom and pull the logo of the MicroCube? Did you happen to save the pattern for that? I'll bet you could make some money selling those to all of us MicroCube owners! Great job!!!

I also have a Champ 600 and installed an attenuator (VVR) in it. Works great!

I replaced the power switch with switchable pot. I also swapped the volume pot for a push-pull to add a gain boost.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v521/kecline/Amps/champ600/champ2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v521/kecline/Amps/champ600/champ4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v521/kecline/Amps/champ600/champ2.jpg

That is just AWESOME Kec! Did you make the grill custom and pull the logo of the MicroCube? Did you happen to save the pattern for that? I'll bet you could make some money selling those to all of us MicroCube owners! Great job!!!

Thanks Mike. Yes, I had some perforated aluminum sheet and pulled the logo from the existing cabinet.

Or, look at the Micro Cube. Of course I'm a bit biased. :grin:


Fixed or Cathode?? [you, not the amp obviously ;)] :mrgreen:

Fixed or Cathode?? [you, not the amp obviously ;)] :mrgreen:

Cathode, but sometimes fixed :lol: