WTF is with F&%#$ng small toob amps...grrrrrrr... (a rant)

CBHScott

CBHScott

How did I get here?
Why is it that I cannot find a smallish tube amp I can bond with?

Latest is a new Fender Pro Jr. III. At volume (above fricking 2) it sounds good and ballsy, but unfortunately has a running really audible hum at all levels - which, as I did further research (which I guess I shoulda done more of prior :facepalm: ), this has been a long-running issue that apparently Fender hasn't bother to rectify in their assembly process (twisting and rerouting wires), not to mention swapping tubes until it magically goes away, adding caps/resistors, etc, and frankly, as much as I may be capable, I don't care to spend gobs of time and/or money doing it. Back to CME it goes.

I also recently picked up a VHT Special 6 combo which for the price isn't bad - at lower volumes it has a surprisingly nice, full clean tone; my issue is that once it starts to get a little dirt, it gets more shrill and ratty, and the distortion in boost mode sounds like ass. I'm sure new tubes and a speaker would help, but by how much?

As much as I love tube tone, I have been really frustrated with the smaller amps overall: the last three Voxes I have had have been dark (NTG2), defective (AC4CL-12), and again, loudly humming (AC15). The smaller, current H&K Tubemeisters have a very tinny/artificial-sounding clean. The Egnater Tweaker sounds great but may be a bit too loud for my purposes. I guess I should hung onto the ADA Rocket and/or the Marshall DSL5C, and may reacquire one...I suppose that in trying all of these amps, I now know what I like and what to look for, but...

I may try one other last toob-ish resort before going back to modelling/SS: another SCX2 combo - which I got when they first came out, and the thing was such a QC nightmare out of the box that I immediately returned it and have not reconsidered one until recently.

Anyone else got other ideas on a lower-watt tube amp that sounds decent out of the box, and doesn't hum like a 50-year-old TV?
 
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I do gotta mention, though, that those Ampeg GVTs on closeout at SA aren't bad, either - the 5-watt combo is rather impressive.
 
I had the VHT special head and it wasn't bad. I ran it into my Epiphone Valve Jr, 1x12 cab (the same one my Allen went through at Pragestock) and I replaced the stock tubes. You could look for a silver faced champ or music master, but you would most likely need a cap job on it with them being so old.
 
What's your end goal with this? Gigging? Home practice? Recording?

I've got the older Vox AC4TV8 that does the job nicely for me.
 
"I also recently picked up a VHT Special 6 combo which for the price isn't bad - at lower volumes it has a surprisingly nice, full clean tone; my issue is that once it starts to get a little dirt, it gets more shrill and ratty, and the distortion in boost mode sounds like ass. I'm sure new tubes and a speaker would help, but by how much?`"

It's pretty rare, or maybe expensive to get a good clean, and good distortion. What dirt pedals do you have? You might want to spend an ungody amount for a dirt pedal, still less than another amp, and be happy.
 
GilmourD said:
What's your end goal with this? Gigging? Home practice? Recording?

I've got the older Vox AC4TV8 that does the job nicely for me.
Click to expand...

Mostly home and practice, with maybe one, weekend-long quasi-gig a year :wink:

I had the Ac4TV 10" version a few years back. Frankly the CL versions have a bit more variety IMO, but I have not been impressed with the Vox QC as of late.
 
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