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I'm looking for a power amp that is small enough to fit onto a pedalboard. I have a Kingsley Juggler (Blackface/Dumbleish tube preamp) that would shape the sound, just need it amplified! I basically want to have my preamp, power amp and a couple of other pedals (reverb, tremolo and delay) on a small pedalboard. Carry the pedalboard, small cab and guitar and that's it. Should be an easy one trip carry in/out.
It doesn't have to be super loud, Deluxe Reverb level should do it.
Here's what I'm aware of/looking at:
Quilter 101
Quilter Pro Block
Ethos amp module
I know the Quilters are full amps but I can't find any power amp only models other than the Ethos. I know there's also the EHX but I haven't really heard anything good about them.
Any other suggestions? Thanks!
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03-28-2016 11:07 PM
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ISP Stealth.
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I'd go with one of the Quilters and avoid the Ethos. I have an Ethos preamp, and it's a great piece of gear, but I don't see any advantage in the amp since you are happy with the Kingsley Juggler. Besides, the Ethos is only 30 solid state watts and may not bump you up to the Deluxe Reverb level you mentioned.
There is a fair amount of Quilter love here. If it were me and I could not audition them all, I'd go with the Pro Block because it is closest to the Mach 2 feature set, which I like a lot. (I own a Mach 2, and I love it.) Nevertheless, if you don't need the bells and whistles, you can save some money with the Tone Block or the 101, depending on your power and tone shaping requirements. I'm not sure whether the 101 would match the Deluxe Reverb level, but there are players here who have gigged with the 101 and can chime in.
Besides wattage, I really think it depends a lot on how much tone shaping and how many bells and whistles you want.
BTW you might also consider the Gallien-Krueger MB200, which is roughly the size and weight of the Tone Block and Pro. The GK 200 gets great reviews at online stores, and some experienced players here like it a lot.
Good luck.
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Another solution would be a powered speaker. Many preamps have a cab simulation and there are also good cab emulation pedals.
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I suggest a quality powered speaker also.
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Demeter Mighty Mini
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Get something like an Alto PA cab and a Logidy EPSI for IRs. I also really like the Zoom MS70CDR for fx, you could have a 3 pedal pedalboard plus the cab. Even better a Mambo PA cab which is really small and light, but more expensive.
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As a Quilter Mini 101 owner since Dec., I will weigh in about this brand. This is the “tubey-est” sounding solid-state amp I have played. But, similar to others in this forum, I have issues with Quilter’s preamp voicings. Of their small “block” amps, the 101, with its “VOICE” control, has the most flexible preamp. Nonetheless, I often have a hard time getting an acceptable EQ when using the 101 alone with many of my guitars. I frequently find myself reaching for my Boss graphic EQ pedal to tame the overly nasal 101 preamp sounds. Even their famous “Full Q” voice, which I thought would be rather flat, is in fact not flat but somewhat nasal. Plugging my guitar into the FX Return (using other pedals between the guitar and 101) solves the nasal preamp problem; the FX Return gives a great flat response. I can solidly recommend using your Juggler preamp in this manner. Also, I am sure that it can get as loud as a Deluxe Reverb
Before considering one of the other Quilter Blocks (Tone Block 200 and Pro Block 200), I would want to know more about them. The Tone Block does not have an FX loop and it is likely its only input will be subject to the Quilter Full Q voice (but not sure about this!! Maybe someone can weigh in). The Pro Block preamp voice is also probably Full Q (again, not sure), but this one does have an FX loop. However, I don't know where the built-in Reverb is situated with respect to the loop; if it is before the loop, then you would sacrifice reverb by using the FX Return.
Hope this helps!
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The Dayton Audio DTA-120 Class T Mini Amplifier 60 WPC. 120 watts in stereo or 60 Watts in mono into a 4 ohm speaker (definitely a good option if you're trying to max out the power in a small rig). It's a bit bigger than a cigarette pack but it uses a lap top style external power supply. They work great and they only cost $100.
Dayton Audio DTA-120 Class T Mini Amplifier 60 WPC
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Wow, lots of great options, thanks everyone!
The Ethos company actually sells the power amp only, so that's what I'm looking at. It's under $200, so one of the cheaper options. It's only 30 watts but I've heard from several people using them that they are in the same ballpark loudness-wise as a Deluxe Reverb or Blues Jr., which should be plenty for me.
I'm kind of leaning towards the Quilter 101 because it's only a little more than the Ethos option but is a full amp and I could plug into only it if I didn't want to use the Juggler or if one of the tubes went bad. I have to admit though that maggles55 comments have me rethinking..."nasal" is my least favorite tone lol. I try for the exact opposite of that actually.
The powered speaker option sounds convenient but I don't think they would sound good with my setup without adding some sort of speaker emulator/DI solution. I'm looking to just add a small amp to my pedalboard and keep things as simple as possible utiizing what I already have.
The digital stuff sounds great and I know it would be convenient as well but same as above, I want to use what I have now and try not to buy too much extra stuff. Lord knows I have enough $$ sunk into my stuff already lol!
Jim, your recommendation looks nice price wise! Have you used it with a guitar, preamp and guitar cabinet setup and gotten convincing sound? It seems more geared towards computer and home audio stuff?
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The Quilter 101 preamp is certainly fine in a pinch. It just always sounds better to me when I skip the preamp and go in the FX Return.
maggles
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I used it as a power amp with a Line 6 Pod HD. The Dayton was mostly driving a Raezer's Edge Stealth 10 or NY 8 but i also used it with a bunch of other cabs. The Pod was my pre-amp and all of my effects and the Dayton provided the power. It was a good rig as long as I was willing to live with the intricacies of a digital preamp.
Originally Posted by Greaser
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v
these Hi fi amps are good .... I use one Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
on my desktop pc with big speakers and its sounds great .....
(in fact its a cheapo £15 one with treble and bass controls)
to state the somewhat obvious tho ...
the input z (not quoted on the site)
is usually designed for line o/ps
and is not high enough for guitars
should work fine with a pedal in front though
to buffer and give the correct z o/p and you'd probably need some eq anyway ...
Jim , did you ever run it with just an eq pedal
or preamp pedal in front ?Last edited by pingu; 03-29-2016 at 04:19 PM.
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Absolutely. I was running a line level from my Pod. It's strictly a power amp and needs an appropriate pre-amp in front of it. Originally Posted by pingu
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I have a 44 Magnum and would not recommend it for clean sounds.. unless mine is faulty, I got it used.
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Some do have problems with the eq on the quilter 101 most complaints i see come from those that use humbuckers. There is a bit of adjusting to the tri Q and high cut system. But an eq pedal will fix this for about any one. A lot rides on the speaker set up as well.
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100 watts!
BluGuitar - Home of the AMP1
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Take a look at the Lanet IRT-X it's a powered FRFR with a FX loop and cab simulation. Small, solid and light delivering 200w
I'm considering buying one for my Atomic Amplifire
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Hi did you finally got Amplifire and the Lanet IRT-X?
How does it work?
Thanks
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Got the Amplifire but not the Laney, I'm not gigging at the moment so I'm using it with my studio monitors. It's awesome, everything I need in a small box, amp emulation is brilliant and has enough quality effects to play some other styles not only jazz. Couldn't be happier Originally Posted by ivanbcn
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