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  • #1

    small practice/jam head

    hey. i was wondering about some opinions on these heads: soldano atomic 16, the engl screamer 50 and the engl thunder 50. i need a small, low powered, lightweight head to take to blues jams and other jams. which is more versatile (decent cleans, EQ range, etc.)? i don't want or need screaming gain (but if it's there, okay). i want one of these 2 because i don't have either of their products at the moment and they are small little heads (or so they seem). anything you can tell me would be great.

    here's specifically what i want to know:

    * does the atomic 16 have that fizzy high end of the SLO?
    * how are the engls voiced? and how big are they?

    i've heard sound clips of the engls, and they seem the way i want to go, but 50 watts is still pushing the volume range beyond where i want it, and i want a SMALL lightweight head to go with a 1x12 cab.
    GEAR:

    some guitars...WITH STRINGS!!!! most of them have those sticks like on guitar hero....AWESOME!!!!

    some amps...they have some glowing bottle like things in them...i think my amps do that modelling thing....COOL, huh?!?!?!

    and finally....

    i have those little plastic "chips" used to hit the strings...WHOA!!!!
    Tags: None
  • #2
    Re: small practice/jam head

    Forget the Atomic 16. It lacks the headroom for loud clean. It doesn't have the fizzy high end of the SLO (which I love BTW). It is a fantastic amp but I wouldn't choose it for blues. For blues, you should be looking for a Polytone. They are SS and are practically the industry standard for a small super powerful blues amp. I don't think they make a head only model though.
    I bet a Sovtek Mig 50 or 60 would be a good choice. They are small too. Take a look at Mesa Boogie. They make several really nice blues amps. So does Fender. It is hard to find a blues amp head so you might have to settle for a 1 x 12 combo with a speaker out jack. My Studio 22 and my Nomad 45 are both fantastic for blues.

    Comment

    • #3
      Re: small practice/jam head

      well i have a lonestar and it is great. i also have several rivera's and they are great also. too big, too heavy, too powerful. i have a 63 fender tremolux that i've been using but it is even too powerful at 40 watts. i guess i'll try to look into something else...

      these dudes are old and they hate excessive volume. the bass player uses a 59 bassman reissue (45 watts for bass!!), and the drummer plays with brushes or cool rods. i almost though about a fender blues jr., but it sucks. oh well, maybe i'll buy a 52 tweed deluxe, or an early 60's princeton...damn i really want to know about those engls, though...trick the wife by justify a need to have one.
      GEAR:

      some guitars...WITH STRINGS!!!! most of them have those sticks like on guitar hero....AWESOME!!!!

      some amps...they have some glowing bottle like things in them...i think my amps do that modelling thing....COOL, huh?!?!?!

      and finally....

      i have those little plastic "chips" used to hit the strings...WHOA!!!!

      Comment

      • #4
        Re: small practice/jam head

        If these guys are old school and they are blues players they will worship you if you show up with a Polytone. What about the Carvin Vintage 16. It is a 1 x 12 16 watt combo that can be run at only 8 watts I believe. It gets fantastic reviews. They also have the Belair that also gets fantastic reviews. I had a Crate VC508 and Vintage 30 that both did the blues REALLY well. No speaker outs though.

        Comment

        • #5
          Re: small practice/jam head

          yeah forgot about the little carvin. don't care about speaker outs, this is a niche amp that will se VERY little use....that little carvin maybe the way.
          GEAR:

          some guitars...WITH STRINGS!!!! most of them have those sticks like on guitar hero....AWESOME!!!!

          some amps...they have some glowing bottle like things in them...i think my amps do that modelling thing....COOL, huh?!?!?!

          and finally....

          i have those little plastic "chips" used to hit the strings...WHOA!!!!

          Comment

          • #6
            Re: small practice/jam head

            A Traynor Guitar Mate is a great little blues amp. 18 watts and usually found in a 1x12" combo format or the rarer 4x8" version.
            Ron is the MAN!!!!

            Comment

            • #7
              Re: small practice/jam head

              those Polytones are horrible blues amps. it's the jazz guys that play Polytones.

              i'd recommend the Fender Pro Junior for a small smokin' blues amp. they're under $300 - they do sound better if you upgraded the speaker to something like a Celestion Vintage 10 or a nice Weber.
              I want REAL change. I want dead bodies littering the capitol.

              - Newc

              Comment

              • #8
                Re: small practice/jam head

                [ QUOTE ]
                those Polytones are horrible blues amps. it's the jazz guys that play Polytones.

                i'd recommend the Fender Pro Junior for a small smokin' blues amp. they're under $300 - they do sound better if you upgraded the speaker to something like a Celestion Vintage 10 or a nice Weber.

                [/ QUOTE ]

                Oops... I stand corrected. Thanks Tim.

                Comment

                • #9
                  Re: small practice/jam head

                  how about a Mesa/Boogie Maverick 35 watts, come in heads and combos, although you don't see the heads very often [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]
                  shawnlutz.com

                  Comment

                  • #10
                    Re: small practice/jam head

                    mesa boogie subway blues is what you want!
                    Widow - "We have songs"

                    http://jameslugo.com/johnewooteniv.shtml

                    http://ultimateguitarsound.com

                    Comment

                    • #11
                      Re: small practice/jam head

                      The MIG would be a cheap way to go. It is also a head which is also what you seem to be looking for. Check ebay. The Atomic will not do it. I played a Lonestar boogie series a week ago and it does blues very well. Also great for other stuff too. Nice cleans for a boogie. Does not do the rectifier sound so well but does have a nice gain.

                      Comment

                      • #12
                        Re: small practice/jam head

                        Mesa amps really don't do it for me. i had a mark IV short head and dumped it because it wasn't all the hype made it out to be. The subway amps are cool, my buddy (the other guitarist in the blues thing) uses one. The maverick is way cool, but to get the goods it is too loud. Same thing with my Lonestar...nails the sound I want, but too loud. My riveras will get the sound, but too loud.

                        I want something that will give me the power tube break up that will distort without being distorted...and compress when pushed. honestly at this point I think i really need to find a tweed or blackface princeton, or even an old champ...something 18 watts or less that doesn't have the decible output of the mesa amps. the engl's are definately out at this point...got some better specs on them and I might as well use what i've got.

                        i don't want to lose this gig because it pays very well. these guys get pissed when i crank up a 40 watt vintage tremolux!! the "shows" we play are like weddings and office parties, etc. volume is not encouraged (unlike when i was playing with my hard rock band). thansk for the help and suggestions, but i'm gonna hit the vintage shop here in town and buy a princeton or a champ.
                        GEAR:

                        some guitars...WITH STRINGS!!!! most of them have those sticks like on guitar hero....AWESOME!!!!

                        some amps...they have some glowing bottle like things in them...i think my amps do that modelling thing....COOL, huh?!?!?!

                        and finally....

                        i have those little plastic "chips" used to hit the strings...WHOA!!!!

                        Comment

                        • #13
                          Re: small practice/jam head

                          sounds like exacty what you need - 20 watts or less if tubes.
                          Widow - "We have songs"

                          http://jameslugo.com/johnewooteniv.shtml

                          http://ultimateguitarsound.com

                          Comment

                          • #14
                            Re: small practice/jam head

                            I played at Peavey Delta Blues amp at blues jam. Sweet tone. It was the one with a 15" speaker.
                            "Yes,..that's when they used to shove a red hot spike in your peehole until you screamed "yes, yes, godammit ..you fuggin' dicks..I'm a witch..I am witch..you cocksuckers"" horns666

                            Comment

                            • #15
                              Re: small practice/jam head

                              We used to have this Crate vintage club series 30 watt at the store where I teach. All of us would play through it when we were on break. When I first heard it, I had to keep checking to see if it still said "Crate" on it. It sounded good. The funny thing was when it was finally sold, the guy came back complaining of a crackle. It needed tubes. I guess we played through it too much. Plus it was at the store for way long. It was a good amp for blues. Just add a tube screamer (of course we did that too) and you can rip through Master Of Puppets.

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