Amp For An Apartment

[John 14:6]

Hey guys so i am going to be moving into an apartment within 2 months and i obviously am not going to be able to play my marshall at the volumes i would like to and the lower volumes i just find them to sound terrible.

I want to get a smaller amp that has a great sound and has lots of good features and is a high quality amp. I am seriously considering getting the boss katana 50w, and i just wanted to know if this is the best option for me. And the only thing i will not consider is the line 6 spider. I tried one of the newer ones at very recently and did not like it and i would not put my money into that.

Any suggestions?

Yes.... Get a Frtiedman Small Box. It will sound AMAZING at any volume. It sounds fantastic when just cracked on and only gets better as you turn it up. buy a used one if you can't afford a new one. It is all the amp you will ever need. Late night apartment practice or big stage with a full band, you will have all of your bases covered. It will be the best money you ever spent when it comes to guitar gear. I sold my Marshall YJM100 about five years ago and bought my Small Box. It ended my ENDLESS cycle of buying amps and selling them after awhile because something was always missing.... including the ability to sound great and inspire at whisper level volumes.

 

[Jethro Rocker]

Hey guys so i am going to be moving into an apartment within 2 months and i obviously am not going to be able to play my marshall at the volumes i would like to and the lower volumes i just find them to sound terrible.

Any suggestions?

Upon looking again at this post and your sig, one thing I noticed was the DSL40C. That should actually sound really quite good at low volumes. I dont know that a Katana will sound any better. If it aounds terrible something might be funny here... or your definition of terrible might be different than mjne? It sounds quite similar at lower levels and above 3 say.

 

[justinrhoads80]

Upon looking again at this post and your sig, one thing I noticed was the DSL40C. That should actually sound really quite good at low volumes. I dont know that a Katana will sound any better. If it aounds terrible something might be funny here... or your definition of terrible might be different than mjne? It sounds quite similar at lower levels and above 3 say.

I wouldnt say it sounds terrible at lower volumes, but I am talking the lower volumes for me. I will be in an apartment with my family who already dont like when I have my guitar remotely loud and being in a tight space means the volume I have it at now will be too loud for them. Turning it down any lower it just sounds bad IMO. I am also sharing a room with my brother so I do not think he will want to hear me practicing all the time so I am trying to convenience, my family.

I am still going to be keeping my amp. I have pondered selling it due to this move, but I turned it up really loud one day and decided that it is just a no for me.

Katana gives me the access to a headphone out along with some other cool features. Plus a katana being a SS will help me out over 40w tube monster.

 

[stringtree]

Heres my offering.. I know you want a combo.

This little guy kicks sum butt!

Bugera G5

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/G5INFINIUM--bugera-g5-infinium-5-watt-class-a-tube-head

Listen starting at the 10:30 mark. It takes you through 5 watts, 1 watt, and a tenth of a watt.
The tenth of a watt sounds so good for being so low.

 

[Jethro Rocker]

I wouldnt say it sounds terrible at lower volumes, but I am talking the lower volumes for me. I will be in an apartment with my family who already dont like when I have my guitar remotely loud and being in a tight space means the volume I have it at now will be too loud for them. Turning it down any lower it just sounds bad IMO. I am also sharing a room with my brother so I do not think he will want to hear me practicing all the time so I am trying to convenience, my family.

I am still going to be keeping my amp. I have pondered selling it due to this move, but I turned it up really loud one day and decided that it is just a no for me.

Katana gives me the access to a headphone out along with some other cool features. Plus a katana being a SS will help me out over 40w tube monster.

Gotcha. I think many amps will not sound great if turned too low. Headphones I guess.

 

[mcblink]

I've been playing around with a JOYO banTamP and it seems like a great little bedroom amp. Has headphone jack but is NOT a combo. Not sure if that's a dealbreaker for you, but just offering another suggestion.

 

[solarburn]

And I just got the Monotone 15 watt combo. It has a half power mode. It sounds good quiet and loud. It is a grab and go jam amp. Meaning carrying it doesn't hurt like my DSL40C!

It's a simple circuit. Does have FX loop. I have all kinds of fun with it. Less than $300. Just a thought...look forward to see what you get!

 

[heltershelton]

for low volume stuff I really like the pod 500x. it's kind of a bitch to learn how to use, but once you do you can get killer sounds out of it. you can get cranked amp sounds at really low volume. I have four tube amps but I almost always use the pod at the house.

 

[JohnH]

This morning, before I left for work at 5.30 am, I had a few minutes with my Strat played through my Vintage Modern, set at about halfway on the volume. The amp was putting out probably around 20W. The speakers got about 15mW after the attenuator. I had the full tone of my favorite amp, and my wife stayed asleep.

 

[Adieu]

Peavey Vypyr if you want small, cheap, versatile SS/modelling with decent sound

 

[John BNY]

I have all kinds of Marshalls, but when I need to play at "bedroom" volumes, or if I'm rehearsing by playing along with recorded songs, I use my cheap Blackstar ID Core 20. It's really inexpensive, yet extremely functional at low volumes, with all kinds of tonal variations. I previously had the Katana 50, and wound up selling it, because the Blackstar handled the low volume playing much better. If I needed to play at higher volumes with a solid state amp, then Katana wins, but for low volume, I highly recommend the Blackstar.

 

[anitoli]

Did anyone even think about this shit 30 years ago? No, you bought the half stack and lived happily ever after. The small amp market is being driven by the illusion that larger amps can't be played in apartments or anywhere else for that matter cause they are too loud. Scuse La French but don't these amp have a fuckin master volume? Seriously with an MV volume is still an issue?

 

[justinrhoads80]

Did anyone even think about this shit 30 years ago? No, you bought the half stack and lived happily ever after. The small amp market is being driven by the illusion that larger amps can't be played in apartments or anywhere else for that matter cause they are too loud. Scuse La French but don't these amp have a fuckin master volume? Seriously with an MV volume is still an issue?

Well i think the issue is that were tube amps sound good is when the tubes have some pressure on em which means you need to turn the volume up. With my dsl that tone starts at 2/10 at the volume and blossoms at about 4.5/10

With stuff like a solid state you dont need to crank anything to get it to sound good. Plus i think the smaller amp thing is for convenience sake in terms of how much shit you gotta take with you. Who tf past there 40s by themselves is gonna haul a hige 100w head and 4x12? Not me when i get to that age.

Plus this is gonna be something temporary for me as my next amp investment is a powered kemper head and a 2x12 mesa cab.

Once me and my family out of the apartment and into our house i will be able to play my marshall again and by then i should have the funds for my investment.

 

[GuitarIV]

Well i think the issue is that were tube amps sound good is when the tubes have some pressure on em which means you need to turn the volume up. With my dsl that tone starts at 2/10 at the volume and blossoms at about 4.5/10

With stuff like a solid state you dont need to crank anything to get it to sound good. Plus i think the smaller amp thing is for convenience sake in terms of how much shit you gotta take with you. Who tf past there 40s by themselves is gonna haul a hige 100w head and 4x12? Not me when i get to that age.

Plus this is gonna be something temporary for me as my next amp investment is a powered kemper head and a 2x12 mesa cab.

Once me and my family out of the apartment and into our house i will be able to play my marshall again and by then i should have the funds for my investment.

Go find a used Laney IRT Studio. I see them around for 300 bucks all the time. The thing itself works as an interface, you don't need a cab connected because it has a built in dummy load. It goes through both pre and poweramp section, turn off the built in cab sim, find some free IRs to load virtual cabinets in your DAW and enjoy the feel and the sound of a real tube amp through either your headphones or your studio monitors at whisper levels. Works great for me and I live in an apartment building:

https://www.laney.co.uk/products/ironheart-irt-studio-tube-head


This one would be even smaller and has a solid state power section, but they are fairly new so no idea if you can get em used yet:

https://www.laney.co.uk/products/ironheart-irt-sls-hybrid-tube-head

 

[Micky]

Get an attenuator and use what you already have.

 

[anitoli]

With stuff like a solid state you dont need to crank anything to get it to sound good.

Solid state and sound good cannot be used in the same sentence.

 

[SonVolt]

Are you moving into an apartment with friends? If so, only take whatever gear you don't mind getting stolen and/or beat to shit. When I went off the college I left my Les Paul (that I purchased right out of high school) at my parent's house. Had I take it with me I can almost guarantee I would not still have it today. I took a beat up Japanese Strat and purchased a lower-end Mesa DC-2 Combo. Both barely made it through but the Mesa took a lot of abuse from drunk idiots up to and including powering it up without a speaker load. It also about killed a friend of mine when he took it upon himself to change a fuse while still plugged in. If your friends are immature idiots like we were I would highly suggest a solid state amp.

 

[justinrhoads80]

Are you moving into an apartment with friends? If so, only take whatever gear you don't mind getting stolen and/or beat to shit. When I went off the college I left my Les Paul (that I purchased right out of high school) at my parent's house. Had I take it with me I can almost guarantee I would not still have it today. I took a beat up Japanese Strat and purchased a lower-end Mesa DC-2 Combo. Both barely made it through but the Mesa took a lot of abuse from drunk idiots up to and including powering it up without a speaker load. It also about killed a friend of mine when he took it upon himself to change a fuse while still plugged in. If your friends are immature idiots like we were I would highly suggest a solid state amp.

nope family. it is only a temporary move as we will be moving into a house

 

[steveb63]

Heres my offering.. I know you want a combo.

This little guy kicks sum butt!

Bugera G5

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/G5INFINIUM--bugera-g5-infinium-5-watt-class-a-tube-head

Listen starting at the 10:30 mark. It takes you through 5 watts, 1 watt, and a tenth of a watt.
The tenth of a watt sounds so good for being so low.

Thanks for this post.

Who'd woulda thought that good of a tone (for being on my comp.) from a Bugera.

This is why I love this place.

Never would have given this amp the time of day.

Cool

 

[solarburn]

Thanks for this post.

Who'd woulda thought that good of a tone (for being on my comp.) from a Bugera.

This is why I love this place.

Never would have given this amp the time of day.

Cool

I've got big iron Bugeras that piss off nose snubbing brand fan boyz or techs that verbally circle jerk opines about proper builds or lack there of.

I find it amusing. Bottom line mine kick ass and keep kicking ass years later. The Infinity line is good to go.