Guitar combo amps

[SteveXFR]

The youngest offspring has been practicing really hard recently so I thought it's about time for an upgraded guitar amp. 

I'm thinking a used 1x12 valve amp. 

What's a good value used buy? Something that works with pedals and has plenty of dirt. She loves punk and metal. 

[Doctor J]

A valve amp might need to be cranked far beyond domestic volume levels before it really gets going and sounding good. Not valved, but you should check out the Boss Katana range. They're very highly rated and work well at lower volumes, though I've even seen people gig them at festivals, there's very decent distorted sound out of them, plus a pile of effects.

[SteveXFR]

21 minutes ago, Doctor J said:

A valve amp might need to be cranked far beyond domestic volume levels before it really gets going and sounding good. Not valved, but you should check out the Boss Katana range. They're very highly rated and work well at lower volumes, though I've even seen people gig them at festivals, there's very decent distorted sound out of them, plus a pile of effects.

 

The guitarist in my daughters band has a Katana. It's OK but doesn't seem to like pedals. 

I'd not thought about the volume although I know some can be switched to lower power so you can get all the dirt at a low volume 

[Newfoundfreedom]

The Vox VT stuff is really good and you can dial in pretty much any sound you like.  Not strictly a valve amp but had a valve pre and makes some lovely noises. Can be picked up pretty cheaply too. But fair warning. If you go for the 2x12 version it weighs about the same as a bungalow. 

[MichaelDean]

It's a bit of a trek for you, but this is a bargain. A more than serviceable clean channel with a great distortion channel. The guitarist in my band just got the head and it sounds great!

 

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/640677738189512/

[SteveXFR]

5 minutes ago, MichaelDean said:

It's a bit of a trek for you, but this is a bargain. A more than serviceable clean channel with a great distortion channel. The guitarist in my band just got the head and it sounds great!

 

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/640677738189512/

 

I just started looking at those and the Rocker 15 this morning. The Rocker has a bedroom switch which takes it down to 1 watt for high dirt at low volume 

[MichaelDean]

He also had a Rockerverb head for a very short while (he has an amp buying problem), a bit more scooped sounding, but the 1 watt feature does sound attractive. The TH30 has this extra element that fills out the sound. Might be worth looking at some YouTube reviews to see what she prefers?

[LeftyJ]

With amp modelers and multi FX-units being the norm in metal these days, a good used valve amp can be had for silly money - but can be a tough sell once you want to get rid of it again. 

 

For modern rock and metal I agree about looking at the Orange Rocker series. They're cool little amps, but I do feel the controls on the smaller models are a bit limiting (like not having an EQ on the clean channel on some) - and their "clean" isn't exactly clean, with little headroom. The drive channel is great though! 

 

I would also take a look at Laney. Their Ironheart series are great high gain amps. Stay away from the small heads (the IRF-models) but look at the IRT30-112 and IRT60-112 instead. 

 

And maybe have a look at ENGL amps, they have some smaller combo amps too and especially the older models (Thunder and Screamer, both 50 watt 1x12 combo's) are high quality amps built tough. The Thunder has shared controls between the two channels which can be a bit limiting, whereas the Screamer only shares the EQ section. Look for one that has the original footswitch / floorboard included, they're expensive to buy separately - especially the 6-footswitch affair that pairs with the Screamer, that switches between 4 different sounds (two channels, each with a boost), the reverb or contour filter, and a second master volume for a solo boost. 

 

[thodrik]

For rock and metal, a used Peavey 6505 combo is actually pretty good. Lots of gain, proper all valve and generally available for about £350 used. It isn't however very versatile and the clean/crunch channel is okay at best. The drive/lead channel is utterly brilliant though. I used to have one but sold it to fund a Mesa Rectoverb 50 combo, which in itself is a great amp if you can find one for a decent price (£600-£700). 

 

Marshall combo JCM 2000/JVM combo will also do a great job and can be purchased used at decent sub £500 prices, though you will need a boost pedal to get really high gain sounds. 

Laney Ironheart combos cover rock/metal though I am less familiar with them. The Lionheart amps though are great. 

There is an Orange TH30 1x12 combo. I tried one and liked it but I didn't like the clean channel (too clean) and I didn't like the 'shape' EQ on the dirty channel (I prefer separate 3 band EQs). 

There is Blackstar too but I preferred the Peavey to the HT Stage series when I looking at amps 10 years ago. 

[LeftyJ]

19 hours ago, thodrik said:

Marshall combo JCM 2000/JVM combo will also do a great job and can be purchased used at decent sub £500 prices, though you will need a boost pedal to get really high gain sounds. 

There is Blackstar too but I preferred the Peavey to the HT Stage series when I looking at amps 10 years ago. 

 

With the Marshall JCM2000 series, stick to the DSL models and leave the TSL models alone. They're less reliable. 

 

Great call on the 6505 too! Great metal tones - but yes, the clean and crunch could be better. 

 

And Blackstar... I don't know with Blackstar. I always feel they sound good on their own, but get lost when playing with others. They look cool, they're packed with useful features, but the HT series lacks top end presence to cut through a mix. 

[Japhet]

I'd take a look at the Fender Champion series. They're solid state but the 100w one I have does some really nice valve tones as well as patches for Marshall, Mesa etc. Not sure howgood the lower wattage ones sound but I like mine.

[meterman]

A used Peavey Classic 30 would be a good start for a 1x12" valve combo, should be plenty of them around. 
 

Otherwise pretty much any Marshall, Orange or Fender valve 1x12" will get you there.

 

Personal recommendation: try out one of the little Orange Tiny Terror heads with a random 1x12" cab - the sound and volume might blow you away 👍

[DGBass]

One thing with buying a used 1x12 tube combo is that good ones will still be quite pricey. One industry standard is the Fender Blues Junior, its 1x12 and 15 watts but loud enough for gigging. Most amp techs will also gladly service and repair Fender stuff. I've owned and used Marshall DSL401's, Peavey Classic 30, Laney VC30 and LC30, all great sounding 1x12 all tube combos but all suffered from the same issues as they got used and its mostly heat fatigue. This causes pcb dry joints, metal fatigue in the tube sockets and dried out components. The Peavey Classic 30 for example is a nightmare to service, just check out the online repair videos for them. I gave up on small tube stuff a while ago and decided to adopt the convenience and reliability of solid state combos. Personally, I like Fender tones and found some really nice almost vintage solid state stuff that Fender made in the late 90s that can be had relatively cheaply, sound great and are excellent pedal platforms. When you consider the average 1x12 30 watt tube combo could cost around £175 to re-tube these days on top of the cost of the combo second hand it makes sense to me at least to go solid state and invest in an amp modeller pedal or a good effects setup for all your distortion tones. That will also be much more controllable for home use. The Fender solid state combos I mentioned from around the late 90s and 2000s are eg Fender Princeton 112, Fender Stage 112SE, and the little brother Champion 110. The USA made ones if you can find them are the best but the Mexco made ones and Indonesian made ones are just as good. They are built as good as the USA tube Fenders of the era. I owned a Stage 112SE and it sounded superb but was deafeningly loud. I currently use an early USA built Champion 110( had four of them, 2 MEX and one Indonesian version, all excellent) and like the tone of the smaller 10 inch speaker. It's also 25 watts but is crazy loud and giggable, and works superbly with a Boss GT100. Its also super portable, has a true spring reverb, and is twin channel, clean and crunch. There are tons of small modern tube amps available these days which may also be worth considering. I had an Orange Thunder 30 tube head and it sounded superb, had variabe output selection to use at low volume and didn't suffer from heat fatigue as the tubes were on top of the circuit board and not hanging under it as lots of 1x12 combos have. A head and cab might be well worth considering as well but like any rig, that's more to carry and may cost more initially.

 

[knirirr]

On 23/06/2024 at 08:21, Newfoundfreedom said:

The Vox VT stuff is really good and you can dial in pretty much any sound you like.  Not strictly a valve amp but had a valve pre and makes some lovely noises. Can be picked up pretty cheaply too. But fair warning. If you go for the 2x12 version it weighs about the same as a bungalow. 

 

Their VX50 GTV (Nutube + modelling) turned out to be useful for me; it is very light indeed whilst still being loud enough to play with a clean jazz sound at pub jams. Only a 1x8" though so perhaps would not suit the OP.

[Newfoundfreedom]

13 minutes ago, knirirr said:

 

Their VX50 GTV (Nutube + modelling) turned out to be useful for me; it is very light indeed whilst still being loud enough to play with a clean jazz sound at pub jams. Only a 1x8" though so perhaps would not suit the OP.

 

Yeah I used to have the 50 as well. A good compromise for weight against performance, but struggles a bit to keep up in a full band situation with a heavy handed drummer. 

[Kiwi]

On 06/07/2024 at 20:04, meterman said:

A used Peavey Classic 30 would be a good start for a 1x12" valve combo, should be plenty of them around. 

Good enough for Dan Huff, SRV and Nile Rodgers back in the day...!

[bassbora]

Very late to reply to this but someone might see this later and find it useful.

 

I was looking for an amp that would be loud enough to gig but not too heavy would have decent cleans and could take pedals.  I did not want to have to deal with valves and the expense of that.  I ended up getting Orange Super Crush 100.  I really like it and I think it sounds good.  I have not tried it with a band but I am sure it would do fine.  There are few different amps in that range and either head or combo.  I would look at that as an option.