The Steel Guitar Forum

hi everyone, i'm a complete newbie and i'm searchin for a small practice amp. Don't mind if tube or SS, but preferably without digital effects. i prefer the spring reverbs. I already own some guitar amps (Fender Twin, Ampeg Gemini I, Marshall, etc.) but they are way too big and heavy.
Budget? Not that much. Let's say in the $250 range.
Any suggestions?
thanks

Peavey valveking 112. I have one I got used for under 250 and it sounds just fantastic.

http://www.ztamplifiers.com/products/club.html

200 watts, 22 pounds.

Hi Ken, there's one tube king for sale right now near my town.... 50w tubes so not exactly a practice amp.....
What about reverb? Is it decent? Short or long springs?
Thanks

Another vote for the Valveking here. 50 watts may be a bit misleading though. I have trouble keeping up with volume even when micing it with the band.
My favorite amp solo or at home hands down.

Mike, have you played through one of these? At 22lbs it seems like it could be really cool.

Eric Dahlhoff wrote:Mike, have you played through one of these? At 22lbs it seems like it could be really cool.

I have 2 of them Eric. And I've performed with them several times, with a POD XT to shape the tone and add some stereo chorusing. They sound a little sterile by themselves, And the reverb isn't very strong. The Pod fixed that.

Joe Goldmark is using one these days. He leaves his Webb at home. He uses a reverb pedal with it.

The Late Al Vescovo also used one on his weekly gig during the last few years of his life. Al was the one who turned me on to them. Like Joe, he left his big amp (a Peavey,) at home.

Eric Dahlhoff wrote:Mike, have you played through one of these? At 22lbs it seems like it could be really cool.

Are you sure Eric? Manual says 44lbs....

And what about the dirt channel? Usable?

Damiano Missiroli wrote:

Eric Dahlhoff wrote:Mike, have you played through one of these? At 22lbs it seems like it could be really cool.

Are you sure Eric? Manual says 44lbs....

And what about the dirt channel? Usable?

Damiano,you must be thinking of a different amp. The ZT weighs 22, not 44 pounds, and does not have a "dirt channel"

If you send me an E-mail, I'll send you a
PDF of the owner's manual.

Ah ok, sorry Mike you were talkin about the ZT

I'm pretty happy with my Cube 80XL for a practice amp. Used ones seem to pop up in the $250 range. It's compact and only weighs 35 lbs. At 80 watts, there are some folks here who use it for gigging but I found it a little underpowered for that.

Mike Perlowin wrote: They (ZT) sound a little sterile by themselves, And the reverb isn't very strong. The Pod fixed that.

Mike, everybody has different taste, but to my ear "a little sterile" is an understatement. The magic must be in your Pod.

Our guitar (briefly) tried one of these ZT's and it was the absolute worst sounding amp I've ever heard. The 200 watts @ 22 lbs is a great selling point, but it sounded so bad that the amp got returned in short order. I wasn't impressed with the aesthetics either...silver spray paint over MDF....the thing looks like a space heater.

Sorry Mike...I guess it sounds like I'm bashing you, which isn't my intention at all. It's just that my experience with ZT was so opposite of yours that I would urge anybody considering one to try it first...or maybe you could post a clip of yours.

I finally bought a ValveKing 112.
First impressions are: good cleans, decent reverb, not lightweight but portable. Dirt channel goes from light overdrive to high gain, not great but usable.
Brad, you're right, it isn't a loud amp.
in the next days i'll try it in some jams.
thanks everyone

Tommy Mc wrote:

Mike Perlowin wrote: They (ZT) sound a little sterile by themselves, And the reverb isn't very strong. The Pod fixed that.

Mike, everybody has different taste, but to my ear "a little sterile" is an understatement. The magic must be in your Pod.

The magic IS in the POD. The amp really needs it. I set the amp model for the Marshall Plexi 100 with the four 10" cab. I also used a Sarno Black Box, which helped enormously

Something else to consider, the amp is not designed for steel. It's rock guitarists who want some distortion in their sound. getting a clean sound out of it is tricky, but not impossible.

The O.P. asked about a practice amp for home use. That's a lot different from using it on a gig.

P.S. Tommy, I don't take disagreements over stuff like this personally. (And nobody else should either.)One of my closest friends on this forum (John McClung) also doesn't like the amp.

Mike Perlowin wrote:P.S. Tommy, I don't take disagreements over stuff like this personally. (And nobody else should either.)One of my closest friends on this forum (John McClung) also doesn't like the amp.

Glad to hear that, because it was in no way intended to be personal. I just wanted the OP to know that there are other opinions about that amp. Turns out to be a moot point as he bought a ValveKing 112.