Ibanez JEM Forum banner
9K views 50 replies 24 participants last post by  sugizo_esp 
#1 ·
Having gone through (bedroom amps we're talking here):

Marshall mini-stack
Vox Valvetronix
Line 6 Spider's (15w & 30w)

I'm still trying to find something I'm truly happy with at bedroom levels.

The Marshall has a really nice clean sound, not sparkling like I'd want, but still a nice clean sound. The gain for me is too fizzy. I can get nice sounds coupled up with effects, but I really want something I can just plug and play without having wires all over the show.

The Vox.. to me this amp was garbage, but that's just me personally. I think it'd suit other players but I couldn't get a nice tone which I put down to the speaker sounding like it was 'farting' the sound out of it. I tried a Jem, RG550, Gibson Les Paul and a couple of Jacksons through it and still couldn't find anything nice.

The Line 6's were great but not perfect. The tone seems far too 2-dimensional if that makes sense? The cleans just aren't sparkly/glassy enough for me but the gains with the right tweak-age are pretty good, especially if you boost it with a pedal of some sort.

Now then, all I want is a nice warm bedroom amp that I can get those glassy/sparkling cleans and nice thick lead tones. Without sounding like an arsehole, money is no object (so long as it's not going into silly money territory) just so long as I can get the tones I want and stick with it. I'd save money in the long run because I won't be losing money on amps that I have to sell on because I'm not happy with them.

Anyone got any recommendations for amps you've really been happy with?

Cheers ;)
 
See less See more
#14 ·
hey 249... ;)
I have to disagree with this statement strongly, ive personally owned 2 bandits, both 112's (80W I think) an early model with the greensih trim and a later transtube model...
both sh1t - I cant be any fairer than that.
If you dont like fizzy overdrive you will hate the bandit, its the most fake "tube simulator" out there - I also have a marshall Vs100R - beats the pants off the peavey but still no good.

I would be inclined to get a Laney VC15 or similar.

BTW, if anyone has a 2x12 Laney VC50 - I would be very interested !
 
#8 ·
I can't record anything right now because the amp's in Reading and I'm in Cardiff...

I'll see if I can dig out any old clips of the amp I have lying around. I believe I recorded a rather tasty version of the power rangers theme tune with it while my pod was being fixed last year :) That should demonstrate the lead and rhythm distortion sounds. Doubt I'll have any clean demos though.

I'll PM you if I can find clips.
 
#12 ·
I use a Line 6 Spider. The tone isn't 100% there but it's good enough for distorted lead, distorted rhythm and generic clean sounds.

The main advantage to non-tube amps is that you can just switch them on and off without warm up and cool down and no fuss at all.

I only get 20 minutes here and there rather than 3 hours to "rehearse" so it makes a lot of sense to me :)
 
#13 ·
This is my dilemma as well at the moment

I'm tempted by a Cornford Harlequin but £650 is a lot of money and there is no effects loop. Has anybody got anybody got any experience with the Harlequin? FX wise will be covered by my GT8

What about the Laney 15W tube amps or the new 5W Lionheart?

It's a really tricky subject !!
 
#16 ·
This is my dilemma as well at the moment

I'm tempted by a Cornford Harlequin but £650 is a lot of money and there is no effects loop. Has anybody got anybody got any experience with the Harlequin?
Just had a Cornford Carrera delivered today :) It's basically a Harlequin but with an effects loop and reverb. It was very expensive, but tbh it's worth the money. Absolutely lovely tone, I think I'm in love with Cornford amps! It's also switchable between 5 and 8 watts and that's plenty for home use.
The only downside, my 7vwh really didn't sound great through it, probably down to the evos at a guess.

I've also got an old Bandit. It borders on okay, but I wouldn't buy one again ;)
 
#20 ·
find an old Kustom KLA-20r (20watts+reverb)
if that's not better than everything you've tried i'll eat my hat!

because i was so happy with it, i bought a modern kustom solo16r which is also better than most prac amps i've used, it has more gain than the kla(not fuzzcrap like prac marshalls and fenders and cheapos), a CD input and different, more subtle reverb, they both have strong points/features so it's hard to pick a favourite when they're not together- one's at work, one at home..
 
#21 ·
Hmmm - lets see - Vox AC15, Fender, ummm, Blues DeVille or something like that, Boogie F30 - the latter is a great sounding amp at any volume - you can easily get a great tone at bedroom volume, AND play a gig with it - reverb, effects loop, twin channel plus contour boost - pretty cool. The AC15 is a gorgeous sounding amp, but you are not gonna play hard rock or metal with its own tones - we've got a session legend here called Mark Punch who gigs with an ancient Tele and a Vox AC15, and he pulls probably the best clean sound I have ever heard out of that amp.
 
#26 ·
Ok, played a Mesa practice amp today... nice, but it effing well should be for £1000. The problem there is that I was sat playing it and I was thinking "For the difference in price my Line 6 Spider can get similar sounds at this volume." We all know a Mesa would be better, but I can't honestly justify £930 for that little bit of extra niceness.

I played a Laney VC15 and it just didn't have any of the power that the VC50 had. The sound just wasn't full enough (probably because of the little speaker) so that was strike 2 and I also tried some other posh Laney that didn't get the job done.

The thing is, I've had amps I've loved the tone out of but never a bedroom amp that I've been 100% happy with, hence my problem.

The search continues :(
 
#27 ·
I understand your quest for a good one in a bedroom amp but I doubt you can get a nice tube combo that will play at extremely low volumes (especially a 2x12) and still retain its tone.

I am a tube-a-holic when it comes to the amps I prefer for live playing but I own 5 different amps I can use at home (I live in a townhouse with neighbors on both sides). Even my smaller 1x12 tube combos (Fender '65 Reverb Deluxe, Ampeg Jet II) are too loud to use at home.

The 5 different "bedroom amps" I own for teaching and home use are:

Marshall Micro Zakk Stack (15wtts, SS, 2x10)
Tech 21 Trademark 10 (10wtts, SS, 1x8 )
Boss Micro Cube (2.5wtts, SS, 1x6)
Peavey Minx (25wtts, SS, 1x10 - bass amp - great cleans and lows for guitar)
Fender G-Dec 30 (30wtts, SS, 1x10)

None of those amps are great tone monsters but they are usuable for home practice and teaching.

The Mesa F-30 and the newer Express 5:25 are great tube combos and the 5:25 can be set at 5wtts for easier break up without the massive volume most tube amps needs to get a natural tube break up. The Mesa stuff is pretty high priced outside of the US but well built tone machines that should last a looooong time.
 
#30 ·
The 5 different "bedroom amps" I own for teaching and home use are:

Marshall Micro Zakk Stack (15wtts, SS, 2x10)
Tech 21 Trademark 10 (10wtts, SS, 1x8 )
Boss Micro Cube (2.5wtts, SS, 1x6)
Peavey Minx (25wtts, SS, 1x10 - bass amp - great cleans and lows for guitar)
Fender G-Dec 30 (30wtts, SS, 1x10)
I used to have a Tech 21 Trademark - good but I couldn't get a nice fat tone out of it
 
#31 ·
I have a 1980 Fender 75 all tube amp that plays awsome at lower volumes. It has a high and low switch. At low I am only pushing 15 watts instead of high at 75. In all honesty, I only have had it switched to 75 once in a large room. The 15 can go from a nice low volume in my music room at home to blaring loud for regular size rooms or practice.
 
#46 ·
Thank you, a balanced opinion was all I was after. Yeah it can be loud, but it sounds exactly the same between 0 and 1 (which is very quiet) as it does between 5 and 6. One man's rubbish is another man's treasure, theyre not universally bad amps. It's not the one for him though, so there's no point in discussing it further.

Sorry if I came across a little strong too... I shouldn't use forums after nights out!
 
#47 ·
hey... no problem.... as you say.. its all down to the individual..
I dislike the bandit ... twice :lol:

nights out in Cardiff can be pretty cool...
I work there sometimes and stay at the "future inn" hotel... close to that there is a large complex with lots of bars and stuff ---- glug glug glug - love it....
helps that the taffs are all barking mad of course - good times ;)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top