Best Cheap Amp Head Out there?

[STRATDELUXER97]

Well, I was referring to modelling amps, not old fashioned SS amps. That's certainly your opinion and we all have them, but when somebody suggests "cheap amp heads", I simply suggested a very versatile amp head that is fairly inexpensive, provides you with tons of tonal possibilities and won't blow up when you crank it night after night. You aren't going to find a "reliable and cheap" tube head, very easily. Maybe a Jet City. That would be my second choice.

My post was a joke Ian.....I own and love a ss Vox Valvetronix VTH120 head..Digital meets/12AX7 tubes....Early ss stuff does really blow as a rule!

[STRATDELUXER97]

I was skeptical about the Butcher, from the name and the fact that Peavey made it. Well, when I got to play an old one, I tried to get a bad sound out of it, and couldn't. Totally changed my view of them.

The first version Butcher was modeled after the JCM 800 I thought?

[ItsaBass]

Ampeg V2. It's a mini V4, which I think is the all-around best-sounding guitar amp I have ever played. It's pretty much everything a V4 is tonally, but with chewy breakup at a more reasonable volume, and a lower street price. They have strong reverb and give you a ton of tonal versatility (everywhere from Fender to Marshall), especially considering when they were made. And the entire V series is built better than most amps ever have been. They are extremely durable and reliable. No compromises to quality need to be made, like they must be when you get most budget or "sleeper" amps. And to top it off, it could serve as an excellent bass amp in the studio, at home, or for a lower-volume gig. For only $300 to $400 locally, it smokes pretty much anything else not only in sound quality, but in bang for the buck.

[TheLivingDead]

All of $156 new in the box...






Clean:





Drive:



15 watt all tube 2 channel head...

Great value for $156...

I just ordered one with an empty 2x12 cab (additional $50) + $220 shipping from China...


...can't wait to check it out

Dude, please review it when you put it through it's paces.

[TwilightOdyssey]

Dude, please review it when you put it through it's paces.

A big +1 to that. I have no interest in the amp, but am sooo curious!

[Wattage]

The Windsor is indeed a deal and a half.

Grab one used, take it to a tech and have him clean up the solder joints, pop in some decent tubes where needed and you'll be thrilled.

[youngthrasher9]

Depends on what you want to spend. For $500 bucks I got myself this: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/ampli...uitar-amp-head

If you can afford it, it is AWESOME. It is REALLY versatile. Honestly, I don't imagine myself ever buying a different brand.

If you are going lower than $500 bucks I hear Laney has some good stuff.

[IanBallard]

Kustom makes some pretty good amps for reasonable prices.

[everdrone]

got my marshall jcm900 50watt dual reverb head for $500. not bad...

[TwilightOdyssey]

Kustom makes some pretty good amps for reasonable prices.

True. Acoustic, also; though I'm not sure if they have reissued the guitar amps yet.

[MetalManiac]

Okay, this thread is all over the map. Define "cheap".
The Peavey Windsor as has been suggested, but Those things are throwaway amps..not that they are too terribly cheaply made, although hardly Mil-Spec, but just that fixing them just isnt usually an option becasue they are so circuitboard intensive and difficult to service.Not sure their service life, but I'm thinking its a limited one. "Cheap" and "Build quality" aint two synonymous terms.

[Aceman]

Dude, please review it when you put it through it's paces.

A big +1 to that. I have no interest in the amp, but am sooo curious!

indeed - please!

[kevlar3000]

Okay, this thread is all over the map. Define "cheap".
The Peavey Windsor as has been suggested, but Those things are throwaway amps..not that they are too terribly cheaply made, although hardly Mil-Spec, but just that fixing them just isnt usually an option becasue they are so circuitboard intensive and difficult to service.Not sure their service life, but I'm thinking its a limited one. "Cheap" and "Build quality" aint two synonymous terms.

That is why I love Traynors so much... Cheap and indestructible, talking the old Traynor's only...

[MetalManiac]

That is why I love Traynors so much... Cheap and indestructible, talking the old Traynor's only...

Ha! Traynes are built to survive the next Ice Age. The problem..the cheaper Marshall Transformers as opposed to the massive Hammond Traynor transformers are better to saturate. Sunn took off as opposed to Traynor casue Stoners/ Doom/ Drone guys arent into the Traynors cause the EQ grunt of a Sunn is more bass/mid heavy.
The Traynor can be modified ( especially the Bassmaster) to approximate the old Marshall Plexis, but you can only get so far due to the transformers.
They sound great as is, but the Traynor knockoffs (YGL-3A twin reverb copy and YBA-1/A bassman copy) justs never had the attention to layout detail , nor the tone of the Twin or Plexi.

[MetalManiac]

Good luck finding those old grey tolex or the late 60's through 70's Traynors.

As soon as people found out that a lot of the early stuff was point to point and easily modded to a Plexi or Blackface copy they snatched it up and swapped out the parts.
Stores and shops were dumping that stuff at rock bottom prices so when the boutique crowd discovered them they were snatched up faster than the stores could respond.
Guys were buying up the 50 watt heads, modding them for next to nothing playing them for a bit and flipping them for double.
Growing up in the area where Traynor was made and Long and Mcquade had a slew of stores meant there was a ton of the stuff floating around.

The funny bit it that years ago when I first started out Traynor was reinventing themselves as Yorkville sound and all the old Traynor stuff got dumped for next to nothing. It was mostly picked up by pawn shops and hole in the wall music stores or used as rental stuff since it was so durable.

Just about every bass player in any garage band that needed power but couldn't afford anything used the Monoblock.

My first bass amp was this pig of a single 15" that had built in casters and a completely useless 5 or 6 band graphic eq. The controls did very little to adjust the sound so you just basically plugged in and turned it up until yur balls rumbled, or you could be heard over the drummer. But the rumbling balls was a lot more fun.

For some reason there was a bunch of the old Traynor PT.2 PT. stuff around here, and as early as 5-7 years ago, you could run across it from time to time for next to nothing.
These days, they never seem to turn up for sale anymore. I snatched a few back when , and still have two- an old YBA-1a Bassmaster , that I am going to Plexify one of these days, and a 2xel84 "Bassmate".
I had a YGL3/a . Thats the Traynor Twin Reverb copy "Twin on Steriods", that really has an excellent blackface sound..but I traded it for an old Marshall cabinet. I really want another.
By the way.the YSR-1/a ( which I bought for about 175.00 about 5-6 years ago, then sold) is a happeinin' amp- not as well regarded as the Bassmaster, but has a lot of authentic style Marshallesque crunch vibe.

[MetalManiac]

Good luck finding those old grey tolex or the late 60's through 70's Traynors.

As soon as people found out that a lot of the early stuff was point to point and easily modded to a Plexi or Blackface copy they snatched it up and swapped out the parts.
Stores and shops were dumping that stuff at rock bottom prices so when the botique crowd discovered them they were snatched up faster than the stores could respond.
Guys were buying up the 50 watt heads, modding them for next to nothing playing them for a bit and flipping them for double.
Growing up in the area where Traynor was made and Long and Mcquade had a slew of stores meant there was a ton of the stuff floating around.

The funny bit it that years ago when I first started out Traynor was reinventing themselves as Yorkville sound and all the old Traynor stuff got dumped for next to nothing. It was mostly picked up by pawn shops and hole in the wall music stores or used as rental stuff since it was so durable.

Just about every bass player in any garage band that needed power but couldn't afford anything used the Monoblock.

My first bass amp was this pig of a single 15" that had built in casters and a completely useless 5 or 6 band graphic eq. The controls did very little to adjust the sound so you just basically plugged in and turned it up until yur balls rumbled, or you could be heard over the drummer. But the rumbling balls was a lot more fun.

For some reason there was a bunch of the old Traynot PT.2PT. stuff here, and as early as 5 years ago, you could run axcross it for next to nothing.
These days, they neevr seem to trun up. I snatched a few, and still have two- an old YBA-1a Bassmaster , that I am going to Plixify one of these days, and a 2xel84 "Bassmate".
I had a YGL3/a . Thatsthe Traynor "Twin on Steriods", that really has an excellent blackface sound..but I tradede iot for an old marshall cabinet. I really want another.
By the way.the YSR-1/a ( which I bought for about 1785.00 about 5-6 years ago, then sold)is a happeinin' amp- not as well regarded as the Bassmaster, but has a lot of Marshallesque crunh vibe.

Hey JohnJohn..Keep your eyes peeled for a Canadian made Garnet Amp! Never any I ever saw around these parts, but a legendary amp as used by The BTO.

[TwilightOdyssey]

Good luck finding those old grey tolex or the late 60's through 70's Traynors.

My bass player uses a '64 Traynor Bass Master head that be bought last year. It has had the mains cable replaced, but that's it; otherwise it's stock. (Maybe it's been recapped) Not too hard to find, but definitely not what I would call inexpensive ...

[TwilightOdyssey]

The power cables always frayed right at the little plastic do-hicky where it went into the amp.
What did it go for ?

The last Bass Master head I saw was a 50 watt and it went for well under $200 Cdn

Well, bearing in mind that a) this is NYC, b) it was at 30th St Guitars, and c) being able to audition the amp in person definitely worth something -- $1,000 cash out the door.

[Phantasmagoria]

Dude, please review it when you put it through it's paces.

A big +1 to that. I have no interest in the amp, but am sooo curious!

indeed - please!

Sure guys..I'll do that

I'm very curious about it too, being that it costs about as much as a decent pedal..

...and an empty 2x12 cab for $50 (or $100, loaded with Chinese celestions) ....wtf!?

Though tbh, price apart, I would pick it over any other 15-30 watt head out there ..based on the way it sounds in those demo's alone.

[Ascension]

I picked up a Jet City JCA22H head a while back and I'm getting some really great tones out of the little beast. Payed under $300 for mine and am digging it!