# Looking for an amp that can play at low and high volumes



## Gilles (Jan 9, 2008)

Hi, 

I'm still on my first amp, a Vox DA5, which I like a lot. But I'm looking to buy a bigger one because I started playing with other people and 5 watts just doesn't cut it anymore, particularly with a drummer. 

Thing is, I would like to use my new amp to practice when I'm alone in my apartment without making to much noise and I've seen some amps go from inaudible to just too loud to play after 11:00 PM in an apartment. 

Anyone know of a good amp between 250-500$ that can play low and high volume? I'm not going to play gigs with it, extremely loud music or anything resembling heavy metal.

I don't care about the amp having or not tubes or effects. I mostly play 60s-70s rock and blues.


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## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

If you can, pick up a used Peavey Classic 30. It's a 30W tube amp but, it can also be played pretty quietly. No matter what amp you choose to get, you likely won't find much that is apartment quiet. I think the Classic 30 will do you fine and you should be able to find one for about $350 to $400.

I've heard good and bad about the Vox modeling amps. They are relatively cheap and have some kind of power reduction switch for quiet playing. Just something else to consider.


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## NB_Terry (Feb 2, 2006)

Why not keep the DA5 for practice, and get a second amp (Classic 30, etc) for your louder amp? 

The DA5 probably has a headphones out option as well.


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## bcmatt (Aug 25, 2007)

I think a Fender Çhamp of some sort might be appropriate. ˆ have a clone of a Black Faced Champ, that was very cheap. It's a single-ended cathode biased tube amp that sounds quite nice. I believe it is about 7 Watts, and can get quite loud. I would say even loud enough for playing with a violent drummer. Anyways, I'd say it is quite versatile as far as volume. I have to get it still pretty loud to get it's distortion, so I still put a tonebone distortion pedal in front of it to thicken up the sound a bit when I play it live without having to get noise complaints from other band members. So, ya, it can still get loud enough to annoy people in a 50' by 50' room. That's the blessing/curse of greater volume from a tube amp of the same power rating.


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## Gilles (Jan 9, 2008)

I tried the Vox DA30 and Vox DA50 in a store but I wasn't sure about them, I'll look for the Peavy and Fender Champ and see if I can try them someplace.

Thanks for the tips.


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

peavey classic 30 is awsome at low and high volume. that's your goal....and it's a tube amp as well..


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

There are a number of amps on the market with switchable outputs, like the Mesa Boogie 5:50 and 5:25, which might fill the bill. Lots of master volume amps will preserve some tone at lower volumes. My Traynor YCV50 sounds good to me either way.

In your price range, look for used amps.

Peace, Mooh.


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## starjag (Jan 30, 2008)

Mooh said:


> There are a number of amps on the market with switchable outputs, like the Mesa Boogie 5:50 and 5:25, which might fill the bill. Lots of master volume amps will preserve some tone at lower volumes. My Traynor YCV50 sounds good to me either way.


I agree with Mooh. A tube amp with a good master volume is key for these applications. The Mesa Express series might be out of the OP's price range (even if used) but the Crate V series might be an alternative to the Peavey Classic.

Tube amps around 25-30 watts (sometimes even 15 watts) with a single 12" speaker seem to suffice for most applications, even with a drummer. If you go with digital or solid state, you will need more power.

Headroom is also important to consider. If you want a clean tone next to a drummer, you will need more than 25-30 watts from your tube amp. Otherwise, you will have nice power tube overdrive at higher volumes.


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## jcayer (Mar 25, 2007)

Mooh said:


> ...
> like the Mesa Boogie 5:50 and 5:25, which might fill the bill. ...


MMM,

Please tell me where you found a Mesa-Boogie 5:50 or 5:25 with a price tag $250 - $500...

He asked for somethnig in the range of $250 - $500 not: over $2500 ...


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Yeah, sorry, I didn't catch the price range qualifier the first time around, and must have been editing when you posted. However, the master volume advice still stands, and if there is gear to trade or a way to up the cash flow, some more bucks will buy more amp. A YCV20 which I use every day in my lesson studio has lots of volume, enough to compete with a drum kit, and mics up well too. At lower volume it's still pretty sweet sounding.

Peace, Mooh.


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## jcayer (Mar 25, 2007)

Mooh said:


> Yeah, sorry, I didn't catch the price range qualifier the first time around, and must have been editing when you posted. However, the master volume advice still stands, and if there is gear to trade or a way to up the cash flow, some more bucks will buy more amp. A YCV20 which I use every day in my lesson studio has lots of volume, enough to compete with a drum kit, and mics up well too. At lower volume it's still pretty sweet sounding.
> 
> Peace, Mooh.


:food-smiley-004:

Totally agreed :smile:

I also agree with NB_Terry concerning keeping the DA5 and buying another mor powerful amp...


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

a 5W tube amp isnt quiet. i wouldnt even recommend an epi valve junior.

does a traynor YCV50 have a headphone out and a speaker defeat? i know the YCC80 does, but that's out of his budget.

if it has a headphone out that turns off the speaker, you're set. keeping the DA-5 and stepping up to something else is a pretty good idea - used cube 30X, used vox AD30, marshall MG30DFX..


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## Gilles (Jan 9, 2008)

Thanks for all the advice. I'll let you know when I get something.


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

I just got a Blackheart BH5H which is a single ended amp with a pentode (5 watts)/triode (3 watts) switch. It is quite loud, but on triode mode you can play quiet and clean at apartment volumes. My problem is that I want to play crunchy overdriven rock/blues and my wife gets annoyed (the loving words "TOO LOUD!" echo up the stairs...) and even at 3 watts, it is. Check it out since it is well within your price range and would keep up with drums in a jam situation. You'll need a cabinet or the combo though. Crate also makes some decent priced tube amps in the V series.

If you do want to play live with a band, I would suggest no less than 30 watts (tube) because you will need the headroom for the cleans. YCV40 amps are awesome and can be had used for about 350-400 dollars. You also might get
lucky and find a pawn shop prize. Buy with your ears, not your eyes.

matt


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## Bevo (Nov 24, 2006)

I also picked the Blackheart 3/5 head and run it through a single closed back 12 cab.

To keep the volume low I plug in my Boss MT-2 pedal and use it as a master volume. This setup gives me the tone I want at the volume I need.
If I want clean, I back off the distortion and get the sweet cranked tones at the volume I want.

Did a jam with a drummer and used a 2-12 cab on the 5 watt setting and it was plenty loud. A guy I know was using his Marshal head and 4-12 but got sick of moving it from show to show. He now makes sure the club has a PA and uses a 1-12 and the Blackheart amp..

The head was $179 at LA Music in Toronto. Check it out its worth a look, I personaly think these new low watt amps are the way to go..


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

myself and many guys i know despise the MT-2's sound. modded isnt as bad, but still.. you grow tired of it.

now a modded DS-1, that may work wonders!


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

jcayer said:


> MMM,
> 
> Please tell me where you found a Mesa-Boogie 5:50 or 5:25 with a price tag $250 - $500...
> 
> He asked for somethnig in the range of $250 - $500 not: over $2500 ...


In that price range, new, you're talking a new Yorkville/Traynor combo. Maybe one of the 40 watt ones?


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## Bevo (Nov 24, 2006)

I agree with you on the MT-2 sound on the Distortion knob..I keep it at a minimum setting.
What works well with that pedal is the EQ control, I can tune it however I want and am able to change up its sounds very easily.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

I used to have one.. damn glad i sold it lol. I tried running the gain as low as possible to get a punk style crunch instead of full tilt metal distortion.. it couldnt do it.

i find amp distortion to work much better, but it's all preference. I know some bands use MT-2's as a boost for dual rec's.. that still boggles my mind haha


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Whatever you get, a little boost going in goes a long way to adding extra power. I generally use either an Boss EQ or an MXR Boost/Line Driver for cleans, and one of several distortion pedals to suppliment the amp distortion. This is how I can get away with a Traynor YCV20 sometimes (instead of the YCV50). Smack that amp with as much signal as possible.

There's an interesting thread about clean boosts going on here, too.

Peace, Mooh.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

www.bodenhamer-electronics.com

boostimus maximus


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

Bevo said:


> I also picked the Blackheart 3/5 head and run it through a single closed back 12 cab.
> 
> To keep the volume low I plug in my Boss MT-2 pedal and use it as a master volume. This setup gives me the tone I want at the volume I need.
> If I want clean, I back off the distortion and get the sweet cranked tones at the volume I want.
> .


Funny thing, just today I plugged in an old SD-1 I haven't used in years to get crunch at low volumes in a similar way. Works OK sdsre, but I still prefer the sound of the amp when the volume is up past 5. :rockon2:

matt


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

git'r'modded


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## mysweetshadow747 (Apr 28, 2008)

Gilles said:


> Hi,
> 
> I'm still on my first amp, a Vox DA5, which I like a lot. But I'm looking to buy a bigger one because I started playing with other people and 5 watts just doesn't cut it anymore, particularly with a drummer.
> 
> ...


Well, I paid about $390 for my amp, and I gotta say it can pretty much handle it all. It's a solid state Randall RX120R 2x12 combo, good for low volumes for bedroom practicing and if you need it to, you can drown out a drummer with no problem. 120 Watts, and being that it's solid state, there's no major volume jump point like there would be in a tube amp. It sounds pretty much exactly like what you're looking for. My band has three guitarists, so when we play live, there's a lot of sound coming out of the PA, but so far I've not had a problem being heard. I've spent a lot of time playing around with this thing and the sound capabilities are quite broad, it can go from country to rock to jazz to metal. However, there are only two channels on it, clean and overdriven, but there's also a reverb effect in it if you're into that. The hard part might be finding one. Ever since I got mine, I haven't been able to find another Randall RX120R combo amp, just the usual amp head and cabinet setup. Same thing, just with two extra speakers and taking up a lot more room. Good luck!

Oh! I should also add that it does have a 1/4 inch headphone jack that cuts the speakers out, an effects loop, and also a 4 and 8 ohm output too, in case you decide to hook up a cab to it.


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## dnoseworth (Apr 13, 2008)

Maybe a Fender Blues Junior


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## AgileLP (Feb 28, 2008)

If you like the DA5, why not look at the new DA20. 20 watts, and two 8" speakers. Reviews I've read say that it keeps up well with a drummer. And you can still switch to the 0.5 watt mode to practice in the apartment.


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## bluezombie (May 7, 2007)

Personally i love my Roland Micro cube as a practice amp, it plays pretty quiet, but it can also go pretty loud if you're playing alone.


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## Hamm Guitars (Jan 12, 2007)

A tube preamp and a solid state power amp. A clean power amp sounds a little different at lower volumes, but nothing that you can't compensate for on the preamp.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Any tube amp with an air break.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

..or THD attenuator


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