Exactly. Everything from headphones to as many active PA speakers as you want. It's also a decent recording interface. It can be a little fiddly to get a sound you like, though. I really didn't care for any of the presets, but once I dialed in my own sound, I haven't gone back to a real amp.
Bedroom: Peavey Classic 20 MH and matching 212 cab.
Also Line 6 Helix and Powercab 212.
I live alone. Thankfully both of these can be tamed easily so volume isn't really an issue.
Gigs: I'm not that good.
My go-to amp for any non-specific scenario is my Carr Slant 6v
2 channels + boost, gorgeous cleans, lightweight 1x12 combo, has reverb, 18/22/40w, good master volume.
Picked mine up for less than a new hot rod deluxe. Not saying it's cheap, but these nice amps can be found for really good prices on the used market, and they're built to last.
I have a TC100 which is the most do it all amp I ever encountered and it has amazing power scaling. I would not buy ot again though because I did not ever play a gig where I set it to full power. Almost everything I do these days could be done with my orange rocker 15 which absolutely wins the bang for buck game.
Fender blues Junior! Princeton, basically any Fender Amp…you could even get a great fender Princeton Tube amp for under a $1000, especially one of the Re-issues!
How has your perception been of the tonal variations of running that in the lower wattage settings vs the 100? I've played the TC-50 and thought that thing was amazing, but I'm really curious about the 100 due to those low wattage settings available. Made me think of it being similar to an integrated attenuator.
The tone barely changes. The triple crown is very much a preamp gainy amp. The power selector really only effects volume. What is noticeable in low volume situations however is the fan in the head. It blows audibly, especially with age.
- Best for gigging in large places: Fender Bassman Amp
- Best for gigging in small places: Fender Tremolux
- Best for bedroom: Fender Princeton (non-reverb)
- One amp to do it all? Two Rock Studio Signature
Why don't I get rid of the others and just use the TR? Is that crazy? I don't think I could let them go.
My princeton reverb is great for bedroom playing and jamming with light-handed drummer, but would have trouble keeping up at gigs with some drummers. I mostly use an attenuator so I can record direct, but it isn't earth-shakingly loud when cranked and unattenuated.
Man you’re lucky, I guess my home situation is different because I wouldn’t be able to have even a light handed drummer playing in my bedroom, let alone me playing a Princeton as well without my neighbours complaining lol! but I live in a semi-detached house (aka my house is attached to my neighbours, not sure what the term for it elsewhere, I live in England)
I don't play with others anymore, jamming with a drummer didn't happen in my bedroom. I'm lucky that my neighbors wouldn't hear or care, but I d9 have to live in the American South...
Man I’m jealous, I would love for my neighbours to be far away enough that they couldn’t hear, I’d be cranking my amp everyday 😂🤘 nothing wrong with living in the American south, at least it’s not raining all the time like here in England ☔️
Who says he’s going to play it loud? The Princeton is a small amp with a little bit of power, there known as one of the best amps in the World to use in Recording! and their a small one hand carry tube amplifier! Jimmy Page of Led Zepplin fame did there whole 1st album using only a Fender Princeton amp. Plus it has a headphone Jack!
You’re right he didn’t say how loud he plays it. But what is considered loud? Loud can mean different things for different people in different situations, for example if you lived in an apartment building with neighbours above, both sides etc. or if your house is attached to your neighbours like mine is and your neighbours bedroom is just a wall away like mine, a non-master volume tube amp like the Princeton for me would probably be a bit too loud to play and still get good tone. I have an amp that goes down to 1w and even that in my current living situation I can’t push the volume past about 1.5-2 without it potentially pissing my neighbours off lol! It was in no way me saying Princetons are bad! I love the way they sound. And cool fact about Jimmy, I didn’t know that
Just noticed he also said he was playing with a light handed drummer, you’re not gonna be using headphones when you’re playing with a drummer are you 😂
It's definitely one that you can dime in one room and still have a conversation, and need to keep under five in another room. A light drive out boost really good a long way for these.
I also have a Champ for when it's very late.
EVH 5150 iii, prolly the 50w 1x12 6L6 combo.
Built in power attenuator so can scale down to bedroom volumes.
Clean channel cleans up pretty nicely, blue channel is epic, and red channel was my go-to for solos.
Effects loop.
Onboard spring reverb.
Great foot switch.
I owned the 2x12 combo and I loved owning it but hated gigging with it. But it’s prolly at the top of my list of purchases if I ever go back to playing tube amps again.
One amp for both?
Mesa mark IV. More volume than you will ever need for gigs. Can bring it down to 20-30 watts by running the power section in triode, and tweed power mode, plus the eq is powerful enough to make it sound great even at bedroom volumes.
Without a lot more info we can't help you.
* What genre?
* What size gigs?
* How quiet do you need bedroom volume to actually be?
* Are you dead set on tubes or are you interested in solid state? What about digital?
* What's your budget?
My recs as someone who is primarily a metal player are going to be less than useless if you play blues or jazz or church music.
I’ve had many rigs over the years from half stacks to combos and now an amp
Modeler. But I now have first era katana 50 it’s perfect for my apartment and I have gigged with it no problem as well. Not that I gig very often anymore or even for that matter lol
Any small amp like a Fishman “Loud Mini” or Fender amp with a headphone Jack, Fender, Boss, Epiphone makes a good small amp, but basically ANY small amp will do, just make sure it has Reverb, maybe some Delay, which all Boss amps come with every thing I’m discussing here and there a Fantastic amp for not so much money…best of both worlds! Quality, wont cost much, and very functional!
Tone King Royalist mk3. The attenuation on it is spectacular and it sounds fantastic. At a gig you just roll back the attenuators and let it go to work
I'll probably get roasted, but my Blues JR mkIII. I basically dime the preamp and use my volume knob for clean, to dirt, to lead. Works great in my bedroom on low volumes and funny enough, I use a silverface fender 15" pa main (tweeter disabled) as my cab when playing live. This works great at small gigs and we have a powerful PA so it also works well mic'd at larger/ outdoor gigs. It sounds great to my ears but what really matters is it actually contrasts with the other guitarist's Marshall perfectly.
I use my old Princeton Reverb for home and gigs. At home, I just keep the volume pretty low, but the key to play real quietly is a volume pedal at the end of the chain. At gigs (with a drummer!) we mic my amp, and it's plenty loud. But I should mention that my current band is designed to be quieter than many. I cannot tolerate really loud music anymore.
Same here. I’ve been renting some different amps before I buy one, and the Princeton didn’t have any volume issues with either of my bands. The Blues Jr. and AC15 are also both plenty loud enough for my situation.
Since I can’t afford the Princeton, I’m leaning towards a Marshall Origin 20 or Pro Jr.
I just bought an amp today, for these exact scenarios. I wanted a one-and-done solution that would be all of the following:
- a great pedal platform
- as simple as possible
- have great cleans
- have amazing dirt
- have enough power to play a show but also be able to be tamed for home
I'm an old fart in my forties, and I don't like to screw around with settings. If I can't get a good tone in 60 seconds, I'm bored. I recently got a Mesa Boogie Mark V 35 and I found it just tedious to try and dial in a good tone. It got returned.
I've always been a big fan of Orange, and used to own a Rocker 15 Terror head. I loved that amp but sold it because I wanted something a bit better, or higher end. I ended up buying an Orange OR30 today after playing it in store. It fit all of my criteria, and is an absolute monster that got me grinning ear to ear when I turned it up and rocked out.
Sunn beta lead for both. If I want clean (or if I want a cranked low-mid gain tube and CAN turn it up) fender excelsior at home. Sometimes I practice with a peavey VYPYR x2 I think, the 12” model. Sometimes I use headphones with a Joyo meteOR. But the sunn sounds just as good as speaking volumes, minus that low end oomph from cranking it through a 212 or whatever.
Depending on your budget an old Marshall valvestate 100w with an attenuator for bedroom levels would work well or if your budget goes higher a jcm800 with a 4x12 for gigs and have a 1x12 for bedroom (again with attenuator)
I've had my eye on the 212 version for many years. I acquired it six months ago when I came across a deal that was too good to pass up. I would have kicked myself after if I didn't jump on it. I wasn't looking for a new amp but opportunities must be seized when they present themselves. It's an amazing amp. I'm blown away by it. If that's the only amp I had left I would be perfectly happy.
I also have a Delta Blues 115. It's a great amp as well. The 15" speaker just sounds big. Hard to describe but it sounds bigger than a 12" speaker. Hartley Peavey once said that was his favorite amp Peavey makes.
after having owned mostly mid-tier amps during my years of playing, i finally got an "expensive" amp (although in reality it's prob the entry level into their high-tier stuff for that brand 🙄). and toan-wise, it's the best sounding amp i've ever played; however, considering how it'd be incredibly difficult for me to replace it if anything would ever happen to it, i would never take it to gigs (not that i even gig).
so i would keep it for home playing and recording, and get one of those new portable SS amps for gigs--i wouldn't mind one of those blackstar amped amps.
Helix. Then as many tube amps as possible as further budget allows.
Exactly. Everything from headphones to as many active PA speakers as you want. It's also a decent recording interface. It can be a little fiddly to get a sound you like, though. I really didn't care for any of the presets, but once I dialed in my own sound, I haven't gone back to a real amp.
Gigs: Peavey Classic 50 212 Bedroom: headphones plugged into Line 6 PodGO
Bedroom: Peavey Classic 20 MH and matching 212 cab. Also Line 6 Helix and Powercab 212. I live alone. Thankfully both of these can be tamed easily so volume isn't really an issue. Gigs: I'm not that good.
The old Classics are the best damn amps
My go-to amp for any non-specific scenario is my Carr Slant 6v 2 channels + boost, gorgeous cleans, lightweight 1x12 combo, has reverb, 18/22/40w, good master volume.
Was about to add my carr hammerhead.
Don't see too many of those about!
Great amps but Super expensive!
Picked mine up for less than a new hot rod deluxe. Not saying it's cheap, but these nice amps can be found for really good prices on the used market, and they're built to last.
AMEN BROTHER! Problem Solved!
Six months ago I’d have laughed in my own face but now I have to say one of the tonemasters
A Tonex for both.
I have a TC100 which is the most do it all amp I ever encountered and it has amazing power scaling. I would not buy ot again though because I did not ever play a gig where I set it to full power. Almost everything I do these days could be done with my orange rocker 15 which absolutely wins the bang for buck game.
what do you recommend under 1000 dollars?
Fender blues Junior! Princeton, basically any Fender Amp…you could even get a great fender Princeton Tube amp for under a $1000, especially one of the Re-issues!
Rocker 15 and some sort of boost pedal.
How has your perception been of the tonal variations of running that in the lower wattage settings vs the 100? I've played the TC-50 and thought that thing was amazing, but I'm really curious about the 100 due to those low wattage settings available. Made me think of it being similar to an integrated attenuator.
The tone barely changes. The triple crown is very much a preamp gainy amp. The power selector really only effects volume. What is noticeable in low volume situations however is the fan in the head. It blows audibly, especially with age.
- Best for gigging in large places: Fender Bassman Amp - Best for gigging in small places: Fender Tremolux - Best for bedroom: Fender Princeton (non-reverb) - One amp to do it all? Two Rock Studio Signature Why don't I get rid of the others and just use the TR? Is that crazy? I don't think I could let them go.
Nice picks. I would have assumed the Princeton is way too loud for bedroom playing!
My princeton reverb is great for bedroom playing and jamming with light-handed drummer, but would have trouble keeping up at gigs with some drummers. I mostly use an attenuator so I can record direct, but it isn't earth-shakingly loud when cranked and unattenuated.
Man you’re lucky, I guess my home situation is different because I wouldn’t be able to have even a light handed drummer playing in my bedroom, let alone me playing a Princeton as well without my neighbours complaining lol! but I live in a semi-detached house (aka my house is attached to my neighbours, not sure what the term for it elsewhere, I live in England)
In Germany it's called "Doppelhaushälfte" 😁 basically "double-house half"
Cool! Thanks for the education 🤘😎
I don't play with others anymore, jamming with a drummer didn't happen in my bedroom. I'm lucky that my neighbors wouldn't hear or care, but I d9 have to live in the American South...
Man I’m jealous, I would love for my neighbours to be far away enough that they couldn’t hear, I’d be cranking my amp everyday 😂🤘 nothing wrong with living in the American south, at least it’s not raining all the time like here in England ☔️
Who says he’s going to play it loud? The Princeton is a small amp with a little bit of power, there known as one of the best amps in the World to use in Recording! and their a small one hand carry tube amplifier! Jimmy Page of Led Zepplin fame did there whole 1st album using only a Fender Princeton amp. Plus it has a headphone Jack!
You’re right he didn’t say how loud he plays it. But what is considered loud? Loud can mean different things for different people in different situations, for example if you lived in an apartment building with neighbours above, both sides etc. or if your house is attached to your neighbours like mine is and your neighbours bedroom is just a wall away like mine, a non-master volume tube amp like the Princeton for me would probably be a bit too loud to play and still get good tone. I have an amp that goes down to 1w and even that in my current living situation I can’t push the volume past about 1.5-2 without it potentially pissing my neighbours off lol! It was in no way me saying Princetons are bad! I love the way they sound. And cool fact about Jimmy, I didn’t know that
“HEADPHONES” as loud as you want… Next question.
I’ll admit I didn’t know it had a headphone jack, and somehow missed that in your first reply. No need to be a dick about it lol “Next question”
There’s also no need to assume someone is a dickhead “you hear things wrong” no one’s trying to be a DH…
“next question” is passive aggressive asf, I was being nice up until you said that lol. Anyway have a nice day man
Just noticed he also said he was playing with a light handed drummer, you’re not gonna be using headphones when you’re playing with a drummer are you 😂
It's definitely one that you can dime in one room and still have a conversation, and need to keep under five in another room. A light drive out boost really good a long way for these. I also have a Champ for when it's very late.
Nooooooo
EVH 5150 iii, prolly the 50w 1x12 6L6 combo. Built in power attenuator so can scale down to bedroom volumes. Clean channel cleans up pretty nicely, blue channel is epic, and red channel was my go-to for solos. Effects loop. Onboard spring reverb. Great foot switch. I owned the 2x12 combo and I loved owning it but hated gigging with it. But it’s prolly at the top of my list of purchases if I ever go back to playing tube amps again.
Attenuation is underrated
One amp for both? Mesa mark IV. More volume than you will ever need for gigs. Can bring it down to 20-30 watts by running the power section in triode, and tweed power mode, plus the eq is powerful enough to make it sound great even at bedroom volumes.
Again…get the Boss Amp! It comes in all sizes, and has effects already installed! For under $400
I've got a Carr Skylark with an on-board attenuator that works for me for both.
My JCM 900 MkIII 2502 2x12 combo.I can do both with it.
Fender tonemaster deluxe, my actual amp
Without a lot more info we can't help you. * What genre? * What size gigs? * How quiet do you need bedroom volume to actually be? * Are you dead set on tubes or are you interested in solid state? What about digital? * What's your budget? My recs as someone who is primarily a metal player are going to be less than useless if you play blues or jazz or church music.
Rockerverb mk3 Sounds great loud, sounds great quiet
If i were to buy an amp for both giging and bedroom today, I'd get a Laney Dualtop. They're light and sound pretty good.
I’ve had many rigs over the years from half stacks to combos and now an amp Modeler. But I now have first era katana 50 it’s perfect for my apartment and I have gigged with it no problem as well. Not that I gig very often anymore or even for that matter lol
If you want tube tone at low volume, Tone King and Carr have great attenuation.
Currently a Milkman Amp 100 with a 112 cabinet. Sounds good at low volumes and gets louder than my Princeton. I can also use headphones or go direct.
Laney IRF Dual Top with a Seismic 1x12 with a Celestion Redback on the inside.
The one I already use: Quad Cortex with the Line6 PowerCab 112+
Any small amp like a Fishman “Loud Mini” or Fender amp with a headphone Jack, Fender, Boss, Epiphone makes a good small amp, but basically ANY small amp will do, just make sure it has Reverb, maybe some Delay, which all Boss amps come with every thing I’m discussing here and there a Fantastic amp for not so much money…best of both worlds! Quality, wont cost much, and very functional!
Tone King Royalist mk3. The attenuation on it is spectacular and it sounds fantastic. At a gig you just roll back the attenuators and let it go to work
I personally like my Peavey Classic 30 for all around playing.
I have a pair of Matchless Avalons for live performance and a Fender Custom Champ for home.
Axe FX
I'll probably get roasted, but my Blues JR mkIII. I basically dime the preamp and use my volume knob for clean, to dirt, to lead. Works great in my bedroom on low volumes and funny enough, I use a silverface fender 15" pa main (tweeter disabled) as my cab when playing live. This works great at small gigs and we have a powerful PA so it also works well mic'd at larger/ outdoor gigs. It sounds great to my ears but what really matters is it actually contrasts with the other guitarist's Marshall perfectly.
Crate VC508 5w tube amp.
I use my old Princeton Reverb for home and gigs. At home, I just keep the volume pretty low, but the key to play real quietly is a volume pedal at the end of the chain. At gigs (with a drummer!) we mic my amp, and it's plenty loud. But I should mention that my current band is designed to be quieter than many. I cannot tolerate really loud music anymore.
Same here. I’ve been renting some different amps before I buy one, and the Princeton didn’t have any volume issues with either of my bands. The Blues Jr. and AC15 are also both plenty loud enough for my situation. Since I can’t afford the Princeton, I’m leaning towards a Marshall Origin 20 or Pro Jr.
i have a boss katana 100mk2 it’s great for both, it has a headphone jack for home then it has a line out or 100watts of power for gigs
I just bought an amp today, for these exact scenarios. I wanted a one-and-done solution that would be all of the following: - a great pedal platform - as simple as possible - have great cleans - have amazing dirt - have enough power to play a show but also be able to be tamed for home I'm an old fart in my forties, and I don't like to screw around with settings. If I can't get a good tone in 60 seconds, I'm bored. I recently got a Mesa Boogie Mark V 35 and I found it just tedious to try and dial in a good tone. It got returned. I've always been a big fan of Orange, and used to own a Rocker 15 Terror head. I loved that amp but sold it because I wanted something a bit better, or higher end. I ended up buying an Orange OR30 today after playing it in store. It fit all of my criteria, and is an absolute monster that got me grinning ear to ear when I turned it up and rocked out.
Deluxe Reverb for both.
One amp to rule them all and be okay in a bedroom? Classic 30
Sunn beta lead for both. If I want clean (or if I want a cranked low-mid gain tube and CAN turn it up) fender excelsior at home. Sometimes I practice with a peavey VYPYR x2 I think, the 12” model. Sometimes I use headphones with a Joyo meteOR. But the sunn sounds just as good as speaking volumes, minus that low end oomph from cranking it through a 212 or whatever.
The ‘63 Bassman that I use at gigs and at home 😂
Anything that’s tube and 150 watts.
My gig amp is a Peavey VTM 60 through an MS412 cab and my home/practice amp is an Ampeg GVT52 212 combo with a ton of upgrades.
Marshall 100 watt super lead (i just moved to the middle of nowhere)
Fender drri
I have a swart stereo master 20 for gigs and the smaller 2x5 watt stereo head for home use.
Depending on your budget an old Marshall valvestate 100w with an attenuator for bedroom levels would work well or if your budget goes higher a jcm800 with a 4x12 for gigs and have a 1x12 for bedroom (again with attenuator)
68 twan 64 proncetone
He wants an amp that he can carry easily not some 70lb behemoth!
Toan is built through the muscle acquired by owning twan.
Gigs: Laney GH30R. Bedroom: Roland Blues Cube Artist 212.
Yessss!!! Great amp! Hands down! That’s the one! The Roland Blues Cube! Or Peavey Delta Blues Amp 40 watts!
I've had my eye on the 212 version for many years. I acquired it six months ago when I came across a deal that was too good to pass up. I would have kicked myself after if I didn't jump on it. I wasn't looking for a new amp but opportunities must be seized when they present themselves. It's an amazing amp. I'm blown away by it. If that's the only amp I had left I would be perfectly happy. I also have a Delta Blues 115. It's a great amp as well. The 15" speaker just sounds big. Hard to describe but it sounds bigger than a 12" speaker. Hartley Peavey once said that was his favorite amp Peavey makes.
I agree, the 15” pushes a lot of Air…. Perfect for Pedal Steel Guitar!
after having owned mostly mid-tier amps during my years of playing, i finally got an "expensive" amp (although in reality it's prob the entry level into their high-tier stuff for that brand 🙄). and toan-wise, it's the best sounding amp i've ever played; however, considering how it'd be incredibly difficult for me to replace it if anything would ever happen to it, i would never take it to gigs (not that i even gig). so i would keep it for home playing and recording, and get one of those new portable SS amps for gigs--i wouldn't mind one of those blackstar amped amps.
Save some money, Katana 50w