Looking for a new amp

Seanf999

Hi this is my first post so I'm not 100% up to date with how this works but anyway,
I play a MIM standard stratocaster and I'm using an old peavey backstage 110, my first problem with the amp is that its too loud I mean I only play it in my house and I have to turn it waaaay down, the second issue is that it doesn't really suit my taste in music..
I usually play John Mayer, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, rory gallagher and and a bit more mix and match

I'm looking in the ballpark of 300/400 euro (Im 17 I'll be doing well to get that!)
I don't need a big amp just one that can cover these sounds or at least somewhat...

I have my heart set on getting a tube amp but that really doesn't seem practical...

Any suggestions? Cheers!

wild turkey

Theres a lot of good relatively cheap low watt valve amps on the market today
for the sound your after either of these would fit the bill
I have the V22 for about 2 years and never had a bother with it
I have also had the Vht special 6 combo (not the ultra version ) but would would get the ultra for the bigger speaker & reverb
Both are excellent amps for the money and will hold their own against more expensive amps
There are plenty more Blackstar, fender etc but these would be my choices




http://www.thomann.de/ie/bugera_v22_infinium.htm

http://www.thomann.de/ie/bugera_v22_infinium.htm

slavetothegrind

great post there, would be the best bang for buck!

The jet city amps might be worth a look also! there was a chap selling one...

http://www.adverts.ie/guitar-amps/jet-city-picovalve/5562017

that paired with

http://www.adverts.ie/guitar-amps/harley-benton-g212-vintage-guitar-cab/3420093

would sound rather nice! don't mind the harley benton name the two V30 speakers alone are worth the money!

slavetothegrind

Jaysus, GASing like a divil now........:pac::pac::pac:

hidinginthebush

I know that feeling op. When I left my band I had to get rid of my 40 watt beast as playing it at 0.5 on the volume knob sounds terrible. I got a vox lil nightrain head and a cab. It sounds great, and even the 2 watt output I would have it at maybe 6 if I have the house to myself and want to open the throttles.

One thing I will say it that whatever you decide to get, don't forget you can get a vast array of sounds through pedals, so while you mightn't have the classic Hendrix tone at first, a overdrive pedal can get you there. For example, in my own case, I have different pedals if I want a classic jcm800 tone, another for nice full metal, another for overdriven classic rock. It's hard though, trying to silence the demons that make me want to continually spend hundreds I can't afford on amps I don't need.

Also, some as the small tube combos come with 8 or 10 inch speakers that tend to sound very boxy. If you can find a used epiphone valve junior and are happy soldering, they can be made SCREAM with a few simple mods.

Super Freak

How about a fender Superchamp X2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvcFDbtd7MA

Or if the budget won't stretch that far the previous model XD

kevin65

How about a Marshall Class 5? It's a bit of a one trick pony, but quite a good trick. Get a decent overdrive pedal with it and happy days.

An if you are looking for a good 'Marshall in a Box' pedal, get a Ramble Fx Marvell Drive. It's not just good, it's excellent!

Ravelleman

As the others have said, there are lots of options these days. In the last fove years or so there jas been a real boom in cheap, low-wattage tube amps.

You could do worse than scrolling through the listings on the likes of MusicStore or Thomann and then looking for reviews on YouTube. You'll find that it's quite a popular theme.

I found myself in a similar situation and eventually picked up a used Laney Lionheart five-watter. It's a superb little amp, though with its twelve-inch speaker it's quite large in terms of size.