So I'm thinking about picking up a second smaller valve amp. Been talking to Vyse amps about having a custom one built (would be around £650 which is pretty decent for a handwired amp I think?). However I was just wondering if anyone else had some recommendations of what to check out. I'm looking ideally for something 6v6ish and decent headroom (with a bit of grit when cranked) so probably be looking at between 15-20ish watts.
Any other amps I should check out? I was looking at Matamp as I always liked the look of them but not sure how they sound. Also I thought weinbrock amps look quite cool but are pretty expensive.
Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:57 pm
by Thom
I really like my Fender Princeton Reverb. 6V6 and 15 watts. Sounds lush if you like that Fender sound.
Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 5:32 pm
by benecol
Yup, wha Thom said. Look at an older Vibrochamp if you must have handwired, but you'll lose headroom the smaller wattage you go (Princeton doesn't have that much headroom, but my goodness it sounds great).
Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 5:46 pm
by Noirie.
Theres a Vibrochamp for sale at my local place for £500.
Had a play through it the other day and it was lovely.
Was also going to recommend a Princeton as well but not sure about the hand wired bit though.
Matamp might not be the type of sound you usually seem to play unless your going in a different direction.
Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 6:21 pm
by Gabriel
Yeah I was looking at princeton amps, if I can find one cheaper than the Vyse amp I might go for one. Its pretty much the same circuit except the Vyse is a little more powerful so will probably end up going that route. Plus I can be a sad git and get it built to match my Rivera's colour scheme.
Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 6:21 pm
by Gabriel
Yeah I was looking at princeton amps, if I can find one cheaper than the Vyse amp I might go for one. Its pretty much the same circuit except the Vyse is a little more powerful so will probably end up going that route. Plus I can be a sad git and get it built to match my Rivera's colour scheme.
Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 6:44 pm
by johnnyseven
Ampeg GVT15, they did a combo and head - but they don't make them anymore.
Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 7:28 pm
by Josh
i'm not sure how easy they are to come by over in the UK, but definitely look into silvertone 1482s. small wattage, nice tremolo, cleans and good grit. i really like the cleans and OD on the silvertones. sounds really nice.
Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2014 9:41 pm
by othomas2
johnnyseven wrote:Ampeg GVT15, they did a combo and head - but they don't make them anymore.
This !! I have the 5 Watter head which I bought for £85 used / & mint.
£85 !!!!!! Awesome amp. Minimal knobs but very versatile. Baxendale EQ
So pleased I'll probably get the 15 if I ever see one on my travels.
Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2014 3:17 am
by robroe
i think this is thru the Fender Excelsior dimed, micd into the PA.
it might just be into the Cougar1000 though. i cant fucking remember. I don't see a line coming out of the Cougar though.
[youtube][/youtube]
here is the Excelsior with made by mike THRAWN a year later. prep for Albq 2014
Matamp do make a really great little 6V6-powered head, but the headroom might not be quite at gigging volume because it's a single valve in the power stage. I don't think they do another version that sits between that and the EL34 'full size' heads right now, but it might be worth keeping an eye out for a First Lady on the second-hand market (or ring them up to ask about whether they have anything new in the works). I'm not pimping the brand simply because I own one - in all honesty, the Mini I'm using is a studio amp, not a gigging one - but because they seem to be associated with stoner/metal bands but are waaay more versatile than that. They do have their own sound, but if you live on this side of the Atlantic and want to take the hand-built route, I had to mention them.
The most obvious answer though would be a Deluxe Reverb or Princeton reissue if you want the 6V6 'Fender-y' sound. I loved the sound of a Princeton I tried in a shop one time, but went for the DRRI because it had a 12" speaker and seemed more suitable for *that* clean tone at gigging level. Right now though, my Matamp is my 'studio' amp and I can fall back on my F50 for live stuff. As good as it is at what it does, my DRRI is sort of sitting unused atm.
The 6L6 Tweed deluxe on the first link looks really really cool. Would love to hear what that would sound like! Thanks for posting those links.
Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2014 11:11 am
by Bacchus
There was also the Matamp King Street which I think they offered in combo form and was about 15 watts, but I'm not sure. They aren't easy to find info on.
When I was chatting to Geoff before getting my Matamp he said that they stopped offering combos because they were more difficult to assure quality on compared to heads and cabs. Dunno what that says about the King Street combo.
Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2014 11:19 am
by Concretebadger
BacchusPaul wrote:There was also the Matamp King Street which I think they offered in combo form and was about 15 watts, but I'm not sure. They aren't easy to find info on.
When I was chatting to Geoff before getting my Matamp he said that they stopped offering combos because they were more difficult to assure quality on compared to heads and cabs. Dunno what that says about the King Street combo.
Hmm...interesting. When I visited I got the impression that they prefer to sell heads and cabs because combos are harder to carry (I'm guessing the size of transformers they use makes this issue worse!) so it's easier in theory to make two trips to the van to pick up the head and cab than trying to lug a combo in one go.
When you're down to the wattage of amp that Gabe mention in the OP though (with transformers to match), I wouldn't have thought a combo would be too bad. e.g.: my DRRI is okay, but the F50 is a bit of a struggle. And infamously, the likes of Twin Reverbs come with castors!
