i know, pedals.. but this forum has nice tone :)
reason i ask is because i'm not much of a guitarist, and am generally not familiar with the references people give for tone (more of a synthesist, listen to wind and crickets sort)
i was looking for a small recording amp for my home studio (non/anti-pro..) noticed an electar tube-10 review suggesting to "buy quality parts and diy," which seems like a better idea.. don't know much, but i can follow a schemo, have had a few successes..
from what i've read, i reckon i'm looking for a 10" cone - i play super quiet but understand larger cones lead to more accurate tone? don't need anythnig below 50Hz.. or anything you can hear outside (!) got tinnitus so loudness hurts.
i'm looking for 'vintage' tone - i play around with stuff but tend to drop anachronisms; for guitar, this means 50's 'juvenile delinquent' rock and those picked, clean tones from pop of the era. all in one amp?
i'd like to keep it to ~$150 for components, would like to include tube tremolo and a spring verb..
possible?? should i suck up and look for a bargain on an old 'princeton' (i guess..)
? :p stop by for some algorithmic music/plugs.. i recommend qsong20!
http://www.panicnow.net/~xoxos
ought to add.. i use a semi-hollow body (oscar schmidt oe-30) if this inspires anyone's gear-comboing sensibilities :)
Simple and small; tweek to taste.
http://grace.speakeasy.org/~jsn/remote-images/champ/images/champ_5f1_schem.gif
Possibly the cleanest little champ schematic I've seen. I have something similar with a big old 15" speaker in it. "Inspired" by Boozhound Laboratories, which also has a useful primer on tubes.
http://boozhoundlabs.com/champ/
I don't think you'll get under 150 for a tube amp unless you have most of the parts already. The two most expensive things that I've seen usually are the transformers. You'll need to get a power transformer and an output transformer. Both of which together will push the price up to around or over 100 dollars. But an older fender design is an excellent choice for the sound you mentioned wanting.
If you look around, you can find a silver face champ (same exact circuit as blackface, and don't let anyone tell ya differently) easily for $150. Vibro champs are a bit higher. The electar is actually a damn good deal for a tube amp.
You may also want to consider an attenuator, regardless of end amp volume. (tinnitus, etc) I haven't tried any of them, but schems are out there.
I was going to recommend a Champ which is exactly what I did, however, if I could do it over again, I would try and build Doug's Firefly amp. If you are not planning to build, I would get a Champ and mod it.
The Champ does not have tremelo or reverb, I guess I would add that later as a plug-in.
You know, it's hearsay, but you could simply use a plug-in if you are mainly recording.
haven't heard a good spring emu plug yet (then again i only buy freeware :p ) and looks easy so might as well build a real spring even w/o amp..
kicking myself because i never thought i ought to just look for a general amp history instead of specific amp info.. :p looks like there's a few firefly/champ derivs out there, so should start me off. atm a bit stunned by having money to commit to spending.. :)
travis - i'd ask what kind of attenuator, but wait until i'm building one (or find the answer myself) unless it's very esoteric. guess it's some kinda compressor/'transient peak suppressor'? :p i'm making stuff up now.
ta for answers.. feel a bit daft, like "which tone should i like because i don't know" :)
Just a general, all-purpose attenuator. (Marshall? Hotbox style) It would serve as a master volume, allowing you to get much less shrill power tube distortion and sag, as opposed to overdrive from the preamp. They allow you to run your amp at full levels without full volume.
I've been thinking about building a little spring reverb, too. If you end up building any nice circuits, definitely share.