found a small amp that doesn't sound like a small amp (NAD)

[MechaBulletBill]

i reckon modern oranges are pretty poor VFM, except the *old* rocker 30 head, which owns, but is not a small amp.

[badform]

I used to play guitar through a Fender sidekick bass amp, and it sounded pretty amazing. 15" speakers can really flatter a guitar.

I've had a Sidekick Bass 35 since I was a kid. My guitars sounded pretty good through it, especially with a Big Muff. I've been thinking it's just the right thing for a Bass VI.

For big sounding small amps, I've been a big fan of most 5ish watt tube types. Champs, Gibson Skylarks, even the Valve Jr through a good speaker sounds great.

[Unicorn Warrior]

I bought a Roland Cube 20 several years ago. Built like a tank. Never failed. Sounds great. Might as well get one of the bigger ones. They’re all fairly light I think.

[Sauerkraut]

I bought a Roland Cube 20 several years ago. Built like a tank. Never failed. Sounds great. Might as well get one of the bigger ones. They’re all fairly light I think.

I had a Cube 30. Very decent amp and good value for money. Then I found an 70s solid-state Guyatone for less money and realised there’s a lot of better solid-state amps out there than Cubes. If you’re happy to settle for a Cube, check out old Guyatones, Peaveys or Yamaha JXs instead; you’ll pay less for a considerably better amp.

The OP is looking for an amp they can drive into breakup though, and neither a Cube nor any of the older solid-states that I know will do a good job at that. You’ll need tubes.

[ziess]

Honestly, and I’ve owned (still own) a huge range of great 1x12” tube amps including most of the classic Fenders, I think you have two choices - a used DRRI (which is a stretch here I admit) or a Boss Katana 50. I’m particularly impressed with the Katana, even speaking as a vintage amp purist. I picked one up for my father in law and they’re the future, much as I hate to admit it!

Tommy.

[noisepunk]

... or a Boss Katana 50. I’m particularly impressed with the Katana, even speaking as a vintage amp purist. I picked one up for my father in law and they’re the future, much as I hate to admit it!

Tommy.

i seem to remember using one as part of a venue's backline at a gig a few years ago and being pretty impressed... i feel like it was one of the easiest amps to dial in a nice live sound i've ever played through.

that's as deep as the memory goes.

[ziess]

They are very, very good. If I didn’t have about 15 other amps I’d absolutely pick one up for the house.

Tommy.

[MechaBulletBill]

i couldn't get a good sound out of the katana i tried (50 or 100 i don't remember)

[ziess]

Some of the models are dodgy, my approach is to use the clean channel and treat it as a normal amp. The effects are also pretty over-the-top but the basic amp sounds (including how the clean channel breaks up) are really very good IMHO.

Tommy.

[mackerelmint]

i reckon modern oranges are pretty poor VFM, except the *old* rocker 30 head, which owns, but is not a small amp.

I dunno, maybe that's true of their practice amps, which I understand are a step down from their older small amp offerings. That said, a good friend of mine has one of those Crush pro 120s, and that thing is damn good, if you ask me. Also, my girlfriend's son has a micro terror lunchbox head and it's pretty damn good, too. I was impressed.

Not so impressed with hearing the same 6 riffs to no end, but he'll expand his repertoire. Eventually.

[mackerelmint]

I used to play guitar through a Fender sidekick bass amp, and it sounded pretty amazing. 15" speakers can really flatter a guitar.

I've had a Sidekick Bass 35 since I was a kid. My guitars sounded pretty good through it, especially with a Big Muff. I've been thinking it's just the right thing for a Bass VI.

For big sounding small amps, I've been a big fan of most 5ish watt tube types. Champs, Gibson Skylarks, even the Valve Jr through a good speaker sounds great.

Yeah! My sidekick bass 50 was a really solid amp, everything that went through it sounded good. I got a lot of nice jazz sounds from electric guitars with it, and I like the slower attack of the larger speaker. I used to have a Valve Jr, too, which I did some mods to. It got pretty loud, I have to say, louder than I needed. A good sounding amp, though, it really demonstrates what simplicity in a circuit can do for you.

[badform]

I used to have a Valve Jr, too, which I did some mods to. It got pretty loud, I have to say, louder than I needed. A good sounding amp, though, it really demonstrates what simplicity in a circuit can do for you.

I never thought about how loud it is since I've been running it through an old Hammond Organ standalone cabinet with a 12" speaker... with a built in attenuator. That makes a world of difference dialing in a good sound at a reasonable volume. I modded my Jr with a tone knob and a gain boost switch.

As for the OP's question... really any of the solid state 80s Fender amps are going to do you right if you use the (surprisingly good) clean channels as a pedal platform. I've hand London Reverbs, a Montreux, Princeton Choruses, Sidekick Bass (I actually have two at the moment), and they've all been great sounding clean amps that don't weigh a ton or take up much space. That said, I just got a Tone Master Deluxe Reverb, and it blows them all away, and doesn't weigh anymore than a silverface Champ.

[sessylU]

I bought a Roland Cube 20 several years ago. Built like a tank. Never failed. Sounds great. Might as well get one of the bigger ones. They’re all fairly light I think.

I had a Cube 30. Very decent amp and good value for money. Then I found an 70s solid-state Guyatone for less money and realised there’s a lot of better solid-state amps out there than Cubes. If you’re happy to settle for a Cube, check out old Guyatones, Peaveys or Yamaha JXs instead; you’ll pay less for a considerably better amp.

The OP is looking for an amp they can drive into breakup though, and neither a Cube nor any of the older solid-states that I know will do a good job at that. You’ll need tubes.

This would have been my shout too. Gigged with a borrowed one for ages, always sounded good. I think a big part of that is that sound techs always knew what to do with them.

I'd a handful of different transparentish amplike dirt pedals that I could cascade for any overdrive sound I wanted. Always got compliments from the oul lads and other gearheads who would say they loved my tone, right up until I pointed to which amp was mine, then they'd tell me it sounded shite.

[sessylU]

I bought a Roland Cube 20 several years ago. Built like a tank. Never failed. Sounds great. Might as well get one of the bigger ones. They’re all fairly light I think.

I had a Cube 30. Very decent amp and good value for money. Then I found an 70s solid-state Guyatone for less money and realised there’s a lot of better solid-state amps out there than Cubes. If you’re happy to settle for a Cube, check out old Guyatones, Peaveys or Yamaha JXs instead; you’ll pay less for a considerably better amp.

The OP is looking for an amp they can drive into breakup though, and neither a Cube nor any of the older solid-states that I know will do a good job at that. You’ll need tubes.

A Cube would have been my shout too. Gigged with a borrowed one for ages, always sounded good. I think a big part of that is that sound techs always knew what to do with them.

I'd a handful of different transparentish amplike dirt pedals that I could cascade for any overdrive sound I wanted. Always got compliments from the oul lads and other gearheads who would say they loved my tone, right up until I pointed to which amp was mine, then they'd tell me it sounded shite.

Bugger, quoted instead of editted. No delete option?

[ohm-men]

I recently bought 2 used Madamp valve amps for little money.

An A 15Mk 2, which is essentially a 15 Watt 2 6V6 amp with two channels (It's a bit like a Deluxe), 1 Brownface inspired channel and one Drive channel that's kind of Mesa Boogie. Mine also had a digital Accutronics reverb added. Sounds fantastic.... It has a std. 4,8,16 Ohm OT, which is quiet handy if you don't wanna haul a cab arround. I like it because it performs very well at different volumes.

Then a few months ago a Madamp G3 Blues popped up, for peanuts. It didn't work, but it turned out to be a little short that was easely fixed.
This amp is a Push/pull desing based on some Russian tubes, 3 Watt and sounds like a small Fender amp.
I love this thing... I likes pedals, sounds huge and all my guitars sound great on it... This is Madamp's Bedroom amp, though it's still quiet loud. I run it with a 2x12" cab. These come with a 8 and 16 OT option.

Both amps are availble in Kit form from a German company called das musikding (if I'm not mistaken)
Also there seams to be a lot of talk on the Blackstar amps as being king of good, but I never tried one.