lil' once-in-a-while amp recommendations...

[space6oy]

i've had this tiny little excel EX120 solid state combo i think since i got my first electric in '91. it has a 6" speaker, high & low ins, overdrive switch, volume, treble & bass pots, headphone & line out jacks. & a power switch. no idea what its wattage is, they didn't bother labeling it & in a quick 5 min search i can't find it online. it'd been sitting at my house unused for ages, then my folks actually built an apartment above their garage for my sis and me to crash in when we wanna visit / get away. which i'm doing at the moment thanks to some shitty health issues. so i've left the lil' amp and a squier tele for me to mess with whenever i'm here. love the lil' thing since i've had it forever and it's better than nuthin', but... when i bring dr. sci & ss/bs & empress & dirge they're biting their tongues about how they'd sound a funkton better through a nicer amp.

i don't wanna spend much & don't need much volume. tube junkie but will deal w/ SS if enough of you dudes swear one's awesome.

whatcha think? any suggestions?

[skullservant]

Valve Juniorrrrrrrr seriously

[ryan summit]

i think ancient astronaut
has a vox pathfinder for sale
if you do the led mod(super easy)
it gets a bunch more hradroom
and works real well with pedals
and so not expensive for how good it sounds
they also have a 10w one with a 6" speaker
probly just as good

[Achtane]

Valve Juniorrrrrrrr seriously

[univalve]

Pathfinder
Greta with extra 12" cab
Picovalve with cab

[space6oy]

thanks dudes, checking out the valve junior, also never had a vox...

[odontophobia]

I have a PicoValve that I'm enjoying alright. It has just replaced a Kustom Defender 5W that I had. If you're okay with head/combo I might be okay parting with my Defender if that makes it any easier on you.

PicoValve needs new tubes out of box, I think. Breaks up too easily and the low end is really muddy. The Defender seemed trebley to me but liked my pedalboard a good deal.

Happy hunting.

[D.o.S.]

Valve Juniorrrrrrrr seriously

[space6oy]

what about the lil' orange SS combos? those suck w/o tubeage? friend of mine who lives off giving lessons has a zt lunchbox i know he digs... and he's a vintage junkie like me... have heard good things about acoustic (brand) amps too...

[skullservant]

I know the ZT Lunchbox can get pretty freaking loud for how tiny it is. Never tried any of the newer smaller Acoustics, but the 200w bass head was pretty decent

[Holy Schnikes]

The Valve Jr does sound really great. I've played Mark's from BAT, he's done all the common mods, runs it thru a vertical Emperor 2x12, sounds fantastic.

Maybe keep an eye out for an Ampeg GVT5 head too. They were recently discontinued but it's a little 6V6 head with very simple control set. I've seen 'em on eBay for $200-$300 recently...

[univalve]

PicoValve needs new tubes out of box, I think. Breaks up too easily and the low end is really muddy.

can't second that statement... But opinions may differ

[odontophobia]

PicoValve needs new tubes out of box, I think. Breaks up too easily and the low end is really muddy.

can't second that statement... But opinions may differ

Different strokes for different folks. S'all good.

[Disarm D'arcy]

Vox AC4... Laney Cub 12 ?

[hbombgraphics]

I have had the micro terror and a 1x12 and it sounded great, it does get pretty loud and stays relatively clean
AC4 is awesome, breaks up pretty dern early
valve Junior is a pretty cool amp, never sounds bad, if you have that and some type of treble booster you would be pretty happy
AC4 is on it's way out the door so I am searching for a tiny amp as well, I really want solid state because they usually have a headphone out and stay cleaner longer