So I've started doing more musicals and those kind of shows. My big 55 watt valve amp doesn't really work too well in these situations, it's just too loud and a bit too big so I've started looking at smaller options. I'm looking at 5-15 watt amps as I think they should have plenty power for a small amp.
I'm looking for an amp that has a nice clean tone but if it has an overdrive channel and master volume that'd be awesome.
So far I've seen:
Bad Cat Mini Cat II
Cornell Romany
Cornford Harlequin (looks to be a bit too big though)
I also know of the Blackstar HT5 but I'm not interested in that as it is quite heavy and I'm not a Blackstar fan.
I'm looking mainly for light weight and good tone. Have you guys got any suggestions to look at?
I've seen Vox night Trains going for decent second hand prices but I haven't first hand experience alas. I have a Blackstar HT-5 and it's a decent general usage amp but I've not noticed the cleans being exceptionally amazing which I presume is why you wouldn't want one? I'm pretty much a dirt player 90% of the time so it fits my needs.
You could look at things like the Older fender amps: musicmaster bass (15watt I think) and the Champ (or clone thereof) which can be picked up for good money.
Gabriel wrote:Yeah clean is quite important. I hadn't thought of old fenders though, thanks I'll have a nosey on ebay.
I had the MM Bass which did nice cleans, in fact a few round here had one at some point. Truy before buy though and factor in the lack of gain channel so take along a preferred dirt pedal. I found mine got on with some dirt and not others (to my ears anyway). i think Mike had a 70's Champ so might be worth checking his opinion on that one.
Gabriel wrote:How light are the Musicmaster amps? They look like they could be perfect.
I don't know exact weight but pretty light. I think Timhulio still has one and would be able to give better info. From my perspective it was light enough that I wouldn't consider it a major pain to transport or carry up some stairs.
I owned Dave's old MM bass amp, which as great as it is, is perhaps not great for the small shows/ musical environment. About 6 months ago I was involved in a production of We Will Rock You and I used the MM for a little while, but it struggled to keep up in the band environment, particularly with volume. It's a bit picky about dirt pedals too. For the actual show I used a 50 watt JVM di'ed into the mixing desk, which was great but neither small or light.
Ah that's a shame about struggling for volume. I've emailed Mansons about the Bad Cat Mini Cat II as that looks like a brilliant option for low volume shows/gigs - I've done a few where the amp is literally just a monitor that can't bleed into anyone elses mics meaning that I have to keep my volume on about 1 on the Rivera.
DI out is really useful, but I might pick up a Sennheiser E606 at some point due to it's low profile which could do, but if the amp has a nice sounding direct out it could be a great option.
I had a look at Bugera and their 5 watter only has an 8 inch speaker, I'm looking for 12 inch really.
The Bad Cat with an Eminence Cannabis Rex speaker fitted looks like a very appealing prospect.
After a few mods, my AC15 is the best all around amp I've had. I put in an Eminence Private Jack, replaced the tubes (NOS GE 12AT7 in V1, TAD 7025 in V2, JJ EL84's), and snipped the bright cap.
It'll do Vox jangles, passable Fender cleans, and it'll take dirt pedals like the best of them.
Gabriel wrote:How light are the Musicmaster amps? They look like they could be perfect.
I don't know exact weight but pretty light. I think Timhulio still has one and would be able to give better info. From my perspective it was light enough that I wouldn't consider it a major pain to transport or carry up some stairs.
It's 12 Watts. Mine has a Celestion Century Vintage speaker, which has an ultra light neodymium magnet, so it weighs next to nothing. The speaker isn't very musical however, so you'd be better off with a traditional speaker. The amp has no master volume so you can't turn the drive up or anything. The stock tone control is not too good either (I've got the Harvard tone circuit in mine).
Thing is, I don't think you're a noisy or garagey sort of player, so I'm not sure this is the amp for you. For the money you can get modern amps that are more versatile and just as portable.
timhulio wrote:Thing is, I don't think you're a noisy or garagey sort of player, so I'm not sure this is the amp for you. For the money you can get modern amps that are more versatile and just as portable.
That's what I was a little worried about. Thanks for the honesty.
I think I'm going to try out the Bad Cat and the Cornell, I'll just have to wait and see what the shops say about pricing.
I A/B'd the Cornell Romany with a Fender Princeton Reverb in Mansons a couple of years ago, and whilst a nice amp, I bought the Princeton.
The Princeton is just a glorious little amp and I don't see my self selling it. One day I'll put a more efficient speaker in there, either swap out the baffle for a 12", or go for an Eminence Rajin Cajun, which seems to be a popular option for them. It's not too heavy either - 12.7kg.
timhulio wrote:It's 12 Watts. Mine has a Celestion Century Vintage speaker, which has an ultra light neodymium magnet, so it weighs next to nothing. The speaker isn't very musical however, so you'd be better off with a traditional speaker. The amp has no master volume so you can't turn the drive up or anything. The stock tone control is not too good either (I've got the Harvard tone circuit in mine).
I actually think the Century Vintage is a wonderful speaker... it works great in my Vox.
Speaking of Vox, you could do a lot worse than a VT+ series.
