New valve amp needed

[mark555]

I a thinking of buying a new amp, and it must be all valve, no hybrids. The trouble is, I don't have the budget to buy what I really would like, so new Mesa's and the likes can not be considered.

 

I have read here more than once that Peavey make good usable amps and guitars at sensible prices. I am looking for something of about 40 Watts output, that I can use as a good all rounder. Nice clean tone and a good overdrive.

 

Have any of my forum friends any suggestions for good working amps that are not in the high end of the market?

 

Looking forward to reading your replies!

[PunkKitty]

When I'm ready for a new amp I'm going to look at refurb amps from old organs, etc. Here are a couple of places.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/tag_enterprises/m.html?item=301164148774&hash=item461ec83826&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

http://www.ebay.com/sch/valvepilot/m.html?item=191274249287&hash=item2c88d56c47&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

[gpuma]

What's you budget?

[davesultra]

The Peavey Classic series has always been a nice choice.

[PunkKitty]

The Peavey Classics are nice. But they are a PITA to work on. They used a U shaped circuit board that is difficult to replace or repair. So repair costs are usually high for those amps.

[StephenK]

PK, very interesting amps in your post. Thank you for the insight. Stephen

[PunkKitty]

One of the amps that I would seriously consider is the Carvin V3. Great sounding amps and very versatile.

[PunkKitty]

PK, very interesting amps in your post. Thank you for the insight. Stephen

Glad to help.

[AP515]

You can get them used at great prices...

https://sacramento.craigslist.org/msg/4635164175.html

[mark555]

My budget is about £500 for a new or used amp. Don't forget, if I buy a USA built amp, what you pay in $ we pay in £'s so the cost go's up over here. It just depends on the market. One of these days I will just go out and buy what I want, end of story - but for now I need to reign the expenses in. My Hot Rod Deville is being repaired as I write this.

 

I have heard good stuff about Carvin, but not seen their goods over here.

 

Many thanks for your posts.

[HANGAR18]

Made in Russia. My new favorite and very affordably priced hand wired amp is the 50W/25W SOVTEK Tube Midget 50H with the two volume controls.

 

http://www.heritageownersclub.com/forums/topic/27662-sovtek-tube-midget-50h-new-amp-day-do-over/

 

[Hfan]

The Classic 30 / 50 came to mind for me as well but as stated, it has a pcb board and after working on my Blues Jr a bunch for mods and a few repairs, I have vowed to never get another amp with a PCB. There are a few still undiscovered old tube amps out there, one I just got was a Traynor YGM (thanks DB)..very common in Canada not sure about the UK. Maybe go to the amp garage forum..they may have insights for the UK. Wouldn't be surprised if there was a member or two who was building stuff already in your neck of the woods.

 

Do you like to tinker? There are great kits out there.

 

Are the Sovteks all ptb?

[Hfan]

Oh, the old Fender Riveras are well thought of. Anything vintage can be a bit of a crap shoot though. Maybe reserve some funds for some amp tech service.

[DetroitBlues]

I suggest a used Jet City JCA 22H and have the first channel modified with the "clean channel" mod. I really like the amp and I think it sounds great with any guitar I've used so far. Highly modifable circuits, great construction quality, and they can be found rather cheaply. I suggest going there.

[koula901]

I was going to say Fender Blues Jr but they're only 15 watts, but there is a manufacturer that would make a clone of any wattage if interested, FWIW.

[TalismanRich]

I don't have any problem with a PCB amp. I've got three, including my late 60s Guild. The Peavey 30 has been rock solid. I had to do a bit of tweaking on the DSL401. The Guild traveled in the back of a 66 LeMans for years without so much as a tube change! Most of the time, it was running at about 90% trying to keep up with a YBA3 bass. I think its only about 35 or 40 watts with two 7591 power tubes.

 

Actually the one amp that I had to get repaired was the handwired Patriot! There was a broken solder joint in the feedback circuit on one of the 6L6s. That happened with it sitting on a stand in the basement. Probably just heat related from cycling.

 

I don't worry about modding amps. I just buy 'em and play 'em.

[Hfan]

Hey Mark, how about this one? It's in the UK..

http://www.strat-talk.com/forum/guitars-sale-trade-wanted/308147-uk-rivera-clubster-royale-amazing-fender-marshall-tones.html

[tbp0701]

You may want to check and see if you have independent builders in your area, particularly ones making amps based on Fender tweed and early Marshall circuits. For instance, I have a 5F1-based amp built by MuchXS over at the TDPRI, and it's great. (I'm not sure if he'd ship across the Atlantic and you would likely need to wait a couple months) Of course, resale won't be great on amps like that, but they should be easy for an amp tech to work on if needed and will be all around great amps.

[DetroitBlues]

VHT also has a series of amps that are Marshall based amps of the 1974x variety .... Another option I suppose.

[mars_hall]

You can build your own cabinet and get something like thing. Run it into a loop return on a current amp you may have or pick up a Mosvalve 962.

 

I had a Piranha before and just bought another tonight.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQdp4maajfY

 

 

 

[t0aj15]

http://traynoramps.com/guitar/ycv/product/ycv50b/

[bobmeyrick]

Looking at most of the replies, Mark, I think they don't really apply to your situation. I seem to recall you'd started a similar thread before and you were unhappy with the way the volume control on your Hot Rod Deluxe behaved, i.e. there was very little movement needed from quiet to very loud. A bit of searching yields some interesting solutions, one of which is to replace the 12AX7 (which has a voltage gain of 100) in position V1 with a tube with a lower gain, e.g. a 5751 (gain =70) or 12AT7 (gain =60), or 12AU7 (gain =20). A friend of mine also found that changing the speaker in his HRD improved the tone - I think he put in a Jensen C12N.

 

On the other hand if you really want a new amp, you're probably looking at something like a used Blackstar HT Club 40 - new they're slightly over your budget at £600. Incidentally the guy who was chief designer at Blackstar (Cliff Brown) has his own boutique amp company, 633 Engineering.

[mark555]

Lots of technical stuff there Bob, I am hearing bad things abut Blackstar reliability from a friend who works in the industry. My amp is at an engineers as I write this, so I am looking at the market, both new and used. Will have to see what there is

 

I notice that you unfriended me on face book - ha ha ha!!

[mark555]

I think you are right though Bob, the very kind suggestions are welcome, but most seem to be American products that you can't get over here. Matamp are in the back of my mind, well made amps that will last a lifetime other than new valves etc, then there is Hughes and Ketner, Engle, As a Heritage player you tend to be more open minded than other players who can only see one brand.

 

I will have to take a couple of guitars into the music shops and listen to what the amps available sound like. How's tricks?

[bobmeyrick]

 

I will have to take a couple of guitars into the music shops and listen to what the amps available sound like.

 

That's the sensible thing to do. I'm surprised about Blackstar reliability - they've usually had good reviews. The Peavey Classic 30 is a good amp - I managed to pick one up for a decent price (£270) locally and used it on a gig at a great little pub in Newark called the Navigation. They can get very hot, but I got a small desktop fan from Maplin and clamped it to the back of the amp so it blew air into the amp, and that kept it pretty cool.

 

I was inspired to get one when I saw Rob Rolph, lead guitarist with the excellent Nearly Dan, using one. He normally uses a boutique Dumble-style amp, so after the gig I asked him why the Peavey. He replied that when he wanted to take a smaller (and lighter!) rig, he took the Peavey with a couple of pedals. He used only the clean channel, but got a great Larry Carlton-type sound by using an Ethos overdrive.

 

Hughes and Kettner, Engl are good options, Electromusic in Doncaster have a used Engl Thunder 50 for £450, and quite a few other used amps. Another one to look out for is the Fender Concert from the early 1980s, which were designed by Paul Rivera. There's one for sale for £500 on Gumtree, unfortunately it's in Portsmouth!

 

Enjoy the search!