Achilles
Rock Star
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Eventually, everyone using full range monitors with their guitar will figure this out.
The best speaker for guitar tone is a speaker designed to reproduce guitar tone.
Go figure.....
Cheap light tube amp as modeller power amp?
- Thread starter Sedaxel
- Start date
Eventually, everyone using full range monitors with their guitar will figure this out.
The best speaker for guitar tone is a speaker designed to reproduce guitar tone.
Go figure.....
Jarick
Rock Star
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- 3,687
I can get a great clean tone, especially the big 80's style with tons of stereo effects, through studio monitors. Getting a great high gain tone seems a lot trickier. Any EQ issues are amplified, especially in the high and low end.
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Perhaps... but there are many guitar speakers that aren't very good either lol.
ucnick
Roadie
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- 157
Mo' headroom, mo' bettah...
ucnick
Roadie
- Messages
- 157
True dat.
When I was with an ABB trib band some years ago I used a Marshall DSL40C 1x12 combo amp, it could be run in either 20W or 40W power mode, and I found 20 watts was more than loud enough. The guys used to complain I was way too loud at 40W.
I also have a Marshall Origin 50 head I used a lot at outdoor gigs before I purchased my PS-100 and Quilter TB202, I would run it at half power setting (20W?) and it was loud, even at an outdoor venue.
Well, I found a cheap Fender Champion 50XL (160€ shipped) and got it to make tests.
I'm not interested in the amps pre, or its digital modelling either. I just want it as a power amp and real guitar speaker for stage monitoring with my modeller.
Power seems enough for stage monitoring. It's a 50W class D amp, and the speaker is a Celestion Midnight 60. It weighs approx 9kg.
Made some NAM captures of the preamp of my Mesa Boogie Studio .22+ and played them direct into the aux-in of the 50XL. A little care with levels, since the aux-in has no master control, it's always max power...
And the result is fantastic, so far. Just some EQ to mimic the Boogie built-in five band EQ, and there We go. Maybe it's too early to say it, but at least at home levels, this setup is absolutely great. It feels like my amp, it's approx half the weight, and it's really cheap.
It's loud. If you feed the 50XL with a healthy signal from the modeller, it can get really monstrous. And it still has some improvement margin. The speaker is decently efficient (96 dB) and lightweight (2.5 kg). But with a neo speaker, like a Jensen Tornado, you can even go louder (98.5 dB efficiency) and lighter (2 kg).
For the moment, I'm not feeling the need to upgrade the stock parts. I feel it's lightweight and loud enough.
I think this way of amplifying modellers is really interesting!
I'm not interested in the amps pre, or its digital modelling either. I just want it as a power amp and real guitar speaker for stage monitoring with my modeller.
Power seems enough for stage monitoring. It's a 50W class D amp, and the speaker is a Celestion Midnight 60. It weighs approx 9kg.
Made some NAM captures of the preamp of my Mesa Boogie Studio .22+ and played them direct into the aux-in of the 50XL. A little care with levels, since the aux-in has no master control, it's always max power...
And the result is fantastic, so far. Just some EQ to mimic the Boogie built-in five band EQ, and there We go. Maybe it's too early to say it, but at least at home levels, this setup is absolutely great. It feels like my amp, it's approx half the weight, and it's really cheap.
It's loud. If you feed the 50XL with a healthy signal from the modeller, it can get really monstrous. And it still has some improvement margin. The speaker is decently efficient (96 dB) and lightweight (2.5 kg). But with a neo speaker, like a Jensen Tornado, you can even go louder (98.5 dB efficiency) and lighter (2 kg).
For the moment, I'm not feeling the need to upgrade the stock parts. I feel it's lightweight and loud enough.
I think this way of amplifying modellers is really interesting!
Byrdman
Shredder
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- 1,253
@Sedaxel I have the Stageright version of the HB Tube 15. I use mine at practice and it's plenty loud for a monitor. You may want to elevate it a little or angle it up since it sits close to the ground. I have it set up just like this at practice and I'm right next to our drummer and I can hear myself fine. YMMV
@Byrdman, yeah... I've been looking at that amp. It can be found very cheap.
What made me go other way are some little things like:
Weight. The SS route is easy to go down to 9 kg, which is a couple kg lighter.
Speaker. The Midnight 60 seems to be more regarded than the Seventy 80.
Simplicity. This one is still to be seen... But theoretically the SS option is simpler, with less need of maintenance (tubes, biasing...).
The look. This is subjective, but I find cooler too have a black Fender look rather than a clear coloured tolex Harley Benton one.
But yes, that 15W tube amp was (and still is) on my radar. Also the Laney Cub12, which supposedly is the model that Monoprice and Harley Benton has "knockoffed". I know that 15W tube power is more than enough for my monitoring needs, since my amp is a 20W tube one, and the loudness difference is supposedly marginal.
What made me go other way are some little things like:
Weight. The SS route is easy to go down to 9 kg, which is a couple kg lighter.
Speaker. The Midnight 60 seems to be more regarded than the Seventy 80.
Simplicity. This one is still to be seen... But theoretically the SS option is simpler, with less need of maintenance (tubes, biasing...).
The look. This is subjective, but I find cooler too have a black Fender look rather than a clear coloured tolex Harley Benton one.
But yes, that 15W tube amp was (and still is) on my radar. Also the Laney Cub12, which supposedly is the model that Monoprice and Harley Benton has "knockoffed". I know that 15W tube power is more than enough for my monitoring needs, since my amp is a 20W tube one, and the loudness difference is supposedly marginal.
Today I spent some time playing with the 50XL built-in tones, out of curiosity.
Clean channel is very good. Perfectly useable. Actually, if I had to go for a Fender clean tone, I'd maybe use this channel instead of a model.
The Sims channel is nothing to sing about, though. It's maybe ok for noodling around at home when you just want to plug-in to the amp and start playing... But honestly, any current modelling platform, even the cheapest, is going to be more pleasant.
But as I said, for me the hidden gem of these kind of amps is the one that very few people talks about: to serve as a powered cab for modellers.
Clean channel is very good. Perfectly useable. Actually, if I had to go for a Fender clean tone, I'd maybe use this channel instead of a model.
The Sims channel is nothing to sing about, though. It's maybe ok for noodling around at home when you just want to plug-in to the amp and start playing... But honestly, any current modelling platform, even the cheapest, is going to be more pleasant.
But as I said, for me the hidden gem of these kind of amps is the one that very few people talks about: to serve as a powered cab for modellers.
Byrdman
Shredder
- Messages
- 1,253
I play my Stomp XL into my DSL100H & SC20H in the return a lot and it sounds great and loud...
Just go ahead and get a bigger tube amp and a good cab, you will thank me in about 6 months
I already have it! I'm very happy with my Mesa Boogie Studio .22+. The problem is that it weighs nearly 20kg (it's approx 18 kg) and, even when it's still portable, it requires force to grab it and walk with it against the leg. When you have to walk some distance (from the car to the stage, some stairs, etc), it's not comfortable. I didn't mind at first... But I've had back problems, and I'm not fully recovered. So started to use a little modeller direct to PA, with floor monitors. But the experience on stage is not the best... And that's why I'm starting now to think about a real cab for the modeller. This is all this thread is about.I play my Stomp XL into my DSL100H & SC20H in the return a lot and it sounds great and loud...
Just go ahead and get a bigger tube amp and a good cab, you will thank me in about 6 months
Yeah... This is what I'm still not convinced about this setup. I guess I'll only know when I try.
