Loud, clean & dirt cheap

[HNB]

I have a bandit 65 right next to me. They are awesome!

[Embenny]

I'm late to this party, but an old Peavey Bandit is also exactly what came to mind looking at those requirements.

[Tweedledee]

80s Yamaha G100, particularly the 212 if you want to move a lot of air. I have the 210 and it gets blisteringly loud. Truly fantastic cleans and they take pedals well. You can pick them up in the $200 range. Cheaper if they’re a bit beat up. The 1x12 is the most common and is great as well.

Here’s my 210:

[Tweedledee]

Others have mentioned the Peavey Bandit, but they now tend to command something of a premium because the word is out. A great alternative is an old Peavey Express 112. Basically a 65 watt Bandit without the name. Gets incredibly loud for a solid state 65 watt amp and the cleans are excellent. Great pedal platform. I bought one for $40 off Craigslist last year, which was cheaper than normal, but $100 or less is common.

Here's the one I had (which I only sold because I was overloaded on amps):

[shoule79]

I know the threads over, but another vote for Peavey.

My first "tube" amp was an old Peavey Classic VT. It was loud, clean and cheap. Cool built in phaser too.

An old practice space I used to use had a Bandit (and one of those old 70's/80's SS Yamahas), and I used to use it often. I got into the grungey gain. I used it over my JCM 800 quite a few times because I was digging its particular vibe that day.

[cestlamort]

The North American term for this is "Peavey". (and I'm jealous about all the H|H amps floating around on your side of the Atlantic).
The 90s Peavey stereo chorus 212 amps are actually really quite good, too, if maybe a little over budget.
The old Yamaha amps are great. As are the old Acoustic amps (I can't comment on the reissues). Loud and clean and cheap.

[Sauerkraut]

Went to my practice room to find out what the Guyatone is all about. It gets about as loud as my Tremolux (35 watts tube amp which I run through a 2x12" cab). That means it's crazy loud, and with the band I won't be turning the volume past 3 or 4. It also sounds fantastic. Higher frequencies are detailed, but not harsh (unless you turn the treble up past 7), there's a nice amount of bass and the mids seems to have been set at a good level, not quite as scooped as the Tremolux. The boost switch seems to have been intended for overdrive, and it distorts quite a bit when it's turned up fairly high and the boost is on. The overdrive obviously doesn't sound as great as the Tremolux's (I modded the normal channel to distort at a somewhat reasonable volume), but it sounds surprisingly decent coming from such an old solid state amp. I won't be using it for that though. I have an 80s Rat, so I'm good for distortion.

Anyway, now I have a new problem: Tremolux + Guyatone 580 is a killer combo, and playing through two amps sounds so much better than through "just" one, I don't know if I can ever go back.

[garyfanclub]

There's only one answer to this question, and it weighs 90+ pounds...

[hexes]

There's only one answer to this question, and it weighs 90+ pounds...

yes! though not dirt cheap anymore. bought my first one for $110 in 1999. Bought my 4th for $550 in 2004.

absolutely amazing amp. better reverb than fender. active midrange control to handle any genre.

[mackerelmint]

I rocked an Ampeg 140c 212 combo for a while... Sounded fantastic. Weighed more than I did.

[CorporateDisguise]

I rocked an Ampeg 140c 212 combo for a while... Sounded fantastic. Weighed more than I did.

I had one of those for years as well! Great amp. Apparently some famous death metal band used them, so they’re not as cheap as the used to be.

[mackerelmint]

I rocked an Ampeg 140c 212 combo for a while... Sounded fantastic. Weighed more than I did.

I had one of those for years as well! Great amp. Apparently some famous death metal band used them, so they’re not as cheap as the used to be.

Makes sense, that distortion channel got metal as hell. Part of me wants one again. Part of me is almost 20 years older than the me that had one, and is scowling at the idea of owning another amp that weighs more than the house it lives in. They have a decent chorus on them, too.

[Sauerkraut]

80s Yamaha G100, particularly the 212 if you want to move a lot of air. I have the 210 and it gets blisteringly loud. Truly fantastic cleans and they take pedals well. You can pick them up in the $200 range. Cheaper if they’re a bit beat up. The 1x12 is the most common and is great as well.

Here’s my 210:

A friend has the 210 one. They’re definitely quality amps. He gigged with it for years. But though he liked it, he’d complain about harshness in the higher frequencies and didn’t like the stock speakers. Then he got into tube amps, as they’re just more responsive and dynamic (he’s one of those crank-the-amp-and-do-everything-with-the-volume-knob players). He eventually repurposed it into a 2x10” cab with new speakers.

Anyway, still loving the Guyatone, and found a similar looking one (Guyatone EX2) in town that the other guitarist is going to check out.

[CorporateDisguise]

I rocked an Ampeg 140c 212 combo for a while... Sounded fantastic. Weighed more than I did.

I had one of those for years as well! Great amp. Apparently some famous death metal band used them, so they’re not as cheap as the used to be.

Makes sense, that distortion channel got metal as hell. Part of me wants one again. Part of me is almost 20 years older than the me that had one, and is scowling at the idea of owning another amp that weighs more than the house it lives in. They have a decent chorus on them, too.

Yeah, I kinda want another too. If just for the stereo power amp and effects loop.

[Tweedledee]

80s Yamaha G100, particularly the 212 if you want to move a lot of air. I have the 210 and it gets blisteringly loud. Truly fantastic cleans and they take pedals well. You can pick them up in the $200 range. Cheaper if they’re a bit beat up. The 1x12 is the most common and is great as well.

Here’s my 210:

A friend has the 210 one. They’re definitely quality amps. He gigged with it for years. But though he liked it, he’d complain about harshness in the higher frequencies and didn’t like the stock speakers. Then he got into tube amps, as they’re just more responsive and dynamic (he’s one of those crank-the-amp-and-do-everything-with-the-volume-knob players). He eventually repurposed it into a 2x10” cab with new speakers.

Anyway, still loving the Guyatone, and found a similar looking one (Guyatone EX2) in town that the other guitarist is going to check out.

I'm not surprised to hear about your friend's experience with the Yamaha. I find the speakers quite good at low to moderate volume levels, but I get the complaint about "harshness in the higher frequencies" when it comes to high volume levels. Personally I find I can dial that out between the basic tone controls and the parametric eq, but if you're a plug in and crank it kind of player the Yamaha might not be the best fit. Sometimes I toy with swapping the stock speakers for WGS G10C or Eminence Legend 1058s.