Best 15 - 20 Watt?

Warren · 2012-03-13T09:03:33+00:00

Need some help chaps. I've had my eye on the Hughes & Kettner Tubemeister 18 for a while now. It does absolutely everything I want, plus it has an effects loop so I can actually use my delay and reverb pedals with some decent gain and not cry for a week afterwards. It also glows blue, which is - you know - crucial as hell. 8) Also considering the Mesa TA-30 (or maybe the TA-15?) which is quite expensive, but also very full-featured and versatile. Only switches down to 15 watts at the lowest setting though, so probably still too loud for home use? Are there other options I should be considering? I basically want something with great cleans and grit (ah la my Night Train) but with greater versatility for smooth, saturated gain tones (think Shawn Lane's "Get You Back" tone, or Bonamassa's "Sloe Gin" tone, or Paul Gilbert's "Fuzz Universe" tone, or Eric Johnson's "Cliffs of Dover" tone etc.) coupled with effects like delay and reverb. It also needs to be switchable to a manageable wattage for practice at home, but strong enough if I want to hear myself on a stage.

Warren

JoeyBones wrote
I'm seriously looking at getting an Egnater Rebel 20. What's the chances of a shop having one locally so I can give it a test ?

This is sort of my dilemma as well...where to test as many of these things back-to-back as possible.

JoeyBones

I've been disappointed by online demos in the past, so I'm skeptical to buy it without testing it :-\

ActionArnie

Maybe its just me, and I'm not sure why - but I don't really like making a decision on how something sounds when testing in a store. Sure with a guitar you can feel how it plays etc. But the way something sounds is hard to judge (for me) in that environment.

For example, I tried the Ibanez TS15 in a store the other day after all the rave reviews I'd heard here and elsewhere on the web. I can literally not recall a single instance of anyone saying anything bad about this amp. After trying it I was left quite disappointed from my experience, to me, in that test, it didn't sound great at all. I then heard it a live scenario and it sounded fantastic. Maybe it takes time to tweak things which you don't often have in a store, but that's the problem with testing in a store too.

Somehow when you're on stage with a full band cranking the thing up, the case you built for one amp over another after trying it in the store becomes irrelevant.

I've been burned by relying on store testing with various bits of gear over the years so my method these days is, yes, to youtube the thing and read as many reviews as possible. First prize is to get the thing and try it at a practice, not always practical I know.

DonovanB

I second the thought of being able to try it in your own scenario, not always possible though.

Sometimes buying gear can feel like a crapshoot. But the more info you get helps you weigh up whether its a good deal or not.

As for that ts15, I'm definitely keen for one. But I'm also dead set on the AFD 100 Slash signature. Those 2 amps for me are dead set winners.

Gearhead

Fortunately there is an alternative to the crapshoot: buying second hand. As long as you don't overpay when buying or get into a hurry selling, you can load and offload gear at small cost. The advantage is that you can have days and days of try out. Or weeks. Months. Years! My advice : Get yourself a second hand 14W 6V6 amp and get playing. It helps more for finding your preferences than 10 forum threads.

Warren

Gearhead wrote Fortunately there is an alternative to the crapshoot: buying second hand. As long as you don't overpay when buying or get into a hurry selling, you can load and offload gear at small cost. The advantage is that you can have days and days of try out. Or weeks. Months. Years! My advice : Get yourself a second hand 14W 6V6 amp and get playing. It helps more for finding your preferences than 10 forum threads.

Unfortunately, buying second-hand also means your options are limited to whatever's available. I haven't seen a single Swart amp for sale second-hand, for example. I think that guys who buy amps like these are fairly clued-up on what they're looking for, and once they buy, they buy for the long term.

I was fortunate enough to pick up my Night Train second hand, so I'm always on the lookout, but I've not seen a 14W 6v6 amp second-hand, uh, ever. I think.

IceCreamMan

shreddysmurf ?

Sean

The other thread, "Buying second hand gear from musicians friend" or something like that, you might spot the more hard to find amps there (and of course depending on whether the price is right). I just briefly glanced at the web site, they have pages and pages of second hand stuff. And a couple of okes seemed to have brought gear in with little hassle.

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