tube amp

[spkenn5]

guys any ideas for a pretty good tube combo amps with a good price! , since i cant afford having a cabinet at the moment?

thanks

[elcid]

Im sure if you search the forums there are about 100 other threads of the exact same topic, try looking there.

[ibanezcollector]

I just bought a Peavey ValveKing 2x12 combo and its fantastic.. $619

[jaxadam]

I played a JSX the other day, and although it's not cheap, I was very impressed.

If I were an amp guy, I would own one of these for sure.

[rlintz]

I just scored a mint Mesa Boogie Lonestar Classic 2X12 for $1100 delivered. Not cheap and not the amp for shred or metal but the clean and driven tones are superb.

[Satchriossi]

Even though its quite expensive, i'd have to nudge you in the JSXs direction too. This amp's advantage is that on the ultra channel it still sounds big and powerful at bedroom practice volumes so you can do sweeps and legato without that annoying change in sound as your arm strength drops off. Whereas other amps need to be quite loud for you to get that 'power' you need for leads to sound right, there is no need on this amp. With the crunch channel, this is closer to the sound of the lead channel on a JCM2000 i played a few times when i was amp shopping - never really satisfyingly powerful enough for leads, but works for heavy rythm and with the gain backed off and the guitar volume rolled back, you can get that clean sound when picked softly but overdriven when picked hard kinda setting. Roll the guitar volume up abit and you get all those sparkly valve amp overdrive sounds that make you wonder why you ever bothered with transistor amps! There is no need for a dist pedal with this amp - i don't own one, the ultra channel has so much power - and if you scoop the EQ you can get this mind blowing, end of the world rythm sound that's very cool. There is no reverb built in so just buy a Boss RV5 because they KICK ASS.

If you can possibly afford it you should definately consider it as a possibility - i love mine.

[scotte_za]

I've been reading up on the Peavey ValveKing 2x12 for a few days now, and it seems by far the best tube combo in its price range. Search for "valveking" on youtube, there are review videos on there

[jb4674]

+1 on the JSX 212. What can I tell you about the amp that hasn't been said alerady? The amp is incredibly easy to use, quite versatile and you can get most any tone you're into with little tweaks here and there. I've had mine since thanksgiving as an early christmas present from my wife (she rocks!) and I've only had the need to use the ultra channel but a handful of times because the crunch is plenty for now. The clean channel is definitely clean and my guitars sound quite nice through it. I can even get a nice jazz tone out of it. If you're looking for a nice amp that can give you most of the tones you'd find in 3 seaparate amps, this is the one to get.

Jimmy

[spkenn5]

how about Mesa Dual Recti Roadster? JCM800? JCM2000?

[jim777]

Carvin makes a nice 100Watt 2x12

[Polaris20]

Valveking, then swap the speakers and the tubes. Still cheaper than most everything else, and it sounds great.

[supermau]

I've had a Valveking 212 since August. Although I was initially impressed I'm actually selling it today (hopefully). I'm just not happy with it's overall tone. Sounds kind of harsh and full of bass - even with the bass cranked down. There's a noticable delay when engaging the gain boost as well which really irks me. Apparently there's a mod to fix this that involves cutting a capacitor or something of that nature but I didn't want to get into all that.

Probably could be a really decent amp with some ugraded tubes and speakers but I'd rather just buy a better amp from the git-go instead of hoping the VK will improve. I bought this on impulse because it was cheap ($550 with footswitch), and it sounded good in the store but upon playing it at home and band practice I just wasn't impressed anymore.

Depending on your taste though, this could be a great amp for you. It's certainly gig-worthy and loud as hell. I never turned it up past 1.5 as that was plenty. Anyway, I thought you should get a review from a not so thrilled VK owner.

Do you really want to buy a $600 amp then spend another $100-200 modding it to your liking? I'd search the used market for something better first. Good luck in your search!

[Tom Gilroy]

Laney VC30 212.

[supermau]

Originally Posted by Tom Gilroy

Laney VC30 212.

I read up on that. Sounds more like the amp I should have bought in the first place. Thanks for the tip.

[ibanezcollector]

Supermau I personally love the valve king especially if you run something in front of it.. Its a monster.. I can gather all kind of tones..

What kind of music are you playing..

Here is a couple vids of it, recorded with a crappy digital camera but you get the idea.
http://www.ibanezpodxt.com/ValveKing