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IMO the Fender Hot Rod is too loud for an amp, unless you don't have a pa for your amp don't get the fender hot rod. I also personally do not like the tone, although it's too loud to turn up enough to open the amp up anyways. Ampeg amps are great i hear. If you're into all the pedals and stuff the Fender Pro Jr. will do you wonder (15 watts, 2 knobs). Also a Vox Ac-15 is right in there and kicks as much ass as the AC-30.

 

If i were you though I would save up an extra hundred dollars and get the 800 dollar Fender Deluxe Reverb (22 watts, and beautiful).

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Fender Hot Rod Deluxe

 

Best deal your gonna find IMO, loud as you could ever want, tube power, etc. etc.

 

How is the Hot Rod Deluxe different from the Blues Jr or the Blues Deluxe? I am in the market for an amp these days too, and most people seem to think the Blues Jr is a great little tube amp with warm tone, etc. in this price range. Do folks agree with that?

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Blues Jr. is 15 watts. Hot Rod Deluxe is 40 watts. Other than that, I don't know what the differences are.

 

I'm leaning towards getting myself a Pro Junior, but lately I've been advised to get an amp with a master volume control, so I'm considering the Blues Junior as well. Pro Juniors are supposed to haver better tone, though, so I guess I'll have to do a comparison test at a shop that has both amps.

 

If you want to know all about Fender stuff, this isn't the place to be.

 

But this is:

 

http://www.fenderforum.com

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If you're into all the pedals and stuff the Fender Pro Jr. will do you wonder (15 watts, 2 knobs).

 

Very true. Or a Blues Junior. Or a vintage Vibro Champ (susally get those for $300-400)

 

Also a Vox Ac-15 is right in there and kicks as much ass as the AC-30.

 

I dont think you're ever going to see those at $700 or under sadly. Even the new Chinese-made Custom Classics are more like $900.

 

Another good brand to look at is Traynor (which is what I have). YVC40WR for people who like a Fendery sound (but with better overdrive IMO) or the YCV50Blue for Marshall fans. Both very nice amps for that can be bought new on ebay for $500-600

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Those are nice amps. They make a Classic 30, also, which is probably $50-$100 cheaper and might be better as a practice amp. The Classic 30 is definitely on the short list of amps I'm considering (along w/ Ampeg Jet and Fender Pro Jr. & Blues Jr.) once I can put aside another $100 or so.

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Sorry, but the new Ac-15s are going for about 600 without the Celestion speaker (which imo is jsut a fancy, upgrade and actually doesn't sound as good) online so you could probably get it a little cheaper in a store.

 

Also, just look for some kind of used amp. Got my Mesa/Boogie here for 300 bucks. Great little amp.

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Sorry, but the new Ac-15s are going for about 600 without the Celestion speaker (which imo is jsut a fancy, upgrade and actually doesn't sound as good) online so you could probably get it a little cheaper in a store.

 

I had missed those - thanks.

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  • 2 weeks later...

the peavey classic amps are great. i have a carvin bel air (50 watt 2x12 combo with a REALLY lush reverb). i'd recommend one, but they do get loud. the carvin vintage 16 might be a better choice for a small tube amp.

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Yea man, only real problem is that the new Vox/Korg quality control is shit. So find a dealer who will let you return it if it dies, or buy one pre-used/tested.
I could not agree more. A couple of years ago I had a Vox produced Cambridge 30 twin. It was a great sounding amp, I believe 2 10" Celestion bulldogs and it had a tube preamp. It sounded F--KING GREAT. Good warm clean and a great dirty overdrive channel. Also had wonderful built-in tremolo and reverb. The problem was that there was something wrong with the power amps that necessitated them being shorted out every so often so that they would act together and not cause a shitload of noise, hum and feedback. Got it fixed twice and then got rid of it. It was never very loud (30 watts nothing!!) and two of my friends had the same amp and suffered the same fate. I know it's a long story, but I don't want to see good money go to waste like mine did. Makes me weary of the higher-end Vox equipment.
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Yea man, only real problem is that the new Vox/Korg quality control is shit. So find a dealer who will let you return it if it dies, or buy one pre-used/tested.

North Coast Music out of Milwaukee www.voxshowroom.com is the best place to buy a Vox if you are considering mail order.

They open up and visually inspect and electronically test EVERY single unit before it is added to stock, and I believe they also install a speaker jack on the combos at no extra charge so you can use an extension cab if you want to.

 

They do this, and they still sell at the minimum allowed pricing just like Guitar Center, Sam Ash, or Musician's Friend.

 

Also if you are an od school Vox nut, they have awesome reproduction replacement cabs built to vintage specs with correct materials and coverings, and they are licensed by Vox UK.

Edited by A_Wheel
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Back to the original topic, I picked up a Crate Vintage Club 20 (single 10", all tube combo) and it is the best $200 I ever spent. I know that these and the 1-12" versions pop up on ebay all the time for reasonable prices.

 

They auto-bias, so retubing is a snap. I just retubed mine with matched tubes from Euro Tube and it sounds great.

 

A great sounding, all tube Crate sounds like an oxymoron, just like the Peavey Classics go against the grain of what that company traditionally offers... Both lines offer excellent combos for the money, and since they are each sold all over the place, they are readily available for reasonable prices on the used market.

 

I see a lot of love for the litte Fender combos, and with old Fenders it is well deserved. Modern Fenders are hit-and-miss IMO, and I would not really consider buying anything except maybe a reissue.

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Guest awitness29

Like others before me...a Peavey Classic 30 would be a great amp...I've got a Hotrod Deluxe and have played countless Classics...hell, I've even got a "classic" Classic 50 (late 70's model), and I'd say they're about the same, but the Peavey would be alot cheaper. If you can find one for a good price...Dr. Z makes a nice little tube combo called the Mini Z (I think). All it has is a volume nob, but man, does it sound amazing.

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I just got a Traynor Custom Valve 20 (YCV20WR) and love it. They sell for something like $500-$600 new, but you can find them on ebay for $350. It's a 15 watt tube amp, but if you need more power they make 50 and 80 watt models. These amps have more features than most other 15 watt tube amps on the market. The 50 watt got Guitar Player magazine's "Editor's Choice" award, for whatever that's worth.

 

http://www.zzounds.com/item--TNRYCV20

 

EDIT: As was mentioned above by another poster, they also make a 40 watt model. It might be the 40 watt that got the Editor's Choice award, and not the 50 watt. Sorry, I can't remember exactly.

Edited by jff
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I just got a Traynor Custom Valve 20 (YCV20WR) and love it. They sell for something like $500-$600 new, but you can find them on ebay for $350. It's a 15 watt tube amp, but if you need more power they make 50 and 80 watt models. These amps have more features than most other 15 watt tube amps on the market. The 50 watt got Guitar Player magazine's "Editor's Choice" award, for whatever that's worth.

 

http://www.zzounds.com/item--TNRYCV20

 

EDIT: As was mentioned above by another poster, they also make a 40 watt model. It might be the 40 watt that got the Editor's Choice award, and not the 50 watt. Sorry, I can't remember exactly.

 

Most importantly, the wine red versions look really cool :cheers

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Most importantly, the wine red versions look really cool :cheers

 

Yeah, it even looks a lot nicer than the photo in the link. In my opinion it's the best looking amp currently on the market (let's just admit it: appearance matters). Great sound, too. I've read that swapping out the stock tubes (Sovteks) with JJ/Teslas makes it sound even better.

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I've read that swapping out the stock tubes (Sovteks) with JJ/Teslas makes it sound even better.

 

I can personally attest to that. My only "complaint" is that the 40W is overpowered for what I need it for so I might look into an inexpensive attenuator like a Weber Mini Mass.

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I can personally attest to that. My only "complaint" is that the 40W is overpowered for what I need it for so I might look into an inexpensive attenuator like a Weber Mini Mass.

 

Did you have any trouble replacing the tubes? Many of the reviews at Harmony Central say it is hard to access the tubes due to protective metal plate, or something.

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Did you have any trouble replacing the tubes? Many of the reviews at Harmony Central say it is hard to access the tubes due to protective metal plate, or something.

 

It was a tad awkward, but not really bad at all.

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It was a tad awkward, but not really bad at all.

 

That's good to hear. I'll probably swap my tubes out pretty soon. I've never done it. Is there anything I need to know in order to avoid electrocution, or can I just unplug the amp and get to work?

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