AMP ADVICE

I can't speak on most of these but the AC15 is a great amp, but it comes in at a whopping 48 pounds. I replaced it with my DIY Deluxe which is 28 pounds and my rotator cuffs thank me!

 

Welcome. I’m pretty sure my DSL40cr weighs in at about 51 lbs.

 

Well, if you're considering an AC15, then consider an AC10. It's pretty much half the weight as almost as loud.

Reality look after your body first. That 58lb amp will still weigh the same in 30 years time. Screw your body up now and it will still be screwed in 30 years.

 

Avoid the Classic 30 then, they aren't terribly different sounding. Actually, avoid EL84 based amps....

 

Do You play mostly clean or overdriven? The AC15 is a heavyweight anything with Tubes that was designed over 40 years ago is going to be painful the next day. If I was doing it - no question - Used Super Champ. 15 Watts and some variety and will take an extension speaker if you're stuck in Texas too.
That's what I'd get, a Super Champ.

 

Have one, rehoused in a finished raw PRRI cab, with a Weber F150 12 in speaker. Weight is around 30 lb. If you replace the stock speaker (a VERY good idea), a Jensen Neo will keep the weight around 25 lb, and sound great. Before I rehoused mine, I installed a JBL D110F in it, weight was 32-35 lb, but the sound was killer. Rehoused.

Original cab with JBL.

 

What sort of music do you like playing? What sort of effects if any do you use? How much clean headroom do you need?

Amps like the Blues/Hotrod line and Chinese made Vox and Jet City amps are not dreadful, but are mainly made for entry sales. Not to say they can't be and aren't used to make good music. Even an AC15 is a big, loud amp. And - even in single speaker version it's over 40 lb.

The entry level amps from Crate, Fender, Marshall, Vox tend to be made with MDF boxes, lesser speakers and everything on PCBs which tends to make them a bit ordinary. They're heavy, yet a bit fragile and not really likely to live.

Do you have $500 plus your Crate? Or keeping your Crate and wanting to buy another amp?

 

I had a Jet City 20 for a while. It was not a bad amp for 250 bucks. I would not pay a lot for a Jet City, though.

I had a DSL40. It was a good amp, but heavy.

+1 on the AC10 comment. I have one now, and it's my favorite. I got rid of everything else.

 

Orange Rocker Terror/Dual Terror second hand + a decent 1x12" or 2x10" ply cab with neo speakers. If you get gigging, there may be a backline cab you can plug in to, saving you hoiking your cab.
Totally left field is the Hotone floor-amp range. Solid state can sound really good. They make one which combine Vox/Marshall flavours and one which is a fender tweed/Rectifier.
Roland Blues Cubes may offer a solution for you too.

 

I assume you play music associated with Warren Haynes since you mentioned him.
I would say go with a Peavey Classic 30 if you have to have tubes. It's a great workhorse of an amp and can be found used around $300 which would leave you enough cash to buy new tubes and perhaps an Eminence red,white and blues speaker.
Or a Roland blues cube is also a very good amp if you don't mind solid state.

 

I would go with either a VOX AC15 or Peavey Classic 30. Both great amps.

 

My feelings on amps after gettin' old:

Head and cab.
15w is too close to not quite loud enough and 30w is well past that despite them being kinda similar volumes.

Bonus feeling:
Orange makes nasty little screamers in almost every size shape and flavor that are better built than any or most in their general class. Got an AD30 and an OR15, and also a Soldano GTO two tube pedal that's supposed to be the dirty part of the SLO100.
The OR15 gets similar sounds to the Soldano.
The AD30 does not.

 

If you loved your Crate V50 Palomino 212 combo, then look for a used Crate V1512T. The V1512T is a Made in the USA (St. Louis Music) Class A, 15-watt, all tube amp, with a 12" Tone Tubby speaker, that sounds great!

Did I say it sounds great?

I happened upon a NOS, still-in-the-box, V1512T, at Steve's Music, in New York, years ago.

 

So do youprefer the more vintage amp sounds from those bands?
Or whatever modern amp sounds they might have used at times?
If vintage then maybe look at some 18w Marshall TMB variants like the H&K Tubemeister.

Bassbreaker might do it but I haven't tried them and generally aim a little higher in build quality and price.
Hobby/ kit built hand wired clone amps can be really good sound, build quality and value, more 18w TMB but also some Tweed clones like Super, Bandmaster, Pro.

 

Is that from the white tolex VC (vintage club) series?
Those are old now but maybe continued, I just stopped seeing them, and they were very good.

Reminds me that there are also lots of UK made smaller Laney heads and combos that do vintage nasty like the OP listed.

Of course along with the Bassbreaker there's the similar new old timey Marshall offerings, whatever those are called.
Been meaning to try them and the BB but gotta lotta amps already...

 

Are you looking for a bedroom amp to do double duty with a band?

 

I’d check out a new Fender GTX 50 Mustang modeling amp personally. 50w 1x12 that comes in at 19.5lb for $379.