# looking for good tube amp for around $600



## satan (Feb 9, 2009)

Im in need of a new amp.
My line 6 15 watter just cant keep up with my band when we jam or rehearse, much less when we do gigs. I get nasty transistor overdrive at around half volume on clean, and generally, it sounds overpowered when playing with a drummer, another guitar, and a bass. anyway, the point is I need a new amp, and my budget is only $600. Thats for the amp _and_ the cabinet.
I wont settle for any transistor amp, and I need an amp with a nice overdrive, and a crispy clean (for my distortion, i have a big muff), with enough power to handle a descent school cafeteria (talent show). 
It's hard to find combos that are loud enough for such venues, and if I got a 2-piece, then that would only leave me $350 for the actual amp (cab is $250)
any help here?

PS. i can allow myself to go around $80 over budget if I really have to.


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## mrmatt1972 (Apr 3, 2008)

Well, It'll be a cold day in hell before you find a good amp at that price... hwopv

There are tons of low watt amps in that range, but you'll need to buy used if you want a 30 + watt tube amp at that price. Keep youre eye out for a Traynor ycv-50 blue. It'll do the trick for you.

Matt


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## plato67 (Jan 13, 2008)

A 70's tube Traynor will fit the bill nicely. Don't let the looks of them throw you off. They are serious tone machines for relatively very little money. Good luck!


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## nitehawk55 (Sep 19, 2007)

You would be real close to be able to puchase this one . Contact the seller ( Dave ) as I do not know if it is still available but I'm sure he can work something out with you . 50 Watts is plenty loud for your needs plus it is switchable to 15 for home use . It has 2 channels and would suit you perfectly . Made in Canada too.....not Chinese junk .
http://www.guitarscanada.com/Board/showthread.php?t=19698


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## Andy (Sep 23, 2007)

Dude...you've been playing the wrong combos.

My 15 watt Traynor can get downright painfully loud.

My suggestion? A used YCV50Blue or YCS50 (like the one for sale posted above.) Seriously great sounding amps, made in Canada, tough as hell (mine has fallen from 3-ft onto concrete and sounded great the next time I fired it up), and loud.


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## satan (Feb 9, 2009)

thx guys 4 all the suggestions!:thanks5qx: ill be checkin out some of those traynors for sure.

after some research, I went to my local music store, and found this nice little Line 6 valve amp.
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Line-6-Spider-Valve-112-40W-1x12-Guitar-Combo-Amp?sku=483066
It's on sale for $680, so it seems like a pretty good deal, so im just wondering if any of you have had any experience with this amp, and if so, if it's worth going for.
thanks again!


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## Andy (Sep 23, 2007)

I wouldn't buy it. A friend of mine had a Spider II, and although the Valve probably sounds much better, it probably has the same clumsy user interface that's completely unusable without their giant footswitch. The effects are probably just as cheesy and unusable, as well.

That friend who had the Spider became more and more frustrated with it during the time he owned it, and sold it within a year. I still have my Traynor after 2.5 years, and it only sounds better each time I play it, as I get better at learning how to coax the sounds I want out of it.

Ultimately, just play every amp in sight and focus on the quality of the sounds, not how cool all the effects are.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

$600 buys you a good head... if you're lucky. a $600 halfstack wont sound good, unless you find a KILLER deal. sorry dude.

with your $600, go hunt down a used mesa F30 combo, or DC-5 combo.

1. any show worht playing, you will be mic'd - you could play a practise amp at these shows.
2. put your combo on a chair - lo and behold, there will be more sound dispersion and you will be perceived as louder 
3. EQ settings! these are important. start with all knobs at 5 and tweak from there.


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

...if someone stole my traynor ycv15blue and i couldn't find another one, i'd take a very serious look at the peavey classic 30, new or used.

also, check craig list for traynor ycv20wr.

-dh


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

There's a YCV-50 posted here (scroll down to Feb 9th) for $500. Don't really know if that's a "good" price...and it's in Ottawa:

http://www.theottawamusician.com/equip.htm


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## famouspogs (Jun 9, 2006)

Heres some of the choices I would go for in your situation.

Heres a video comparing the peavey windsor against a vintage marshall
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouuR4qwUnaE

I'm not going to make any judgements about which ever sounds better through a bad camera mic but maybe there is something great about it. I mean for 400 dollars a 100 watt all tube half stack cannot be that bad.

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Peavey-Windsor-All-Tube-Half-Stack?sku=485059

alot of people also like the Peavey delta blues and Classic 30.

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Peavey-Delta-Blues-210-Tube-Combo-Amp?sku=481017

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Peavey-Classic-30112-Tube-Amp-Combo-?sku=481014

Theres also the blues junior which is a small 15 watt all tube amp thats alright but really needs a pedal for any overdrive. Its just loud enough for band practice.

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/...ior-15W-1x12-Tube-Guitar-Combo-Amp?sku=481861

A lot of people are recommending traynors and although I have to say I dislike all of the ycv models besides the ycv-20 they are good deals. I've found their cleans to be abit wooden, the gain is useless on lower settings unless you change the tubes and speaker. I've also never had a traynor that didn't have a problem. I've rented 7-8(amp quest) and all of them had something wrong with them. However, they were all used and I bet people didn't take care of them as much as they should.

As I said though I really enjoyed the ycv-20. The gain channel was okay but not amazing. The clean channel is nice and really sounds good when pushed to overdrive. The only thing I didn't really like was the reverb. Not completely useless but almost. You could easily get a ycv-20 and a better speaker for under 600. I had a private jack in mine which is a greenback copy but louder and less brittle. I had played a wine red ycv-20 with a celestion greenback in it and I though the private jack was alot better.


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## Powdered Toast Man (Apr 6, 2006)

Ok, for $600 you could get the following great tube combos on the used market:

-Fender Hot Rod Deville - either 212 or 410. These are typically no more than $600 used in good condition. They are 60 watts and ridiculous loud. I own a 212 model and I love the sound of both the clean and OD channels. I recently retubed it with JJ's and it sounds even better.
-Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. These are a 1x12 at 40 watts and used they go around $500. Very similar in sound and function as the Deville. Also loud, but a little easier to move around than the Deville.
-Peavey Classic 50. Again, around $500 on the used market. Great sounding tube amp. My buddy was going to trade his amp/cab for one but the seller backed out at the last minute. I tried one out in the store to see what they were about and it has a wicked clean sound and a great reputation as a solid working man's amp.

Given that you live in T.O. at least one of these should show up on either Kijiji or Craigslist in your area pretty regularly. I recommend used because you lose about 40-50% of an amp's new value when you walk out the door with it. If you buy used and you outgrow or want to change up you can probably resell it for about what you paid for it. You can tell pretty clearly if a used amp has been taken care of or not just by looking at it. Also you can get alot more amp for your money. Just be patient and keep your eye out and one worth buying will pop up!


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## Archer (Aug 29, 2006)

Traynor TCV, Fender Hot Rods, Peavey Classic and Windsor models.....

There are lots of affordable tube combos that are loud enough for your needs. If a 30-40 watt tube amp isnt loud enough for the little places you are playing then you are playing WAY to loud.


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## dustyoldamp (Dec 29, 2008)

run away from line 6 amps and grab a new peavey classic 30 instead...

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Peavey-Classic-30112-Tube-Amp-Combo-?sku=481014


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## Gizmo (Aug 7, 2008)

If you can find a Reverend Hellhound on the used market, run don't walk to buy it. They've stopped making them but they do come up occasionally. 

A nice 60W small combo with a 40/60 switch and a "schizo" switch that changes the tone stack to sound Fender'ish or Vox'ish.

I've been gigging with mine for 3 years and love it.


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## salv (Sep 24, 2008)

I completely agree on the Traynors. YCV40WR, YCV50Blue, YCS50 or YCV15Blue


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## Trev Flint (May 30, 2008)

Try looking into the Orange Tiny Terror. Nice amp with great natural overdrive. Can switch between 7/15 watts.


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

FWIW, the seller (no connection to me) lowered the price on the YCV-50 to *$400 OBO *yesterday (Feb 24th)...http://www.theottawamusician.com/equip.htm


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

StevieMac said:


> FWIW, the seller (no connection to me) lowered the price on the YCV-50 to *$400 OBO *yesterday (Feb 24th)...http://www.theottawamusician.com/equip.htm


Wow, that's a heck of a good deal!


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## Evilmusician (Apr 13, 2007)

Those Delta Blues are great amps for cash too ! and that line 6 modeling crap IMO,I'm not interested in sounding like anyone else ,hey I sound like me!


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