Inexpensive power amps - Thoughts?

[Foolius Maximus]

I'm looking at the Peavey Classic 50/50 and a Randall non tube power amp- Wanted to know if any of you have used these or know of a better inexpensive power amp- thanx, neddi

[Svart]

Re: Inexpensive power amps - Thoughts?

the peavey 50/50 is a decent poweramp and a good bang for the buck. been using it for almost a year now, and my only problem is that I need more volume. my volume problem lies in my fx, I use heavy compression and that sucks away the volume. nice asset to the poweramp is that you can switch to 100W mono with two outputs...

hope it helps you some dude [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[jem777az]

Re: Inexpensive power amps - Thoughts?

Check out a Mesa 20/20. You can usually find these used for $300-400. Don't let the 20W fool you, I have one and its plenty loud, much louder than you would think.

[Lev]

Re: Inexpensive power amps - Thoughts?

I've tried a peavey 50/50 and a Mesa 20/20 with my Rocktron Chameleon.. there wasn't THAT much difference in tone, but the Mesa did sound somewhat better. And yeah, the 20watts is really loud.. actually 40 watts mono [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] But the Peavey 50/50 was good too, they usually go for pretty decent prices from what I've seen. There's always a few on Harmony Central.

[petedz]

Re: Inexpensive power amps - Thoughts?

As I alluded to on the "cheap rack" thread, I was mildly disappointed in the 20/20. It's plenty loud, but for some reason it sounds thinner than the Mosvalve cheapie it was supposed to replace. I don't have any complaint with Pete's old Mesa .22+ which I use as a light weight mobile solution for jamming. That thing also has EL84s and is superb. In fact, that .22+ is what made me think the 20/20 would rock. If anyone has an theory on this, I'd love to hear it...

[Soloist1]

Re: Inexpensive power amps - Thoughts?

For small venue or at home use I would take a Mesa 20/20 any day of the week. It's hard to believe such a great tone can come out of that 1 space unit. The peavey is also a good choice. If your looking to spend even lower than 300-400 dollars the Rocktron Velocity series power amps may warrant a look. Did you sell all that big rack gear Neddi? If you are looking for a sweet Soldano tone like what you had but in a compact affordable package a sp77 with a Mesa 20/20 is a great way to go. I gave up on the big rack when VHT 2150's and 2100's started getting way out of the range I wanted to spend. I down sized my rack and now run the 3+ with the 20/20. I also have a Rocktron Replifex for FX in there. And I just got a Rocktron ProQ which was worth every penny. You can really change your tone with that puppy and get a wide variety of different tones. I kept the 3+ but a sp77 would do the job also. If what your are doing is similar to what I've done I would reccomend looking into the 20/20 and a ProQ with the sp77. Good luck.

[Foolius Maximus]

Re: Inexpensive power amps - Thoughts?

I bought a JCM900 2x12 - I just might get a cheaper power amp so I can run stereo out of the 900 loop- The Mesa's gone and the Soldano will be gone next week- Haven't figured out what's next if anything- Neddi

[jem777az]

Re: Inexpensive power amps - Thoughts?

Originally posted by ElectricPhase:
As I alluded to on the "cheap rack" thread, I was mildly disappointed in the 20/20. It's plenty loud, but for some reason it sounds thinner than the Mosvalve cheapie it was supposed to replace. I don't have any complaint with Pete's old Mesa .22+ which I use as a light weight mobile solution for jamming. That thing also has EL84s and is superb. In fact, that .22+ is what made me think the 20/20 would rock. If anyone has an theory on this, I'd love to hear it...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">There is what's called a deep mod that can easily be done to a 20/20. Supposedly the Mesa power amps are inherently biased to have a boost above 200 hz . Maybe this is why your impression was that it was thin sounding. This mod smooths out the EQ curve and adds some bottom end. Basically you clip two resistors (capacitors maybe?). I have done it to my 20/20 and it makes a huge difference. There's a step by step on how to do it in the Harmony Central reviews for the Mesa 20/20.

[petedz]

Re: Inexpensive power amps - Thoughts?

Thanks. I'll research that.

[rodrigo_echeverri]

Re: Inexpensive power amps - Thoughts?

I had the same question and I was looking into the MosValve as suggested in my thread. CHEAP and it sounds great in my opinion!... I am going for that one myself!

[mortis999]

Re: Inexpensive power amps - Thoughts?

Carvin tube power amp excellent amp for the money.

[toejam]

Re: Inexpensive power amps - Thoughts?

I'd also recommend checking out a Carvin, SS or tube.

[eaeolian]

Re: Inexpensive power amps - Thoughts?

For inexpensive power, you can't argue with the MosValve - it's the most tube-sounding ss power I've heard. I used one from 91 to 2001, and I was very happy.

Mike

[rodrigo_echeverri]

Re: Inexpensive power amps - Thoughts?

guys,

What do you think about this???

ADA

[redmanjj]

Re: Inexpensive power amps - Thoughts?

I got my B200s for $120 US. The microtubes seem to go for $150-$175. I was a little pinched for cash, so I went with the B200.