Hi All,
Even as a fan of the Boss Katana, I find myself increasingly drawn to the idea of a valve amp, with a master volume that sounds reasonable at home volumes, that can take pedals well and give me the tones of the 90s indie greats, like Blur, Oasis, Suede, as well as handle some other tones for fun, a bit heavier, rolled back neck pickup tones for slashy lead, etc...
The Katana is great but I'd like ot know what my options are, I look at things like the Vox AC15C1 and the Orange Rocker at times, I tried a couple of AC4s and a Blackstar HT1 and didn't really like them. I did like the Blackstar HT5 a bit, but maybe need some more oomph than a 1-5W job...
Also feel playing through a valve amp would help me work more on the attack and consistency of my playing, either that or use a compressor pedal!
Any thoughts?
You are the dreamer, and the dream...
Comments
Once it's set at the right volume it sounds good though - it's just a pain in the arse.
Hopefully the new R32s are better with their switchable power rating.
It's a Magic amps X-brit, built with NOS parts, it's like a great AC30, but only 15 watts, picture are not mine, but I'm sure it's ok:
Which speaker to look for in an AC15?
Orange Rocker 32 or the Terror Rocker....(through a 2x12 minimum)...
Marshall Origin when they land...
Fender with pedals (Hod Rod or 68 Reverb)...
Vox AC15...
I'd love a Rocker 32 or Terror Rocker and the new neo vertical 2x12.
Are you gigging with it? If not then I can't understand why you'd need anything even as loud as a 5-watt valve amp. Even then, @Danny1969 gigs with an HT5 so I don't see why you'd struggle?
TBH if you can't get a decent sound through a Katana I don't think a valve amp would help. Spending less time ogling gear and more time playing might though
As for the second point, if you insist on bringing logic into it...
AC30 was the darling of 'the movement' back in the day - most of the first Oasis album was recorded using a WEM Dominator in conjunction with the AC30 that lived at Sawmills Studios (the Orange rig arrived during the tour for that album and was used for the second one - along with a ton of other stuff... the Roland RE201 arrived around that time too), Suede's first album was ALL Vox AC30 (the Boogie came later) and as has been said Graham Coxon used a Marshall (but not in the way most use a Marshall).
To my mind, the AC30 comes closest to nailing all that... however, for home use, its pretty hopeless if you want *that* sound. Loud is not the word and they do weigh the same as a small hatchback.
I do sort of like the idea of being able to blow out my windows with an amp, but as you say, the neighbours a couple of streets over might have something to say about it!
Graham coxons sound comes more from him and the way he plays. The same with Bernard Butler etc etc
I'd find an amp you like the sound of and work on your playing. There is so much choice now days, it would be daft to limit yourself to a few set amps because x or y plays said amp.
Personally for indie I would go for the Vox AC15 or a Hot Rod plus a couple of pedals. There's a certain magic between the AC15 and certain pedals, a kind of nonlinear response to certain notes when using a fair bit of drive from a pedal ....maybe @ICBM knows why ? I borrowed one for a Britpop gig and really liked it. The HRD is a good all rounder though and what I use now for Britpop \ Indie rather than the Marshall and Blackstar I use for classic rock gigs
A Lion Tamer in the loop of the HRD and any other amp with a loop like the Vox AC30 etc makes setting low home volumes easy but with a gentle prod on the master volume it is possible to set most amps low enough if your careful