Hi again everyone,

Thanks for all your replies, as usual they are all helpful, seems like a great forum this and full of rather knowledgable fender players! So thanks for treating a newbie so well.

As an update, i think im going to take what little cash i have already down to a stompbox shop and try out the vox britboost, mxr custom badass 78, a Blackstar HT-dual, a plexitone, MXR M-66, and maybe that sansamp gt-2 as well. But im no longer as certain im going to purchase anything unless seomthing jumps out at me as being that golden sound ive been looking for. Instead....

As Magnatone was saying, and i totally agree, you cant beat having your own amp which gets YOUR sound to bring to every gig. With that in mind im considerring saving my pennies and searching out a nice lil valve amp that i can actually carry in one hand to gigs. Looking at Vox, Marshall, fender, and blackstar initially. Does anybody know of one with a good sound that is impressively lightweight? If its cheap thats a bonus obviously, but the weight really is the main issue as im looking for something i can get to gigs on public transport when we arent getting paid enough to warrant bringing a van and the `ear bleeder` amps!! Shoudl probably have started a new thread for that query, but hey i dont want to fill up the forum and get on everyones nerves too soon after starting to post

Either way, thanks for all your help everyone.

Olly

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`I prefer not to listen to music that I can't rip off or improve on` - Ian Dury

Marshall class 5...if you like sweet marshally goodness.

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— did that sound like something?

Hi again ollyclam: well, I suspect I'm again going to find myself in agreement with Nick on this. We both have Marshall Class5 amps. Mine is strictly for practice, but as he says he's already used his in a band context, so five watts is working fine for him like that.

I love that amp, but you do need to be clear about the sounds you are going to get from it. It is a non-master volume amp, so at a given level it is what it is and that's that. It is not a Fender, so while I think it gives a very nice clean tone set to about four it doesn't have the Fenderish headroom to do clean at full volume. It's not designed for that. Flat out it is pure Plexi crunch, in a neat box that you can easily carry with one hand. Fantastic, if that's what you want.

However, if you need band level crystal clean tones then it ain't the one for you, and if you want harder drive/distortion sounds you are still going to need to put a pedal in front. That's what I use the Blackstar HT-Dual pedal for.

In my meaningless opinion it is a beautiful amp and the only one I've ever come across that emulates my big Marshall TSL at humane sound levels. But I'm just saying you need to demo it carefully to make sure it does what you're looking for. And while doing so, crank it flat out, to understand its range.

Never mind the looks on the faces of the other people in the shop. If they don't love it - they should go work in a flower shop!

Also. Another word on the Blackstars. Their equivilant to the Class5 is their HT-5, head or combo. A very neat little amp, arguably more versatile than the Marshall. Something to bear in mind is that the pre-amp section of that amp is simply the HT-Dual pedal I previously mentioned to you. All they've done to turn it into an amplifier is shove a power section on the end. They are not the only company that has essentially built an amp around a pedal, but they have possibly done it the best. It's a nice unit.

I suggest you demo the Class5 and the HT-5 side-by-side and choose which you like best - which may come down to the speaker and enclosure. Both of them are in the tone territory you outlined in your first post.

'Course, with my HT pedal and my Class5 I've sort of got the best of both, right...?

Cheers - C

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Hi Olly, and welcome to the forum!

Just another suggestion to the other very fine units mentioned.



Give it a try while you're testing boxes. The thing has a cool mix knob and a selector for SC/HB input, meaning it adjusts to the input you have a little bit, prevents mud. (It's the little black push button in the middle there).

I love it. It is very versatile and well-made.

Good luck and see you around these boards!

Cheers

Nutter

If/When you try the C5 make sure you control the bass knob. it can get farty if your not wise to the bass knob, mine never makes it past 11:00 personally and maybe lower than that.

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— did that sound like something?

Ideally, what you need is the Empress Multidrive. My buddy, who also lives in a dense urban environment, was also rarely able to haul an amp around. He says this box worked wonders.

http://proguitarshop.com/store/effects- ... ive-p-2823

Damn nik, you have me drooling over that plexitone pedal.
That is a warm chocolate chip cookie and a bag of chips.

Olly , I have a great amp that can cover alot of ground.
But you need two hands. Well I guess it can still be carried
With one hand and the head under the arm.
Egnater tweaker, is IMO a sweet lite 15 watter.
It has 3 settings USA, ac , Brit , it's highly tweakable.
It has gain. It's an awesome amp. Check it out,
They have a combo too, but for some reason or other,
I did not like, it sounded different.

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"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

oogway, kungfu panda 2008

I was just about to say the Egnater Rebel 20 is about 17 pounds and would be easy peasy carrying around in one hand. Plus it has plenty of tonal options with pure tube goodness. Then you can get one of those ultra lightweight 1x12 cabs, put some backpack straps on it, and you're ready to roll.

My only beef with it is it does not have reverb, although that does help contribute to it weighing less.