Valve head amp for 112 cab - home use only

LordOxygen

Having lived with my Marshall DSL5C combo for a perhaps 5 years I fancy a change.
Decided I'd like a 112 cab (or maybe a 212 if my other half will agree to it) and a valve head amp - I only play at home but have a detached house so can make some noise every now and again. 

Things I need are

• Facility to reduce output to 1 watt or less. (no upper power limit, lower limit is 1 watt in standard mode)
• Effects loop for pedals
• 2 channels - footswitchable 
• Jack of all trades (good clean channel, powerful high gain sound, think Metallica) 

FWIW I think Marshall are fools for not producing a DSL5 head amp, so far my shortlist contains the following

Blackstar HT5RH (doesn't have 1 watt option, and it is now discontinued)


What else should be of the shortlist that meets my criteria???
Budget is up to £500 for the amp new or used. 

Cheers 

ICBM

Used Yamaha THR100HD.

No 1W option - the lowest is 25W - but it doesn't matter since you can just turn down the volume control.

LordOxygen

Sorry, should have said proper valve amp - don't want modeling amp, not my thing. Have edited the tread title. 

ecc83

https://www.blackstaramps.com/uk/products/ht-5rh

Still on the website, will check some shops. You can make a power soak for a Five very easily with a "50w" L pad.

Dave.

ICBM

LordOxygen said:

Sorry, should have said proper valve amp - don't want modeling amp, not my thing. Have edited the tread title. 

You should try a THR100, you would be very surprised... I was. Totally different from the THR10.

LordOxygen

ecc83 said:

https://www.blackstaramps.com/uk/products/ht-5rh

Still on the website, will check some shops. You can make a power soak for a Five very easily with a "50w" L pad.

Dave.

Blackstar told me in an e-mail last week production has stopped, I expect there's a mk2 coming during 2019.
Most shops ( pmt andertons etc) dont have stock.
I can get a used one but was hoping this thread would point me towards 2 or 3 alternate valve amps i can try. 

ICBM

Also worth trying an Orange Brent Hinds Terror. Goes down to 1/0.5W with the 'Bedroom' switch.

Philtre

Peavey Classic 20 Mini Head. 20w / 5w / 1w, FX loop, USB out, 2 channels.

ecc83

Andertons don't have them is true but PMT, GAK and Thomann do.  You might consider an amp plus a power soak becuase 1W is still pretty loud through a decent speaker. That said, smashing almost any amp down to milliwattts is never going to sound great.

Dave.

John_A

Engl ironball covers everything very well indeed, 20,5,1w or silent for headphones use or recording via emulated out, very versatile, foot switch for reverb, channel boost and reverb

LordOxygen

John_A said:

Engl ironball covers everything very well indeed, 20,5,1w or silent for headphones use or recording via emulated out, very versatile, foot switch for reverb, channel boost and reverb

Thanks, ill have a read about that and the peavey mentioned.

steveledzep

Check out the Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 18, has all the facilities you seek.  I play mine into an Orange PPC112 and I bought it from Reidys a few months ago when they were doing it for £339, has 3 year warranty too when registered.  It's at £399 now, still a good deal.

https://www.reidys.com/pr/guitar-amplifiers/hughes-and-kettner-tubemeister-18-head-18w-13732/

LordOxygen

steveledzep said:

Check out the Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 18, has all the facilities you seek.  I play mine into an Orange PPC112 and I bought it from Reidys a few months ago when they were doing it for £339, has 3 year warranty too when registered.  It's at £399 now, still a good deal.

https://www.reidys.com/pr/guitar-amplifiers/hughes-and-kettner-tubemeister-18-head-18w-13732/

Cheers, that's another one to consider. 

McToot

Jet City Custom 22. Doesn't have a power reduction but doesn't need one. You can get clean to seriously saturated at low volumes. Clean at high volumes is more tricky but can be done and there are loads of mods available. Cheaper than lots of fx pedals...  If you're anywhere near West Sussex you can try mine through a 1x12 cab. You can also compare it to my Marshall origin 20H which has three power settings but doesn't do metal (without a pedal)...

LordOxygen

McToot said:

Jet City Custom 22. Doesn't have a power reduction but doesn't need one. You can get clean to seriously saturated at low volumes. Clean at high volumes is more tricky but can be done and there are loads of mods available. Cheaper than lots of fx pedals...  If you're anywhere near West Sussex you can try mine through a 1x12 cab. You can also compare it to my Marshall origin 20H which has three power settings but doesn't do metal (without a pedal)...

Thanks for the offer, if I was closer I'd take you up on that, I'm north Oxfordshire.

The jet city heaf has to be a contender as well.

andy1839

PRS MT15?
Sweet cleans and screaming gain at low volume. Great FX loop too.

LordOxygen

andy1839 said:i

PRS MT15?
Sweet cleans and screaming gain at low volume. Great FX loop too.

Looks ideal on paper, thanks.


Glad I started this thread, few amps here I wouldn't have considered / didn't know they exisited.

andy1839

LordOxygen said:

andy1839 said:i

PRS MT15?
Sweet cleans and screaming gain at low volume. Great FX loop too.

Looks ideal on paper, thanks.


Glad I started this thread, few amps here I wouldn't have considered / didn't know they exisited.

I've just got one, really is a Great little amp. It doesn't go as low as 1w, but can be switched to 7w, but it really does sound good at talking volumes. 
Shame the clean boost isn't footswitchable, and doesn't have a gain control on that channel. 
Only those two criticisms really.

LordOxygen

andy1839 said:

LordOxygen said:

andy1839 said:i

PRS MT15?
Sweet cleans and screaming gain at low volume. Great FX loop too.

Looks ideal on paper, thanks.


Glad I started this thread, few amps here I wouldn't have considered / didn't know they exisited.

I've just got one, really is a Great little amp. It doesn't go as low as 1w, but can be switched to 7w, but it really does sound good at talking volumes. 
Shame the clean boost isn't footswitchable, and doesn't have a gain control on that channel. 
Only those two criticisms really.

How would you describe the clean channel sound? Fender type clean or Marshall...or ??

andy1839

LordOxygen said:

andy1839 said:

LordOxygen said:

andy1839 said:i

PRS MT15?
Sweet cleans and screaming gain at low volume. Great FX loop too.

Looks ideal on paper, thanks.


Glad I started this thread, few amps here I wouldn't have considered / didn't know they exisited.

I've just got one, really is a Great little amp. It doesn't go as low as 1w, but can be switched to 7w, but it really does sound good at talking volumes. 
Shame the clean boost isn't footswitchable, and doesn't have a gain control on that channel. 
Only those two criticisms really.

How would you describe the clean channel sound? Fender type clean or Marshall...or ??

It's more fendery to me. 
It'll never be a Princeton or Twin, but it's a good pedal base and even with just some chorus and reverb it's a big sound.

pintspiller

LordOxygen said:

ecc83 said:

https://www.blackstaramps.com/uk/products/ht-5rh

Still on the website, will check some shops. You can make a power soak for a Five very easily with a "50w" L pad.

Dave.

Blackstar told me in an e-mail last week production has stopped, I expect there's a mk2 coming during 2019.
Most shops ( pmt andertons etc) dont have stock.
I can get a used one but was hoping this thread would point me towards 2 or 3 alternate valve amps i can try. 

I guess they've been replaced by the 10w amps.