Low/Small Watt Tube amp suggestions?

[GuerillaPete]

Hey Guys!

I'm looking to get a low-watt tube amp in the 5 to 8 watt range. Want to be able to drive the tubes real hot and get some killer tones. Any suggestions, recommendations or experiences? Please chime in.

thanks
Pete

[emperor_black]

for what sort of tone? Hi-gain metal or classic rock?

Here is a 5 watt Fender.

http://www.activemusician.com/item--EM.233-0100-000?ref=fg&ovchn=SCU&ovtac=CMP&ovcpn=&ovcrn=Fender+Champion+600+Vintage+5-watt+Recording+Tube+Amplifier

[atilla]

London Power looks like it's making cool stuff.

I'm using a THD Univalve with a 6V6 which puts out about 8 watts. You can go lower with an EL84, but it requires an adaptor. Good hard rock tone!

[toejam]

I'm using a THD Univalve with a 6V6 which puts out about 8 watts. You can go lower with an EL84, but it requires an adaptor. Good hard rock tone!

+1. I still love my Univalve. I usually play it with an EL84 (with the Yellow Jacket adapter) or a 6G6. Of the low output tubes, the EL84 actually puts out more wattage and power.

From high to low...

EL84
6V6
6K6
6G6

[Mordor]

The Orange Tiny Terror is great amp if you like classic rock tone. It has 15w but you can run it at 7w with a flick of a switch. Not really an high gain monster but with an overdrive in front you're set easily in 80s metal territory.
Oh, one more thing. It's LOUD. I bought it to use it at home but it's way too loud for an apartment. I use it at band practice with no problems.

[Axewielder]

The low wattage requirement smacks of a bedroom volume application (no shame there). I always recommend amp modeling for low volume (POD, VOX, G-DEC, etc). This is coming from a tube "fanboi" BTW.

[yabba]

The low wattage requirement smacks of a bedroom volume application (no shame there). I always recommend amp modeling for low volume (POD, VOX, G-DEC, etc). This is coming from a tube "fanboi" BTW.

ditto. even 5W is easily enough to piss off neighbors, etc if driven hard

[mjtripper]

I love all these small tube amps on the market lately for clean practice amps. The epiphone valve jr and fender champ are both less then $200 and sound great clean. The epi is a little darker then the champ but is closer to $100. For non-clean stuff I run the pod into the front of them and it's great practice setup. That orange tiny terror does sound really nice but there isn't enough clean headroom in it for me. I've almost purchased the univalve a couple times now and will probably end up with one sooner or later. I'm on the fence between that and a carvin vintage 16. For these small amps I really only care about clean tones and use my pod for everything else. I rarely ever turn them up past a small bedroom practice level.

[emperor_black]

The low wattage requirement smacks of a bedroom volume application (no shame there). I always recommend amp modeling for low volume (POD, VOX, G-DEC, etc). This is coming from a tube "fanboi" BTW.

Not necessarily. I have owned all-tube amps before and cranked them for short durations. I feel that my current setup gives me both tube tone, feel and warmth at bedroom levels.

GT-8 -> Carvin TS100 -> 1x12 Closed back with Celestion V30

On the other hand, its slightly expensive.

[LastInLine]

Latest issue of Guitar World (Dimebag on the cover) reviews the Blackheart "little giant" BH5H head & BH 112 1 X 12 cabinet. It's a 5 watt head (switchable to 3 watts) with a single 12AX7, a single EL84 and a 1 X 12 cabinet with an Eminence speaker. It looks pretty cool and got the Guitar World "platinum award". You can probably check out the review online at Guitarworld.com.

[mjtripper]

Not necessarily. I have owned all-tube amps before and cranked them for short durations. I feel that my current setup gives me both tube tone, feel and warmth at bedroom levels.

GT-8 -> Carvin TS100 -> 1x12 Closed back with Celestion V30

On the other hand, its slightly expensive.

That is a nice setup. I have a 2x12 cab and have considered just getting a tube power amp for my pod.

[livebiz]

Latest issue of Guitar World (Dimebag on the cover) ...

Again!? As far as amps, they're 15 watts but Ampeg Jets sound really good.

[emperor_black]

and got the Guitar World "platinum award".

Bah! I dont give a shit about those awards anymore. At first, I thought they gave those "awards" to good & worthy items. nowadays, every thing they review seems to be getting a gold or platinum award.

[hippietim]

The problem is that in the 5-10 watt club we're typically talking about EL84 or 6V6 based amps.

For any sort of hard rock tones the EL84's always sound wimpy to me - they're great classic rock and blues amps but for anything heavy they fall short IMO. They lack thickness.

I like the 6V6 based amps a lot more (sorry Toejam but the Univalve sounds way better with anything but an EL84). They sound thicker and get a studlier crunch.

I had a Tiny Terror. Tiny is a good word to desribe it all around. As the only guitarist in the room you'll be fine but it cannot hang when there is a second guitarist around - it gets it's Tiny ass kicked. Again I'm speaking from the heavy rock perspective. I gigged with mine in a classic rock band and it was fine.

I had the Soldano EL84 head - I took it out one time and that amp got eaten up by the other guitarist when we did anything heavy.

Those Epiphone Valve Junior heads were actually pretty cool in some ways - I ran a pair of them in stereo with a pedal in front of it. They're cheap enough to buy two and that really thickened up the sound. They were pretty ratty sounding on their own but a good pedal in front of them can help out. Definitely don't get the combo - run them into a couple 1x12 closed back cabs (I used a pair of Boogie Thiele 1x12 cabs).

[atilla]

+1. I still love my Univalve. I usually play it with an EL84 (with the Yellow Jacket adapter) or a 6G6. Of the low output tubes, the EL84 actually puts out more wattage and power.

From high to low...

EL84
6V6
6K6
6G6

You sure on the bolded section? 'Cause I know my Uni is way louder when I use the 6V6. I'm in Hippie Tim's boat when it comes to the EL84. Just don't like it at all.