Well I'm not sure about single speaker units that I have had experience with but I can give you a whole list of combo amps with two speakers that are great.

What is your price range?
Just about any midrange Fender amp is versatile,
pretty much depends on the music I'm really into blues so small Fender amps are of course the choice picks for me. I have also had alot of luck with a Mesa Heartbreaker great little amp for tracking. You pretty much have to just go to the music store and decide for yourself. Vox makes great amps also.

Hi Chris,
yeah, eventually i'll be hitting every music store around in search of, but i mostly wanna go to the store independent stores loaded with used amps hoping to find a few gems, I just wanna know what to look for so i dont have to play 20 amps in each store.
I'm pretty up on all the bigger amps, heads, and the mid sized combo's, have recorded hundreds of them over the years. What i usually dont see is little amps that sound great. Guys always come in with their half stacks or fender twins or bassmans. I got to work with Cesar Diaz and he taught me alot about amps and guitars. What i'm looking for is something i can record in my home studio that i dont have to blow the neighbors out with volume and that wont take up too much room.
I found a small 20 watt Ampeg Reverb Rocket. Anyone in love with those? havent bought it yet. Little fenders, I have to try more of them, is any one in particular really great?
Price range. I'd definitely like to keep it in the $300 to $500 range, although that 20 watt reverb rocket was only $250.
Thanks ya'll
-ken

The absolute coolest small amp I ever owned was a Trace Elliot Velocette...15/7.5 watt 1-12 Celestion...3 knobs (volume, tone, reverb)...

Sold it to a live player few years ago, been kicking myself in the butt ever since...Haven't heard the Gibson version...

Seems THE amp to have is a Princeton Reverb...everybody and their brother is using them this week.

Try to find a nice tube tweed Fender Champ from the 50's. It's a great little amp to record with. A lot of the new small amps with EL84 tubes sound good.

You have to check out the Fender Blues JR.

This is a new amp. It is a simple 30 wattish all tube design.

This is the best sounding amp (clean to a little crunch) I have heard in years. It gives a full bodied classic tone that kicks my old princeton reverb's but.

The opening clean gtr on this track was recorded through a Blues Jr with a Earthworks M30 mic about 3 feat away.

http://www.graniterocks.com/Files/Breathe.mp3

Steve

Fender Pinceton Reverb (1x10") .. great amp but costs WAY too much .. look for an old Ampeg Gemini I or II (1x12" and 1x15").. these are great for jazz at low volume, and fantastic reverb, plus they'll break up well for blues as you crank them up. Oddly (to some), we also use a Peavey Bandit-65 amp, which is solid state, but we put an older Altec 12" in it, and it has a very nice tone and distortion .. the reverb is useless. Fender Vibrolux reverb is also a great choice (2x10"), as would a Fender Pro-Reverb (2x12"). The Ampegs are in the $300-400 range and are, IMO, the best buy and have great tone.. they do not travel the road well, but are great in the studio. You can also find some of the old MuiscMan amps out there at a afforable price, and they can be a great amp. There would also have to be a vote somewhere for a Mesa Boggie too...

As a side note, I tracked a 6 string Tobias bass through the Princeton and it was huge sounding, which makes sense if you consider how air moves at a low volume with a small efficent speaker.

As for bass, I have both an old Ampeg B-15 and B-18 that always do the job. We also sometimes will use the B-15 for guitar .. in particular a Fender Strat or Jazzmaster.

The Blues Jr. is 15 watt all tube design.It uses el-84 tubes in the output.it is single channel and has a master and a channel volume...it has treble middle bass and presence as well as 'fat' switch...it has a sound that is a cross between a fender deluxe and a vox ac-15...it is by far the best amp for the money one can buy..you can drive the crap out of it or make it shimmery and sweet.

I am in possession of a 4-tube, 8 watt (I think) Fender "vibro-champ" (circa 70's)that apparently is used in some top studios for recording. (I did a little web searching on GOOGLE in regards to this amp that my late dad was using for his little Baldwin electric piano, and a lot of studio equipment lists came up). This thing was going for 450 bucks on one site! I am going to bring it in to a local store for an evaluation. If you are interested in this baby, let me know. I really don't think I could use it with a Kurzweil workstation/synth! LOL Lemme know ~~~Lee

P.S. you get a wholesale price from me....'specially since you are a New Yawka. :tu:

I think that the 50 watt JCM 800 combos are the best thing since sliced bread. They don't make them anymore, but you can find them on ebay regularly for about the price you are looking for. Great clean, great all tube distortion. Simply the best.

I think the keyword here was "small guitar amp"

I've got a 1966 Ampeg ReverbRocket II. Twenty watts. Got it for $300. It's a great amp but no one liked it until I had it rebuilt for approx $225. It is clean clean clean.

I'm also surprised that no one has mentioned the Fender Deluxe Reverb.

JR

My "little old amp" is a 1958 Gibson GA6 w/ 2 6L6s (18 watts?)and 2 12AX7s. It was their version of the Deluxe and will go from clean to scream at living room volume levels. Old Gibbys don't have the "vintage" cachet that Leo's stuff commands today and can be picked up for more reasonable prices. I paid $40 for mine approx 15 years ago. I pulled the stock blue Jenson (which is worth some considerable bucks by itself) and put in an EV12L, recapped it etc.

Hey guys,
thanks for all the great info and recommendations!!!! Now i can go "in search of" with alot more of an idea of what i'm looking for. If anyone has anything else to add, i'd appreciate it, and if i do come up with a purchase, i'll let ya'll know.
over and out
-Ken Lewis

Originally posted by John Grimm (Vintage Studios):
I think the keyword here was "small guitar amp"

Actually, the JCM800 combo that Jaredbyline was referring to *is* a small amp. It's a single 12" speaker combo. They sound monstrous. Great little amp. I'm also a fan of the Blues Junior; affordable, all-tube, and tone for days. They're harder to find, but the Naylor SuperClub 30s came in a single 12" combo format. I love this amp. It does clean to crunch w/ no bad sounds in between, and it loves stompboxes. I haven't had a chance to test one in the studio, but the Gibson GA-15RV 1x12 Goldtone (the Gibby version of Trace Vellocette) sounded verrrry sweet when I played one in a store recently. The kind of smooth, creamy break-up that makes your knees weak.

http://www.cornford-amps.com/productpageharlequinmk1/

great amp for recording purposes. Definitely worth checking it out. Can produce wonderful sounding heavy distortion at low volume levels that won't disturb the neighbours

Frank :tu:

Originally posted by Tom Hicks:
My "little old amp" is a 1958 Gibson GA6 w/ 2 6L6s (18 watts?)and 2 12AX7s. It was their version of the Deluxe and will go from clean to scream at living room volume levels. Old Gibbys don't have the "vintage" cachet that Leo's stuff commands today and can be picked up for more reasonable prices. I paid $40 for mine approx 15 years ago. I pulled the stock blue Jenson (which is worth some considerable bucks by itself) and put in an EV12L, recapped it etc.

excellant little amp...
here's my choices...give me a good set of these and I can cut anything (with the matching player & gtrs)

Fender:all pre '67...at least
Deluxe, Bassman, Twin (Bandmaster's are nice too)

Vox:
AC30 TopBoost head w/ cabinet

Marshall:
67 plexi w 4x12 cab
Mesa Boogie Dual (or triple) rectifier (for modern heavey distortion)

for solo's....
small (15-30watt) amps by:
Fender, Gibson, Airplane, Supro...ect.

... and don't forget the li'l pignose.. frank zappa has cut a few solos on that

i've also got me an 50's airline amp which sounds beaut (all valve, inc rectifier)

on my record, i'm using the above two amps plus a vox ac-15 for rhythm, and it's good

hope it helps,
cheers
max
paris, france

IMHO, if you want a great-sounding small guitar amp, check out the new Roland Cube 30. It's a 30 watt two channel switching amp with built in digital effects and amp modeling. It has one 10" speaker and weighs only 19 lbs. Street price is around $225. This little guy is butt-ugly, but it makes up for it's homely looks by sounding better than anything even remotely close to it in size and price... try one out and you'll know what I mean.

REMOVED BY KEVIN M.

Taking a 5 min break..

What do those things sell for Kevin?

This one on ebay is commanding more than a Sovtek head and a good Altec 12"

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2515014272&category=23790

REMOVED BY KEVIN M.

I have several different options I use for recording guitars. One is a Mesa Boogie V Twin tube di. Basically a Mark III front end in a stomp box. This is a great bass di. I also have a Yamaha FX 500 guitar preamp multi efx box and a Line 6 Flextone. It has a di out that may be used like a POD. I can also use this with the speaker and a mic. But none of these can stand up to the tone of my 55 Fender Deluxe Tweed "narrow panel” (which I sold) or my ‘65 Ampeg Jet or my '62 Blond white knob Bassman. I personally like real amps. While the PODs and the Line 6 and the FX 500 have some cool effects the real amps beat them hands down. Kurt

yes, but AMP Farm has lots of cool stuff also!!!!
Imagining buying, renting all those amp models and speakers!LOL

A cheap and small amp... Peavey Bandit 112.

Yes Cedar, Fender Twin Reverb, a JCM 800/900 with a stack.....

I totally agree with what Kurt said about real amps; modeling and DI can yield some interesting special sounds, but for pure guitar tone, nothing beats a real speaker being driven by real tubes. There is a huge difference. Sure recording real amps takes more time and patience, but the results, when done properly, are often breathtaking. Real tubes respond to a player's dynamics and nuances in ways that solid state, digital, and modeling gear can only dream about (in ones and zeros, natch).

No offense to the Tech21/Sansamp stuff, which is good for what it is, but I can almost always tell when that kind of SS/DI equipment is used on a recording. Though I will qualify this by saying that tone starts in the fingers and the soul--a truly great player can make just about anything sound great. I saw Los Lobos on their last tour, and David Hidalgo was playing a solid state Tech 21 60-watt combo; Cesar was playing a Roccaforte tube head. David's tone was every bit as beautiful as Cesar's, but I knew it wasn't the amps, it was Mr. Hidalgo's amazing prowess as a player.

REMOVED BY TTM MUSIC GROUP INC.

Originally posted by Kevin M.:
Hi All,

Believe it or not most major label recordings concerning guitar were done through something like the Tech21 SanAmp.

....on what planet does this blanket statement hold true?
...A sans amp is great if used ala Tchad Blake, ect. or in a pinch, but is can't do what a good unit of anuy of the amps I previously posted can do, if properly miced up and recorded. Digital modelinhg, while nice for speed in coming up with parts, isn't anywhere near the same thing as a real amp. And, they're are very few, if any new amps that compare with ones built 30+ years ago (of course only the good ones from back then ahve survived...the bad ones get dumped)...that's not to say there are not any new things that are good. the reissues are passably good..it's jsut that sonically point to point wiring, class A (in most casses) simple diretc circuit design, ect...justt "sing" better.
Find a sweet blond deluxe, an AC30 topBoost, ect. and you'll hear what I mean.

yeah, it's like b3 v's b4, the latter's more convenient, but the former just makes you feel better when you play it

Removed by TTM Music Group Inc.

Originally posted by RecorderMan:
And, they're are very few, if any new amps that compare with ones built 30+ years ago ... sonically point to point wiring, class A (in most casses) simple diretc circuit design, ect...justt "sing" better.
Find a sweet blond deluxe, an AC30 topBoost, ect. and you'll hear what I mean.

Werd to that, brutha!

Lets all get together and count those apples and oranges...and then lets count em again..and no BICKERING...I've played through a sans-amp 21...I can see where you might use it for bed tracks or some special kind of intimate guitar sounds, but again, and this is only MHO, the distinctive and more personable guitar noise is gonna come from an amp with speakers.One thats properly chosen and properly mic'd in a great setting for vibe.Now I'm sure that over at ole Warner Bros they have a room full of incredible jaw-dropping amps that we all would kill to own...some of us may own pieces and parts, but my guess is they have one of each....and, I'll bet they use em all the time....along with the sans,pods, emulators of every sort...BUT the real cream of the crop tracks with amps...as do I and recorderman and most other studios on the planet......
another amp thats a fantastic tool that i dont see mentioned much is the FENDER VIBROLUX....what'd all live in caves? this is the real fender tone....how about an early Pro-Reverb? I toured with one for years...a twin sound without the huge volume bump...mid 70's JCM800's master volume only kick butt....and no mention at all of a Hi-Watt combo 1-12...

REMOVED BY KEVIN M.

OK Kevin...here's the post.

Originally posted by Full Time Dreamer:
Hi guys,
I'm looking for suggestions on great sounding small guitar amps specifically for recording.

He said great sounding small guitar amp.
Like I said , sansamps don't fall into the "great sounding " catagory. Their allright sounding, and even better foe effet (distorting snares, ect.)
Save me with your "experiance"....

...and the reason I asked what planet your on is becuase you said "believe it or not most major label...."...utter gear broker hype-bull shit. maybe sometimes a guy will use a sans-amp to record a part, but to say most, and give the illusion to people out ther that that is the case is wrong, and when i call you on it to give me an attitude...
...I've recorded guitars on everything from Smashing Pumkins & John Fogerty to Joe Walsh & Primus...none of those used a sans amp for nay of their great guitar tones.....

....see ya' all on some other forums...I'm leaving this one to the gear dealers... :w:

Howdy

Believe it or not most major label recordings concerning guitar were done through something like the Tech21 SanAmp

Most places I work at cherish their guitar amp selection like a fine wine. Some places, depending on the owner, more so than microphones.

The SansAmp is cool, but, quite honestly I see it used on an aux send for distortion of _NON_ guitar stuff (like drums) more than as a guitar interface. Like the Pod, it can be useful sometimes just like "Burnt Sienna" is useful in the Crayola 128 pack (with built-in sharpener).

One can own many good small amps. A Pignose, Smokey, Champ...there's lotsa good stuff. I really like small amps to record with. If you want to blind yourself, plug a Tele into an MXR Micro Amp into a Fender Champ...the provervial "Icepick in the Forehead".

....see ya' all on some other forums...I'm leaving this one to the gear dealers...

Geez RM, don't go...I've learned lots of cool shit from you. This here ain't nothin' but a biscuit.

....see ya' all on some other forums...I'm leaving this one to the gear dealers...

I agree with Nate. Baby please don't go... we need you so, baby please don't go.
RM you have always been a mainstay here. There is no one who could replace your expierence and insight. ... all I can say is this is a major drag. What do we need to do to get you to stay? Kurt

Major bummer here. It's like the plague around here. I've tried minor compression but it ain't working. RM, no man. Have a cool one, give you little guys a hug and come back. :p:

REMOVED BY KEVIN M.

Full Time Dreamer,
If you don't mind a small project as opposed to buying the same old stuff, :D :c:

Wow, well, i am fairly new to this board, I've read and posted on some of the other recording industry boards, but i gotta say this forum is wayyyyy better. You guys all seem to know quite alot and have great experience to share, and i am benefitting from it.
I do use modelers (never even heard of the J Station, gotta look into that, and i do like modelers for alot of things. Michael Beinhorn introduced me to the Pod, and if he likes it, (he's a super picky bastard and he loved it) then its good enough for me for alot of things. Amp Farm too. Great production tool when you dont know what kind of sound is gonna work. Fast, pretty good sounding, etc... And i totally agree that the right amp, the right guitar, and the right player are completely un modelable with any technology. But they arent always available either. i wish they were. but again, i wanna stay amplified whenever possible and get a working permanent set up at my studio for a real amp.
As far as small amps, now i have a much better scope of knowledge and understanding on them. I THINK (havent bought yet), i'm gonna go with a Fender Blues Junior 15 watt combo.
a few reasons, first many here have recommended it, as have others i've spoken to, second, i can buy it new. Now i can mix the hell out of a song, and record great tones, but i can barely fix a salad let alone a vintage guitar amp. I aint no tech. So, the Blues Junior with alot of pedals it will be, i think.
for pedals i have an original Univibe, Diaz Tremelo, Boss DM-2, Zvex Fuzz Factory, and a vox wah, and a couple other crappy pedals.
Anyone wanna take a left turn and suggest some "to die for" cool pedals for use with my soon to be new Blues Junior? None of the normal pedals that we all know about.
you guys all rock, thanks for hookin me up with some great knowledge. More of these suggested amps will become mine over time. I'm compiling my wish list.
-Ken Lewis
Full Time Dreamer

Davedog .. see page one I mentioned the Pro, Vibrolux, Princeton! I'm trying folks! .. I can also remember a live on radio concert we did way back where we played live and the guitarist used a tan fender super (2x10) amp .. great sound.. but I will say this, the player's the key, my old friend Little Buster (Little Buster & the Soul Brothers) used a univox les paul copy through a fender super reverb, and sounded like Albert King with that, besides his own unique unreal sound .. BB King has said Buster is the only guitarist that can replace him when he's gone. Not that the amp is not important .. but I've heard and see more guys get "sounds" from equipment that no one else can than I can remember. I'm also convinced that the small wattage amp is not the "best or only" for studio use, sometimes it's fine, and sometimes the body of the higher wattage (I'm not talking about full out use either) gives a tone at the relative same volume level that the smaller amp can not. Point being is that I would not be easily convinced that one amp or setup of simulators is the ticket. Odd as it may seem, I think I'd say the flavor of different effect boxes may sometimes be the thing to look at, since, almost every one messes with that small amped sound in some fashion with them as well, be that during tracking, or in the mix .. which to me puts a bit less importance on too critical of an approach during the inital tracking IF that be the case.
Like I said on page one... we use a Peavey Bandit with an old Altec I threw in it .. solid state, great tone, interesting and usable distortion, wildly variable tone controls, horrible reverb, but I've a lot of guys ask : "Which one of your old Fender tube amps did you use on that guitar track...?"
Keep an open mind and trust your ears not your eyes.IMO anyway!

I got a Crate VC-508 off digibid for $60. It's a 5 watt tube amp with a single 8". I liked it so much I went back and got two more, they each have a tad bit of a different flavor. I love those tiny amps and clean or dirty it will run you out of the room if you want it to.