Micro Valve Amps

[6string40]

To take the "best practice amp" thread a bit further, can anyone provide any feedback on the following 'micro' valve amps? I'm considering getting one in the next several months for use at home and in smaller clubs for a side project that I am working on. I don't need anything too over the top in terms of gain. I need a good clean and some good break up. If it can also do more gain, then that's an added bonus for me.

Epiphone Valve Jr
Blackheart Little Giant
Blackheart Handsome Devil
Blackstar HT5H
Orange Tiny Terror
Krank Rev Jr Std
Krank Rev Jr Pro
Egnator Rebel 20
Vox Night Train

[quiksilver]

Great thread. Clash of the Tiny Titans!

I was thinking of posting something very similar to this, as I am interested in comparisons between the Vox Night Train and the Blackstar HT-5.

[skintaster]

I have the Egnater Rebel, and like it a lot. Pretty freaking loud for a "low wattage" amp.

It has a good clean and breaks up nicely. Full gain is pretty sweet, and perfect for classic hard rock and old school metal tones. You'd need an overdrive or distortion pedal to get into really extreme metal territory though. It's a cool little tube amp, and IMO more versatile than the Tiny Terror (Which I also liked a lot).

[lefty]

[QUOTE=6string40;1238984]To take the "best practice amp" thread a bit further, can anyone provide any feedback on the following 'micro' valve amps? I'm considering getting one in the next several months for use at home and in smaller clubs for a side project that I am working on. I don't need anything too over the top in terms of gain. I need a good clean and some good break up. If it can also do more gain, then that's an added bonus for me.

Epiphone Valve Jr
Blackheart Little Giant
/QUOTE]

I have a Little Giant. [that's the 5-watt right?]
Mine's the combo. It sounds great and is loud as
hell. Maybe too loud for a mini amp, and the combo
weight about as much as my Mesa Studio .22!
Depending on the other folks you're playing with,
this amp would probably do a small club, and you'd
be able to crank it up for some power amp grind.
Very well built and pretty good components and
build quality for a bargain amp...

My bud's got a Valve Junior head and he loves it.
I haven't played it so can't comment...

Missing from the list is the Fender Chamion 600.
That's really my fave of the bunch, largely because
I've got a thing for 6V6s, and I've got a bunch of other
EL84 amps in various power configurations. The
onboard spkr in the Fender is pretty much a joke, but
they wisely equipped the amp with a spkr out jack.
You most likely would NOT be able to use this at even
a small gig, but if you plugged it into a good cab, you'd
be getting close...

I put a NOS RCA tube from the 70s in mine and the
amp sounds killer! I run it into an Ear Candy Boa
1 X 10 open back and I love it...

[6string40]

I guess I was thinking more along the lines of the micro heads and that's why I didn't think to include the Fender.

And just to be more specific...

I want to be able to get clean and overdriven tones to use in a Billy Joel/Elton John cover band playing smaller clubs and for use in bluesy/jazzy fusion type stuff--the band will consist of a small drum kit, digital piano, stand up bass and me on guitar--I don't envision we will be playing all that loud at the clubs we'll be playing.

I would also like it to have the ability to get dirty enough to practice 80's rock and metal at home so I can leave all my rack shit at my other band's rehearsal space.

That being said, the 80's rock and metal are the LEAST of my concerns b/c that's just for practice at home. I NEED to have solid clean and overdriven tones for playing out.

[Grandturk]

I tried out the Krank Rev Jr. Very cool sounding amp - good clean tone, good range of overdrive to distortion sounds. Lots of flexibility with the EQ. Pretty noisy.

[markD]

i played lead guitar in a smooth jazz gtoup for a while and needed a small head. hahaha, didn't have one. used a big head turned down, but i DO understand your need for clean headroom when on the clean channel and nice drive tones. check out the egnater or the vox night train.

[DonP]

It's hard getting a bad tone out of the Rebel.

The Epi Jr will need pedals if you want distortion.

Haven't tried the others.

[TxPsycho]

Is the Rebel mfg in China? If so, what it the level quality one can expect?

I am also in the market for a low power amp. The price on the Blackheart is attractive, but have not played one. I dont have access to a Tiny Terror to try out. If I can get my wife to watch the kids I was hopeing to hit CG this weekend and look at the Rebel and the Night Train.

[bombtek]

Crate V-5. Cheap as hell, as in inexpensive, and can be pretty loud as well.

[6string40]

The Rebel certainly intrigues me with the ability to blend the power section between the EL84s and 6V6s and roll the wattage between 1w and 20w. That's what I was leaning toward all along, I was just hoping to hear some good stuff about the Blackstar, for instance, as it wouldn't cut into my wallet quite as much as the Egnater!

[Partial @ Marshall]

Guytronix 1/2 watt....easy first build with first rate components...Smokes everything on your list...Mercury Magnetics transformers and can be voiced like your favorite amps by switching out a few caps and resistors. Very cool.

[6string40]

Guytronix 1/2 watt....easy first build with first rate components...Smokes everything on your list...Mercury Magnetics transformers and can be voiced like your favorite amps by switching out a few caps and resistors. Very cool.

Hmmmm...the 1/2 watt and the 8 watt both sound fantastic. And the fact that they have Mercury trannys is a key selling point. Definitely adding to my list of possibilities. Plus, it would be fun to build!

Do you own one?

[Partial @ Marshall]

Hmmmm...the 1/2 watt and the 8 watt both sound fantastic. And the fact that they have Mercury trannys is a key selling point. Definitely adding to my list of possibilities. Plus, it would be fun to build!

Do you own one?

Yes...the 1/2 watt, not too bad to build, about 10hrs for me being a newbie. Well laid out instructions and good support should you run into trouble.
The chasis fit perfectly into and old white Marshall mini stack I had...after I pulled out the lead 12. I use it for practice and blues class getting many comments on how killer it sounds. Takes pedals great for metal, and gets pretty close to metal territory run at wide open. Great pre amp tube test bed for hearing the differences.

[bombtek]

Yes...the 1/2 watt, not too bad to build, about 10hrs for me being a newbie. Well laid out instructions and good support should you run into trouble.
The chasis fit perfectly into and old white Marshall mini stack I had...after I pulled out the lead 12. I use it for practice and blues class getting many comments on how killer it sounds. Takes pedals great for metal, and gets pretty close to metal territory run at wide open. Great pre amp tube test bed for hearing the differences.

What was the final cost for the build?

I'm asking because I need a new hobby.