cheap good sounding HOME solid state amp

[PB+J]

I've got some good solid state amps for gigging, a Henricksen and an Acoustic Image. And I've got a very nice sounding low wattage tube amp for home use and recording, an Ampeg GVT5h.

Does anybody make a small, inexpensive, simple, good sounding "practice amp?" Lo wattage, minimal bells and whistles, straightforward eq?

I'm just curious--the Ampeg sounds great, but every time I turn it on I'm aware of the relatively high energy costs of tube amps. The AI sounds great too, but I do about 4-8 gigs a month, mostly on bass using the AI, and between that and the rehearsals I like keeping it ready to go in the car. The Henricksen is good but there's a slightly harsh edge to it I find myself getting irritated by.

Don't need 100 watts, or 50 different amp models. Don't need screaming hi gain. Just a good basic sound. I probably don't want a fender--I know lot's of people love it, but the fender mid scoop just doesn't work for me. My experience with modeling amps is I spend all my time tweaking.

I'm thinking maybe a good practice amp for bass might be the way to go?

[whiskey02]

Used Roland Cube 30.

[TOMMO]

Try to find a seventies Peavey Backstage 30 - great clean tone.





Has served me well for over 35 years as a practice amp, small sessions, saved my ass on a recording date and still serves me as my main teaching amp. Never asked for a time-out in the workshop.

[Cavalier]

Yamaha G30 or G50. Plus you can gig with it.

[maggles55]

I've got some good solid state amps for gigging, a Henricksen and an Acoustic Image. And I've got a very nice sounding low wattage tube amp for home use and recording, an Ampeg GVT5h.

Does anybody make a small, inexpensive, simple, good sounding "practice amp?" Lo wattage, minimal bells and whistles, straightforward eq?

I'm just curious--the Ampeg sounds great, but every time I turn it on I'm aware of the relatively high energy costs of tube amps.

Are you saying that you want a SS practice amp because your Ampeg uses too much power? I doubt you would see any difference on your electric bill if you replaced the Ampeg with a SS amp. The Ampeg probably uses as much juice as a light bulb (wattage used may be listed on back panel.)

[Longways to Go]

I'd just bring the AI in from the car! Hard to beat. Those are great sounding amps

[dconeill]

If you like the AI most of the time, maybe something like a Fishman LoudBox Mini? I got one for $290 IIRC and it works great.

[PB+J]

Yes it is a bit of a silly question because I could just bring the AI in from the car. A five watt tube amp doesn't use that much juice but it uses a lot more than a five watt solid state amp. I don't NEED anything

thanks for the good suggestions--keep 'em coming please!

[Longways to Go]

How about an Acoustic Image SL head for home? Not super expensive.
Personally, I'm spending most of my home practice time on a Rivera Venus 3.
I'd also suggest the DV Mark Little Jazz, but the fan may or may not be a problem . . .

[rob taft]

I know this has been mentioned in another thread but I would recommend the Boss Katana 50. I have the head because I wanted the 5" built in speaker, effects send/return and I have two cabinets available. I don't like tweaking at all and I don't like breakup. The Katana's basic setup i.e. forget the software is fine and very adjustable. No modeling no deep diving etc. Just keep it on the clean channel. MY tone is Martin Taylor, George Benson e.g. his Tenderly solo. I'm pretty pleased with the amp.

I did install the BTS software so I could turn off the noise gate and add the parametric eq as one of the effects and adjust accordingly but if I didn't do that I would still be pretty satisfied. As a practice amp it is a good deal.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

Out of curiousity, what do you think the tube amp is costing you in electricity?

EDIT: and it's time to get out paper and pencil! Estimate how long it would take a SS amp to repay its cost and start saving you money.

[Bluedawg]

I was going to add a Fender Mustang II or III .. or a Katana ....

But they are all about bells and whistles and computer apps to mess with those bells and whistles ... LOL

The Katana seems to have an easy interface to work with if you don't want to connect it up to your PC

[wzpgsr]

I really liked my Yamaha G50. But it was old, tough to find parts for, and quite heavy. For a similar amount of money as a 40 year-old Yamaha, my recommendation would be for a Boss Katana 50 watt combo. I have the 100 watt version just in case I ever need the extra power, but the 50 watt should be fine. Some say it benefits from a speaker swap, but probably not necessary. You don't need to use all of the bells and whistles. In fact, it takes a little bit of effort to do so. You should be able to get a decent jazz tone—especially for home use—out of the box, using one of the default amps (Acoustic, Clean, or Crunch with guitar volume rolled back) and a bit of tone knob fiddling. In my experience the "sneaky amps" that are hidden inside sound better than the default amps, but the defaults are perfectly fine. I've got a couple of tube amps here as well, but since I brought the Katana home it has seen a lot more use than the other amps. In the past couple of years I've cycled through a Yamaha G50, a Yamaha G100, a Pearce G2R, and a Lab Series L5. Those amps are gone, but the Katana is staying.

[PB+J]

Out of curiousity, what do you think the tube amp is costing you in electricity?

EDIT: and it's time to get out paper and pencil! Estimate how long it would take a SS amp to repay its cost and start saving you money.

Yes yes yes I already copped to this above.

It's not a money thing. Its more an an engineering efficiency thing. Can I mention I also hate the parasitical LEDs on power strips, USB hubs, routers, etc?

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

Yes ye yes I already copped to this above.

It's not a money thing. Its more an an engineering efficiency thing. Can I mention I also hate the parasitical LEDs on power strips, USB hubs, routers, etc?

Heh:

[Wes Fan]

I'd also suggest the DV Mark Little Jazz, but the fan may or may not be a problem . . .

Not really a problem with the newer design:

[rio]

The Cube 30 and 30x are great and cheap. Add an Eminence Delta Demon for the speaker and it gets even better.


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[marcwhy]

What is "cheap" for you -- $50, $200, $1000?!?! Lots of good amps out there ..

[Cavalier]

I really liked my Yamaha G50. But it was old, tough to find parts for, and quite heavy.

I'll have to disagree, I have yet to see a series 1 break which is what I would suggest. Plus the series 1 are almost free. About the only thing that might need replacing is the speaker if it is really tired but they were made to handle the power. The 210 and 112 don't seem too heavy to me but in a home amp the weight shouldn't matter. I think they put a lower power rating speaker in the 30 which would be a smaller magnet.

[PB+J]

What is "cheap" for you -- $50, $200, $1000?!?! Lots of good amps out there ..

i was thinking 200 max. As I mentioned, I've got some decent higher powered amps.

Modeling doesn't appeal not because it sounds bad--I think it can sound great--but because I find it a distraction. I had a Roland Cube years ago and was always switching between voicings for a sound that wasn't there. I have a couple very good amp sim plugins in the DAW, including S-Gear, and I rarely use them because it's just a rabbit hole of tweakery.

[oldane]

I like my Mambo 8 Wedge a lot for that classic politonish sound - both for practice/noodling/playing at home and for taking along. It's so light that it's no problem carrying it around and it's so small that my wife doesn't complain about it being in the loving room. If needed it can easily be tucked away behing a couch. It's amazingly loud and yet it sounds good at very low levels without pedals in front so one can just plug in and play. But I acknowledge the price is a good deal about your limit, especially considering you live in US and thus also have to add shipping, customs and VAT when you import it from UK. OTOH, you also said that it is not a money thing.

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[medblues]

i was thinking 200 max. As I mentioned, I've got some decent higher powered amps.

Modeling doesn't appeal not because it sounds bad--I think it can sound great--but because I find it a distraction. I had a Roland Cube years ago and was always switching between voicings for a sound that wasn't there. I have a couple very good amp sim plugins in the DAW, including S-Gear, and I rarely use them because it's just a rabbit hole of tweakery.

Look at Vox Pathfinder 15R or the 10. $150 used. People in TDPRI rave about it all the time. Or ZT Lunchbox. Another option is getting a nice little cab and a pedal amp like EHX Magnum 44 (Quilter came up with their version too). That way you have a backup amp for gigs that you can keep in your bag or on your pedal board.

[Ray175]

for 50-60USD you should be able to pick up a 1980s Laney Linebacker 50 reverb. I bought one new in 1986 and still use it as a clean jazz amp at home.

Switchable and mixable twin channels, excellent reverb and very clean. It has overdrive capbilities that you won't need, and represents excellent value for money if you can find one. Treble, Mid and Bass controls let you find most sounds

Built like a tank and has never let me down

[marcwhy]

OK, for inexpensive bedroom use, a simple Roland mini Cube. [You have nice amps; sell the Henricksen since you don't like it and buy a Quilter.] I often practice acoustically with a semi-hollowbody due to household/family activities, and that's fine with me.

If you're willing to try bass combos, check out: MB10 Micro Bass Amp 10 Inch – Carvin Audio

[boatheelmusic]

I thought the Roland microcube was terrible, no "dimension" and serious flubbing out on bass notes on my L4CES.

Put me off cubes forever - cheap, not good IMHO.