I just saw a 4w 1x10 Vox guitar amp on SDOTD for 199.00 (reg. 320.00). Why are these little low-wattage amps so expensive? It seems every guitar player has to have one - what do they use it for AND what do these little amps 'bring to the table' that a normal gig-sized amp doesn't? Just curious (like I am about all anomalies in the music world ).

chas

It will be a tube amp for sure. The cost of tubes pushes the price up somewhat. My 30 watt Fender Hot Rod Deluxe costs over $120 just to replace a set of tubes.

A gigging 30 watts tube amp will cost around $650 and upwards a lot more depending on the brand. Solid state amps can be made for peanuts so sell much cheaper.

Players like the small tube amps because they can be driven much harder without getting too loud and can even be miked up onstage at a gig. I have played smaller gigs with a 5 watt Blackstar tube amp I have. A 5 watt tube amp can get pretty darned loud. Cuts through so much more than a 5 watt solid state amp can.

Guitarists love tubes. Tube amplification is a bygone technology kept alive by guitarists and audiophiles so they gladly pay a premium for that choice. Even though small tube amps can be used at gigs they are mainly bought to use in small apartments to avoid riling up the neighbors but still provide a hard driven tube sound.

Makes sense. Thanks for the explanation. Actually, the same (tube) thing applies to 'Leslie's' and a lot of high-end pre-amps and amps. Tubes just seem to produce a warmer, 'fuller', more organic sound that digitals just can't seem to capture.

chas

in the studio, I use a little 15 watt metal cased Kustom Tube amp when I need overdrive.

And i always use 1 or 2 147 RV Leslies instead of any of the more powerful one.

The only exception is very traditional jazz on a hollow body with a floater or a nylon string. Then, it's clean transistors in a JazzKat, Hendrixon, Quilter.

Then, it's ultra clean, no feedback and about $1,000.00 up for the unit, usually, 75 to 200 watts. Tube watts and transistor watts aren't the same. Nigel and I both use a 30-40 watt Fender Deluxe, which will hold it's own with any of the upper quality 200 watt transistor amps.

Better minds than mine(Nigel) will have to explain that one.

See you soon, I hope.


Russ

That is not to say I don't use solid state amps. I have a 200 watt ZT Lunchbox the size of a lunch box with a 6.5 inch speaker. It is a fantastic amp I use with my guitar amp modeling pedal. I am not a tube snob.

Sorry I cannot add I have always used a Fender twin Amp.
In my playing days tube amplifiers have were always the desired one to buy. Much warmer sound (Nigel)

John C.

I totally agree John, I have always used a tube amp for electric guitar. The warmth can't be matched by a solid state amp. The only reason I bought the ZT Lunchbox is because it was so cheap on Musician's Friend SDOTD and is so small I can keep it in the back of my car as an emergency backup in case my Fender tube amp fails at a gig. Though that has never happened.

It is due to the frequencies that tubes produce. They are very strong in the range that simply cut through the mix on stage. Solid state amps don't generate the same frequencies as much in those ranges so need a much higher wattage and volume to be heard in the mix.