Small Vacuum tube amp?

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twistedtom
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Small Vacuum tube amp?

Post by twistedtom »

I am looking at a small vacuum tube guitar amp head in about the 15 watt range for recording. I want to replace a a solid state head I have so I do not need a cabinet with it. I would like it to have a number of sounds, if possible or at least sound good. a good clean and a good over drive channel would be nice, the more versatile and good sounding the better.
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twistedtom
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Re: Small Vacuum tube amp?

Post by twistedtom »

Oh; I mostly play rock, blues, hard rock, metal, and sometimes jazz.
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HCMarkus
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Re: Small Vacuum tube amp?

Post by HCMarkus »

Low-power tube boutique amps are all the rage these days. Lots of l'il amp heads to choose from… have fun finding the right one for you Tom! :D

I'm no a guitarist, but have an interesting setup in studio for clients who are: Avalon DI direct to an input on my 828mkII (for re-amping or use with amp VI) and also into a Marshall JMP-1 driving a Peavey tube power amp (all in control room) connected to 2 x10" closed back speaker mic'd up in my iso booth. Guitarists can hang out in the control room while they are tracking, allowing great communication. I love this approach.
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Re: Small Vacuum tube amp?

Post by mikehalloran »

15W is pretty powerful. An AC15 is a lot of amp. A Fender Princeton (the real deal) is 12W with a 10" speaker and that fills a small club nicely.

There are a large number of 3-8W tube amps out there for recording and many of them are great. This Carvin can be switched between 5W/16W and is pretty popular without breaking the bank.

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Re: Small Vacuum tube amp?

Post by billf »

I picked up a Fender Super Champ X2 this past summer for just that purpose, and so far like it.
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Re: Small Vacuum tube amp?

Post by bayswater »

I'd take the Vox over the Princeton. I like the way it overloads and it's range of sounds a lot more. There are a zillion discussions comparing the two.
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Re: Small Vacuum tube amp?

Post by BKK-OZ »

I like my H & K Tubemeister head. I don't have the 'Anniversary' issue linked to, just the standard 18. They also make a 5 watt version.

The built-in Red Box power soak and XLR output make it a dream for recording.
Matched up with a nice cabinet, makes a sweet sound.

I run mine straight into my desk, from my desk into my Yamaha HS 10's.
Plenty of boom, lots of headroom for clean tones.
This combo, with a bit of overdrive cranked up, also makes me a rock god.
:wink:
Cheers,
BK

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Re: Small Vacuum tube amp?

Post by mikebeckmotu »

I have a few small amp heads, and I like them all. The most flexible one I have is the Egnater Tweaker 15-watt head. Lots of tone choices, and it seems like it's very well-made (structurally).
I also have a Vox Lil Night Train, which is is mostly good for overdriven sounds. I got it cheap, and for the price of a boutique pedal, it's well worth it to me.
The Orange Micro Terror is also quite nice for rock guitar. Also quite affordable.
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Re: Small Vacuum tube amp?

Post by twistedtom »

The Egnater Tweaker looks like it may be on the list of choices.
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Gravity Jim
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Re: Small Vacuum tube amp?

Post by Gravity Jim »

Egnater really kills in this category. The Tweaker 15 is great, as is the Rebel 20 (my studio amp of choice).
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Re: Small Vacuum tube amp?

Post by mhschmieder »

The hand-wired version of the Vox is killer, but even the regular version is amazingly good. Just make sure you stick to the latest version, as the previous generation really didn't have "that" sound. Korg has really done a great job of managing Vox lately, so anything from the past 3-4 years (or whenever the new versions came out) is mind-blowingly good.

The hand-wired version of the 4-watt amp is well-loved in studios. It's way larger than the non-hand-wired version as it uses a full-size speaker like the AC15 series. It has been highly recommended by a number of magazines and pro studios, and my own testing indicated it gets strikingly close to the AC15. I slightly prefer the AC15 sound to the AC30 sound but may eventually get the latter as well, as it really is a different sound. Both have their place.

The thing about the Vox sound is that it sounds good on everything, sort of like the Fender Deluxe Reverb in that regard but a more articulate sound with more versatile tone-shaping (due to three distinct channels) but no spring reverb (I think the standard version may have reverb or tremolo; I forget). I'm glad I now have both as they complement each other quite nicely. If I need super-articulate or modern, I go to my Mesa Royal Atlantic.

The hand-wired Vox head may be 30w vs. 15w; I forget. I know they only make one option. The Fender Deluxe Reverb head is almost the same price as the combo, and much of the sound comes from the traditional speaker (the FSR versions and the like, have a harsh sound due to different speaker choice).

I'm kind of confused how to give more specific advice as I don't know what speaker(s) you'd be using if only buying a head vs. a small combo, or if you'd use the amp's DI (not the same as DI from the guitar itself, which sounds atrocious unless re-amped) along with speaker emulation or a speaker drive load (Radial makes such a device).
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Re: Small Vacuum tube amp?

Post by BKK-OZ »

mhschmieder wrote:...if you'd use the amp's DI (not the same as DI from the guitar itself, which sounds atrocious unless re-amped) along with speaker emulation or a speaker drive load (Radial makes such a device).
That's what makes the Red Box power soak in my Tubemeister so useful - I can record directly via an XLR output, and use all of the amp to get that nice saturated sound, but at very low volume levels.
Cheers,
BK

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Re: Small Vacuum tube amp?

Post by twistedtom »

The speakers I want to use have 2 Celestin 8” speakers in them, and they have a folded horn bass reflect cabinet.
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Re: Small Vacuum tube amp?

Post by mhschmieder »

Hmm, in that case, I'd look at Fender amp heads (low power). 8" speakers have a VERY different sound from the preferred 12" speakers that have been the standard for the past 20-30 years in guitar recording. Doesn't mean they're "bad"; just that most guitar gear is designed to match well with 12" drivers.

Fender tends to produce a wider range of speaker sizes than other brands (I can't speak for the boutique brands and the more modern post-70's brands as I don't follow them that deeply). They have some interesting and well-loved smaller-speaker combo amps and amp heads. I'd recommend going to their website to see their current offerings; the website was redesigned recently and can now be difficult to navigate if you're in exploratory mode.

I haven't worked with a 2x8 recently, but would say in general that you are likely to get a more balanced sound than from most 10" speakers. It may be that amp heads designed for 12", 2x12, and 4x12 cabinets (or even 1x15 or 2x15) also work well with your 2x8.

You might be able to punch in some combinations at YouTube to see if anyone has demoed amp heads with your particular speaker setup.

Are these alnicos or ceramics? Celestion makes both, and both are well-loved for different purposes. Once you know more about the specific Celestions involved, you can probably find a branded speaker that uses those same drivers; bearing in mind that cabinet design is also critical so any YouTube comparison is not going to be an exact match to your own setup.
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twistedtom
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Re: Small Vacuum tube amp?

Post by twistedtom »

The large bass horn helps round out the sound a bit.
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