when bedroom amps sound better than real ones
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A bedroom amplifier is actually a real amplifier.
I agree with that, and with Mike is saying. There's no reason you can't get really fantastic sounds out of a bedroom amp. It's not meant to blow away an entire band on it's own, but you can always mic it up, or with something like the Yamaha THR30 II, run it direct to the PA since it it has L and R line outs if you want to use it in a band situation. Like Mike said, it just takes some experimentation. Today's bedroom amps can really produce some great tones.
@@jalapenowarriorExactly. You can gig with a 5 watt El cheapo amp as long as you mic it. If it sounds good, why not?
Exactly.@@donbishop6994
My bedroom amp is a Orange Crush Mini
@@MichaelThomasOflaherty mine is a fender mustang gtx 100. Being solid state I don't have to crank it for a good tone, and it's enough for small gigs without a mic. I absolutely love it, the presets are great.
A lot of music was in fact recorded through much smaller amps. Lenny Kravitz and Stone Temple Pilots used small amps in the studio, which is interesting considering how much gear would have been available to them.
I like how you can get such good tones, clean plus a little reverb and the clon sound at such a low volume. It really sounded great. Thanks for the videos.
what ive noticed in particular about almost any well made small/ practice amp is that they have the best clean tones. when you put a little reverb over them with a nice clean tone and filter out some of the trebble, they sound so damn amazing. makes for some really great r&B and neo soul recordings. def not anything for a live setting where a wall of sound is needed to fill the room, but when it comes to recording or practicing in your bedroom alot of these smaller amp's are punching way above their weight class.
i love that it makes practicing affordable and therefore possible/ available to more people. Thanks to the budget friendly options, alot of new and amazing future guitarists, that would otherwise never have been created, are now practicing and on their way to become true shredders.
when i was starting out, a guitar that cost sub 150-200ish usd would either be: Broken, cut you with the side of every fret and have action high enough you could slip your fingers under the strings, or just not show up after ordering it.
Now during the right time of year and from the right brands/ stores, you can get a decent entry level guitar, a practice amp (not a good one but one that atleast works), a strap, gig bag, some picks, instrument cable, a tuner, etc.
I was lucky enough to have a fender player strat vintage series growing up. it was my first, dad knew what a decent guitar was and didnt buy me a piece of caca so i could actually learn. Its not a true vintage era, just a vintage remake series. got the ugly black lined sunburst, but it has a charm to it, looks like a yorkie wearing a pair of converse lmao. its a good guitar, dont play it much since its leftie and i became able to play righties after i learned violin (makes it much easier to find guitars tbh) Im sure i could go leftie again if i wanted, but then id have to cut my nails and grow out the ones on my left hand, too much effort with nothing to gain.
My cousin however was not so lucky. His parents at some point around like 2010 bought him this crap ass guitar set they found either on tv or at a target or some shit. it was 115 bucks total. came with a stand, book with music, tuner (that didnt work), some weird cheap strings, terrible action, and a lot of warping. thing sounded like it was made completely of popsicle sticks when you strummed it. the frets were practically square with sharp edges.
I never had a lesson in my life, still playing 19 years later after picking up and holding my first strat. My cousin? he took lessons for two weeks, 1 week per lesson, and then quit after his guitar "mysteriously broke" one day (he smashed the crap out of it while his parents were at work and continued with piano instead).
all 4 of my amps are 15w or under (15,15,7,6). it's really nice to turn a 7w amp past breakup, and not upset the neighbors!
Yep. Haven’t owned an amp with more than 25 watts for years and if there is a built in attenuator, I run them at 5 watts. Just a great tone without killing the stage balance or annoying the sound guy (they are really easy to annoy…)
I’m with you guys, my 5W Laney is more than enough for home use and in the evenings I usually run it on the 0.5W mode. My kids need to sleep and my wife can’t afford a divorce 😂😂😂. If I need to play a gig, I just connect an XLR cable and run it into the venue’s PA system anyway.
most practice amps have headphone jacks if you want to not upset the neighbors
what amp is the 7w one?
i got a princeton reverb and id love a good one for distortion with low volume
@@LettyGhost fender bassbreaker 7w. excellent basic little tube amp. you can find them pretty cheap 2nd hand
I really like the dissonance and note choices in the pieces that you played. ❤
I became a Blues Cube guy. Great amps. They sound fantastic.
I just got the Gremlin, and it is everything as advertised. The attenuator is awesome. This amp can get really loud if fully cranked.
A wonderful perspective and insight. Thank you Mike!!
I enjoy your playing. Quite refreshing.
I used to play really loud amps like a 100-watt Marshall JCM800 which I still have. But in those days, I was playing with full bands in rehearsal spaces . Now that I'm older, I only play at home, and I live in an apartment. I have a Yamaha THR30 II, a Fender '68 Custom Princeton Reverb (which is a 12-watt tube amp), and a Vox AC15C2 which is a 15-watt tube amp, but with two 12" speakers so it looks the same as Vox AC30, but it only has half the watts.. I have to use an external attenuator with the Fender or the Vox, because both of them are too loud for an apartment. So, between those three amps, I really feel I have all the amps I need for an apartment.
I bet that AC15 sounds great! I have the AC15C1, and it’s my favorite amp currently. I gig and record with it regularly!
The AC-15C2 is such a hidden gem.
thinking about getting jcm 900 for 800 but found a THR 10 for 250 dont know what to get lmao
Man for the short amount of guitar playing here, you really do put in alot of feel into your playing. Very tight and accurate playing with some really good technique nice job!
I normally play straight to the mixer but 2 years ago I bought a Blackstar Debut 15E and it was one of the best things I've ever bought!
the breakup in the clean channel is incredible and the lead is good enough to get that blues tone, plus it has a tape delay and an option to emulate a Vox or Fender sound so it's really cool having all of those options for just my bedroom and feeling the air rumble
Great video! This was really interesting! Thank you very much, Mike!
It does matter what you think! You made a great video about it. I agree with everything you say, and it's not just apartments. People like me with a family where kids have bed times and playing through a little practice amp is all you can do.
Definitely noted the Supro behind you.
One thing we need to remember- most of the best amp “sound” recordings weren’t stage rigs, but scaled down. Hendrix was one who often recorded using blaring Marshall stacks, but even he used Twins and other amps during recordings. Stadium performances require much more volume than the sweet spot most players are looking for. You almost need a separate rig for differing applications. I really miss my 60’s Plexi 8x12 100. But I don’t miss lugging a refrigerator to indoor jams or the authorities banging on the door. There are indeed some recording situations where you want massive volume because of the physical interaction with so much air mass (EXP spaceship liftoff) but 8 or even 4 12” transducers is overkill in a closed room. Now we at least have selectable output wattage, but you still have the weight and size to pack
I bought a pignose amp recently and I'm impressed with the quality and the volume. I never thought that such a small amp would have such a good tone
I have the pignose 7-100 in pedal format. Awesome piece of gear. I drive a 2x8 with it and use the empress paraeq boost to obtain any tone I want.
I have a BOSS Cube with 5” speaker I use more often than my Katana 100 1x12 at home. Just simpler. I can grab it and place it anywhere, floor, shelf, table top, car seat! Makes a difference
Back in the day I had the Epiphone Valve Jr. 5 watt head which I played into a 1x12 or 2x12 cab. The Valve Jr only had a single Volume knob. I played it at church for several years. I rarely was able to get the Vol past 9:00.... so yeah, 5 watts can be CRAZY loud.
That Tone King looks really nice!
Those great, you can still get them used but I think they cost around the same as when they were new. lol
I have a Valve Jr. and through a good 112 cabinet, it’s more than loud enough. I used to crank it and ts9 it for jamming. I’d put a couch cushion in front of it. Plenty loud.
god yes, I use my old epi valve jr through a 4x12 and it gets above a drummer easily. in my dorm room I could barely turn it up beyond like 9 o clock
Great video once again. I've been chasing the same (low wattage, tube amp) tone for years. Gibson Goltone ga-15 rv 15/7.5 watt, Epi valve jr, Blackheart killer ant (1watt), vox ac4tvh and tone king imperial mk2. Not neighbor issues for me just preserving my hearing.
ToneKing is amazing. Right up there with Magnatone, Soldano, Synergy, and Amplified Nation as my favorites amps of all time. But having the built in attenuator in the Tone King is really handy for apartments.
Is this a clone of the Elpico amp?
Boss Katana Mini. Superb sound and the only amp I've ever tried that sounds good through headphones.
One of the great thing about modern practice amps, specifically modeling amps is DI recording. Saves space (and money) and really lets you focus on creativity.
In my personal experience, the best tube amp for most uses is a THD Univalve. If one uses it with a low power triode tube such as a 6C5 or a 6J5, then the output will be in the 3/4 - 1 W range. One can then usually turn this up a lot, get amp overdrive and still be reasonably quiet. If one needs a little more power then a 6K6GT power tube will yield about 4 W. That can still be manageable for an appartment, but at the upper parts of the volume knob it might be too loud. Then, when one needs more power one can use a 6V6, EL84 (need a nonal to octal adapter), EL34, 6L6 or 6550 in the power tube and get 5-20W. The Univalve has a built-in attenuator too. But the results are usually better by using different power tubes to control the loudness in the room. One can also play with the preamp and driver tubes to further fine tune the grit (or clean) and output. If one knows where to shop for tubes, the tubes need not be particularly expensive.
A small tube amp is the way to go for me, I love playing through a 5-6 watt amp, as they break up just right for a bluesy tone - being in Canada, it’s Vintage Garnet amps and home builds for me!
I have found that speakers make a huge difference as well…
Interesting video. I've got a Supro Delta King 8 and I run a TS808 Tube Screamer in front of it for overdrive sounds. Using the volume and master volume on the amp, I can get great tones on it at low volumes, the best tones I've ever had, and it doesn't annoy anyone.
I've had a tone king imperial mk2 for a year now.....I love it.....with the iron man attenuator I can dial down to keep it quiet with lots of break up....or play it wide open , and it's plenty loud enough for my band
I almost bought a Gremlin but ending up getting a Falcon Grande. Sounds fantastic and at low bedroom volumes as well. I put a Plumes tubescreamer in front of it yesterday and played it with my Gibson Les Paul Classic and was blown away by the Jimmy Page Supro sound I was getting on the lead setting on the amp. I was only using single coil guitars prior to my surprise yesterday.
And yes I know that Page used a Telecaster on Zeppelin 1 with a Supro.
😊
I just bought the falcon v1 with the 10” speaker. It’s being shipped now. I look forward to playing through it. I almost pulled the trigger on the gremlin, but I wanted to make sure I had a little more headroom if I play with a drummer
Another great amp for this is Benson Vinny reverb combo. Small amp with an attenuator type master volume.
Im a HUGE fan of tube amps. I used to have a 50 watt Marshall half stack, sized down to a Princeton Reverb, then down to a Fender 5f1 champ. 😂its still too loud for apartment use. Im presently using a Spark digital amp, it has all the effects built in, no setting up pedal boards and limiting volume from my tube amps.
Tubes are great if you own a home or play out.
Gah I was so happy after the Yamaha THR video because it made me feel good about the amp I already own. Now I want this one too
there's no shame in that
I went to a Tone King Imperial MK II. With the built-in attenuator, I can still get dynamics, crunch at very low levels. Running it straight it is a loud 15 watts good for gigs and jam sessions.
I’ve come to embrace the Tone Master Deluxe Reverb amp from Fender. I know it’s a digital modeling amp, but it uses all that processing power to model just a Deluxe Reverb. Built in attenuator, cab sims and mics. XLR our. It’s really a superb practice, recording, and gigging piece of kit.
I hear ya on the fear of annoying neighbors/roommate. I'm late to learning guitar, didn't start until I was past 60, only playing every day for the last two years. I have 2 electric, 2 acoustic, 1 electro'coustic Alvarez. Thankfully, I have my own home, and my roommate has her digs at the opposite end of the house from my practice space. The fear of being annoying is a real boogie man, but I'm making progress by practicing practicing practicing, and talking to my roomie and neighbor across the street. It helps to know when and where my playing is in harmony with the people I share my neighborhood with.😁 Thanks for sharing, see you in the next video ❤
I just got a box ac 10 for home use I’ve spent the last couple days just trying different settings it’s a great sounding amp!
I’m a studio cat but not a guitar player but I LOVE amps. The amount of tones that are possible on just a simple tube amp is just mind blowing to me, then you add in pedals and your entire world opens up. I cut my teeth mixing and producing on amp sims so I’m no stranger to em but I always found in just about every genre I worked in I always used the same 1 or 2 amps but I just altered the settings and pedal/FX choices, so I gradually grew into the idea of wanting to have just a few real amps in my room to reamp guitars and synths with and I’m basing my picks for the most part off of the plugins I’m using. Im also in an apartment so I picked up a load box over a cabinet (I went with a Fryette PLIR because I really liked it’s feature set) and it’s been game changing. I don’t know how much of it is the gear slut in me but everything just feels more “alive” for lack of a better term when being ran through a physical tube amp even with cabinet IRs. It just feels really good and I’m finding I can get the sounds I want faster. Would I love to be miking up 4x12s everyday? Absolutely. But until then my small amp collection and IRs are doing me just fine.
My bedroom amp is a Fender Mustang LT25 digital combo, and it's great for when I just want to noodle for a few minutes, play a quick riff or song idea in my head, or play along with a track. It doesn't have to sound amazing, it just has to sound good enough for me to enjoy it. If I want to "feel" the music, I'm going for my Traynor YCV40WR 40-watt tube combo, which is hard to be in a room with at 30-40% volume. Fortunately, my closest neighbor is about 300 feet away, so I can get pretty loud! But the wife and kid don't want to hear it all that often, haha. Wouldn't mind a smaller tube amp one day, though. Great vid.
mesa boogie california tweed that offers attenuation at different levels is really a do it all for me. All 20 watts if you want to play live/in a group setting, cut it to 10 for louder home playing. 1W for quiet (relative) playing.
5 tube Watts are still pretty loud though! I've got one of those 1W all tube Blackstar amps with a small 8" speaker. Damn even that thing is loud, especially if you plug it into a serious speaker! It easily drives a 4x12 cabinet!
Another great video, thanks. I’ll probably butcher this, but I saw a Guthre Trapp video where he said that he had different amps for different size rooms. That way he can have the volume always set where he likes it. So, if he likes his fender amps at 5-7 (or whatever it is) he brings a Princeton or a Twin or whatever will be right for the room. Pretty cool.
I’m using Tone King Imperial captures from Amalgam Audio loaded onto my Tonex pedal. Sounds incredible.
Laney super cub 10 (which got a superb fx loop for ambience pedals) + blues driver + 10 band EQ is what making my days way enjoyable than with headphone amps 😁
As a stagehand loading bands stuff I both love moving a heavy tube amp because I’ll never afford the nice ones and noticing the quad cortex / fender thing (is popping up more lately) because I’ll never afford one
Great Videos!!! Thanks What is your video setup? Thanks
In my first (studio) apartment I had an insanely loud Fender Deluxe 85. Fortunately, one of the downstairs units of the quad was home to a drummer. I never got a complaint about "guitar noise" ...
I have a Fender Blues Junior and one of those Monoprice-branded Stage Right 15W tube amps. Small amps are awesome and sound great. The Monoprice in particular is a great one for keeping quiet because you can just press a button and put it in 1W mode. Not sure after hearing those that I could justify $1400 for a Tone King Gremlin.
My favorite guitar amps I own are a Marshall DSL5 and a Fender Pro Jr. When I play at mid to low volumes I feel more like I'm playing guitar. When a big amp is super loud I feel like I'm playing the amp and not so much the guitar.
I cant help but play through bigger tube amps, but I live in a house in the country, I cant get the same feeling with small amps and I havent played a modeler
I love the headroom of a 50-100 watt amp, even when turned down...I am a volume knob rider as well
I've had the same struggle, worrying far too much about what my neighbours think, to the extent that I barely play above speaking volume. As a result my quest for good tone has led to a very complicated setup but it works for me: guitar--->pedals--->peavey valve nano--->load box--->front end of peavey bandit 65. The crucial part is a tc spark booster in the fx loop of the bandit to bring back lost presense that I loose by playing quietly and barely moving the speaker. I'm essentially using the valve amp as a full size valve pedal, then eq'ing the whole noise through the bigger bandit. Far too complicated, but ultimately it does what I want, blues tone on the quiet.
I own this TKG same color since 2020. 1) change the speaker to a made in England celestion greenback. 2) change the preamp tube v1 from a 12ax7 into a 12au7, you will get more headroom for cleans before breakup, 3) humbuckers go into rhythm, single coils go into lead. 4) a tele bridge pick up is the holy grail in lead channel. 5) the experiment with tubes ( kt88 is a blast), the stock tubes wear out within a year, so invest in good tubes. I have the turquoise combo but I would love a different color and in stack version. 6) the only meaningful mod you can do to it is the number one, but the tone it’s in your hands. Nevertheless great amp for bedroom or small gig miced. Complains: wish it had spring reverb and tube tremolo. ( can ad those through pedals.) it’s a pcb board though, long term who knows… hopefully it’s done well.
For me I need the amps volume just loud enough to hear the amps tone and when I can’t hear the acoustic attack of the pick on the strings on the guitar. A really nice pedal platform for pedals at a reasonable volume is the Reeves 12 watt 1x12 combo, hardwired like a HiWatt and just over a grand. There’s a few on Reverb for under a grand.
“The blues wannabe I know I wanna be”…that about says it all…my new motto!
Tonex pedal. You can have a cranked amp feel with headphones or just connect to a decent monitor. Super nice apartment solution. Amps belong in studios and on stage
Some tube amps have attenuators, I chose the Marshall Origin 20C because of this, it has good headroom and a low output option. Another amazing option I have is the Orange Crush 35RT, which has a headphone output.
Tube amps are for stages and studios equipped to handle the volume and pushing air. In an apartment it a no go…you are using an Apollo 11 rocket for the roll of a golf cart, if you get my drift. Just use a golf cart lol. Use the tube amps at the gigs( appropriate room size with appropriate size amp lol) then pushing air to get a good natural feedback loop with a tube amp is king imo 🎸🤘
For me, playing my Helix Native plugin with studio flat headphones is just magical. Not the amp in the room tone, but the best recorded tone I can possibly imagine.
My orange micro terror goes to 11 when I turn on my custom badass ‘78 distortion. I love this pedal. Combined with my boss flanger and chorus pedals, I’m set.
The main amp I gigged with for years is a 22-watt Deluxe Reverb Reissue. It was never in a situation, recording, jams, band practice, gigs, etc where it wasn't enough. You don't need a lot of weight and wattage to gig but I do believe you need tubes.
To the newbies, large amps look cool but they're mostly too much and non effective. Smaller amps sound better at lower volumes. I always wanted a Vox AC30. I love the sound and the looks, but I'd never get to crank it in a club.
My brother built me a 1W tube amp a decade ago and I stick it through a big ol' vintage 1x12 and basically, I crank it all the time. perfect recording amp as well. sounds for all the world like a huge fender. Also has a line out and tbh if I'm going to be on stage, I get the sound engineer to mic it up with a mic I bring myself. Trust me, they love it so much when a guitarist can't turn up the volume beyond listenable levels mid-gig.
Source: Years of doing live audio and having people turn up to small gig venues with ampeg and marshall stacks, hating every minute of it.
What do you think about the Blckstar HT-1r? I love it ad it is my first tube amp, but I’d like to see what you think of it and what sounds you could get out of it!
I love tube amps. That being said, I just got a Blackstar Debut 50r and that thing RIPS. Even for a crunch tone for worship style music. Going to mod it now with a new speaker. Going to rip even more!
Mini set up: Microdark + (homemade) 1x12
Really portable set up: HX stomp w/ IR's.
Trying to make setting up at venues and traveling easier. (So why not both, depending on situations)
You mention the Neural DSP Toneking plugin, how does the real amp and the plugin compare (even though they're not quite the same amps)? My Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister Deluxe 20 is a great bedroom amp. Older model, but 20w tube amp with built in attenuator for 5w, 1w and silent playback with their built in speaker emulation Redbox thing.
If you haven't checked out the Stage Right 15 watt tube amp from Monoprice, you're missing out. It has a great sound by itself, and sounds even better when played through an extension cab. It's got a 1 watt switch that's really useful for apartment playing and it's also loud enough for most gigs. Unless you're playing with a really loud drummer. Myself and quite a few of my friends have taken to using these amps for all kinds of situations and, they're under $300. Seriously, it's worth it to check one out. There's plenty of videos to see for yourself. Also, Thomann has a rebranded version of it.
I'm afraid to turn the volume up past 5 and I play in a band in a secluded basement 😅
I turn my shit up all the time. I just don’t have it up very high after 9:00 P.M.
@@southernpanda33 I had band practice today so I know for sure that I had my 50w Kraken on 4 and it was almost too loud with a drummer, second guitar player and a bassist. On a big outdoor venue I would turn it up to 6 maybe but inside it would be a significant threat to my hearing past 5.
I took a long time to get comfortable with a tube amp. I had a HRD in a VERY live sanctuary, so I kept it at 2 and shoved it in a makeshift iso cabinet. I had this terrible idea in my head that in order to keep the noise floor under control you had to feed as much signal in as possible and turn the master knob down. Now I know better. Still, I never enjoy turning an amp up past 5.
Bring your light up one foot and one foot to the left and it you won’t have a reflection in your glasses as much.
With that said, love your content. ❤
I use my 1982 fender silver face champ 5watts bought in 1982 with multiple electrical soket rating for all countries. Two years ago I changed speaker to Jensen alnico 8 and new Jo tubes . Old ones still work but wow wat a difference a miniature delux sound but loader on 2 it’s ok 5 up god it plays
Hi Mike. So you want to play the blues? Bell Bottom Blues (and the rest of Layla) was recorded with Clapton mostly playing straight into a Fender Champ. The first few Led Zeppelin albums Page used the same setup. Not a Champ but still your basic 1 6V6 tube with an 8" speaker. Of course I am NOT talking about modern Champs, but the Tweed era. If you need a modern take, Fender's new 57 Custom Champ could be a starting point.
I am talking about amps with 1, yes one and only knob. That 5 Watts can shake the rafters. If you want to learn tube amps, pease put away the pedals. Duane Altman used that same Champ on Layla. In 1969 he was not using giant walls of 100W Marshals. They gave free concerts in Piedmont Park. At one of them, 13 year old me was allowed to fetch his JMP 50 head from the back seat of his blue Ford Galaxie and bring it to the stage. I say stage, it was just a concrete slab high on the sloping field.
Enough name dropping. Seriously, one knob, one cable, play on. Learn how to feel the dynamics of a tube and your volume knob and it will make you smile.
I started playing when I was 10. Next week I turn 68. Years ago an accident made me put away my guitars. I am just now starting to learn how to play all over again. I have an Emery Sound Superbaby www.emerysound.com/Superbaby.html that may leave you gob smacked with a NOS 5881 or 6L6WGB and a small cabinet with a Tone Tubby 8" AlNiCo speaker. Bliss comes in many forms. Chose wisely.
The Tone King is great, my neighbor has one. I think it's bigger than that one though. The distortion was pretty wild on it. I want to try to the plugin too.
At my age, and with all the wishes I have for "better" stuff..I just learned to use what I have. I have too much stuff to be honest! Outdated stuff..but it works for me. I still use the original Line 6 pod..going to an old MosValve amp..mic'ed up through a mixing board to an interface. One of my favorite amps was a Fender Blues Deluxe or DeVille..not sure of the name after so many years. But it sounded incredible. 3 channels, clean, gain, and more gain. These days you can hook your guitar up to an interface and buy some cheap software to emulate those tones. Just not the same to me..but, then again, I'm old :)
I have noticed in most videos about getting good tone from an amp, people play guitars with humbucker style pickups...as much as I want to get a bigger chunky sound, this is much hard to get from single coil pickups due most single coil pickups have low output.
I miss having a dedicated rehearsal space (that we shared with 4 other bands, to be clear) where noise was absolutely not a concern.
what would be nice eletric LH guitar to start with for the next five years? blue, jazz and r&b neo soul music
I've got an 87 Fender Champ 12. 1 6L6Gc and 2 ax7's, Mercury Magnetics transformer and a Cannabis Rex speaker. It's all need.
I almost bought a new Gremlin but then stumbled onto a killer deal on a less than 1 yr old Tone King Imperial Mk II. With both a BF and Tweed channel and the built-in the attenuator it's a killer amp that even a wife can love.
Even 15 watts can easily be too much. I've been playing Trace Elliot Velocettes for about 20 years now - 15 watts into 10" abd nice and small and light. They have the most amazing tone, but their sweet spot comes in at around 12 o'clock on the dial, and it's actually too loud for a lot of smaller gigs - let alone for at home.
I get what you're saying about the freedom. I recently invested in a Fractal FM9 and, having gone through a pretty steep learning curve, I've got some great sounds that respond just like a tube amp and give that "sweet spot" tone at pretty much acoustic volumes. And it's inspiring to be able to play those sounds and really comfortable levels.
I went to a 5 watt amp recently. Love it... Blues Jr Original is now for sale. Just too loud for my small room, said my neighbour.
A good sound is one thing. Loudness is another. No need to confuse the two. I suggest we concentrate on the sound and apply loudness to suit the venue.
Bedroom amps are great for practice. Volume really matters when you're out practicing with other people. I did that for the first time in years and was terrified to play too loud to start. I recommend finding some people to play with and getting out of your comfort zone with them. and play what you like at home.
My first (and only) brand name amp is a Marshall dsl401. It’s so loud I can’t even get to edge of breakup tone without complaints :(
Didn't really use any of my tube amps since I got my Yamaha THR II 30. I live in a flat with thin walls, like really thin. So blasting even my dark Terror is an absolut no go (sadly).
At home, I have a Vibro Champ Reverb that I use Weber MiniMass attenuator so I can play it at 10. Do the same with a replica of a 50s 5w Spectator and both give me the best tone I've ever had (without any pedals) and even with the attenuator. It's to the point now that I don't enjoy the feel (and in most cases, sound) of playing through most overdrive pedals. (Also worth noting you also need to learn the volume knobs on your guitars as well as the amp and the way the two interact.) P.S. - For playing into your computer, I have the UAD Dream, which is their Deluxe Reverb model, and it sounds and feels way better than any amp sim I've ever played. It really does capture the blackface tone and its breakup sounds and feels very natural and amp-like.
all-analog Fender Champ FtW
'68 Custom Vibro Champ Reverb is a current-production example
I'm with you... uncomfortable with volume that might disturb the neighbors. I mostly play through headphones using Amplitube. Lately my favorite is the Amplitube American Vintage B (I think it's a model of a Fender Bassman) .
Eddie Van Halen famously practiced without an amp, solid body electric with no amplification.
I just have a 2 watt modelling amp, solid state. Would love to get a hand-Made 1 watt tube amp from a store in Spain called MPF Sound, but they are expensive.
Give the bugera V5 a try. Attenuator and reverb, gain. Great little amp
ever tried guitarix through a clean pa?
NIce to hear how this amp performs. I have to say that you are going to have to move to a larger place, your gear is growing by the week!😎
I just bought a VOX AC4TV and even on 1/4 Watt, yes a quarter watt, it's still very loud if I crank the distortion...
Every week you come up with another piece of gear... neverending gas
That is a very expensive bedroom amp. But it seems like a great one. I feel like your Princeton on 2 using pedals for drive is a pretty friendly bedroom tone as well. I have a Mark V that has to option to go from 25 watts to 10 watts - surprisingly its not that big of a difference.
The tone king is a great amp. Look at Chris Stapleton.... He uses a Fender Princeton Amp on stage...... Experiement with NOS vintage tubes. They were built with different coatings and different machines back then and have way much more warmer tone and harmonics in tube amps.
I have two one-hundred-watt tube amps, three 50-watt tube amps one 22-watt tube amps 2 five-watt tube amps and one- one watt tube amp. I play 95% of the time on the 5-watt little giant by blackheart into a 2x12, it also has a 3-watt setting and that is what I use. I have it turned up to 3-4 usually. I live in a house on a 1/3-acre lot so no really close neighbors..........could play louder if I wanted to, but I don't. I did plug in my 100-watt Marshall Super Lead a few months ago and turned it up to 4 and it was so loud it actually made me feel very uneasy playing it that loud. My grandson plays in a band, and I was at their rehearsal space, and I played his Dual rectifier half stack and that didn't bother me, so I guess it is just playing that loud in the house that made me self-conscious.
Cranking a Silver Jubilee half stack was an awesome experience. It also made me appreciate my fractal even more. I know, I'm a heritic.
have you ever tried a Roland Jazz Chorus?
My Roland JC 22 is by far the best amp I've ever played for home use. JC sound in a smaller package, sounds fantastic in a house or apartment and its solid state so you can turn it down. I've got overdrive, distortion, and fuzz pedals for dirt. Perfect review from me.
Brooo they are soooo good !! I just got mines in and the clean sound with my Strat is heavenly. The reverb sounds amazing and I’m not even a huge fan of chorus, but I was able to dial even that in for a sound I like
I love small amps in person, but they usually sound small when recorded (which is most of what I do).
So I see the amp you have has 2 inputs, you should get a split mono cable to use both channels, it will definitely change dynamics and make it sound fuller
My Fryette Power Station II was the best guitar related purchase I've ever made.
Trying to decide between this and the Supro Amulet
What’s your klon Klone .. I’m using a studio day dream / extremely tuned .. Japanese and great pedal great guys … check it
As a metalhead, I don't like small amps. Breakup is the last thing you want. And cleans sound better on bigger amps. Like a plexi on the lead with the gain turned all the way down. The cleans from that technique sound incredible! I believe Hendrix did that.
And a little tip bro. To get breakup faster on a small/low watt amp. Put a eq pedal in front, don't change the eq, just bump up the volume on the pedal. You'll retain your natural amp breakup but at a lower volume.