Joined a band!

I forgot you'd originally mentioned the Roland Cubes, Arjen, but for solid state amps I do like them. They're pretty versatile.

Greybeard: If you guys so say so, guess you lot have more experience dragging them around then I have. So then the budget aspect remains: can you recommend a tube amp (15W should be more then enough) for less then 250 Euro? As for the rucksack, I would like to take my guitar with me as well, and that one is usually on my back already... ;)

I should start a business. People can send me the money, I'll pick up the amp for them and ship it over. Shouldn't cost more than $100 to ship, and I'd charge $50 for the labor. I'll be a millionaire!

Wes: suppose a blues junior is $400 over there. $100 shipping. 20% import tax=80$. That is a total of $580. So if anyone were kind enough to do such a thing for free us Europeans would pay a grand total of $20 less, and if something goes up we have no warranty whatsoever.

Looks like the Roland Cubes and Blues Cubes are the place to start looking. I imagine they made sure they had a pretty nice model of a Roland Jazz Chorus in there. I've always liked the fundamental sound of the Cube 30. The 60 might be a better bit of kit, but it seems a little heavy and a bit steep in price.
You'd probably knock everyone over laughing if you showed up with a little Pignose 40.

I've got a Pignose G40V (currently lying on the floor behind me in the middle of changing out the now-buzzy original speaker to a 70W Jensen MOD 10"), and it's not a bad amp. But you will need to tweak it yourself. The power transformer puts 7.5V on the tube heaters, which is way excessive. I fixed that by putting two 5W 1.8 ohm wirewound resistors in the heater lines to drop the voltage to 6.0V while keeping it balanced around ground potential. I need to replace all the heater wiring with twisted paired speaker cable, to reduce the excessive line frequency hum. My speaker just got buzzy after a lot of playing, but I know another guy whose speaker immediately blew with loud playing. I think the problem is that while Pignose rates the amp at "a conservative 40W," it's really a 60W amp. The original speaker's said to be a 70W (and it does have a big magnet in it like higher powered speakers), but I suspect that may be the bogus "sound power" rating that'd really mean a 35W speaker. The Pignose's circuit is nearly identical to the old JCM 800 "Super Lead 50" Marshalls, but it's built of the cheapest imaginable components crowded way too closely together. Aside from the hum it makes nice tone and lots of volume, and mine did survive being slammed hard enough in shipment to ding the back panel in with the folded power cord, which impact also snapped the locating pins off of the bases of the Chinese 6L6GC tubes. I epoxied them back on and they're still working 3 1/2 years and hundreds of playing hours later. I really can't complain about this amp, for what I paid for it. Wish they'd make the voltage-dropping and hum-reducing mods at the factory, it really wouldn't cost anything.

Oh yeah, the Pignose doesn't do clean all that well. Too much gain in the signal chain. Its circuit is basically that of the 1959 Fender Bassman with the two input stages stacked in series to convert a two-channel amp into a single channel one with an extra gain stage. A popular mod that lots of home tinkerers have done to old classic Bassman amps, that has been the basis of lots of "custom" and boutique amps, as well as having been used by Marshall. And its sound is very Marshally. Plug it into a good 4x12 cab and I'll bet it'd really sound like one. (I don't need or want any gear that big, so I haven't tried it.)

Does it sound exactly like a JCM 800, or any of those others on the same circuit design? No, component quality and physical layout do make a difference. But like I said, it's a good sounding little amp that's really a big amp in a little combo cab. If somebody made one like it with a bit more attention to build quality, it'd be killer!

But I think Arjen probably needs a Cube 30.
:D

Arjen ...

I have both a Cube 30 and the Blues Junior, and even a couple other, pricier amps. While I prefer to use the BJ in general, I sometimes think it's mostly for tubie, sentimental reasons. There's no question: the Cube 30 is the better bang for the buck -- way better. I never feel disadvantaged when using the Cube for small to medium sized gigs. If you elevate it, it will complete with drums sans micing for less aggressive music types. Plus it is throw-around durable. As you and Rob have noted, the clean Jazz Chorus channel is just plain great, and especially appropriate for the stuff you will be playing. I even use that channel with a boost pedal. It actually works well.

I'm sure the new Vox amps are good stuff -- have yet to try them myself. But you won't regret owning the Cube 30. And when/if you do buy one, don't dump it when you get another, hotter amp. It's so flexible, you will always have a reason to have it around -- practice, monitoring, stereo amping.

Feedback, Holland largest (by far) music chain sells no Pignose amps. Musik_produktiv, one of the biggest of Europe, sells only three Pignose amps. All purely solidstate. Piens, Belgians largest, only sells SS versions. Music-Town sells none. Etc etc. The only all-tube amp I've seen that fits my budget is the Epiphone Galaxy 10. For $240, which is THREE times as expensive as it is in the States. And to be honest, it was a piece of crap. On HC people say it can be a great amp after some modding but I'm not really the most technically gifted person around. :oops:

Of my list I doubt the Behringer will be able to deliver a proper and loud clean tone, and I seriously doubt the Line6 amp will be able to deliver anything whatsoever. Never tried it but if it is anything like it's bigger brother the SpiderII 112 it will be as warm and dynamic as a chunk of ice. I've played often on the Vox AD30VT and Roland Cube30, and both do what I want them to do and are within my budget, but I'd never tried them next to each other which is pretty darn vital to really compare them. For a moment I considered including the Fender Champion 300 and Marshall MG30DFX amps, but I know I always get dissapointed when I hear one of them. Crate isn't a big brand over here, and the Ibanez amps ain't that much either. Further suggestions still much apreciated. :D

That Epiphone Galaxy 10 is the Electar Tube 10 with a 10" speaker and some cosmetic mods. I have a Tube 10, and the only change I made to it was substitution of a Jensen MOD for the low quality 8" woofer it came with. Great blues amp! (The Electar sells for half the price, but is currently unavailable. Gibson apparently uses the Electar brand for "trial runs" to develop and debug the basic amp, then marks them up as Epiphones when they think it's right.)

Oh yeah, the Pignose doesn't do clean all that well. Too much gain in the signal chain. Its circuit is basically that of the 1959 Fender Bassman with the two input stages stacked in series to convert a two-channel amp into a single channel one with an extra gain stage. A popular mod that lots of home tinkerers have done to old classic Bassman amps, that has been the basis of lots of "custom" and boutique amps, as well as having been used by Marshall.

Does it sound exactly like a JCM 800, or any of those others on the same circuit design? No, component quality and physical layout do make a difference. But like I said, it's a good sounding little amp that's really a big amp in a little combo cab. If somebody made one like it with a bit more attention to build quality, it'd be killer!

:D

Somebody does: Reverend.

Check this discussion: Pignose vs. Reverend Hellhound

The Hellhound is no longer made, but Reverend newer amps are still based on the same designs, which are related to the Pignose tube amps.

I see Dennis Kager (who designed the Pignoses) was involved in the Reverends' design as well.

Reverend's FAQ points out some of the componentry differences I alluded to.

Those Reverend amps are pretty rare (backordered til March) but have a very loyal following. They easily switch from Fender to Vox to Marshall sounds, but lack a footswitch. They also have a nice wattage switch, a'la Vox, to reduce headroom. I think they are not what Arjen is looking for.

I actually have a reasonable respect for the Pignose as a DIY amp, but I was picturing the look on the band's faces when Arjen showed up with what is, arguably, the ugliest amp since the old Gibson's (?) that looked like room humidifiers. I've seen Pignose amps elicit laughter more than once, but imagine a jazz band's reaction! But they ARE cheap (I think I'd go with the Galaxie, between the two.)

I haven't heard a Roland Blues Cube, but that might be worth a look if you come across one.

I'm not recommending the Reverend amp for Arjen -- too expensive for his budget and difficult to get in Europe ... or anywhere. Just brought it up WRT to the Pignose and Ric's comments.

Yeah, one of us would have to carry it over personally and then end up stuck in Amsterdam for the week **sigh**

Maybe we should be recommending amps he can only get in the states.

I was thinking, though, have you considered getting one of those bike trailers that people cart their kids around in, Arjen?

Have you ever thought about how the kids turn out that get jounced around in those for a while?