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Topic: Still looking for a small amp |
Terje Larson
From:
Rinkeby, Spånga, Sweden
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Posted 12 Mar 2006 5:11 am |
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OK, I doon't play pedal steel at all so when I'm talking small amp lete's just make one thing clear, the Nashville 112 is not it. That's what I consider a large amp, OK.
Small is something that's easily carried in one hand on the subway, which is the way I get to gigs and jam sessions most of the time.
I have battery powered amps that are small. They do not have the power to sound good at the volumes I need, although I do not need a lot of headroom compared to a pedal steel. 20 watts could be enough although I'm sort of looking at amps rated around 30 watts and above.
So far the three most insteresting ones are the Roland Cube 30, the Peavey Envoy 110 and the Tech 21 Trademark 30. I'm sort of leaning towards the Peavey but hesitate cause even with the treble all the way down it was a bit trebly to my ears.
The Trademark 30 is very tweakable but like all those emulating amps, it tends to sound a little distant. The Cube 30 has a solid, jazzy clean, not very tweakable but generally good. It's a little heavy though.
But maybe it's time to think about what I really want this amp to do. It is a compromise we're looking at here, right? If it was only tone I was after I'd go for something bigger. Or much more expensive. I do want to be able to emulate, as far as possible, the sound of a steel guitar with my slide on the balalajka.
Without any real tweaking the Peavey gets closest, is this becasue of the speaker? I think the Trademark 30 could also get there with a little work. Ah, I don't know, this keeps confusing me. [This message was edited by Terje Larson on 12 March 2006 at 05:43 AM.] |
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Roger Kelly
From:
Bristol,Tennessee
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Rick Jolley
From:
Colorado Springs
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Posted 12 Mar 2006 7:38 am
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A 10" speaker sounds a whole lot better than an 8. Power is kinda arbitrary; a few wats of tube power sounds a lot louder than a lot more wats in transistors. Find a store (like Guitar Center or ProSound) that has lots of amps, and sit down with an electric solid body and check them all out.
I did this with smaller (12") bass amps and discovered remarkable differences in different brand amps with the same specs.
(A newbie on steel after 55 years of lead guitar)
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Rick Jolley
(Rick Zahniser/Rickey Zahn)
Dekley S10 3/3, Session400LTD
http://belizenorth.com
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Buck Dilly
From:
Branchville, NJ, USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 12 Mar 2006 7:50 am
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| If you want a great tiny amp try to find AER Compact 60/20. This thing is like a small PA and it's tone is clear. Matt Uminov in NYC has them. $$$ almost a grand. There is a smaller model for $800. |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 12 Mar 2006 8:24 am
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I'd look at compact bass practice/studio amps like the small SWR's and such. They'll stay cleaner and sound better for traditional steel than small guitar amps, which tend to be pretty thin sounding and break up too quickly with steel. With bass amps forget about the wattage (it'll be higher than comparably-sized guitar amps) and just concentrate on the size.
I have an SWR Baby Blue with two 8" speakers that sounds great with steel - it's bigger than what you're thinking of, but there's a 1x8 version as well - and the speaker is far superior for steel than an 8" guitar speaker. |
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David Doggett
From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
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Posted 12 Mar 2006 12:41 pm
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Terje, we understand that you don't play steel, but other than a balalaika with a slide, we don't know what you plan to play throught the amp. Hollow-body or solid-body electric guitar? Acoustic? Rock, jazz, or what?
The best small amps I have heard lately are the Vox Valvetronix series. I have a 5 watt one (battery or mains powered), that is very small and light, and very loud. It has great clean sound, and better tube amp models than my POD XT. It has decent basic effects. The rest of the series is not battery powered, and has even better sound. They are hybrid amps with a real tube in the preamp, and also a real tube in a mini power amp that is further amplified with solid state circuitry that models a tube power amp. The series has 15, 30, 50 and 100 watt models. All of them seem to play much louder and cleaner than other amps of comparable wattage, size and cost. And these are the only tube modeling amps I have heard that actually rival real all-tube amps, clean or overdriven. These amps are getting rave reviews by users. Vox has done an incredible job of putting it all together - small, light, inexpensive, big sound, great tone, great versatility. Check them out.
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Student of the Steel: Zum uni, Fender tube amps, squareneck and roundneck resos, tenor sax, keyboards
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Mike Simpson
From:
Gilbert, Arizona, USA
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Geoff Brown
From:
Nashvegas
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Posted 12 Mar 2006 7:22 pm
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I'd second the Blues Jr. Some cool tones in those amps. A speaker upgrade makes a huge difference in those amps, IMHO.
But as someone else mentioned, the original post doesn't provide much info about how this amp is going to be used. So opinions from others aren't going to be too useful. |
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 13 Mar 2006 2:34 am
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I believe Terje plays a few Instruments including Bass..
A few months back this question came up and I think I was odd guy out...meaning, if there was a great sounding. good power, very small, very light..AMP..out there..capable of a LIVE gig..
We would all have a few in the closet...
anyway it's all subjective...
compared to a Marshall Stack..my Session 400 and Nashville 400 are small and light !
I hope Terje's quest ends in a happy moment...my guess is that he needs any one of the 30 or 40 watt Peavey or Fender packages that are out there... perhaps even the Mesa 22 Caliber which is an awesome little amp...
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TPrior
TPrior Steel Guitar Homesite
[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 13 March 2006 at 05:34 AM.] |
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Terje Larson
From:
Rinkeby, Spånga, Sweden
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Posted 13 Mar 2006 5:11 am
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I do not play bass. Not well enough to make anyone but me happy while I'm doing it at least. I do not intend to take anything else through this amp than my balalajka. If it can handle vocals at the same time as the balalajka that would be a bonus but the A.E.R. amps are not it. Great for vocals, not so good for the balalajka or any other solidbody instrument. Too thin, too clean, in the clinical sense IMO.
The Fender Blues Jr is what I use in the studio. It is however a little too big to be "small" for someone like me. My instrument is small guys, I'm used to being able to get to the gig on my bicycle. Just grab the instrument in one hand, the amp in the other and walk away as if I was carrying a small bag of groceries or something.
The Tech 21 Trademark 30 and the Peavey Envoy are the most likely candidates. A small bass amp could be it too though. |
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Jay Fagerlie
From:
Lotus, California, USA
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Posted 13 Mar 2006 7:06 am
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You could try a Crate Taxi
Two channels, battery powered, pretty loud.
Designed for portability, one instrument input, and one mic input.
There is even a stereo input for your CD player to jam along with tracks (although the stereo input is mixed to mono...)
No reverb
Jay |
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David Doggett
From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
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Posted 13 Mar 2006 8:13 am
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| Okay, Terje, you gotta try the Vox DA5 - 3.4 kg (7.5 lb.) and the loudest 5 watts you'll ever hear - easily carried on a bike - the biggest bang per pound I have heard. And good tone from several amp models and effects. The closed back cabinet gives thick tone with amazing low end. If that's not enough, move up to the AD15VT Valvetronix at 15 watts and 10 kg (22 lb.). [This message was edited by David Doggett on 13 March 2006 at 08:14 AM.] |
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James Quackenbush
From:
Pomona, New York, USA
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Posted 13 Mar 2006 8:14 am
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Look around for a Gallien-Krueger 250ML
They are small , powerfull , and might do the trick for you ....They don't make them anymore so you would have to find one used ......Do a search in Google and see what its all about ......Jim |
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