In praise of small Tube Amps!

Make it loud here.
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hexes
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Re: In praise of small Tube Amps!

Post by hexes » Thu Apr 07, 2022 7:07 pm

i love small amps, but i have to include 12-15 watts. have had or built a decent amount of them. ampegs, supro, gibson, vox, orange, fender clones.

the one that recently moved me quite a bit was the tweed harvard I built for horseblanket. just very engaging circuit with beautiful midrange. and now I’m building a princeton reverb for a very good friend.

here’s my current #1 ‘small’ amp. all 12 watts of a 6g2 princeton:
Image

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Re: In praise of small Tube Amps!

Post by Maggieo » Fri Apr 08, 2022 9:08 am

Veitchy wrote:
Thu Apr 07, 2022 3:49 pm
Maggieo wrote:
Thu Apr 07, 2022 9:29 am
Veitchy wrote:
Thu Apr 07, 2022 12:42 am
How that man still remains as clean as he does (live) is something of a mystery to me. either he never has to roll his guitar up fully or perhaps his Tele has lower-than-typical output pickups.
When I saw his trio, with Nels Cline joining in, both of them used Deluxe Reverbs. The thing with Jim is he's a master of his guitar's controls, and there's always a little bit of hair on sound. Oh, and he's also a master of touch on the fretboard. So is Nels, for that matter.

One of the greatest shows I've ever seen. And, I got to sit next to Jim's mom! She's really sweet, and you can tell where Jim got his warm personality.
Is that the gig they made the live record at? If so that's doubly rad!
It was in support of the record. Just as amazing.
“Now I am quietly waiting for/ the catastrophe of my personality/ to seem beautiful again.”- Frank O'Hara
I am not an attorney and this post is for entertainment purposes only. Please consult a licensed attorney in your state for legal advice.

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Re: In praise of small Tube Amps!

Post by Surfysonic » Fri Apr 08, 2022 3:49 pm

I'll go from smallest to largest but still less than/up to 20 Watts:

'64 Fender Princeton (Tuxedo) - 12 Watts, 12" Utah speaker, 6G2 circuit like the '61-'63 brownface Princetons.

Image

Fender '62 Princeton Chris Stapleton Edition - 12 Watts, 12" Eminence Special Design "CS" speaker, 6G2 circuit like the '61-'63 brownface Princetons.

Image

Fender Pawn Shop Vaporizer - 12 Watts, Upgraded with 2x10" Jensen P10Q 40 Watt Vintage Alnico speakers

Image

Fender Pawn Shop Excelsior Pro - 13 Watts, 15" Eminence Legend speaker (hefty weight)

Image

Fender Princeton Reverb Limited Edition Reissue - 15 Watts, 10" Jensen P10Q speaker

Image

Milkman Creamer 20-Watt head (1x12 Milkman cab build pending)

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Re: In praise of small Tube Amps!

Post by Maggieo » Fri Apr 08, 2022 3:57 pm

Ohhhh, my Milkman One-Watt Plus is a monster of an amp.

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Music Room, June 23, 2020 by Maggie Osterberg, on Flickr
“Now I am quietly waiting for/ the catastrophe of my personality/ to seem beautiful again.”- Frank O'Hara
I am not an attorney and this post is for entertainment purposes only. Please consult a licensed attorney in your state for legal advice.

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Re: In praise of small Tube Amps!

Post by Surfysonic » Fri Apr 08, 2022 7:55 pm

Maggieo wrote:
Fri Apr 08, 2022 3:57 pm
Ohhhh, my Milkman One-Watt Plus is a monster of an amp.

Image
Music Room, June 23, 2020 by Maggie Osterberg, on Flickr
Nice! Love the red tolex! I've really been enjoying the Creamer hooked up to my 1x15 JBL D140F cab. Familiar, yet different in a good way.

Can't wait for the matching cab from Tim@MIlkman. :w00t:
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Re: In praise of small Tube Amps!

Post by PJazzmaster » Sat Apr 09, 2022 2:42 pm

:-* my Swart Atomic Jr Head
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Re: In praise of small Tube Amps!

Post by hexes » Sat Apr 09, 2022 5:01 pm

swarts look rad.

here’s my little 5 watt tweed I knocked together. honestly the amp I play the most at home. still too loud though. i’m building a fuzz unit into this tv tuner with a remote footswitch. should be awesome.
Image

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Re: In praise of small Tube Amps!

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Sat Apr 09, 2022 5:52 pm

hexes wrote:
Sat Apr 09, 2022 5:01 pm
swarts look rad.

here’s my little 5 watt tweed I knocked together. honestly the amp I play the most at home. still too loud though. i’m building a fuzz unit into this tv tuner with a remote footswitch. should be awesome.
Image
Is that pink tolex? Is it supposed to be the Simpson's TV? :w00t:
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http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=104282&p=1438384#p1438384

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Re: In praise of small Tube Amps!

Post by hexes » Sat Apr 09, 2022 6:59 pm

Shadoweclipse13 wrote:
Sat Apr 09, 2022 5:52 pm
hexes wrote:
Sat Apr 09, 2022 5:01 pm
swarts look rad.

here’s my little 5 watt tweed I knocked together. honestly the amp I play the most at home. still too loud though. i’m building a fuzz unit into this tv tuner with a remote footswitch. should be awesome.
[pinkamp.bmp]
Is that pink tolex? Is it supposed to be the Simpson's TV? :w00t:
it definitely is pink tolex, but not a simpsons reference. the ‘static’ grill cloth was a happy find. i’m building another harvard to look like an old tv to go with this fuzz antenna!

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Re: In praise of small Tube Amps!

Post by Veitchy » Sun Apr 10, 2022 3:02 pm

Surfysonic wrote:
Fri Apr 08, 2022 7:55 pm
Maggieo wrote:
Fri Apr 08, 2022 3:57 pm
Ohhhh, my Milkman One-Watt Plus is a monster of an amp.

Image
Music Room, June 23, 2020 by Maggie Osterberg, on Flickr
Nice! Love the red tolex! I've really been enjoying the Creamer hooked up to my 1x15 JBL D140F cab. Familiar, yet different in a good way.

Can't wait for the matching cab from Tim@MIlkman. :w00t:
I really dig the look of those MIlkman amps. They're a little pricey once you get them here to Australia, but I haven't heard anyone really have any issues with them either.

A Dairy Air, one of their reverb/vibrato units, and one of those Milkman slapback pedals seems a nice self-contained rig for my bouncy, splashy mid-century instrumental desires.

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Re: In praise of small Tube Amps!

Post by horseblanket » Sun Apr 10, 2022 3:05 pm

What a beauty!

And the Harvard you built me is a forever amp.
I find that the more I play it the more I love it.


hexes wrote:
Thu Apr 07, 2022 7:07 pm
i love small amps, but i have to include 12-15 watts. have had or built a decent amount of them. ampegs, supro, gibson, vox, orange, fender clones.

the one that recently moved me quite a bit was the tweed harvard I built for horseblanket. just very engaging circuit with beautiful midrange. and now I’m building a princeton reverb for a very good friend.

here’s my current #1 ‘small’ amp. all 12 watts of a 6g2 princeton:
Image

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Re: In praise of small Tube Amps!

Post by hulakatt » Sun Apr 10, 2022 4:45 pm

What's some good tiny SE amps with tremolo? I guess the obvious is the old Vibro Champ/Bronco amps but what else is out there?

I have a handful of tiny amps and really dig them. Do they replace bigger amps for me? Nope, they all sound so different!
She/Her

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Re: In praise of small Tube Amps!

Post by Veitchy » Sun Apr 10, 2022 6:20 pm

hulakatt wrote:
Sun Apr 10, 2022 4:45 pm
What's some good tiny SE amps with tremolo? I guess the obvious is the old Vibro Champ/Bronco amps but what else is out there?

I have a handful of tiny amps and really dig them. Do they replace bigger amps for me? Nope, they all sound so different!
Swart immediately springs to mind.

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Re: In praise of small Tube Amps!

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Mon Apr 11, 2022 7:10 am

hexes wrote:
Sat Apr 09, 2022 6:59 pm
Shadoweclipse13 wrote:
Sat Apr 09, 2022 5:52 pm
hexes wrote:
Sat Apr 09, 2022 5:01 pm
swarts look rad.

here’s my little 5 watt tweed I knocked together. honestly the amp I play the most at home. still too loud though. i’m building a fuzz unit into this tv tuner with a remote footswitch. should be awesome.
[pinkamp.bmp]
Is that pink tolex? Is it supposed to be the Simpson's TV? :w00t:
it definitely is pink tolex, but not a simpsons reference. the ‘static’ grill cloth was a happy find. i’m building another harvard to look like an old tv to go with this fuzz antenna!
That would be awesome! I've never played a Harvard, but I love the idea of a TV aesthetic.
Pickup Switching Mad Scientist
http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=104282&p=1438384#p1438384

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Re: In praise of small Tube Amps!

Post by panoramic » Mon Apr 11, 2022 7:41 am

PJazzmaster wrote:
Sat Apr 09, 2022 2:42 pm
:-* my Swart Atomic Jr Head
Image
:-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-*
I used to be cool, now I just complain about prices.

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