rookie Posted October 16, 2011 Posted October 16, 2011 Hello, I placed an order for an H-555 and was wondering if you had any recommendations for the type of amp I should get. I am a rookie guitar player and currently live in an apartment. Looks like tubes is the way to go. I am making a big investment with the guitar and want to make sure I get the same quality for my amp. I am currently looking at the Orange Tiny terror combo, is there any other model I should consider? Thanks a lot. Rookie
DetroitBlues Posted October 16, 2011 Posted October 16, 2011 Tiny Terror is a sweet amp. I find myself always drawn to those at the music store, but the real question to ask is what style of music are you playing? Living in an apartment, doesn't leave you with a lot of options in the tube amp territory. Most tube amps don't function well at low volume. Tiny Terror does the trick though. If you want clean tones, I'd suggest something like a Fender Blues Deluxe or Deluxe Reverb. If you want lots of gain, the Tiny Terror would be perfect. If you want both while living at an apartment, you may want to consider a solid state modeling amp like Fender Mustang or Line 6 Spider. Its all up to you, but I suggest trying a few different types to get the right feel for what you're looking for. Oh, and welcome to the Forum!
TalismanRich Posted October 16, 2011 Posted October 16, 2011 That's about as open ended of a question as you can ask. With my 535, I have a whole bunch of different guitars, depending on whether it is plugged into my Patriot, DSL401, Classic 30, National Supreme, Guild Thunderbird, Peavey Transformer, or POD XT. An amp is as much an "instrument" as the guitar. Guitar amps, as opposed to stereo amps, are designed to have a characteristic sound or color. So the first question to ask is what type of sound do you look for? Hi gain? Crisp Fender cleans? Driving sustain? Mellow jazz? Country chicken pickin? The thing that I hear with the better amps is that they respond much more to your playing dynamics. Something basic like the Deluxe Reverb, or Princeton Reverb have a good crisp sound, you can overdrive them well, and they are proven designs. (Just look at how many variants of that basic circuit there are). They are always a good place to start. Likewise, the Peavey Classic 30 is a proven design that gives you a decent clean channel, and a decent drive channel. For an apartment dweller, you won't need a 100 watt fire breather. A 5 watter may give you enough sound to tick off the neighbors. Several people here have the little Epiphone 5 watt amp. And for those times when you need to play but can't crank any sound at all, don't dismiss something like a Pocket Pod with a decent pair of headphones. In addition, the simulators give you a bit of a taste of what all these different amps really sound like. Is a Soldano really that different from a Fender? You bet. You could spend a few grand buying each, or you can play with the simulations before you plop down the big money. In the end, you need to know what your "sound" will be. Hope this helps a little.
Hfan Posted October 16, 2011 Posted October 16, 2011 Welcome to the club rookie, and congratulations on your 555, sounds like you ordered a new one. I would go to a music store or two and try out a bunch. For an apartment, and if you only want to buy one amp, something in the 15 - 30 watt range may be good for you. This way you will have enough umph to play out with it if you desire.
212Mavguy Posted October 16, 2011 Posted October 16, 2011 ...All good suggestions here. I have two: 1) HOC member kbp810 has a stellar rep for building custom tube amps that are better made and sounding than what can be bought in a music store, his pricing has the rep for fantastic value for what you get... 2) Siegmund Muddy Buddy combo, www.siegmundguitars.com Chris builds some of the nicest amps around. This particular model is perfect for your living situation, and has a line out to go directly to the sound board for playing out, no microphone needed. This model can also be used as a tube preamp in front of a larger amp. Worth every penny. Boutique amps for boutique guitars!
barrymclark Posted October 16, 2011 Posted October 16, 2011 First, what sound are you going for? The Tiny Terror is a good amp... but may not be for you. I know I could assume that since you're looking at the Orange Tiny Terror, that you like the sound. However, given that you are, as you put it, a rookie, I won't make that assumption. Congrats on the Heritage order. You will come to find that the HOC isn't just a forum, it is a state of being.
GASguy Posted October 16, 2011 Posted October 16, 2011 Congratulations on your 555, my first Heritage was a used 555, great guitars and I love mine. I'm sure you will love yours also. Some amps will operate at two or more power levels using either a pentode and triode switch, or a half power switch that will run say two out of four available tubes. So an amp with both types of switching may operate at say 30 watts, 15 watts, and 8 watts, or with a pentode and triode switch may operate at 16 watts and 6 watts or 35 watts and 13 watts. This gives some flexibility in output. Having said that a 40 watt amp is not twice as loud as a 20 watt amp, although it will be louder; KBP810 could explain why it has something to do with decibels or perceived levels of sound. KBP810 's amps get rave reviews here and a lot of people here like Peavey amps for lots of bang for the buck, classic 30 or Delta blues, but I don't own any of those amps. Welcome to the club, you will get good advice here.
Kuz Posted October 16, 2011 Posted October 16, 2011 Congrats "rookie" on your order. But as far as any amp recomendation that is impossible to give unless we know what kind of music you want to play (classic rock, blues, metal, country, 80s alternative, jazz, fusion, ect)... It would be like recommending you a mini-van when you want a classic Ford Mustang..... well everyone should want a classic Ford Mustang!!!! LOL
barrymclark Posted October 16, 2011 Posted October 16, 2011 Congrats "rookie" on your order. But as far as any amp recomendation that is impossible to give unless we know what kind of music you want to play (classic rock, blues, metal, country, 80s alternative, jazz, fusion, ect)... It would be like recommending you a mini-van when you want a classic Ford Mustang..... well everyone should want a classic Ford Mustang!!!! LOL Ford Vicki.
rookie Posted October 17, 2011 Author Posted October 17, 2011 Hi, Thanks all for your input. I am quite impressed by the number and quality of the answers I got in so little time. As far as the type of music I will be playing with it, it will be mostly blues and some rock. I am still browsing a lot of amp specs on the internet but I am surprised to see that not many of them have an headphones jack which I am sure my wife and neighbor would love for me to have for late night practice. Thanks Rookie
Guest HRB853370 Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 Check out Blackstar-engineered in Britain, mfg in China, but great quality for the buck. They make a 5 watt and a 1 watt head, perfect for the bedroom or small apartment, but you can still dial in some killer tones, ranging from Marshally British to American Surf tones. Most stores have that brand now. Good luck and welcome aboard.
DetroitBlues Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 I would recommend a KBP810 amp as well. We've talked about a .5 to 5 watt output amp. Something that only takes two tubes. Haven't go there yet, but I like the idea. But he does make a 5E3 amp that is a low wattage amp that's really clean and takes pedals rather well. Its a great amp to have a low volumes and pedals help give you the "dirt" you'll need to rock!
SouthpawGuy Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 My vote goes to the Fender Super Champ XD, it plays very well at low volume levels and has built in effects, plus it takes pedals very well. It has excellent clean and overdrive / distortion tones and at 15 watts it's plenty loud enough to get you in trouble.
bolero Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 another great amp is a Traynor dark horse, it is a 20w tube amp but also lets you use the preamp tube as a power tube & gets great billyG tones at low volume if you'[re in an apartment that would be a good choice http://www.traynoramps.com/products.asp?type=1&cat=60&id=424
JohnCovach Posted October 17, 2011 Posted October 17, 2011 I'd go for a Vox AC15, with the Celestion blue speaker if you can afford it. I find that the Vox does a nice job of brightening the relatively dark sound of humbuckers, and it takes pedals quite well. These amps are plentiful and cheap. Avoid the Wharfdale speaker.
Thundersteel Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 You might want to try a Carr Mercury. It has 4 power levels: 8, 2, 1/2, and 1/10 watts. The 1/2 and 1/10 positions are perfect for bedrooms and apartments. Plus, it has a 3-position boost switch so you can go from squeaky clean to heavy distortion. However, they aren't cheap. But then, neither are H-555s! You might be able to find a good used one for sale somewhere.
Blunote Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 I bought one of these. It's voiced like a Marshall and sounds great at low volume 1/4 watt levels or can push a pair of 4X12 cabs with 33 or 50 watts (not sure which, but it can push them at stage volumes.). Kidsmoke recommended it in a similar thread I started earlier this year and I went ahead and bought one. Couldn't be happier.
MikeMc Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 You might try a Fender Super-Champ XD; lots of tonal options, small, and very portable. Congrats on the 555. Awesome.
DetroitBlues Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 You might try a Fender Super-Champ XD; lots of tonal options, small, and very portable. Congrats on the 555. Awesome. I had a Superchamp XD and I loved it. It could hang just fine with a band and you can run it to an exenstion cab. Not to mention you can find them used for less that $200.
rjsanders Posted October 18, 2011 Posted October 18, 2011 Juke Rave, 6-18 watts, handmade in New Hampshire, cost about as much as a nice 555, versatile, sounds great. if you want a headphone jack, you'll probably have to go w/solid state. Roland Cube series amps are good for this.
Joey Posted October 19, 2011 Posted October 19, 2011 My H555, equipped with Fralin Pure PAFs, sounds great through my PRRI.
yoslate Posted October 19, 2011 Posted October 19, 2011 My H555, equipped with Fralin Pure PAFs, sounds great through my PRRI. The Princeton Reverb Re-ish is a great, very versatile little amp!
BLS Posted October 23, 2011 Posted October 23, 2011 Congrats on the 555! Here's a few tube amps for you to consider that would be great for a apartment: Bad Cat Mini II Bad Cat Alley Cat Blackstar HT-1R Blackstar HT-5R Blackheart Little Ant (1 watt tube head) DR Z Mini Z Fender Champ (Blackface, Silverface or hand wired Tweed) Orange AD 5 ValveTrain 205 Vox Mini Night Train
kidsmoke Posted October 23, 2011 Posted October 23, 2011 If you want both while living at an apartment, you may want to consider a solid state modeling amp like Fender Mustang or Line 6 Spider. Its all up to you, but I suggest trying a few different types to get the right feel for what you're looking for. Oh, and welcome to the Forum! +1 on everything DB says here. As a rookie, discovering the wide array of tones is part of the fun, and part of your "homework". Going with a quality smaller modeling amp will allow you to find what kind of sounds you like, and after you've developed more skill and a sound, you can throw some scratch at a P2P that gets you where you want to be. There are several amps that fall in that category, in addition to what DB mentioned, I'll add that a Cube 40 is a super versatile great sounding amp with unreal clean tones for that 555, and a wide array of modeled tones which are decent. Also it includes a Boss Looper circuit, and for me, a Looper was a HUGE asset when I was learning to play. Also, a Fender Super Champ XD, great little amp.
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