Family and amps

I have a tweed Champ, it can be tamed a bit by running a 12at7 using the 2nd input, and rolling down the guitar. But I find a small SS amp or a multi efx w/ HP's to be more useful when you really need to keep a lid on.I have a little Ibanez that get a lot of use, as well as a Boss ME-30. A Champ is a useful too, but may not be exactly the tool you need at this time.

 

I have a home built Champish amp and a homebuilt Princeton, both have master volume controls and speaker attenuators...not a perfect way to get the best out of them but it works fine for home use and with a slight od boost pedal they sound great to my old ears...plus if I take them out to play, I just crank the master as well as the attenuator and those things disappear...using both of those things in concert with a dirt pedal means neither are used to extremes...I can get good tones that are not heard outside of the room I’m in...I’ve also ordered an 8” speaker to try replaceing the 12” that’s currently in there...

 

I really dont think even a small amp will work at home if you want to play much. Whether you play a Champ or a Twin, it's gonna be too loud 2 rooms away. The only answer is likely headphones.

 

I play my Blackstar HT-1R almost everyday. It's a great little practice amp and the tone is decent even at super low volume. I play quiet enough that my wife can read in the same room and not be bothered.

 

That's a good wife, not a good amp! Hell, Most people wouldn't want someone playing acoustic in the same room while trying to read!

 

Something with a headphone out, then a nice set of headphones. Something with an AUX in would be beneficial as well: plug in your mp3 player and jam, baby! A Fender Mustang III/GT ______ fits the bill nicely.

 

I'd go with a Super Champ Xd/X2. 15 watts, 10" speaker, decent modelling and effects. Turn in down and model whatever amp you want.
A friend of mine who is a monster guitar player uses one in a top notch GB band mic'd into the PA and sounds great.

 

OP don’t sell anything that you currently love. Take the loud gear your own, wrap it up in a big yard waste garbage bag. If you have the room, put it up high and dry for 15 years.

Life goes on. Kids grow up. 15 years will go by very fast. Next thing you know you’re playing that MM amp again and grinning every time you turn it on.

I’ve been there. My kids are now soon to be 20 and 22. I changed things up when they were young. I bought a classical guitar and learned the likes of Fur Elise and several other classics. I sat on their beds and played them to sleep often. I picked up new finger picking techniques I would otherwise likely never learned.

Today I still have my electric guitar that was put aside. Today I’m gigging again. My sons are rarely around the house now.

If you want to keep playing electric guitar a Champ or Vibro Champ is not very quiet. I currently do own a Katana 50W, along with my tube amps. The Kat 50 is a good solution for low volume, even headphone playing. I must admit tho, regular headphone use will cause hearing loss. Been there, damaged my hearing too.

 

champ amp = peace in the family

 

I came in to say Fender Greta. Perfect family man's amp.

1. Looks cool enough that the wife hasn't banished it to the garage.
2. Nice tube tone at very low volume
3. Ability to sound bigger when needed - just run it through a nice cab

 

The recommendations for the Marshall Origin 20 or the Orange Rocker 15 that both have the attenuation down to .5w are good ones if you want to stick with tubes. Katana with the .5w setting is probably a good bet too.

I have a Rocker 15 and a THR5... the rocker 15 at .5w is seriously quiet and still a lot more fun to play than the THR. They are in the same ballpark, the THR gets pretty loud too, and might have the capability to get louder than the Rocker if you restrict the Rocker to .5w.

I play in the finished basement, if you stand on the first floor right above where I play you can't hear me playing at .5w. You maybe can at 1w. Depends on where the volume is set and the tone it's set up for.

.5w is seriously quiet. Quieter than an acoustic guitar. To the point you can get annoyed by the sound of your pick hitting the strings, or tiny buzzes in the frets that you shouldn't be worried about.

The advantage of a Tube amp with attenuation is there are ALWAYS going to be times you turn out to be the only one home and you can turn the volume up.

I let my son plug his Alesis drum kit into my THR5... he is quite loud even through the THR.

So if you already have a loud amp you could go get a cheap low power thing, or you could sell the loud amp and get a modern amp that does both.

 

Quiet little solid state amps with headphone jacks at home; big ass tube amps at single friends' houses.

But make sure you play a lot within ear shot of your kids. They need to hear you having fun with music. My mother learned to play guitar when I was young. I went to sleep every night to the sound of her practicing in the living room. Those early Noad etudes are womb tones to me.

 

I have a Mustang I that I got used for $60, which I use as a headphone amp and low-volume practice amp. The Fuse software is great, and I set up a dozen or so different sounds that are set on the amp. Love it, for this purpose. It's right in the family room, so I can practice silently and not be apart from everyone.

I have a Princeton Reverb in the basement, which I can play and not bother anyone. I don't need to crank it. Normal mid-volume is a good compromise.

I have a Vox AC15 that I gig with. When nobody is home I crank it.

 

Please clarify. Is this a "My family makes a good excuse to go amp shopping" thread, or a "I need a good way to play quieter at night" thread?

If it's about amp shopping, go for it.

If it's about needing a less-loud option, I am really liking my Weber Mini-Mass attenuator.
https://www.tedweber.com/minimass
If you really need quiet, you can plug headphones into it.

 

My Mesa Studio 22 could be set to sound good at very low volume. Godzilla destroying Tokyo, no problem at whisper volume.

 

Another vote for the Greta if you like tubes and the wife doesn’t like ugly black boxes in the den.

Can be pretty quiet with the 4” internal speaker. If you want screaming gain at TV levels, a dirt pedal in front is useful.

 

I'm in the garage with my 5 watt Gries champ copy, pretty loud with a 12 inch speaker, playable only during daylight hours...

 

I have found a 5 watt amp ( AC4 ) to be about perfect for home practice, especially with a master volume. I live in a multi-level home and there are enough levels and corners between my music room and the kids rooms that I can get some practice in while the kids are going to bed.