Grab and Go Amps

[RhoadsScholar]

I would definately get a mustang III. I could not reproduce the fizz issue folks talk about. I want the new version because it has direct stereo outs but that is my grab and go... The effects are excellent. Because of the fizz so called fizz issue, it has driven the price down quite a bit on the used market. I don't think there is a better by out there....

[Guest HRB853370]

Getting back on subject to Grab and Go amps (instead of kids reading in class), I think my lil Boogeera V5 is a bonafide grab n go amp!

[DetroitBlues]

A small setup that worked well for me for a while is a Traynor Darkhorse 15 watt tube amp with 6V6s + one little Vox 110NT 10" cab. The 6V6s in that sound great, especially if you like a bit of breakup.

 

Weighed together they weigh less than a Fender Princeton and you can have the amp over your shoulder while carrying the small cab in your hand.

I saw one of those once... Seemed like a cool little amp....

[AamerKhan]

I saw one of those once... Seemed like a cool little amp....

 

I love 6V6s and the break-up sound of that amp is quite lovely.

 

I always found it strange that the "small amp" designers tend to go for EL84 tubes. The Egnater Tweaker also has 6V6s in it and I aim to get me one of those amps for smaller gigs soon. It seems to be a bit more versatile than the Traynor.

[HANGAR18]

Sounds like something on my shopping list.

VOX Valvetronix 1x12 or 2x12 combo. (I haven't decided yet)

It's a low priced hybrid (1 tube plus solid state) modeling amp.

I had a 100W head which sounded great but took up too much space. (1 half stack is all I want at the moment.)

Any other amps I get, I want them to be small and portable.

[DetroitBlues]

 

I love 6V6s and the break-up sound of that amp is quite lovely.

 

I always found it strange that the "small amp" designers tend to go for EL84 tubes. The Egnater Tweaker also has 6V6s in it and I aim to get me one of those amps for smaller gigs soon. It seems to be a bit more versatile than the Traynor.

I went looking for some Egnators but the used prices on those, but the used market on them have risen a lot.

[Gitfiddler]

Another 6V6 fan here. Just dropped a new set in my Princeton Reverb II, along with some fresh 12AX7's for a bit of tone tweakin' fun. Now the Weber Alnico starts to break-up sweetly at about 5 (Master vol/Channel vol both set at 5) instead of at 9. The cool thing about tube grab n go amps is that they respond so well to inexpensive mod/tweaking.

[AamerKhan]

The Princeton is very nice! 15 watts of 6V6 tube goodness in a lightweight package is hard not to like.

There are some cool hybrid amps out there such as the Koch Jupiter hybrid amp. It's getting great reviews - check out the musicradar.com review.

[smurph1]

Forgive me if I'm confused..(It wouldn't be the first time) but Josh, why not keep your Supersonic where you practice and just keep another amp at home? Or is that what you are trying to do? I keep my C-30 (my gigging amp) in our practice space, and I usually play at home thru the old Gibsonette amp..That way, no hauling unless we have a gig..

[DetroitBlues]

Forgive me if I'm confused..(It wouldn't be the first time) but Josh, why not keep your Supersonic where you practice and just keep another amp at home? Or is that what you are trying to do? I keep my C-30 (my gigging amp) in our practice space, and I usually play at home thru the old Gibsonette amp..That way, no hauling unless we have a gig..

 

Crossed my mind, but the Bassist has cats and I'm allergic to cats. Plus the SS is my gig amp, I don't want to go back and fourth to his house to pick it up and drop off after a gig. Wish I was rich enough to have another amp I can just leave there like the guitarist in my old band.

[Kuz]

Honestly, I thought any "combo amp" was a "grab & go".

 

I mean, it's not like you are hauling around a "head and a 4x12"?

 

If it is too heavy to carry out with your guitar & pedal board.... then why not just make two trips to the car?

 

(I ask seriously. I am not trying to be mean spirited. When I am hauling my gear I have a guitar (maybe 2), a backpack, a pedal board, and an amp. I take my little fold up doily which holds the amp & pedal board, back pack on my back, and guitar in the other hand. If I need to make two trips to the car, I make two trips.)

[big bob]

I take 2 guitars, 2 stands, a head cab, a 2x12 cab, back pack, and pedal board.

[Kuz]

Opps, I forgot to add that I take a multi-guitar stand as well. So big deal it is on extra trip to the car. It gives me a chance to flex my guns for the ladies!!!

[H]

 

I take 2 guitars, 2 stands, a head cab, a 2x12 cab, back pack, and pedal board.

In a single trip. Big Bob is built.

[Steiner]

In a single trip. Big Bob is built.

 

He stacks it up on his Big Bob beer belly.

[DetroitBlues]

Honestly, I thought any "combo amp" was a "grab & go".

 

I mean, it's not like you are hauling around a "head and a 4x12"?

 

If it is too heavy to carry out with your guitar & pedal board.... then why not just make two trips to the car?

 

(I ask seriously. I am not trying to be mean spirited. When I am hauling my gear I have a guitar (maybe 2), a backpack, a pedal board, and an amp. I take my little fold up doily which holds the amp & pedal board, back pack on my back, and guitar in the other hand. If I need to make two trips to the car, I make two trips.)

I did see a huge old 60's Ephiphone Futura 4x8 combo at GC the other day. Largest combo I've ever seen.

 

My multi guitar stand is a flight case stand that also holds my pedal board and tool kit/parts. Not very light, but if I start using a dolly, I should be easily able to move everything. My problem isn't the lateral movement. I can move stuff across a distance, but I have torn ligaments in my knee that makes climbing stairs with added weight a painful experience.

[big bob]

In a single trip. Big Bob is built.

No, not a single trip.

 

Opps, I forgot to add that I take a multi-guitar stand as well. So big deal it is on extra trip to the car. It gives me a chance to flex my guns for the ladies!!!

What he said

[tbp0701]

Off-topic: I would occasionally run sound (I mainly worked in a mastering studio) and discovered my expectations of guitarists (and most musicians) would vary on how many trips they made to get stuff. If someone walked in the door with everything s/he needed and set up, I'd expect to be amazed. But with each successive trip my expectations would lower a bit. On occasion, I was surprised, but this method tended to be fairly accurate.

[DetroitBlues]

Off-topic: I would occasionally run sound (I mainly worked in a mastering studio) and discovered my expectations of guitarists (and most musicians) would vary on how many trips they made to get stuff. If someone walked in the door with everything s/he needed and set up, I'd expect to be amazed. But with each successive trip my expectations would lower a bit. On occasion, I was surprised, but this method tended to be fairly accurate.

So not sure what you think if I take two trips? I found last night, I used my Epi Dot and just the amp worked well for almost everything I did.

[Guest HRB853370]

I take 2 guitars, 2 stands, a head cab, a 2x12 cab, back pack, and pedal board.

 

 

Honestly, I thought any "combo amp" was a "grab & go".

 

I mean, it's not like you are hauling around a "head and a 4x12"?

 

If it is too heavy to carry out with your guitar & pedal board.... then why not just make two trips to the car?

 

(I ask seriously. I am not trying to be mean spirited. When I am hauling my gear I have a guitar (maybe 2), a backpack, a pedal board, and an amp. I take my little fold up doily which holds the amp & pedal board, back pack on my back, and guitar in the other hand. If I need to make two trips to the car, I make two trips.)

Backpack for what??

[tbp0701]

So not sure what you think if I take two trips? I found last night, I used my Epi Dot and just the amp worked well for almost everything I did.

Still very high expectations. It was the guys who needed a road crew that mainly caused expectations with each trip to go lower. And at the time I was mainly playing and working in jazz with a little blues.

 

I think every time I saw someone come in with one guitar (usually a hollow or semi-hollow for some reason), one amp and little else, they turned out to be amazing.

[Genericmusic]

Backpack for what??

Beer?

[Yooper]

Just traded my Fender Super Champ XD for a Roland Cube 60.

 

Let me tell you, I've made far worse deals.

 

It has an excellent clean channel for my archtop (main reason for getting it) and enough distortion and effects options to make it a great grab and go for any jam session with a solid body. By back is not so enthralled with lifting the Mesa DC-50 and my Music Man 65 RD these days, so those tones are always at hand in my basement.

[Genericmusic]

That Roland Cube 60 is a mighty fine amp. I used for for about a year backing up a lady musician when it was time for me to buy one (them amp was hers and we parted ways) The cube 60 was discontinued. I couldn't find a used one so I got anew 80XL instead.