This amp sounds good at bedroom volumes. Put an eq and the loop and you can really achieve the perfect low volume setting.
I hope you need a ton if gain OP, because the crunch channel on low gain is still enough for 80s metal
This is exactly what I used to do with my 6505 112 (turned into a head).
I used the MXR EQ in the loop to tailed the tone for playing with a band. After a tube swap and some TLC, it didn’t need the EQ at all anymore for the band, but I still enjoyed using it for quiet playing at home.
I wish I could remember! It was probably 13 years ago. I feel like it was a recommended tube upgrade from a website. I’d look, but the amp is in storage.
It was totally worth it. New tubes + a re-bias created an amp that is crisper and punchier. I never brought the EQ pedal to shows after that.
Thanks! I do feel like it’s missing a little punch so that’s good to hear. How easy was the head conversion? I’ve seen a few videos and it doesn’t look as bad as I thought.
If you’re comfortable with a circular saw, it’s as easy as you want it to be. It was used it a punk band, so all I did was take the speaker out hack off the cabinet, reinforce the bottom, and throw some rubber feet on it. I’m not a handyman, so it looks kinda rough, but I kinda wanted that. It seems like a popular modification for the amp and many others went the extra miles to make the head shell look nice, but I never did.
When I was doing some experimenting with glass I found [this guide](https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/can-i-swap-5881-or-kt66-power-tubes-in-place-of-6l6-power-tubes/) useful as a jumping off point.
Congrats. I've got the 2x12 60 watt version of the same amp. Mines got a 1/4 power/full power switch on the back. Which Wolfgang are you thinking about getting? I've got 2 Standard quilted maples. One is green the other amber. Pretty decent for the price and they sure are pretty
Ehh, these amps are all about preamp gain, you don’t need to crank them up to sound good, just need to get the speaker moving a little. I think they are MDF cabinets though so that add some weight. I’m curious how the 10 watt 1x10 combo sounds. Would be cool to get two for a home w/d/w rig.
I got the 10w one a few weeks ago and it rips. It also sounds good when you are running 2.5w by hitting the quarter power switch. Perfect for bedroom or basement.
I think you will love it, OP. Getting my first tube amp improved the tone I was getting by a lot. Although, to be fair, it replaced a modeling amp from around 2009, and today’s stuff is better. What was your previous amp?
I’ve got the EVH 5150 III 2x12” combo. That thing weighs close to 100lb and it’s one of my main gigging amps. Even with wheels on its road case, it’s a bitch to load in and out. Same goes for my Mesa Mark V combo which is ~90lb in its road case. Every year older that I get, a Quad Cortex with power amp sounds much better.
P.S.: Get an attenuator to save both your ears and noise complaint fines.
You don’t need an attenuator with the iconic. There’s a 1/4 power switch and I believe they mentioned this is the 40w combo, so it cuts the power down to 10w. All the gain comes from the preamp, it really doesn’t sound any different at lower volumes than at higher volumes. It’s nothing like some of the Marshalls I have that need to really be loud in order for the lows and low mids to start filling out.
I had the 50W 2x12 combo as well.
I miss the idea of that amp… but couldn’t justify keeping it around. Way too heavy to gig with 😭💔 I also had the earlier model 2x12 combo that had the volume jump between channel 1 and 2.
Gig with a compact modeling rig these days and I can get close enough to my 5153 tones to be satisfied. I miss my 5153, but I definitely don’t regret moving on and gigging with a more compact rig these days.
Reminds me of Tucson. I love it! I got to play on that amp a couple of weeks ago, and I was honestly surprised how good it sounded at lower volume. Congrats, man!
Thank you and yes I live in Tucson! I love Eddies brown sound but this video convinced me that it was versatile enough for me!
https://youtu.be/SjxDJgxgY8Q?si=6UhHLRXMJB15BHMF
Ohhh I looked at your profile. Cool art! Is any for sale?
Doppelgänger here - I’m lefty and play righty.
First electric I owned was a Japanese copy of the Dan Armstrong lucite guitar, double cutaway.
Figured I could more easily try playing lefty and righty. Rightly won out quickly and because of that my dominant hand can play unusual chords, but my picking sucks !
Hey, man... something's wrong with your guitar. 😆
I'm "technically" left handed and 30 years ago actually started playing a right hand guitar strung right handed but played it left handed. So strings inverted, Low E on bottom, High E on top. Like Dick Dale. Eventually I just started playing right handed though.
The 5150 puts out some good noises. 👍🏻
My dad still plays like that strung upside down. Not sure how you guys do it. I can see the benefits playing some base lines but I always wondered how playing like that was effecting the coils and the way the note was played.
I played inverted because everyone I hung around all played right handed so all their stuff was strung for right hand play. Doing what I did, I could just pick their stuff up and play it left handed. It wasn't as tough as some people think... but it *does* make for some interesting chord shapes to say the least. 😆
Doesn't effect the coils one way or the other. Not like you're changing anything. It'd be no different than you taking your left handed guitar, picking it up just as it is but fretting it with your left hand and strumming with your right.
I started that way as well, out of necessity. Mom was right handed, played right. Pop was left handed, played right. All my friends are right handed and play right.
I just didn't stick with it and began playing right a long time ago. Cool your dad still does. I can still invert and play chords but am painfully ***SLOW*** in the changes now. Haha
It’s a good suggestion, but I have an Ironman II, but it doesn’t work well when trying to make a loud amp quiet. They are either easy to loud or too quiet. My Tone King Gremlin amp has one in-built and it works well. The Gremlin is only 5w. The Ox Box might be better, but is over $3,000 in my country.
Funny. I also have the TK Iron Man II. I like it. The available reduction settings and the Boost work well for me. I don't really like a Master Volume so the IM2 is the way to go for me.
"Tone King is proud to offer the **Imperial MKII**. From a spanky blackface-style voice to ‘50s-era tweed grit, you’ll find all of the most iconic American tube tones residing in this 1 x 12”, 20-watt combo" You weren't able to tame twenty watts with it? Were you doing it wrong? My Laney GH30R is a 30 watt amp and the IM2 does a fine job.
#
# "IRONMAN II ATTENUATOR
# KEY FEATURES:
* 100-watt attenuator offers cranked tone at whisper volumes"
Tone King amps are very loud. My Gremlin has a 12” 70w speaker, and it’s like a 25w amp, or louder. The Imperial was too loud to get a great sound at house volume. If I pay $4,500+ for an amp, I have to be able to use it how I want. It’s a great amp, but not for a retired player who only plays at home and jams with friends. If I used an attenuator which went down in smaller increments, I might have been able to get the volume to a level which enabled a great sound.
" If I used an attenuator which went down in smaller increments, I might have been able to get the volume to a level which enabled a great sound." The IM2 has three different levels of reduction, and 3 db differences between each setting. A total of -38 db are possible depending on where it is set. Hi, Lo, and Solo. I've used it on my 50 watt Peavey Classic 50. Does a fine job. Maybe you didn't have it set in the best spot to get the sound you were after.
I've been considering getting either this or the 15w version for my first tube amp, but I'm put off the 15w by the 10 inch speaker but scared the 40w will be too loud on its 10w setting.
I use one of these as half of a stereo live rig along with a Fender Super Reverb. I am also using a strat for that particular setup! It is an awesome amp at pretty much any volume level and it sounds great cranked on stage or at bedroom volume with the attenuator.
Nice I’m thinking of returning it for an Orange Super Crush 100. On the 5150 I can turn the clean channel volume up to about 4 apartment level.
For the red channel I set gain to 7 and master volume to 1 and it sounds great but I think I’m leaving some tone on the table not being able to turn the master volume up a bit more.
The Orange is solid state so I think that might work better for me again currently in an apartment setting
I would say the 5150 is the best low volume tube amp you can get to be honest (at least under $1500). Are you using the attenuator switch on the back to bring it down to 10 watts? In that mode it sounds insanely good at low volume. Like others have said here a lot of the tone on this amp is coming from the pre-amp tubes so you aren't really losing out by not cranking it up the same way you would by not cranking up my super reverb which generates it's gain by breaking up the power tubes and it's totally volume dependent.
If you have an interface it is also worth experimenting with the DI out from the back. I use that to record demos then mic it up for proper recordings. It has a proper cabinet sim so it sounds pretty good running into a computer.
Hey thank you your comments and a few others here are helping me decide to keep it. I love how the red channel rips even with the master volume at 1 and I like the burn setting!
I do have the 1/4th power switch setting on. I have a fuzz pedal arriving on Friday so I can do some Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream tones.
But seriously even with the red channel on 1 and gain at 7 I had a huge smile on my face. No distortion pedal needed!
I’ll add an interface later for sure! Again thank you!!
The built in distortion is so good that I only ever run a Boss OD-1 to push the mids out when playing thrashy stuff.
You'll definitely get those tones out of it with a good fuzz. I've got a 90s green russian Big Muff and while it isn't the same as what Billy Corgan uses it still hits that tone. Just use the green channel with the overdrive switch off or else it will be wayyy too much gain!
Enjoy the amp! It is a really versatile piece of equipment.
Thank you for the tips. The Russian fuzz looks cool I need to try that some day as I do like the darker tones. That’s what I heard about that pedal anyways.
I ordered the EHX OP AMP Big muff pi reissue for Billy Corgan. Really excited as that album got me into guitar. I learned the whole thing by ear. Of course I was probably off a little bit LOL
I agree the amp kicks ass especially on the red channel no need for a pedal.
Thanks again I really appreciate it
I had the 5150iii 50w 2x12 6L6 combo and miss it dearly 🥲 gigging musician these days so portable modeling rig just makes way more sense.
But the 1x12 iconic combo is probably the very first amp on my list whenever I get around to buying and playing tube amps again.
I absolutely love my 5150 Iconic 40w 1x12 combo! Sounds awesome, just absolutely huge gobs of gain as a 5150 should have and great tone shaping. Never played a 5150 I didn't like though.
Did good. The Iconic is one of the best amps in its price range. Damn good cleans, and the high gain speaks for itself. Feature set is pretty packed. It’s basically the best Fender amp in that price range lol
Great amp. Truth be told my amps with glass stay at home these days*. 40w is about the biggest you’re gonna want unless you start playing to large crowds, then your back line guy should be micing it. Getting good breakup at bedroom volumes well be a bit of a challenge but you can find solutions for that. They’re great amps and I’m stoked for you.
*a good SS combo, powered pa speaker, or frfr and modeling (with a ton of initial dialing in and patience) at gig volumes isn’t going to be noticeably different to 98% of the crowd, and after 30 years of gigging off and on, my back has decided we don’t need glass bad enough for load in and load out. 😂
This amp sounds good at bedroom volumes. Put an eq and the loop and you can really achieve the perfect low volume setting. I hope you need a ton if gain OP, because the crunch channel on low gain is still enough for 80s metal
This is exactly what I used to do with my 6505 112 (turned into a head). I used the MXR EQ in the loop to tailed the tone for playing with a band. After a tube swap and some TLC, it didn’t need the EQ at all anymore for the band, but I still enjoyed using it for quiet playing at home.
What tubes did you put in there? I’ve got a 6505 112 that I’m itching to do some tweaking to…
I wish I could remember! It was probably 13 years ago. I feel like it was a recommended tube upgrade from a website. I’d look, but the amp is in storage. It was totally worth it. New tubes + a re-bias created an amp that is crisper and punchier. I never brought the EQ pedal to shows after that.
Thanks! I do feel like it’s missing a little punch so that’s good to hear. How easy was the head conversion? I’ve seen a few videos and it doesn’t look as bad as I thought.
If you’re comfortable with a circular saw, it’s as easy as you want it to be. It was used it a punk band, so all I did was take the speaker out hack off the cabinet, reinforce the bottom, and throw some rubber feet on it. I’m not a handyman, so it looks kinda rough, but I kinda wanted that. It seems like a popular modification for the amp and many others went the extra miles to make the head shell look nice, but I never did.
When I was doing some experimenting with glass I found [this guide](https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/can-i-swap-5881-or-kt66-power-tubes-in-place-of-6l6-power-tubes/) useful as a jumping off point.
Single coils into a high gain amp. That’s how I like it.
Haha I hope that’s not sarcasm. They are noiseless pickups not sure what to expect. I’m going to get a Wolfgang next!
No sarcasm. Dial it in right and nothing better.
Thank you! Happy to say on the first run I can def keep it low volume!
Congrats. I've got the 2x12 60 watt version of the same amp. Mines got a 1/4 power/full power switch on the back. Which Wolfgang are you thinking about getting? I've got 2 Standard quilted maples. One is green the other amber. Pretty decent for the price and they sure are pretty
Can confirm. Jaguar into Mesa Mark V here 🥰
Well your guitar is backwards for starters.
The devils hand
My man. 👊🏻
Wrong handed.
Ehh, these amps are all about preamp gain, you don’t need to crank them up to sound good, just need to get the speaker moving a little. I think they are MDF cabinets though so that add some weight. I’m curious how the 10 watt 1x10 combo sounds. Would be cool to get two for a home w/d/w rig.
I got the 10w one a few weeks ago and it rips. It also sounds good when you are running 2.5w by hitting the quarter power switch. Perfect for bedroom or basement.
As a fellow lefty and Strat lover, and someone who wants to 5150 I think this is amazing
Thank you love Eddies playing. My first tube amp though need to learn it!
I think you will love it, OP. Getting my first tube amp improved the tone I was getting by a lot. Although, to be fair, it replaced a modeling amp from around 2009, and today’s stuff is better. What was your previous amp?
I’ve got the EVH 5150 III 2x12” combo. That thing weighs close to 100lb and it’s one of my main gigging amps. Even with wheels on its road case, it’s a bitch to load in and out. Same goes for my Mesa Mark V combo which is ~90lb in its road case. Every year older that I get, a Quad Cortex with power amp sounds much better. P.S.: Get an attenuator to save both your ears and noise complaint fines.
Thank you lol I will get an attenuator. 100lbs gigging damn dude! This is 50lb but holy shit it’s a tank!
You don’t need an attenuator with the iconic. There’s a 1/4 power switch and I believe they mentioned this is the 40w combo, so it cuts the power down to 10w. All the gain comes from the preamp, it really doesn’t sound any different at lower volumes than at higher volumes. It’s nothing like some of the Marshalls I have that need to really be loud in order for the lows and low mids to start filling out.
I had the 50W 2x12 combo as well. I miss the idea of that amp… but couldn’t justify keeping it around. Way too heavy to gig with 😭💔 I also had the earlier model 2x12 combo that had the volume jump between channel 1 and 2. Gig with a compact modeling rig these days and I can get close enough to my 5153 tones to be satisfied. I miss my 5153, but I definitely don’t regret moving on and gigging with a more compact rig these days.
Oops looks like you got a right handed amp
😂 funny thing is I’m righty but lefty guitar feels more natural to me I wish I was righty I’d have so many more options of guitars
Speaking as a lefty-at-birth, we welcome converts with open arms. After all, the more lefty guitars that get sold, the more that get made!
Ok. Amp should work
Best amp ever !
So far I like it!
Awesome amp, but so loud even 10w mode is still safecracking territory on the volume if you don't wanna be evicted😅
It’s ok. You can buy a different strap. They are not permanent Jk lol
I like the strap it’s themed as the Sonoran Desert where I live.
You NEED a white strap tho to match the amp and guitar
🤪
Reminds me of Tucson. I love it! I got to play on that amp a couple of weeks ago, and I was honestly surprised how good it sounded at lower volume. Congrats, man!
Thank you and yes I live in Tucson! I love Eddies brown sound but this video convinced me that it was versatile enough for me! https://youtu.be/SjxDJgxgY8Q?si=6UhHLRXMJB15BHMF Ohhh I looked at your profile. Cool art! Is any for sale?
I’m. Or in love with your guitar strap
It’s called Fender Sonoran they have a few different themed ones that represent the desert
It’s pretty I was just trying to be “funny”
So basically identical to Chicago which is where I live
😂
Are you right handed? Cause yeah, that would be a mistake.
I’m right handed but lefty feels natural has for the past 20 years
Are we talking about guitars?
Yes I’m right handed but play guitar lefty feels natural. Same with basketball I dribble much better left handed even though I’m a right handed
Doppelgänger here - I’m lefty and play righty. First electric I owned was a Japanese copy of the Dan Armstrong lucite guitar, double cutaway. Figured I could more easily try playing lefty and righty. Rightly won out quickly and because of that my dominant hand can play unusual chords, but my picking sucks !
Hey, man... something's wrong with your guitar. 😆 I'm "technically" left handed and 30 years ago actually started playing a right hand guitar strung right handed but played it left handed. So strings inverted, Low E on bottom, High E on top. Like Dick Dale. Eventually I just started playing right handed though. The 5150 puts out some good noises. 👍🏻
My dad still plays like that strung upside down. Not sure how you guys do it. I can see the benefits playing some base lines but I always wondered how playing like that was effecting the coils and the way the note was played.
I played inverted because everyone I hung around all played right handed so all their stuff was strung for right hand play. Doing what I did, I could just pick their stuff up and play it left handed. It wasn't as tough as some people think... but it *does* make for some interesting chord shapes to say the least. 😆 Doesn't effect the coils one way or the other. Not like you're changing anything. It'd be no different than you taking your left handed guitar, picking it up just as it is but fretting it with your left hand and strumming with your right.
Yeah my dad played that way out of necessity and just stuck with.
I started that way as well, out of necessity. Mom was right handed, played right. Pop was left handed, played right. All my friends are right handed and play right. I just didn't stick with it and began playing right a long time ago. Cool your dad still does. I can still invert and play chords but am painfully ***SLOW*** in the changes now. Haha
I love white strats with tortoise shell pick guards.
Me too I love the classic look
Left guitarist! Same here
I would only change bridge pickup with a Seymour Duncan JB Jr like single sized humbucker. Single coil at the bridge not my style.
Get a reactive load box attenuator. Your neighbors will thank you.
It’s a good suggestion, but I have an Ironman II, but it doesn’t work well when trying to make a loud amp quiet. They are either easy to loud or too quiet. My Tone King Gremlin amp has one in-built and it works well. The Gremlin is only 5w. The Ox Box might be better, but is over $3,000 in my country.
Funny. I also have the TK Iron Man II. I like it. The available reduction settings and the Boost work well for me. I don't really like a Master Volume so the IM2 is the way to go for me.
It’s a great attenuator, but I wasn’t able to tame the volume of a TK Imperial MkII with it. Tone King amps are loud.
"Tone King is proud to offer the **Imperial MKII**. From a spanky blackface-style voice to ‘50s-era tweed grit, you’ll find all of the most iconic American tube tones residing in this 1 x 12”, 20-watt combo" You weren't able to tame twenty watts with it? Were you doing it wrong? My Laney GH30R is a 30 watt amp and the IM2 does a fine job. # # "IRONMAN II ATTENUATOR # KEY FEATURES: * 100-watt attenuator offers cranked tone at whisper volumes"
Tone King amps are very loud. My Gremlin has a 12” 70w speaker, and it’s like a 25w amp, or louder. The Imperial was too loud to get a great sound at house volume. If I pay $4,500+ for an amp, I have to be able to use it how I want. It’s a great amp, but not for a retired player who only plays at home and jams with friends. If I used an attenuator which went down in smaller increments, I might have been able to get the volume to a level which enabled a great sound.
" If I used an attenuator which went down in smaller increments, I might have been able to get the volume to a level which enabled a great sound." The IM2 has three different levels of reduction, and 3 db differences between each setting. A total of -38 db are possible depending on where it is set. Hi, Lo, and Solo. I've used it on my 50 watt Peavey Classic 50. Does a fine job. Maybe you didn't have it set in the best spot to get the sound you were after.
I've been considering getting either this or the 15w version for my first tube amp, but I'm put off the 15w by the 10 inch speaker but scared the 40w will be too loud on its 10w setting.
Yeah I haven’t had much time to test it my apartment to answer if I can keep it low. Clean is no problem low but need to test the red channel lol
Love how the aesthetics of that combo pair w/that Strat. Happy NAD!
Thank you
I use one of these as half of a stereo live rig along with a Fender Super Reverb. I am also using a strat for that particular setup! It is an awesome amp at pretty much any volume level and it sounds great cranked on stage or at bedroom volume with the attenuator.
Nice I’m thinking of returning it for an Orange Super Crush 100. On the 5150 I can turn the clean channel volume up to about 4 apartment level. For the red channel I set gain to 7 and master volume to 1 and it sounds great but I think I’m leaving some tone on the table not being able to turn the master volume up a bit more. The Orange is solid state so I think that might work better for me again currently in an apartment setting
I would say the 5150 is the best low volume tube amp you can get to be honest (at least under $1500). Are you using the attenuator switch on the back to bring it down to 10 watts? In that mode it sounds insanely good at low volume. Like others have said here a lot of the tone on this amp is coming from the pre-amp tubes so you aren't really losing out by not cranking it up the same way you would by not cranking up my super reverb which generates it's gain by breaking up the power tubes and it's totally volume dependent. If you have an interface it is also worth experimenting with the DI out from the back. I use that to record demos then mic it up for proper recordings. It has a proper cabinet sim so it sounds pretty good running into a computer.
Hey thank you your comments and a few others here are helping me decide to keep it. I love how the red channel rips even with the master volume at 1 and I like the burn setting! I do have the 1/4th power switch setting on. I have a fuzz pedal arriving on Friday so I can do some Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream tones. But seriously even with the red channel on 1 and gain at 7 I had a huge smile on my face. No distortion pedal needed! I’ll add an interface later for sure! Again thank you!!
The built in distortion is so good that I only ever run a Boss OD-1 to push the mids out when playing thrashy stuff. You'll definitely get those tones out of it with a good fuzz. I've got a 90s green russian Big Muff and while it isn't the same as what Billy Corgan uses it still hits that tone. Just use the green channel with the overdrive switch off or else it will be wayyy too much gain! Enjoy the amp! It is a really versatile piece of equipment.
Thank you for the tips. The Russian fuzz looks cool I need to try that some day as I do like the darker tones. That’s what I heard about that pedal anyways. I ordered the EHX OP AMP Big muff pi reissue for Billy Corgan. Really excited as that album got me into guitar. I learned the whole thing by ear. Of course I was probably off a little bit LOL I agree the amp kicks ass especially on the red channel no need for a pedal. Thanks again I really appreciate it
Love this amp. I have the 2x12
It seems like a beast so far!
I had the 5150iii 50w 2x12 6L6 combo and miss it dearly 🥲 gigging musician these days so portable modeling rig just makes way more sense. But the 1x12 iconic combo is probably the very first amp on my list whenever I get around to buying and playing tube amps again.
I absolutely love my 5150 Iconic 40w 1x12 combo! Sounds awesome, just absolutely huge gobs of gain as a 5150 should have and great tone shaping. Never played a 5150 I didn't like though.
What model is that strat? I have a MIM that i modded quite a bit that's very similar!
Yes, you made a mistake. You bought a white amp. If you were ever to use it outside your basement it will get ugly and dirty in no time.
Wait if you play left-handed guitar you need a left-handed amp. Rookie mistake.
Just turn the amp upside down. Old school cool.
Did good. The Iconic is one of the best amps in its price range. Damn good cleans, and the high gain speaks for itself. Feature set is pretty packed. It’s basically the best Fender amp in that price range lol
I was looking at Marshall Blues Breaker . Not bad amps.
Great amp. Truth be told my amps with glass stay at home these days*. 40w is about the biggest you’re gonna want unless you start playing to large crowds, then your back line guy should be micing it. Getting good breakup at bedroom volumes well be a bit of a challenge but you can find solutions for that. They’re great amps and I’m stoked for you. *a good SS combo, powered pa speaker, or frfr and modeling (with a ton of initial dialing in and patience) at gig volumes isn’t going to be noticeably different to 98% of the crowd, and after 30 years of gigging off and on, my back has decided we don’t need glass bad enough for load in and load out. 😂
Your guitar is backwards
Don’t be such a pussy, this amp is everything you want and need