practice amp for my EBMM

[g_man]

Hi! Any of you have experience with Tech21 amps? I am looking at a TM30 as a practice amp. My local dealer has a sale on them, and the one time I tried it I thought it sounded pretty good. Any other suggestions for something small, fairly inexpensive? I don't want effects other than reverb, and I like that SRV type of tone.

My guitar is an AL with MM90s and peizo. So far I have just been using a headphone processor (my AL is my first electric in many years, just getting back into it, and loving it ).

Thanks in advance!

 

[roburado]

Don't know about that Tech 21. I do know that I liked the Fender Pro Junior that I tried. I hear that the U.S.-made ones are better than the Chinese-made ones. I would definitely get a distortion box though. Tube Screamer, some kind of fuzz, or something if you're looking for some SRV tones, especially the gently (relative term, I know) distorted tones. But really, I don't know if any practice amp can really do SRV tones. You need to move a lot more air, I think. You might need a 4 x 10 or 4 x 12, but maybe someone else has other suggestions.

 

[CudBucket]

I haven't tried the Tech21 either but I just got a Roland MicroCube that I keep next to our bed. It's great for jamming with my MP3 player.

 

[roburado]

MicroCube is a great little amp. I want one of those.

 

[kompressaur]

I tried one of them little microcubes at a fellow forum members place just the other night.very natty in red,it was a wicked little piece of kit for its size and cheap as chips too

 

[mbgreene]

I had a Trademark 10 that I used as a practice amp for a while and thought about goig for a 30 or a 60. I liked it and it provided amp style emulations from Fender to Brit Classic to Califormia modern as they refer to it. Reverb was decent and it did its job. Big level drop off between the amp emulation settings, which were pretty good but not necessarily spot on. Mine also had an occasional glitch in output on occasion (I bought it used) and I eventually sold it and switched to a Microcube for practice purposes due to its additional effects and portability.

I think their equipment is fairly solid and reputable and would be a good way to go for the money. Are you using this to play out also or just for home use because at 30 watts of solid state, the cleaner settings may not provide enough umph for some settings? Also there's a guy named Les Paul who I believe uses the Trademark 60 for his weekly club gigs, so that's a pretty good endorsement.

Good Luck

 

[peterd79]

you could try the new Peavey Valvey King Royal 8 it's all tube True Class A amp... 5 watts and a single 8in speaker.

 

[g_man]

Thanks for the replies.

mbgreene, I would only be using it for practice. And I did see that about LP playing one every week, not a bad endorsement

peterd79, I will try and check out the Peavey. Great price for sure. I would be worried about it sounding too 'dry' without reverb when used as a practice amp. Also, at low volumes, are not tube amps harder to get a good sound out of them?

 

[TonyEVH5150]

I second the Roland MicroCube. My Axis sounds great on it. The built in amp modeler and effects is a huge bonus of an amp that doesn't cost alot of coin.

Check out the Epiphone Valve Junior Combo Amp. As simple as an amp can get. 5 Watts, 1 tube, 1 volume knob, an 8" speaker, and a surprising amount of punch. Class A tube amp for around $100.

 

[peterd79]

Check out the Epiphone Valve Junior Combo Amp. As simple as an amp can get. 5 Watts, 1 tube, 1 volume knob, an 8" speaker, and a surprising amount of punch. Class A tube amp for around $100.

I've actually used this amp as well... fantastic little tube amp...

 

[robelinda2]

yep ive tried the Tech21, super stuff!!! really classy tone, go for it!

 

[GWDavis28]

I tell you those MicroCubes are excellent, KBaim brought 2 to the Open House and everyone fell in love with them.

How much are you looking to spend?

Good luck, Glenn |B)

 

[Jimi D]

I've got a Tech 21 Trademark 10 beside the computer for practicing (okay, noodling) and two Trademark 60s for jamming and gigging. The Trademark 10 and 30 use the same preamp (which is basically a SansAmp GT-2, but with a power amp and reverb attached). It's a great little practice amp and lets you dial in the tones you're looking for quick and easy... The TM60 is a full bore two channel giggable guitar amp, and I think it sounds spectacular. I have two because I chain them together when I need more volume on stage (outdoors, really big rooms), but they have plenty of head room - our drummer makes Keith Moon seem reserved by comparison, and if I can be heard over him, I've plenty of volume... Anyway, the TM60's tone stack is wonky as heck - proprietary design completely different than any other preamp setup you might have used - so it takes some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, there are a whole lot of excellent tones to be found... Anyway, the bizarre controls mean this amp seems to confuse or even piss off more than a few players who don't want to take the time to come to grips with it, so I'd suggest you try before you buy, if only to see if you can live with the setup... Heck, you should always try the amp you want to buy, shouldn't you?

My only other amp is a Silver Face Deluxe Reverb that I've had for an eternity - it's been blackfaced, and it sounds spectacular, but the the TM60s are louder, chainable and a lot easier to maintain. My last tune-up on the SFDR cost me $260 with NOS tubes, and that's pretty much what I was spending every couple of years to keep her in trim... With the TM60s, the only thing I've ever had to do was clean the jacks, and they've been dragged around all over the place through all kinds of weather... My first one doesn't look too pretty any more, but it still works fine... I love them!

 

[wolfbone07]

I own both the TM10 and the TM30. I like them so much that I am looking for a TM60 for playing out. I like them a lot. I don't miss the effects. The reverb sounds good, and the tone is amazing for something so small. Go for it! If you want effects, spend money on good effects. My 2 cents.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

Thanks for the replies.

mbgreene, I would only be using it for practice. And I did see that about LP playing one every week, not a bad endorsement

When I saw Les Paul play in August 2004, he was DI'ing into the PA! But he was using a Sansamp!

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

I tell you those MicroCubes are excellent, KBaim brought 2 to the Open House and everyone fell in love with them.

How much are you looking to spend?

Good luck, Glenn |B)

+1 on the Microcubes!

 

[Astrofreq]

I use the Tech 21 stuff EXCLUSIVELY. No other amp cuts it IMHO.

I have a Trademark 30 and a Power Engine 60. The Trademark 10 and 30 just have every sound you can think of. The Power Engine is THE best amp for running a pedalboard though. PERIOD. Totally transparent.

On my pedalboard, I have the Tech21 PSA-1 preamp which is just fantastic and totally warm. I also have an older Tri-OD for smaller gigs where I don't need my larger pedalboard.

I'm telling you. Tech 21 is the shiznit. Your ballz will LOVE it.

 

[g_man]

Thanks for everybodies ideas on this. I went with the Tech21 TM30. So far it has been really nice. I love the range of sounds, and the simplicity is great. Great for my AL and the sounds I am trying to get!

 

[candid_x]

How does the Trademark 30 or 60 compare with either Line6 or real tube amps? I've heard a lot of players rave about them but have never tried one. Curious.

 

[Astrofreq]

I personally loathe Line 6 amps. They just sound paper thin to me. I have a big problem with the amp modeling on those. Each amp setting is SOOOOOO EQ'ed that the EQ knobs are virtually useless. If you want a heavy distortion sound, forget about midrange because that distortion sound are so scooped even with the mids on 10. It just sounds digital. The EQ knobs on the Tech 21 amps really do it. They each give such a wide range that you can get virtually any sound you want.

The Trademark 30 and 60 are differents amps. The 60 is channel switching, but doesn't give as much variation as the 30. I've talked to Lloyd at Tech 21 about this. On the 10 and 30, there are 3 rows of switches for a total of 9 sound combinations. On the 60, the variations are a bit different in that you have to think of the switches all moving rows together. One setting has the equivalent of the switches on row one, than all on row two, then three. I didn't like that as much, because I leave the speaker switch on UK. It's hard to explain, but the 10 and 30 just have more options BECAUSE it's one channel. Don't get me wrong, I'd take ANY Tech 21 over a Marshall ANYDAY.

BTW, I've used my 30 tons of times to gig with. Most of the time I take pedals straight into the Effects Loop return and it's like having a full on 30 watt amp. Then I just use the pedals for a master volume. It all goes into the PA anyway, so it doesn't have to be as loud as you might think.