Underrated, under-loved, underpriced tube heads?

[jirodreamsofdank]

Getting a Fryette Power Station in trade, which opens up a whole wide world of loud heads. I would love an OR-80 or OR-120 but they're all way out of the budget.

I'm keeping an eye out for an Ampeg V2 or V4, aside from needing work that was probably the happiest I've been with an amp. What else is out there that's still a bargain? Old Traynor heads look cool, Blackface/Silverface Bassman maybe but I generally like amps with less mid-scoop for fuzz and distortion.

[dubkitty]

i was gonna say Traynor.

[aen]

Peavey!

If I were to re-start with guitar gear I would go after a VTM 60 half stack. Beautifully crunchy if you want it, loud as heck, and can be had for under a grand for the whole shebang.

[K2000]

Earth (aka Earth Sound Research) B2000 “super bass” (burly guitar amp)
Plush
Guild Thunderbass
Univox

[kosta]

I have an Earth B2000 head, K2000. That thing rips. Amazing for bass and guitar, and you can jumper one channel into the other for maximum punch. Love that head.

[PeterBregman]

i was gonna say Traynor.

This. My rebuilt YGM-3 is my favorite amp. Really good transformers, well built (turret board, hand wired), and great circuits. They’re wildly undervalued.

Check out a YBA or a YGL head. Great amps. Not nearly as mid-scooped as Fenders.

[Dowi]

YAMAHA T100. It's basically a Soldano SLO, but cost 1/4 of the price, likr 400€/450$. Nice clean channel and AMAZING dirt channel if you like mid 90ies heavy distortion. I got one, it was my first tube head. (7 pre-tubes though, changing them it's a pain in the ass and in the wallet). Eats pedals like a pro.

[imJonWain]

Laney AOR50 heads are usually still pretty cheap and really solid amps. Basically a hotrod 2204 JCM800
Old Sundown Artist or SD1000 heads are usually pretty cheap and great amps.
Old Musicman stuff, especially hd130s.


Internet prices for this stuff are all stupid but locally all usually sell under $500 usually. I've had all three and am down to just the Sundown now but I really liked them all.

[MechaGodzilla]

my amp guy showed me a jet city head he was working on for somebody. the quality-to-cost ratio there is honestly astonishing.

[coldbrightsunlight]

Interesting, I feel like I've heard not fantastic things and bad vibes about those but then I'm looking at amps on Reverb and I think huh yeah I forgot about those. Price is right so I'm curious.

[mcatano]

A Peavey Windsor is a very ugly $300 JCM800.
Traynors and Garnets can be decent deals but I think prices have crept up enough that you're better off just getting a silverface bassman.
Ultra-linear fenders are cheap as hell and if you're into clean-ish pedal platforms (or you play pedal steel?) then you're stoked.
They're a little more expensive and a little harder to find, but Vox AC50s are incredible sounding amps that usually go for under $1500, which is a bargain compared to what a comparable AC30 will set you back.
The Vox AC100CPH is a kinda dumb looking and very nice sounding 100W head that no one wanted and has a top-boost AC30/preamp channel and a marshall-style preamp channel.
Vox V125 is a couple decades older, has a weird-ass EQ section, but is ear shatteringly loud, looks amazing, and turn up pretty cheap from time to time.

[qersty]

Carvin stuff is excellent. I have a tweed combo of theirs but it needs maintenance. My dad but some sus chinese valves in it cause the old ones wore out so it is a misbiased squealing trash heap now. What I really miss tho is the PV rage i traded it for. Now that is a big boy amp!

[qersty]

Also I've heard THD amps are supposed to be a steal. They aren't cheap really but good value if you want a boutique amp

[mcatano]

You'd probably have a hard time giving away anything that says CRATE on the front, so the vintage club 50 will often turn up super cheap. I used one as backline once and it was a totally cromulent amp, and I've been tempted to grab one ever since.

[Gone Fission]

Interesting, I feel like I've heard not fantastic things and bad vibes about those but then I'm looking at amps on Reverb and I think huh yeah I forgot about those. Price is right so I'm curious.

Jet City sold with cheap tubes and I believe biased cold. They figured that people would upgrade with what they liked and cold bias means the output tubes will last longer, but that can sound buzzy and a bit clinical. Decent tubes and bias and they’re pretty good for the cost. Too gainy for a fuzz head in stock form, though, at least IMO. (Except maybe the 50 watt 2x12 combo which I haven’t encountered but is supposed to have a legit clean channel.) The loops on the 50 and 100 watt heads are pre-eq and run to hot for most pedals.