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Anyone try these affordable tube amps? The one channel GVT15-112 combo looks especially interesting to me. Class A, cathode biased, 6V6 tubes, spring reverb, Celestion speaker. Half/full power switch (7.5 vs 15 watts). Haven't found any really good jazz oriented demos of it online, but some show off some nice clean tones that shows promise.
Last edited by krueger; 08-28-2013 at 06:30 AM.
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08-24-2013 11:41 AM
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I own one.
It has a nice mellow (american) Sound produced by the 6v6 Tubes. I am very happy with it.
I use it for jazz only with my eastman AR880. Superior to a Blues Junior (for my taste) because it is so mellow sounding.
It has lots of clean headroom. It is hard to distort it.
You will need some time to get used to the EQ, because it reacts in a more direct way then a Fender EQ does. But it is very effective. The Reverb is a tad too much. Think: at 3 you play an empty Church. But used gently it sounds decent.
It feels very solid and reliable.
For 305€ at Thomann it is a steal...
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Thanks, that was the kind of answer I was hoping for here! I'm afraid you put me one step closer to the edge of giving in to the GAS
I messed up the title of the thread btw. The name is GVT for these amps.
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I got me one of those GVT 15 watt amps.
They do distort, the gain and middle control hit the first pre amp tube so if you max these you can make some nice 70's Keith Richards tones.
The treble and bass are flat at 12 o'clock and twisting them left or right cut or boost frequencies.
I like the spring reverb, it comes out washy but that's ok.
The cabinet is ply and not MDF or chipboard. Very well made in South Korea.
If you want clean, dial back the middle control and put gain at 12 o'clock and then 7.5 watts for practice & small room solo/duet, 15 watts for rehearsals & coffee bar with teeth. Anything approaching loud band gig volumes then get the 50 watter (which is cheap too).
I like this amp alot, my overdrive and distortion sounds come from pedals. This amp is ideal for pedals.
I'll post a review soon!
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This is an interesting thread as I was asking myself the same questions about the GVT.
Krueger: don't you own (or are a fan of) the Bugera V22 ? I also have a V22, but have been looking for a 6V6 alternative. I tried the VHT Special 6 but wasn't happy with it - I couldn't tame the volume for "quiet" practice like I can with the V22. I'm now hoping you press the trigger on the GVT so that you can give us a comparative review with the V22 !
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I sold my V22 a few months ago. Not that I was dissatisfied with it in any way. More due to the chronic illness of focusing on changing/collecting gear instead of practicing
Originally Posted by newsense
. If I couldn't find something new and exciting in the affordable price range, I would get another V22 and be perfectly happy. Currently I'm looking around the house and see that the only amp I have left is a Micro Cube (wtf happened?) I now play unamplified or with headphones through a Zoom G3, but I miss the tube amp sensation from time to time. Another tube combo is definitely on the horizon. Mostly for home use but still big enough for small gigs if I ever end up in a band where it is needed.
The reason I'm looking at the GVT15 combo is because it is slightly more compact and simpler than the V22. I need only a clean channel. The cathode biased power tubes takes away the need for manual bias adjustments etc. If I get one I will surely report on how they compare.
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I played the v22 when I was at Thomann, I tried every low wattage amp they had. Originally Posted by newsense
It didn`t impress me much. The Preamp runs a bit hotter then the Ampeg. So the Sound is a bit "harder".
The build quality is not what I call reliable. But, that was my first impression. Maybe because of the fact that it is a Behringer, I am a bit prejudiced...
If you want a good clean sound in a transportable package, nothing more, then I recommend the GVT 15 because thats what it is designed for. It stays clean like no other low wattage amp. Only if you drive the eq and gain into extreme settings, then will overdrive a tad.
Sounds good at room level too.
And as Jazzbow said, it likes pedals. Every pedal I put in front or in the efx loop was well accepted.
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Thanks, the arguments for a purchase keep piling up. Originally Posted by redwater
On the reliability of V22. I think I've read every single post (almost
) on the problems with V22:s. I think 99% of them have to do with the same problem: a flaky voltage regulator that causes random channel and/or reverb switching. Still makes the amp next to unusable of course and by right made a lot of people angry. Apart from that I haven't seen anything that indicates that they in general have all kinds of other problems, or more than other mass produced amps.
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I agree with Krueger that the V22 has had a lot of bad press on reliability and build quality, much of which (but not all) is unjustified. I fixed the problem with a €1 heat-sink, which slides onto the culpable regulator. It took about half an hour, mainly because the V22 is actually quite solidly put together and takes some time to disassemble. The exercise gave me the opportunity to examine the build quality "close up and personal" and it is really far better than its low price would suggest. The power tube biasing arrangements are a little idiosyncratic, probably due to Bugera's policy of trying to tie you in to their own tubes for replacements.
Having said that, this thread has added greatly to my hankering for the Ampeg. I have a strict "one-in-one-out" policy, so would need to sell the V22 first - not sure how easy that will be !
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Am I correct that this amp is just over 40 lbs? (It's hard to tell from the specs on the Ampeg site if that's the weight of the amp or the amp plus shipping materials).
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It is 19 Kilos. Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
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I succumbed and ordered the 15 watt combo from Thomann. I figured I'm not secure enough in my manliness (or playing abilities) to show up with only a Micro Cube if I get invited to a jam
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Originally Posted by krueger
well congrats to your new purchase
for me the waiting-time is the hardest part after you bought something from the internet.
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Don't worry about that Micro Cube. I frankensteined mine to a 2x10 cab! Plus a compressor makes for a nice bluesy sound. Originally Posted by krueger
I succumbed and ordered the 15 watt combo from Thomann. I figured I'm not secure enough in my manliness (or playing abilities) to show up with only a Micro Cube if I get invited to a jam
The speaker is a farty car stereo 6.5". I only put it in as it is 4ohms and yellow.
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You won`t be dissapointed! It is a fantastic Amp. Originally Posted by krueger
I succumbed and ordered the 15 watt combo from Thomann. I figured I'm not secure enough in my manliness (or playing abilities) to show up with only a Micro Cube if I get invited to a jam
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Some pretty cool playing on one of these amps
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I will definitely be swapping my V22 for a GVT if it will let me playlike that !
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Hi Krueger - has Mr Thomann delivered yet ? Originally Posted by krueger
I succumbed and ordered the 15 watt combo from Thomann. I figured I'm not secure enough in my manliness (or playing abilities) to show up with only a Micro Cube if I get invited to a jam
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Sure! I have had it for two days but haven't really had the chance to play it much due to other circumstances. Initial impression of the sound is good though. It has a different kind of clean than the V22. The Ampeg has a more mellow and flatter attack in its sound where the V22 had a more chimey and bell-like character. I wanna give it some more time before doing any deeper review on it. Originally Posted by newsense
/Fredrik
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The amp is going back for warranty repair. There is a hum in the fx loop that I don't like. According to Ampeg tech support it is a "15V power supply rail problem" which can be fixed under warranty. I like the amp enough to give it a chance. I'll post here again when it I have it back.
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Here's where the horror started! Originally Posted by krueger
I sent the amp back from Sweden to Thomann in Germany since they want to do their own service repairs (normally Ampeg has another company doing service repairs for their amps in Germany). I made very sure to provide all the emails between me and Ampegs tech support which clearly stated that the fx loop hum is fixable under their warranty and what the problem is. After a week or so the amp is on the way back. In the receipt they state that this is normal noise and didn't fix it. When the amp arrived I immediately noticed that they did not use the original packaging when sending it back. Manual and warranty card was gone also. Sloppy packaging in general, the prong of the power cable was eating its way out of the box! Anyway I fired the amp up and bingo the reverb is busted! Became angry, mailed them but agreed on sending the amp back for yet another service repair. They explained that they somehow didn't manage to relay the info to their service people that the fx loop hum should be fixed. Anyone opening the box would have seen my return forms and all the info there, but no. I now overstate several times in my communication with them that the amp now has two problems: Fx loop and reverb. I also write this very clearly on the return form and send the amp back. More waiting... Got the amp back today, great I would have hoped but no. They've only managed to fix the fx loop. The reverb is still broken.
Should I agree on a third attempt at fixing this or fight for a full refund and send it back and go looking for some other amp?
Sad thing is that the amp sounds pretty good...
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Hi Frederik - this is a sad story. My advice would be to ask Thomann for a refund and then buy another Bugera; here's why:
In the period since you first bought and returned the Ampeg to Thomann, I bought a VHT Special 12/20RT from them - looking for much the same performance as you from the Ampeg. There are no longer any VHT suppliers in the UK, so I couldn't try before buying and Thomann was the only option. When I switched on, first time out of the box, no guitar plugged in, the amp was very noisy. It was a very loud hum, even on 1/4 volume, which was modulated by the intensity of both the reverb and tremolo. I e-mailed Thomann to tell them I thought it was faulty and to ask for a return label. They replied by asking me to record a video of the problem ! I refused, as I felt that a video recorded on a smartphone would show them nothing, so they eventually sent me a label. Meanwhile, I swapped each valve out for a known good equivalent, but with no change. So, when returning the item, I included a note (also sent by e-mail) to say: "if you find the amp is faulty, please replace it; however if the noise is normal then I would prefer a refund". Two days later they claimed to have checked the amp and confirmed that it was not faulty - I received my Paypal refund the next day. Fortunately, I still have my Bugera V22, which I am beginning to appreciate more and more !
However, there may be something you can check before returning the Ampeg. I once bought a Tech21 Trademark 30 from a shop - looked like new - at a very good price. I didn't realize in the shop that the spring reverb was not working. As the amp was sold at a big reduction, they would not take it back; I understood why. However, I removed the cover on the reverb tank and did something technical with the contacts to the spring-line transducers: I gave them a good wiggle. The reverb then worked like new ! I do wonder whether this is a common fault with reverb tanks after storage and transportation. (I'm sure I don't need to remind you to unplug from the mains before poking your fingers inside the reverb !)
Good luck - I hope it works out, as I am still curious about the GVT; the spec sounds great for my purposes.
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Thanks for the reply! I've asked Thomann for a refund by email, but no reply yet. If they insist on trying to repair it once more I will probably take it to a tech around here on my own expense first for a diagnosis or hopefully a quick fix. It seems kind of useless to send this amp on sightseeing in Germany anymore if I can help it. Originally Posted by newsense
The reverb isn't completely dead there is an increased hiss if I turn the dial up. Maybe I should just re-label the knob to hiss instead of reverb and call it a day
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I got a reply from Thomann. The same guy that in a previous mail said that he had received my info about the broken reverb now said that they hadn't received any info about the broken reverb!!?
There must be some serious process issues down there...
Anyway I removed the semi open back of the amp and found the reverb tank loose inside some kind of fake leather bag, stuck to the speaker magnet but still connected by RCA cables to the amp. I removed this clusterfuck and found that one wire in in the reverb tank had come loose. After some soldering the reverb works again! I also fastened it with screws in the conventional way at the bottom of the cab.
Needless to say I'm very dissatisfied with Thomann about all this. Happy to have the amp back though and no shadow should fall on Ampeg over this.
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Hey Krueger, I'm really struck dumb by the lack of customer service from such a massive importer and distributor.
I was reading your reverb issue and man that was just downright bad repair work right there!
My GVT15 reverb tank wasn't tightly fixed so I removed those screws and rejigged them to tighten that SOB reverb tank down.
I trust you are enjoying the amp proper, it's surprisingly quiet with humbuckers BTW.
I must say though the reverb is really plush and I find myself wallowing in it!
The Amp itself has a really great tone stack and I find Treble @ 12 o'clock, Mids @ 9 o'clock and Bass @ 3 o'clock just about perfect for my Telecaster, with the guitar tone control to cut or boost the string tone.
Talking Tele, how's yours? The 5 way switch mod I did is brilliant, so many core tones to choose from and with the GVT tone stack there's always fun to be had.
And if you want a simple Tele upgrade try these intonateable saddles..
I'm going to jazz it up further with flats and an appropriate saddle change.
When it's all done I'll post up the work and pictures.
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