Anybody have any experience with a big-sounding little amp? It has to be smaller and less power than a Deluxe(tweed or blackface) but bigger and more power than a Champ. A little headroom would be nice, but the main ingredient here should be righteous power tube distortion!
The best big sound/ smallest size ratio (while having great tone) I've found are the Super Champ and its cousin the Champ II. I've done countless gigs with my II- best $200 I ever spent on gear. These are a little hard to find, though.
Another cool option if you want lots of gain is the brownface Princeton- pure rock 'n roll, these.
Brown Princeton or Princeton reverb! The PR may have a bit more headroom. Brownie has awesome raunchy distortion!
A couple more good ones would be the Mesa Subways - the Blues for power tube distortion, the Rocket if you want to scream. I know one guy who records with 2 Rockets in stereo. Sounds like a roomfull of stacks :)
I'd hace to second the Super Champ. Great sounding small amp. 18 watts, 10" speaker, drive channel that sounds like a Boogie. Same size as a regular Champ.
My son has a Marshall AVT 20. Just a tube preamp but this amp sounds great. Loud enough for jams etc.
For all tube, how about a Blues Junior?
brianf
Oh Man!!! I never knew Fender made amps too!!!
Thanks for the input, my tone pals. Blues Junior was in the running, but in a side-byside comparison, the little Pro Junior(2 EL84s, 1-10" speaker) was the better sounding amp. The amp has 2 chicken head knobs, "volume" and "tone". I even used it at a wedding reception, though it is better suited for home, or a small room practice space. Tele and Les Paul sound really good, and the distortion is great! A real value for $299.
Gotta agree with yer ears there, Ogre. A couple years ago, a friend & I A/Bed the BJ & the PJ, and the PJ was hands down the better sounding amp.
PJ's are great amps, I love mine. I woulda suggested one but you said you wanted something bigger than a champ. Anyway, turn that little puppy up & rock on.
In the small amp stable I have a Pro Jr, a Trace Elliot Velocette (10" speaker model) and a '74 Princeton Reverb. The PR's out of the running 'cos it's badly in need of s service, and so the Pro Jr usually gets the call for small gigs. The Velocette actually sounds a little better to my ears, but the Pro Jr wins by having accessible controls and by being slightly more compact. Very nice little amps. Like a buddy of mine said "A one trick pony sure, but what a trick"
2005 new gear count: CIJ '72 RI Tele Custom. NOS '88 Charvel Model 3B. Reverend Drivetrain II. Boss CH-2. Boss DS-1. Boss BCB-60. PRS Custom 22
A short time back I was "in the hunt" for similar features. After careful research, alot of reading and listening I chose a Soldano Astroverb 16 (Boa). I already had a Blues Junior. I now use the BJ for clean and the Soldano as the overdrive.
The Astroverb has to be heard to be believed. I have NEVER heard the type of tone that drips from this thing. I have had a Mesa/Boogie Studio .22 w/graphic EQ in the past...and it is a fine amp...but the Soldano absolutely cleans it clock. Don't get me wrong, I loved the Studio .22, and it is great for the price, but it's not even in the same league as the Astroverb.
Price wise I think I did OK (don't we all). I paid $700.00 delivered to my door, spanking new.
yes, i´d also vote for the pro junior (cheap, easily accessable) or the brownface princeton (not that cheap, not that easy to find, but great!). if you´re asking for powertube-distortion, these guys have it! as for the princeton reverb - it´s a great sounding amp for that "sparkly" fender-clean, but i was never able to get a good od-tone going with mine (sf-model)...so i let go of it! i generally think the bf/sf fenders aren´t the greatest amps for od/distortion...
cheers - C.
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