Favorite Small Amp head & replacement speakers (under $100-ish)

[Old Dog New Cans]

I'm interested in learning what "lunch box" size amp heads you all use and like. I play for fun at home. I don't need a Huge amount of volume. I would like it if the amp got along well with others--meaning pedals and effects. I own a Hotone Freeze B--small, ok, fun. And I have an Orange Micro Terror. . .also fun, ok. I will be putting a 1x12 cabinet together (actually I purchased a cab and will be finishing it). I have a Celestion 70/80 to start out. I'm sure I'll be upgrading. I think I might try something from Warehouse.

I have a few in mind

Bogner Ecstasy
Bugera T5 Infinium
Blackstar HT-1R MKII
Friedman BE-mini
Hughes & Kettner Spirit Nano Vintage

I don't think, any of these are geared towards metal. I want to start out relatively clean, reverb, tube action. If I want serious distortion, I'll add it. ALSO, if you have experience with any of these amps directly, please LMK what you think and your experiences with it/them.

Price point is important. I will most-likely buy used unless I find a fantastic deal on new. I won't spend over $300, and I would definitely prefer under $250. The $100 in the title refers to SPEAKERS ONLY.

Thanks!

 

[Old Dog New Cans]

The Bugera, from what I've read online, is NO LONGER a choice. Seems mediocre at best. I, honestly, probably wouldn't notice what an actual guitarist would notice. But I've got a good ear. Anyway. . ..

 

[El Fenix]

Try the Friedman

 

[aphantomvaper]

Still using the Pig nose here, haven't had a need to upgrade

 

[Old Dog New Cans]

Try the Friedman

I probably should Not have listed the Friedman. The Hotone Freeze B is a copy. I very much like the sound. Maybe I'll upgrade to the Friedman and sell the Freeze B,

I've always wanted a Pignose since seeing Crossroads 35 years ago. I often feel like they're a little overpriced? But I really dig their sound. I have a couple practice sized amps. Just got a small Blackstar that I like. I just wanted something to go with cabinet I'm putting together.

 

[aphantomvaper]

I probably should Not have listed the Friedman. The Hotone Freeze B is a copy. I very much like the sound. Maybe I'll upgrade to the Friedman and sell the Freeze B,

I've always wanted a Pignose since seeing Crossroads 35 years ago. I often feel like they're a little overpriced? But I really dig their sound. I have a couple practice sized amps. Just got a small Blackstar that I like. I just wanted something to go with cabinet I'm putting together.

My comment wasn't too helpful in retrospect. I was thinking sub-$100 amp cos when I bought it 20 years ago it was a sub-$100 amp .

Hope you find the one you need.

 

[Old Dog New Cans]

My comment wasn't too helpful in retrospect. I was thinking sub-$100 amp cos when I bought it 20 years ago it was a sub-$100 amp .

Hope you find the one you need.

No worries. I'm putting together a 1x12 cabinet. So I'm looking to find a small amp Head to pair with it. I have a couple already, just looking for something else.

 

[markd21]

I'm a fan of the Orange Micro amps. I did a series of gigs using a Micro Terror with a Marshall 1936 cab. It was a sweet sound.

I've always liked the Egnater Tweaker 15. Lots of options in that little beast. Plus you can swap the power tubes. I always took out the 6V6 tubes and used EL34 tubes in the power section. No rebias neccessary. Plus it has a loop. I always stuck a Strymon Flint in the loop for my trem/reverb. That allowed me solid Fender-style tones.

I'm intrigued by the mini Bogner and Friedman, but I don't play those types of tones. Anytime I use a Diezel VH4 I never go past channel 2. Same when using an Engl.

 

[Old Dog New Cans]

I'm a fan of the Orange Micro amps. I did a series of gigs using a Micro Terror with a Marshall 1936 cab. It was a sweet sound.

I've always liked the Egnater Tweaker 15. Lots of options in that little beast. Plus you can swap the power tubes. I always took out the 6V6 tubes and used EL34 tubes in the power section. No rebias neccessary. Plus it has a loop. I always stuck a Strymon Flint in the loop for my trem/reverb. That allowed me solid Fender-style tones.

I'm intrigued by the mini Bogner and Friedman, but I don't play those types of tones. Anytime I use a Diezel VH4 I never go past channel 2. Same when using an Engl.

I like my Orange, haven't had a good quality cab to put it through yet. I like the Friedman for sure. I feel like the Bogner may be a little too crunchy and the Diezel is definitely too crunchy for my tastes. I dig the Tweaker, probably a bit more than I'll spend . . .for now.

I'm leaning towards the Hughes & Kettner. . .If my other snare drum sells, I'm just buying the Friedman, I want it.


Amendment: I actually like the Bogner a lot. Watched a few more vids on it. It certainly has plenty of gain. I'm also now considering Foxgear pedal amps.

 

[Wakester]

Orange has some pretty cool "mini" amps that have some big sound. The Micro Terror 20 is a very small amp with a big voice, even through an 8" speaker cab. It goes from clean to super dirty with the flick of the wrist. It takes pedals well and is budget freindly.

 

[markd21]

I like my Orange, haven't had a good quality cab to put it through yet. I like the Friedman for sure. I feel like the Bogner may be a little too crunchy and the Diezel is definitely too crunchy for my tastes. I dig the Tweaker, probably a bit more than I'll spend . . .for now.

I'm leaning towards the Hughes & Kettner. . .If my other snare drum sells, I'm just buying the Friedman, I want it.


Amendment: I actually like the Bogner a lot. Watched a few more vids on it. It certainly has plenty of gain. I'm also now considering Foxgear pedal amps.

Cool. Yeah, I looked up Tweaker prices after I posted. I got mine new for $349 when they first came out. For $600 I'm not too sure, lol. It's a killer amp, but the new little hybrids (I'm guessing that's what those mini boutiques are) are offering a lot for the money.

 

[El Fenix]

Orange has some pretty cool "mini" amps that have some big sound. The Micro Terror 20 is a very small amp with a big voice, even through an 8" speaker cab. It goes from clean to super dirty with the flick of the wrist. It takes pedals well and is budget freindly.

I put mine through a 1x12. Eminence GB128

 

[LunarRock]

Used is a great idea, for just a little more than budget you can look at the Blu guitar Amp1, seen them for £350 in UK

There is a metal orientated edition, the iridium but think its newer, so higher second hand price, but the amp1 has 3x voices and goes into speaker cabinet. Thomas was the Hughes & Kettner designer before he did his own company.

*I have never played one, just followed the product as I can see myself getting one in the future

 

[Tone-y]

Used is a great idea, for just a little more than budget you can look at the Blu guitar Amp1, seen them for £350 in UK

There is a metal orientated edition, the iridium but think its newer, so higher second hand price, but the amp1 has 3x voices and goes into speaker cabinet. Thomas was the Hughes & Kettner designer before he did his own company.

*I have never played one, just followed the product as I can see myself getting one in the future

I've got an amp 1 and I think they are great. Can play quietly at TV volumes, can play at stage volumes into a 4x12. Clean, plexi, JCM800, modded Marshall type tone and gain flavours with active tone controls so they give lots of powerful shaping of the sound. Two different tone stacks for the clean, JCM and modded Marshall channels with a blend control for each to tweak the voicings.
Doesn't need a speaker load so no danger of damaging if you don't have a cab connected (can listen just through headphones), fully midi controllable and extra features like second master volume and a power soak accessable via midi. And on board boost (adjustable) and reverb too. All in a package that can fit inside the front pocket of your gig bag.

 

[LunarRock]

Tone-y can it go straight into an FRFR speaker as well as a regular cab?

 

[Old Dog New Cans]

Cool. Yeah, I looked up Tweaker prices after I posted. I got mine new for $349 when they first came out. For $600 I'm not too sure, lol. It's a killer amp, but the new little hybrids (I'm guessing that's what those mini boutiques are) are offering a lot for the money.

Wow, almost doubled in price. At $350, that's definitely easier to justify.

I bought the Hughes & Kettner Spirit of Vintage. I've had this one in my Reverb list for weeks. Used, mint, $70 under new list price. Every video I watched of people playing this particular amp, they were enjoying what they were getting from it. I still may end up with the Bogner Ectasy Mini, something else.

 

[Tone-y]

Tone-y can it go straight into an FRFR speaker as well as a regular cab?

Yes it can, though I haven't tried it out myself. The line out/headphone socket has speaker emulation on it but it is not IR based. It's passive filtering like the Hughes and Kettner red box DIs. They do make an IR box that you plug the speaker out into - it can handle the signal level - but it's another couple of hundred quid