Smaller. Lighter. Different. Better. Nuprin.

Help!I'maRock!

Help!I'maRock!

Mediocringly Derivative
Inverse of the Super Reverb thread.

I think I'm in the market for a small amp. Like 20 to 30 pounds. Under $500. Takes pedals well, and gives a "reasonable" facsimile of the clean sound on my Allen (blackface with a bit more open sound, due to the "raw control").

I'll probably end up with a Blues Junior. They're plentiful, can be had for $300 on Craigslist, and sometimes come with better tubes and speakers. The Egnater Tweaker 15, though a bit more Marshally, is another candidate.

More expensive options are the DV Mark Gen 15, and the Traynor YGL-1. The Laney Cub/Monoprice 15 watt combo is also an option, but I'm not sold on it.
 
After so long with the Allen the Blue Jr - even the tweed version which sounds better - is going to sound like ass. unless you go separate head and cabinet that might be the best option.
 
Kerouac said:
Get a Fractal or Kemper and just go direct. That would be super easy to carry.
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I would prefer to hold out for an M9 sized Helix from Line 6, and then something like a Tech 21 Power Engine.

And there's no way I'm buying a head/cab configuration.
 
I've been through a few blues jrs. They are decent amps and certainly small and portable. I just saw one recently for $250 on CL and almost grabbed it. They do have a decent clean, but that clean runs out pretty quickly. I also find the bottom end is a bit clubby. My issue with them isn't the sound though, it's that they run out of gas pretty quickly with a band. If they had just a little more oomph, I'd probably still have one.
 
wagdog said:
I've been through a few blues jrs. They are decent amps and certainly small and portable. I just saw one recently for $250 on CL and almost grabbed it. They do have a decent clean, but that clean runs out pretty quickly. I also find the bottom end is a bit clubby. My issue with them isn't the sound though, it's that they run out of gas pretty quickly with a band. If they had just a little more oomph, I'd probably still have one.
Click to expand...

Have you replaced the speaker, and if so, to what?
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
I would prefer to hold out for an M9 sized Helix from Line 6, and then something like a Tech 21 Power Engine.

And there's no way I'm buying a head/cab configuration.
Click to expand...

I picked up a barely used Power Engine for $250. I use it at LMA with an old Boss GT-3 to cover a lot of tones and it does a great job. I've used it for acoustic before too, by running the DI from my acoustic amp to it for wider sound coverage. It's just a great utility amp.
 
Kerouac said:
I picked up a barely used Power Engine for $250. I use it at LMA with an old Boss GT-3 to cover a lot of tones and it does a great job. I've used it for acoustic before too, by running the DI from my acoustic amp to it for wider sound coverage. It's just a great utility amp.
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It seems like an FRFR before there was such a thing. I'd like to just use my Peavey Bandit, but that thing is heavy as fuck too.
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
Have you replaced the speaker, and if so, to what?
Click to expand...
Don't laugh, but at one time I took a blues Jr. and mounted into a 4x12 cab (one of those drive cabs mf blew out for something like a $109 years back). I believe it had some sort of eminence speakers in it. Sounded pretty damn good. Anyway, I never really went the single speaker swapping route with one. I did a bunch of mods on one of them, including a stiffer power supply cap and a transformer from billm. A bit of an improvement in the bottom end, but it still just didn't have enough sack to play with a full band.

My MESA express 5:25 1x12 has been a mainstay for me. It's not too big or heavy, great clean channel, classic MESA drive drive (2 separate eqs, reverb, masters, everything). Not sure what it weighs, but it's easily manageable.
 
wagdog said:
Don't laugh, but at one time I took a blues Jr. and mounted into a 4x12 cab (one of those drive cabs mf blew out for something like a $109 years back). I believe it had some sort of eminence speakers in it. Sounded pretty damn good. Anyway, I never really went the single speaker swapping route with one. I did a bunch of mods on one of them, including a stiffer power supply cap and a transformer from billm. A bit of an improvement in the bottom end, but it still just didn't have enough sack to play with a full band.

My MESA express 5:25 1x12 has been a mainstay for me. It's not too big or heavy, great clean channel, classic MESA drive drive (2 separate eqs, reverb, masters, everything). Not sure what it weighs, but it's easily manageable.
Click to expand...

One of my friends plays a SF Vibro Champ into a 212 cab. It's amazing what a Fender amp can do with non-traditional speakers.

As for the Mesa, the 5:25 is the evolution of my old Subway Rocket. Which is still 40 pounds. And while the Express is clearly a better amp than the Rocket, it doesn't actually fit my goals.
 
I have a Tweaker 15, and I don't think it is very Marshally. It can come close to Marshall, Vox or Fender but it doesn't really get all the way to any of them. I'll have mine at Barnstorm if you make it. You can get plenty of time with it, she's a slut.
 
Tonight I started with the "in-house" option and actually played through my Mesa Subway Rocket. The Mesa is a 20 watt, 40 pound 1x10 combo. It's stupid loud and very middy as you would expect from a Mesa. It loves my Ibanez guitars, is ok with my PRS, and hates everything else. Hates all dirt pedals except for clean boosts. Doesn't like any effect you would want to put before dirt.

Since all of the effects would go in the parallel loop, I reconfigured my board. It's now PolyTune -> Prisoner -> HOF -> Valcoder -> Z-Vex Channel 2. I'll use my MI Audio Tube Zone for rehearsals to cop the amp's distortion tone. I also switched from the PTjr to the Roadrunner pedalbag. Not sure that'll make any kind of real weight difference, but every bit helps.

So we'll see how this works out. It's been about 10 years since I played the Mesa with any regularity.
 
I don't put dirt pedals in front of my Express 5:25, but I do play with a tonelab often and it seems to hand it well. Of the few times I've put a dirt pedal (tube screamer) in front of it, it sounded great as well.
 
I've owned a Tweaker and a Blues Jr., and I wasn't really crazy about either of them. Other opinions certainly differ.

If I were looking for these specs, I'd most likely buy a Traynor YCV20 and call it a day.
 
I haz and AC15. It is good. It is under $500. It is little. It is red. It is different.

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(forgive the hasty - work laptop editing)
 
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