low watt amp

johnboy8

as the title says,i am in the market for a low watt amp(5 or less)i have an ac30 at the moment which i used to use to jam with friends.i am playing a lot more at home at the moment and this is too loud(even with an a attenuator)i have been trawling the net and i have found the likes of cornell plexi 7,hayden essex blonde,bad cat mini cat,cornfords,thd,laney l5t.some offer power switching from 15 to 7 and 10 to 2 watts,but i feel the higher settings would never get used or would they.one other amp i looked at was the 1 watt emery micro baby from the states which takes nearly ever type of valve without rebiasing.i dont have any experience with these types of amps.anyone got any other options or experience with the above amps.i play every type of music from floyd to the velvet underground and from the rolling stones to radiohead,basically i dont want a one trick pony.as reguards budget,i have sold a lot of gear lately and i have a few bob which is burning a hole in my pocket,also the money from the vox.thanks in advance.

NoQuarter

there are 2 watt microcubes on thomann which i heard are decent!

http://www.thomann.de/ie/search_dir.html?xsid=85644211adc5424338e18cf042b5b5e0&sw=microcube

Blackhorse Slim

Go with the classic

http://www.thomann.de/ie/fender_champion_600.htm

But a 5w tube amp can still get pretty loud.

johnboy8

yes indeed.5 watts can be loud.in fact they are only half as 'loud' as a 50watt amp,so i was looking for one with a master volume.i was also looking at the 1 watt emery micro baby,which still is quite loud.its very hard to find something suitable to play at home which is very annoying.there is no end to the amount of 50 and 100watt amps out there.i can understand people want these amps to play at gigs but everyone plays at home as well,so why is it so hard to find a good low wattage amp.

Alanstrainor

I would recommend the champ 600 myself, great little amp for the cash and when cranked can be pretty loud for it's size. But it's also a great low volume practice amp too, and gives a nice warm tone. I've upgraded mine with a weber ceramic speaker and new valves which helps a lot, but the original amp was still quite good for the price.

johnboy8

i did play something similar in the gretsch electromatic,great sound,but a little boxey with the 6' speaker.i was hoping to get a head and add a 12" speaker to it,also a master would be nice as even they are very loud.thanks for the inputs so far.

Paolo_M

Alanstrainor wrote: »

I would recommend the champ 600 myself, great little amp for the cash and when cranked can be pretty loud for it's size. But it's also a great low volume practice amp too, and gives a nice warm tone. I've upgraded mine with a weber ceramic speaker and new valves which helps a lot, but the original amp was still quite good for the price.

+1^
This is a great sounding, especially with a little extra TLC as Alan has done.
Also check out the Harley Benton GA5 which is along similar lines has gives great tone and band for your buck.

Voodu Child

i was hoping to get a head and add a 12" speaker to it,also a master would be nice as even they are very loud.thanks for the inputs so far.

As mentioned, even a 5 watt valve amp is capable of getting very loud. You're talking about looking for a MV amp to keep the volume low, but if you're keeping the master volume low, then you're not getting the full benefits of a cranked tube power section. So its kind of a semi-waste of time/money.

Also, a 12" speaker pushes a lot of air, so in keeping with your aim to get something that's not overly loud, thats something you should also consider. Definitely look for a low-efficiency speaker, but also maybe consider a 10" or even 8" cab.

johnboy8

i hear what your saying about a 12" cab,its just i have not seen many 10"/8" cabinets around,i was also looking at making my own amp,i am handy enough with a soldering iron and i am an electrician.there is a 5watt master amp on ampmaker.co.uk that looks good.

Eoin Madsen

The ampmaker one should be great. If you're interested in DIY then it's a fine place to start. One of the nicest guys to do business with also.

johnboy8

the guy from ampmaker says they will be available soon.might pull the trigger on one.

Gaspode

What about this, or is it too small!
http://www.voxamps.com/amplug/

dazberry

deswalsh wrote: »

What about this, or is it too small!
http://www.voxamps.com/amplug/

I want one now - damn you walshie

MattKid

Black Heart Little Giant 5W/3W good amp and easily modded and cheap!

johnboy8

deswalsh wrote: »

What about this, or is it too small!
http://www.voxamps.com/amplug/

played one of these in that shop x music,great fun.

Seziertisch

johnboy8 wrote: »

played one of these in that shop x music,great fun.

Those are savage. I've had on with about a year and use it all the time (more than any other piece of gear I own).

BuddhaJoe

There's always the forthcoming Blackstar HT5H valve head.



300 for the head or 500 with 2 2x10 cabs for a mini full stack. Got a great review in the latest Guitar magazine.

edit: Mini stack picture:

johnboy8

BuddhaJoe wrote: »

There's always the forthcoming Blackstar HT5H valve head.



300 for the head or 500 with 2 2x10 cabs for a mini full stack. Got a great review in the latest Guitar magazine.

edit: Mini stack picture:

now thats what i'm talking about,i have played on a blackstar and liked it,when is this coming out.

BuddhaJoe

johnboy8 wrote: »

now thats what i'm talking about,i have played on a blackstar and liked it,when is this coming out.

They are coming out sometime this month and you can currently pre-order the stack for 441 euro

johnboy8

that looks great,thanks for the heads up.