# Best cheapest, small tube amp?



## greenguitar (Dec 19, 2014)

Hi,

I am looking for a great, small amp. Mostly I will play blues and rock. Not a big metal guy. Any suggestions? Thanks!


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

No clean to speak of, but the Jet City 22 is a fantastic little 22 watt head. Great FX loop, separate master & gain for each channel. 2nd channel might be higher gain than what you want tho, and lack of true clean (at low volume, the crunch channel with the volume dimed and the preamp very low does a passable clean but it's got some hair around the edges). For $400 new, fantastic value.

Do you use pedals for gain/distortion? If so, you probably want a cleaner 'platform' type amp. Also, you don't mention budget, or 'how small is small' - just for home use, or ever playing with other musicians?


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## Moosehead (Jan 6, 2011)

Vox ac15 or ac4
marshall class 5 or the 1 watt JTM/JMP/JCM combos


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Budget? You can spend $400 or $2000, it all depends on the name you want on the front. 

Btw its in the wrong section


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

I had an Epiphone Valve Jr for a while and it was cool. Not a boatload of headroom but it was pretty nice. I had a 1x12" closed back Traynor cab that it sounded great through and a 4x12" Mesa half back that it sounded great through. Nothing close to metal sort of distortion but bluesy grit for sure.


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

smorgdonkey said:


> I had an Epiphone Valve Jr for a while and it was cool. Not a boatload of headroom but it was pretty nice. I had a 1x12" closed back Traynor cab that it sounded great through and a 4x12" Mesa half back that it sounded great through. Nothing close to metal sort of distortion but bluesy grit for sure.


+1 to this. I have the V3 combo, plug into a 112 or 412, a true thing of beauty. They're on Internet classified ads for pretty cheap.


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## djmarcelca (Aug 2, 2012)

If I used amps anymore, this'd be my choice:

http://hughes-and-kettner.com/products/tubemeister/tubemeister-5/


Has a great sound, built in D.I., Built in Power soak for silent recording. 
Under 600.00


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## gtone (Nov 1, 2009)

I'd buy one of the low-watt Phaez circuits with either a boost or a two-channel circuit. Where else you gonna get a hand-wired/hand built head that kicks major butt for under $500 new or a whole lot less used?


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

I have one of these but you will have to find a used one.

Kustom Defender 5H (5W) with a 1x12 cab. You should be able to find one for around $200.00. For any effects you will need to add effects.

The Epiphone Valve Jr. has had many good reviews.

The Blackstar HT1 is on sale right now at Musician's Friend for $100.00.

Do you want something for practice, jamming or gigging? What is your budget?


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## Scotty (Jan 30, 2013)

smorgdonkey said:


> I had an Epiphone Valve Jr for a while and it was cool. Not a boatload of headroom but it was pretty nice. I had a 1x12" closed back Traynor cab that it sounded great through and a 4x12" Mesa half back that it sounded great through. Nothing close to metal sort of distortion but bluesy grit for sure.


I regret selling mine, but a flooded basement took precedence. It did have some grit


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

This is an open-ended question that can't be answered without quite a few qualifiers. Like how you going to use it, how much you wanna pay, what features do you want, etc. Too many options without knowing some of that. 

.............and, yea, wrong section.


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## bolero (Oct 11, 2006)

I use my little Vox AC4 TV combo more than anything, it was less than $200 on kijij

good sounding little tube amp, great cleans & works very well with pedals


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

silverface champs are still pretty affordable.
easy to mod/ repair and will last your whole life if you take care of it.
thats my vote for 'best cheapest and small.'


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

how small you want? 
the lil nite train is 4 watts, makes a good apt amp, can be had used for about $100
the ac4tvh is 4 watts switchable down to 1 watt or 1/4 watt. can be had used for $100 give or take a little
the vht special 6 is the best of anything mentioned in this thread so far, when it comes to lunchbox heads. can be had used for $150. 
course, if you don't mind spending more, the atomic space tone is awfully cool.
if you want more power, and have some $$ to spend, there is the t/a 15. can't get too much nicer than that in a small amp


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## dradlin (Feb 27, 2010)

Fender Super Champ XD or X2 are hard to beat. Under $400 new, under $300 used.


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## Option1 (May 26, 2012)

I love my Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 18 head. Great for apartment playing as it switches down to 1w. https://www.long-mcquade.com/15685/Guitars/Guitar_Amps/Hughes_Kettner/TubeMeister_18_Head.htm

Neil


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## Voxguy76 (Aug 23, 2006)

There's a tonne of choices out there these days. I've had the chance to try quite a few of the low watt amps and have been pretty impressed. 2 questions, what's your budget? And where will you be playing the amp? ie house? Apartment?


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## capnjim (Aug 19, 2011)

Bugera V5. reverb, overdrive, attenuator. 5 watts, perfect for blues as the overdrive is fairly light.
Killer little amps and very affordable.


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## dmacd67 (Dec 21, 2014)

A Fender Blues Jr. is a wonderful little amp.


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## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

+1 on the Blues Jr. It's a great little amp.


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

The small amp market is HUGE! You need to know what you want and how you intend to use the amp. FWIW 15-22 watts is not reall a "small" amp, they can keep up in full band settings just fine and often have a hard time sounding their best lower volumes. Lots of good choices already spoken for in the thread. I'm leaning towards a channel switching amp now so I'm currently looking at a few Mesa Boogie amps that are 25 watts and 1x12 combos. Small, but not quiet by any means.


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## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

I picked up a used Mesa 5:25 recently. Best amp ever for the money IMO.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

capnjim said:


> Bugera V5. reverb, overdrive, attenuator. 5 watts, perfect for blues as the overdrive is fairly light.
> Killer little amps and very affordable.


That is a great choice IMHO. Better controls than my Kustom Defender H5. And although it's only an 8" speaker, it has an output if you wanted to hook it up to a small cab.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

fender custom deluxe reverb all the way


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## deadear (Nov 24, 2011)

You said cheap and small, and you seem to be a clean player so I would have to say the good old Blues Jr. If you got $900 to blow nothing is sweeter sounding clean than a Princeton .


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

This is just a suggestion, but a modeing amp (maybe something from Line 6 or Fender) will give you much more for your money.

The fact that there are no tubes is of little impact. In a double blind test, I'd wager even the most ardent, dyed in the wool tube lovers would have mixed results picking out the tube amp from a modeler.

I own and use several tube amps. The modelers sound as good to me, and yes, the sag and responsiveness is more than adequate.

Just a thought.


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## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

That's not a bad suggestion. I bought a little Fender Mustang III for my daughter who is just learning. Well, guess who spends a lot of time playing it??? I usually leave it on the Twin setting but most of the other models sound very convincing. All out of a little 8 inch speaker.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

when talking about house or apt volumes, i would agree 100% with milkman above. tone means very little at those volumes. when it comes to s.s. i like the roland cube 30x, and the vox valvetronix. imo, the marshall mg series, and the fender gdec series should be avoided. i don't like them compared to the ones i mentioned. ymmv


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## Option1 (May 26, 2012)

Oddly enough, I had a Mustang III as my first amp. I had to move away from it simply because the immense range of sounds, amp models, tweaks meant I spent all my time being distracted by mucking around with settings and chasing various sounds. I never actually played or practiced with it. Sooo many choices. Definitely a fine amp, but it wasn't for me. I suspect I'm in the minority in that respect, but don't believe alone.

My next amp, which I still have was a Line6 Pocket Pod, which I didn't overly like, and then a Vox Valvetronic+ 20. Still have the Vox, and it's another fine amp, but it only ever gets used when I have to go through headphones late at night.

Neil


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## JeremyP (Jan 10, 2012)

deadear said:


> You said cheap and small, and you seem to be a clean player so I would have to say the good old Blues Jr. If you got $900 to blow nothing is sweeter sounding clean than a Princeton .


^^^^^ This^^^^^^^


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## greenguitar (Dec 19, 2014)

Thanks tons gang. Budget is more to the low end ($400ish) and all I need is like 10W or something. Garage/basement band stuff  I heard good stuff about Jet City and always liked the trebly Vox sound. Not sure if it's too beefy for solos but maybe a pedal? I didn't know about Phaez and will need to check that out. Thanks again and Merry Christmas!


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## greenguitar (Dec 19, 2014)

Oh! And I have a line 6 floor unit I run to the PA sometimes and agree that the modeling stuff is great. I just like having a functional room heater that sounds good cranked a bit. 


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

A 10W tube amp is plenty for a garage or basement. IMHO, it is too much.


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

+1 on a Blues Jr. They can be found used in your budget, are loud enough to hang with most drummers yet have a master volume for those times when you want some crunch at lower levels.

My indoor rig for the last couple of years has been a Vox AC4 head + extension cab (the 110 combo sounded a little boxy to me) & even though it's a loud 4W, I doubt it would keep up with a drummer, unless you had a 212 or 412 cab, which would put you over budget. Although I love those wee Voxes, it's hard to beat a Blues Jr. in terms of versatility, portability & bang for the buck.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

Blues Jr. It's been my main amp for 4-5 years now, gig and studio even. 


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

one thing little caveat for the little nite train i should mention - it has a switch on the face of it marked "brite" & "thick". the thick side bypasses the tone stack. this is the setting you will use exclusively, because the brite side of the switch is so ice picky it's unuseable. IMO. the thick side does pretty well though, and i don't even need to use the switch at all.


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## nnieman (Jun 19, 2013)

I have one amp, a fender excelsior. It's 18 watts, more than enough to keep up with a drummer but it's way too loud for at home use....so I use a pedal for dirty sounds.
My advise is to try a few out. There's a lot of different flavours of amps and it's difficult to know which one sounds right for you and your rig via the internet.
By the way, if you're going for a dirty garage rock tone then excelsior all the way!
You can probably pick up a used one for $250 to $300

Nathan


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

18 watts is enough to keep up with a drummer _if _you aren't worried about clean head room.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

Peavey Classic 20 or 30, and you will be golden. Enough grit to play hard rock, but excellent cleans.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

nnieman said:


> I have one amp, a fender excelsior. It's 18 watts, more than enough to keep up with a drummer but it's way too loud for at home use....so I use a pedal for dirty sounds.
> My advise is to try a few out. There's a lot of different flavours of amps and it's difficult to know which one sounds right for you and your rig via the internet.
> By the way, if you're going for a dirty garage rock tone then excelsior all the way!
> You can probably pick up a used one for $250 to $300
> ...


with a 15" spkr that's no surprise it's too loud for a house or apt. but those amps are really cool, and i had forgotten about them. good call.


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

Rollin Hand said:


> Peavey Classic 20 or 30, and you will be golden. Enough grit to play hard rock, but excellent cleans.


The Delta Blues is another great model from Peavey that tends to be a lot of amp for the money if you can find one used.


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## notjoeaverage (Oct 6, 2008)

I've got a Fender G-DEC 30 combo, Vox Lil' Night Train 2W Head, Laney Cub 15 W head with 3/4 W chanel.

Nothing wrong with the G-DEC and you get the added bonus of a built in drummer.

I have had no problems using the Vox bright switch, only time it gets close to ice pickey is with a Strat or Tele, Humbuckers and P90s work great.

The Laney just plain works, it's great at Blues and Classic Rock and I highly recommend it.


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## Hear Ye Music (Dec 19, 2012)

The VHT Special 6 combo. 6 watts. Tone and volume controls. Fun little amp with nice tones.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

I have a 15 watt G-DEC. They are very cool! I think they have been replaced with the Mustang line of amps now. It is perfect for the bedroom player, you can play along with the music on your computer through headphones and not disturb the house. The fuse software is cool too.


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## Tone Chaser (Mar 2, 2014)

Jim DaddyO said:


> I have a 15 watt G-DEC. They are very cool! I think they have been replaced with the Mustang line of amps now. It is perfect for the bedroom player, you can play along with the music on your computer through headphones and not disturb the house. The fuse software is cool too.


I also have one of these as bedroom amp and teaching aid. I purchased the complete Hal Leonard SD card/lesson book series for G-DEC.

The amp sits between the studio monitors on the shelf at ear level.


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## Gearhead88 (Nov 7, 2013)

Roryfan said:


> The Delta Blues is another great model from Peavey that tends to be a lot of amp for the money if you can find one used.


I've got one , they are not small , quite heavy to lug around , up or down the stairs .

Some may not consider a Delta Blues to be all that cheap either. 

Having said that , yes , they are a great amp , very rich tone , nice reverb and tremolo.


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## epis (Feb 25, 2012)

greenguitar said:


> Hi,
> 
> I am looking for a great, small amp. Mostly I will play blues and rock. Not a big metal guy. Any suggestions? Thanks!
> 
> ...



Guys,guys, slow down a bit. You have recommended to our young friend every single small tube amp on market.
Greenguitar, small tube amps are very loud despite small wattage. If you just started learning guitar, keep your small solid state amp for some time.
Practice your guitar, learn a few songs, visit your local guitar shop, try out some amps and that will be a lot more useful then asking people on the net.
Everybody's taste is different and buying an amp is like buying a car, you loose your money same moment you bought it. (except when buying a vintage gear)
Best regards and good luck in your search, Damir


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

epis said:


> Guys,guys, slow down a bit. You have recommended to our young friend every single small tube amp on market.
> Greenguitar, small tube amps are very loud despite small wattage._* If you just started learning guitar, keep your small solid state amp for some time.
> Practice your guitar, learn a few songs, visit your local guitar shop, try out some amps and that will be a lot more useful then asking people on the net.*_
> , Damir


I have to agree with Damir's advice here. It is sound (pun intended) advice.


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## dradlin (Feb 27, 2010)

epis said:


> Guys,guys, slow down a bit. You have recommended to our young friend every single small tube amp on market...


Responses have been valid and appropriate to the vagueness of the question asked. Lots of responses, because lots of options.


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## epis (Feb 25, 2012)

Well, I would say the same if I didn't see his another question (quoted in my post as well)


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## Option1 (May 26, 2012)

I must admit that despite being one of the rampaging horde who made a recommendation, Damir's advice is the most appropriate given the OP's question(s).

Neil


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## davewrites (Oct 22, 2013)

Cheap, small and tube? Vox AC4TV 10" combo. I see them on Craigslist every now and then for $150-200. 

Not really much else that fits that bill. The Epi Valve Jr is decent but it's also unruly. I have to recommend the AC4 for good clean tones, it sounds great with single coils and humbuckers, takes pedals well and the attenuator is a godsend in the home. Certainly can't say that about the Valve Jr.


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## Stratotone (Jan 29, 2014)

Some of the amps mentioned above can be rented by the month at very reasonable rates. If you find a keeper the money spent on rent can be applied towards purchase. Check it out
https://www.long-mcquade.com/imgs/dec14-guitar rental rates.pdf


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## Stonehead (Nov 12, 2013)

Find a used Traynor YVC20WR. they go for around $300-400 bucks on kijiji. Killer sounding amp, it sounds better than most amps in its price range (IMO) and has more features. The bonus is there is a headphone jack or silent practicing. It takes pedals well, Has an FX loop, DI out, and its small, lightweight, built like a tank, and cool looking.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

these days the market is geared toward the living room player. there's alot of pretty good stuff out there to choose from. even the ones mentioned that i don't care for much really aren't that bad. you could pick any amp in this thread and do ok


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Stonehead said:


> Find a used Traynor YVC20WR. they go for around $300-400 bucks on kijiji. Killer sounding amp, it sounds better than most amps in its price range (IMO) and has more features. The bonus is there is a headphone jack or silent practicing. It takes pedals well, Has an FX loop, DI out, and its small, lightweight, built like a tank, and cool looking.


I agree.

My bandmate uses the WR, which used to be mine.
It is a nice little amp on it's own, but yes, it takes pedals well.

Another to note is the YGL1 at 15 watts, or even the YGL2,
30 watts two channels and a standby!
I use an YGL1 and an extension cab with the band I'm in.

The YGL1 should run a bit cheaper than the WR, as they are new.


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