Need opinions - Hi-Gain bedroom/practice tube amp-Bugera,Laney,Peavey etc

[nosferum]

So I am looking to get a tube amp. I have about $1000 to spend. I need to be able to get those bedroom levels but also play along with a drummer.

I play metal mostly. Heavy, classic, thrash, and death metal so I really want something thats capable of high gain but also give me that classic 80's metal sound.

So far I have narrowed my list to the following.....

- Laney Ironheart 60H
- Bugera Trirec
- Blackstar HT-5Rs stack
- Peavey 6505 MH
- Peavey Vypyr Pro 100

I'm really interested in that Bugera TriRec and the demos look great. It seems to have excellent tone but I read that they break down a lot and that concerns me. Maybe that was earlier models? Does anyone know if they are they more reliable now? That seems like a good choice considering the price point but not sure I want to take a chance getting burned.

I really like the Laney also but I question if it will give me the extreme hi gain tone I am looking for. Im sure it would handle everything else well.

They Blackstar HT-5R stack looks cool but doesn't seem very versatile.

And last the Peavey 6505 MH. This seems to have the tone I am looking for but Im not entirely digging the cleans.

I haven't found these around town yet. Gonna try some more shops but in the meantime I appreciate everyones opinions on these amps and any other amps that you think could fit the bill for a bedroom practice amp but also with enough power to play with a drummer from time to time.

The Peavey Vypyr Pro 100 looks cool but I worry it would be too similar to my Line Six Spider Jam which I have now. It does seem like it sounds better though from some youtube clips I've heard. My preference is for a tube amp but I would consider this.

Please let me know of any other amps $1000 and under that could work for my situation.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Pav]

If you want both bedroom and live drummer-level tones, a tube amp would not be ideal for you. You'd be better off with a modeler like the Vypyr.

 

[budda]

Getting a tube amp for bedroom practice is pointless, unless you can turn it up in said bedroom (some can).

You're probably going to get more mileage with a preamp and good VST's than spending hard earned cash on an amp. I vote a Scarlett 2i4 or equivalent, and download some good VST's (many available for free) and Reaper/garage band. You'll get great tones, you wont piss off neighbours, and you'll pocket most of your cash.

 

[jc986]

Getting a tube amp for bedroom practice is pointless, unless you can turn it up in said bedroom (some can).

You're probably going to get more mileage with a preamp and good VST's than spending hard earned cash on an amp. I vote a Scarlett 2i4 or equivalent, and download some good VST's (many available for free) and Reaper/garage band. You'll get great tones, you wont piss off neighbours, and you'll pocket most of your cash.

That'll work for the bedroom but if he's also playing with a drummer sometimes he'll need an amp. I'd be looking for a used EVH 5150 III 50w. You should be able to find the head for around $600-$700 and find a nice 2x12 used with the remainder of your budget. The EVH sounds good at bedroom levels, has a headphone output if you need silent practice (although it's not the greatest sounding option for silent practice, it is there). It'll also hang with a drummer with no issues whatsoever.

 

[Baconjerky]

If you're not digging the 6505mh cleans then you prob won't want the EVH. I feel that these two are still you're best options though

 

[Mathemagician]

If you're in central Florida I'll sell you my Bugera 6262 for $300. (If comments like this are against the rules please delete.)

But seriously to echo above, a tube amp is NOT ideal for any type of bedroom practice. It's absurd how loud something that says "10" watts is, much less 50+

 

[jc986]

If you're not digging the 6505mh cleans then you prob won't want the EVH. I feel that these two are still you're best options though

While I'm not a huge fan of the EVH cleans, they are far nicer than the 6505mh's cleans.

 

[jc986]

If you're in central Florida I'll sell you my Bugera 6262 for $300. (If comments like this are against the rules please delete.)

But seriously to echo above, a tube amp is NOT ideal for any type of bedroom practice. It's absurd how loud something that says "10" watts is, much less 50+

That entirely depends on the taper of the master volume. When I had my EVH 5153 50w I was able to get great tones at acceptable volumes for bedroom playing. Also, OP mentioned that he would need to play with a drummer at times also, so he needs an amp that can hang with a drummer.

 

[DarthV]

For a grand, you should be able to find a used 5150 iii 1x12 combo. 3 channel and has power output control (something the lunchbox and 50w heads don't have). Or a 50w head and cab for sure.

 

[budda]

That'll work for the bedroom but if he's also playing with a drummer sometimes he'll need an amp. I'd be looking for a used EVH 5150 III 50w. You should be able to find the head for around $600-$700 and find a nice 2x12 used with the remainder of your budget. The EVH sounds good at bedroom levels, has a headphone output if you need silent practice (although it's not the greatest sounding option for silent practice, it is there). It'll also hang with a drummer with no issues whatsoever.

I didn't see anything about a drummer.

 

[jc986]

Third sentence in the original post unless I misinterpreted it. Perhaps he meant to play along with a drum track.

 

[oracles]

I'd be looking at a 5153 as mentioned above, or a used ENGL Ironball.

 

[Petar Bogdanov]

The HT-5R is the only one of these that sounds great at low volume. Pair it with a Boss SD-1 and you've got yourself all the tones you're looking for. As for not being versatile... it has one general sound, but it can fit into any style. I call that versatile, personally.

 

[Bearitone]

If you're going to be using the amp for live playing I would get at least 40 watts. An amp lower than 40 watts can still get loud enough to play live but its not going to have enough headroom to stay clean, and its going to fall apart and get muffled during high gain passages. The real reason to use high wattage tube amps for live playing isn't for how LOUD they can get, but for how the behave and respond at high volumes (They usually have lots of clean headroom and stay tight during high gain playing).

If I wanted specifically a tube head for live play and bedroom playing I would try to find something with variable wattage and a smooth gain (volume) taper so the volume doesn't jump from whisper quiet to blaring loud when you barely touch the knob.

But, if your brave enough to step away from tubes, I HIGHLY recommend the AMT preamps into some kind of solidstate power amp (or an AMT stonehead which has 4 preamps and a 50 watt power section). I have the former setup (preamps + separate poweramp) and I can't even tell I'm playing solidstate instead of tubes. The gain taper is smooth and it sounds amazing at bedroom and stage volumes. Best part is... no tubes and It all cost under $500

 

[nosferum]

Thanks everyone. Yes I will play occasionally with a live drummer but I practice a lot and play at home so I want whatever i get to be able to function in that regard as well. The Laney Ironheart 60 has a variable knob to dial down the wattage to bedroom levels. I'm kind of leaning towards that amp at the moment. It might do everything I need and It sounds like it has some great tones and killer Hi-gain from what I can tell from you tube videos.

Kindsage - Thanks, I'll check those preamps out as well. Didn't really think of trying that.

 

[chassless]

+1 for the Laney. like you said there's a wattage control. it has amazing cleans in my opinion. for high gain you might find any pedal of some sort to be useful. i put an EQ in the loop of my IRT Studio. it helps thicken it and give it more bite and attack and presence, all the while staying clear and tight. a tubescreamer type of pedal could be useful, too. but when i want to downtune heavily and go for a real modern sound, and to echo kindsage's good comment, i go guitar -> AMT E1 preamp pedal straight into the amp's power section, that's a real killer setup. though the IRT Studio and the 60w head have different tubes, and with a proper, superior cab to the Laney IRT cabs you might not need to resort to pedals. i haven't spent much time with the bigger heads to know.

 

[Asphyxia]

I would suggest a Randall Diavlo. I got the five watt it sounds damn good at bedroom levels. You can also crank it and its unbearable for a bedroom.
It does thrash metal sound really well. With an overdrive and some heavy picking it gets pretty brutal.
Whatever you do don't get a 6505mh. Look up the threads about that turd.

 

[nosferum]

I would suggest a Randall Diavlo. I got the five watt it sounds damn good at bedroom levels. You can also crank it and its unbearable for a bedroom.
It does thrash metal sound really well. With an overdrive and some heavy picking it gets pretty brutal.
Whatever you do don't get a 6505mh. Look up the threads about that turd.

Funny you mention the Randall Diavlo. I just got done checking it out online and I see this post. It does look pretty good for those hi-gain tones I am looking for. Yeah, I have ruled out the 6505MH. It seems it has way too many issues.

Is the Diavlo a noisy amp? Would it need a boost and gate? I read it can be a bit trebly as well? What do you think?

 

[Elric]

Modelers kick so much a** these days. I always get sad when I see these posts where the guy clearly will not even consider what may well be the ideal rig for his scenario because it does not have the magical mystical mojo tone bottles.

 

[hefledthescene]

I know this is my first post and all, but I've dealt with this first hand.
I tried quite a few amps and found that a bedroom tube amp was always going to be a compromise, especially if I wanted to play late night sessions.

If you're working with $1000, that's a solid budget. You should be able to pick up a modeling amp for your bedroom and a good hi-gain tube amp for playing loud.

I'd look at the Yamaha THR10X or one of its competitors for bedroom. roughly $300, and they kick serious ass. I'm really impressed with that little amp.

With the rest you could get a peavy 6505+ in a 1x12 combo, or a head, and buy a cab. Shouldn't be hard to do with a budget of $700. (Though I'm totally ok with buying used, you may not be).

Just a thought. Let us know what you decide to go with!