1/2 Watt TUBE Amp ? ? ?

DriftingByTheStorm · January 2006

Z VEX ZVEX Mini TUBE NANO AMP AMPLIFIER
http://cgi.ebay.com/Z-VEX-ZVEX-TUBE-NANO-AMP-AMPLIFIER-BRAND-NEW_W0QQitemZ7382456262QQcategoryZ10171QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

You think this thing is worth a grain of salt? worth US $439.00 ?

I've heard lots of good things about Z Vex pedals, but a 1\2 watt TUBE amp ?

I need some sort of viable option for recording guitar on the road (ie. at a friend's house) ... something beyond "line-in" ... a solid solution for a mobile studio ...

is it even worth considering a "novelty" like this, or should i just hunt down a AD15 or something?

Assuming I did spring the bucks for a 1\2w tube amp, what kind've cabinet could i drive with it effectively\efficiently ?

aren't i severly underpowering almost every cab in existence?
or are you gonna tell me that underpowering a cab is just myth, and that i'm really just leaving "ample head room"? har har.

hmm.

i also found this
1x15'' Sovtek cabinet?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Sovtek-tube-amplifier-speaker-cabinet-1-x-15-150-Watt_W0QQitemZ7382801198QQcategoryZ10171QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

rated at 150w again ... above question about underpowering?

oh well.
just a thought.

Pacomc79 · January 2006

It's cool and might be fun, but for the money, I'd probably buy one from Lovepedal. http://www.lovepedal.com

Either is probably great for apartment dwellers, but then again so is a Pod XT.

The Zvex is more complex, thus the extra cash, Zach also has a cool Ipod amp.

I'm not trying to discourage you at all, I think bob has a little 1 watter he likes, 500 bucks seems steep though. for what you get.

cool sovtek.

exhausted · January 2006

forget clean sounds, that's for sure.

DriftingByTheStorm · January 2006

sounds like a resounding "NO" from the chorus of two.

the wise oracles of M&G.

who's_pearljam? · January 2006

DriftingByTheStorm wrote:

sounds like a resounding "NO" from the chorus of two.

the wise oracles of M&G.

Then comes the eternal optimist!

I'm that Bob guy. I don't have a Zvex, but I have a one watt tube amp made by a guy namded John Martin. He makes unbelievable stuff but is hard to get ahold of, too. You'd find him through these guys in Philadelphia:

http://www.dipintoguitars.com/contact.html

Don't let 1/2 or 1 watt surprise you.
I've never played the Zvex, but my Martone 1 watt gives about 20 decibels less that a 50 watt amp. That's not a whole huge difference of perceived loudness. I laughed at 1 watt when I got it, and I plugged it into a 2 X 15 and a 4 X 12 cabinet and it blows you out of the room. It has a master volume on it and it needs it!
It's a great sounding amp, too. Sounds great clean, more on the Fender side and it crunches up nicely, maybe like a Boogie, Santana like. I paid about $300 for it.
The advantage of it is that you are driving the power stage tubes harder at less volume, and it sounds way better than just a driven preamp stage.

I have the lovepedal one, too. I consider that more of a novelty, but it IS a cool little thing.
There's no clean on it unless you drop your guitar volume, and then it's always on the edge of clean. It has two 9 volt batteries inside with no a/c adapter and no way to put one in because the innards are all gooped with epoxy. It sounds good, though if you want a Vox or Marshall like crunch.
It has no volume control on it, and really even a 1/2 watt of transistor strength can be loud and it's tiny and portable as anything..

My one watter sounds GREAT through the Weber in my Fender Deluxe. I still haven't gotten around to getting a separate cabinet for it, but probably go for a 12" Weber speaker in a small cabinet..

There's my humble opinion.

Another thing that sound pretty good at low volume is the Roland Microcube through a cabinet. WAY better than through the little speaker in it.

Another humble opinion

harrisonmerwin · January 2006

matchless makes/made 12 watt and 6 watt amps, look who we all love that uses them. Savage too also has low watt amps, again, look who uses them, dont be so critical of new ideas, obviously hes doign quite well if hes selling them

DriftingByTheStorm · January 2006

guess i should keep the goodvibes flowing in this thread, btw -- thanks bob, for your excellent input -- here are two other amps that look "gnarley" ... i can't believe i just said that:

http://cgi.ebay.com/CORNFORD-HARLEQUIN-MK1-CUSTOM-MODEL-GUITAR-AMP_W0QQitemZ7382089190QQcategoryZ10171QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://www.amptone.com/kendrickroughneck.htm

i'ma keep lookin'

exhausted · January 2006

the carr mercury is swell. i'd love one. that goes down to a 1/10th of a watt if you can believe it.

http://www.carramps.com/mercury.html

6 watts and 12 watts are still loud.

i just know the zvex is designed pretty much solely for driven, classic rock kind of tones.

sj_2150 · January 2006

for that money though, i could buy a way better amp

Pacomc79 · January 2006

http://www.matamp.co.uk/minimat.htm

several more options http://www.electrosonicamplifiers.com http://www.electrosonicamplifiers.com/solaris.htm

http://www.stephensonamps.com/stagehog4-5.htm see Stage Hog

don't give up on them, just try to try some out first. The Zvex is still cool to have if you got one or the one from Dipinto like Bob has.

That Carr is awesome, There was one next to a glorious Suhr I picked up at the shop yesterday.

DriftingByTheStorm · January 2006

exhausted wrote:

the carr mercury is swell. i'd love one. that goes down to a 1/10th of a watt if you can believe it.

http://www.carramps.com/mercury.html

6 watts and 12 watts are still loud.

i just know the zvex is designed pretty much solely for driven, classic rock kind of tones.

that looks way "rad"
:rolleyes: @ the word i just used.

but i will have to save for the next quarter century to own it.
:(

it would definately make my short list, money-no-matter, though. crazy attenuator and built in reverb. super swell psychobilly nostalgic nawgahide.

hmm.

thinks out loud.

DriftingByTheStorm · January 2006

Pacomc79 wrote:

http://www.matamp.co.uk/minimat.htm
.

this thing gets my vote for coolest lookin' little mofo at a ridiculous price.
nice metal box ... suhweet.

! hmm ...
and it would look SOOOOOO good sitting on top of that sovtek box i posted up top ...

mmm ... wonder if it sounds like butter.

DriftingByTheStorm · January 2006

i thought this was kind've cool too.
was looking for cabinets on the small side ...

moded marshall ministacks

http://cgi.ebay.com/MARSHALL-MINI-STACK-CABINETS-WITH-NEW-HARDWARE_W0QQitemZ7381683772QQcategoryZ38075QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Pacomc79 · January 2006

DriftingByTheStorm wrote:

i thought this was kind've cool too.
was looking for cabinets on the small side ...

moded marshall ministacks
http://cgi.ebay.com/MARSHALL-MINI-STACK-CABINETS-WITH-NEW-HARDWARE_W0QQitemZ7381683772QQcategoryZ38075QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

They look cool, and would be fun canidates for speaker swaps.

DriftingByTheStorm · January 2006

Pacomc79 wrote:

They look cool, and would be fun canidates for speaker swaps.

i'm thinking this and the matamp would be SUHWEET.

any ideas about domestic retailers for matamps?

are there any?

i'd love not to have to pay import duties and shipping!

DriftingByTheStorm · January 2006

well, i emailed matamp about a US distributor,

but i checked the user guide, and the 2 speaker outs on the back are NOT to be used simultaneously ... i'm a little confused as to what the point of having them is ... why not just use an A\B box?

anyhow ... that question aside ...

is there any SAFE way to run one cord OUT of the minimat but to then split it to both cabinets of the mini stack?

would this some how affect the load?

anyone?

i just think it would be cool to push two tens in a stack with 2 watts ...

haha.

exhausted · January 2006

DriftingByTheStorm wrote:

well, i emailed matamp about a US distributor,

but i checked the user guide, and the 2 speaker outs on the back are NOT to be used simultaneously ... i'm a little confused as to what the point of having them is ... why not just use an A\B box?

anyhow ... that question aside ...

is there any SAFE way to run one cord OUT of the minimat but to then split it to both cabinets of the mini stack?

would this some how affect the load?

anyone?

i just think it would be cool to push two tens in a stack with 2 watts ...

haha.

wire the cabinets in such a way as to create the required load. it can be done.

Pacomc79 · January 2006

DriftingByTheStorm wrote:

well, i emailed matamp about a US distributor,

but i checked the user guide, and the 2 speaker outs on the back are NOT to be used simultaneously ... i'm a little confused as to what the point of having them is ... why not just use an A\B box?

anyhow ... that question aside ...

is there any SAFE way to run one cord OUT of the minimat but to then split it to both cabinets of the mini stack?

would this some how affect the load?

anyone?

i just think it would be cool to push two tens in a stack with 2 watts ...

haha.

Matamp and Orange both do that actually, My Orange has a 16ohm and an 8ohm jack neither are to be used simultaneously, though it can be done as aforementioned it just depends on your ingenuity.

Electric makes the US rigs now I think

http://www.matamp.com/order.html

DriftingByTheStorm · January 2006

Pacomc79 wrote:

Matamp and Orange both do that actually, My Orange has a 16ohm and an 8ohm jack neither are to be used simultaneously, though it can be done as aforementioned it just depends on your ingenuity.

Electric makes the US rigs now I think

http://www.matamp.com/order.html

yeah pac, but both of the outs are each labeled 8/16/headphones ... so wtf ???

Pacomc79 · January 2006

DriftingByTheStorm wrote:

yeah pac, but both of the outs are each labeled 8/16/headphones ... so wtf ???

It's just a different way of doing things, on say a big hiwatt head you will have an impedence selector on the back Orange prefers to give you the option of a 16 ohm cab (usually one 16 ohm speaker or 2 8's wired accordingly) or an 8 ohm cab usually 2 or more 8 ohm speakers wired accordingly and so on and so forth etc etc. the possibilities are boundless. Essentially think of it as one out put jack, that you can switch. You can use either but not both.

DriftingByTheStorm · January 2006

http://www.juniorsmusic.com/

MINIMATS in the USA.

YAY!
$555.

1/2 Watt TUBE Amp ? ? ?

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