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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Best 5w Valve Amp?
Best 5w Valve Amp?
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DirtyDeck
29 posts
Apr 27, 2010
5:14 PM
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Yeo can somebody please reccommend an amp for me? Am making my first foray into the world of valves and want to make sure I'm buying quality. Tone first and foremost!
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Nastyolddog
623 posts
Apr 27, 2010
6:19 PM
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Yo bro i think this will get of control asking wich is the Best 5 watt amp,
If playing at home in the Bedroom none there to loud
but that being said i have 2,
but they are very loud for the home user late at night,
in the day there cool but we all get one or have one or two,they are the only low watt tube amp avaliable so thats our lot,
when some one clicks there is a market for a lower watt amp and starts making them i will get one,
Now i got that of my chest Bro, my MBH Bro's suggested i should get a Harp Gear-2 when one was made avaliable to me through this Forum,
i got it and It's the best Amp For Harp that i own my Other Amps 15watt Fender Blues Junior Heavly Modded for Harp,
a Epiclone VJ Legacy 5watt,
the Harp Gear Eats them up has a chew spits those nasty mothers out i would say make a choice of the many amps to be offed your way,
Adam Does a demo of the Harp Gear-2 on Youtube and Owns one:)
Ps I dream of a Harp Gear 1 1/2 or 2 watt amp:)
Last Edited by on Apr 27, 2010 11:46 PM
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528hemi
100 posts
Apr 27, 2010
7:30 PM
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Nasty,
How about that HG Rock bottom with the 10" speaker?Saw some youtube clips and that sounds great and cheaper then the HG 2
528hemi
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Joe_L
192 posts
Apr 27, 2010
8:06 PM
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If you are patient, HG1 and HG2 come up on ebay pretty regularly. You could also buy a tweed Champ clone like a Victoria or a Fender reissue.
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Harpaholic
48 posts
Apr 27, 2010
8:51 PM
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Fatdog 1A if you like a fat Chicago blues tone and good projection for it's size (12" speaker)
If you like a more distorted Fenderish tone, then the HG would be a better choice.
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DirtyDeck
30 posts
Apr 28, 2010
3:59 AM
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Hmmm, I think I'd be more inclined to sway in the direction of 'fat Chicago blues tone' - would be nice to have a little bit of breakup too...
What if I bring affordability into the equation, which amp is the best value for money?
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Nastyolddog
624 posts
Apr 28, 2010
4:51 AM
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Yo Dirty maybe you should tell us what enviroment you will be useing it in,ie Bedroom Blaster,local Jam,
will a amp with 12"inch speaker be good for what i need or exsesive or will a 10 or 8 inch do the job,
When it comes to Value for money First you must buy an Amp that is made for playing Harp,you will save big bucks strait up,
Affordability 528hemi mentions the Harp Gear Rockbottom the name says it all you will find the amps mentioned being Demonstrated on Youtube,
I find that the Harp Gear-2 i have which has a 8 inch Speaker talking about Break up,i find it very versatile where i can dial in a little bit getting a hint,
tweek it a bit more mid range gets a bit fatter so to speak,or go crazy get that speaker sounding like it's going to Tear to shreds,
Bro Mojo and Chicago Blues they don't come in a Box ie amp they come inya Chops:)
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toddlgreene
1277 posts
Apr 28, 2010
5:04 AM
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Well, you'll have to define what's affordable to you.
HG RockBottom-$500/525 SS Rectifier
HG2-$780 tube rectifier
RockBottom 1a-$500 not sure of rectifier(probably SS)
All the above kick butt right out of the box, and are brand new with warranties.
Kalamazoo Model 1-around 300-350(biggest down side which also is a plus for some-it's old)Try to get one from Greg Heumann if you went this route.
Epiphone V jr Combo $160
Some folks like it stock or with a preamp tube change,
some go for the mods. Mine was modded by Randy Landry, and sounds much better than stock. I am quite happy with the sounds coming from it now. BUT, are you a tweaker, or will you be willing to find someone to do the mods for you(plans are free on the LoneWolf site)? Randy himself charges $75 for the mod. So, mine with tax and the mod would cost $250.
Epi Valve Jr 1/2 stack $250-same above considerations, but the 12 sounds SO much better than the 8 in the combo. You can still power the cab from the combo, but add the price of the cab to the combo if you wetn that route($120). Summary:the Epi is an el84 amp made in China, albiet with a fantastic reputation that sounds decent out of the box, and much, much better with some good mods. Downside? You get it modded=voids warranty.
It really depends what matters to you most. If you have the extra coin to go for American handmade(or even factory made), do it. Or would you rather get an amp, a few good mics, perhaps an effect pedal and possibly have money for a harp for the same price? It's your money to spend. Oh, and there are other 5W amps out there;these are just the ones on the tip of most player's tongues.
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Todd L Greene. V.P.
Last Edited by on Apr 28, 2010 5:32 AM
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Rick Davis
348 posts
Apr 28, 2010
6:38 AM
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I recommend two:
1 - The Harpgear HG2. Every harp player should own this amp.
2 - The Epiphone Valve Jr. Half Stack. The best of the small guitar amps when used for blues harp.
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-Rick Davis
Blues Harp Amps Blog
Roadhouse Joe Blues Band
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MJ
160 posts
Apr 28, 2010
7:16 AM
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No one has mentioned the Fender Champion 600 reissue. I picked one up for $70 , did a couple of easy mods which cost some time and $15 in parts. I switched the tubes, removed the fixed tone stack, added a different coupling cap, a better volume pot, and replaced the speaker and grillcloth. This is now a very sweet bedroom type harp amp. It could also be used in a cafe venue or acoustic type jam. I do not believe it would not work in a jam with drums. I like it better than an Epi jr. The 6V6 gives a smoother sound for my ear. I have other amps for other uses, but the Champ 600 is a nice little amp.
Last Edited by on Apr 28, 2010 7:18 AM
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DirtyDeck
31 posts
Apr 28, 2010
7:56 AM
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Thanks for the tips guys! Jeez I didn't know there was so much to this all, mods and what-have-you...
I'm gona be needing this amp for bedroom use with a view to playing live, and if I'm honest, affordability is probably the biggest factor here.
Was checking out the Fender Champ, seems a nice amp, nice dirty sound. Also somebody mentioned a Gretsch?
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5F6H
92 posts
Apr 28, 2010
8:07 AM
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One minor point - Champion 600 is not a reissue, it's a new amp with old styling, it's actually closest to a BF champ circuit-wise, pots replaced with fixed resistors.
Any of the low budget, PCB amps can be made to work well enough...if you have the know how, or a friend who does, but if you have ambitions to play out with the amp, then a line out will be useful.
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MJ
161 posts
Apr 28, 2010
8:34 AM
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5F6H, I realize that the Champ 600 is a reissue and is not exactly as the origional. Not many reissues are. By removing the tone stack and adding the coupling cap, it makes it not so much like the blackface but a bit more tweedy. The tone changes immenseley. I thought the thread asked about 5 watt amps as starters that had good tone. I stated that the Champ was not good for all things. I only use mine at home and use my other amps for different venues. I must have misunderstood the intent of the thread. I own and use a number of amplifiers, using them for different purposes. If you are only going to have one amp, then the Champ 600 is not for you. Sorry if I was not clear in my first comment.
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Tuckster
499 posts
Apr 28, 2010
8:45 AM
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MJ- I have a Champ 600. Got mine for $80. I find it a bit too bright for my taste. Did you just completely remove the tone stack? And increase the value of the coupling cap? It's not bad for a bedroom amp. I found that my Shaker,which I don't like with my other amps,sounds pretty good thru the Champ.
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MJ
162 posts
Apr 28, 2010
9:09 AM
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Tuckster, Yes I removed the tone stack by removing R18, R19, R20, R21, R22, C8, C9, ran a .1 coupling cap from C1 to the volume pot. Simple and it sounds very creamy.
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5F6H
94 posts
Apr 28, 2010
9:25 AM
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MJ, I'm just being my anal old self, I can't help it....really.
A "reissue" typically has the same component values as a previous amp design (like the 65 Super Reverb/Twin/Deluxe/Princeton, 59 Bassman etc)...the old Champion 600 was a very different beast...just looked similar. Doesn't mean that it's any better/worse than many of the other entry level PCB amps though, or not a nice amp in it's own right.
OT, but to flesh out...
Reissue - a reconstruction of an old amp from the same manufacturer. Similarities will pertain to circuit design & values, but not necessarily to materials & method of construction. Can be PCB, or hand wired.
Reproduction - usually hand wired, made by a manufacturer other than the original, often with subtle upgrades to circuit, layout, component quality etc.
Clone - FIIK? Seems to pertain to anything that bears a reasonable resemblence to a previous amp...? Overused & misunderstood term IMO.
Back to the Champion 600 current production amp - I'd start by bypassing R20 with a piece of bare wire (equiv. to treble off) or a smaller value (like another 75K in parallel?). Try a larger value at R22 (anything up to say 250K - equivalent to BF champ with bass pot full up). Experiment with bypassing R19 with another 15K resistor (reduces middle). Experiment with removing C10 (reduces gain, if you want to replace it again another cap can be soldered accross R3, arrows/"-" to ground as this is a polarised cap).
A line out jack can be easily added (perhaps to the back panel) via a non switching, 1/4" jack socket (maybe a switchcraft L12A, long thread 1/4" socket might work?). Run a 2.2K resistor (& a length of wire) from the tip connection of the jack socket to the hot speaker terminal, use a big value resistor (3w?) so it can take the weight of the hanging wire. Run a plain piece of wire from the ground connection of the 1/4" jack socket to the negative speaker terminal. Solder a 470ohm 1/4W resistor accross the jack socket terminals.
DO NOT attempt any of this if you are not conversant with tube amp safety protocols, even a 5W amp can kill you.
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Tuckster
500 posts
Apr 28, 2010
11:02 AM
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Thanks,Guys! I searched the 'net for mods,but could only find guitar shredder mods. Time to dust off the old soldering iron.
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isaacullah
938 posts
Apr 28, 2010
11:48 AM
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I absolutely LOVE my Epiphone Valve Jr half stack. I got it from a craigslist transaction (for $80), and I did the Lone Wolf harp mods to it (I did them myself because I am handy and like to do that stuff), and it just blows like CRAZY! I run it through a homemade 2x8" cab (not the stock 12", of which I've heard great things). The head also sounds pretty darn good stock, so if you are looking to economize, I would by the head + cab (new will run you $250ish, but from craigslist or ebay, you might get them for more like $180), and then just use that as you start to learn how to play amped. Once you want to move up and play out, then send the head down to LownWolf, and have them modify it for you. You will not be disappointed.
On another note, I just recently purchased a Behringer "Vintager" AC108 from a guitarist friend for $30. It's a hybrid amp with a 12AX7 tube preamp, and a solid state (chipamp) power amplifier. This gives it a bit more output power (10-15watts), but you still get "tube tone". It has two preamp channels (dirty and clean) which are switched through a push button. Each channel has one "sweet spot" for harp, with the dirty channel sounding a bit better than the clean. It's not a bad little amp if you can find one for as cheap as I did. Not nearly as good sounding as my Epiphone, but still not to shabby for $30.
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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barbequebob
765 posts
Apr 28, 2010
12:51 PM
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My favorite 5w amp is the '65 Fender Champ I bought back in 1983 and it even had the original instruction manual that shows you how to use your Fender amp as a PA system. When I bought it, that amp wasn't in the store from a trade in longer than 2-1/2 hours when I scooped it up for a grand total of $65.00 US!! You'll never see one go for that price again!
A lot of Magic Dick's studio recordings were done using this very same amp. I still have it and plays like a charm. Phenomenol studio amp.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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jaymcc28
262 posts
Apr 28, 2010
1:24 PM
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"...You'll never see one go for that price again!"
No kidding, I just found a '65 Fender Champ on craiglist in mass. for $675. Think I can talk him down $600? LOL
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"Take out your false teeth, momma, I want to suck on your gums."-P. Wolf
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barbequebob
769 posts
Apr 28, 2010
1:28 PM
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Have fun!!! lol
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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Nastyolddog
628 posts
Apr 29, 2010
1:12 AM
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Yo DD Ok now where talkin
Ok the Fender 600 Epiphone VJ strait up Guitar amps,they need Mods as the Bro's have done to theres or had done for them,
to get them,,,well better than they are as standard amps for playing Harp,
then you will get sucked down the road doing Tube Swaps,Then thats not good enough you better change that Speaker,Hang on a there i can change the Transformers to,sombody Please Stop Me!!!!!
all these are added expenses on top of your purchase possibly costing 100 + Bucks or more depending of quality of the Parts you buy,then you have to get them installed How Deep did you say that Pocket was,
all this for an amp that still won't cut it in the real world of Harp amps do all this work and a Purpose built Harp amp will eat it,
Ok so to me Bro it looks as if you can count out large speaker amps,
large speaker = large amp cab = small bedroom = to loud to big,pert near useless for what you want as a first up amp,
so what is the best deal do we want an amp we need to do mods to can i do these mods,
do i want a plug and play real Harp amp that needs no Mods,
is mid range Price and value for money sounds like this is the deal worth investigating,
HG RockBottom-$500/525 SS Rectifier
the only mods i would do to this would be when warranty runs out Build a Pine Cab for it,
So what Kind of Microphone did you say you own,or are thinking of buying to match your new toy.??????????
Last Edited by on Apr 29, 2010 2:06 AM
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