Just started playing again after about 10 years of hardly touching the thing. I’d like to get a new amp – the one I’ve currently got is an ancient 100W transistor thing, that a)never sounded great b) I could never crack the volume past more than about 1 without deafening myself.

So I’m after something about 10-15W max (so can be run fairly hard at home), ideally valve powered. Good sound, and sensible features. Looking around a lot of the cheaper ones now seem to have built in digital effects, which I could live without and also something called modelling??? 2 channels would be nice (clean and dirty) and decent tone controls. Music is generally bluesy/rocky/jazzy

Ideally I’d like to spend £2-300. The only one I’ve seen so far that’s really piqued my interest is the Fender Blues Jr, which is a bit out of budget at £400. No objection to second hand though.

Ideas? Also any recommended online retailers?

Cheers!

I bought a Roland Cube as a practice amp, I actually like the amp modelling options on it as it gives you an approximation of having more than one amp/guitar combo. You could take that to extremes with the Line6 range of amps.
If you’re just looking for a decent rocky, basic amp then I’ve heard good things about the Orange Crush..
Orange Crush

To be honest, you’d be better off with a digital amp if you’re concerned about having to crank it up too loud. To get the best out of a valve amp you really need to crank it up but a decent digital amp should sound as good at low volumes as it would at full volume. I’m using a 75 watt Line6 Spider amp and it’s superb. It’s a modelling amp with a load of different classic amps and built in effects. They also come in smaller sizes too.

http://line6.com/spideriii/

look for a Matamp little rock, second hand.
4W max but it has THE best tone you will EVER hear from a small amp.
should be able to pick one up for around £250-£300, but they rarely come up since they’re that good…

10-15 Watt of Valve at home is Really Really Loud. I have a 5 Watt Modded Valve head and 1×12 and at full tilt it’s still seriously loud. This guy mod’s the basic and fairly rubbish cheap Valve amps http://shop.ebay.co.uk/merchant/andydokken

I also have a Line6 Pod x3 Live which for sheer versitility is amazing, it’s no valve and doesn’t respond the same but it has such a range of amp models and sounds that you’ll have to be very pedantic about valve response and dynamics not to love playing with it.

what Mickyfinn said – 15w of valve at home is super super loud! I’ve got a 15w Blues Junior & lovely as it is, it’s too much for home use.

if you’ve got that sort of money Vox (I think) have just brought out a valve practive amp – 4w IIRC, but can be run at 1w too.

here you go….

http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/product/39948-vox-ac4-tv.html

Orange amps all the way

The Matamp and the Vox looks pretty interesting. Thanks!

Mind you, I’ve also spotted the Laney L5T-112 on the Dolphin site which looks spot on perfect. Bar the price 🙁

oh yeah, with the matamp, i know that they’re listed on the matamp site for £299 new but i heard that they’re all sold out now anyway.
but they make seriously amazing amps, those chaps.

little fella

Get a decent valve amp (if that’s what you want) then run it through an attenuator to get the required volume.

Powerbrakes and Hotplates are quite pricey but there’s others around (sometimes called a volume box, soak).

Someone’s going to come along and say they ruin your amp at some point but I’ve not had any problems and mine was pretty cheap but I can’t remember who it’s by. pop me an email if you want to go down that route and I can have a look when I get home.

Don’t go anywhere near dirty modeling amps! Valves really are the only way to real tone. I’ve got a Laney LC15R which is a great practice amp. It’s got three 12AX7s in the preamp and two EL84s in the power amp. It’s only a single channel but is very versatile and sounds great, even at very low volumes.

I used to use the JCM900 stack, but the neighbours used to complain 😉

I downgraded to a Mesa Boogie .50cal – only got a 1×12 on that and 50w… still makes yer ears bleed though!

Actually I am considering starting to play again myself after 10 years of not playing after “the incident”, and keep toying with the idea of getting a small valve amp – got to be valve though, and a 1×12 speaker… cos smaller ones just sound a bit shite IMO.

The Laney has a 10″ speaker and still sounds good. It has a speaker output socket on the back and sounds awesome through a 2×12″ or 4×12″. I’ve even used it for recording.

I always found the 1×10″ amps a little… thin. Not bad, but just lacking the depth and rounded tones of a good 12″ speaker (or 8). I may give one a try if and when I get the ‘leccy guitars refurbished! Too many gigs and too little TLC left the wiring completely shagged out.

I tried a Laney some years ago, and it was certainly a nice amp. Keep thinking about getting one, and perhaps a Les Paul to plug into it one day (never quite got around to scoring myself one of them back in the day, used to use custom built Gordon Smiths and Hammers)

Those Laneys came with either a H&H or a Celestion 10″. The Celestions sound better but they are both really very good. By far the best low volume reasonably priced valve amp I’ve ever heard.

Blackstar HT5

Blackstar HT5 combo

Superb

Ooh, didn’t know there was a tiny Blackstar. Well worth an audition I’d say, their bigger amps are splendid.

Yup, Blackstar 5w stack got rave reviews

Guitarist review

Blackheart also do a tasty range of small amps, all with triode / pentode step down setting so you get the same overdriven tube sound at half power

Blackheart 15W head

what Boba Fatt said.