Question:
Even though my Roland MicroCube is extremely cool, I am barely getting by with it at church. I run it through our PA system, and it is always a struggle to get it loud enough without the tone completely breaking up. I can get decent sound, but it is getting old. Obviously, I need a tube amp.
Financially, I am not ready to make a purchase just yet. I like to thoroughly study all of my options, though. I am 15, and I am not exactly rich. Right now, I have about $250. I am pretty certain my parents will help me out to some extent--maybe about $100. I don't want to wait forever, so about $450 is the maximum price. I think this is a reasonable amount of money to work with. I am definately not opposed to buying used, but it is difficult to find used gear where I live. I have considered eBay, but I am a tad bit suspicious about some of the deals. However, if me and my parents look over the auction closely, I think they would be OK with it. What I am getting at is that used gear is not convenient for me, but I am definately interested.
I will be using the amp at home and at church. Church is in front of about 50 people, but it could get up to about 100 on some occasions. Right now, I am considering anywhere from 5 to 30 watts. I don't want it to be too big.
I will be playing worship music, classic rock, and some more contemporary stuff. I have a decent distortion pedal, so I am not worried about heavier stuff. I would like the amp to provide a good light overdrive suitable for worship. Good cleans would be nice. I have an EQ pedal to help with that.
Currently, these are the amps that have caught my attention:
Fender Blues Jr.
Fender HRDlx (40 watts may be a bit much, but I could work around it...attenuator, I guess)
Fender Champ
Carvin Vintage 16
Traynor Custom Valve 20
Peavey Classic 30 (I think they made a 20 watt model too)
That is all I can think of right now.
Anyways, thanks for any help. I hope to get a new amp by summertime. This will not be my last amp, but it needs to last me a while.
Answer:
In that price range used I would strongly reccomend a Carvin MTS combo. Used a nice example normally sells for between $350 and $450 on eBay. Allthough it is a 100 Watt amp they are small and very controllable in volume. I have a 60 watt Fender Prosonic that sounds GREAT but many times will stay home due to volume controll issues when I can run the 100 watt Carvin in the same situation with success. Tone wise the MTS will nuke anything on your list . In the price range you are talking they are the best bet add that they are bulletproof reliable and quite versitile it`s the best bang for the buck out there. I own both a combo and a head and use them a LOT.
Answer:
Originally Posted by sabertooth181 Obviously, I need a tube amp.

Obviously? NEED? I think the consensus around here is that you can't beat the tone of a tube amp. But need a tube amp? Your microcube is a practice amp. I don't think it was meant to be a used live. You think you could get a decent 30 watt solid state with a 12 inch speaker for under $250. You will probably have to look at the used market for a tube in that price range. I think you can get a Blues Junior 15 amp or a Peavey 30 amp for under $250 on Ebay. I wouldn't mind having a nice tube amp myself, but NEED?
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Originally Posted by shreadhead In that price range used I would strongly reccomend a Carvin MTS combo. Used a nice example normally sells for between $350 and $450 on eBay. Allthough it is a 100 Watt amp they are small and very controllable in volume. I have a 60 watt Fender Prosonic that sounds GREAT but many times will stay home due to volume controll issues when I can run the 100 watt Carvin in the same situation with success. Tone wise the MTS will nuke anything on your list . In the price range you are talking they are the best bet add that they are bulletproof reliable and quite versitile it`s the best bang for the buck out there. I own both a combo and a head and use them a LOT. I kind of think that 100 watts is too much for my bedroom. I am keeping my mind open right now, though.
Originally Posted by presbystrat Obviously? NEED? I think the consensus around here is that you can't beat the tone of a tube amp. But need a tube amp? Your microcube is a practice amp. I don't think it was meant to be a used live. I bought the MicroCube because I didn't have enough money to get anything better at the time. I bought it having in mind that I would need to upgrade in the next 1 to 2 years.
You think you could get a decent 30 watt solid state with a 12 inch speaker for under $250. You will probably have to look at the used market for a tube in that price range. I think you can get a Blues Junior 15 amp or a Peavey 30 amp for under $250 on Ebay. I wouldn't mind having a nice tube amp myself, but NEED? Well, I don't need one to survive, but I do need one to get good tone at louder volumes. I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting good tone. I am a tone freak.
Answer:
Originally Posted by sabertooth181 Well, I don't need one to survive, but I do need one to get good tone at louder volumes. I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting good tone. I am a tone freak. have you play tested a good SS amp with a good tube amp to hear the difference. good tone is almost all in the ears. I've found alot of SS amps that don't have "good tone" were often the result of the person playing not really knowing what to do to get good tone...
now realize that I'm a big tube guy as well, but there are some great tones available in SS packages. If I had to sell all of my amps and could only keep one, I'd probably be keeping my Acoustic 150 over any of the other guitar amps I've owned, including my Hot Rod Deluxe
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Tube amps aren't the only way to get good tone at loud volumes. I have 65w Roland VGA-5 and it's more than loud enough for my church of about the same size as yours. I'm not trying to discourage you from buying tube; I'm just saying that you seem to think it's the only option for good, loud sound, but it's not.
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Originally Posted by sabertooth181 I kind of think that 100 watts is too much for my bedroom. I am keeping my mind open right now, though.
I bought the MicroCube because I didn't have enough money to get anything better at the time. I bought it having in mind that I would need to upgrade in the next 1 to 2 years.
Well, I don't need one to survive, but I do need one to get good tone at louder volumes. I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting good tone. I am a tone freak.
Note: The MTS is also switchable to 50 watts which uses only 2 power tubes instead of 4.
Answer:
.....Obviously, I need a tube amp.

Well, it sounds like you need a gig-level amp. Every guitar amp that is not an all tube signal path (i.e. tube amp); solid state, modeling, hybrid, whatever is engineered to mimic what happens when vacuum tubes process a guitar signal. How well any of those do that is a subject of much debate... Personally, I would advise you to just go ahead and get the real thing, and be done with it. They just don't cost that much more in the short term, although IMO, they are cheaper over the long haul.
An added plus, most SS and modeling amps at some point in the next decade or 3 will end up in a landfill. Tube amps generally have some value, and are worth getting fixed (+ you don't have to send it back to the factory for repairs since any amp tech should work on any tube amp) or it can be sold to someone who will fix it. Be environmentally responsible. Get the tube amp.
The C30 and BJ have been around for years and there are tons of used ones available in pristine condition, you can pick nice ones up for $250. Use it for a year or 5, keep it in good shape, and you'll get every bit of that back out of it. Try that with a SS or modeler.
If you can find one, a Peavey Bravo (made for a couple years in the early 90's) is a well made little amp, 2 independent switchable channels, tubes are tucked away inside the chassis and fan cooled. I bought one a couple years back on ebay for $127. + shipping, like $170. total. It does, however, need a different speaker as the stock one stinks, so keep that in mind. Its gain channel is over-the-top, but can be reined in with a $12.00 lower gain tube, which is user replaceable.
I'd advise to cross the Champ off the list, a real one trick pony and not gig level at all. I just ebayed my '64 BF Champ...sniff....had it since I was very young,. Never played it, just liked to keep it in the collection though.
I've had plenty of big amps in me past, 50, 100 watters, even a 180 watt. These days with what I know now, I prefer amps in the 15-20 watt class. With amps that size and over, the SPL's are more about the efficiency and configuration of speaker(s) than the wattage rating. I'd say you are headed in the right direction.
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Originally Posted by thesteve have you play tested a good SS amp with a good tube amp to hear the difference. good tone is almost all in the ears. I've found alot of SS amps that don't have "good tone" were often the result of the person playing not really knowing what to do to get good tone... Well, I haven't played a good SS, but I have definately played through good tube amps. You make an interesting point. I know I definately need more wattage. I hadn't really considered SS...
Originally Posted by bobthecockroach Tube amps aren't the only way to get good tone at loud volumes. I have 65w Roland VGA-5 and it's more than loud enough for my church of about the same size as yours. I'm not trying to discourage you from buying tube; I'm just saying that you seem to think it's the only option for good, loud sound, but it's not. Yeah, I can definately see how a high wattage SS amp could work. After all, everyone plays Marshalls. I was thinking tube mainly for the overdrive. I will definately be making another trip to Guitar Center before I buy an amp, so I will check out some solid state options.
There is still a lot of stuff I don't know about amps, so bear with me. I wish there was a guitar store somewhere remotely close where I could check out stuff on a regular basis.
Answer:
Originally Posted by Major Tom The C30 and BJ have been around for years and there are tons of used ones available in pristine condition, you can pick nice ones up for $250. Use it for a year or 5, keep it in good shape, and you'll get every bit of that back out of it. Try that with a SS or modeler. Yeah, those are the two I am most interested in. Would you recomend one over the other, or is it one of those subjective things?
If you can find one, a Peavey Bravo (made for a couple years in the early 90's) is a well made little amp, 2 independent switchable channels, tubes are tucked away inside the chassis and fan cooled. I bought one a couple years back on ebay for $127. + shipping, like $170. total. It does, however, need a different speaker as the stock one stinks, so keep that in mind. Its gain channel is over-the-top, but can be reined in with a $12.00 lower gain tube, which is user replaceable. Sounds interesting. I will definately check into it.
Do you have any tips about shopping for an amp on eBay?
Answer:
Also, on Craigslist and eBay you can find the Traynor YCV40's for about $375-$400.
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Originally Posted by sabertooth181 Yeah, I can definately see how a high wattage SS amp could work. After all, everyone plays Marshalls. I was thinking tube mainly for the overdrive. I will definately be making another trip to Guitar Center before I buy an amp, so I will check out some solid state options.
There is still a lot of stuff I don't know about amps, so bear with me. I wish there was a guitar store somewhere remotely close where I could check out stuff on a regular basis. most good Marshalls (some would say ALL) are tube. the SS based MG series is (IMO) horrible.
as far as C30 v. Blues Jr., I would say that it's subjective. I've heard them both, and loved them both for different reasons.
as far as shopping on eBay goes...Check the sellers rating and number of sales. A good quality amp is going to be sturdy and handle the transport well. look at the pictures. a good listing will have original pictures of the product, not the pictures that the company puts out. this will give you an idea of the condition the amp is in.
Also, IMO, the more descriptive the ad the better. this gives you an idea of how well the seller knows the product he's selling, and I think it gives you a better idea of how well it's been taken care of...on the other hand, a small description could mean that he has no idea what he's selling and give you a lower price
Answer:
Peavey Valveking, Peavey Bravo, Peavey Triumph, Peavey Prowler, Peavey Ultra(heck yes for metal), Yamaha T50C, Peavey Classic 30(might want to get a distortion pedal), and others. Most of these amps have high gain and are very versatle. Most of these amps are not made anymore, which makes them go for cheap. Some of these amps sell for less than like 250 and some more. I really suggest you look on harmony-central to see which one you think would suit you most . Most of these go from sparcling clean sounds to hardcore type sounds. But most of them should be good for anything.
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C30 is more of the moderate gain sort of amp, while the Blues Jr. is a very low gain amp. I'd reccomend the C30 more for more modern worship music, but then again, it's totally subjective.
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I just got my traynor ycv20wr from an ebay seller called mesaman music. Brand new for $353.00. This is an ebay store and they list a new ycv20wr as soon as the last austion ends. I've seen them go from 300 - 450.
If you do a search for the traynor ycv20wr, Mesaman music will probably be one of the first listings. They are doing fairly high volume , so it's fairly unlikely you'd have a problem with scams or damaged goods.

The traynor is a sweet amp. 15watts that is definitely giggable....although you might have to mike it with an overzealous drummer. And it works out real nice in my smallish practice room. I looked at the peavey classic 30 also. hard to go wrong with that. Never got a chance to play with the valveking, but it was on my list till I got the traynor. Traynor's 2year "even if you break it" warranty is unbeatable!

Wade 8^)