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I been looking into some small combos like Traynor YCV20WR, 40WR, Peavey Classic 30, etc. and the majority opinion seems to be that they're great amps AFTER you put in new tubes and a new speaker. Are there any combos good right out of the box I'm overlooking?

P.S. Heavier classic rock - VH, Sabbath, Free, BTO

Fender Blues Jr...

...not my kind of amp, but sounds pretty sweet stock...

My Traynor YCV-40 sounded AMAZING right out of the box!


Originally Posted by SoCalSteveI been looking into some small combos like Traynor YCV20WR, 40WR, Peavey Classic 30, etc. and the majority opinion seems to be that they're great amps AFTER you put in new tubes and a new speaker. Are there any combos good right out of the box I'm overlooking?

P.S. Heavier classic rock - VH, Sabbath, Free, BTO

I thot the Peavey Delta Blues (same as C30 but w/ tremelo) sounded pretty good right out of the box, but def could have benefitted from better quality tubes.

I think that just goes with the territory w/ lower priced tube amps.

MESA F-30 sounds excellent and will give you the sounds you need. Some folks complain about the stock MESA tubes, but I personally don't think they are nearly as bad as the tubes in the lower priced amps from Peavey, Fender, etc.

Also the LoneStar special from MESA.

But I assume from your post you are looking for lower cost amps.

Might also take a look at the XXX 40 watter, though I found it a bit too modern sounding for the music you cited.

You might take a look at these lower-power dirtcheap Laney combos:

VC30 - tonally it is a close relative of a Vox AC30 with many modern features and slightly more gain and 1x12quot; 2x10quot; 2x12quot; speaker options.
LC30 - it has greasy, juicy tone, reminds me a lot of Soldano stuff.Combos are cool if you tweak them but if you want it HEAVY you will need a head 4X12quot; setup.

Just my 2cents.


Originally Posted by lex666Fender Blues Jr...

...not my kind of amp, but sounds pretty sweet stock...

1 I love playing through this little amp.

I just picked up a THD univalve, and it has good overdriven tone. i am still exploring how the different tubes sound. it does great for around 15w. the bottom end can get a little weak, but I am using a 4x12 with celestion gt 75s. I boost the bottom with a boss EQ. It gets Zep tones rather easily. I think the key to that will be speaker and cab choice. good amp if you can find one used for around 600.

I really like the peavey delta that someone mentioned earlier. the one I tried had 10s.


Originally Posted by The OwlMy Traynor YCV-40 sounded AMAZING right out of the box!

I was wondering about this amp. People keep telling me to check out the Traynor YVC-40, but can it handle quot;heavierquot; higher gain sounding stuff like Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Marilyn Manson, and Boogie-esqe tones like Default and Fuel? I'm thinking of waiting for the Traynor 50Blue to come out (whenever the hell that's going to be) but if the YVC-40 will do the job I'll pick that up. Let me know the score is! I currently own a Marshall MG250DFX and it can handle the heavier stuff fine, but sometimes it can't handle the lighter stuff, so I'm in a bit of a quandry.

Great thread, by the way!

The Crate V series tube amps arent bad at all,


Originally Posted by JeffBI thot the Peavey Delta Blues (same as C30 but w/ tremelo) sounded pretty good right out of the box, but def could have benefitted from better quality tubes.

I think that just goes with the territory w/ lower priced tube amps.

MESA F-30 sounds excellent and will give you the sounds you need. Some folks complain about the stock MESA tubes, but I personally don't think they are nearly as bad as the tubes in the lower priced amps from Peavey, Fender, etc.

Also the LoneStar special from MESA.

But I assume from your post you are looking for lower cost amps.

Might also take a look at the XXX 40 watter, though I found it a bit too modern sounding for the music you cited.You know that Mesa F-30 is intriguing. I'm gonna have to see if there's one around I can try out. Thanks for all the input.


Originally Posted by SoCalSteveYou know that Mesa F-30 is intriguing. I'm gonna have to see if there's one around I can try out. Thanks for all the input.

The ONLY thing I personally did not care for on the F-30 was the V30 speaker in the combo version. Some folks like them, but I personally don't..they are a little quot;shriekyquot; in the high mids...adds some top and bottom end Fizz I don't care for. But many folks love that speaker. :shrug: diff strokes and all that.

I played the head version through a 1x12 cab w/ a C90 and it was incredible...really tightened up. Kinda wish I had gone that route instead of the F-50, only because the F50 is so freakin' loud

Crate V series kick major ass. Those traynor combos are great too.

Mesa DC-3

I would check out the Crate V Series.

I guess it's probably narrowed down to a Traynor YCV40WR, Peavey, Mesa F-30, and Crate V3112. A headphone jack may be the deciding factor though.

I keep hearing from players (honest to God smokin' players, guys who have ears that I trust) that the Traynor stuff is great. I haven't been in the same room with one, so I have no idea personally, but, as I say, I trust these guys.

I spent just under a year researching affordable tube amp combos (the time that it took to raise the money ) and here is the general consensus on the amps that I considered/played.

Peavey Classic 30-Ended up buying this amp, INCREDIBLE blues tone. I thought I was going to have to get a nice OD pedal also, but have really learned to tweak the OD to perfection (although it does seem harsh at times). I can achieve a light blues breakup, screaming blues lead, metal rhythm, and rock tones out of the OD. From what I have heard new tubes (which are going to have to be replaced sometime) do wonders for both the clean and dirty channels.

Peavey Delta Blues 210-Played this amp before a Classic 30 and loved it. I went with the Classic 30 because they are practically identical amps, but I didn't want to pay $100 extra for the tremolo on the DB.

Fender Hot Rod Deluxe-My friend just got one of these and I can't wait to play it. I played on it while sampling amps and compared it to the Classic 30 and thought that this amp had the best cleans of any of the amps I tried out. The OD seemed lacking to me, but I didn't spend much time with the OD. I ruled this one out because I felt the quot;bluesyquot; clean tone of the C30 fit my needs more and that it was a little too powerful for what I needed.

Fender Blues Junior-Played one after buying my C30 and was considering a trade in, but upon playing it the 2nd time felt that my C30 was more versatile (the EQ on the BJ didn't seem to change much)

Traynor YCV40-Never played one because the nearest dealer is in San Francisco, but from what I hear they have HRD-like cleans and a great over drive to match. Also these are priced pretty low, you should definetly sample one of these out.

Mesa Boogie F-30-Out of my price range but I still played it extensively at Guitar Center. I didn't really like the F-30. I couldn't put my finger on what it was, but something bugged me about this amp.

Mesa Boogie F-50-This amp on the other hand blew me away. Great cleans and so many different OD tones. If I had the cash and needed the Power I would have gone with the F-50.

I have a Peavey Deltablues, it's bonestock (besides preamp tubes) and it has got some of the best cleans I have ever heard.

My Laney LC15R came with celestions, ruby preamp tubes and sovtek power tubes..nothing to complain about so far..

benji

You could always forget the tubes and try a Tech 21 Trademark 60!

I bought one recently - it sounds great straight from the box, it's versatile and it has really useful features for small gigs and recording. Check out their soundclips!