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What is the best amp to have around the house?

plaintop

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Jul 15, 2001
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I am in the market for something small with killer tone.

What do you kick around the house with?

digitalfly is now plaintop59
 

Ed Rafalko

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Jul 15, 2001
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Define 'killer tone'.
Fopr hard rock and heavy metal, you can't beat a Marshall Lead 12.
For good cheap clean tones, the Electar Tube ten is a big winner for me.

I have no idea what you're looking for.
 

plaintop

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I have a 70's Vibro Champ with the tech 21 pedal right now. I love all the settings of that pedal the Fender, Marshall even ( and I shutter) the Boogie sound is good. I want all that wrapped up into one amp. Maybe a Sans Amp or a Victoria something along those lines.
 

60burst

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I like an original Vox AC10. They are not a lot louder than a champ but have more of a larger amp tone. I have several champs and the AC10 is my choice by far, over a champ.
 
R

RICH

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I kinda like the deathwall for....oh, you said around the house? I thought you said surround the house, nevermind.
 

Stymie

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Jul 15, 2001
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Blow down the house - Hiwatt ;)
Around the house - Carr Hammerhead
 

Phil M

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Jul 16, 2001
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I think the Tech 21 Trademark 60 is even cooler than the TM 10 and a bit louder so you could probably use it for a jam if need be. I like it better than the 10, but it costs about twice as much.

The only thing I'm confused about is that you said "Maybe a Sans Amp or a Victoria something along those lines." There's A LOT of stuff in between that price range, they're completely different animals.
 

LHakim

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Jul 15, 2001
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Best house amp

I've got 3 low watt amps: a bf vibrochamp, a 63 princeton w/ the 6G2 circuit, and a Marshall Studio 15. My Trademark 10 beats them all hands down when it comes to very low volume overdriven tone, and versatility. It is the perfect home amp.
 

danzigdan

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Jul 17, 2001
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Marshall Lead 12

I have one of the early/mid 80's Marshall Lead 12 amps. Not tube, but one of the great solid state amps in my opinion. No reverb either but it really does sound like a Marshall. Scored mine for under $100.
 

plaintop

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Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I might have to check out the tech 21 amps. I really do love my original Sans Amp pedal. I imagine they would sound similar.
 

Butch Snyder

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Jul 16, 2001
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701
Blues Junior... Heck, if you were to ask me what is the best gigging amp for small venues I'd say Blues Jr. If you were to ask me what the best amp is for large venues I'd say a Blues Junior miced. Since I replaced the stock speaker with a Greenback, I can't say enough about'em.

Cheers,
Butch
 

burgandyburst

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Jul 15, 2001
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I think the Tech 21 TM 10 is one of the best. Covers a lot of ground very nicely. I can't wait to try it into an extension cab. I also have an early 70s Fender Vibro Champ that sounds great too; kind of a one-trick pony though.

I don't think you can go wrong with the Tech 21.
 

60burst

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I have another suggestion and that is have you considered some of the smaller vintage English amps? They can be expensive and hard to find but well worth it. The small English amps have no competition from the small American amps in the tone department in my book. Try a Selmer Stadium or one of the many WEM Dominator models. I have a Dominator 25 that is ugly and nearly as big as a Super Reverb but has the sweetest tone you have ever heard and its volume is not that much louder than a Champ. They are cheap too. I paid $500 for mine but I bet I couldn't get near that out of it. No one knows about them. The wedge front two tone Dominator is the only one anyone is interested in. This amp is basicly the same internally but has a much different tone and is is not nearly as loud as the wedge front. I also have a wedge front and they are among the best sounding small amps ever made but they have gotten expensive.
 

LHakim

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Best small amp

Ah yes, the wedge-front watkins dominator....nudge, nudge, wink, wink.....;)
 

Dewey

The Czar
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Jul 15, 2001
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557
My Gemini

..Though not exactly that small...only 22w. But this '67 Ampeg Gemini I that I put the Celestion Blue into just knock's me out every time I plug in...I love that ole' Ampeg tone. Has a great bluesy tone, not loud, but with the "blue" it sounds terrific...just right for pluggin' in while I'm just kickin' back at home. This is a great amp, and I don't hear much about them. But now that I've found one, I'll keep this one till....well...I'll leave it at that;)
 

sparkletop

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Jul 17, 2001
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233
amp+small+house

The legendary Marshall Studio 15, aka model 4001. This is an all tube amp with a pair of 6V6's and came factory equipped with a Celestion Vintage 30 12" speaker and headphone jack. These sound like a cross between a Fender Deluxe and well ahh - a "Marshall". These were made in the late 80's early 90's and
are somewhat hard to find. Mine sounds great with solid body or hollow body and single coils or humbuckers.
 

Pearly Grapes

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Jul 20, 2001
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Around the house I have a BF Champ, SF Champ, SF Princeton, Blues Jr., & a Peavey Classic 30. I also have a Marshall stack, but it's a little loud "around the house" <G>.

The PV 30 kicks all their butts (except the Marshall Stack). No Joke. The PV even beats the Blues Jr. by a good margin, & the Blues Jr. sounds good.

The PV has footswitchable channels & an FX loop, & both the clean & dirty channels sound good at low volume (but it will get LOUD). I picked up the PV at a pawn shop for $200. My only complaint is it is a little "boxy" at louder volumes, but no more so than any other small combos.

The dirty channel will get just about as dirty as anyone would want & the clean channel can be fairly Fender-esque (did I mention the good spring reverb?).

I don't own any low-watt Marshalls (but maybe someday), so I can't compare to them.
 

LHakim

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Best small amp

Hey Sparkletop I too have a Marshall Studio 15. Its a great amp and sounds cool w/ everything whacked to 10! Unfortunately at that point its pushing a LOUD 30 watts thru an efficient vintage 30 speaker. Thats why I prefer my tm 10 for lower volume stuff. I'm thinking about replacing the V30 speaker w/ a lower watt/less efficient speaker just to bring the break-up volume lower. Have you (or anyone else here) experimented w/other speakers such as the blue alnico in that amp?
 

sparkletop

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Jul 17, 2001
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"L" -- I used the Studio 15 through a Marshall 4x10 closed back cab that I later sold and it sounded fantastic. Plugging the internal speaker wire to the headphone jack lowers the output also. I'm currently running it on a pair of 6L6's, sounds good (cleaner) w/more headroom but doesn't have that "6V6" vibe.
 
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