Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Wal Callaby on March 8, 2019 at 10:14am

I get some very nice results through a Vox Mini 5, which also has the advantage of an additional drum track. For truly lo fi delta blues chugging, I really like the little Honeytone belt amp I picked up for fifty bucks in Canada. Tone as fuzzy as it will get, just a smidgeon of drive, and oh boy...

Money no object? See above.

Permalink Reply by Slow Blues Dani & Ol' Grey Bear on March 8, 2019 at 10:47am

I have a Vox DA5 battery operated amp for out and about or while on bed rest and a Kustom “The Contender” tube amp for when I want to get serious or annoy the neighbours. Money no object? Probably a little tube head with matching cabinet from Hughes and Kettner. Probably more appropriate though would be an awesome amp right out of the 1940s.

Permalink Reply by Seasick Mick on March 8, 2019 at 11:17am

I have 2 Vox DA5's,one black and one bright pink (i'm in touch with my feminine side) and they're great amps...

Permalink Reply by Slow Blues Dani & Ol' Grey Bear on March 8, 2019 at 11:54am

I swear by ‘em Micky. I’ve had a Fender passport in the past and a hacked radio cassette player but I love the options I have with the Vox DA5. MP3, mic and instrument input, loads of amp recreation settings and a one dial tone to sweeten the sound, to mention just a few of the features. Can’t beat them for the money they cost. Also, the batteries last so long on the 1.5watt setting I leave it on (changeable upto 5 watts) that I don’t even own a power adapter for it. Love ‘em!

Permalink Reply by Seasick Mick on March 8, 2019 at 12:05pm

They're hard to come by now in England and they command a pretty good price,too...

Permalink Reply by Reg Seward on March 8, 2019 at 11:21am

Well I tried and purchased a little Pignose amp some years back, it has a certain 'distortion' sound to it when its cranked up a tad. It certainly can fill a pub bar with noise anyway. It has the capacity to just use batteries, although they don't last that long if hard used. I prefer to use an adaptor instead, or transformer if you prefer. I turn up to play with it all in a plastic bag, guitar lead plugged in already to the amp, stick a weirdly home made gadget on the other end, and then annoy the bejesus out of the residents..... excellent behaviour, or so I am told...!!  I open the simulated suitcase box up to let the sound travel a bit, plug the transformer into a socket, and away I go........

Permalink Reply by Seasick Mick on March 8, 2019 at 12:03pm

Got to love the Pignose.Maybe it will be on my Christmas wish list..

Permalink Reply by Dave Dean on March 8, 2019 at 10:50pm

When I saw Seasick Steve for the first time on the Jools Holland show (his original appearance) I was so blown away that I booked tickets for his gig in Birmingham the next day. Drove there (from Cornwall), loved it, came home and immediately ordered a Roland Cube 30 'cos that's what he was playing :-)

Still playing it to this day. I rarely move it off the Vox modelling mode though. Would love to have a proper tube Vox amp, but with family, too many hobbies and the fact my guitar playing/making is purely for my sole enjoyment (I don't gig or anything) I can't really justify the outlay.

Permalink Reply by Seasick Mick on March 9, 2019 at 7:16am

Like most of us on here,i'm a big Seasick Steve fan,too.I have a Fender tube amp amongst my other amps but a lot of solid state amps are perfectly good for a CBG,they're cheaper,lighter and you don't have to bother with blown tubes,etc….

Permalink Reply by Alex Rigby on March 9, 2019 at 12:48am

I use a Fender Passport Mini. Solid state, I think about 5w. One of the deciding factors for me was it has the option for battery power - so great for camping, festivals, camper van travels. Makes a great little home practice amp, and I've even had it mic'ed up when playing at small venues.

If you are thinking of buying, I would recommend the other contenders in this range - Roland Micro Cube, Orange Crush etc, as they all have similar by slightly different specs - for example I do appreciate the double input and aux input on the fender, I like most of the settings, but tweaking the effects on the fly is somewhat limited (you need to use the laptop interface to really get the most from FX).

I also wish I had been aware of the Vox DA5 before I had bought, as it does look very cool.

As for perfect amp, not really after any commercial stuff, would love to make a valve amp myself - currently dabbling with a low voltage hybrid valve amp design - the preamp stage is really pleasing, just need to get on with the power stage..

Alex

Permalink Reply by Seasick Mick on March 9, 2019 at 7:11am

I can vouch for the Vox DA-5.If you can get one,you won't be disappointed with it...

Permalink Reply by Reg Seward on March 9, 2019 at 3:41am

I have a nifty Vox Vigilante I bought new back in the eighties. It goes about 100w as a combo. it has two channels, a decent reverb, and all the usual knobs. I find it rather pleasant on a low setting, but the weight of the thing is ridiculous. To think I used to drag that thing about when I was in a band. Today, the digits hardly lets me pick it up.......!!!  A very good amp from a while back, so technology is so well advanced these days, that it almost becomes redundant. It sits here gathering dust, ready for a burst of neighbour annoying racket when the mood takes me......!±!!

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page