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Title says it all. I'm looking for an "Amp in a Box" that provides that smooth, warm tube sound. I playing Rockabilly, Swing/Jazz.
There seem to be a myriad of these pedals on the market. I'm looking for something to use at home. Either with headphones, or connected to an 8" Speaker/Cabinet.
What have you tried/liked? Any websites that do a good job of comparing?
Thanks
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03-08-2025 02:40 PM
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Universal Audio Dream 65. I get good results through an FRFR speaker.
Dream '65 Reverb Amplifier
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TC Electronics combo deluxe is hard to beat.If you want something way cheaper the Behringer Tube amp modeler at $25 is a total bargain.
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I like quilter stuff if I'm not going to use my Blues Jr. There are an overwhelming amount of options and even more opinions on those options.
I recommend setting a budget to help filter some of it down.
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I play the same styles of music and love my Nocturne Jr. Barnyard for those kind of sounds.
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sounds like you are not after a pre-amp or amp simulating pedal, but an actual pedal amp if it is to plug into a speaker cab and make any noise. This being the case your options are dwindling. Look at the smaller quilter superblockUS since you want headphone out. There are more expensive (larger) units but are verging on Amp Heads.
Originally Posted by Kmckenna45
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I like the Milkman, although it is bigger than most pedals. Tube preamp, reverb, boost, headphone out.
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If the OP will be using a powered speaker something like a Quilter would not be necessary. If the speaker is not powered, then an amp will be part of the equation.
re: that Behringer $25 amp pedal.. I don't even need one but I ordered one just to try it out. $25??
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NB: some pedal amps have a power amp, others do not.
TBH, I'm starting to think I should have just got the Seymour Duncan Power Stage and then I'd be able to play with different modelling options on a pedalboard.
OTOH the Quilter Superblock US is pretty good (more as a head than a DI IMO) and all in one.
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Is that the TM300? Originally Posted by Spook410
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Yes. Gets good Amazon reviews. Older tech (some say a copy of the SansAmp GT-2). May be mediocre.. but for the price of lunch, going to play around with one just to see. Originally Posted by garybaldy
Amazon.com
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I have the Behringer GDI21. They are both supposed to be copies of the GT2. I got the GDI21 just in case my amp failed at a gig to put it through the PA and after my effects. But now I take a Bad Monkey - apparently the mix out output is for a mixer and it's supposed to be a spkr sim. I don't really like the BM as an overdrive but that doesn't have to be engaged. I've never had to use the GDI21 but I've used the BM (only) at a rehearsal. Originally Posted by Spook410
ps. I have a few other Behringers - Heavy distortion, Chorus Ensemble, Heavy Metal, Reverb and EQ. I only ever use the EQ.
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I have a Milkman 100 and UA dream. Both are good for the styles you are playing. Originally Posted by pcjazz
Milkman- More headroom. Rounder tone with more mids. Drives a cabinet as well as PA/FRFR and sounds great.
Dream- less expensive, has tremolo, more and better cab/mic sims than Milkman which has just one not great one.
I use the Dream at church where there’s no room for a cab or combo playing through PA .Milkman at gigs using a 1x12 creamback.
Milkman is also great for lap and pedal steel.
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The Joyo JF-14 American Sound is a pedal that simulates various Fender amps. It's a clone of the Tech 21 Blonde (?) pedal. It costs about US$40. I've used mine in front of a Henriksen Bud (a very clean amp) to put a little "hair" onto the sound to emulate a Fender Deluxe. It can also stray into Fender distortion territory. As far as a user manual, one operates the JF-14 about the same as the Tech 21 Blonde. It does not have a built-in amplifier - you have to feed it into an amp. Originally Posted by Kmckenna45
There are many demos of the American Sound on YouTube.
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If it's strictly a pre-amp pedal, Tubesteader makes great tube pre-amp pedals.
I have the Sunkeeper which has a clean and Orange channel but I think the Lightkeeper would work best for jazz.
$299 USD
LIGHTKEEPER v2
– Tubesteader
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Universal Audio Woodrow - Tweed Deluxe pedal
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Doesn't actually exist. To get that smooth, warm tube sound you need a smooth, warm tube amp in an appropriate cabinet with an appropriate speaker. Originally Posted by Kmckenna45
Now you can get a great sound out of a lot of non-tube setups, but tubes is tubes and only tubes is tubes. Good sonic approximations often include a tube driven preamp into a solid state power amp, these days often a Class D amp.
Do you want an "amp in a box" that'll drive a passive speaker (i.e., a small amp head), or are you plugging it into a powered speaker (so looking for a preamp)? Do you want to put effects pedals in front of it? That makes a huge difference in what can be recommended. For a small head, you probably don't need to look further than a Quilter product especially for rockabilly. Since my favorite tube amp is a tweed Deluxe, I'd look at the Quilter SBUS, but the something-202 has huge flexibility. Small footprint, reliable, wide tonal spectrum, sound great. Not exactly tubes but a good approximation. The Milkman is one I haven't used but comes with great recommendations. The DV Mark Raw Dawg EG250 come highly recommended but is clean, clean, clean by reputation (designed for pedals, according to the website).
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Tone X pedal which has 2 different settings that are programmable.
Fairly inexpensive used and can cover a lot of territory including emulating other pedals.
I would imagine the cheapest best option would be the Joyo American pedal. And then depending on its use perhaps a Quilter U.S.Block used?
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I've been using a Quilter SBUS connected to a converted cab with an 8" stock speaker (from a failed Fender Champion 20). It worked pretty well but not quite the sound for me nor the volume. I then added a Parametric EQ to the chain which really helped get me there- but not the volume. Finally I switched out the stock speaker and replaced it with an Eminence Beta 8a American Standard which gave me the volume and tone I was looking for. I learned a lot in the process despite the cost.
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I've recently used and liked the UA Dream 65, the TC combo deluxe, the Quilter US, a Tonex one, Sansamp blonde.
A big part of the final sound will be the actual headphones and speaker used. If they are mediocre, all these will sound mediocre. If they are good, all these will sound good.
I think the UA dream 65 is best tone wise, the Tonex one versatility wise (it can do different amps). Whatever you use, once you've dialed in the room acoustics, it sounds decent. But I still prefer a small guitar amp!
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the OG... Tech21 Sansamp
The Trademark 10 and 30 are small combo amps with a built in Sansamp, spring reverb, headphone out, etc.
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My Milkman The Amp 100 delivers exactly what you are looking for.
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I have a Para Driver DI which I have used into a PA and powered speakers (really nice through QSCs). Very good. I put a reverb pedal in front of it. Originally Posted by supersoul
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That or the El Pescadoro, which adds an oldie-style plate reverb to the JR Barnyard.I play the same styles of music and love my Nocturne Jr. Barnyard for those kind of sounds.
I've recently purchased one of these: Surfy Industries
..which does a pretty convincing take on a brown-style amp. It has headphone out, can be fed into a guitar amp, and has line out (straight to PA) capabilities as well. It won't drive an enclosure though, and is a bit expensive ($375).
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I use both the Joyo American Sound and the Nocturne Junior Barnyard for those kind of sounds. The Joyo is obscenely inexpensive for how good it sounds, and works well running into a PA paired with a nice reverb, or in front of an amplifier.
The Junior Barnyard is better suited to working with a guitar amp in my opinion, but it does give that octal tube sound, which not many other pedals can do.
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