Best small (10-15 watt) tube guitar amp

johnnydakota

Hey, I have been using a reissue Pro Reverb as my main amp recently. However, the amp is just too big (40 tube watts - no headphone output). I think the amp sounds great, I just need something smaller, preferably with a headphone jack. Can anyone recommend a good 10-20 watt guitar amp - preferably tube (and not a Blues Jr.). I don't want to spend any more than $300-400.

Thanks.

Gavin

Epiphone Valve Jr.

It's the only amp I use now.

It's Class A all tube, but at only 5W may be a little small for you. But if we're talking practice in the bedroom it can get very loud. No headphone jack either.

SawaotheBuster

Definitely The Epiphone Valve Jr. I had the Special for a while, but I returned it cause I needed louder....

other than that, it is a nice small tube amp

Spitfire

Steal an AC15

shae

The Valve JR. head through a 12" speaker.

If you know where to get a cheap 1x12 box with a low rated speaker 20-25watts... it'll sound really good!

Also buy a decent tube for it as the stock Chinese ones are junk.

They'll only cost you a couple of bux 'cos it only has one power and one preamp tube! 😁😁

Dunxy

For your supplied price range I aggree with Shae, a Epi valve junior head and a 1 or 2 x 12 LOW rated cab would suit you well. However if oyu wanted to shell out a bit more, say about 500-600usd used (i think) will get you probbably the best 15w head on the market, a THD univalve,a few spare powertubes of different types gives you a multitude of tonal options with its brillaint auto biasing single ended class A design.

westtexasred

Don't know if this would work for you but I am going to sell my Little Lanilei 3350LT amp and Rotary wave on ebay.

You can read about them here.

http://www.songworks.com/index.html

240

ampeg reverberocket or whatever the 15 watt is called

triskadecaepyon

yep, for the price the valve Jr. is the best deal. As far as sound quality goes... well a fender pro junior may do as well, but the price is a bit high. Mind you, you do get what you pay for.

superfuzz

well, if you are willing to spend about 1200 usd, the fender princeton recording amp, thats about to be realsed(or already is im not sure) is the best small tube amp made from what i hear.

SawaotheBuster

the reverbrocket is like 50-100 watts

I think the one with tremolo in its name is the 15W

but that is pretty damn expensive

greenlee

whats wrong with the blues jr.?its a sweet little 15 watt with alot of bang for the buck!

superfuzz

its about four hundred bucks, thats alot for a 15 watt amp, that doesnt sound that good. that being said, it is a good amp for about 200. but 400 is a bit out of the question imo.

greenlee

i snagged mine for $ 325 brand new.not bad at all for a fender tube amp thats got reverb.it takes pedals really well and is loud enough for most band applications.

superfuzz

that being said, im not a fan of the blues jnr, for only its price like i said before, $325 isnt that bad, its a little closer to the pirce it should be imo. they are good amps, a bit like the hot rods, which that being said i have a hot rod deville as my main amp(flamez0rz) and i love it. it sounds fantstic for the money i paid, and the fact it sounds pretty good, and has never been above volume 2. anywho if you want a nice cheap valve amp, eppiphone is they way to go. if you want to spend some extra bucks, you could perchance buy a blues jnr.

greenlee

fair enough.i agree that the deville is similiar,albiet better than the jr,their both from the hot rod series as you probably know.i have never plugged into the epiphone so i cant comment.to beat over inflated prices,(which all the big name amp makers are guilty of)i almost always seek out used equipment and if i buy new i always haggle.paying retail sucks and nine times out of ten you can talk the store down on the price.

superfuzz

yeah, used gear is a blessing, but sometimes can be a pain. my deville was usedm by some famouse guy apprently (thats what i was told, his name escapes me now.)

SawaotheBuster

Used Gear tends to screw me over.....

But yeah those Epi Valves are nice, they a good for that simple natural tube sound, but you gotta make sure you got your guitar to test cause they gave my mustang PU's a overly muddy sound and my strat a nice sound.

Tex-Czech

SawaotheBuster said: Used Gear tends to screw me over.....

brotha I feel your pain!

My HR deluxe, $450 and 5 months latter nothing for it. I retubed, bias, got out the schematic reviewed, worked and worked. Took it in and nothing. nothing.

I was in fear of getting another fender, used at that.

but

I fell in a trap and got a cheap reissue twin for $600 mint condition. no problems so far, and I have had it longer than the HR. I wanted a twin anywho, the marshall plexi is next you just can't go wrong.