/ Register

  1. Win a Broadcaster or one of 3 Teles! The annual Supporting Member Giveaway is on. To enter Click Here. To see all the prizes and full details Click Here. To view the thread about the giveaway Click Here.

I’m search of gorgeous cleans at TV volume...

Discussion in 'Glowing Bottle Tube Amp Forum' started by Tarnisher, Feb 24, 2021.

Tags:
Page 1 of 14
  1. Feb 24, 2021 #1
    Tarnisher

    Tarnisher Friend of Leo's Gold Supporter

    Posts:
    2,584
    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2008
    Location:
    Brooklyn
    I’ve decided that life is too short to wait until COVID allows me to put a band together again and resume gigging. But all my amps are just too loud for use in my apartment. I have some money saved from not going to concerts for a year, and I want to buy the best bedroom volume clean pedal platform I can afford.

    I’d prefer a head, as I already have cabs.

    I’m open to attenuation, although I haven’t been able to achieve what I’m after using my Weber Mini Mass.

    Life is also too short to live without tubes, so, good as they may be, I’m not interested in digital or solid state stuff.

    My current front runner is a Lil’ Dawg Prince.

    What else should I consider?
     
    Matt G, Maguchi, bcorig and 1 other person like this.
  2. Feb 24, 2021 #2
    Charlodius

    Charlodius Tele-Holic

    Age:
    53
    Posts:
    567
    Joined:
    Apr 6, 2019
    Location:
    Delaware
    65 PRRI or silverface champ.
     
    Maguchi, CJYoung520, Blister and 8 others like this.
  3. Feb 24, 2021 #3
    tele_savales

    tele_savales Tele-Holic Platinum Supporter

    Age:
    55
    Posts:
    954
    Joined:
    Apr 30, 2018
    Location:
    Brooklyn, Joey!
    I just built an AA764 Champ and it's perfect.
     
    Maguchi and Tarnisher like this.
  4. Feb 24, 2021 #4
    northernguitar

    northernguitar Friend of Leo's

    Posts:
    2,371
    Joined:
    Jan 18, 2009
    Location:
    North of Toronto
    Play what ever tube amp your heart desires through headphones. Record 'dat when it sounds sweet.

    [​IMG]

    torpedo-captorx
     
    Phrygian77, IMadeYouReadThis, RobSzat and 6 others like this.
  5. Feb 24, 2021 #5
    hdvades

    hdvades Tele-Holic Silver Supporter

    Age:
    60
    Posts:
    908
    Joined:
    Mar 6, 2016
    Location:
    Hudson Valley, NY
    Well since you're dead set on having tubes and want a head my best guess would be a Marshall DSL1H. Gorgeous cleans maybe maybe not but it clicks all your blocks. I have a 5F1 clone and it does not do what I'd consider TV volume so I don't see how that Prince would be any quieter. I also have a small boutique attenuator and imho all it does is muffle the sound. If you want a good attenuator be prepared to bigger bucks. I was going to suggest a Fender Deluxe Reverb Tone Master...
     
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2021
    Guitar_Lefty likes this.
  6. Feb 24, 2021 #6
    VintageSG

    VintageSG Friend of Leo's Ad Free Member

    Posts:
    4,463
    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2016
    Location:
    Yorkshire
    Pity solid state is out of the equation. The Hotone Nano heads sound really good.
    Valve-wise, Marshall, Randall, Hayden, Blackstar and Vox produce/have produced 1 Watt heads that sound pretty good. 1 Watt can still be too loud.
    5 Watts and the world opens up. The Laney Lionheart L5H is a 5 Watt recording amp with more features than you could shake a stick at before your arm got tired. Again, Marshall, Blackstar, Randall, Jet City, H&K and others offer pre-built, but if you're handy with an iron, build your own. Champs and similar are simple builds, and a simple amp built with top notch componentry sounds better than more complex circuits, to my cloth ears anyway. A Champ-a-like at TV volume is a real treat. Robrob offers micro versions of amps to build too.
    For 'off the shelf' though, the Laney is a strong contender.
     
    Zoot Zoot, Blister, Toneblueshawk and 4 others like this.
  7. Feb 24, 2021 #7
    Hoodster

    Hoodster Friend of Leo's

    Posts:
    2,384
    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2007
    Location:
    Oregon
    [​IMG]
     
    Scott79, darkwaters, wrathfuldeity and 4 others like this.
  8. Feb 24, 2021 #8
    41144

    41144 Tele-Afflicted

    Age:
    68
    Posts:
    1,899
    Joined:
    Sep 5, 2017
    Location:
    Brummagen
    Vox AC 15 Head. Master Volume and built-in attenuation, keep off (or at least go very steady) on the Top Boost.
     
    greenhornet and Tarnisher like this.
  9. Feb 24, 2021 #9
    David C

    David C Tele-Meister

    Age:
    65
    Posts:
    182
    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2020
    Location:
    Coraopolis, PA
    I was going to suggest the Fender Tone Master series as well. They have a built in attenuator, so bedroom volume is right on par. Unfortunately it doesn't check your other box, which is the head version. They are great amps and you would never know you were playing anything solid state.
     
    sleekpicker, Pcs264, iam4grace and 1 other person like this.
  10. Feb 24, 2021 #10
    maxvintage

    maxvintage Poster Extraordinaire

    Age:
    61
    Posts:
    5,352
    Joined:
    Mar 16, 2003
    Location:
    Arlington, VA
    I'M very confused about what you mean by "cleans."

    In my experience good guitar--cable--good amp means "gorgeous cleans," although I'm enough of a grammar nerd to point out that "cleans" is a verb
     
    BSG1, TokyoPortrait, P Thought and 1 other person like this.
  11. Feb 24, 2021 #11
    Informal

    Informal Tele-Afflicted

    Posts:
    1,393
    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2013
    Location:
    SoCal
    No kidding... The Spark is actually a KILLER sounding clean amp at low volumes (IMO)
     
    Zoot Zoot, Mango_Dave, gkmacdonald and 4 others like this.
  12. Feb 24, 2021 #12
    Tarnisher

    Tarnisher Friend of Leo's Gold Supporter

    Posts:
    2,584
    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2008
    Location:
    Brooklyn
    I really want to like the DSL1, but I’ve watched a ton of demo videos and the cleans just sound adequate. I’m sure I could make it work with a preamp, but I’d rather buy one thing that works.

    I’ve heard that the Princeton circuit does better with clean low volume. Figured I’d discuss with Jim at Li’l’ Dawg before ordering.
     
    BSG1 likes this.
  13. Feb 24, 2021 #13
    Tarnisher

    Tarnisher Friend of Leo's Gold Supporter

    Posts:
    2,584
    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2008
    Location:
    Brooklyn
    Oops- double post.
     
  14. Feb 24, 2021 #14
    Tarnisher

    Tarnisher Friend of Leo's Gold Supporter

    Posts:
    2,584
    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2008
    Location:
    Brooklyn
    I’ve been eyeing that one- love the look, and very curious about the low-wattage mode. There’s a shop here in town that carries them, so I might take a field trip.
     
    darkwaters and northernguitar like this.
  15. Feb 24, 2021 #15
    johnnylaw

    johnnylaw Tele-Afflicted

    Age:
    63
    Posts:
    1,670
    Joined:
    Apr 17, 2007
    Location:
    New England
    I keep a little Pignose under the end table next to the couch. No sarcasm, just check them out.
    The wife thinks its my cutest amp!
     
    Blister, BSG1, Seasicksailor and 2 others like this.
  16. Feb 24, 2021 #16
    schmee

    schmee Doctor of Teleocity

    Posts:
    14,721
    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2003
    Location:
    northwest
    Acoustic guitar. Nothing more gorgeous at that volume!
     
    howardlo, Ron C, Jay Jernigan and 13 others like this.
  17. Feb 24, 2021 #17
    Deathray

    Deathray Tele-Afflicted

    Age:
    56
    Posts:
    1,631
    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2019
    Location:
    Central illinois
    For me, it’s the ‘65 PRRI for sure. For an addictive clean tone at home, it’s a home run. I play a greater percentage of time with varying levels of drive, but when I got my Princeton, I noticed that I just couldn’t bring myself to dirty it up at first. It’s everything a clean amp should be.
     
    Maguchi, Blister, BSG1 and 9 others like this.
  18. Feb 24, 2021 #18
    mally

    mally Tele-Afflicted

    Posts:
    1,044
    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2013
    Location:
    runcorn cheshire uk
    Vox MV 50 clean


     
    anthrotony and WTRT like this.
  19. Feb 24, 2021 #19
    2HBStrat

    2HBStrat Tele-Afflicted

    Posts:
    1,328
    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2019
    Location:
    Four Rivers Area of Middle America
    • Don't your amps have volume controls on them?
     
    howardlo, 68silverw/black, JRapp and 9 others like this.
  20. Feb 24, 2021 #20
    Muku

    Muku Tele-Meister

    Posts:
    333
    Joined:
    Jun 9, 2008
    Location:
    Santa Barbara
    I recommend Tone Kings with large cabs. Fender on steroids. Wooly even at low volumes. Maybe not the best for distortion. Cleans are huge.

    I remember Swarts, 65, div 13, and Laney combos sounding good 15 years ago.

    If you are looking for pausable distortion at low volumes with glowing red tubes then perhaps headphones?
     
Page 1 of 14
IMPORTANT: Treat everyone here with respect, no matter how difficult!
No sex, drug, political, religion or hate discussion permitted here.