Tube amps for home use! These are my recommendations for the best tube guitar amps to play at home.
Check out the amps used in this video.
(sweetwater affiliate)
Fender Blues Jr IV
imp.i114863.net/c/2330848/794...
Revv D20
imp.i114863.net/c/2330848/794...
Morgan AC20
imp.i114863.net/c/2330848/794...
Port City Pearl (non affilate)
portcityamps.com/product/pear...
Victory Amps The Sheriff 22 (non affiliate)
www.victoryamps.com/sheriff-22
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''The Blues Junior is so perfect, I changed everything''
Very boxy sound, can't stand it
LOL, I tried so many pedal combinations on the Blues Jr. and still I never got a decent sound out of that POS. You must have to mod the crap out of it, and at that point you might as well have bought a Mesa Boogie
Daniel Rodgerson Yep a couple of hundred in mods and speaker. Might as well get a deluxe or princeton.
Richard Nolan that was my thought, precisely.
$80 put a cannabis Rex my favourite for blues and blues rock or Texas heat. They give blues Jnr a fantastic tone to it and if you set it up and use pedals correct. You can have fantastic sounds. The older black blues jnr 3 is better sounding. Master up volume to suit. Use your drive pedal volume to control it and you’ll have the great break up eq it.
"you can absolutely piss a lot of people off with a 15 watt amp" - been there, done that ✔️
Charles Patrick you can really piss off the neighbors if you don’t know how to play! I’m in the learning stages... my poor neighbors. :-)
@@KKMDStyle no wonder they hate me- I thought it was just cause I play my bass and guitar through a Marshall MB4210!
I’m surprised at the amount of guitar players that don’t realize how loud 15 watts is cranked. People in apartments aren’t paying attention to skill. Just the fact that they hear someone doing anything. Breathing Playing screwing anything.
Paul Raudenbush Jr Guitars and amps don’t work in an apartment environment? Listening to some moron learning to play Paranoid late at night is absolutely no fun.
Indeed, I had a Princeton reverb and was a beginner. Not only was it loud as hell but I sucked. My wife demanded a change so now I play through a different setup and generally through headphones. I have a Boss Me-80 and a nice set of monitor headphones and that pleases me and those around me. Eventually I may get a good amp again but my needs are met for now.
Great video and great advice telling people not to open their amplifier up. Most people do not realize that an amplifier can bite you if do not drain the caps before working on it. I have also repaired several amplifiers that have been butchered from DiY attemps at repairing amplifiers. I enjoy your content hope you continue to put out quality content.
Because of this video, I just picked up the Junior IV and I am in love. Although it’s stock, I’m still glad to listen to a good recommendation. Very good purchase. Thank you for all you provide the guitarist community!
"This is one of the best amps out there, I've completely renovated and rehauled it."
And that's what I've done. Maintained it for 20 years. This old brooms had 17 new heads and 14 new handles in its time.
That's the point
@@eyedunno8462 No.
@@Cheeso888 That is the point! It's an affordable amp you can mod to your specs. Most of the amps everyone here is saying are so much better are 2-3 times the price. I have the BJ IV which I thought was too boxy when I first played through it but I did the tone stack mod (which cost $0) and put in the CR speaker (eBay for $54) and it sounds great. Add a couple of simple pedals to taste! Once you find the sweet spots on it It is a good versatile amp. If you want it to be a Marshall stack or a Princeton then buy that. Buy this for what it is.
@@davidreineke1758 If it's already a great amp, there's no need to modify it. And if you've modified it, it's not the same amp anymore. How are people missing this simple concept? LOL
5:19 "This is the Mazda Miata of guitar amps" Now you're speaking my language
Same here!
The blues junior is a tube amp standard. A Miata? They’re better than a Miata
@@gunkanjima3408 You're just sleeping on the glory of a good Miata matey driving one's a whole other thing to wanting to look tough to passers-by ;)
CurlsgetGurls I looked up where the term comes from it makes sense now. I bet they are fun to drive, compact and super light
Miata Is Always The Answer
I love living out of town, the freedom to crank tube amps without complaints at will is the best. I'm currently using a 50 watt custom built plexi clone and a custom built (Achillies amplification) tweed Bassman with 1/2 power mod and master volume controls added.
I like the Peavey classic 20 and 6505 20 watt heads. Pretty affordable with all the modern features. Both heads cover all the music styles pretty much. Even with the amps Rhett mentions, your sound is going to depend on how well you set them up and the guitars you use as well as your playing ability.
Wrong. It doesn't have the Contour feature. That feature allows the sound from the amplifier to sound like a CD sound or a vinyl LP sound.
Newer and better tube amps are definitely something I think will easily motivated people to try more and play more. Amps of all kind are worth trying out, and there are endless possibilities! Awesome work!
I still play my ac30 in the house xD. Its like riding a motorcycle indoors.
Lol! I got my 100w tube Marshall in highschool around '06. My parents were thrilled. I couldn't get it close to a good sounding volumes before getting yelled at.
I use a Twin Reverb for home use and as a practice amp, and i'm starting to realize that using a Twin as a practice amp or house amp is like driving your ferarri to the grocery store lol
Same. It’s beautiful and will never be replaced by anything tiny (though I do practice on a katana on the half watt mode most of the time)
Haha, I played 100W Vox AC100 Custom with 4x12" cabinet ;D I'm pretty sure neighbours thought that the war just started :V I've also tried 200W Fender Twin Reverb silverface from '72, but that was really too much to handle ;D
I'm using a 100w fender twin-reverb. You're right, it's like riding a motorcycle, but you can't go over 1000 rpm xD
For my birthday I took the plunge and bought a Morgan AC20 combo. OMG! I absolutely love the sound out of this amp!!!! I never would have found out about it without you Rhett! Thanks for all you do!
It's a scam. Don't reply
I had 3 main home amps in the past: 1. a modeler (Yamaha THR), 2. a tube amp (Hughes & Ketter Tubemeister 18) and the third one actually blew my mind. It was a little Hotone Nano British Invasion plugged into a 1x12 with a V30 speaker, a reverb and delay on the fx-loop and an OCD driver plus a 7 band EQ in the front, and let tell you, WHAT A WALL OF SOUND that thing made! It was beautiful, i loved it so much that i sold the THR and the Tubemeister...
I have a Yamaha THR C It's not made anymore. I can't tell you how much I play that thing at home. It's pretty handy for practicing around the house. I also have some 5 watters, like a Gibson Goldtone Les Paul Jr. and the Marshall class 5 second generation. A Fender BJ tweed and a Princeton are handy too. Then my amp power goes up from there. I sold my Mesa Rectroverb 2x12 combo, which was an amazing amp at 98 lbs. I think that was even louder than a Fender Twin Reverb I have had for 40 years.
As a car guy, I can appreciate the miata reference 😂😂 miata is always the answer lmao
That was my little RCR tribute
I had a 92 Miata. That thing was as tight as a Swiss watch.
Luke nope lol. My last name starts with L. I’m not even that much of a miata guy, I’ve got a firebird and I’ve never owned one myself, but I’ve driven them and they’re fun little cars for sure
I have a 2006 Mazda Miata and love it. All my running around and teaching outside the home is done with that car. 6 speed trans. 3rd gen. I like it better than 4th gen. I think the looks are better and there is more room than in earlier versions.
I love Miatas in principle, but in practice they are a little too small for my butt (and a lot too small for my gut! :-( )
Rhett: "For home use, I recommend amps below 15 watts". Also Rhett: proceeds to present only amps that are 15 watts or above
Yeahh. But the port city pearl tho!!
For me, anything below 15 watts isn’t enough. I mean, I don’t know why I think that since I just play at home. I guess I just like my amps loud 😆
you forgot "unless they have some kind of master volume or power scaling features" Which did any of the over 15W amps not have?
@@piratewhoisquiet I know. I wasn't trying to nitpick, just found it a little bit funny. Sorry if it sounded offensive.
@@johnmcqueen8827 I have a 15-watt amp and I play it at two on the volume. And I live in a house where I don't have to worry about noise. It's just that I don't need it that loud. You should be careful if you want to preserve your hearing.
In 1968 i heard a 68 twin and bassman. Love at first sight. The sound. the smell of the tubes and power was mind blowing.
This is literally the exact video i was looking for. Thanks Rhett
I rewatched the ac20 audio clip multiple times and am completely blown away. That tone is out of this world.
Love my Badcat Mini Cat! It has a 10” speaker, 5W, and a master volume. Sounds pretty small in the room but you get it mic’d up and in the mix and it kills!
Jimmy Page recorded a lot of albums using a 5 W Orange amp. If I remember correctly.
Great video! I agree with your comment about choosing an amp with a good output control for home use. I have a Tone King Metropolitan which is a 40W combo amp but has a very good output control. I play it at home set at about 10W on low volume and it sounds great without disturbing the neighbors. The Tone King isn't very portable but I also have a modified Fender Blues Jr and agree that it is a great little amp and its easy to carry around.
As a former miata owner and racer I totally appreciated the reference.
Hey, Rhett! Just want to say I’ve been a big fan of you and your videos since you had around 15k subs, and I just wanted congratulate you on what you’ve made this channel into. You should be proud of yourself, and keep the awesomeness coming!
Thanks so much Clint!
Another great video Rhett. I use my Victory Sherrif 22 regular in my youtube videos, and I had a Fender Blues Junior for many years. Both are phenomenal amps, very different to each other but both highly recommended! 🙌 🎸
Thanks Andy!
Don't you mean "THE Sheriff!?" :-)
@@RhettShull see so many people buying the Marshall dsl 100 watt for home use, I only have the 20 and it is so loud that I can't play it above vol 3.5
@@allboutthemojo there's a lot of people who think they need the most expensive gear to play
@@allboutthemojo i have one of those unholy beasts and i play in the garage regularly on 10 and don't piss off any neighbours ..... keep the guitar vol on 1 😋
Great video and very good choices here. I have a HK GM40 that I usually run at 20w It's got plenty of power and tube persona and you can dial it to 1w if you want. You don't have to crank it to get what you need.... It's a very versatile keeper for me.
For home use, I love the Vox ac10 amps. For my own home practice, I recently got a Joyo AC tone which has really amazed me. It's great because us guitarists need lots of repetition and if you live with anyone else, even those small amps are going to be heard by whoever else is there. It's better to get some good sounding, comfortable earbuds and you can play all you want and nobody else is forced to listen to your boring repetition.
I swear by my AC Tone, LOVE it
I have a Vox AC10C1, and I've managed to get a nice tone that's quiet enough to not bother people but loud enough for me.:D
I live in an apartment, I manage to get by with my Fender Concert amp (40 Watts) plugged into the low gain input. Volume stays around 2, but I don't need alot of volume to practice. Works great for me. Great Video! informative and sounds good. Thanks Rhett.
You have so much power at your disposal
40 watts on 2 in an apartment? that's crazy loud.
I'm a life long acoustic player who bought his first electric just two years ago. All of this is new to me and my head is reeling from all I've had to learn, and even more from all I still don't know. Your videos have been immensely helpful and much appreciated. I bought my guitar, and Ibanez AS93, without an amp. I began playing it through my Bose Comapct that I use for my acoustic act and it works pretty well at home. Some time ago, a friend gave me a Peavey Bandit 65 that I only use when I'm home alone, but it's been great for learning what all the knobs are supposed to do. Next on the list are some pedals. Thanks again.
You'll do yourself a massive favor if you ignore the tone snobs and just play what sounds good to you. I fell into the "only a tube amp will do" bs for a while- they have their place- if you play in a Zepplin cover band or a blues outfit, they have a huge place- but not everyone plays that style of music. The guys who do play that style- forget that quite often. They're a hammer and so- everything looks like a nail to them.
@@stoneysdead689 If he's using this channel as reference, it's too late for that advice for him lol.
I have a 96 Blues Jr. Love it. Such a simple setup. Great tones. I have fallen in love with P-90 pickups and my setup works fantastic with them. I have built multiple guitars with a variety of P-90 pickups. So much fun.
I am fortunate to have a 50's era tweed deluxe. 12 watts it's phenomenal.
Excelent video, as usual. Something very important when talking about electric risks: I know an amp builder with more than 30 years of experience who got shocked when he was counting the caps of an open amp, pointing them with the pencil he was using to write notes down. Unfortunately, he slightly hit one of the caps with te tip of the pencil and he got a 400v shock coming through the graphite, right to his hand. His heart bit went down to 35, that was close! BE CAREFUL!
So how did he take 400V from a 120V circuit?
I’ve had many tube amps , and one of my favourite is the Orange OR15. Very simple controls , and easy to dial in good tone.
I was just thinking about how hard could it be to make some adjustments on my amp, when you warned me about the predictable dangers. You probably saved my life... So thank you!
Subbed. Nice to see a guitar reviewer who is down to earth and real unlike a lot of others on you tube. Brill keep up good work
Rhett got his new /13! Really looking forward to that vid!
I have a Blackstar HT1R and it is perfect for home use. It sounds fantastic and takes pedals really well. I have finally got my Spark 40 too, and while it isn’t a valve amp, it is fantastic.
The only amp I had for years was a 135 watt Silverface Twin with SRO speakers in it. I was young then, and it was cool to be loud. Everybody was doing it. Tone was just a knob on the radio. Great guidance, Mr. Shull! Nice to see young people being socially responsible when it comes to their gear.
1950's AM radio broadcast style sound. It works for Bruce springsteen cause he was there.
Dang! Those Gilmour licks on the Port City sold the HELL out of me! Gorgeous. Another great video, thanks Rhett.
I have recently got a blues junior, freaking love it.
The newer Roland Micro Cube is my go to practice and teaching amp. Amp models that are very accurate, ample effects, reverb and delay, and an auxiliary in to play along with tunes or just simply use as a “boom box”. I even plug my laptop into it to play video games.
Spot on. Bought my son one years ago, for house only. However, this amp has so many features for the money. In addition to having 2 volume controls, it has 3 for eq, a gain, and a four position knob for overdrive, distortion, metal, and metal stack. ( That last one kills me ) There’s a clean volume and finally, a record out( headphones) all through an 8” speaker. It can get loud, which is surprising for 15 watts. Pedalboard not included. Somehow, I convinced him to leave this one at my home, so I might enjoy his playing when visiting. His Marshall’s and Fender amps live with him. Now if I could get him to leave a LP or Strat behind. I see shopping in my future. Regards.
My Cube 20GX does right by me!!
Great channel Rhett, 3 years ago I traded in my Peavey 6505+ (120W) head and 1960 Marshall 4x12. This was totally unusable (it was a WMD). I traded for a new ENGL Ironball (20/5/1 W) and then later bought a single Celestion V30 in a plain black cabinet. I play a lot on 1 Watt in my unattached garage. I think the Ironball is also one of the only/few amps with a dedicated built in headphone out as well line out. Great channel!!
Keyboard player all my life and as i approach 50 i'm finally getting on board with guitars. Of all the vids I've seen thus far on youtube, your channel appeals most. Great content, reviews and approach. Liked and subscribed.
Probably not anyone’s first choice, but definitely great for anyone who’s a hobbyist or needs something for at home: Joyo Bantamp Blue Jay. It’s a micro hybrid tube amp voiced like a Fender Blues Jr. It’s super clean, has some of that tube magic, and is a great pedal platform amplifier for home use.
Joyo consistently punches above its weight. I have the Tauren and Aquarius and both are excellent pedals.
To be completely honest. You just make the (by far) best and most lovely Videos on this whole platform. You put so much effort in your videos and so much love, because you always use topics that really come from your heart and those are things that really make you think night and day. The way you explain what you think about some topics really just make me think „this guy loves what he does“ and so am I. You just speak directly out of my soul, the „Why I love The Edge of U2“ Video was just so amazingly done. Many people tried to explain the art of those „different“ guitarists like The Edge, but you just nailed it ! I‘m not a native English speaker, so I am a bit limited by what I want to express, but basically this is what it’s about . Thank you for your Channel mate. Cheers
Thank you Julian!
Rhett Shull by the way, what happened to the U2 Video ?
I love my Marshall Studio 15. (1985-1991) The Headphone Jack is on a .5 w atenuated circuit. You plug the speaker into that and when the power tubes are saturated you have way more than enough volume.. The key is a true attenuated .5w circuit. Great video Rhett.
I built a MojoTone Studio 1, and through a 4x12 cab it’s plenty loud enough for anything I will do at home. You can get great cranked tone that doesn’t make ears bleed and send the pets scrambling to safety. Plus, the sound is in no way “small” or “thin”. Plenty of low end that sounds and plays like a much higher wattage head. Love the vid and the quality content Rhett!
At the start of the lockdown, I was using my Fender Princeton Reverb which hit most of the bases but was a bit too loud. My Yamaha THR was the right volume but a bit flat and obviously doesn't have tubes. Since it arrived, I've only used the Spark. My tone is basically clean with delay and reverb so I'm not really pushing tubes into distortion ever. But if I wanted tube distortion, I have an Orange Tiny Terror which, in 7W mode sounds amazing.
Orange Tiny Terror. Fully tubed 15W which can be switched to 7W. Fully screams at full level, but nice and clean and crisp when needed. Also just simply dial in the one tone knob for extra warmth and your enjoying sound. Great amp.
Very informative video. Thank you for taking the time to produce it!
I have a 15w VHT tube amp with a high/low 15/5w setting. I love it. It sounds great turned up, but isn't deafening. I just got a VYPYR VIP2, modeling amp. I have been impressed so far.
Rhett's intro reminds me of the commercial where the guy walks on screen and says "I love refrigerators"
haha
Never seen it, but I don't watch TV so...
Yes. Very cool
LMAO total needs a white background
I own a Blues Jr III NOS Tweed.. and can confirm that it’s a good amp to battle loud neighbors with. At master volume 3.5 it’s def going thru my neighbors floors / walls lmao.
But...I think the point is to AVOID war with your neighbors.
This is so cool! You asked about us, and I'm using a Laney L5T-112, because it's only 5 watts (single ended) and can make a ridiculous amount of different sorts of tones with no pedals or anything else at all. They have made a "Studio" version that is just a head, buy includes a passive loudspeaker dummy load, so you can record silently to your workstation, yet stay totally analog. I've never had one of those, but from this video, it sounds like it would be the perfect addition to your collection!
Had the Monoprice 5W tube amp (in Europe marketed by Thomann) for around € 100, put in a JJ preamp tube and a Warehouse 8" ceramic speaker - both for around € 50 an both notable improvements. Perfectlich happy with this for home use.
I remember a few years ago talking to an amp tech on the phone because I was looking for a new amp at the time. He asked me a few questions and we talked about the style of music I liked to play. He mentioned the blues junior or the hot rod deluxe. I heard the hot rod deluxe and every time I hear it i'm like "this. This is my tone, this is what I need"
I've got a Bugera 55 watt, with a master volume, and that's the key. Running a 2-12 cabinet. I can use it at home, and take it out. The amp sounds great, and a good master volume lets you get the tone you want, or at least close to it.
For years I've run a lot of my amps no matter what power clean & use pedals. Just what I like. I have also at times used the onboard effects. mainly overdrive & reverbs. They sound great if you know what to do with them, but usually a bit to loud for the house or even the block. Thats why I also like pedals, modellers ect. I like your vids Rhett. Very cool.
That lead from PF Money sounded so beautiful! Great work Rhett!
Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 5 watt. I use it primarily for recording, but recently bought a 1x12 cab, and it's the perfect apartment setup. I just adore the glassy clean tones.
And it's a good pedal platform.
All good choices, but my fave’s the Vox AC10. It sounds amazing, and it’s small enough that it’s easy to bring to a band practice or a friend’s house just to jam. Thanks for another great video!
I had the AC10 in this video but cut it for time, because I dont have one and couldnt show me playing it. But I agree, the AC10 is FANTASTIC
I have one and it's LOUD. 10 angry watts. Love it.
i use a handwired AC15 as a low volume/apartment amp because it has a nice linear master volume and it sounds awesome with a transparent overdrive in front of it. it's generally a good pedal platform amp
AC10 is amazing. Also Matchless SC Mini.
I also have a Vox AC10 and it does sound awesome. I also gig with it on small venues and it does great.
The first amp I ever bought was a Kalamazoo Model 1. This is an EL84 single output tube amp and is the same circuit as the original Fender Champ. A single 10" speaker, one volume knob, and one tone control with the power switch integrated. Simple, sweet, light and it cost me $50. I could ask a lot more for it now but I will never sell it. It has a theoretical maximum power well under 10 watts but it is also WAY louder than that sounds. Volume at half, tone straight up, and it wails. Whack the volume all the way up and it gets nasty and huge. You can piss a lot of people off with 8 watts! Little old vintage amps rule. At the church I serve there is a Garnet 35 watt bass amp that is really wicked and sounds monstrous once it is turned up.
I built a combo with Princeton Tweed kit from MojoTone and their upgrade 7 watt OT. Used a 10" speaker cabinet from Panama with Eminence Ram Rod. Made the chassis from a salvaged 18-wheeler fender. It was a tight fit and heavy for the small size. That had a amazing loud blues cranked up and very clean below 5 on the volume. Sold it to a friend the moment he plugged into it.
Great review Rhett! After much research on a home/live amp, I bought a Boss Katana 100W 1X12. Has USB out for home recording, 0.5/15/50/100 watt attenuation. Built in effects if you want, or takes pedals well. Plenty loud enough for live usage. Very budget friendly too, especially used.
Not a tube amp, though.
@spirit ._. The Katana is a great amp for high gain tone, portability, and flexibility. And it is very good value for money. I'd like to have one myself. But it won't sound as good as a tube amp does, especially for clean tones. And a tube amp with the right pedals will probably sound noticeably better than the all-in-one modelling solutions. As the models improve, tube amps and physical circuits are going to become harder to justify. So, getting back to your question, bedroom amps need a low output power mode that doesn't lose the cranked tone of the amp. Usually this is accomplished by either making a low powered amp, or putting an attenuator on a higher powered amp. I own a TubeMeister 18 watt amp with 18W-5W-1W-0W output. At 0W the full 18W is dissipated in the attenuator, with a very small signal sent to the built-in DI with a speaker cab simulator. I might have gone for the Katana instead if I had the option at the time I bought the TM18, but I'm happy with how things turned out.
I couldn't like boss katana clean sound no matter how long I messed with it. I'm looking for a chimey compressed Fender-clean tone, but Katana cannot do it. It is voiced more like jazz chorus, it doesn't compress enough even with a compressor effect used, spikes remain obtrusive and that's a deal-breaker to me. You can also saturate the clean channel but it gets muddy. Maybe it works for some people.
Tone King amps are the Rolls Royce for home use imo. Particularly the Gremlin and the Falcon. They sound awesome, great build quality, and current ones all come with built in Iron Man attenuators.
Only recently discovered the Two Notes Torpedo 8, had no idea what a loadbox was but man so glad to have found it. Have been blown away with how easy it is to get good sound in Reaper with the wall of sound plugin on my princeton 12" reissue. Didn't realize two notes did the IR for the Revv until seeing the back of the unit. Learning new stuffs. :P Good video as always.
I love my little ZT Lunchbox for playing at home. Its solid state but it sounds beautiful. My Blues Junior 3 falls second to it in every category.
I play through a Fender Hot Rod Deville 2x12, 50 watts. I love that amp. And I don’t care, I crank it up once in a while and the neighbors have never complained. Maybe it’s because I don’t do it so often and I only do it during the day, never at night.
I've had more amps than I can count (small and large). The best by far is my Marshall JTM1H. I run it on the 0.1 watt setting into a Vintage 30 loaded 4x12 and it sounds pretty much exactly like an old Marshall Plexi. I can't get satisfactory sound out of my Blues Junior Tweed or Princeton Reverb without having them way too loud for home use. Even 1 watt all valve amps can be very loud.
Hecho Vietnam o China?
I do the same but just with a 1x12" G12H... I sounds lovely. I wish I could play it on a 4x12 ! ;-)
Yeah, I wished I would have had the money to buy some more of the 50th anniversary range then. It only was enough for the JCM-1 - but I have been playing the hell out of it. DSL-1 and JVM-1 weren't really good in my opinion, but the JTM-1 and JMP-1 are supposedly great.
Love the Floyd - well played! Enjoyed the contrasting styles of amps...
Excellent video. I've been curious about a couple of these and this helped. I am surprised you didn't discuss the H&K line. I have the Grand Meister Deluxe 40 and it is perfect for gigging and home use. the Power soak options to scale down to 1, 5, or 20 watts make it great for home use, and the Redbox output is perfect for running straight to the sound board, or recording device including DAW.
So describe the sound of your metal string vibration. Does it sound like its emitting from a 1950's AM radio broadcast show? Does it sound like its emitting from an FM radio amplifier. Does it sound like its emitting from an CD amplifier? What do the metal string vibrations sound like? I bet you don't know what it sounds like. It was a terrible video and its been reported to the authority.
@@dreyn7780?!
I've got an Ibanez TSA15 and it's a great home amp, it's got a very Blues Junior vibe to it.
I thought I was crazy liking the smell of warm tubes, One of my favourite smells.
A friend lets me (among others) use his original ‘65 deluxe reverb. At first I thought it was overheating, until I realized it was the amp equivalent of a good scotch, with its own comforting warm aroma. He always makes sure to put it on standby the second it gets carried in from the car, which may explain why it’s still essentially ALL original. It may sound weird, but it’s sort of comforting to me as I get older to use gear that is around my age. I have an ampeg SBT with 2-15” Altecs that’s in its sixth decade, bought because I could afford it, turned out to be awesome.
A yes, the comforting smell of ozone.
Yankee Candle should market the fragrance!
Great video. I can get just about any tone I want (clean or high distortion) at low volumes with my mid 90's Peavey 5150 combo. But, that thing is heavy (about 80lbs). I agree with you about the smell of a tube amp. I recently bought a new Ampeg SVT. I like to turn it on standby, and let the amps cooling fan fill the room with that tube amp aroma!
I just a Boss Katana head with it’s integrated speaker. Tilt it on its side and can even sit next to your feet in a desk. For quick guitar recording, you can use the USB out. And it’s not too expensive so this can be a backup/home only amp
Rhett's face when he realized his power tube went out.
Right?! 😂
That was me realizing I probably set the bias too hot and Im cooking tubes...
Blues Juniors are factory-biased really hot; they run EL84s super hard...
I’ve hd that happen live...on stage... no backup option... sucked!!!
@@SolamenteVees my new pro junior kept blowing tubes so my amp guy put in an adjustable rebiasing pot. I use pedals to drive it anyway. They are made too hot so they blow tubes constantly. The Fender repairman was told to only replace the tubes ( band aid repair) and not sort the problem properly. They were basically covering up the problem. Lucky I found a guy with integrity who fixed it properly!
A 100 watt Marshall full stack. When I play guitar, my neighbors also enjoy! 😆 Seriously though I have an Orange OR15 with an Orange 4x12. My house faces a major road so no complaints. 😬👍
Totally agree, I own a modified (upgraded OT transformer) Joyo Sweet baby 5t as a head & cabinet set up which itself is just a clone of the early fender champs, that has no master volume only a gain labelled as its volume & it can be very difficult to get a good tone at low levels especially since it’s running through a 1x12 green back blackstar cabinet. I love this set up & found that old boss GT8 unit works great to reshape the front end for quieter volumes.
I like the Peavey Classic 20 Mini head ... great tube amp sound, takes pedals well, inexpensive, and very flexible in terms of power output (20-watt, 5-watt, or 1-watt) for home use.
I played for years through cheap amps and never got into it. When I found myself going for tone I realized that, while the sound on a playback may be better, playing through a valve amp is inspiring. It responds to my playing and I enjoy it more. I can't get that from the modeling home amps. Maybe the big jobs like the Nextone or something, but even the Katana didn't do it for me. Again, on a playback the tone is amazing, it just doesn't feel amazing like a valve amp. And I notice those who love them are the players who can just detach and play. They're not "feel" players, to me. If that's your style, you'll be happy. But if you're looking for an experience that inspires you to play spontaneously, you need that tube...
For my home use, I've found that the best candidate is the orange micro dark terror with its matching 1x8 cab. It's really really full amp feeling, with fx loop. And is I need to gig, it's powerful enough to power a 4x12 cab. Amazing little beast. Works really well also with loadboxes and IR Sim in my Daw. Love it!
I have one just $60
And what do your metal string vibration sound like? Obviously orange amplifiers are producing a 1950's industrial metal string vibration sound. Its not the 1950's radio broadcast sound that Fender amplifiers make. You're not even aware your amplifier makes this type of sound. My randall amplifier makes the metal string vibration sound like metallica's CD amplifier sound OR like metallica's vinyl LP record sound. The contour feature allows me to adjust from 1 sound to the other. I can play along with the CD and have the same sound OR I can play along with the LP and play with that sound. When I play LIVE my metal string vibration sound, actually sounds like the CD sound or the LP sound. I don't have the industrial string vibration sound OR the 1950's radio broadcast sound like Fender produces. My metal strings sound like some kind of metallica CD OR LP sound.
Thanks for answering a lot of questions I've had. Looks like something along the lines of the Pearl is what i need.
I was really impressed with the Port City Pearl Amp - never heard one before but my ears said great tone!
I have a port city Sahanna. Great amps
My Hughes & Ketner 1-12 combo will do 18w, 5w, and 1w. Also, has a Red Box Direct XLR out and speaker off feature. Great for jamming, gigging and recording!
My ht-5r with a vintage 30 has a great tone with great sustain and distortion.
Great video Man Your information was helpful for me ! Keep up the good work !
I love the blues jr and have a tweed,myself. I didn’t go crazy with mods but changed one of the tubes (forgot which) to give extra overhead before breakup. The one counter-intuitive thing about it is the knob labeling. The key is to use “volume” as if it’s a gain and the “master “ as if it’s the volume knob. Most of the time my volume is at 10 and master dialed in for loudness.
I use the Bugera V22 (old model). You can limit the watts to make it sing with less volume. It has a very good clean sound with a ton of headroom and it works nice with pedals. Really no complaints on my side.
It's a great amp with a solid feature-set and it's much more affordable for many of us.
I’ve got a Laney Lionheart L5T-112. Picked it up used. It’s one of the UK made ones before they started make them in China. Has a 12” greenback in it. Sounds great. Still really loud for 5 watts. I seldom go above 3 on the clean or drive channels.
A great amp. I had one and was quite impressed with it. The Laney Lionheart L5T-112 sounded like a Vox on the clean channel and a Marshall on the drive channel.
A really great amp for home use and small gigs. Great sounding and a lot of possibilities.
@@jonizeta Yep. It’s a hidden gem. Very responsive and versatile. Definitely an overlooked amp. Not as sure about the Chinese made ones, but I hear they are built to similar specs. My UK made one is built like a tank I think it weighs about 45 lbs. pretty hefty for a 5 watt amp.
I really learn a lot with your chanle .. You actually play out ... You do play guitar carry well .... Thank you for your time doing these cool and informational video s for us all.....
I have Suhr PT-15. It is fantastic amp (3 channels). Built in Cabinet IR. I use it with Blug Micro-cab 1x12 with the Cabinet IR set 4x12. Sounds great and takes up minimal space. You could gig any small club with this rig. The PT-15 is pricey, but worth it. Probably in the top 3 best amps I have ever owned (I have owned way too many)
I love 5-15 watt tube combos! I haven’t played everything but have had a Blues Junior, Hot Rod DeVille, Peavey JSX and still have a Peavey Mini Colosal, Blackstar HT5, Fender Bassbreaker 15 and my personal favorite of the bunch is the Egnater Tweaker 15 combo! Best I’ve ever played was a Mesa Boogie Lonestar Special.
psychofunksoldier02 I have a tweeter also love it tons of tweaking you can dial in, Sad for Egnator when the transformer company they were using gave them bad product for some of the other amps 😧
I have a Blackstar HT-5RH Mk II. It is switchable between 5W and 0.5W and has a simulated cab out which can go straight into my mixer so I can use it through my studio monitors. The functionality is really good and very convenient. Most importantly, my Strat just sounds great through it and really sparkly. 😊
Agreed Blackstar HT5 is one of the best home use amps out there. Super versatile.
I have the Tone King Gremlin. It is a 5 watt 1x12 combo with a built-in attenuator. One can get tweed style power amp distortion at low volumes. Great amp.
thanks a lot, very informative and precise information, plus great playing. Keep it up
Perfect timing! I’m looking for a good home amp now.
Me too!
Get a Monoprice 15w tube amp. It’s a blues junior clone with a reverb tank for less than 200 bucks
Toneking Gremlin, the attenuation is badass for home and it’s loud enough to get over a drummer. Although it’s rather expensive, in a few years you’ll forget what it cost and still love how it sounds
Supro blues king 8 is very good. 1W and plenty loud enough for home use. Impressed with mine.
Vox AC15 is undefeated . do it
I live in an apartment building. I have a 5e3 clone, with a Celestion Blue 12” speaker...WAY TOO LOUD. I got a Dr.Z Break Lite attenuator to play it during the day, when neighbors, wife and son are away. These days, no one is away! I picked up a Strymon Iridium to play with headphones. That works pretty good? Upside, I get to have three different amps sounds that interact (well?) with my pedals, and I can play day, or night. Downside is the sweet old lady down the hall complains that “(she) never hears me playing guitar anymore”. Can’t please them all? Would love to play my amp in a “safe” room, with a great band. Miss how the pedals interact with a real amp, and speaker. Miss feeling the sound in my body as well as my ears. Hope everyone is safe out there. Peace
Lol about the sweet old lady. Older people like me, who grew up with Rock & Roll, love electric guitar!
Interesting! I want to play easy (no computers), and with a wonderful clean-crunch sound at home. What kind of FRFR would you like for your Iridium? Headrush, Line 6 power cab, Tech 21, or another? Thanks.
Have you tried to dial the guitar volume knob down with the 5E3?
Ride my volume on the amp all the time! One of the great things about that circuit is dialing in the tone! Very dynamic to how you play. When I use a Fuzzface type pedal, which cleans up great (adds some nice sparkling highs to the ‘clean’ tone), but gets extra thick when you bring up the volume. The amp and the effect are working in concert with each other. The Strymon Iridium only does this to a degree? My pedal board is very basic, and is never more than 7 effects deep, including my looper. Generally, Fuzz, Octave, Wah, modulation (vibe, rotary, etc.), delay, reverb, looper. Sometimes I forgo modulation for an overdrive, but generally the ‘Deluxe’ breaks up perfectly!
I am puzzled why he doesn’t have millions + subscribers…. The content, the production and information is friggin awesome!
I bought a used Blues Jr in college. It was already a. Few years old at the time, the guy told me he never changed the tubes. I never changed the tubes and it’s still going strong.
Rhett is right on, Capacitors are no joke when it comes to storing power.
Randy Stites Oh yeah, they will knock you on your Arse.
Could hold around 600V with tube amps. That isn't something I am keen on touching. Rather stay on the right side of the grass.
Its important to remember the voltage does not kill you its the amperage... getting zapped by a engine spark plug that has 40,000 volts will hurt but it won't kill you. Capacitors store electrical energy and release it very quickly in the form of Current (think amps) thats why they can kill you.... even at lower voltages
Randy Stites My brother works in the electronics industry and used to be a bench technician assembling gas detectors. A few years ago I asked him if he could do a capacitor mod on my Marshall DSL40C. His response, “Oh yeah. So I can get zapped instead of you!” I’m sure he would know what he’s doing but I’m still waiting. 😄
@@bimscutney1242 I hear ya
I use a Laney Lionheart - 5 watts of pure valve tone goodness - perfect!
Laney LC 15 with spring reverb i missed on sphock. 110£ mint condition (
5 watts is all you need even if you're gigging but you have to use at least 2/12's I have a Tone King Gremlin Kicks ass too
Laney amplifiers are absolute shit ! I’ve had a laney amp and it was a terrible experience. I’m getting my Marshall DSL 5c
Very cool list Rhett. I live in an apartment and recently bought a Mesa mark 5:25 combo with selectable 25- or 10-watt output and a 10" celestion speaker. Can't recommend it enough although even on the 10 watts setting it will still get load AF.
I use a Blackstar HT5R Mk2. Even 5 watts is very loud for home use. I usually run it in the 0.5w mode. I think many people used to solid state amps underestimate how loud tube amps are. Love the Revv tone. Wish I had the cash.