The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Hey.

    I've noticed of late that there seems to be a lot of people looking for small valve combos for practice and small gigs.

    I have some cash to invest in a new valve amp. I was hankering after larger 15-18 watt amps but in all honesty these new 5 watts are plenty for my needs.

    So, can we have personal experiences and recommendations for a 5 watt valve combo.
    No "I've seen that ### have this new model." Or
    "My friend knows this guy who has a ### and he says it's great."
    Just honest appraisals and all the neat stuff with high points and low points please. Sort of like mini reviews.

    It can be any power amp valve.

    I myself am after a 6V6 + 12" speaker + BMT Tone stack + Line out + Speaker outs. Reverb is not an issue as I have a TC HOF but if available it would be nice.

    It doesn't matter if they are mass produced or boutique. And importantly can we have voltage compatibility (110v or 240v) availability and prices (don't forget $/£/E )

    Have fun with it!

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  3. #2

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    The only experience that I have with a 5W tube amp is my Fender Champion 600 reissue. It's not bad, but it does not deliver the tone that I am looking for.

    First, I play several archtop guitars equipped with one single coil pickup. Either P-90 or floating DeArmond. I am hoping to add a vintage McCarty unit (integrated pickguard and pickup) soon.

    If I plug into the High Input, it breaks up really fast and it is not a nice overdrive like some small amps can have... I have to plug into the Low Input in order to have a clean tone. The mid and high ranges are not bad, though not stellar and I could live with that -- it's a practice amp after all. The lower range though is really bad: muddy, farty, and a series of other negative adjectives.

    I know that some have made modifications and that their Camp 600 was greatly improved. Getting rid of the thick grille cloth helps. Changing the speaker too. Then modifying the circuit. If I had the qualifications to do it myself, I'd give it a go. It might be a nice project. Since I won't do any of that myself, I would have to pay a good tech to do the job. I have not asked for a quote, but I would probably end up paying $300 to $450 to make this $169 amp great. I don't see the point.


    Last year, I had a custom amp builder here in town build me a sort of Deluxe voiced for swing and jazz. It looks like a tweed Deluxe and all its clones, but the circuit is based on the clean channel of the Blackface Deluxe. I won't go into all the details, but let's just say that it is a truly great amp.

    Now, I would like to get something like a Tweed Narrow Panel Champ as practice amp. I will want the amp to sound clean -- I don't need overdrive in the kind of music that I play. Size would have to be about the same as a Tweed Champ, up to about 12"X13"X9" and it would weight around 15 pounds (absolutely under 20 or it is a no-go for me).

    I just wrote to my amp builder this morning to ask him for a quote and I gave him a list of requirements. I am looking forward to see what he comes up with or if he says that my expectations are not realistic.

    Here are the preliminary Requirements and Specifications that I sent him. Any input, comments or suggestions are greatly welcome.

    Requirements:

    • Practice amp, small and light
    • Clean sound with reasonable amount of headroom for an amp this size
    • Full and creamy tone suitable for swing and jazz guitar playing
      • Low end: fat and strong, well defined (not sounding muddy)
      • Mid range: prominent, warm and smooth
      • High end range: smooth but defined
      • Late / smooth break up

    • Vintage archtop guitars with single coil pickup (neck position) will be used primarily


    Specs:

    • Cabinet: pine and lacquered tweed / Fender Narrow (or Wide) Panel type
    • Dimensions: up to about 12 X 13 X 9"
    • Weight: around 15 pounds, absolutely under 20 pounds
    • Grille: brown grille cloth (not the dark brown thick linen that the early Champ had)
    • Output: +/- 5 Watts
    • Speaker: 1 X 8" (1 X 10" if it can fit -I don't think it fits the dimensions and weight requirements but just in case...)
    • Control Panel: Hi Input, Low Input, Power, Volume, Tone, Pilot lamp
    • FX: none
    • Pre-amp tube:
    • Power tube(s):
    • Rectifier:
    • Bias:


    Suggestions for Speaker:

    • 8" speakers
      • Eminence 820H
      • Weber 8A150

    • 10" speakers
      • Weber 10A150
      • Eminence Lil' Buddy

  4. #3

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    Jazzbow, please let me know if you consider that I am hijacking your thread, and I will delete it and start a new one.

  5. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by Eddie Lang
    Jazzbow, please let me know if you consider that I am hijacking your thread, and I will delete it and start a new one.
    Hey mate, don't worry. I posted this thread to find peoples own impressions on their low wattage valve amps, and for that matter their own quests. all grist for the mill dear boy....

    By the by, talking of amp builders I have found a guy in Dublin, Ireland, who makes tweed style valve amps.

    Tweed 518 all valve Class-A single ended amp | eBay

    looks cool, $234/£154/€180, cheap.

    So come on everyone! Give us a review of your 5watt valve combo, warts and all!!

  6. #5

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    Question of budget always comes up
    I have quite a few 5 W tube amplifiers. By far my favorite is a late 70s Fender vibro champ
    Find the weakest part of the amp however is the 8 inch speaker. An upgrade to another 8in speaker is a big improvement but ideally you want to try to fit a 10 inch in there
    Even the champion 600 profited from an upgrade to an 8 inch speaker

    That said, there are some very nice solid-state low powered amplifiers available
    The tube mystique That was relevant even 10 years ago fading quickly with modern modelling technology

  7. #6

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    I have used a Blackstar HT-5 Combo for the past 2 years, great little tube amp. Celestion 10" speaker, good cleans with the ISP you can tweak tones from Fender like to Marshall (Blackstar was started 7+ years ago by former Marshall employees). Has great overdrive from very minimal brown tone to searing. The direct out is excellent, I prefer the HT-5 to for recording over software, has variable speaker outs. If something happened to this amp I would replace it, highly recommend it.

  8. #7

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    I think my Epiphone Valve Jr. holds its own in this category. I don't know about 240 volts though. For $100 or so used and easily modifiable it's a great little amp.

  9. #8

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    I like the Epi Valve Jr also, running through a 12" speaker. I haven't been using it much lately as I have been using my solid state Fender Frontman 25R. To get a tube-like sound I run the following settings; Treble and Bass on "1" with the Mid on "4", but experiment with the mids...and when on Ch 2, I run the Gain at about 2 or 3 so as not to get too much dirt...

  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by ESCC
    I have used a Blackstar HT-5 Combo for the past 2 years, great little tube amp. Celestion 10" speaker, good cleans with the ISP you can tweak tones from Fender like to Marshall (Blackstar was started 7+ years ago by former Marshall employees). Has great overdrive from very minimal brown tone to searing. The direct out is excellent, I prefer the HT-5 to for recording over software, has variable speaker outs. If something happened to this amp I would replace it, highly recommend it.

    I tried one of the 2X10 limited edition HT5's and found that its all widdly widdly wah wah kuh-chung-ah-woo-wooooooo! and not twang. The clean channel only has 1 tone control and IMHO all their effort was put into its O/D channel. But for an everything amp it provides just that, everything.

    I'm reaching an epiphany here. I'm closer to an ideal. Single channel class A type where guitar volume controls O/D and a full tone stack. 6V6 cleans with pedal fuzz-O/D.

    More reviews please

  11. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by SamBooka
    Question of budget always comes up
    I have quite a few 5 W tube amplifiers. By far my favorite is a late 70s Fender vibro champ
    Find the weakest part of the amp however is the 8 inch speaker. An upgrade to another 8in speaker is a big improvement but ideally you want to try to fit a 10 inch in there
    Even the champion 600 profited from an upgrade to an 8 inch speaker

    That said, there are some very nice solid-state low powered amplifiers available
    The tube mystique That was relevant even 10 years ago fading quickly with modern modelling technology
    Yes, 12" speaker is my want. I had a red knob 12" champ which was ok. Lots of features and foolishly I let it go. The sound was nice but the reverb and O/D channel was very 'meh!'

    Epiphany #2. No mediocre reverb (if at all ). No dual channel O/D over engineered hybrid.

    More personal reviews please....

  12. #11

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    Have you looked at ghe VHT Special 6?

  13. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by hallpass
    Have you looked at ghe VHT Special 6?
    Yep. I can only get these from the internet over here in the UK. No chance of try before buy. There is a returns policy with this company but this means I'll have to pay to return it if I decide it's not for me which will leave me with less for an eventual purchase. Oooer, Jazzbow is swithering....

  14. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by jazzbow
    I tried one of the 2X10 limited edition HT5's and found that its all widdly widdly wah wah kuh-chung-ah-woo-wooooooo! and not twang. . .
    Interesting, mine never makes make that sound.

    I've always been a Fender amp player, the Blackstar is different, but the clean I get is great, not widdly widdly, wah, but than again I don't know widdly widdly, wah.

  15. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by ESCC
    Interesting, mine never makes make that sound.

    I've always been a Fender amp player, the Blackstar is different, but the clean I get is great, not widdly widdly, wah, but than again I don't know widdly widdly, wah.
    Ha ha and ha! Yes. All those youtube clips of pro-players extolling the delights of the HT5 is my reference point, something like this.....

    "Here we have the HT5, it's two channel, the clean channel sounds like this... chang-a-changggg. Then we switch to the overdrive channel (eyes light up), it sounds like this... widdly widdly wah wah kuh-chung-ah-woo-wooooooo! (makes hand gesture while nodding)."

  16. #15

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    Carr Mercury. Stylish l'il thing...

    Mercury | Carr Amplifiers

    OK, OK... it goes to 8 watts but you can also attenuate it downwards from there, too (to 1/10 watt!).
    One clean channel and two overdrive ones via a three-position "boost" switch. Great reverb, too.

    You can swap tubes out in the thing, too. From the manual: "The Mercury is a fixed bias amplifier and requires a bias adjustment any time the power tube is replaced. Any large octal pentode or beam power tube will function in the Mercury though the amplifier has been optimized for the EL-34 tube. The following tube types are compatible with the Mercury after bias adjustment: KT-66, 6L6, KT-88, 6550, and EL-34. Do not use 6V6 power tubes in the Mercury. The internal voltages and current levels are not compatible with 6V6s." Biasing is DIY via access points built in and easily accessible (see the manual).

    It's a great little amp with lots of great tones inside although, to be truthful, I don't normally use it much for jazz (although Bill Frisell is listed as an artist/user on Carr's site, so how off can it be, right?). Very highly recommended. (And you did say that boutique was OK in this thread!)

    Check out the Carr Mercury FAQ...

    Mercury FAQs | Carr Amplifiers

    I hope this helps. Good luck in your search!
    Last edited by ooglybong; 03-21-2013 at 10:39 PM.

  17. #16

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    Yeah, I find those low wattage tube amps to be pretty much useless in a gigging situation for jazz, but...if I turn one up to 10, grab a slide, then I'm the reincarnation of Elmore James....

  18. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by ooglybong
    Carr Mercury. Stylish l'il thing...
    Mercury | Carr Amplifiers
    ...[ ]...
    This.
    Expensive, stylish (indeed!) and just stupidly fun to play.
    You can find one used for $1,200.

  19. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by Hammertone
    This.
    Expensive, stylish (indeed!) and just stupidly fun to play.
    You can find one used for $1,200.
    Precisely what I paid for mine—and well worth it. Custom color, too. (Plus, as I came to later discover, mine was also modded with a DI under the chassis. Nice for when the day comes.)

    Oh, yeah, lotsa fun.

  20. #19

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    Actually, here's another really good one - The Koch Classic SE - either as a 1x12" 2watt/6watt combo or a 1x12" 4watt/12watt combo.
    I grabbed one for a friend at last year's NAMM show and it it quite wonderful.
    Not as hip as the Mercury, but a way better value, especially if you are in Scotland - just call Koch and find out where you can get one.

    Koch Classic SE 6 combo - Koch Amps
    Koch Classic SE 12W | Boutique style single ended combo guitar amp | koch-amps.com
    Last edited by Hammertone; 12-09-2018 at 06:46 AM.

  21. #20

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    Hey guys.

    The Carr looks good but is extremely rich for me, shame.

    I like Koch amplifiers. The Jupiter was on my radar but I cannot justify 45 watts for my needs.

    The Classic SE is nice and it'll need to be sourced second hand, so holding out for that could take a while. If it's available at the time and affordable who knows!

    So third epiphany, Boutique for second hand if funds available at the time.

    Come on guys and gals, post up a review of your low watt valve combo please.

    Any love for Vox AC4 ??????

  22. #21

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    Jazzbow, - did you not try the VHT 12/20 and liked it? The VHT Special 6 sounds very close.

  23. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by bluefonia
    Jazzbow, - did you not try the VHT 12/20 and liked it? The VHT Special 6 sounds very close.
    No I didn't pal. I was trying a Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister 18 via a different thread. I was asking after VHTs and you suggested 12/20 I think?!? I would like to try any of those VHTs but they are hard to find in stores. Basically you go to a store here in the south west of Scotland and the north of England and all you have are Marshalls, Fenders, Cubes & Blackstars. I was lucky to find a shop with the tubemeister. I even got to try an Egnator Rebel 20 which was right up my street, a nice feature to be able to flit between 6V6 & EL84 and wattage control but not in combo format.

    I've found I'm hankering after 6V6 American clean sound. A Princeton would be nice but they are out of my price range. I guess the 12/20RT would be right but I want to try first and the price must be right.

    So paste up your personal reviews everyone.

  24. #23

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    The amp I own is not a 6L6 amp but an EL84 based design. I thought I would mention it anyway. It's a Bugera V5 that is made by Behringer. I got it new for less than 200$. Yes a made in China cheapo, but I think it's pretty useful for jazz. Tubes need to be changed, instant great improvement. Tube rattle problem that I solved with a simple DIY trick involving a plumbing connector and PVC tape. And well it's kind of dark with the stock speaker and I like it for Jazz tones(although with a strat it can get bright enough). I find the reverb to be rather nice + Gain, tone and volume controls. I've used it on trio gigs with Bass and Sax it was great and extremely portable. I use everyday at home. A good on a budget little amp(and maybe even if not on a budget!). Has a speaker out + headphone jack. Another fun feature is the power attenuator to switch the amp to 1 watt or 1/4 watt, to crank it up at lower volumes...
    Last edited by Ronstuff; 03-22-2013 at 06:11 PM.

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ronstuff
    The amp I own is not a 6L6 amp but an EL84 based design. I thought I would mention it anyway. It's a Bugera V5 that is made by Behringer. I got it new for less than 200$.
    Yes, I have seen those, again only available at very few stores, mainly in the south east of England (700+ miles away). But I found a guy who does some really cool mods to these and it's on my list, he puts in a valve rectifier and other mods, check out the link.

    Bugera V5 Combo



    I was thinking of getting one and putting it into a larger cab with a 12" jenson. But then again it's an EL84 but he does switching mods with up to 9 different sounds. But I really like the clean and break up of 6V6's. To my ears EL84's are too dirty sounding when they distort.

    So another epiphany, clean clean clean channel with pedal distortion.

    This thread is helping my decision making process. I just like to thank everyone whose put up suggestions.

    So come on people, paste up your 5 watt valve amp reviews....

  26. #25

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    I played a VHT Special 6 Combo a couple days ago. At the time, I was looking for a low-headroom amp that'd give me a good rock grind when the guitar volume is up. The VHT was actually louder and cleaner than I wanted. I can't vouch for whether it'll meet your expectations tonally, but I think that in terms of headroom and volume it'd make a decent small jazz amp.