Super Low-Wattage Tube amps, let's discuss

Freakmagnet451 · Post by **Freakmagnet451** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 8:40 pm

I've been eyeing some of these, have not tried any yet. Last year I bought a Frenzel Champ Plus for $295 (price has gone up to $325). I had Jim build it with a $150 Mercury Magnetics transformer. He probably won't build another one like it as the chassis started to sag from the weight of the output tranny. I braced it.

It is a great little amp, you can freely swap out the tubes for different types and sounds. It comes with an EL34 output, 12ax7 preamp and 5y3 rectifier but sounds awesome with different preamp tubes (5751, 12at7, 7025) output tubes (6v6, 6L6, 6550) and you can even swap the rectifier - 5V4 gave more headroom with the 6550.

There are two preamp voicings F(ender) and M(arshall), gain and master volume and bass, mid and treble controls. The gain is not real high with just one preamp tube but it grits up nicely. Plugging into the line out puts a load across the speaker out and disconnects the speaker. Very well made, all great components etc.

He sells on ebay and builds your amp after you win the auction. Just enter Frenzel in the search and his amps will come up. Tell him you want a Champ Plus and he will list one and notify you.

I am not affiliated, just want to pass on the best small amp for the money that I know about. I think it would be plenty loud enough for any sane practice with the 6550 and 5v4 in it.

Babaluma · Post by **Babaluma** » Tue Jun 19, 2007 9:11 pm

i think someone on this board recommended this company in vancouver before:

http://fab.stuff.home.comcast.net/index.html

i'm probably going to order one of the "scamps" soon, available in 1 watt, 2 watt or 5 watt versions.

hand built and can be modified to your own spec.

haven't heard it yet, but the prcie is good and it seems to be just what i'm looking for (jimi hendrix tone at apartment volumes).

Knights Who Say Neve · Post by **Knights Who Say Neve** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 12:52 am

The valve jr. is pretty cool if you "pimp it out" (if you can call a 25-50 dollar mod "pimping") I did the "bitmo spanky" mod and changed the tubes. It was super easy. But, it's a poor choice for clean tones. Ditto for the zvex amp, and for any <5 watt amp in all likelihood. If you want clean / semiclean try something in the 15 watt range and get an attenuator. The mini MASS is a good and inexpensive one.

Smitty · Post by **Smitty** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 6:32 am

Beauty&Wonder wrote:
vier-personen wrote:orange makes the tiny terror - it?s not 1 or 2 watts ( (15 or switchable 7), but it?s designed to deliver overdriven sounds at lower volume....
I haven?t tried it, but it sure looks interesting: http://www.orangeamps.com/tinyterror/
I have one the distortion sound is AMAZING the clean sound is OK..with reverb though the clean is pretty good..it's not the best though..and it gets crazy loud..though it does gives overdriven tones at a low volume..

+1. My recording partner has one. Sounds pretty damn good.

joel hamilton · Post by **joel hamilton** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 7:07 am

movieola/magnasync squack box. My favorite small amp for recording. not much in the way of really chimey clean, but amazing for everything else, including "half driven" type of sounds. it will get clean, but with a small amp cranked way up, "clean" is in your hands, not the amp.

floid · Post by **floid** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 8:28 am

joel hamilton wrote:with a small amp cranked way up, "clean" is in your hands, not the amp.

+1 hands are the original channel switch

Jeff White · Post by **Jeff White** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 10:30 am

joel hamilton wrote:movieola/magnasync squack box. My favorite small amp for recording. not much in the way of really chimey clean, but amazing for everything else, including "half driven" type of sounds. it will get clean, but with a small amp cranked way up, "clean" is in your hands, not the amp.

I've had mine since last August and STILL need to get it into a shop to get modded for gtr.

inverseroom · Post by **inverseroom** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 1:27 pm

joel hamilton wrote:movieola/magnasync squack box. My favorite small amp for recording. not much in the way of really chimey clean, but amazing for everything else, including "half driven" type of sounds. it will get clean, but with a small amp cranked way up, "clean" is in your hands, not the amp.

I got one because Joel said so. eBay, $30. AWESOME.

coldfingaz · Post by **coldfingaz** » Wed Jun 20, 2007 6:03 pm

A 70's/Silverface Fender Champ might be worth considering... I think they are 5 or 6 watts. They can get a little loud depending on the speaker, but mine's been a great recording amp so far.

They can be found for well under $500, which will give you enough room to get a new speaker & a cap job.

Packy · Post by **Packy** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 6:12 pm

I've got a Valve Jr. and I love it for blown-out tones. A Rhodes in its super low range through that and a single 12" sounds wild!

But I've been wondering...you know how they say you shouldn't match a speaker with an underpowered amp, for the clipping amp could put out lots of DC and therefore fry the speaker? Isn't plugging a <5 watt speaker into just about any guitar cab going to cause that phenomenon to at least some degree? I put my valve jr. through a 2-way PA speaker once and I thought I damaged the horn driver. Luckily it appears I was fooling myself, but still...

Or, because it's a tube amp and the clipping is way non-linear, is this practice acceptable? This internal struggle has been keeping me from using the Jr. more often, arg!

standup · Post by **standup** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 6:40 pm

I have a 5-watt Danelectro "Leader" that's out for repair right now. Volume, tone, 12", very lightweight because it's transformerless, or has a power transformer but no output tranny, I think?

Anyway, I also gave the repair guy a tube amplifier pulled from an old record player. I want him to revive it and turn it into a little guitar amp with an 8 or 10" speaker. The power tube is an EL42, we looked it up and the output is a staggering TWO WATTS. I can't wait to hear it.

Freakmagnet451 · Post by **Freakmagnet451** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 7:41 pm

This looks fun, have not heard one though. Probably an easy build, not too many components.

http://www.torresengineering.com/tintondelhea.html

RefD · Post by **RefD** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 8:35 pm

i use a Valve Junior head into an open-backed 1x12" and it sounds great clean.

wiliec · Post by **wiliec** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 1:59 pm

Just scored one of these that is MINT, and I mean time machine Mint. But have no idea how to do the mods. I have some pretty good experience with tube gear, but can someone recommend the mods needed to turn this thing into a guitar amp?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... &rd=1&rd=1

dougo · Post by **dougo** » Wed Jun 27, 2007 9:26 pm

inverseroom wrote:Or you could hold out for Joe Malone's mini Champ kit, now under discussion at the jlmaudio.com forum...

Inverse,
Can you post the link for the minichamp? Looks like a fun build. Couldn't find it on the site.

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Super Low-Wattage Tube amps, let's discuss

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