Hi End Practise amp

I dont know if there is such a thing, I'm playing my AVRI through a VOV vt15 modeling amp at the moment and I was wondering if I should be playing such a fine instrument through a better amp?

So I am currently using the Vox vt 15 modeling amp.

I only play at home (cant play loud)
I only play clean with a bit of reverb (not interested in distortion)
Only play single coil.

I dont know anything about amps, I did a little Googgling and am now considering the:

1,Tech 21 Trademark 30
2,Blackstar HT-5C Combo
There is also a used Victoria 5112 on sale locally but is to expensive really, 800 euro.

Would you recommend one over the other? will either be an improvement over the VOX VT 15

Would you recommend any others?

Thanks in advance

I'd be tempted to make do with what you have as there is little point in swapping an average amp for another average amp . But if you really want to upgrade to pure valve tone and do your guitar some justice then you should look at a Cornell Romany Plus which has switchable power down to 1/4 watt. Other boutique brands like Carr, Swart etc all have great low power amps.

I'm using a Vox Lil Night Train at the moment, It's not great but it does have a decent valve tone which is just fine at bedroom levels and they're not too expensive either.

http://www.dc-developments.com/cornell_romany_plus_combo.htm

You can't go wrong with a Princeton Reverb reissue.

You can't go wrong with a Princeton Reverb reissue.

Is that the Fender 65 Princeton Reverb? 1000 euro is probably to expensive for me, but wouldn't a 15w tube be too loud?

I'd be tempted to make do with what you have as there is little point in swapping an average amp for another average amp . But if you really want to upgrade to pure valve tone and do your guitar some justice then you should look at a Cornell Romany Plus which has switchable power down to 1/4 watt. Other boutique brands like Carr, Swart etc all have great low power amps.

I'm using a Vox Lil Night Train at the moment, It's not great but it does have a decent valve tone which is just fine at bedroom levels and they're not too expensive either.

http://www.dc-developments.com/cornell_romany_plus_combo.htm

That cornell looks very nice indeed, buy 1000 pounds is too expensive unfortunately, it looks very much like the used victoria I found on sale locally

http://www.victoriaamplifier.com/amplifiers/tweed-amplifiers/victoria-5112/

have you heard of them?

So you think the Tech 21 and the blackstar wont be an improvement?

the Carr, Swart amps are they also over the 1000 pounds mark?

I'd be tempted to make do with what you have as there is little point in swapping an average amp for another average amp . But if you really want to upgrade to pure valve tone and do your guitar some justice then you should look at a Cornell Romany Plus which has switchable power down to 1/4 watt. Other boutique brands like Carr, Swart etc all have great low power amps.

I'm using a Vox Lil Night Train at the moment, It's not great but it does have a decent valve tone which is just fine at bedroom levels and they're not too expensive either.

http://www.dc-developments.com/cornell_romany_plus_combo.htm

The Vox Lil Night Train is reasonably priced but dont I also have to buy a cabinet for it? sorry I dont much about amps

All the decent high end amps are over a grand but you don't have to go there. It's just that the thread title mentioned high end.

Victoria amps are fantastic but pricey and the one you've seen sounds best when pushed so it may be a bit loud for home use.

The Vox Lil Night Train can be bought with the cabinet or you can just buy the head and get a different cab.

Best thing to do is try a few out. I compared the Vox Lil Night Train to a Blackstar and a Fender Mustang and Fender Champ. In the end I took the Vox because I just preferred how it sounded at the volume that I'd use it at.

The Trademark 30 you can get some quite convincing sounds from. It does a decent clean, a marshall crunch and a mesa style full saturation sound but not a great improvement on what you've got.

An orange tiny terror .I must confess I havnt tried one yet but they get great reviews.i did own a Blackstar HT5 head running through an Eminence 105 cab .it was just plain fantastic for overdrive but lacked clean headroom through headphones .I am looking at both of these as I now use a Mustang 1 for practice and and love it .Cornell make some small great high end amps and the Princeton at 800 quid is a fine amp .

Yep sorry about the misleading thread title, I thought that high end practice amps would cost somewhere between 400 to 700 pounds but I was obviously wrong!

An orange tiny terror .I must confess I havnt tried one yet but they get great reviews.i did own a Blackstar HT5 head running through an Eminence 105 cab .it was just plain fantastic for overdrive but lacked clean headroom through headphones .I am looking at both of these as I now use a Mustang 1 for practice and and love it .Cornell make some small great high end amps and the Princeton at 800 quid is a fine amp .

The thing is I've got to buy a cabinet for the tiny terror haven't I? I wouldn't know where to start..

Give me anything...

I love to play.. that's where I find enjoyment. Plugging into a amp, little whiskey glass full of my favorite drink, and playing the guitar.

what does a silver face Champ or Vibro Champ run in your neck of the woods? 5 watts, PTP wired, says Fender on the front. They run about $300 used here so they should be in your price range. Also the Gibson GA-5 if you can find one. I have one & with a Holy Grail in front of it, it gets about 95% of the way to the Swart.

Or save your pennies and buy a Swart. Their 5-watter with reverb is the most delicious little amp I've ever played.

I have a VHT Special 6 that I think is great, and cheap. There is an Ultra version with more gain, but you may not need that. They sell both combos and heads - I have the head. It has a 6 watt setting and a 2 watt setting

I play mine through a nice 1x12 open back cab with a Celestion G12H30. It sounds terrific. I also have an Emery Micro Baby - a high end 2 watt amp that sounds amazing when you turn it up - but the VHT is actually better for a nice 3D clean sound.

I have a VHT Special 6 that I think is great, and cheap. There is an Ultra version with more gain, but you may not need that. They sell both combos and heads - I have the head. It has a 6 watt setting and a 2 watt setting

I play mine through a nice 1x12 open back cab with a Celestion G12H30. It sounds terrific. I also have an Emery Micro Baby - a high end 2 watt amp that sounds amazing when you turn it up - but the VHT is actually better for a nice 3D clean sound.

Do you mean this one?

http://www.thomann.de/gr/vht_avsp6h_special_6_allvalve.htm

I own the Tiny Terror and based on your criteria of volume restricted home playing without distortion the TT is the opposite end of what I would look at. With the Orange 1x12 cab mine is a very loud, classic rock crunch machine that cuts through any mix. I play in a band with another guitar and keyboard and they often tell me to turn down.

I had the Fender 65 Princeton RI for about a year and that was beautiful amp for me. Classic Fender tone and if I wanted crunch/distortion I would us a pedal.

I would consider "high-end" to mean anything over $1,500 USD. If that's beyond your means, then I'd say you're not looking at or meaning "high-end" but rather something middling. Since that's the case, it's hard to argue with a 5w tube amp of some sort.

Do you mean this one?

http://www.thomann.de/gr/vht_avsp6h_special_6_allvalve.htm

That's the one. Great amp with a nice full sound at 6 watts. The low power setting isn't quite as inspiring, but still nice. It also has a pull boost function, which you may not need.

As I said, I have the head and a small cab, but the combo is also supposed to be very nice.

I own the Tiny Terror and based on your criteria of volume restricted home playing without distortion the TT is the opposite end of what I would look at. With the Orange 1x12 cab mine is a very loud, classic rock crunch machine that cuts through any mix. I play in a band with another guitar and keyboard and they often tell me to turn down.

I had the Fender 65 Princeton RI for about a year and that was beautiful amp for me. Classic Fender tone and if I wanted crunch/distortion I would us a pedal.

Thanks for the Tiny Terror info, can you play the Princeton at low volumes?

can you play the Princeton at low volumes?

For a 15W amp it does start at quite a low volume actually and sounds great. I had one for a while, wouldn't mind another.

Among other amps, I have a Vox VT15. It's okay...but I'm trying to get rid of it. There is a really annoying thing that happens on certain models. The (non user controllable) noise reduction really starts to cut in/out on naturally decaying notes. It's especially bad on single coils in non-hum cancelling pickup positions, IMO. It's not unique to Vox modellers. It happens to some extent on all of them. It's just that you can't turn off or adjust the NR in the Vox. Once you notice it...you can never stop noticing it. For that reason alone, I think you can do much better. Try a plain old solid state Vox like the Pathfinder. The Tech 21 you mentioned is great. Loads of great solid state (not digital) amps in the smaller wattage realm for practice.

I have a VHT Special 6 that I think is great, and cheap. There is an Ultra version with more gain, but you may not need that. They sell both combos and heads - I have the head. It has a 6 watt setting and a 2 watt setting

I play mine through a nice 1x12 open back cab with a Celestion G12H30. It sounds terrific. I also have an Emery Micro Baby - a high end 2 watt amp that sounds amazing when you turn it up - but the VHT is actually better for a nice 3D clean sound.

This.

Or a Blackstar HT1? Doesn't sound as good, but is well built and oh-so-cute...

Among other amps, I have a Vox VT15. It's okay...but I'm trying to get rid of it. There is a really annoying thing that happens on certain models. The (non user controllable) noise reduction really starts to cut in/out on naturally decaying notes. It's especially bad on single coils in non-hum cancelling pickup positions, IMO. It's not unique to Vox modellers. It happens to some extent on all of them. It's just that you can't turn off or adjust the NR in the Vox. Once you notice it...you can never stop noticing it. For that reason alone, I think you can do much better. Try a plain old solid state Vox like the Pathfinder. The Tech 21 you mentioned is great. Loads of great solid state (not digital) amps in the smaller wattage realm for practice.

I haven't had that problem with my Vox to be honest,there is a used Tech 21 30 going locally for 250 euro do you think it would be a big improvement over the Vox?

I haven't had that problem with my Vox to be honest,there is a used Tech 21 30 going locally for 250 euro do you think it would be a big improvement over the Vox?

Give the Tech21 a go.
I don't have the TM30 but the TM60, and I love it. I also have their TRI-A.C. preamp stomp box (wich is discountinued, but probably you can find them cheap used, 'cause people tend to use it as a distortion box in front of a tube amp, and they get disapointed, not the pedal's fault, it wasn't intended to use that way), wich I use with active speakers, computer speakers and what not, with very good results. It's finnicky, needs a lot of tweaking, but the sound is there if you care to dig it up.

The Tech21 stuff is fully analogue, not digital modelling. I also have a Microcube, which I love, but if I compare it to what I can achive with the TM60 or the TRI-A.C. , it is just no contest.

I recently tested an also suggested boutique gem, the Cornell Romany, and it was fantastic. But pricey, and was way too loud for an appartment application where you intend to use it. (The power attenuators don't work for me, though I only tested it on the Romany and the VoxAc4Tv) And I tested it in Budapest, where we mostly live in half meter thick brick walled apartments built a good 100 years ago.

I tried the appartment - tube amp thing quite a few times, but never really achieved the quality of tones I got with the Tech21's.

Check out their Character series pedals if you care to look over the amp thing, the new series comes with switchable speaker sim option that allows you to easily use them as a stomp box or a preamp.

What the hell, you did say high end.
Have a look at Swart amps, 5 watts of goodness

Sent from my iPad using TDPRI

looking at local ads just found a Vox AC15 C1 greenback, have read a few good posts, the list is getting bigger now...

Any opinions on the Vox AC15 C1 greenback?

Pick up one of the new Excelsior amps by Fender.
Low cost, all tube, great tone.

Pick up one of the new Excelsior amps by Fender.
Low cost, all tube, great tone.

http://images5.thomann.de/pics/prod/276639.jpg

First time I've heard about it, looks very interesting have you played one?

*edit

I've been reading about it on this thread

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/amp-central-station/321370-fender-excelsior-anybody-got-one-yet.html

The Vox Valvetronix are amongst the best of the modelling amps even though they are relatively cheap, you will be hard pressed to get better sounds out of an SS practice amp than your VT15.

Personally my choice of "practice" amp is my Laney Lionheart L5T-112, followed by my giggable Vox AD30VT then my tiny Cube20X. I have other amps but they tend to be on the big and noisy side for practising.

Why the L5T? - it sounds great, it is a 5W full-size full-function 2-channel combo, it does everything clean or dirty, from mousefart to too loud at half the volume of a 50W combo running at 11... (imho avoid the other Lionheart models because once you get more than one output bottle you need to go p-p to sound right)

If you only play clean you might consider a Princeton non-reverb. Clean just about all the way up. I had one I loved that would just start to break up at about 9. 12Watts, 10 inch speaker with nice bias vary tremolo. Sounds great at lower volumes and can be had for about 1/4 to 1/3 less than a Princeton Reverb. I've seen them sell for as little as 400.00 (U.S. dollars) on Craigslist here in the states. A silverface can be had for under 600.00 (U.S.dollars) all day long.

The Vox Valvetronix are amongst the best of the modelling amps even though they are relatively cheap, you will be hard pressed to get better sounds out of an SS practice amp than your VT15.

Personally my choice of "practice" amp is my Laney Lionheart L5T-112, followed by my giggable Vox AD30VT then my tiny Cube20X. I have other amps but they tend to be on the big and noisy side for practising.

Why the L5T? - it sounds great, it is a 5W full-size full-function 2-channel combo, it does everything clean or dirty, from mousefart to too loud at half the volume of a 50W combo running at 11... (imho avoid the other Lionheart models because once you get more than one output bottle you need to go p-p to sound right)

Thanks for your post, I cant say I dont like my VT15 I actually like it very much, I just feel I might be missing out on something, I'm going to go and try the VOX AC15C1 tomorrow which apparently is an all valve amp that can also be played at low volume so I will see.

But the Laney Lionheart L5T-112 looks very interesting indeed! Thomman has one for 675 euro new, the vox I'm checking out tomorrow is 2 months old used at 400 euro, how would you compare them?

If you only play clean you might consider a Princeton non-reverb. Clean just about all the way up. I had one I loved that would just start to break up at about 9. 12Watts, 10 inch speaker with nice bias vary tremolo. Sounds great at lower volumes and can be had for about 1/4 to 1/3 less than a Princeton Reverb. I've seen them sell for as little as 400.00 (U.S. dollars) on Craigslist here in the states. A silverface can be had for under 600.00 (U.S.dollars) all day long.

Thanks for that, Ill be on the look out for a used one to try it.

I'm going to go and try the VOX AC15C1 tomorrow which apparently is an all valve amp that can also be played at low volume so I will see.

The AC-15 is an awesome amp, but it's not designed for clean headroom. Give it a try, but be sure you turn it up a bit and see if you like it.

Laney Lionheart L5T, 5 watts of pure awesomeness... does all the classic British valve tones and then some!

http://cachepe.zzounds.com/media/quality,85/L5T-112_front-587fefa94cf04562453afb2727e4cdb1.jpg

£499 (GAK)

I only play at home (cant play loud)
I only play clean with a bit of reverb (not interested in distortion)
Only play single coil.

I'm a little biased, no pun intended, but when I read the above, I couldn't help but to think Silverface Champ. We all talk about how great Champs sound when they're cranked or pushed, but I think they have a really great clean sound too. Even better through a larger speaker. BTW, those Vic 5112s are sweet amps. Love em. You can get a SF Champ for a really good price (there's one for sale in the TDPRI classifieds for $325 US), and the only thing better than "high end" is vintage. You can't beat the real thing. I play my Esquire through my SF Vibro Champ w/10" speaker almost exclusively, and I am constantly amazed at the tone. Even takes pedals really well if I can't crank it. Good luck!

Recommendations depend on tonal preferences. For me it's all about Fender clean tube tone as a foundation - with reverb. Based on that, my first pick is probably a Princeton Reverb (probably a gently used reissue for your price range). I have a PRRI and think it sounds great at low volumes as well as at louder settings. Deep full classic Fender BF tone with great reverb and trem. Obviously a pedal like a Bad Monkey or similar is necessary for overdriven tone @ low volumes. Very versatile amp IMO. My second pick is some sort of Champ - probably a SF Champ or Vibrochamp + a good reverb pedal. Figure in the cost of servicing/recapping unless you are absolutely sure it's been done fairly recently.

Obviously if you prefer British tone, etc. the recommendations would be different.

I'm not sure how loud you can play at home but even 5 Watts (valve) is REALLY loud. A Vox AC15 is fantastic but it'll blow your roof off...lol

You can't beat a good Fender clean sound so why not try a Super Champ x2. It's in your budget and there's more than enough variations of the Fender tone to keep you interested.

Recommendations depend on tonal preferences. For me it's all about Fender clean tube tone as a foundation - with reverb. Based on that, my first pick is probably a Princeton Reverb (probably a gently used reissue for your price range). I have a PRRI and think it sounds great at low volumes as well as at louder settings. Deep full classic Fender BF tone with great reverb and trem. Obviously a pedal like a Bad Monkey or similar is necessary for overdriven tone @ low volumes. Very versatile amp IMO. My second pick is some sort of Champ - probably a SF Champ or Vibrochamp + a good reverb pedal. Figure in the cost of servicing/recapping unless you are absolutely sure it's been done fairly recently.

Obviously if you prefer British tone, etc. the recommendations would be different.


Sorry yes I looking for the vintage US fender tone. I will mainly be playing 2 Strats with it, an AVRI 57 and an AVRI62.

I'm not sure how loud you can play at home but even 5 Watts (valve) is REALLY loud. A Vox AC15 is fantastic but it'll blow your roof off...lol

You can't beat a good Fender clean sound so why not try a Super Champ x2. It's in your budget and there's more than enough variations of the Fender tone to keep you interested.

I read somewhere that it has a master volume so you can play it at low volumes or did I get that wrong?

So after reading all your post I think I should be looking for


Fender Super Champ x2 360euro new

Fender Princeton Reverb 1100euro new

Fender Silver Face Champ cant find price

Fender Vibrochamp cant find price

Laney Lionheart L5T 700 euro new

The Fender Super Champ x2 is certainly the cheapest of the lot, I wonder if I should just go for that.

I forgot to mention I will be mainly playing an AVRI57 Strat and an AVRI62 Strat through it, so I'm looking for a vintage sounding amp.

edit need to add one more to the list

Bogner Alchemist 212 Combo

I just got the Fender Excelsior, and its a really great sounding amp. As far as smaller amps go, I have a Princeton Reverb, a little Kustom SS, and also a Champion 600. You can definitely use any Fender tube amps at low volumes and they will sound great. I have to say that the Fender Excelsior does have that older, vintage sound to it. It is not a scooped Blackface sound,it has a little more midrange in there, like the older Valco and Ampegs used to have. Currently having no interest in my other amps, so I guess I'm in what they call the "honeymoon" phase. But I like it a lot.:lol:

UK built high quality studio amps....

Cornell Romany
Cornell Plexi 7
Matamp Minimat
Cornford Harlequin MK1
Laney Lionheart

looking at local ads just found a Vox AC15 C1 greenback, have read a few good posts, the list is getting bigger now...

Any opinions on the Vox AC15 C1 greenback?

I have one of these - great amp, but pretty loud and very heavy. Excels at semi-overdriven tones. May be more than you need, but lots of fun.

I have one of these - great amp, but pretty loud and very heavy. Excels at semi-overdriven tones. May be more than you need, but lots of fun.

Can you play it at bedroom volume?

The Vox Valvetronix are amongst the best of the modelling amps even though they are relatively cheap, you will be hard pressed to get better sounds out of an SS practice amp than your VT15.

Personally my choice of "practice" amp is my Laney Lionheart L5T-112, followed by my giggable Vox AD30VT then my tiny Cube20X. I have other amps but they tend to be on the big and noisy side for practising.

Why the L5T? - it sounds great, it is a 5W full-size full-function 2-channel combo, it does everything clean or dirty, from mousefart to too loud at half the volume of a 50W combo running at 11... (imho avoid the other Lionheart models because once you get more than one output bottle you need to go p-p to sound right)


This !

If you can't play loud, as in band rehearsal loud with drummer, your 15VT should be a great little practice amp. My chrome front VOX AD15VT is very tubey sounding and versatile.

My Peavey Delta Blues is not being used because the VOX AD15VT , again, I'm talking about the older version with the chrome front, just works better for low volume practicing with drum machine and midi Keyboards.

If your VOX VT15 is the newest version, I've read they don't sound as good,
but I don't know as I haven't heard one.

This !

If you can't play loud, as in band rehearsal loud with drummer, your 15VT should be a great little practice amp. My chrome front VOX AD15VT is very tubey sounding and versatile.

My Peavey Delta Blues is not being used because the VOX AD15VT , again, I'm talking about the older version with the chrome front, just works better for low volume practicing with drum machine and midi Keyboards.

If your VOX VT15 is the newest version, I've read they don't sound as good,
but I don't know as I haven't heard one.

My vox vt has a goldish chrome front if that's what you mean, I love the way it sounds, I just think that something might be wrong playing a 1800 euro guitar with a 150 euro amp thats all.

The modeling amps I like are the

Tweed 4x10 combo 1959
Deluxe tweed 1x12 hand wired tube combo
Super 4x10 1963 1968

This is my favorite setting

http://img576.imageshack.us/img576/2241/74843177.jpg

I dont know if there is such a thing, I'm playing my AVRI through a VOV vt15 modeling amp at the moment and I was wondering if I should be playing such a fine instrument through a better amp?

So I am currently using the Vox vt 15 modeling amp.

I only play at home (cant play loud)
I only play clean with a bit of reverb (not interested in distortion)
Only play single coil.

I dont know anything about amps, I did a little Googgling and am now considering the:

1,Tech 21 Trademark 30
2,Blackstar HT-5C Combo
There is also a used Victoria 5112 on sale locally but is to expensive really, 800 euro.

Would you recommend one over the other? will either be an improvement over the VOX VT 15

Would you recommend any others?

Thanks in advance

If you are in the UK I would hunt down a used Award Sessionette 75. Great amps from what I heard.

The Laney L5T-112 will do Fender, Vox and Marshal sounds, and Laney ones too.

What you don't get is the lush OTT Fender reverb, what you do get is a full-size reverb tank that adds a sensible room fill without washing out. This is a typical British reverb.

The L5T will gig even with a drummer and jazz horn section, but only up to a small room size, it can go too loud for home use, or dead quiet even on the drive channel. It really is a does-everything amp, there are few of those. I quite often see these for sale second hand.

My Valvetronix AD30VT can gig with a loudish* band incl rock drummer but it also can go very quiet for practice although imo the headphone output is not high enough (I use AKG studio cans but domestic type may be louder). The amp has to be cranked right up unless I use a headphone amp (PV Microbass). * for comparison I can however drown the same entire band out with my Epi BC30 2x12 6L6GC valve amp. Of possible interest I have replaced the AD30VT Vox speaker with a Celestion G10-30 Greenback, nice!

My little Cube20X gets to go on vacation with me.

Surely this must be considered a hi end Practice amp?

Vox AC4HW

valve, handwired, 2x 12AX7 and 1x EL84, 4W class A, hot/cool-switch, 1x 12" Celestion G12M Greenback speaker.

800 euro

double post

My vox vt has a goldish chrome front if that's what you mean, I love the way it sounds, I just think that something might be wrong playing a 1800 euro guitar with a 150 euro amp thats all.




Yours is the newer version, with the 22 amp models, opposed to the earlier version with 11. I didn't know they came with the goldish chrome.

Again, I haven't heard the newer one, just going off of hearsay from various forums.
I wouldn't worry about the price spread between your amp and guitar as the determining factor. I'm sure there's some high dollar little amps and other low dollar amps out that would be a good match. The smaller Mesa Boogies are sure nice for a higher dollar amp.

Bought the VHT special 6 Ultra today (£195 through Dawsons), really impressed with it. Rehearsed with the band at a local venure which takes up to 250 people, plenty of volume. Seems to be louder than my Laney LC15 and similar volume to my Peavey 70 watt SS amp. Still sounds good at low volumes. Don't think it has a headphone output, which may be important to you. I had a look at the Laney Lionheart L5, really nice, and again louder than I was expecting, but I could not justify spending quite so much as I intend to buy an electric 12 string in the near future.

Yours is the newer version, with the 22 amp models, opposed to the earlier version with 11. I didn't know they came with the goldish chrome.

Again, I haven't heard the newer one, so they may be of same sound quality.

I wouldn't worry about the price spread between your amp and guitar as the determining factor. I'm sure there's some high dollar little amps out that would be a good match. The smaller Mesa Boogies are sure nice.

I've just been reading about this one, Vox AC4HW, handwired,4w tube, 12" Celestion Greenback speaker.There are sooo many amps out there I'm lost at the moment...

Bought the VHT special 6 Ultra today (£195 through Dawsons), really impressed with it. Rehearsed with the band at a local venure which takes up to 250 people, plenty of volume. Seems to be louder than my Laney LC15 and similar volume to my Peavey 70 watt SS amp. Still sounds good at low volumes. Don't think it has a headphone output, which may be important to you. I had a look at the Laney Lionheart L5, really nice, and again louder than I was expecting, but I could not justify spending quite so much as I intend to buy an electric 12 string in the near future.

Thats interesting thanks, no I dont like playing with headphones anyway.

I've just been reading about this one, Vox AC4HW, handwired,4w tube, 12" Celestion Greenback speaker.There are sooo many amps out there I'm lost at the moment...

The Laney L5T does a pretty good AC30 impersonation, not hand wired but is Made in England, and it has a Heritage G12H-30 55Hz. Now Greenbacks are nice, I've got them in my BC30, but the extra bass response of the 55Hz G12H-30 is better for low volume playing. Plus it is in a full size 46-lb combo case which helps it project well. The EL84 is a funny little valve, we call it 5W single-ended but it is a 5.7 watt bottle that can easily be pushed to over 7 watts (Wa=12W) which may explain why the L5T is quite loud. The OT in the L5T comes from their LC30 4xEL84 amp, it is a nice big beastie made by Skot in Malvern Worcs

The Laney L5T does a pretty good AC30 impersonation, not hand wired but is Made in England, and it has a Heritage G12H-30 55Hz. Now Greenbacks are nice, I've got them in my BC30, but the extra bass response of the 55Hz G12H-30 is better for low volume playing. Plus it is in a full size 46-lb combo case which helps it project well. The EL84 is a funny little valve, we call it 5W single-ended but it is a 5.7 watt bottle that can easily be pushed to over 7 watts (Wa=12W) which may explain why the L5T is quite loud. The OT in the L5T comes from their LC30 4xEL84 amp, it is a nice big beastie made by Skot in Malvern Worcs

Apparently the Vox also uses EL84,"2x 12AX7 and 1x EL84". But 800 euro seems too expensive I would rather get the L5T.

Then again there is a cheaper version for just 215 euro

Vox AC4TV Guitar Combo - valve, 1x 12AX7 & 1x EL84, 4W, switchable output levels (4W, 1W 1/4W), 1x 10" 16ohm Celestion VX10 custom speaker.

I've only heard good things about the Laney L5T, will it give me that clean fender vintage sound I wonder

A Fender Musicmaster Bass Amp is 12 watts like the non verb Princeton and is a great amp that sells used in the 300 dollar range. Makes a nice guitar amp. A cap job is easy to do on these and the caps only cost about 22 dollars US. Comes in a 6v6 version and a 6aQ5 version. I did a cap job on mine easy to do and put in a better speaker. I find that a EQ pedal helps with the tone control for more variety and acts like a boost too.

Pre amp: 12AX7
Power: 2 x 6AQ5 (7 pin minature pentode) or 2 x 6V6

Bias: Cathode Biased
Rectifier: Solid State

Check the Amp Owners Club section for any amp your looking at including this one.

Here is for the MMB amp

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/amp-owners-clubs/184799-music-master-bass-amp-mafia.html

Surely this must be considered a hi end Practice amp?

Vox AC4HW

valve, handwired, 2x 12AX7 and 1x EL84, 4W class A, hot/cool-switch, 1x 12" Celestion G12M Greenback speaker.

800 euro

Wow, for sure. I'd forgotten they release that amp. Still a loud amp at 4w. But you'll be keeping the volume down so you'll get a fantastic clean tone.

Of all the amps mentioned in this thread, that would be the one I'd go for. Proper mans amp!:wink:

Apparently the Vox also uses EL84,"2x 12AX7 and 1x EL84". But 800 euro seems too expensive I would rather get the L5T.

Then again there is a cheaper version for just 215 euro

Vox AC4TV Guitar Combo - valve, 1x 12AX7 & 1x EL84, 4W, switchable output levels (4W, 1W 1/4W), 1x 10" 16ohm Celestion VX10 custom speaker.

I've only heard good things about the Laney L5T, will it give me that clean fender vintage sound I wonder

The L5T, which has a reversed "top-cut" post-"PI" tone control, will knock the socks off an AC4, or AC15 for that matter. With this tone control adjusted you cross from Vox to Fender cleans, with a lot of headroom. The AC4 is a dumbed-down version of the AC15, and the AC15 only sounds like an AC15 (nice but sometimes you want something else).

The L5T drive channel (it has 2-channel switching) plays a cunning trick with the bias of V2 so we get a variable version of the Fender BJ "fat" switch. It knocks the socks off a BJr too, I sent my BJ back because the L5T did it better. So you can go from Fender hot-rod drive to Marshall growl - Laney black-art.

The Heritage G12H-30 55Hz is a top-end Celestion and the big box lets it thump as it should. It's a tighter speaker than the Greenback, very well defined and a good substitute for the equally pricey G12-15 Alnico Blue.

It is the only amp I have that never needed modification. It doesn't need any half power settings because you can use the volume controls all the way down. The only things to change are the Chinese TAD valves. 1xEL84 3xECC83.

You need to try one out.
Do move the controls to extreme settings to discover its range.

The L5T, which has a reversed "top-cut" post-"PI" tone control, will knock the socks off an AC4, or AC15 for that matter. With this tone control adjusted you cross from Vox to Fender cleans, with a lot of headroom. The AC4 is a dumbed-down version of the AC15, and the AC15 only sounds like an AC15 (nice but sometimes you want something else).

You need to try one out.


Hey jefrs,

Those few bold statements really caught my attention, unlike Laney Amps. I have no idea why, but Laney have never registered on my amp radar but after reading your post I looked at them in more detail and checked out a few YouTube sound clips. They really do look interesting. I'd like to demo one.

Thanks for flying the flag.

Surely this must be considered a hi end Practice amp?

Vox AC4HW

valve, handwired, 2x 12AX7 and 1x EL84, 4W class A, hot/cool-switch, 1x 12" Celestion G12M Greenback speaker.

800 euro

Haven't played this one, but I've tried an AC4 (not HW). I plugged it into a 2x12 cab. Not much clean headroom - these break up pretty early. Have you checked out the 6 watt Reeves Amp? Reeves makes Hiwatt style amps. I've always wanted to try one.

Surely this must be considered a hi end Practice amp?

Vox AC4HW

valve, handwired, 2x 12AX7 and 1x EL84, 4W class A, hot/cool-switch, 1x 12" Celestion G12M Greenback speaker.

800 euro

It is a very nice little amp, however, it is still very loud. Remember that low wattage does NOT necessarily mean less volume. This little guy is great, but has very little clean headroom, and given the room to stretch out, it will be loud :) If you are playing at conversational levels, you should be able to get a nice clean tone.

How about a used DRRI?

A fender pro jr with a new eminence speaker.

The L5T, which has a reversed "top-cut" post-"PI" tone control, will knock the socks off an AC4, or AC15 for that matter. With this tone control adjusted you cross from Vox to Fender cleans, with a lot of headroom. The AC4 is a dumbed-down version of the AC15, and the AC15 only sounds like an AC15 (nice but sometimes you want something else).

The L5T drive channel (it has 2-channel switching) plays a cunning trick with the bias of V2 so we get a variable version of the Fender BJ "fat" switch. It knocks the socks off a BJr too, I sent my BJ back because the L5T did it better. So you can go from Fender hot-rod drive to Marshall growl - Laney black-art.

The Heritage G12H-30 55Hz is a top-end Celestion and the big box lets it thump as it should. It's a tighter speaker than the Greenback, very well defined and a good substitute for the equally pricey G12-15 Alnico Blue.

It is the only amp I have that never needed modification. It doesn't need any half power settings because you can use the volume controls all the way down. The only things to change are the Chinese TAD valves. 1xEL84 3xECC83.

You need to try one out.
Do move the controls to extreme settings to discover its range.

Thanks very much for that post, in fact thanks to everybody who posted lots of very helpful info.

I think I'd like to get either the Laney Lion heart or the VHT Special 6, massive price difference I would like to hear them fist but for now all I can do is listen to a few demos on You Tube through my home cinema amp. Tech 21 30 is also lingering but its not a tube so that's putting me of bit.

I don't think it get's much better than an Allen Chihuahua for high end practice amp.
Swart is good, and obviously vinatge Fender. Princeton (non reverb) is my top choice for practice home amp, all clean! I guess it all depends on if you need or want reverb and trem.

If I had the money I'd strongly consider a nice full bodied tweed amp, with the new strymon flint pedal for great verb and trem.

Hey jefrs,

Those few bold statements really caught my attention, unlike Laney Amps. I have no idea why, but Laney have never registered on my amp radar...

I've used several Laney amps throughout the years, a really great 100 watt VH head, a so and so SS 50 watt for practice and home, and a VC with 10" combo for recording and home. These kind of just dropped in my lap,the head I found in a pawn shop on tour(saving my ass) but they were all remarkable in their performance, quality, and sound. There is a distinct chime that is really different from Fender, which was great to work with. A lot of colour. But it was the way the amps broke up, or started to break up, that kept my attention. There's a certain girth in there, that has some great mid range overtones, along with that chime I mentioned, its like a full spectrum thing without sounding processed. I feel large just thinking about that 100 watt head.

Apparently the Vox also uses EL84,"2x 12AX7 and 1x EL84". But 800 euro seems too expensive I would rather get the L5T.

Then again there is a cheaper version for just 215 euro

Vox AC4TV Guitar Combo - valve, 1x 12AX7 & 1x EL84, 4W, switchable output levels (4W, 1W 1/4W), 1x 10" 16ohm Celestion VX10 custom speaker.

I've only heard good things about the Laney L5T, will it give me that clean fender vintage sound I wonder

I wouldn't choose an AC4TV for clean tones. These break up very early.

The VHT Special 6 (and Ultra) are Fender voiced all the way. Blackface tones run normally, tweedy with the boost engaged. You might want to go for the Ultra if volume is a concern as it has an attenuator. My vanilla Special 6 sounds fantastic but is LOUD for a 6 watter even clean. You don't have to use the Ultra (drive) channel and fx loop.

I wouldn't choose an AC4TV for clean tones. These break up very early.

The VHT Special 6 (and Ultra) are Fender voiced all the way. Blackface tones run normally, tweedy with the boost engaged. You might want to go for the Ultra if volume is a concern as it has an attenuator. My vanilla Special 6 sounds fantastic but is LOUD for a 6 watter even clean. You don't have to use the Ultra (drive) channel and fx loop.

That Special 6 is such a bargain isnt it? I read somewhere that the cleans arent as nice on the Ultra have you heard this? I'm definitely looking for classic fender vintage cleans.

So the special 6 is too loud for low practice level volumes is it?

On the other hand the Lionheart is much more expensive but all the demos I've heard on the net sound amazing.

You can use the triode/pentode switch to calm things down but the amp loses some sparkle. I always seem to have the tone control on full in triode mode even with a strat. Really it depends on your definition of low volume.

Ironically enough, for really low volume practice I use a Vox VT40+ on its BF Twin model with the "power level" turned way down :shock:

Of all the amps you listed above i'd have bit the bullet on the Victoria 5112, otherwise i'd be inclined to buy a Marsh amp kit and make something similar - a 5F1 Fender Champ (w/ 10" speaker) tweed style amp... US$600-ish to your door, a very basic project, wonderful cleans at low volume, and 5W isn't going to cause a neighbourhood fallout.

VHT Special 6. $225 and hand wired. Best bang for the buck out there. It would be a great amp at twice the price.