Low power tube amps

There're a few great threads on this if you want to use the search feature?

 

In the 15 watt neighborhood, I really like the old Fender tweed deluxes. At that rating is a deluxe-type amp with it's own sound, the Ampeg Mercury. Really fine amp. Then there are the various older Gibsons. My favorites are the two-tones of '58 through '60 sor so, with the Les Paul (GA40) at the top of the heap.

The cons are you might get drowned out on a loud stage. The pros are TONE. All different (the Gibson in a tone class by itself), but still recognizeably tweed-like 6v6 flavors. If you're not drowned out, you can turn up. The organic feel and almost physical push of these amps at high volume is addictive. Plus,
it sounds so good your brain will fall out (as Soupy Sales would say.)

 

I play with either a tweed deluxe, or a 17 watt FultonWebb (marshall/vox thang) I play them through a 15" speaker, a Weber p15n - I believe it's about a 25 watt speaker.

Personally, I like that I get almost the same displacement as a 2x12 cab, with a decent-sized combo cab, and I prefer to hear the tubes breaking up, not so much the speaker.

Different strokes, I guess.

 

Hi Caz, nice to see you here.
In case anyone doesn't know,
this guy builds great speaker cabs.
Doug

 

On that basis, the best amp I've owned at copping big amp tone at low volumes is the Emory Superbaby. I use it with a variety of cabs from 10w Jensens to 75w Fanes and find a good use for all of them (although a 10w Jensen isn't happy with a cranked and distorted 7w amp-it sounds nice clean).

 

I'll second the Superbaby. Best low volume
solution with real amp tone/breakup/speaker interaction.

However, the Baby must have good tubes and
good speakers in the circuit. It is a very transparent
tonal microscope.

My Superbaby loaded with a Mullard EL34/CV4004/GZ-34
thru a Bruno pine 2x12 with Blues is the best low volume,
house-approved guitar rig I've ever heard. Perfect tones
and responsiveness at loud TV volumes.

 

Reverend Goblin 5/15. With nos RCA’s in the Pre, it gets an amazing array on tones.

 

The Bad Cat Cub is an excellent 15 watt amp. Outstanding, low volume clean tones. This amp is great for the bedroom. There nothing like being able to get that Matchless/Bad Cat tone at a reasonable volume. It will handle the majority of gigging situations either straight up or mic'ed.

The only complaint I've ever heard about the amp is a lack of clean headroom for medium to large gigs without mic'ing. I solved the problem by buying a second Cub.

 

I love my '79 Fender MusicMaster Bass amp. I changed the tubes (all three of them) to JJs and put in a Weber 12A125 8 ohm speaker and it sounds great with all my guitars. It's such a simple 12-15 watter with only volume and tone knobs. Inexpensive too

 

Tweed Champ with a larger cabinet to fit a 10" Weber Blue Pup Alnico speaker. I'm done searching for low power amps! No more farting speaker, and its still portable enough to take to the in-laws house.

 

TopHat Club Deluxe, Club Royale, are two of my favorites, great clean-to-crunch tones in the Vox-Marshall vein.

 

I had a Fender Blues Jr. that was cool, but I would really like to have a Fargen Mini-Plex with a single Greenback cab.

 

hey cas,

ill put in a vote for the emery superbaby. i dont own one, but i think the clips on his website sound great. for 15 watts and under, thats the one id be looking at. id love to try one, but it doesnt look like something youll find in a store. brad d.

 

I'd like to see a 2Xel84 power stage, a preamp based on either a Trainwreck Liverpool or a hot Marshall, all point to point using top grade components. Speaker would be an alnico 10" Weber Blue Pup (or an Eminence neodymium), in a smallish ported cab similar to the Raezer's Edge designs, with Fenderesque tilt back legs. Wood for the cab would be aged pine except the baffle would be high grade fir plywood. This would be a separate head and cab. Head would be in a nice wood box. Give a shout if you build it!