Line 6 Spider Valve HD100 Review

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(More customer reviews)This sucker sounds really great. And it's true what they say about tube amps. You aren't really hearing it unless you crank it. I cranked it, and it was the greatest thing I've ever heard (I played a metal chord, then turned it from super loud to very low, and I could progressively hear the tone go from amazingly thick and rich, to crackly and thin. so only buy this if you plan on playing it LOUD). Put it on the Metal or Insane settings, and it's just nuts. However, it broke the next day, so I had to send it off for repair to a "local" service center (where Line 6 made me pay 30 bucks to ship. thanks L6). It's been over a month and they finally got around to checking it out. They told me the tubes were faulty. So great. Now they say another 2 weeks to order new tubes and test to see if there are any other problems. Nice work, Line 6. BTW, my POD X3's headphone jack only outputs a MONO signal now. How great is that? Talk about quality! (the presets suck too btw. no one uses those. and you can't customize them like you can on the POD X3, but thankfully, you don't need them. the main channel knob has all you need!!)
Other than that, this amp sounds AMAZING. A shame about the faulty tubes in my unit, but I hope when I get it back, it will last longer than a few minutes of it cranked. And no, not crazy cranked, just normal cranked.
The matching cab sounds amazing btw.

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Spider Valve fuses the versatility of amp and effects modeling with the performance and feel of a world-class tube amplifier. Combining award-winning Line 6 modeling technology with a genuine tube amplifier designed by legendary amp designer Reinhold Bogner, Spider Valve delivers unmatched performance, responsiveness and tonal flexibility on the stage and in the studio.

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Fender Blues Junior Hot Rod Series with Optional Amp Cover- Black Review

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(More customer reviews)IF you are looking at getting a Blues Junior, you are basically a stay home practice/player, home recorder, or real small gigger.
Most of the great sounding CRUNCH amps are really meant for large gigs like Hiwatt, Marshall and most Orange's.
Only Orange of those makes a nice crunch in a small amp, but it's not cheap either. Almost 800.
If you want a Blue Junior, you've already decided to get a tube amp and one with EL84s for their crunch, and NOT 6L6 and not an amp for it's amazing CLEAN sound, like say the Fender Reverbs.
Bottom line, this is an amazingly affordable and superb sounding amp at all levels of crunch.
I rate it at a 5 because of it's very reasonable price, especially used. I don't know truly if the newer ones since 2001 are as good as the American made ones, so you'll have to check that out. I don't like these reviews that seem to put all Blues Juniors under one review umbrella when they are different makes at different times, so check out the date info and compare them IF you can. Let your ears determine, not a review or persons opinion.
All I can say is I've searched and played amps for a long time now and I like 6L6 tube amps for clean and EL84's for crunch, all tube and for home non-gigging crunch the Blues Junior is the least expensive best sounding way to go.
As for problems, the main one I've heard is that the tubes don't last as long as other amps, that they are setup to be "hotter". I don't know if this is true, but my attitude is: if that's what it takes to make it sound like this, I LIKE it.
Also, don't get caught up with the "MOD" bug. Yes, there are zillion things you can DO to a Blues Junior. My only advice is, should you want to do this to YOUR amp, let it be your SECOND Blues Junior. If you can't afford a second copy, then don't go messing with the first.
People are always whining about how things don't sound like they did in the 50's. Well, they probably don't remember how while an amp might have sounded superb, the recording technology was in it's infancy and so what they 'heard' on records was a pale shadow. So to sound "like" your favorite Fender amp player, I'm very sure you can make this modern baby sound that bad if you set it up just wrong in the right way.
Good luck, and let your OWN ears, in comparison, sell an amp to you over time.

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The Blues Junior, a warm-toned favorite, takes our 15-watt tube preamp/power amp platform and pushes it through a 12" Fender® Special Design Eminence® speaker. That sound comes courtesy of a pair of EL-84 Groove Tube® output tubes and three 12AX7 preamp tubes. Add our renowned Fender® reverb, flexible controls, and FAT circuit with footswitch for golden tones, and you're in business. And just look at that chrome panel, that black textured vinyl with silver grille cloth, and those vintage pointer knobs.AccessoriesCover :Optional Amp Cover AvailableFootswitch :Uses Optional 1-Button Footswitch, p/n 0994054000ElectronicsChannels :One ChannelControls : Reverb Master Middle Bass Treble "Fat" Switch VolumeEffects : ReverbInputs : OneRectifier : Solid StateCabinet Material :Black Textured Vinyl Covering Front Panel:SilverPilot Light Jewel:Red Amp JewelAmplifier Type :TubeSpeakersSpeaker Impedance :8 OhmsSpeaker :1-12" Fender® Special Design Eminence® 8 ohm, 50 watt SpeakerInput Impedance :1 MPower Handling :15 watts into 8 ohmsPower Tubes :2 x EL84Preamp Tubes : 3 x 12AX7

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Fender Pro Jr Amp Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a great amp. Light and portable but loud as hell. I used this guy at a band practice with drums and another guitarist recently and only had the volume at about 3 and it was plenty loud enough. Sounds great too. Its definitely got that tube sound. I also love the simplicity of the controls: just on/off, volume, and tone.

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The Pro Junior™ is a simple, uncluttered 15-Watt tone machine, a great grab & go tube amp for stage or studio. It's got the fat mid tones characteristic of EL-84 output tubes, a dual 12AX7 tube preamp, and a 10-inch Fender Special Design speaker with vintage cone. These ingredients add up to incredibly touch-sensitive dynamic response that experienced players prefer.Other features include a unique clean-to-drive volume control, and external speaker capability. The new Pro Junior IIalso includes these upgrades: Easier reading black control panel with front reading text; New badge; Vintage Fender "dog bone" handle; Vintage sized jewel light; Lower-noise shielding; Rattle reducing shock absorbers for EL-84 tubes; Heavy duty set screw "chicken head" knobs. Fender Hot Rod Series Pro Junior 15W 1x10 Tube Guitar Combo Amp Features: All tube preamp and 15-watt power section Volume and tone controls 1 - 10" special design Eminence® speaker Extension speaker jack

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Bellari HA 540 Class A Tube Headphone Amp Review

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(More customer reviews)Though I'm the satisfied owner of a Fiio E9 headphone amp, I own Ultrasone PRO750 headphones which are much like Grados only with more robust bass. The Ultrasones sound dry on some recordings, so when I found the Bellari HA540 Class A tube headphone amp at a steep discount, I purchased it. Since my integrated amp has two tape loops, I can connect the Fiio and the Bellari simultaneously.
The Bellari is manufactured in the USA by a division of Rolls. Readers might be familiar with Rolls through their HA43PRO headphone amp, which is often used to connect to the RCA outs of a TV. The Bellari uses one tube, a 12AX7, which is very common and easily sourced. Rather than use the stock tube, I purchased a Mullard. I'll only use the stock tube to fill in when I need to get another.
The Bellari is a Class A amp, but is barely warm to the touch. It's an OTL design: there's no output transformer. In practical terms, that means your headphones are providing the load on the tube. Headphones with too low an impedance could overdrive the amp. A headphone amp is the perfect application for an OTL design because headphones rarely have impedances as low as loudspeakers, which are mostly in the 4 to 8 ohm range.
The lowest impedance headphones I own are the Denon AH-D2000 at 25 Ohms, and the Bellari can handle it--but that's about as low an impedance as I'd want. The Ultrasone PRO 750 isn't very efficient, but the Bellari has lots of gain--it can drive the Ultrasones into pain territory without trying. It has two gain settings: a low setting for iPods, and a high setting for typical line out devices like CD players or the tape loop of a preamp, integrated amp, or receiver. The low and high designations refer to the input voltage, iPods having lower output than CD players or tape loops.
My expectations for the Bellari were more than met: it adds liquidity to the Ultrasones. I'm not into tubes per se, but it's a synergistic combination. This isn't a fuzzy warm tube sound--the Bellari has some real kick, with subterranean bass. The OTL design has a very clear, open sound, and if you've never heard an amp like this, your first impression will be how different it sounds from solid-state designs.
My only criticism of the Bellari is that the headphone out jack is located on the rear of the amp, but you can reach it easily, so it's not a problem. If you want to experiment with a tube amp, you may find the Bellari HA540 a perfect introduction.

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The Bellari HA540 is a audiophile grade headphone amplifier. The all class A signal path ensures smooth clean analog audio. The 0 feedback design means smooth natural analog response. It features 2 input paths and high gain for MP3 players, ipod, etc and a low gain path from audio selectors, mixers, satellite receivers, etc.. It also features direct into the tube grid coupling for no loss or distortion. The unit is included with a universal powersupply for use most anywhere in the world.

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Blackstar Venue Series HT Studio 20H 20W Tube Guitar Amp Head, Black Review

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(More customer reviews)I recently bought this amp to replace my cheap behringer combo amp. I was previously using a digitech rp500 with the behringer, and let me tell you the sound of the blackstar blows that away. It just sounds perfect. It is very easy to get a great metal tone. Not overly seething with distortion, but just a really solid punchy tone akin to Metallica, Megadeth, or Opeth. I couldn't be happier with this amp. This amp is also very loud. I was hesitant not really knowing how powerful 20 tube watts would be, but trust me, it is loud. You could easily play over a drummer with this head. The head does include what I believe to be a cheap speaker cable, though I upgraded to something better. This is not listed in the description. The one downside to this amp which is obvious looking at it is that it only has one equalization for both channels so whatever you equalize it to is applied to the clean and distorted channels. This is a minor downside to me compared to the price. If you're looking for a great starter tube amp like me do not pass up on the incredible tone to be had!

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The HT Studio 20 is a highly versatile amplifier suited to a wide range of playing styles and situations.The Clean Channel provides a wide range of clean and moderately overdriven tones. The voicing is typical of many boutique style amplifiers with a ringing Class A type performance. The overall character may be adjusted with the Tone control from dark and warm through to bright and sparkling.The HT Studio 20 Overdrive Channel is characterized by a tone, which is high in gain, but lacks any of the detached top-end fizz often found in many similar designs. This is a result of unique preamplifier and power amplifier shaping techniques, which also benefit the player in the way the overdrive, cleans up beautifully as the guitar volume is reduced. Even at the most extreme settings, the Overdrive Channel remains natural sounding.The HT Studio 20 Overdrive Channel also has its own highly flexible EQ section providing a variety of overdriven tones. The Patent-Applied-For ISF (Infinite Shape Feature) control is unique to Blackstar Amplification and represents a major step forward in tone shaping flexibility. The ISF control shifts the response of the three-control tone stack between a US type response at one end, and at the other a UK type response. Importantly, in between the two extremes, lie an infinite number of alternative tone choices that would be otherwise unavailable.The HT Studio 20s two-channel design has been optimized for either preamp or power amp overdrive, or a combination of both. The carefully voiced preamp and cathode biased dual EL34 power amp configuration provides the user with the ability to create wonderfully lush valve tones. From mild overdrive that cleans up by backing off the guitar volume control, to highly saturated distortion, this amp does it all.The HT Studio 20 also features a completely natural sounding digital reverb, which is outstandingly musical on both clean and crunch tones and raises the benchmark for guitar amplifier specific re...

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Blackstar Series One 45 45W 2x12 Tube Guitar Combo Amp, Black Review

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(More customer reviews)I was sent a different product due to a false listing...Be very careful with this seller!!! After 2 weeks I STILL haven't received my refund...ARRRGGGHHH! It would have been 5 stars had i actually received it...

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The Series One S1-45 from Blackstar delivers high-gain performance with a level of tonal refinement found previously in only the very best boutique and vintage amps. By switching both preamplifier and power amplifier parameters the S1-45 delivers both Class A style tones with a bell-like ring and classic push-pull crunch depending on the mode selected. The Infinite Shape Feature (ISF) control removes the limitations of traditional designs allowing you to tune the tone to exactly the sound you are looking for. Dynamic Power Reduction (DPR) can reduce the power down to 4-1/2W and MIDI switching and a series effects loop make this the ultimate pro's combo.

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Egnater Renegade 65W Tube Guitar Amp Head, Black/Biege Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been using this head for over a year now. No problems at all and I think it sounds great. It's rock solid and has been my go to amp as I own 3 other heads. Clean channel is nice with a boutique type of sound. You can get a little crunch out of the clean channel but not enough for me to use it. It's 65 watts but switchable to 18 watts on each channel. The footswitch is also rock solid and has a switch to activate the effects loop and one for a solo boost which is adjustable on the head. You can also assign reverb, boost, and the effects loop to channel 1, channel 2 or both which is nice. I have only two complaints. The first is that the gain channel is a little compressed and gets pretty hard ...but just shy of a metal tone. I play in a cover band so I only need to have a metal tone for a few songs but it gets me close enough. My only other complaint is that the tone control to switch and mix tubes doesn't seem to make much difference at the levels i'm playing ...at least to my ears. That is my opinion and I highly recommend this head. I also have the tourmaster 2x12 cabinet but I removed the speakers and replaced them with Vintage 30's.

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The incredibly versatile Renegade is a 2-channel powerhouse that gives you the tools to forge your sound and the power to move some serious air in any size venue. Channel 1 produces lush, 3-dimensional clean tones with just a bit of grunt when you dig in. Channel 2 starts with a sweet, bluesy overdrive, but pushing the gain opens the floodgates, unleashing enough thick, harmonically rich distortion to satisfy the most demanding player. Both channels offer an independent 3-band EQ, Egnater's BRIGHT and TIGHT switches and a Wattage Selector switch that lets you choose between an intimate 10W or a wall-shaking 65W. Master Presence and Density knobs let you sculpt the high and low-end response. At the heart of this tone machine, you'll find five 12AX7 preamp tubes and a power section fueled by two 6L6s and two EL34s. The Renegade Head features the ground-breaking TUBE MIX function on each channel, allowing you to blend the deep Californian character of the 6L6s with the aggressive British midrange punch of the EL34s. There are independent reverb controls for each channel, dual footswitchable master volumes and a speaker-emulated line out. The included 4-button footswitch controls much more than just channel switching. It also engages the on-board reverb, effects loop and secondary master volume with channel-assigning switches for all three. Run them on both channels or just the one you choose. Heavy Duty Cover Included.

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Orange Amplifiers Dual Terror DT30H 30W Tube Guitar Amp Head Review

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(More customer reviews)Like most guitarists I am always searching for tone. I have a very respectable rig but I wanted a true 2 channel amp that would give me full gain capability on both channels. I also wanted something portable. The Dual Terror fits the bill very nicely.
The original Tiny Terror channel is versatile. It's very responsive to touch but can peel the paint off the walls when you need it to. The Fat channel is deeper and very melodic with a hint of more drive giving you lots of tone and texture.
I am a tube roller. For those not familiar that means I like to experiment with different valves (tubes) to alter my tone. This is a great rig for tube rolling because the different wattage switches allow you to slightly alter the overall sound of each channel. I am currently running several new old stock tubes in this head and have been very pleasantly surprised with the results. Before you buy an amp do yourself a favor and check out this one. It's really well constructed and very versatile.
By the way. You can get a great sound at low volume levels but this thing really sings when you open it up! It's definitely loud enough to rehearse and gig with. I'll be posting a full review on conventionalcurrent.com soon. Don't go by, give it a try.

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The Dual Terror DT30H 30W Tube Guitar Amp Head from Orange Amplification is an all-valve, twin-channel 30-watt portable guitar head. It features a unique two-stage preamp with massive tonal range using just three controls per channel. The Dual Terror switches from 30 to 15 to 7 watts making it a highly versatile portable amplifier both for studio and stage. The Fat Channel delivers warmer tones whilst the Tiny Terror Channel has the sonic character of the original Tiny Terror. Note: The Dual Terror does not require rebiasing when replacing power tubes.

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Blackstar Venue Series HT Club 40 40W Tube Guitar Combo Amp Black Review

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(More customer reviews)I purchased this amp about two months ago and waited to do a review. I read many reviews on it and saw that the speaker needs "breaking in" like most amps. Right out of the box the amp sounded great. 2 clean channels and 2 overdrive for just about any tone you are looking for. The ISP knob goes from British to American and numerous tones in between. The more you play the better it sounds. This amp is great for playing at home or small venues without a mic. I would certainly purchase another one if anything ever happened to this one.
One suggestion, if you are not familiar with setting up effects pedals with amps please research. On this amp it has a effect loop in the back so throw the modulation pedals there and your OD,compressor, wah, etc in the front. If you go and try one have your money ready because it is hard to walk away from them without buying.

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Equipped with 2 channels and 4 modes the Blackstar HT Club 40 is an ideal gigging tube amp for club-sized venues. The 40W EL34-driven power amplifier has amazing punch and dynamics that will easily cut through in a full band situation. Switching to the amazing overdrive channel—equipped with ISF (Infinite Shape Feature)—accesses two more modes: 'classic crunch' and 'super saturated lead.'The Clean Channel on the Blackstar Venue tube amp has two modes, 'boutique' and 'modern' and its own Tone control provides a wide range of clean tones. The Voice switch reconfigures both the preamplifier voicing and gain structure, and the power amplifier damping, to reproduce either ringing Class A Performance in the 'boutique' mode, or very clean and tight Class AB tones in the 'modern' setting.The Overdrive Channel has its own EQ section and a Voice switch that allows the character of the channel to be changed, providing a wide variety of overdriven tones.The channel is characterized by a tone that's high in gain, but lacks any of the detached top-end 'fizz' often found in similar designs. This is a result of unique preamplifier and power amplifier shaping techniques, which cleans up the overdrive beautifully as the guitar volume is reduced. Even at the most extreme settings, the overdrive channel remains natural sounding. The ISF (Infinite Shape Feature) control is unique to Blackstar Amplification and represents a major step forward in tone shaping flexibility. The Blackstar amplifier's ISF control shifts the response of the three-control tone stack between a US-type response at one end, and at the other a UK-type response. The tube amp provides an infinite number of alternative tone choices in between the two extremes that would be otherwise unavailable.The Blackstar HT Club 40 tube amp also features a completely natural sounding digital reverb, which is outstandingly musical on both clean and crunch tones. A Dark/Bright switch allows the overall reverb characteris

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