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Post subject: Amps and tubes...
Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 1:43 pm
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I am new to the electric guitar. I bought a MIM Strat, case and Starcaster 15G amp. I went over the guitar snd followed set up insturctions. So far everything is okay. I am curious about upgrading to a tube amp. I have watched a ton of you tube. I am curious why some amps have one preamp tube and one power tube and others have more than one. Is it more tube more power? Is it that as the signal goes from level in the preamp stage to another level in the preamp stage that the signal is getting amplified. FYI I am looking at a Blues Junior III or a Superchamp X2 or XD, or possibly a Champion 600. The amp will be for home use playing primarily blues and jazz. Thanks for your help!


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Post subject: Re: Amps and tubes...
Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2013 9:26 pm
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Hi jrwblw375,

Each preamp tube is a gain stage (amplification), or recovery stage, so the more preamp tubes, the more gain stages, and the more preamp gain, or amplification. Sometimes, some of the preamp tubes will only be in the circuit when switching channels, so there can be a different voicing when adding a tube to the signal path. Amps that have only one output tube will have less power than amps with two or more output tubes, and a different type of sound due to the different circuits. The three amps that you listed will each have their own unique sound, due to the type and number of tubes as well as the circuit configuration of each amp.

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Post subject: Re: Amps and tubes...
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 11:36 am
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jrwblw375 wrote:
I am new to the electric guitar. I bought a MIM Strat, case and Starcaster 15G amp. I went over the guitar snd followed set up insturctions. So far everything is okay. I am curious about upgrading to a tube amp. I have watched a ton of you tube. I am curious why some amps have one preamp tube and one power tube and others have more than one. Is it more tube more power? Is it that as the signal goes from level in the preamp stage to another level in the preamp stage that the signal is getting amplified. FYI I am looking at a Blues Junior III or a Superchamp X2 or XD, or possibly a Champion 600. The amp will be for home use playing primarily blues and jazz. Thanks for your help!

Look at Watts when you're figuring power. For home use 20 watts and under will be fine in general. the Champion 600 has a very unique sound. It's a throwback to the early days. To me it sounds kinda boxy. Speaker size will also effect your sound. Generally a 12 inch speaker will get you the most flexibility. For blues and jazz especially I'd make sure I had a 12 inch speaker. You will want a nice clean tone for jazz, dirty sounds can always be achieved with a pedal, especially at low volumes. Each amp has it's own voice. The Blue's Jr. is tuned for blues, but might need to be cranked to achieve the desired tone. So that's where a pedal comes in at lower house volumes. Check out BOSS pedals. Good luck and welcome to the world of electricity!

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Post subject: Re: Amps and tubes...
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 1:08 pm
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gldfshkpr wrote:
For home use 20 watts and under will be fine in general.


Au contraire!

Everybody knows that bedroom shoe-gazers need a 100-watt stack.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: Amps and tubes...
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 1:17 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
gldfshkpr wrote:
For home use 20 watts and under will be fine in general.


Au contraire!

Everybody knows that bedroom shoe-gazers need a 100-watt stack.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Arjay



And then every type of attenuator on the market to bring it down to bedroom levels. :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Amps and tubes...
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2013 1:25 pm
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Hello Arjay. Nice to see you. It's been a while for me around here. Nice to see you and your sense of humor! I always appreciated your knowledge and experience in all things gear as well.

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-Kirk

GUITARS
'12 Sonoran Acoustic - black (dated 10/31/12)
'13 Standard Strat
AMP
Vox ac4c1-bl
PEDALS
Compressor
Big Muff
Vox Stomplab 1G
Carbon Copy Delay


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Post subject: Re: Amps and tubes...
Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 10:43 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
gldfshkpr wrote:
For home use 20 watts and under will be fine in general.


Au contraire!

Everybody knows that bedroom shoe-gazers need a 100-watt stack.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Arjay


+1 :lol: And anyone who gigs on a regular basis knows 20 watt tube amps are serious gigging amps and pretty loud for a bedroom. Actually 5 watts and lower are great practice amps. 20 watt tube amps can handle most club and bar situations and can be fine for larger gigs too if you just mic it. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Amps and tubes...
Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 11:03 am
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63supro wrote:
+1 :lol: And anyone who gigs on a regular basis knows 20 watt tube amps are serious gigging amps and pretty loud for a bedroom. Actually 5 watts and lower are great practice amps. 20 watt tube amps can handle most club and bar situations and can be fine for larger gigs too if you just mic it. :wink:


+2

Last time I gigged out I played a 12-watt Princeton. The other guitarist had some Blackstar 2 x 10 SS combo of around 60 watts. Nobody had any problem hearing me.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: Amps and tubes...
Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 12:30 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
gldfshkpr wrote:
For home use 20 watts and under will be fine in general.


Au contraire!

Everybody knows that bedroom shoe-gazers need a 100-watt stack.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Amps and tubes...
Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2013 3:53 pm
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BMW-KTM wrote:
Image



LOVE IT!

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Amps and tubes...
Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2013 3:47 pm
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And make sure that 20 watts is OUTPUT power. I actually had a guy in a pawn shop tell me that he had a 100 watt Deluxe Reverb RI. It said so on the back label. :lol: :lol: :lol:

I had to hang up I was laughing so hard.

Art


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Post subject: Re: Amps and tubes...
Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:13 pm
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Art1 wrote:
And make sure that 20 watts is OUTPUT power. I actually had a guy in a pawn shop tell me that he had a 100 watt Deluxe Reverb RI. It said so on the back label. :lol: :lol: :lol:

I had to hang up I was laughing so hard.


I've seen a few 180-watt Hot Rod Deluxes on Ebay......

:mrgreen:

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: Amps and tubes...
Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2013 5:22 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
Art1 wrote:
And make sure that 20 watts is OUTPUT power. I actually had a guy in a pawn shop tell me that he had a 100 watt Deluxe Reverb RI. It said so on the back label. :lol: :lol: :lol:

I had to hang up I was laughing so hard.


I've seen a few 180-watt Hot Rod Deluxes on Ebay......

:mrgreen:

Arjay


I'll bet they selling like hotcakes. :lol:

Art


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Post subject: Re: Amps and tubes...
Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2013 10:22 pm
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I just wanted to take a moment and thank the people who responded to my question about tube and amps. This is a great forum--Thanks to you!! I ended up ordering a used Fender BJ Tweed from Alto Music. There seem to be a lot of great amps out there. For me travel is somewhat of an issue as I am about an hour away from either a GC or Sweetwater. I took the chance on this amp offering me the tone and sound I want based on you tube videos and your input. Thanks again.


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Post subject: Re: Amps and tubes...
Posted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 8:50 pm
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Almost a year later. I really do like this amp. Blues Jr NOS sounds very nice to me. Maybe I can make some upgrades soon!!


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