6 Small Guitar Amps That Sound Great | Reverb Tone Report
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- Опубликовано: 24 июл 2024
- Though backbreaking full- and half-stacks used to be the premier choice for touring guitar players who wanted the best, loudest sounds, this past decade has shown a changing tide. Small amp tech has gotten better and better, and nowadays, it's getting even less common to see 50-watt combo amps on stage when you can get something just as good in a much smaller package. In the video above, Reverb's Andy Martin digs into some of the best small amps with the biggest sounds currently only the market.
Read More on Reverb: bit.ly/2QLmTYe
Gear Used in the Video:
Guitar: Fender American Ultra Stratocaster HSS, Fender American Ultra Telecaster, PRS McCarty 594
Amps: Fender Blues Junior, ZT Amplifiers Lunchbox Junior, Zvez Nano Head, Blackstar Silverline Standard 20-Watt, Sears Silvertone 1481 Combo, Marshall Studio Vintage SV20C
Microphones: Shure SM57, AEA Nuvo N22
No picks
0:00 - Intro
0:29 - Fender Blues Jr
01:45 - ZT Lunchbox Jr
02:57 - ZVEX NanoHead
04:10 - Blackstar Silverline
05:18 - Silvertone 1481
06:30 - Marshall Studio Vintage Plexi 
Развлечения
I used to gig with a Blues Jr. Paired with a drop-tuned SG and a Metal Muff it sounded heavier than my aunt at an all-you-can-eat buffet
Damn that is heavy
@@Docandballtorture7756 That woman is so fat, she used to think Dashboard Confessional was slang for storing Ho-Ho's in her glove compartment
@@andredegiant3876 holy fucking shit that's funny LOL!!!
good one
Fat bottom girls!!! Fat bottom amps!!! Winner winner chicken dinner, so long you get there before your aunt =)
Love that Andy is here. The man deserves to have a spotlight gig like this. Rock on man. Great pick Reverb!!
I still haven't gotten used to "Hi its Andy from reverb" in my head it always goes "hi im andy from pro guitar shop demos"
Those were fine days to be shopping for guitar gear online while sitting at home in your underwear.
Same.
agreed ,after 2000 demos why not 😎
Underwear..?
Andy I love your demo's. You some how always seem to get the right licks for demoing specific amps/pedal.
I always forget this is the guy with the invisible pick.
Picks are for charlatans.
I actually injured my right hand at work and couldn’t hold a pick for a couple of months, now I do the same thing he does. I’ll use a pick from time to time, but more often I don’t bother with one.
@@corneliuscrewe8165 picks just ended up growing old on me, and I find myself not reaching for them much anymore
Oh wow I thought there was something wrong with me for not using a pick, thanks guys
Woah, love that ZVex Nano head, and a black Tele with binding looks super epic!
Please make a video on your right hand strumming and picking technique. I absolutely adore it. It’s incredible.
Vinayak Shingornikar I did, thank you! You can find it on my personal channel.
@@AndyDemos you are awesome! Thank You!
Get this guy on cracking the code!
Plz???
Is jus fingers style.
I've gigged with a Marshall Class 5 when I knew I was in a venue that was mic'ing the amps on stage. Sounded awesome! That said, I liked that Silvertone more than any of them in this demo, anyway. Stones tones and Black Crowes all day long.
I’d be interested in seeing a video on the line between small amps that sound great and bedroom/practice amps, like the Yamaha THR series.
Andy: “You dont need a stadium sized rig”
Also Andy: *has a stadium sized rig behind him
Good observation but he said, "You don't need a stadium sized rig". NEED being the operative word here. He did not say anything about wanting one!
My guitar philosophy is: Get what ever you want and can afford! Find your own tone, and do whatever makes you happy! Life is too short to let anyone dictate what you should be doing. Most musicians are fairly independent, which is a good thing. If everyone stuck to just doing whatever everyone else is doing, this would be a very dull world. Remember, the first recording exec that heard Led Zep's first demo, said they would go over like a Lead Zeppelin. He passed on their creativity because he personally did not like their music; it was too different from the majority of music being produced at the time. It's a good thing they went elsewhere to find a production and recording firm. I wonder if that first guy got fired, or just dreamed every night about the money he let go to another producer/label?
Small amps are the way to go. Great for practicing with headphones. If you need more volume you can always connect it to a 4x12 or mic it to a PA for live settings
Wow, first time ever that I actually have a couple that you like 👍🏼 (1) Blues Jr & (2) Silvertones - My original purchased 1969? Christmas gift amp that I quickly took the amp part and placed into a larger cabinet with a 12” speaker and my few years later purchased unit that I’ve left original - Just too cool 👍🏼 Thanks Andy.
The Orange Micro Terror/Micro Dark are also fantastic. The Micro Dark even has an effects loop. I wouldn't mind a Mini Dark that had more tone controls and built in reverb.
My fav. small amp-----my Mesa Boogie Subway Rocket 1x10 combo. Mike it up, and use it anywhere.
First time I'm seeing Andy play on a PRS! Liked it!
My Marshall Class 5, which has been with me through thin and thinner, was purchased based on Andy's demo a decade ago and has never let me down. So if he says these are good buys, I'd trust him folks. Thanks again, Andy.
Just got one myself on reverb . Amazing amp . So loud and raunchy
Thank you, Very much, Andy!! You are a fantastic player!!! Where can I find more about more of your music?!....
As much as it is solid state the jazz chorus jc-22 is such a work horse for a rig. The clean tone on this amp is so neutral it's a canvas for what effects you want to put into.
the entire jc series as far as a i know has "that" zingy clean roland jc thing. lost in the mix? i dont think so but also try running a big muff into it ... yep sounds awful . its kind of picky about what dirt pedals you run on it , my jc50 does not have a effects loop or power amp in jack but my jc120 does . they are wonderful solid state amps . not for everyone though .
@@peteytwofinger Yeah, my JC-22 doesn't mind drive pedals such as my Keeley Super Phat or my EQD Plumes at moderate settings, but doesn't like MXR octave fuzz much at all.
Great video , I am looking for something compact that I can use in a small venue and sound good . Many places I play the backlines are all way over powered for the venue and cannot be turned up loud enough to hit that sweet spot on the amp without busting ear drums ! Great info and demos thank you really like the Lunch Box ! Amazing !
I love my vibro champ XD. I have a Venus Rivera, a 69 deluxe reverb, and a few other amps but I play the XD around the house and for small gigs. Great little amp!
Love the stacks behind you.
You could write an entire ‘Stones record with just that Silvertone 😯
William Pierce I’ve had one for about 8 years now that I found at a flea market for $5. Best I can estimate is that it’s a 68-69 model. Tubes are still pristine and it sounds killer!
1ST thing I thought:KEEF!
@@benjaminfinley9314 - STOP IT! - Yer KILLIN' me...
They probably did 😆
if you can ever find one (but you can on reverb) the mid 2000s roland micro cube amp sounds great imo. usually a great price too if you want a great modelling practice/travel amp
Yep! Still have mine & love it. Works great for our scaled down band rehearsals and vocal practices.
Played one at Guitar Center a while back and was pleasantly surprised.
Great video. These small amps have become a huge trend and some of them sound pretty good. Personally, I still prefer the old Esteban G-10. Got it for 10 bucks, used. Never tried it with effects but as a blues amp, it sounds pretty amazing. If you're interested in hearing it, lmk. Again, killer video.
✌❤🎸
Loved the pretenders tribute! Nice one Andy.
I have an older Blues Jr. and it does indeed sound pretty great and has a surprising amount of power/headroom.
USA built Blues Juniors, which is the first series of those amps, sound better than any other Blues Jr. They have more
sock and less cheap treble. I will have had mine 25 years in 2022 and it has never sounded better. If you can find one
used, that is a great buy. People hold onto them, though, so be patient. I think that line of amps began in 1994. By the
late ‘90s or early 2000s they were Mexico built. Still good amps but not as good as the USA built version. Just sayin’ …
That Sears Silvertone reminds me of a Maestro amp I got at a second-hand shop. Didn't pay much for it, and jammed as I could on it that night with Hybrid Slinky strung Harmony w/dual Humbucker pickups. I got a good "rough" sound out of it, but I guess my guitar must have been too-much for it... as the next day, with the first chord I hit, it went from roaring to just buzzing whatevr I played. I later sold it to a local music shop, along with my Gibson F-hole acoustic knock-off, to cover a traffic ticket... where the guy there told me he's gald to take the amp as "Just a conversational piece" because it was built in the old Gibson factory.
I've always loved the Fender Champ tweed 5F1.
Now my secrets out lmao, someone finally mentioned the 1481. Good thing i have two mint with original tubes. Bet they jump in price now!
Another small amp worth considering is the Fender Champion 600 re-issue. Typically less than $200 on Reverb with 5 tube watts through a 6" speaker. I traded a Fender Blues Deluxe for one and with a Tube Screamer and a Boss digital reverb pedal I'm more than happy with the tonal possibilities.
Or joyo/fame jta5, 57 clone, i ve put Jensen alnico in It, changed tubes and added cathode bypass capaciator. It's cool
Informative video, thank you. I liked the Lunchbox and the Plexi most.
My 150 watt Triple Rectifier is my favorite small amp.
Lol
Can anyone tell me what a rectifier is?
everyday MTB Bend over.
@@AlexSosaBolivia sorry I don't get the joke
@@moufuzz2759 functionally the rectifier tubes are converting the high voltage AC from the power transformer into DC (direct current) that the preamp and power tubes will run on. You can also have a diode rectifier circuit that would eliminate the need for the tube
Fender Pro Jnr! I sold all my other amps after buying one. Played big gigs & festivals and it hardly needs to go over half way on the volume.
The Randall Diavlo 5C is a great little amp, and you can score them cheap if you are patient.
Andy thanks for doing the Silvertone 1481. I have all of the Silvertone series amplifiers, including the 1482 12 Watt, 1483 26 watt, 1484 at 40 watts and the 1485 AKA the Jack White special.
I swear by an AC15C1 for playing live. They’re way more than loud enough and sound really sweet
The Blackstar Studio 10’s should have been included here. They are some of the best sounding small amps I’ve heard and I’ve played many great amps over the years. Studio 10 KT88, Studio 10 6L6, Studio 10 EL34.
The (recently discontinued) Suhr Corso is also an excellent choice...
Potent Pairings is the best section in the channel, please come back!!!
Vox AC4TV : unbelievable clean and wonderful, predictable breakup. Highly underrated amp, imho. Plus it's got built-in attenuation down to 1/4 watt, making it the perfect bedroom amp. Am I the only one who loves this little beast?
I want/need a small (low-wattage) amp that is CLEAN, and has a spring tank Reverb, (although I could use effects boxes),.... portability, and versatility are great!
What amp would work great with a "Baritone" guitar?!....
I love my ZT lunchbox, not the Junior, the 200W. Same size and is a beast. With an extension cab is really amazing.
ZT Reverb?
The Marshall Studio Plexi is the amp of my dreams! I just need to build a studio now!
Interesting and slightly odd format of choosing a variety of formats.
Blues Junior, Marshall and the lovely Sears amp were my favourites.
Explains why I still own my first amp, which happens to be valve driven. A nice Wem Clubman. 5 to 6 watts of loveliness 😊😊😊
Love that tele with the white binding. It almost looks like the new texas t finish when the light hits it. If love to build one just like it but with a glossy black finish and white binding with a bigsby. That would be my dream tele. I like black white and grey. It's might sound boring but I think of if as contemporary lol.
I will defend Andy’s honor if necessary.
Kevin Moore Right behind you, Kevin. This guy is a total badass.
I recently picked up a Monoprice 15w amp with 12" Celestion speaker and spring reverb. Really nice amp for a great price. Not trying to advert this, but just adding it to the list of good small amps.
AZWings I have the same exact one
I have one and I love it. It takes pedals so well. I wonder how it would sound with a higher end Celestion Speaker.
I’ve had mine for 2 years now and it’s such a great amp
Hi All, I d buy the Lunchbox Reverb. I have a Katana 50, but never use its inside effect, bc I prefer my own pedals or my HX stomp. Would I suffer from worse tones? Tks!
That's a real fine sounding geeeetar ya got there!
Nice this was kicked off with the Blues Jr. I had a second run style, mim, Day after Thanksgiving Day sale, '06, $400 out of a box, out the door. Only complaint was the volume controls were too sensitive for home bedroom use. man, fave thing for me was running this and Vox PathFinder 15r in the opposite corner of the room in stereo (Behringer UC100) fed with a Bad Monkey and a CryBaby. Sounded great together.
Nice reviews 👍🧡✨
Although if you put the volume on 3 or 4 for recording the cleans are great on a 1481.
I wonder if the Sears Silvertone 5w is the same circuit as the Supro 1605R. An absolute diamond.
I have the 1482. Great amp!
Not sure why it would be?
Joseph Pickard, Unlikely to be the same circuit since the Silvertone was almost certainly built by Danelectro and the Supro would have been built by Valco. The Silvertone has an aluminum chassis, doesn't it? That means it's a Dan-O....
good sound on that zvex, but if you are into that 1 watt thing and want it in more of a combo Supro makes the BluesKing 8 that is fantastic.
THIS IS WHAT I NEEDED
The Marshall may be a sexy option, I am happy with the Class 5, I would be in heaven with this one.
Love the ZT reverb. :-)
Make no mistake kids. Those amps are still way too loud for bedroom use...
HAHAHAHA That's a good one. And so true.
Really? I use a blues deluxe at home..
@@Pr4ctice nice. I would recommend a compressor on lower volumes though. It is a tremendous upgrade to sound and feel. Cheers👍
My "bedroom amp" is my gig amp, a '70 Super Reverb. Ain’t nobody complaining!
Lol what? I have both a Blues jr and a Twin Reverb, i can even use my twin in my room, just turn waaay the fuck down, fine for pratice.
The Fender Bassbreaker seems like it could have been on here. I get they were going for a wide range of manufactures and sounds but....
It's a solid choice. Only real problem with it is the noise level. It's very noisy, but a solid little amp with good tone, and in my experience well built.
I’m not a fan of the bassbreakers. I actually think these are all better choices
sure there are other choices, these were six Andy liked and showed a good range.
@@edadpops1709 I agree . I just wanted to toss out what seems like an underrated one
I considered getting one before I went with an orange but I think they are great. Some people don’t seem to like them for whatever reason
That little Marshall surprised me. Going to look into that lineup more.
Damn, the Zvex sounded amazing with that Tele.
It SHOULD for that price!
I love my pignose amp for little amp sounds. It rules!
Mike Roadblock
I have a 40 watt Pignose that I bought back around 2004. Three tube monster for its small size. I think it has a 10 inch speaker but not sure and it’s currently in a closet behind a lot of stuff so I didn’t verify that.
the silver tone and the Fender had great vib.
Wow! These are great options.
(Proceeds to roll ds-100 into bedroom)
That Blues Jr. sounded great with the humbucker. I used to have one. Sold it.
I have a fender super champ x2 with a separate 12 inch speaker cabinet. All tubes, great price, fantastic tones.
Channel 2 is not all tube though
Isn´t Zvex too loud for bedroom playing ? For example with Vox BC108 cabinet ? Im looking for some "plexi" AC/DC sound, but I dont want to disturb neighbours.
That telecaster sounded awesome!
Orange amps are a good amp too .. especially for the price .. great post
Jubilee mini Marshall combo is a nice choice
That Telecaster is IMO is a beautiful looking Instrument.
Is that the Texas Tea edition? Saw one on Trogly's, beautiful guitar.
@@texanfournow Ha, yeah, I saw the same video. I believe it is. I'm big into sunburst but that Texas Tea is gorgeous.
Is in my opinion is
@@RylzMunkister,Me 2?
@@texanfournow,You should Know!!
Thanks Andy!
Hi! I love the way you play, it's so beautiful to watch and these amps are amazing for the size. I'm just picking it back up since playing as a teen... I love the echoey effect you are using at 2.38, can you make this sound on most amps or is it just with certain types? Thanks!
That’s a reverb pedal, it’s not an effect from the amp.
Andy, is that beautiful telecaster for sale? Which year and model?
I love that Sears Silverstone. It sounds like something you would hear on a Wilco record 👍
I just got into Wilco. They are really great.
3m30sec sounds like the start of Zeps "over the hills and far away".... then morphs into "no quarter".... What song is that???
You should check out the Quilter micro pro it's a great little 100 watt amp and it's almost lighter than my guitar in it's case. Small amp huge sound and great tone. Quilter is the same guy that makes Q S E products. I'm lucky enough to own the 1st Quilter micro pro amp in Australia.
Underrated video
I've used two blues juniors over the years, they're really good but I always feel a little bland towards them. Whereas a pro junior with its 10" is a DREAM.
Re-tubed my Pro Jr. with matched sets from Eurotubes chosen for more headroom and boy howdy, did it get even dreamier.
Thank you.
What RIFF are you playin at time 3:27 - 4:00 roughly I’d like to learn it
What do you thing about Koch amps? I like them.
Marshall Class 5 is an awesome sounding amp although it's no longer made. Sounds like my old JCM800 without moving the furniture.
Andy, you have to chuck the Supro Blues King on this list. I got it for the RIDICULOUSLY low Black Friday price for $299 and...damn. This thing goes from crystal clean to a really fat and singing overdrive thanks to a Pigtronix fet circuit. It can get hairy on its own just by cranking it and not using the "drive" circuit, but for nice bedroom level grit and grime, this is a steal (if you can still snag 'em). Even at the $599 list I'd be a happy camper.
Hi, do you know an amp called Gato Preto Vira Lata?
Another great video from Reverb. I play a vintage combo organ in a large power pop band and am looking for a reasonably portable 2x12 that gets loud and stays fairly clean while giving me a wide frequency response. Any recommendations?
Fender champion 100
Roland JC-120
IMHO the Vox MV50 has ended the small amp debate... perfect (tube) tone in a perfect package
My ZT Lunchbox puts out 100wRMS via internal speaker (half the size of the Victory 'with' a speaker inside) and another 100wRMS via external cabinet (handles ANY 8ohm cabinet) ... Total 200wRMS + cabinet... drowning out 100w heads... the small light amp is perfect for travel with a Vox Fx Starstream guitar, or any guitar + a modelling pedalboard (like my Line 6 POD 500X HD)... and it's actually the size of a kids lunchbox!
I have a Two Rock studio pro 35w, sounds good, pretty small too
Love my Stone Deaf SD08. Great at lower volumes (via the very linear master volume) and can boom when need be.
Marshall JTM1C for me.
1 watt of pure 60's tone!
ZVex amp is impressive. Best demo of it on youtube. But best sounding here for me its Silvertone
The tele is gorgeous
In my opinion, that Silvertone sounds like the small inexpensive amps we all wish to graduate from and never look back...not sure why it is on the list. It seems like a super niche sound that a studio could keep for weirdness, but definitely not a main amp for me
i wanna learn how to play guitar like you! do you have any course ?
I have the lunchbox and had the neighbours coming out to see what was going on when i had volume at 5. I got the rechargeable battery pack which comes in handy but just doesn't last long but that depends on how much drive it is putting out. Maybe someday i will be looking at the Blues Junior ♫
I.love my.little black star it goes with me everywhere I go
I have a vintage PEPCO, made in Montreal back in 1965. Champ type of pedigree. thing is a tone machine. maybe 5 watts, run it into a 1x12 cabinet.
He smiled with the Marshall. Definitely the np best one
Another good small tube amp is the Ibanez TSA15/TSA30. These aren’t popular because the brand is Ibanez but it really kicks the blues juniors ass.