The "best" "small" amp?

[jaysg]

A couple of months ago, I got to hear a Reason Bambino. I was duly impressed. I think that minimal knobs might not be the best criteria to follow. It could go either way.

[Structo]

I don't see the Bambino listed on Reason's site.
I read a review at TGP and a few others and it sounds like a nice amp.

[M Fowler]

David Root,

That Gibson EH150 is on my to do list and infact I already have the tubes but have not gotten around to building that amp yet.

Tino Zotolla's version in Volume 3 does not use inverse feed back and the tone is not as clean but should be a good amp.

6SQ7 in V1, V2 and V3. Two 6L6 and 5U4 rectifier for 30 watts into 8 ohm.

[Andy Le Blanc]

It really doesn't matter, as long as it sounds good through your monitor
and doesn't mess with FOH.

Get a DOD dirt pedal, a speaker emulator and a DI box if you have to.

Even 5 watts in a bad stage position can totally blow, and dictate how the
venues sound engineer has to mix the FOH. If your gonna be the loudest
thing in the room the engineer is gonna mix accordingly, and have to fix
all the little doo doo messes you've made trying to "feel it" getting your tone
and all the other ignorant crap excuses guitar players come up with.
The sound engineer is more than capable of letting you suck and can make
sure everybody can hear your hand made turd real good.

The sound engineer is GOD......

The amp doesn't really matter, its the presentation that's appropriate for
the venue that's important. Ask the sound guy. You can go with a beater champ and the
sound guy can make your tone huge. That's his job, not yours.
Even a blue's jr can be too large for inside, outside you want the watts.
With small amps that are close mic'd, the issue is gonna be more related
to stage plot, the amps position relative to FOH and percussion, and
whether you want to use the stage monitor or the amp as a monitor.

[10thTx]

10thTx, I'm really interested in that Little Wing amp.
I think it sounds great! Do you have any interior and exterior pictures of that amp?

So the 6BM8 is about the size of a EL84 tube. Checking around for them and looking at prices they aren't real cheap for the new ones and the NOS ones can set you back more than $45 each.

The photos are my version of the Little Wing but I added reverb using a single 12AX7.

http://s28.photobucket.com/albums/c216/ ... mbopic.jpg

http://s28.photobucket.com/albums/c216/ ... rbtank.jpg

The Little Wing on the soundclip is not mine. Wished I could play that well.
The schematic is the same amp as soundclip. I added reverb to mine.

The 6BM8 tubes go for around $15-18. However, keep in mind this has BOTH a triode and a pentode in it. Compare cost with buying a 12AX7 and a EL84.

If I were going to build a Little Wing again, I'd use a 5879 for V1 instead of a 12AX7 that is paralleled. Fatter tone.

With respect, 10thtx

[dartanion]

The Bambino is a very cool amp and features their Stack Mode preamp arrangement. It's using 6AQ5s for power tubes, which are like a 6V6 in a small envelope. These are a great choice for readily available and plentiful NOS options.

My grab and go amp is my EF86 18watter. Volume and tone, simple tonal goodness. Add VVR and you've got bedroom to gig level at your fingertips. I do also have a bunch of "little" amps, 49 Bronson, 51 Supro, 2 Gibby Crestlines (GA-8T and GA-19RVT), 76 SFVC, Bastard Champ (EL34), etc., etc. They all have their tonal purpose, but I like this little 18watter for most grab and go situations.

[Structo]

OK yeah that makes sense when you say you are getting two tubes in one for the 6BM8 tubes.

Do you wire the 5879 tube like a triode or pentode? I assume a triode as the schematic doesn't show a screen grid.
Not familiar with that tube either.

Same plate load and cathode resistor?
Seems like a lot of people are saying that a lot of the 5879 tubes tend to be microphonic.
Looks like it has a gain factor of 2000 in pentode and 20 in triode.

Wouldn't a lower gain 12*X7 type tube be just as good there?

Sorry I'm pretty limited to the tubes I have used. Mostly the 12*X7's and other power pentodes.


You don't happen to have a layout for that amp do you?
That dual purpose tube is making me scratch my head.

Unless you have a close up of your amps interior.

[10thTx]

If you have the free ExpressSCH download and can open SCH files there is a schematic & layout for both the original and reverb version here:

http://www.el34world.com/Forum/index.php?topic=562.0

I wired the 5879 as a pentode. You can see it on the 56T schematic I posted.

Hope that helps. With respect, 10thtx

[Structo]

Great!

I knew I had seen that design somewhere before.

Excellent!

Thanks!

[dehughes]

CapnCrunch: I mean "Brown/Black/Silverface" when I say Deluxe....all three are too "big" for my "small" amp desires. I did own a 5E3-ish amp a while back (eeeaaaarly version of a Top Hat Club Deluxe) and while it was cool with a P12Q speaker in it, it wasn't as cool as an 18w Marshall (IMHO) or a Brown/Black Deluxe. However, that again wasn't a true 5E3 (had a long tail PI, etc...), so I've yet to hear a "real" 5E3.

M Fowler: Another vote for the 5E3, eh? I should build one at some point. I notice that the AA964 Princeton and the 5E3 share the same PI. Is the majority of the difference then in the power section (Fixed vs. Cathode), the recto (5AR4 vs. 5Y3) and tone stack (TMB vs. Tone), and is that what translates the different tonality of these two amps?

David Root: AA964 Princeton, then? What 12" speaker did you have in mind to pair up with that circuit? That option is intriguing to me, as 1) all my amps (to this point) are cathode biased, and 2) I've liked each Princeton I've played...liked them a lot....more so than any Champ I've played, though I've yet to compare the AA964 Princeton to the 5E3.

[David Root]

M Fowler, yeah me too, have all the tubes, real 6SQ7s, not the later 7-pin 6AV6 guts in octal glass. Mojo BFPR chassis, Allen Amps iron, Weber 12A150T, custom cab in aged tweed.

[Structo]

Even though the 5E3 amp gets high praises it can take some getting used to.
The volume controls are interactive and the tone stack is a bit different too.

So it can take some tweaking of the controls to get the sweetness.
I started building one out of a Hammond organ donor amp.

I just couldn't get it to sound good so it morphed more into a type of Plexi circuit with a bunch of cathode switches, 1/4, 1/2 power switch, master volume, etc.
Well off the beaten path but a great test bed for stuff.

[RevD]

I like the 5e3 as well. I built one I donno about three years ago or more with some low end hammond iron (270 series pt and a 125e ot) and I love that little amp. Single 12 and yeah the volume controls are strange but if you twiddle with them a bit you can find some very cool tones. Great blues tones and rolled back even some very nice cleans which surprised me really. By replacing V1 with a 12ax7 instead of the 12ay7 it'll get downright raucous sounding with overdriven sounds that you wouldn't expect from something so small and feedback sustain from hell. Throw a few strings in open tuning and cinnamon girl sounds abound.

Regards,

Rev. D.

[David Root]

dehughes, I would use a Weber 12A150, or 12A150T (later breakup). These are not cheap these days at $195 but still less than a 1960 P12N!

A very nice Alnico Chicago Jensen knockoff.

[dehughes]

dehughes, I would use a Weber 12A150, or 12A150T (later breakup). These are not cheap these days at $195 but still less than a 1960 P12N!

A very nice Alnico Chicago Jensen knockoff.

You know, I owned a Weber P12Q-30w with light doping, and it was one of the best speakers I've heard. I've been itching to try one of their P12N knockoffs, as I'm curious about the Jensen thing once again.

Have you owned/tried/heard the 12A150 or 12A150T?

Also, which wattage of speaker would you recommend for my situation, 25 or 50? I'm guessing a 25w version?