Hi everyone, I don’t think I’ve posted in this subforum before but would be v. grateful for your wisdom
I’m looking for a valve amp, home use only as I don’t gig. It’d be used in a little garden office / home studio type thing. I’ve searched on here and seen good things said about the Vox AC4 and zvex nano (seems very hard to find one of those now!).
Just wondering what else might be out there. Budget isn’t unlimited of course but I’m not looking to scrimp either as it will be my only amp. Some of the Swart offerings sound good to my ears and my preference would definitely be to go with something more boutique-y than e.g. the Vox AC4.
Opinions and experiences really welcome, thank you.
Comments
Never tried one personally, but Coda Music have one to demo before ordering.
With so many comparison web sites out there, how do I choose the best one?
Greenback and JJ tubes,lovely sounding with these upgrades.
There are also some point to point wired 5w Tweed clones on the market made from China. Again the purists might sneer but they're made by the same company who ghost builds the Classic range for Peavey. I think they're sold under the Juketone brand in the UK, under Parsons in Australia and LA Music Exchange sell them too under their own brand. Well worth a look and great value considering the quality.
[This space for rent]
The new Vibro Champ Reverb is what I’m using and it’s great, sounds grown up in the sense that it has decent bottom end, takes pedals really nicely and is the prefect volume range for hone use.
I think you should choose an amp based on sounds and features, not an arbitrary wattage.
My home amp is a Princeton Reverb. I like it a lot. You could certainly do a lot worse if clean plus pedals is your thing.
It is 5w and has an ironman attenuator built in. Black face, tweed tones. Two channels, volume and tone control.
They are available in a combo as well.
Really nice sounding amp, i don't really use pedals through it.
They are not cheap though, you may be able to pick one up second hand. Worth trying out if your local store stocks them.
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
Think #I paid £170 for a mint mini stack.... well happy
That said, it’s still probably too loud as an amp to use in the house, unless you have no neighbours and understanding co-habitants
Swart space tones sound amazing too but really don’t like the aesthetics - silly reason I know but I’ll have to look at the thing at some point! The Big Trees will not be to everyone’s taste but I think it won’t look out of place in the home office.
Has anyone tried the small Mesas like the Express, Subway, 1x10 MkV?