Practice amp for apartment???

[Surf n Music]

Lets say I was looking for a tube amp to play in my apartment and I am mostly attempting to play Jimi and SRV songs. I got a few pedals : OD, octafuzz and fuzz to play with, but what is a good tube amp that gets good tone at low volumes? It seems that some low watt amps are super loud. I have seen divided by 13 JRT 9/15 and everyone says that is super loud. Then you see recomendations for something like a princeton reverb which I believe is a 22 watt. It seems like some amps at 9 watts are louder then 22's. You can get kinda lost in it all. Any thoughts?

 

[wrathfuldeity]

alot of volume is dependent on spkr size, spl and arrangement. then you have the mv, attenuators and.... my preference is volume pedal in the loop and using 2 spkrs seperated to gain a depth of field with out the volume...basically same idea of using headphones.

 

[Surf n Music]

using 2 spkrs seperated to gain a depth of field with out the volume...basically same idea of using headphones.

I never thought about that. Do you mean separate cabinets? I see divided by 13 has a nice cabinet with two 12's and each speaker being a different model. Maybe something like that with a 20 watt head?

 

[Blue-moon]

It is not so much about loudness...it's headroom. If you are using prdals for dirt, then a nice clean platform is best. In some sense, wattage is not a factor in that equation. But if you want to get earlier breakup, then a low watt amp might be best. However, a 5 watt amp cranked is going to be too loud.

I would go with the best clean platform I could afford for a bedroom amp and the use a good dirt pedal or two. I have a 35 watt two rock studio pro...it is perfect for home use. I use a lot and fuzz for dirt. It has a master volume, so that helps. I found the amp sounded better than the 22 watt version...not sure if that was because of bigger iron or the 6l6 v. 6v6s.

 

[Johnny2013]

For an apt i would get a yamaha thr. I would get a tube amp for bringing to play with other people. Pretty much all, even 1 watt, is too loud for an apt

 

[Floyd Eye]

A 22 watt tube amp really isn't a bedroom practice amp. I would look more to some of the new variable wattage 15/5/1 amps. I know Vox has one. H&K too.

 

[Johnny2013]

At apt levels, every tube amp can be squeaky clean

It is not so much about loudness...it's headroom. If you are using prdals for dirt, then a nice clean platform is best. In some sense, wattage is not a factor in that equation. But if you want to get earlier breakup, then a low watt amp might be best. However, a 5 watt amp cranked is going to be too loud.

I would go with the best clean platform I could afford for a bedroom amp and the use a good dirt pedal or two.

 

[Blue-moon]

At apt levels, every tube amp can be squeaky clean

True...though I think some amps take pedals better than others.

 

[bgio]

I used a Reeves Custom 6 with power scaling in my apartment for 2 years. Never had a complaint.

 

[wrathfuldeity]

Do you mean separate cabinets?

Yes, 2 separate cabs sitting or point to the left and right of your head.

Another thing...a push pull 6V6/6L6/el 84/34 amp is a great pedal platform with headroom assuming big iron...but the od/dirt is from the pedals.

verses

A single-ended amp will break up sooner and less headroom....however you can get a lower threshold for break up and the od/dist from the pedals will be more BETTER imho. That is real feedback and dynamics at a very reasonable bedroom/apt volume level...even though I'm using a 5c3 (4 watt) or a 5f2a like amp but with a single 6L6 for abt 10 watts. And this is with pedals > volume pedal (vol pedal sort of works like a mv amp) > amp. The other thing is that it can get damm loud if you turn up the amp's volume while it is being pushed by the pedals and vol pedal wide open.

 

[leftycajun]

I live in an apartment--2nd floor with neighbors below me and next door. I just got a bad cat minicat. Before that I had a vox Ac4. Either one would work great.

 

[Dad love mom]

Lets say I was looking for a tube amp to play in my apartment and I am mostly attempting to play Jimi and SRV songs. I got a few pedals : OD, octafuzz and fuzz to play with, but what is a good tube amp that gets good tone at low volumes? It seems that some low watt amps are super loud. I have seen divided by 13 JRT 9/15 and everyone says that is super loud. Then you see recomendations for something like a princeton reverb which I believe is a 22 watt. It seems like some amps at 9 watts are louder then 22's. You can get kinda lost in it all. Any thoughts?

Mesa Mark V 25. Look into it.

 

[sickboy79]

Apartment living is hard for guitar players. I did it for a few years. Attenuator is a MUST with a tube amp. A Tweed Champ style amp is great with a couple pedals, or into an attenuator to crank it to get it's natural tone. I know - crazy - a 5w amp into an attenuator. But, that's how it goes.

 

[Surf n Music]

Mesa Mark V 25. Look into it.

That is one sweet looking amp! Especially those ones with the wood cases. I like that you can switch to low wattage. Lots of nice features.

 

[SKYHIGH]

Matchless DC30.

 

[gearscrubs]

Yamaha THR10c will get you more mileage at apartment volumes than most tube amps, and sounds great for the tones you're seeking. Plus, it's super portable, can be used with headphones, has an input for your smartphone/mp3 player, can function as a recording interface, etc.

As stated above, even a 1-watt tube amp will be too loud to crank in an apt, so you will almost certainly need to buy one with a master volume, power scaling or add an attenuator of some sort.

 

[barryg_nyc]

Another vote for the Yamaha THR10.

I don't live in an apartment, but I do have a wife and daughter who don't appreciate my playing drowning out TV or sleep.

I have a Vox AC4TV8 (attenuates to 1/10 watt) and a Fender SCXD. The SCXD takes pedals well, but neither of those amps really lets me reach any level of breakup (even with pedals) at a level that won't alienate the family. I also tried others like the Blackstar HT5 (much too loud).
So,, when no one is home, I use my SCXD, but when they're around, I use my THr10C.

I have zero doubt that, at modest volume, I get MUCH better tone from the THR than I do from either of my tube amps. So, do yourself a favor and try out one of the Yamaha THR10 amps. A great-sounding amp that you can use at apartment volumes is better than any tube amp that sits around because it's just too loud to play.

 

[leftycajun]

Matchless DC30.

Heh heh...

 

[guitarjazz]

Zvex Nano into an extension speaker. About as loud as a dreadnought.

 

[mesa/kramer]

So many great modelers out there producing great sounds.

Do tubes really matter at TV volume?