Opinions needed! New Amp!

[drdoom8793]

Hey guys! After much thought, I have decided to give up my Peavey Triple X Head and Cab in favor of something a bit smaller and more apartment friendly. While I love this amp, I am not (nor have I ever) playing gigs that require 120 watts or a 4/12 cab, not to mention it simply doesn't work for practicing in an apartment. So I've been looking at passing this along in favor of a smaller amp.

I play mostly blues and rock but can get into some heavier rock/what might be considered metal. I would prefer something with 2 channels as I usually like to use the amp's gain for the heavier stuff and I use a Fulltone OCD for lighter gain. Also, I've never been a big fan of Marshall or Orange but I'm open to suggestions. My price range will depend on what I can get out of the Peavey but will probably be up to about $750. The amps I have been considering are:

Blackstar HT Club 40
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HTCLUB40C
I've used this amp a few times for demos at the dreaded GC and it sounds pretty nice to my ears! It would be enough for playing a small gig but not be too loud to use in my apartment. My only concern is that it's on the higher end of my budget for a new amp.

Peavey Valveking II
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ValveKIIC50
Pretty much the same story as the Blackstar. I've tried it a few times. I don't like it quite as much as the Blackstar but it's a bit cheaper.

VHT Special 12/20
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/ampl...12w-20w-1x12-hand-wired-tube-guitar-combo-amp
A friend of mine has a VHT right now and highly recommends their amps, however, I've never had the chance to try one. This one isn't quite as stout wattage wise as the other two and unfortunately, I'd be buying based purely off what I've seen and heard online as no store near me carries these (that I know of).

Are there any other amps that I should be looking at? Does anyone have any experience with these? Any assistance/guidance is appreciated!

 

[markintime]

I almost went with the Blackstar HT 40, but instead fell for the HT Club 50 and the HTV 2x12 cab. A little more power obviously, but otherwise pretty much the same. I love mine. Love the ISF feature where I can go from vintage British sounds to more modern American rock. I know it will do metal, but that's not my gig. I am a big blues fan.

Can't offer any opinion on the other 2.

 

[watelessness]

PRS C, H, and Archon should work just fine

 

[drdoom8793]

I almost went with the Blackstar HT 40, but instead fell for the HT Club 50 and the HTV 2x12 cab. A little more power obviously, but otherwise pretty much the same. I love mine. Love the ISF feature where I can go from vintage British sounds to more modern American rock. I know it will do metal, but that's not my gig. I am a big blues fan.

Can't offer any opinion on the other 2.

Yeah I really dig the ISF feature to really play with the gain. Glad to hear you've had a good experience with yours. Do you gig with yours a lot? Just trying to get an idea of build quality/durability.

PRS C, H, and Archon should work just fine

While I would love to have an Archon, even the 25W combo is well beyond my price range

 

[gball]

I've played the Blackstar a couple of times to try out guitars at my local dealer and liked it so much I almost bought one, but I chose not too because of the power: I differ with you there in that I just felt 40 watts was way too much to make it versatile enough, and especially to use at home. My gigging amp is 25 watts and that's plenty of power - at home I use an attenuator with it and and even that is almost too loud for practice and I am thinking of getting a dedicated, small practice amp I can use headphones with.

I tired out the Peavey once and wanted to like it but it seemed very sterile and just kind of unremarkable. I think and speaker upgrade would do wonders for it and probably a tube upgrade but by then you may as well just get the Blackstar cash-wise.

I have not played the 12/20 but I did check out the Special 6 and it was just awesome. If the 12/20 has the same character just with more power I think it would have to be a serious contender - they really do sound great. This one is on my list of things I need to pick up as well, especially considering the cash.

 

[andy474x]

Heard a lot of good things about the 5150 III 50 watt, I bet if you keep an eye out you can score one for a good price locally.

 

[László]

While I would love to have an Archon, even the 25W combo is well beyond my price range

Hang onto your current amp until you can either save for one or find a nice one used - one will hit the market eventually.

Use an attenuator in the meantime if you have to.

As nice as the amps you're thinking about may be, they are a compromise. A truly great amp is well worth the extra wait/investment, and in the long run, you will be far more satisfied and it will be a keeper.

 

[markm]

I'd checkout the Marshall DSL 40C.
Its along the lines of the Blackstar you mentioned.

 

[Huggy Love]

As nice as the amps you're thinking about may be, they are a compromise. A truly great amp is well worth the extra wait/investment, and in the long run, you will be far more satisfied and it will be a keeper.

This is golden advice here. If I were you I'd look, listen, and try out *EVERYTHING* on the market, you might find a better fit for you outside of what you're looking at, you never know.
I used to be a peavy guy, so when they came out with the new mini heads I checked out the peavy, wasn't impressed, kinda noisy/hum, and although price was great, made in china turned me away. The Blackstar stuff sounds pretty good in the gain channels, clean lacks a little, but there is a lot of cool stuff out there so I'd do a lot of research before I invest. Good luck with it.

 

[vchizzle]

 

[watelessness]

yup. That's my next recommendation

 

[gball]

Nice video. I do wish the SE amps were still being made, I discovered them too late to take advantage. Maybe find a used one.

 

[markintime]

Yeah I really dig the ISF feature to really play with the gain. Glad to hear you've had a good experience with yours. Do you gig with yours a lot? Just trying to get an idea of build quality/durability.
While I would love to have an Archon, even the 25W combo is well beyond my price range

Well, first off, I unfortunately don't gig... yet. I am still learning. But I wanted to get up some good enough equipment together, so that when I am not too embarrassed to step out of the bedroom, I could maybe find somebody I could dupe, er talk into playing with me. Wait, that didn't quite sound right.

I really did want an Archon, but until my abilities justify (in my mind) the expense, I really think the Blackstar will do for quite a while. I know there are some pros out there using them, so if it's good enough for them... . Also, there might still be one more PRS guitar out there that I might have to splurge on, and that was another consideration. Since I have the little Ibanez for the bedroom, I can wait until the wife is not in the house to let loose on my Blackstar. Luckily, I don't have to worry about neighbors or police, unless I took the whole shebang out on the deck and tried to shake trees with it.

In truth, however, I can play the HT Club 50 and it doesn't bother my wife, unless she is in the next room trying to watch TV. Long as we're on oppsite sides of the house, I'm good. It's good that, though, it will give you distortion at tolerable levels by playing with knobs, both amp and guitar. I think it's a great inexpensive alternative to a PRS. But I STILL want one of those someday!

 

[markintime]

Nice video. I do wish the SE amps were still being made, I discovered them too late to take advantage. Maybe find a used one.

And oh yeah, I have seen SE amps on Ebay. I'd have to look again, though.

[edit]Saw this one:
[h=1]BRAND NEW PRS SE 20 20W TUBE GUITAR AMP HEAD[/edit][/h]

 

[Blues Trucker]

I have a Blackstar HT5r. I play it in my house. I believe if I lived in an apartment and my neighbor insisted on playing the 40 watt version of this amp I would shoot them.

 

[markintime]

I have a Blackstar HT5r. I play it in my house. I believe if I lived in an apartment and my neighbor insisted on playing the 40 watt version of this amp I would shoot them.

Yeah, I would TOO!

But even a little 15 watt Ibanez would have that effect. Saying that, Blackstar does make a 5 watter. Eh?

The problem is that there is no Headphone jack on either the 40 or 50.

But, to continue: there is a Speaker Emulated Output that (from my manual):

This output emulates the tonal characteristics of a guitar cabinet and provides a natural valve overdrive tone for connection to a recording device or mixing desk. Always use a good quality screened lead.

So the headphones can go into the recording device. Which I plan to do with my Focusrite Scarlett 2i2.

 

[PRSAK]

If I lived in an apartment, the HT5R would get my nod for sure. (I have the both an HT5RS and an HT40) The 5w is the ultimate practice amp but will get pretty darn loud. The HT40 is a great amp too and I think has a terrific clean and dirty channel (a each of the channels has a modern/vintage option too in addition to the ISF and EQ) but to get the really "good" sounds out of the HT40, you have to open up the power tubes which means pretty substantial volume. I know MY neighbors can hear me and the nearest is two hundred meters away. They haven't shot me - yet.

 

[IKnowALittle]

Not sure if they are still being made or readily available, but the Roland Cube-20XL is a great little practice amp. I believe there was also a 10 (to few features), a 40 and a 80. Vox also has a similar series called the Valvetrain (I think).

 

[drdoom8793]

Thanks so much for all the replies! Given what you guys are saying, I'm leaning towards the Blackstar HT5R. I'm not playing in any bands right now (nor do I have the time to do so) so pretty much all I'm doing is bedroom playing so I'm thinking this will do the trick in the meantime til I live somewhere where a larger scale amp is feasible. I'm going to check my local store to see if they have one I can try out.

Hang onto your current amp until you can either save for one or find a nice one used - one will hit the market eventually.

Use an attenuator in the meantime if you have to.

As nice as the amps you're thinking about may be, they are a compromise. A truly great amp is well worth the extra wait/investment, and in the long run, you will be far more satisfied and it will be a keeper.

Unfortunately, the Archon isn't even a twinkle in my eye at this point, if you catch my meaning. I definitely get what you're saying about it being worth the investment, but it just isn't in the books yet to get something like that. In the meantime, I'll just have to live vicariously through other forum members such as yourself.

 

[Blues Trucker]

Im really happy with my 5r. I think you will be too. You might even want to check out the 1r.