# Favourite 5-15 Watt Combo Amp



## Christmas Shoes (8 mo ago)

I’m looking for recommendations on great amps that sounds good at low volume, are fairly light weight and can hold their own with a band. I don’t need a ton of clean headroom. Ideally I’d like something handwired and fairly simple.

I’ve been considering getting a Tex 5 Watt but I’m not sure if I should go with something bigger and get a master volume like the mini or full sized Bernie.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

I don't know what kind of music your band plays but a 15 watt amp wouldn't have been loud enough in the bands I played in.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Christmas Shoes said:


> I’m looking for recommendations on great amps that sounds good at low volume, are fairly light weight and can hold their own with a band. I don’t need a ton of clean headroom. Ideally I’d like something handwired and fairly simple.
> 
> I’ve been considering getting a Tex 5 Watt but I’m not sure if I should go with something bigger and get a master volume like the mini or full sized Bernie.


I have a few low wattage amps. I'd say the best sounding of the lot is the 5E3 (Fender Tweed) kit I built a few years back.

BUT, I personally wouldn't gig with anything under about 30 watts. I consider my Tweed to be a home or studio amp. (I know, I know, people gig with champs. I guess their definition of "clean" is a bit different than mine and that's fine (not intended to be a dig).

One of your criteria is that the amp can hold it's own with a band.

You clearly said you don't need a ton of clean headroom. I read and understood that, but unless you never need clean tones at all, a 5 ~ 15 watt amp will not cut it in my opinion.

YMMV


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## Christmas Shoes (8 mo ago)

I’m playing indie and alternative rock. I use a combo of pedals and natural amp gain.

I have amps I gig, I’d love to have something that can hold up when I am jamming in a basement and that weighs a lot less than my larger amps.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Christmas Shoes said:


> I’m playing indie and alternative rock. I use a combo of pedals and natural amp gain.
> 
> I have amps I gig, I’d love to have something that can hold up when I am jamming in a basement and that weighs a lot less than my larger amps.



Ah, I see.

For rehearsal, a Tweed is lovely.

So, that's my recommendation (either build a kit, or buy one already made by someone).

It's a great tone IMO, and yes, quite light weight.
This one isn't for sale, but there are plenty out there.


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## Christmas Shoes (8 mo ago)

I’ve been considering a 5e3 kit!


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

When


Christmas Shoes said:


> I’m playing indie and alternative rock. I use a combo of pedals and natural amp gain.
> 
> I have amps I gig, I’d love to have something that can hold up when I am jamming in a basement and that weighs a lot less than my larger amps.


When you jam in a basement, do you play at a different volume then you would onstage?


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Guncho said:


> When
> 
> When you jam in a basement, do you play at a different volume then you would onstage?



Maybe he doesn't, but most people (me included) do, simply because of the space available.


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## Christmas Shoes (8 mo ago)

Guncho said:


> When
> 
> When you jam in a basement, do you play at a different volume then you would onstage?


Ya I’d say we play louder when we play a gig. I’ve got high wattage heads and cabs covered. A 5e3 or ac15 is probably up my alley.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Sorry for the shameless Amandacaster clip, but this is also the 5E3 kit.


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## Christmas Shoes (8 mo ago)

Sounds great!


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Christmas Shoes said:


> Sounds great!


Thank you,

Good luck in your quest.


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## DaddyDog (Apr 21, 2017)

Milkman One Watt Plus maybe. Unsure it will be loud enough for your band but if you mic it for a larger room anyways, you're all set. Love this amp. Light weight, hand wired, sounds amazing. I played it one day on a deck with the band, and it kept up. It wasn't clean at that volume, but it was still awesome.

I also have a full sized Bernie. It is loud AF. I took it back to Tony for a master volume. I've seen the 5 watt in a shop but I'm not sure how loud it gets. If the Bernie is any indication, then it'll do.


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## Derek_T (10 mo ago)

Fender Champ, they have a cutom HW version
Fender Princestone, I think they also have an HW version


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## Hendo (Jun 19, 2021)

The AC15’s are absolute back breakers for a 15 watt.


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## Lab_Guitar_42 (Mar 31, 2021)

The Stage Right 15W 112 tube amp is a great combo. Play it with full band regularly. It is close to a Blue Jr sound. I see them pop up on Kijiji semi-regularly for $100-200. It also has a 1W limiter built in for practice, my wife complains even at that volume. Cheap enough to try, fun enough to use. Yes, its made in China and is Monoprice, but its got a great sound.


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## Christmas Shoes (8 mo ago)

DaddyDog said:


> Milkman One Watt Plus maybe. Unsure it will be loud enough for your band but if you mic it for a larger room anyways, you're all set. Love this amp. Light weight, hand wired, sounds amazing. I played it one day on a deck with the band, and it kept up. It wasn't clean at that volume, but it was still awesome.
> 
> I also have a full sized Bernie. It is loud AF. I took it back to Tony for a master volume. I've seen the 5 watt in a shop but I'm not sure how loud it gets. If the Bernie is any indication, then it'll do.


I’d love to know more about the Bernie! I’ve been thinking about Filmosound amps a bit too.
There’s a Gord Tough built “Bernie” 385 conversion at Capsule Music right now. Haven’t played it yet but I’m curious. There’s no master volume though and if it was on turret boards I’d be willing to mod in a MV but I don’t know what it’ll look like inside.


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## Ronniedblues (Jan 29, 2021)

Fender Pro jr‘s are awesome for small room gigs and rehearsals, even for a bigger stage when mic’d. I dime them on use the guitar volume


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## Teleplucker (Feb 5, 2006)

I have a Benson Nathan Jr that is 5W and sits perfectly in a band mix. I've only gigged with it once, but it was great. Just enough volume to hear clearly over our polite drummer at practice or on stage. Mic'd up for the room (pretty big room, but ~200 people). It wouldn't work with a heavy handed drummer or a loud rock band, but great for singer-songwriter, country, or our goofy old guy indie rock band.


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## Christmas Shoes (8 mo ago)

Teleplucker said:


> I have a Benson Nathan Jr that is 5W and sits perfectly in a band mix. I've only gigged with it once, but it was great. Just enough volume to hear clearly over our polite drummer at practice or on stage. Mic'd up for the room (pretty big room, but ~200 people). It wouldn't work with a heavy handed drummer or a loud rock band, but great for singer-songwriter, country, or our goofy old guy indie rock band.


I’ve wanted to check one of those out! I have a Benson Vincent and love it! I’ve had a Chimera before too,


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## audiorep2 (Mar 28, 2009)

1961 .


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## Christmas Shoes (8 mo ago)

audiorep2 said:


> 1961 .
> View attachment 424013


Nice!


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

Not suggesting this model because it sounds like you’re looking for something a little more boutique, but chiming in on wattage.

I’m in a gigging alt-rock cover band and I’m using a Vox AC10. It more than holds its own with a full band, rehearsal or live, with room to spare. It’s 10 watts with a 10 inch speaker. In fact, I got it because my 18 watt Dr Z was way too much amp.

For those saying minimum 30 watts for band use, I can’t imagine how painfully loud your gigs are.


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## Christmas Shoes (8 mo ago)

That could work!


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## BobChuck (Jan 16, 2012)

2manyGuitars said:


> Not suggesting this model because it sounds like you’re looking for something a little more boutique, but chiming in on wattage.
> 
> I’m in a gigging alt-rock cover band and I’m using a Vox AC10. It more than holds its own with a full band, rehearsal or live, with room to spare. It’s 10 watts with a 10 inch speaker. In fact, I got it because my 18 watt Dr Z was way too much amp.
> 
> For those saying minimum 30 watts for band use, I can’t imagine how painfully loud your gigs are.


I surprised that you hear such a difference between 18w and 10w. Wattage≠Volume
A new speaker for your Z would've done the job.

I personnaly prefer 100w amp with a master volume at 1, than a 5 watts amp.
The way the amp react to my playing, the bottom end, etc...
The only true problem with 100w amp is the weight.

Those 5 watts Tex are not cheap, there is one for sale on Reverb at the moment.
I think OP could find better for less $$$.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

2manyGuitars said:


> Not suggesting this model because it sounds like you’re looking for something a little more boutique, but chiming in on wattage.
> 
> I’m in a gigging alt-rock cover band and I’m using a Vox AC10. It more than holds its own with a full band, rehearsal or live, with room to spare. It’s 10 watts with a 10 inch speaker. In fact, I got it because my 18 watt Dr Z was way too much amp.
> 
> For those saying minimum 30 watts for band use, I can’t imagine how painfully loud your gigs are.


No, it's not about volume. Trust me.

It's about clean headroom.

Some people call clean with a bit of hair "clean".

Other people think of clean more in terms of a JC120 or Fender Twin (clean headroom).

I was a soundman. The last thing I would do would be to play too loud on stage, in fact, my preference is the silent stage concept (no amps at all)


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## dc. (7 mo ago)

My favourite little amp is an octal tube head made by the now-deceased Chris Seigmund from California. This is a rackmount version of his Midnight Special amp with some extra features, designed and built as a result of a long series of conversations I had with Chris. I think he made 3 total, check it out!

Features:

Rack-mountable, Class A octal tube amp head
Will take a variety of preamp, rectifier & output tubes
1 watt triode mode/5 watt pentode mode selectable (but with the 6L6 in there, probably more like 8 - 10 watts in pentode mode)
Speaker load not required! Can be used to go direct with or without a cab sim device, with or without a speaker connected. Go straight to headphones if you'd like!
Line Out with level control
EQ BYPASS switch (absolutely love this feature!)
Tube reverb with 3-spring tank and BYPASS switch (again, love the bypass!)
Preamp Out/Power Amp In jacks

I like it so much I built a special combo cabinet for it from Cypress (see pics), although the dovetailing was done by a cabinet maker friend!


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

BobChuck said:


> I surprised that you hear such a difference between 18w and 10w. Wattage≠Volume
> A new speaker for your Z would've done the job.


Oh, it could do the job. _Too_ well, in fact.
It was 18 watts, 2 x 10" speakers, almost 70 lbs and WAY too fuckin' loud. The Vox weighs around 20.



Milkman said:


> It's about clean headroom.
> Some people call clean with a bit of hair "clean".
> Other people think of clean more in terms of a JC120 or Fender Twin (clean headroom).


OP mentioned clean headroom wasn't a primary concern.
On the AC10, I run the gain just below noon and the master less than 9 o'clock. That gives me a clean sound but if I "lean into it", you get a little bit of grit and it's loud enough to rehearse with a full band.

I'm sure if I ran the master full out, the gain would probably only need to be around 2 to be loud enough. That would probably be plenty clean.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

Look into the Fender Bassbreaker 15. Great if you don't need headroom. Would definitely be able to hang with a loud drummer.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

Chito said:


> Look into the Fender Bassbreaker 15. Great if you don't need headroom. Would definitely be able to hang with a loud drummer.


I wondered about that, my YCV 20 is a great little 15 watt amp, not much headroom though.


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## BGood (Feb 20, 2015)

Lab_Guitar_42 said:


> The Stage Right 15W 112 tube amp is a great combo. Play it with full band regularly. It is close to a Blue Jr sound. I see them pop up on Kijiji semi-regularly for $100-200. It also has a 1W limiter built in for practice, my wife complains even at that volume. Cheap enough to try, fun enough to use. Yes, its made in China and is Monoprice, but its got a great sound.
> View attachment 423980


I'll second that choice. If you are not impressed by what's written on the face of the amp, this is a sleeper. Actually a Laney Cub 12R clone.
















It kills a Blues Jr any day of the week ... and month. I've had both together for a month and it's the BJ that got sold. Played through an external cad, it really shines.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

MarkM said:


> I wondered about that, my YCV 20 is a great little 15 watt amp, not much headroom though.


The Bassbreakers don't have a lot of headroom. But the OP said he is not concerned about that as he likes the amps being overdriven. I had one for a bit but returned it. I need a lot of headroom as I play clean mostly these days.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

I used to take a Traynor YCV20 for these general purposes when I wasn't using one of the bigger ones. Kind of hefty, though worth it. Right now the Laney Super Cub 12 is the cat's ass for me. It's here on the right with a Laney Cub 10 as well, both run off the ME80. I'd rather carry two smaller amps than one larger, and as long as I can hear myself I'm cool. The sound guy can look after the rest...assuming I ever end up in an electric band again.


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## Christmas Shoes (8 mo ago)

DaddyDog said:


> Milkman One Watt Plus maybe. Unsure it will be loud enough for your band but if you mic it for a larger room anyways, you're all set. Love this amp. Light weight, hand wired, sounds amazing. I played it one day on a deck with the band, and it kept up. It wasn't clean at that volume, but it was still awesome.
> 
> I also have a full sized Bernie. It is loud AF. I took it back to Tony for a master volume. I've seen the 5 watt in a shop but I'm not sure how loud it gets. If the Bernie is any indication, then it'll do.


Thanks for the responses guys. 

Actually a Milkman One Watt Plus sounds kind of interesting. 10 watts attenuatable down to a watt and 25 lbs, That might be nice for at home use and for grab and go.


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## dc. (7 mo ago)

If you're open to something completely different, there are quite a few guys who swear by these little solid state heads. There's a 200 watt version and a 700 watt version, both wth reverb. 700 watt version is 3.5 lbs. Pair it with whatever lightweight cabinets and pedals you need depending on the situation:









Luna 700R - Raezer's Edge


A 700 watt class D amplifier for bass players who really want to move some air. Tone controls unmatched by any similar amp.




www.raezers-edge.com


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

You've got a lot of good solutions mentioned. I'll just add that speaker surface means a lot; I have a silverface VibroChamp in a 2x8 combo that'll hang with a pretty dang noisy drummer, I've had that thing in a head box and ran more cab in a medium loud heavy basement band just fine, it would maybe even work in its original 1x8 combination for your needs. They are responsive to tube types/changes, also to speaker changes to get more vol, give a decent amount of clean headroom as is and with everything on 10 sound amazing but not clean unless you barely caress it  So, if you like vintage at all, look for one of those maybe. Still handwired and easy to work on. Mine was cheap on ebay many years ago, I'm pretty sure it survived a fire, so the cab is long gone. I'm a guy who went through a kazillion guitar amps before I switched to bass, something like 60-70. This is the ultimate pedal platform amp, and I've kept it - maybe my Hiwatt was better, but that's it.


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## Christmas Shoes (8 mo ago)

Right now I’m using a 112 cab to tame my Benson when I’m home, and I’ve got a Captor X for headphone playing if I need to do that. I’m jonsing to have something that is an all in one package when I just want to run an amp on and play it.

I had a Morgan MVP66 a few years ago and really liked the power scaling, I thought it sounded pretty decent even low.

Really leaning toward that Milkman One Watt Plus, I’ve sold a few amps recently and have extra cash burning a hole in my pocket haha.


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## Christmas Shoes (8 mo ago)

dc. said:


> If you're open to something completely different, there are quite a few guys who swear by these little solid state heads. There's a 200 watt version and a 700 watt version, both wth reverb. 700 watt version is 3.5 lbs. Pair it with whatever lightweight cabinets and pedals you need depending on the situation:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for the suggestion, those are interesting.


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## dc. (7 mo ago)

Christmas Shoes said:


> Thanks for the suggestion, those are interesting.


My little octal amp has a Line Out and can be used as a traditional amp and/or paired with another higher power unit like a pedalboard amp/cab, FRFR or PA system for higher output situations. Basically it is similar to your Milkman, but I can plug a low impedance XLR cable from the amp into a PA at the same time. The signal going to the board sounds even better if I have a small cabinet with a guitar speaker in it sitting next to me and reacting to the amp in a traditional way. Kind of the best of both worlds. My amp head weighs 10 lbs.

You could do something similar using tube preamp pedals like the ones made by Kingsley amps. Pair one or more of those for your gain stages and combine it with a small pedalboard power amp. Basically, with a couple of pedal-sized boxes, you can have Fender, Vox, Marshall, etc. tones all at the same time; pair these pedals with any cabinet you want. If you're a pedal guy and have a pedalboard anyway, it's not a bad way to go. There's an epic thread on the gearpage forum about it; that's a serious rabbit hole! 

I had one of Kingsley's pedals and it was excellent, but I'm an octal amp enthusiast, and my plan was to get the same amp builder to make me an octal pedal for this sort of application. Unfortunately, he passed away before he could build it. 



Kingsley Amplifiers - Home


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## dc. (7 mo ago)

For simplicity's sake, if you combined the Raezer's Edge 200 watt solid state amp with a 2x10, open-backed pine cabinet with a pair of Celestion Gold 10" speakers, you'd have a 25 lb rig that would deliver pretty spectacular tone in pretty much any setting. Nice tone controls and reverb onboard. And you could have an even smaller 1x10 or 1x12 cabinet for practicing.


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## dc. (7 mo ago)

Here's a 2x10 cabinet that weighs 15 lbs empty:









210 Open-Back - Raezer's Edge


Raezers Edge 2x10 Open Back Guitar Cabinet. Designed for guitar players who prefer a light weight, open back design.




www.raezers-edge.com


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## dc. (7 mo ago)

dc. said:


> Here's a 2x10 cabinet that weighs 15 lbs empty:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Celestion Gold 10" weigh 6 lbs each, solid state head is 3.5 lbs, so that's a 30 lb rig!


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

dc. said:


> If you're open to something completely different, there are quite a few guys who swear by these little solid state heads. There's a 200 watt version and a 700 watt version, both wth reverb. 700 watt version is 3.5 lbs. Pair it with whatever lightweight cabinets and pedals you need depending on the situation:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


There are jazz players that would donate vital organs for those amps. The cleans are insane. I suspect they are good pedal platforms too.


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

And actually, besides the AC10, I’ve been rehearsing with a Supro Keely Custom 10. It’s 25 watts with a 10 inch speaker. It has lots of clean headroom (if you DO want it) but also a gain and master volume so you can dial in some dirt. And because it was co-designed by a pedal maker, it has an effects loop and takes pedals _really_ well. Although, it sounds awesome on its own.

Here it is next to my Princeton…








They also make a 12 inch version.


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## dc. (7 mo ago)

2manyGuitars said:


> And actually, besides the AC10, I’ve been rehearsing with a Supro Keely Custom 10. It’s 25 watts with a 10 inch speaker. It has lots of clean headroom (if you DO want it) but also a gain and master volume so you can dial in some dirt. And because it was co-designed by a pedal maker, it has an effects loop and takes pedals _really_ well. Although, it sounds awesome on its own.
> 
> Here it is next to my Princeton…
> View attachment 424102
> ...


That's quite a collection (or perhaps a sort of harem..?)


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## Alan Small (Dec 30, 2019)

Teleplucker said:


> I have a Benson Nathan Jr that is 5W and sits perfectly in a band mix. I've only gigged with it once, but it was great. Just enough volume to hear clearly over our polite drummer at practice or on stage. Mic'd up for the room (pretty big room, but ~200 people). It wouldn't work with a heavy handed drummer or a loud rock band, but great for singer-songwriter, country, or our goofy old guy indie rock band.


Good drummers have volume control...a rare treat!

Carr Mercury and Dr Z Carmen Ghia


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## Alan Small (Dec 30, 2019)

Christmas Shoes said:


> Right now I’m using a 112 cab to tame my Benson when I’m home, and I’ve got a Captor X for headphone playing if I need to do that. I’m jonsing to have something that is an all in one package when I just want to run an amp on and play it.
> 
> I had a Morgan MVP66 a few years ago and really liked the power scaling, I thought it sounded pretty decent even low.
> 
> Really leaning toward that Milkman One Watt Plus, I’ve sold a few amps recently and have extra cash burning a hole in my pocket haha.


Axe and you shall receive....in stock😊


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

2manyGuitars said:


> Oh, it could do the job. _Too_ well, in fact.
> It was 18 watts, 2 x 10" speakers, almost 70 lbs and WAY too fuckin' loud. The Vox weighs around 20.
> 
> 
> ...



Well, I've tried using a 15 watt tweed at a rehearsal and it seems like after about 1:00PM or 2:00PM on the clock face, the volume control adds mostly grit, and not much volume.

Like I said, it's not what I would call clean when you try to keep up with a drummer, bassist and keyboard player. It's loud enough, just not clean enough for me.

And yes, I noticed that the OP doesn't really need much clean headroom. I guess that's a matter of how much is enough.


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

dc. said:


> That's quite a collection (or perhaps a sort of harem..?)


...and there are a few more that you can't see.


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

Milkman said:


> Well, I've tried using a 15 watt tweed at a rehearsal and it seems like after about 1:00PM or 2:00PM on the clock face, the volume control adds mostly grit, and not much volume.
> 
> Like I said, it's not what I would call clean when you try to keep up with a drummer, bassist and keyboard player. It's loud enough, just not clean enough for me.
> 
> And yes, I noticed that the OP doesn't really need much clean headroom. I guess that's a matter of how much is enough.


Asking because I'm not an amp guy...

For amps with just a single volume, do they generally break up earlier than amps with gain and master volume? I know some circuits are designed a certain way but as a general rule, do these types of amps behave differently?


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## Christmas Shoes (8 mo ago)

2manyGuitars said:


> And actually, besides the AC10, I’ve been rehearsing with a Supro Keely Custom 10. It’s 25 watts with a 10 inch speaker. It has lots of clean headroom (if you DO want it) but also a gain and master volume so you can dial in some dirt. And because it was co-designed by a pedal maker, it has an effects loop and takes pedals _really_ well. Although, it sounds awesome on its own.
> 
> Here it is next to my Princeton…
> View attachment 424102
> ...



I forgot about that Supro, I used it years ago at Cosmo to try out the Benson Preamp! Seemed like a great amp! That’s a great option too.


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## Tatiana Oraz (7 mo ago)

Try maybe ORANGE CRUSH 20, quite compact, great set of presets and good sound, personally tested and by the way not relatively expensive, review


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

2manyGuitars said:


> Asking because I'm not an amp guy...
> 
> For amps with just a single volume, do they generally break up earlier than amps with gain and master volume? I know some circuits are designed a certain way but as a general rule, do these types of amps behave differently?



I would have to defer to those with more tech knowledge on that subject.

When I have a master volume, I almost always keep it dimed or almost dimed and set my volume with the gain control because that's the cleanest way to run it. I get distortion from pedals.

If you're more inclined to use the guitar's volume controls to achieve your idea of a clen tone you may not follow that method.


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