Best Amp for Low Volumes?

[mrichman]

Hi all...I mostly just play in my home office...a 12'x14' room. I really like the Mark IV's crunch (a la Petrucci). However, I'm curious as to what the best amp is for low volume playing and recording via mic (SM57). Is a Mark IV "too much" amp for me? I want to capture that sound quality without the window-shattering volume.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[timmerel]

Get a Sequis Motherload - hook it up and you can crank any amp you like up to any level you like, and still not wake the cat.

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

I was quite surprised by the low volume tones the Stiletto Deuce gets, even in 100W mode....much better than the Mark IV IMO.

Then again, I'm an EL-34 guy, and am letting go of my Mark IV for a stiletto, so I'm a bit biased.

 

[NDRU]

I think the 5:50 would be good because of the 5 watt option, and it's a great sounding amp.

My F30 sounds decent at a low volume, but better at a louder one.

 

[kingster911]

F-30 or Express 5:25 ten inch. Nice focused lead sounds with contour. BIG crunch.

 

[camsna]

In my experience, you can get almost convincing tone at bedroom levels with any Mesa. Almost. That's just now what they do. They need to be opened up! A practice amp and modeling pedal (Pod XT Live...) do the best for low-volume bedroom stuff. I've said it before but it bears repeating:

Playing a Mesa at bedroom levels is akin to driving a beautiful new Ferrari down an old gravel road.

 

[Charlie]

If you are going to get a Boogie I would get an amp with the 5 watt option - LSS or one of the Express amps. You might want to check out that Blackheart amp - it's 5 watts and costs 200 for the head. David Allen (Allenamps.com) sells a kit, for another 200, that replaces everything except the power transformer.

So for 400 smackers you would have a point to point hand wired head - I'm thinking that may be my next project.

There is also the Orange Tiny Terror as well that has a 7 watt option on it.

Just keep in mind that even a 1 watt tube amp is pretty loud when it is cranked.

 

[danyeo1]

I was quite surprised by the low volume tones the Stiletto Deuce gets, even in 100W mode....much better than the Mark IV IMO.

Then again, I'm an EL-34 guy, and am letting go of my Mark IV for a stiletto, so I'm a bit biased.

I have to disagree with you about a MILLION Percent. I owned a Deuce and have owned several Mark IV's. It's not close, the Stiletto's need volume where the Mark series amps don't. EL34's sound better when turned up.

In fact, i tried 2 Ace combos today and wasn't impressed at all with them at low volumes. They sounded ok, but a Mark III or IV rips them to shreds at low volumes, or pretty much any volume IMHO.

 

[danyeo1]

If you are going to get a Boogie I would get an amp with the 5 watt option - LSS or one of the Express amps. You might want to check out that Blackheart amp - it's 5 watts and costs 200 for the head. David Allen (Allenamps.com) sells a kit, for another 200, that replaces everything except the power transformer.

So for 400 smackers you would have a point to point hand wired head - I'm thinking that may be my next project.

There is also the Orange Tiny Terror as well that has a 7 watt option on it.

Just keep in mind that even a 1 watt tube amp is pretty loud when it is cranked.

An amp doesn't need to have low wattage rating to sound good at low volumes, it just needs a good master volume. Go check out a Diezel Herbert. It's 180 watts and sound incredible at low volumes.

 

[Charlie]

PS if you really want to use a high wattage amp you can also buy (or build) an iso box. Try looking up 'grendel dead room' on google. There are others as well.

 

[Charlie]

If you are going to get a Boogie I would get an amp with the 5 watt option - LSS or one of the Express amps. You might want to check out that Blackheart amp - it's 5 watts and costs 200 for the head. David Allen (Allenamps.com) sells a kit, for another 200, that replaces everything except the power transformer.

So for 400 smackers you would have a point to point hand wired head - I'm thinking that may be my next project.

There is also the Orange Tiny Terror as well that has a 7 watt option on it.

Just keep in mind that even a 1 watt tube amp is pretty loud when it is cranked.

An amp doesn't need to have low wattage rating to sound good at low volumes, it just needs a good master volume. Go check out a Diezel Herbert. It's 180 watts and sound incredible at low volumes.

Well it really depends on what sound you are going for. You aren't going to get any power tube or transformer saturation from a 100+ watt amp at low settings. You aren't going to get the speakers moving a whole lot either. I'm pretty sure an amp like the Herbert gets most of its tone from the preamp though... so you are right for that amp it may not matter how loud it is. My friend loves how his Bogner Uberschall sounds at low volumes as well.

I don't need to crank my Stiletto or my JCM800 to get a good sound out of it but the volume needs to be set to at least 10:30/11 o'clock or so to sound good.

 

[Geiri]

The stiletto sounds phenomenal at low volume settings to my ears.

Then again it just sounds phenomenal at any volume setting, Wicked amp.

Just my 2 cents

 

[srf399]

Again it's personal preference... My MKIV was great at low volume... So is the Stiletto Deuce. Just a totally different voicing and feel. You've already got a MKIV... go try a Stiletto Deuce, A Roadster, A THD Univalve, whatever and see what you like.

 

[nomad100hd]

put a variable voltage Regulator or power scaling which is just one companies "VVR" Lets you turn down the amp and still get power tube distortion.

 

[JW123]

I bought a Weber Mass for my Triple Rec, best thing I ever did. I can turn it down to a whisper and still get full blown tube saturation. I run my main channel 2 in vintage mode at around 2-3 oclock master and gain in the smae area. It also has a line out that I am using live. You have to turn the line out down to 1 on the dial to give the mixer control.

I tried a set of Yellowjackets with el84s but they were still real loud.

Once again if you are going to run a high output amp get an attenuator.

 

[lyman]

Then again, I'm an EL-34 guy, and am letting go of my Mark IV for a stiletto, so I'm a bit biased.

no pun intended, right?

 

[Don]

I'm really surprised at how good my Express 5:50 sounds at low volumes, even in the 50 watt mode. It's got a really good master volume control.

Keep in mind, that set at 5 watts, it's a completely different amp, which is good and bad.

 

[soundpurist]

PS if you really want to use a high wattage amp you can also buy (or build) an iso box. Try looking up 'grendel dead room' on google. There are others as well.

+1000

 

[nomad100hd]

yep in 5W SE mode you could get some good power amp distortion going on. I have a 5W SE amp real simple design if you hit the strings light it's clean hit them hard it's nice and crunchy, I love it!

I want to like the express amps, first impression was maybe a little to bright for me. Then again i use a nomad a know dark amp that doesn't have enough cut sometimes, and a recto 2x12.

 

[jab]

I have been finding my Barber Tone Press makes the guitar sound a heck of a lot better at lower volumes too. You can put some sustain/compression on, similar to what organically happens at a higher output. Rehearsals just became a lot more fun.