planning to go down to lower-wattage combos..

[tonluvara]

hi guys!

here's my case. i have a carvin sx-200d which is too loud for my current use. so im planning to go down to a lesser power amp and thinking of trading my current amp for 2 30-50w amps.

which amps you guys think will be good for the trade? the stores in my city mainly have marshall, roland and kustom amps. i wanna hear your guys' opinions and suggestions. thanks

[CrossingStar]

Marshall Artist 4203. JCM800 era hybrid 1x12 combo. Solid state preamp, EL34 power section.. 30 watts. Effects loop. 4/8 ohm selection. Line out. Normal/Boost, 2 channels. Reverb. I have the head version (3203) that I use with a 1x12 Marshall 1931(B) cab, so it's pretty much the same thing. Great rock crunch, easily loud enough for anything.

[Praetorian]

hey, this is a very interesting point. I completely see where you're coming from, in fact I've been thinking the same thing. All these local nu metal and punk bands have halfstacks, mostly Mesa and Peavey stuff, but I was thinking to myself the other day, why, oh why, do you need that much power? I mean really, if you're playing a club gig, why would you need anything more than a 2X12? Even that may be too loud. If you're playing an enormous venue in a football stadium or something, you're not going to be using your amp to reach to the other side of the stadium, all large gigs have really great PA systems. I mean, you could be using a 15 watt, 1X8 amp and still sound huge to the crowd while another guy may be using a half stack at the same gig and it just sounds like mud. So I see exactly where you're coming from here. What kind of style are you going for here? I mean, if I was going for a 50 watter I'd go for a Fender or Peavey Classic 50 and use OD pedals to boost it, but then again an old school Marshall JCM 800 combo would be perfect also. I'd stay away from amps that have a solid state preamp though because it means you can't overdrive it with high output pickups and hard attack as well as a tube preamp. Why not check out a Marshall TSL or DSL combo? But depending on your syle I'd even say that a Roland Jazz Chorus wouldn't be bad.

[screamndemon69]

i got tired of lugging my 5150 and a Mesa 2x12 around (unless it is a big gig with a big stage), so i use an Ampeg JetII. this thing has tone for days!! at 15 wtts w/ a 1x12, it handles almost ALL the gigs i play around here. i use a DS-1 and a Tube Screamer for my gain needs as it only has one channel. i get compliments on my tone all the time. i even did a side-by-side w/ some high end Fender amps (Twin, Deluxe Reverb) and it smoked them on the tone. i only have it turned up to 2 - 2.5 and it screams!
if you look around the web, you might be able to find one or at least a clip of the sound.

[Drew]

Originally Posted by CrossingStar

Marshall Artist 4203. JCM800 era hybrid 1x12 combo. Solid state preamp, EL34 power section.. 30 watts. Effects loop. 4/8 ohm selection. Line out. Normal/Boost, 2 channels. Reverb. I have the head version (3203) that I use with a 1x12 Marshall 1931(B) cab, so it's pretty much the same thing. Great rock crunch, easily loud enough for anything.

You know, I STILL don't know why Marshall didn't run with that idea instead of introducing the Valvestate and later AVT amps. Sure, tubes in the preamp are nice (I'm a tube snob), but a solid state pre gives you more tonal control and lends itself a little more easily for high-gain applications (not that tubes don't, but you're talking some fairly serious cascading gain stages), and at the end of the day a solid state pre isw MUCH less of a handicap than a solid state poweramp with a single tube in the pre (necessitating a decent amount of solid state assist anyway).

sorry, off-topic rant.

Oh, and i too see no need for any more power than my Nomad 45 2x12 is capable of giving out- SERIOUSLY loud amp. 100 or 150 is just overkill (unless you need peircingly loud pristine clean sounds, and I prefer the "at the edge of breakup" sound anyway). And lower-wattage amps seem to sound a little "rounder" and "spongier" to me- definitely a good thing, IMO.

-D

[musicdr]

I recently sold off my mega rig and have been playing through a mesa subway rocket with a 1-12 extension cab.I really like it.The thing I like the most besides the light weight is I get the power amp distortion when I crank it up.I was missing that with my big rig.For a 20 watt amp, it certainly keeps up with the drummer.

[jallen]

I know Crate is like a bad word to some people, but I have a Vintage Club 6210 and it just rocks. 2 10" speakers, all tube power/pre, dual channels with lots of tone shaping possibilities, footswitchable effect loop, etc. And they are not overpriced either (if you can find a nice used one). Check out some of the reviews on them- they are always positive, and I love mine. Good luck with your search!

[phlame]

I have a Legacy 2x12 and it is way too loud for everyday use at home. So to correct the problem I bought a Marshall TSL 601 (60 watt-1X12) and absolutely love it for good tone at low volume. This baby is also loud enough to play a decent size gig. In facy I love it so much I am planning on selling my legacy and buying a TSL122. (see jemsite listings for Legacy)

[microdmitry]

Hehehe. Wait until you try Egnater TOL100. It will give you better Fender tones than a Fender, and better Marshall tones than a Marshall. And you can dial down the volume pretty low, too.