Itty-bitty amp heads

BlueSkyJaunte · 09-25-2012, 04:07 PM

Somewhere along the line a couple buddies and I lost our minds (or got caught up in the "craze") and started buying mini tube amp heads. One even has grand plans to build a frankenstein multi-head switch so he only has to use one cabinet but can still keep all of the heads ready to go at the stomp of a foot (Radial, Lehle, etc. only do A/B/Y at best...he has 10 different heads, I think).

General consensus is that the Mesa Mini-Rectifier is the non-boutique holy grail (they each have one) but I have held off because, well, it's $1k for a 25-watt head. Hell, I paid less for my '59 Bassman. Plus, there are so many controls on the damned thing that the two of them spend more time flipping switches and twisting knobs than they do playing!

Which is a shame since they both play a hell of a lot better than I do.

Anyway, I visited a different music store from my usual haunts and found this little monster. I brought it home with me (damned near fits in my pocket) and I have to say it's impressive enough that everything besides the Bassman is going into storage. The best part is that it's so cute my wife didn't complain about me buying it.

Now I have to find a decent 4-ohm 1x12 cabinet. My Vox NT 1x12 at 16 ohms is not keeping up with this little thing. Any suggestions? Or should I just find a 4-ohm speaker and replace the one in the Vox with it?

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

Build your own cabinet. You can get one with everything but the speakers in it for around $125 delivered on eBay. I will be doing a 2x12 this way when I get some other music clutter sold. Will probably go with the Eminence Eric Johnson model speakers. I have a 4x12 Ampeg now and want to go a little smaller for home practice.

This is my current head.

BlueSkyJaunte · 09-25-2012, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Build your own cabinet. You can get one with everything but the speakers in it for around $125 delivered on eBay.

Really not interested in having another unfinished project laying around the house, and I haven't done anything on eBay since they went 100% PayPal.

At the most I would replace the speaker that's already in my Vox cab.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

This would take you less than an hour if you went with fancy mesh.

G112STcp-E, Empty 1 x 12 Single 12 inch guitar speaker cabinet | eBay

Gogar · 09-26-2012, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueSkyJaunte

One even has grand plans to build a frankenstein multi-head switch so he only has to use one cabinet but can still keep all of the heads ready to go at the stomp of a foot (Radial, Lehle, etc. only do A/B/Y at best...he has 10 different heads, I think).

It gets difficult because (technically) you need to keep a load on each head if it is turned on, otherwise you'll stress out the transformer of the amps that don't have the speaker connected to them but are turned on anyway.

You can't just toss a 'switch' in front of the speaker and go from one amp to the other. It would be great if you could!!!

07:26 AM

It's not a tube amp, but my little Roland Micro Cube is a heck of an all-in-one, and runs for a phenomenally long time just on batteries. I got mine used for $50, and it has more than enough moxie to annoy my wife and neighbors.

I felt vindicated when I noticed that guitar/bass builder extraordinaire Mike Lull had one at his house.

Terry

scottmandue · 09-26-2012, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Build your own cabinet. [/img]

I have been thinking of doing that... I am currently running my old bassman 100 thru a generic 2X12 box with Eminence speakers.

If you were to build a open back 2X12 I presume (because it is open back) the dimensions don't matter? (except of course having room to fit the two speakers)

I'm really liking the mouse amps that are coming out (sub 5 watt) been eyeballing the Vox.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

Check out Antique Electronic Supply in Tempe. They sell all the components and schematics for making your own amp. I ran into them at the Orange Co. Guitar Show in Jan. and, when I replenish the music toys funds, I want to do a build. I know this could really snowball, but the stuff doesn't take up much space and it would be really cool to have built my own head.

BlueSkyJaunte · 09-26-2012, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gogar

You can't just toss a 'switch' in front of the speaker and go from one amp to the other. It would be great if you could!!!

Tonebone Headbone VT valve tube amp head switcher - introduction

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

I have an A/B switch box. I used to use it when I had had an amp that had a much better clean channel than the other and the other had a much better crunch channel. But they were both solid state amps back then. I thought about using it to go between my Marshall head for crunch and my Fender HotRod DeVille for clean, but it got too noisy. So I bought the Soldano Decatone because it has clean, crunch and overdrive on three channels. A month after I got it I had occasion to borrow one of the new EVH 5150 III halfstacks for a gig and really, really loved it. The EVH is about $1k less than the Soldano, but I am still in love with the Soldano. If I ever fall out of love with it, I'll get an EVH.

IROC · IROC's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueSkyJaunte

Now I have to find a decent 4-ohm 1x12 cabinet. My Vox NT 1x12 at 16 ohms is not keeping up with this little thing. Any suggestions? Or should I just find a 4-ohm speaker and replace the one in the Vox with it?

What do you mean by "not keeping up"? Finding a 4 ohm speaker might be tough as all the good stuff seems to be 8 or 16 (but then again, I haven't looked around much). Avatar sells really nice 1x12s but you're probably limited to 8 ohms...

What kind of tones are you getting out of the Micro Terror? Or what are you shooting for?

I'd like to play one of the Hughes & Kettner TubeMeister 5s...

craigster59 · craigster59's Garage

Build yourself a Dumble clone....

Gogar · 09-26-2012, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gogar

It gets difficult because (technically) you need to keep a load on each head if it is turned on, otherwise you'll stress out the transformer of the amps that don't have the speaker connected to them but are turned on anyway.

You can't just toss a 'switch' in front of the speaker and go from one amp to the other. It would be great if you could!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueSkyJaunte

Tonebone Headbone VT valve tube amp head switcher - introduction

Yes, that has load resistors in it for the amp that's 'not being used' at the moment.

BlueSkyJaunte · 09-26-2012, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gogar

Yes, that has load resistors in it for the amp that's 'not being used' at the moment.

Yeah, my buddy wants to gut one and build a 10->1 version of it. He's an EE, so I guess he's allowed these occasional bouts of insanity.

BlueSkyJaunte · 09-26-2012, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IROC

What do you mean by "not keeping up"? Finding a 4 ohm speaker might be tough as all the good stuff seems to be 8 or 16 (but then again, I haven't looked around much). Avatar sells really nice 1x12s but you're probably limited to 8 ohms...

What kind of tones are you getting out of the Micro Terror? Or what are you shooting for.

Good questions. I "feel" that I could get a little more clean volume if I matched impedance. The MT is 4ohms while the Vox NT cab is 16 (a Celestion Greenback). It looks like I'd have to go with Eminence or Jensen for a 4-ohm 12" speaker. Since I like the Vox NT enclosure I might as well keep that and just throw an Eminence in it.

Gogar · 09-26-2012, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueSkyJaunte

Yeah, my buddy wants to gut one and build a 10->1 version of it. He's an EE, so I guess he's allowed these occasional bouts of insanity.

That would be fun! I wanted to do the same at home but all the commercially available boxes to do it were pretty expensive.