Mickguard Posted September 27, 2006 Report Share Posted September 27, 2006 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted September 27, 2006 Report Share Posted September 27, 2006 But he just bought a little box off a guy on ebay, it plugs into the effects loop and gives him better volume control. Not sure how it works, but he can overdrive the power tubes now, without the volume. I saw a thread about one of those boxes, can't remember if it was here or another forum. Glad it works for your guitarist, but it's unlikely that it's actually allowing him to push the power tubes any harder. The f/x loop is always pre-power amp (think about it - you'd fry the f/x with power amp voltage levels). That box is probably just a volume pot in an enclosure. I used to do something similar with the input/output volume controls on an SPX-90 delay/reverb, inserted in the post-master volume f/x loop of a Marshall head. It was easier to dial in the volume level (Marshall volume controls are notoriously touchy at low settings) and it did seem to thicken the tone up a bit. But it certainly wasn't due to the power tubes working harder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spazzyone Posted September 27, 2006 Report Share Posted September 27, 2006 Ive got my line 6 spider 2 x 50 watt 2x12 on here and listed on ebay for $150 works perfect and a money back garuntee to boot http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...E%3AIT&rd=1 ill whack $25 off for forum members only Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VanKirk Posted September 28, 2006 Report Share Posted September 28, 2006 The clean doesn't necessarily have to be Fender-omg-*** clean haha! That made me laugh, thx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeiscosRock Posted September 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2006 (edited) Spazzyone, I'd absolutely love to take you up on that eBay offer, however, I simply don't have any money right now :D Won't have any kind of money until about the 20th of next month. . . and even then I'm not sure exactly how much I'm getting. I may get enough for some kind of nice tube amp. And I'm also real unsure now about what I actually want. . . I was ready to settle for something like a Spider or a normal SS amp, but this thread has got me thinking! Edited September 28, 2006 by TeiscosRock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted September 28, 2006 Report Share Posted September 28, 2006 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitefly SA Posted September 28, 2006 Report Share Posted September 28, 2006 When I buy a tube amp I am definately getting one of those boxes. Half stacks aren't exactly neighbor friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted September 28, 2006 Report Share Posted September 28, 2006 (edited) One drawback about my Musicman is that its real hard to get any natural distortion out of the power tubes. I've never set the volume on full blast and even at "8" it felt like someone sticking ice picks into my ears. I thought I would rupture an eardrum! And it still rang out clean and clear as a bell. I installed a Black Ice cap in one of my guitars and found it really does emulate that overdriven sound, even at the lowest volume setting. I've also found that most effects pedals I've used (eg. TS7, Boss, DOD, Crybaby wah, and others) tend to take some of the amp's output power away. So be sure you take that into account when buying a low wattage amp. I used to own an old Teisco R-49 all-tube amp (the one in my avatar). I figure it was around 25 watts, had 2X12 lightweight speakers and was a noisy bugger, lots of background hiss. I sat in with some neighbors one day just for kicks and even with the amp cranked all the way up I couldn't cut through the drums. Edited September 28, 2006 by Southpa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted September 28, 2006 Report Share Posted September 28, 2006 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logical Frank Posted September 30, 2006 Report Share Posted September 30, 2006 Four hundred bucks? You get a totally rad setup for that. I see fifty-watt tube heads all the freakin' time for under three hundo. If you're going cheap, look for something that doesn't say "Fender" or "Marshall" on it--names cost. I saw a sweet Gretsch 50-watt head for two-fifty at a local shop just this week, I'm sure I could have gotten them down to two if I had cash right then. I saw a Traynor head for the same price about a month ago, which was probably the same deal. So right there, yourself a sweet tube head for two-hundred fifty at most. So all you need is a cab. Getting cabs cheap is easy. They are big and awkward to keep around so there's guys out there who just want to get rid of them already. What you do is cruise Craigslist and find someone selling something for, say, three hundred bucks. What you do is tell them "Hey--I will take that off your hands TODAY if you give it to me for two-hundred." And half the time they will take it. The main trick is to have the cash (or credit card too if you're at a shop) and be ready to pay right then. That is the one and only secret to good deals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spazzyone Posted September 30, 2006 Report Share Posted September 30, 2006 you can also try for a peavey vtm60 or 120 they are great heads and pretty cheap the vtm's were the basis for the 5150 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeiscosRock Posted October 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 I wouldn't mind going for a head unit, but I need a cheap but relatively good cab to go with it too. Like a 212 or 112 or something - I doubt I'd need a 412. . . Though I'd love a nice tube head with a 410 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logical Frank Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 One strange thing about cabs is that 2x12 seem to cost almost the same as 4x12s a lot of the time. You will probably have a lot easier time finding a 4x12 too. Also, it helps w/ the I-want-this-huge-thing-out-of-my-house factor in getting deals. I did get an Avatar 2x12 a while back for two hundred bucks--probably could have got it for one-fifty but I had the cash and the thing was practically brand new. I really recomend a head/cab setup if you can swing it--more versatile and actually easier to move around as your heavy speakers aren't attatched to your heavy amp. Oh--and you might want to look into Peavey and Music Man amps. There's a couple models that are solid state pre w/ a tube power section. If you crank the master and use the preamp for your volume control they sound pretty great and love pedals. I bet you could find a good deal on something like a Peavey Deuce--maybe less than what you're talking about if you're lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeiscosRock Posted October 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 The Deuce looks nice, but I doubt I'll be needing a 120w tube amp any time soon o.O I'd imagine the house would explode before I got the best tone it has to offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logical Frank Posted October 5, 2006 Report Share Posted October 5, 2006 Yeah. They are loud as a bastard and hardly distort so you'd have to use a pedal. Still--there's something to be said for having a crapton of clean headroom, especially if you're going to be playing clean w/ a band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jalien21 Posted October 5, 2006 Report Share Posted October 5, 2006 i've been playing on a vox ad30vt. i love it. it's plenty loud for me (though there's a 50 watt model if it dosen't have enough rocket sauce for you) and it sounds great for the price. i think they go for 240 new or so, but you could probably find it cheaper. my brother has the 112 spider 2 amp and that's cool too, but it only really shines when you play heavy, crazy shread metal. the vox is better for variety. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeiscosRock Posted October 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2006 In that case, how well does the Deuce take distortion/overdrive pedals? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logical Frank Posted October 6, 2006 Report Share Posted October 6, 2006 Never tried it. It probably works just about as good as any loud/clean amp which is to say quite well. I'd hit it w/ Rat any day of the week. Or a Muff if you want something fuzzier. You'd probably have a hell of a time getting a really tight speed metal distortion out of it though--maybe w/ a metal zone or something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeiscosRock Posted October 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2006 In that case it's definitely an option, especially because of the low price tag on the Bay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alarung Posted October 8, 2006 Report Share Posted October 8, 2006 (edited) I'm running through an Ampeg SuperJet, which I picked up for $450(400US) canadian. 50w combo, amazing cleans, but not very versatile. I have to turn it up SO loud to get a real tube drive tone out of it. If I were in your exact position and I couldn't find anything locally, I'd look for a vintage Traynor Bassmaster on eBay. They go for 500 on the high end, usually less, and they're THE "non big brand" head. There's also a million of them out there. If you know what you're doing, they can be modded into a virtual soundalike of a Bassman or a Plexi. A quick eBay search popped up four of these suckers, the most expensive being $329US. Edited October 8, 2006 by Alarung Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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