I don't have one but I put quite a bit of research into it and would've chosen the Blonde. Not aware of the ringing you speak of but most of the clips I heard were with the Blonde going directly into a PC rather than loud over a PA. I know that Alan has (had?) a Blonde and seem to remember him saying it was pretty good.

Tech 21 are the only ones doing it properly with built in speaker sim, but without adding on a bunch of effects and stuff. Carl Martin has a Vox-inspired pedal too, but those seem to be rare and pricey.

Speaking for the Blonde, it's pretty good - close enough for most ears. I "upgraded" to the Eleven Rack mainly just for the flexibility (rackmount, MIDI and a range of amp sounds), but it's not that much better sounding than the Blonde. I've hung on to my Blonde and use it as a "throw into the guitar case" solution.

I'm not sure when I'm next in town, but if you really want, I could bring through my Blonde for you to try out.

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Tech 21 are the only ones doing it properly with built in speaker sim, but without adding on a bunch of effects and stuff. Carl Martin has a Vox-inspired pedal too, but those seem to be rare and pricey.

Speaking for the Blonde, it's pretty good - close enough for most ears. I "upgraded" to the Eleven Rack mainly just for the flexibility (rackmount, MIDI and a range of amp sounds), but it's not that much better sounding than the Blonde. I've hung on to my Blonde and use it as a "throw into the guitar case" solution.

I'm not sure when I'm next in town, but if you really want, I could bring through my Blonde for you to try out.

That would be awesome man. Might be able to tell if it's the backup for me.

singemonkey wrote: That would be awesome man. Might be able to tell if it's the backup for me.

OK. Can't say exactly when - I'm moving in a couple of weeks and chaos reigns supreme ATM...

Wouldn't the British (Marshall emulation) be more up your alley (as it were)?

I also enjoyed the Tech21 Blonde which I had for a while, albeit running through a DI due to a long run to the PA.

I have just received the Custom Tones Ethos which seems very promising so far, but it is expensive and has a long wait list.

For your needs I would say one of the Tech21 Character series pedals would be great.

mmmm not a pedal but NOT much bigger .......... but i also carry a permanant backup to every gig .......... and you should look at something like the ZT lunchbox amp........(i own the acoustic one but for you i would recommend the original) ... it's 200W tiny as in fits in a small sling bag ..if you amp packs up...it has a line out for PA connection and best of all a speaker out and you can switch off the internal speaker.......... and i know of a few dudes in states that use the zt lunchbox to drive a 4x12 cab ..........and at that power rating it will be useful........

so when your amp goes down ...just plug your speaker from your amp if its a combo (most tube amps even the combos allow the speaker to be unplugged easily ) or speaker cab into the speaker out of the zt and you back rocking ........... just have an overdrive pedal handy for drive

but if you have not tried or heard one yet i highly recommend you try it ........with discounted price the original zt lunchbox will prob be the same or a hint more expensive than a sansamp ..........( the acoustic lunchbox is more expensive but offers more features and 2 channels)

and of course you can di it into the pA ( with it's own volume control to set level of di without changing amp level) too and still drive a speaker cab at the same time .........

these zt amps have changed my perception on amplification............ and they may not be the best amp you will ever play but when considering the ratio of price to weight to output wattage to features ........ you have the perfect backup amp........... and it's so small you could use it anywhere as a practise amp but one with some kick....and that internal speaker small as it is kicks serious butt....i read that 6.5 speaker is rated at 120db effeciency .....most fender(jensens) /celection speakers are about 94 - 96 and as far as i know , an stand corrected if i'm wrong but for every 4 db increase you get a perceived double in volume so 120db is super loud and effecient for this amp ......... and you have a tight but big bottom end.......... in fact when i gig with my acoustic lunchbox using only the internal 6.5 " speaker i need to roll bass off ......... insane but true

so yeah i still gig with my tube amp in bigger venues ........ but the zt rides along as a suitable backup ......... and takes no space and is only 5kg but a full blown gig amp if i need it ............ and as i said sure the tube amp sound better but that zt will compete if needed and get your gig done ....and plugged into external cab you won't notice the loss of your main amp at all..........

btw ...... i am in no way affiliated to zt amps or the sale thereof ........... they just are simply getting my support cos zt lunchbox's are the best thing since sliced bread i've discovered ...... ? ( no pun intended re "sliced bread" and "lunchbox's " ?

singemonkey wrote: There are various sub-fora in which I could have posted this. I'm thinking in terms of having a single box that can sit in my guitar case as a backup in case I have an amp breakdown at a gig.

I have a Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret, which is a great little "Marshall in a box" but is designed to go into a guitar amp. It doesn't have speaker emulation or anything like that.

My gold standard for guitar tone is the Marshall Bluesbreaker 2x12 combo. If not that sound, then the similar '59 Bassman (a bit of sag from a tube rectifier and a slight muddiness on the low end when driven).

Now the Sansamp Blonde seems good. But what about the weird kinda "ringing" I hear in demos when it's cranked up?

I've heard that the Boss/Fender '59 bassman pedal is distinctly underwhelming.

Are there any other products out there that I may not have heard of? Single amp sims that are designed to go straight into the PA with speaker emulation?

I'd go with either a Hughes & Kettner Red Box or Behringer Ultra-G GI100 ($34.00).
Plug your Dirty Little Secret or any distortion pedal into either one, direct to the PA and away you go.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/behringer-ultra-g-gi100-di

http://www.zzounds.com/item--HUKRBCLASSIC

Pro: More convenient, much less noise and feedback issues.
Con: compromised tone.

In a local venue with our general crappy sound standards, no one would be able to tell the difference, a reasonable trade off.

have you considered the Wampler Tweed 57 into a H&K red box?!

Thanks for all these great suggestions. Never thought of a speaker simulating DI box. Problem is, none of the demos I could find were an amp simulating pedal like the catalinbreads or the wamplers into a speaker sim. It's all like, their amp direct output or a distortion pedal. Makes it really hard to judge.

Simplest I guess would be my DLS into one of these gizmos. Problem is then it's two units - not quite as simple as sticking one into the compartment of my guitar case. Still a good solution. Also because you can always use the latest, schmanciest amp emulating pedal out there - like Rheinhard's new Catalinbread RAH.