Dimefromhell12

I am not sure whether I want the Vox Night Train 15 watt head, or the Blackstar HT-5C. Both low wattage tube. Both apparently sound great. The vox is apparently cleaner and whatnot, and the blackstar is more metal. I've read the reviews, but wan't more, immediate input, not stuff posted a couple of years ago. I want whichever I get for my university Jazz Ensemble, and just to jam any kind of genre on when i'm not "jazzing." thank you for your opinion in advance! (I play with an epi LP standard, or a fender tele 72 custom, or a 1983 Ibanez DT-350)

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Volcz

Meh, need more info. There's not really a cheap tube amp capable of going from jazzy cleans to extreme metal. Personally I don't like either of those amps.

Budget, styles, you know the drill.

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Dimefromhell12

my budget is about 350. I figures that was implied by the 2 amps I had decided on, sorry.
And I just mostly want it to be clean, for Jazz ensemble. just with the ability to have some decent growl when i'm not playing clean styles.

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souperman08

Fender Excelsior and a good overdrive/distortion pedal.

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Dimefromhell12

I also don't really need extreme metal, i have my mesa for that. but it's ungodly loud for this class. and i want something i can keep in my dorm.

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Dimefromhell12

I didn't care for that fender when i played through it.. /:

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ChrisBW

I've been looking at the Eganter Tweaker a lot lately. I've never actually played one but I suddenly really want one. I think it should do what you want pretty well. You should be able to find a combo used about $350.

If you can manage it, you could probably find an AC15 in your budget and hold out to save up for a good dirt pedal. That's probably what I would do

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Addonexus408

Willing to go used?

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trashedlostfdup

i owned one for a while, one of the first wave of the 15 watters, i liked it at first, but the more i got used to it the less the switches did and really didn't change the 'core' tone of the amp as much. in other words it gets monotonous.

i have NO idea as far as price goes, but i paid a tad over $400 for a musicman hd212 130watter. tube poweramp, SS preamp. it takes pedals well and will stay clean until your ears hurt. also doesn't do bad quiet either. i would have tried to get him down a little, but he showed me the invoice on $300 worth of tech work (recapped, new tubes, new speakers (wish it had the origionals) but again the speakers do sound pretty good.

you probably don't want something that big, they may have made smaller models, but i haven't seen one (nor really looked). i like the cleans better than a Roland JC (a/b'd) and if you push it really hard the powertube OD is pleasurable.

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ChrisBW

If it's a sound you like, I don't see a problem with that.

I never change the settings on my AC30 or 5150. I mess with my JSX pretty much every time I play it though.

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Volcz

When I think of Jazz, the first two amps that come to my head is a DRRI and an AC30. But they're both quite out of your budget.

Try looking at a used HRD perhaps? Sorry if that's no help man! Just my 2c.

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Dave_Mc

the blackstar's not all tube. that said, at your budget, as volcz says, there's not much if anything which is all-tube which is capable of those levels of versatility...

also worth pointing out that even 5 watts tube is loud cranked up.

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Dimefromhell12

Sooo... is it tube or not? how would it not be all tube? because i thought it had a power tube and an output tube, i thought that's all that is really needed.. It's not a big deal, cause if it sounds good, i want it
, i'm just wondering.

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Dave_Mc

it's kinda hybrid. it's partly tube.

a lot of the preamp gain stages are op-amp based, rather than tube based. the phase inverter is transistor-based rather than tube-based. there are also clipping diodes in the preamp, too (bit like an overdrive pedal). it does have a preamp tube and a power amp tube too.

it's really your call. if you like how it sounds, it doesn't matter. it's just worth going in with your eyes and ears open.

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gregs1020

how loud do you need jazzy cleans?

none of the amps are known for a lot of headroom.

if by jazzy you mean your drummer uses brushes then any of them would probably work. but if you play loud they will all break up a little so the clean isn't "clean".

just another .02

the 15 watt tweaker head i had, when loaded with 6L6s, stayed clean pretty loud. and it can pull off a fair amount of gain when set up that way as well.

trashedlostfdup

certainly nothing is wrong with that, i am just saying that the switches were considered its main feature, and main point of advertisement.

and they really don't make that much difference once you have played the amp for a while, your ears get used to everything.

i also have to comment, i did not put any other type of tube in the output section, so i can't say anything about that.

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fly135

The HT5 I owned had less clean headroom than my Epi Valve Jr. I would definitely opt for 15 watts over 5 any day when making a decision.

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jpnyc

The entire point of the HT-5 is to break up at low volumes. It has very little clean headroom; don’t wouldn’t even try it for jazz if you need to keep up with a wind instrument.

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