Amp recommendations £200 - £300 budget

tampadragon

Hi So I got a new Gibson LP Melody Maker for my 30th. I have the above budget left from savings, and would like to invest in a new amp. I currently only have a Vox VT15 practice amp and use Line 6 Pod Farm on my iMac. I thought it might be nice to get a small valve amp I could then get some pedals etc to go with. I like to play clean bluesy type stuff but also some rock, both soft and crunchy. I have been looking at the Vox Lil Night Train and the Orange Micro Terror. Do you guys have any other suggestions, I'm happy with head and cab or combos. Cheers Bob

Adam_MD

You should be able to pick up a used Egnater Tweaker for that sort of money. Very versatile and sounds excellent. Also takes pedals really well.

samzadgan

i'll get in first..Jet City..does all those tones and is stupidly cheap for the value, and they take pedals really well.

i believe the Jet City UK site has the 20w combos now too:
http://www.jetcityamplificationstore.co.uk/product/jca2212/

and you'll have some cash for pedals too.

midlifecrisis

you mentioned the orange micro terror. I would NOT recommend this as your main amp. I have one of these and its great as an emergency backup to plug into a bigger cab or just for practise but its tones are limited and some say a bit harsh.

I would recommend a used laney vc30 for about 200-250 but I havnt had many amps to  compare.

AxeWieldingBastard

Just keep cruising the classifieds on this forum.

Plenty of deals to be had & plenty of people to offer advice once you see somehting you like within budget.

I always recomend WEM MKIII's to anyone looking for a good valve amp in your budget, there's usually a few going on ebay at any time. They're non-master volume, so can get loud if you want to drive them. But for clean bluesy stuff, I can't imagine that there's much out there that can top it for tone.

Enjoy the hunt

EricTheWeary

find that Discussion on the PRS SE combo - lorra lorra amp for £299.

tampadragon

Thanks for the help. I'll avoid the micro terror then, but the ill' night train is still a go. I'll take a look on EBay and see if I can pick up a cheaper one. I'll also find some vids of the Jet City amps as I've never heard of that brand before. What are people's thoughts on Blackstar's smaller amp offerings?

HAL9000

I've tried the Micro Terror and it's good for the money but agree with Midlifecrisis that it is limited in what it can do.

 I've also tried the Blackstar ID30 and was impressed with the sounds available, and I know others on this forum have said good things about the Blackstar ID amps. I think it depends what you want though - I'm never keen on amps with USB slots, and lots of effects, each with several adjustable parameters. However, if that's your thing then I'd think it's well worth a look. 

 A mate of mine has a 15w Marshall valve combo which was probably just about within your price range and has some pretty decent tones. 

The Peavey Bandit is a solid state amp in your price range and seems to get a lot of love on this forum for being very valve-like.

digitalscream

I'll second the Jet City suggestion - their prices are ludicrously low, and they're stunning amps (not just "good for the money"). I have two of the 50W heads...if you're in the Stamford/Peterborough area at any point, you're welcome to come and have a try of them.

Gassage

Peavey Tweed Classic 30 or 50 (4x 10 50 is AMAZING).

Two of my fave amps ever.

bertie

tampadragon said:

I like to play clean bluesy type stuff but also some rock, both soft and crunchy. 

for a squidge more on yer budget,  a used HRDxe  is a great option.   

steamabacus

I'd recommend a secondhand Laney VC15 110 if you're mainly playing at home. Lovely little amps, sweet clean/breakup tones, overdrive channel that'll do blues up to classic rock, decent reverb. They're powerful enough for small gigs/jams as well, especially through a bigger extension cabinet.

samzadgan

I've had a Blackstar HT5...i hated the combo, but the head through a good cab was good. but to be honest, for me it sounded a bit sterile. I much prefer the Jet City...and Laney's are awesome as well, they are well priced and have a lot of character.

Skipped

Keep the Vox and then wait until your budget is a bit higher. Then sell the Vox to buy a Cornell Romany. The standard version with the 10"speaker can  be found for very reasonable money.

I am very familiar with the Vox VT. It would be nice to get an amp which would be a very obvious step up. A Romany would not be just a step up. It would be in a totally different league.

thomasw88

I'd recommend looking for a 20th or 25th anniversary hughes and kettner valve amp.  I just sold one for £200, and they are fantastic amps. 

They also have a superb clean and a very good drive channel, and are made in Germany.  I've tried most of the other amps mentioned in this thread and IMO this by far a superior amp to any of the ones mentioned.

tampadragon

Thanks for the further help. I have much thinking material now, really want to think about this one and make sure the decision I make is the right one!

tampadragon

So At the moment I think the front runner is the vox lil' night train, it sounds nice, it isn't bank breaking and it has a headphone socket for silent practice. But I have just noticed the Yamaha THR series the 5 and the 10, both sound very nice and are small! What are peoples thoughts before I start looking at eBay and posting in the classifieds looking to buy a Vox.

dindude

tampadragon said:

So At the moment I think the front runner is the vox lil' night train, it sounds nice, it isn't bank breaking and it has a headphone socket for silent practice. But I have just noticed the Yamaha THR series the 5 and the 10, both sound very nice and are small! What are peoples thoughts before I start looking at eBay and posting in the classifieds looking to buy a Vox.

Thing is, with the THR you will be going from modelling to modelling. The Yam is smaller and more convenient, that's its real selling point, but it won't sound appreciably better than your Vox or line 6 farm.

If you want a change and the feel of a "proper" amp, I reckon for what you describe the Vox night train is a good shout.

Grunfeld

tampadragon said:

I thought it might be nice to get a small valve amp I could then get some pedals etc to go with. I like to play clean bluesy type stuff but also some rock, both soft and crunchy.

I have a small valve amp meeting that description, link in sig   [/amp spam]

dilbert

Peavey Classic 30. Loads available S/H and they are very flexible tonally.

bertie

dindude said:

 but it won't sound appreciably better than your Vox 

ooh it will,  a lot.    I had a VT-30, and the THR knocks tonal spots off it