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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Small Valve Amp
Small Valve Amp
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A440
1 post
Jun 28, 2012
6:18 AM
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I've been playing with a crappy solid-state amp and now I'm looking to buy a new compact low watt valve (tube) amp, for around 200€. I usually mic the amp into the PA system with an SM57, unless playing in a really small venue. So I don't need a lot of volume. What I am after is tone. I'm playing blues/rock crossharp with MBs, MB deluxes and SP20s. Using a Superlux D112 bullet, which works surprisingly well. Looking for an amp that will overdrive nicely with a good gritty Chicago-style tone. All research points to the Epiphone Valve Jr. as having the best tone for harp. But sadly it has been discontinued. Are there any rumours that it will be re-introduced?
What are the best alternatives? I want something small and lightweight (6-8kg), ideally with an 8-inch speaker (or maybe a 6-inch).
My shortlist is:
Laney Cub8
Vox AC4TV mini
Fender Champ 600/Gretsch G5222 (the same amp)
Blackstar HT-1 or HT-1R with reverb
Bugera V5
Anyone have experience with these amps? Which one has a good, dark tone for bluesharp? I have heard the Fender Champ600 and it seemed to be too bright and shrill. Do any of these amps sound as good as the Epiphone?
The Blackstar and Bugera have built in reverb, which would save having to bring a pedal everywhere... any experiences with built-in reverb on those amps?
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HawkeyeKane
1020 posts
Jun 28, 2012
6:38 AM
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I've not heard any rumors of the Valve Jr. resuming production. But to be honest with you, I don't really expect them to. Gibson/Epiphone have tapered their amp products down to nothing over the years. Fender, Marshall, Peavey, and Vox have pretty much taken over the lead in that area.
I don't find the Champ 600 too shrill. In fact, I think it's got some of the deepest, darkest tone out of most 5 watt tubers today.
I have no experience with the Laney, the Vox, or the Blackstar. The Bugera I have tried, and the tone and reverb were both great, but the speaker left a little bit to be desired IMHO.
You might also consider the VHT Special 6 or the VHT Classic 6 as well. The Special 6 is more popular, but the Classic 6 has a bigger speaker and a line out.
If you can get your hands on one, a Kalamazoo Model One or Model Two are fantastic vintage amps for harp. Harder to find, probably even more so in Europe, but great nonetheless.
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Hawkeye Kane
Last Edited by on Jun 28, 2012 6:38 AM
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A440
2 posts
Jun 28, 2012
7:01 AM
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Thanks Hawkeye. I'll keep an open mind on the Champ 600. The VHT seems to have a good reputation, but I ruled it out due to size and weight. I need something in the format of Champ 600 since I mostly walk or take public transport. The Laney Cub 8 is similar size and format to the Champ, but with an 8-inch speaker.
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1847
47 posts
Jun 28, 2012
7:17 AM
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check out the chicken head thread
$300.00 dollars anerican
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HawkeyeKane
1021 posts
Jun 28, 2012
7:32 AM
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I wish we had Laney here in the States. Hell, it's the amp that gave Knopfler his intro to Money for Nothing and earned Billy Gibbons' respect.
If it's compact size you're after, then the 'Zoo and the VHT's are prolly not what you're after. You're better off with the Champ/G5222, the Vox, or even the Bugera.
If you're up for building your own small amp, Mojo makes this little beauty. Though I don't know what their international sales & shipping terms are like.
Mojo Bedroom Amp (MBA) Kit
One other factor you'll wanna consider in all this is which power tube's sound you prefer. Like me...I prefer EL84 tone. But a lot of guys on here don't and prefer to go with a 6V6 amp. One thing you might wanna try is getting a 6V6 amp, because there are a couple companies (VHT and Yellowjacket) who make adapters that will allow you to run an EL84 in the 6V6 socket. That way you can switch them out and have the best of both worlds.
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Hawkeye Kane
Last Edited by on Jun 28, 2012 7:33 AM
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messy ventura
8 posts
Jun 28, 2012
7:56 AM
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What 1847 said. Chickenhead. Nice little 5w amp with 8"Eminence speaker.Good price. No shipping costs. Greg's Kalamazoo's are also great little amps.
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A440
3 posts
Jun 28, 2012
8:29 AM
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Good point on the tubes: the Laney and Fender/Gretsch are 6V6, the Vox and Bugera are EL84, and the Blackstar is EEC82. Guess it's time to get into a shop to hear the differences. The Laney looks like a good deal - roughly same size and weight package as the Champ600, but with 8-inch Celestion and a tone knob. And it's 30€ less expensive than the Fender.
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HawkeyeKane
1023 posts
Jun 28, 2012
9:08 AM
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Okay....1847 & ventura do bring up good points on the Chickenhead F51 Little Juke.
F51 Little Juke
It's missing the tone knob you're looking for. But when it comes to these small 5W Class-A's, tone knobs are about 50/50 chance of the amp having one. I've seen older Champ 600's with tone knobs on them. Don't know what era they're from though. If you want to control your tone on an amp with just a volume knob, there's always multi FX pedals, or even just an EQ pedal if you wanna save cash.
Danelectro DJ14 Fish and Chips 7-Band EQ Pedal
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Hawkeye Kane
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A440
6 posts
Jun 28, 2012
9:23 AM
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The Chickenhead looks like a very nice successor to the Epi Valve Jr. And has the same 8-inch Eminence as the Epi Rev3. I'll check if they are being sold in Europe.
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FreeWilly
269 posts
Jun 28, 2012
10:15 AM
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Every time I see a thread like this pop up, I open it excited. Like most everyone else, I'm looking for a good, affordable 5 watt amp (and wait till I got the money).
All one ever sees here though, is opinions. Which often is cool by itself, but doesn't give one a possibility to compare amps.
Perhaps it would be cool to have a thread in which we bring together and encourage harp-reviews of those amps?
Only one I could find online (stock-amp with widely available mic) is this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0tGJHYrD2U
I would love for there to be others, or for people to make one!
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SuperBee
349 posts
Jun 28, 2012
2:12 PM
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Ive only tried the Laney. It was ok. I d look for something with a 10" speaker though, if it was me. Like hawkeye said about the bugera, i thought the speaker let it down. They do make a 10" cub, but again the speaker isnt the best. You tube is ok but there are so many variables it's hard to say what youre hearing. Try some out if you can. I don't generally think too highly of 8" speakers, But you know, I quite like my Vibro champ xd so there's no accounting for taste or the capacity to adapt. At some point that amp changed its sound and I assume it was about the speaker breaking in.
Last Edited by on Jun 28, 2012 2:21 PM
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MN
155 posts
Jun 28, 2012
2:41 PM
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Another option would be to get a Lone Wolf or Harp Commander pre-amp. For small gigs, you can use it to make your solid state amp sound a lot better, and for big gigs you can use it straight into the PA.
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A440
23 posts
Aug 11, 2012
5:57 AM
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Update:
I contacted Chicken Head: they don't produce 220 volt products and don't sell/service outside the USA. Too bad!
I eliminated the VHT and Bugera due to size and weight. I need something very portable, which can be easily carried on a crowded bus/subway, or when walking 15-20 minutes. (I hardly ever use my car any more). My harps, mics, cables, tambourine, etc. are in a backpack. I carry the amp and a mic stand.
The size/weight factor left the Fender Champ600/Gretsch G5222, Vox 4ACTV mini and Laney Cub 8 in the running. All my local brick-and-mortar shops were sold out of the Laney Cub 8, so it fell off the list by simply not being in the showrooms.
I demoed the Vox and the Gretsch, using a few different keys of MBD through my Superlux D112. I really liked the switchable power feature of the Vox, since it allows you to saturate the tubes at low volume levels. However, I slightly preferred the tone of the Gretsch. (This may have to do with the 6V6 vs EL84 preferences that Hawkeye mentioned). Or could be due to the open-back vs sealed-box design difference. I also liked the appearance of the Gretsch better than the Vox. Although the Vox seemed to be slightly better build quality.
But I decided based on the sound. The more I played the Gretsch, the better I liked the tone. As I played in the shop, the guy working there plugged in a guitar and we started a spontaneous blues jam. Before long, several people gathered around us to listen. The Gretsch sounded sweet and my playing was in the groove. I walked out with a new Gretsch in hand.
At home, it is very loud. It needs to be cranked up pretty high to drive the tubes into distortion. Here is where I think the Vox would have been a better choice, with the ability to switch it to 1/4 watt or 1 watt.
The Gretsch sounds nice out of the box. I may eventually try some of the usual mods (better tubes, better speaker, Alnico kit), once I've used it for awhile. It has a very low level hum, but you need to have your ear right in front of the grill to hear it.
It should be plenty loud for the small venues that we play, even with 2 guitars, bass and drums in the band. In larger venues, I can always mic it through the PA, as I often did with my old solid state amp.
The tweed is very nice looking, but I imagine it will get dirty easily. Does anyone have any experience applying lacquer or some other protective coating product to the Gretsch?
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LIP RIPPER
615 posts
Aug 11, 2012
10:21 AM
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I have my Valve Jr. head unit on the for sale page. It has the Lone Wolf tone mod too.
Last Edited by on Aug 11, 2012 10:22 AM
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