Practice amp recommendations

Dopesick

Which practice amps would you guys recommend as a pedal platform (maybe with just a hint of drive) for using at home? I'd be using high gain fuzz/distortion pedals along with the usual delays/modulation etc. Preferrably it would be valve and in combo format no more than say....5 watts. Basically the lower the wattage the better. Would need to be pretty cheap too - no more than say £150-200.

What do you reckon?

TheMarlin

The Vox AC4 in this ad sounds excellent. 

http://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/86374/price-drop-blackstar-artisan-15-amp-vox-ac4-head-and-cab#latest

Dopesick

Yeah that does look pretty good...would really want it in combo form though.

The Blackstar HT-1R is something I'm considering, or a Laney cub. Anything else like these?

bingefeller

Yamah THR 10 is fantastic!  You really need to use the software to find edit the patches for the best sound IMO. 

Dopesick

bingefeller said:

Yamah THR 10 is fantastic!  You really need to use the software to find edit the patches for the best sound IMO. 

Isn't that a modelling amp? I just need a straight forward low-output low powered valve combo (or head) that can take a pedalboard worth of effects. This Yamaha looks fantastic but not really what I'm after.

dindude

In my experience the Vox AC4 isn't a good pedal platform. I'd be looking at a second hand VHT Special 6 maybe.

JezWynd

Laney Cub 10 is an excellent small practice combo. It doesn't have an fx loop but all the pedals I've used with it (analog and digital) sound fantastic. It runs two 6v6 power valves so is somewhat over 5w but with separate volume and gain controls you can get plenty of tones from sparkly clean to dirt at low volumes. I use it for guitar and bass at home and it works great with both. Run it out to an external cabinet (I'm using a 15" Exy cab) and it can get very loud.

In the past I had a VHT Special 6 Ultra and while it did have an fx loop, it didn't sound as good as the Laney and using the loop for pedals, it introduced a little noise, not much, but noticeable when playing at home.

pintspiller

HT1 is pretty good

LordOxygen

2nd hand DSL5C? It's 5 watts, has a 1watt switch on the back and an FX loop. Very usable at home.
The clean channel does start to crunch with humbuckers from about 4, depends how loud you want to play I guess. A very nice sounding amp at domestic levels, worth a demo if you can find one. I've seen a couple sell on ebay for £207 and £220 over the last 6 weeks.

rlw

Try a Vox AV15.  Totally analogue apart from the effects.  I have the 30 which is great with pedals.  Sounds very valve like and is good quiet or loud.

lincolnblue

Laney Cub 10 - really loud, lovely clean tones and it takes pedals really well. Cheap too.

scovell001

Im going to put a vote in for my Fender Bassbreaker 15. I have a thr10c which is now surplus to requirements. The bassbreaker has a master volume & goes down to very low levels but retains a decent amount of weight due to having a real speaker. It will alwas sound better cranked, but at least it doesnt sound like im playing through a radio & the tubes actually behave like tubes should. There are a number of amps out there with a master volume any of which would do a similar job.

merlin

This! 

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/78767/blackstar-ht5r#latest

Dopesick

Cheers for the suggestions people. I've seen a Blackstar HT1-R going for less than £100 so I think I'll have some of that!

IvanMC

I've got a Vox VT40+. Full of effects. I usually fall back on it to gig as well, but that isn't its strongest point. I muddle through, though. A Vox VT20 would have done, I reckon. It's nearly tiny, full of effects. It's a nice practice amp, and cheap.