Looking to buy my first combo tube amp

[Satans Sidekick]

@Jay 77: yes, i do go to the rehearsal factory, the one on front st. and thanks for the tip about guitar shop. i never heard of them, but i'm sure going to check them out.
@boogie bill: u're right. i havent been looking at used stuff, but now that u mentioned it, i'm liking the pricing i see!
@immortalsix: that's a sweet sounding amp! what's the difference between the AC15C1 and the AC15VR?

also, can anyone please tell me about having more watts? like the difference between a 15w vs 40w amp? for the higher wattage do i need to up the volume and gain more than a 15w to get to the breaking up point?

[jtougas]

No mention of the Egnater Tweaker combo?

The 15w head has moved to the top of my drooling list...

[gibson175]

also, can anyone please tell me about having more watts? like the difference between a 15w vs 40w amp? for the higher wattage do i need to up the volume and gain more than a 15w to get to the breaking up point?

Wattage = headroom. Headroom = bottom end.
You can get a 1 watt or 5 watt amp to break up in the power section with ease. But what you can't do is prodocue enough power (wattage) to move the speaker far enough to reproduce bass frequencies in a satisfying manner.
So its a balancing act between having enough wattage to get the tone shape you like, and getting break up at the volume you like.
Now here is the thing: wattage does not equal volume.
A 1 watt amp can produce 100 decibels at 1 meter with a speaker efficient enough to do it.
So volume is more governed by SPL (sound pressure level) and speaker efficiency. A low wattage amp with an efficient speaker can easily be louder than a higher wattage amp with an inefficient speaker.
Also, the eq curve of some speakers makes a big difference, for example a Jensen c12N has a lot of cutting high end so it can hurt your ears quite easily even at fairly moderate volumes (they are only a 50 watt speaker), whereas something darker sounding will have the power to make your trouser legs flap in the breeze but not cause pain in your ears. People overlook the role of the speaker too much. I think its because of the prevailing internet vogue that says "power tube break up" is the be all and end all of good tone.
While its true that a lot of the great guitar sounds of the 60's/70s were achieved with power tube overdrive, there are other sweet ways of getting a similat effect and at more manageable volumes. A 5watt amp cranked juts cannot sound the same as a cranked 50 watt amp. Its that simple.
Bear in mind that a lot of amps can sound really sweet getting their gain from the pre-amp section these days, or even getting your tone from one or two carefully selected pedals. great results gat be achieved by all methods.
So, whats the magic formula?
You need an amp with enough wattage to reproduce the low end so it can sound fat and warm, but not so high that it wont break up before being too loud for your uses (unless you like clean sounds). Then use your careful choice of speaker to tailor its response and volume to match the job you require for it.

[misterwhizzy]

^ Don't undersell the usefulness of a depth control. There can be a lot of untapped bass in the power section even at lower volumes.

[Jeremiah]

I've tried carting around amps on public transport, and in my experience anything bigger than a 1x10 will be no fun at all.

I wonder if it might be worth looking at a "lunch box" type head and compact cabinet, as it could make the weight distribution easier when carrying them. The Traynor Darkhorse looks quite nice and seems small enough that it could almost fit in your gig bag.

For a combo, the Fender Pro Junior and Laney Cub 10 are pretty small and light, though I don't know if they would have enough power for your needs.

Also, a small cabinet and speaker tends to sound more "boxy" and will not have the bass response of a 1x12.

[Fender_Punk]

Get a Traynor YCV20 or YCV40. You can probably find a used one at Long & McQaude at Bloor & Ossington. Great amps, plenty of tone, made in Canada and very reliable. Used YCV40 should be around $400-$500

YCV40 Product Page

[ImmortalSix]

@immortalsix: that's a sweet sounding amp! what's the difference between the AC15C1 and the AC15VR?

The AC15C1 is all tube - the preamp section and power amp section are both driven by vacuum tubes.

The AC15VR is a solid state + tube hybrid amp - the VR stands for Valve Reactor, which is not a technical term - simply VOX's brand name for their hybrid setup.

In this amp, the preamp section is not driven by tubes at all - it's driven by transistors and is modeled to mimic the tube preamp of the real AC15C1. The power amp section is mostly driven by transistors, also designed to mimic the tube power amp section of the AC15C1, but they have inserted one tube into the power amp equation to give the amp's output a little bit of the "push and pull" feeling of an all tube amp.

If you're going to get an AC15VR, though, you may as well get a VOX Valvetronix series amp. They use the same "Valve Reactor" technology, but have other preamp models that mimic the sound of other amplifiers like Fenders, Marshalls, Dumbles, Soldanos, et al. Think of an AC15VR as a Valvetronix with the AMP MODEL knob broken off and stuck on "AC15."


I personally think that VOX's hybrid stuff sounds great, but I also think that VOX's AC15C1 sounds more than doubly greater. At less than double the price - so it adds up for me to love the AC15C1.

[rumblebox]

Get a peavey classic 50. You can pull 2 power tubes and switch it to 8ohms for 25 watts. That's how i have mine setup for practice, and it's still loud as ****.

To carry on public transportation, i would get a classic 20 though if you can find one.