Low (er) Powered Amp Head

**Skip Ellis** · 02-21-2025, 12:01 AM

I recently sold my Quilter 101R because I just didn't care for it that much. My remaining cabinet is a home built version of the Ear Candy 'Mr Watts' with an 8"
Eminence Alpha A speaker. I'd like to find a small 50-ish watt head to go with it. I've had a few MB200 heads that I used when I was playing steel and they're OK but don't need that much power. I've thought about putting a little 50 watt class 'd' amp board inside the cabinet and driving it with the TC Combo Deluxe 65 and maybe even rigging a LiFePO battery pack to power the whole thing. Any thoughts on a small head that will do the job without me having to build something? These little amps work pretty well - I built a powered mini PA cabinet with a 150 watt class 'd board (computer power supply), a 300 watt Faital 10", a crossover and a good tweeter, plus a Mackie ProFX6v3 mixer - sound good for just playing backing tracks around the house. I'd rather just find something to buy, though. The Quilter SBUS might do it they're more $$$ than I want to pay.

**sgosnell** · 02-21-2025, 12:14 AM

You don't have to use all the power the amp can produce, you can leave the volume down.

Finding a lower-power small head may be difficult, because the market wants more power, so that's what the manufacturers produce. It doesn't cost much more to build a higher power amp when going Class D. The main contenders for what you want may be the BAM200 and the Trace-Elliot Elf. They're both bass amps (technically) and have higher power, but they seem to work. I don't know what's available on the used market, but the DV Mark heads are pretty good, although bigger in size. The Quilter SBUS is actually on the cheaper end of the spectrum, unless you can find a good deal on a used unit.

**gitman** · 02-21-2025, 05:33 AM

Check out the Milkman Amp 50 , comes with a tube preamp, reverb and tremolo, it’s small and light as a feather !

**Gitterbug** · 02-21-2025, 07:07 AM

The Milkman is actually 1/2 pound heavier than the 101R. Plus, you get two SuperBlocks for the price of a Milkman.

**Herbie** · 02-21-2025, 09:54 AM

I know that this option is out of all of Your ranges, but Quilter TB202 is totally different from 101R. It has good enough reverb and it is flexible: You can play quiet and You can play loud.

I made a combo with TB202 and 8” Emi Beta A. Perfect for classic jazz. Good luck for Your quest!

**nevershouldhavesoldit** · 02-21-2025, 02:24 PM

Find a good Quilter Microblock. They make 33W into 8 Ohms, sound great, and are about the size of two decks of cards (plus the external power supply, of course). I used to have 2 that I carried for backup and used on a few gigs just to see if they'd do it. A Microblock held its own through a Toob Metro, even in a quintet in a fairly large high ceiling room with tenor, keyboard, bass and drums. You can get one for $100 - 125 plus shipping on the usual resale sites. I sold both of mine because I didn't need them any more and I wanted a backup head that could get me through a bigger jazz or commercial gig if I needed it. But if you want the smallest, lightest possible amp and can live with 33W into 8 Ohms, the Microblock is the best I've ever tried.

I recently bought a BAM200 for backup and sound reinforcement when I quit my regular club gig, where I had a good backline & house sound and didn't need to worry about backup, what amp to bring, or a sound system. I'm amazed at how good a jazz amp the BAM is, and it can handle vocal mic as well (which the Microblock can't do at gig volumes). They're on sale right now at Sweetwater for $109. It's my sound system through a Toob Metro FR II+.