(Part 3) Top products from r/GuitarAmps

Heh, fair enough. Switches shouldn't set you back more than a few bucks apiece if you replace them yourself, and then go from there.

What tubes are in there? Six 6L6GC? Looks like about $130 on Amazon if you go with JJs, but they don't have a set of six matched tubes. The old ones may still have plenty of life left in them anyway.

Electrolytic capacitors are the other "wear" item to watch out for. When you do the teardown for the switch replacement, keep an eye out for any leaky caps -- they will let the magic smoke out. Having never worked with a Twin, I'm curious if it has the same giant "canister" style multi-stage capacitor that my Princeton and Bassman did. Those are safe to replace with multiple plain old electrolytic caps, but finding a secure place to put a board full of capacitors can be "fun." At least the replacement caps were cheap.

If the speakers turn out to be trashed, Weber makes some niiiiice replacements that play well with a clean or pedal-based setup. Looks like that will set you back about $228 plus shipping, if you need them.

So, somewhere between $30 and the black market value of a slightly used human kidney. Haha. As for whether it's worth it... Twins are, hands down, the best amps you can get for sheer clean tone -- AMAZING studio amps -- but max volume on the thing may set off car alarms all the way up and down the block. Maybe you'll need to play a set on an airport tarmac?

My personal favorite is the Orange Micro Crush. It has decent volume, actually has pretty good tone once you dial it right, and most importantly, doesn't buzz. It also accepts a 9v power cord.

The only other one I have tried was the Danelectro N10. It was horrible. I mean absolutely awful. Terrible tone no matter what the knobs were set to, and buzzed constantly. And by buzz, I mean, every single piece in this thing would rattle around every time you played a note. Also, if you played too loud, it would just cut out. I spent 5 minutes attempting to get my money's worth out of it, and then took out the battery to save for my Micro Crush.

The next one I want to try, because I have an obsession with these little things now, is the Roland Micro-Cube. I've heard nothing but good about it, even though for that price, you could have a significantly larger practice amp.

Edit: I know what I said about the Roland, but I just got the Pignose 7100 as an impulse buy, while at GC for another impulse buy. I have a problem, I know. So this amp is, first of all, really cool looking and solidly built. Second, it requires 6xAA batteries instead of the usual 9v. ...Also, it seems to have a different 9V adaptor port than all other micro-amps and pedals I own. The tone is pretty good, up there with the Orange and I would say even clearer, and you can open the back for a more airy, spacey sound. I like this amp alot, and it may replace my love for the Orange.

For $30, this little thing takes care of the whole problem for you: https://www.amazon.com/BEHRINGER-V-TONE-GUITAR-DRIVER-GDI21/dp/B000CZ0RKG

Three different voiced preamps - fender, Marshall, and boogie - and variable cab sim and built in active DI, and effective baxandall tone stack. It's a little noisy if you turn the gain up but for a backup amp solution it's great.

I used an Eminence Legend V128 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BBDBEU

I would have probably be more patient putting it all together, I rounded corners and inner edges of the front frame before putting the grill cloth, it would have looked better had I waited a bit.

I used a combination stain and polyurethane finish but I wish I had just given it an oil finish... I could still do that but that would required not playing with it for some time and I'm really enjoying it...

It's a Joyo Bluejay with a TC Electronic Mojomojo overdrive in front of it. It's a pretty bright amp, and the overdrive is EQ'd a bit on the treble side. That with the more bass heavy Orange really compliment each other. I'd tried nearly a dozen overdrives before I found that one. Was starting to think I'd need to get a different clean/right amp.

I bought a Hot Rod for my first tube amp a few years ago—mostly because I didn't really know what I was getting into. I haven't really had the money to replace it yet. (OK, fine, to be fair, I have, but I have other things I want to buy too.)

I've managed to get a sound I like out of it—even for my chimey 12-string. Here's how I do it:

1. Plug only into channel 2.
   
2. Keep my drive as clean as possible (1 or 2).
   
3. Use a volume box in the effects loop (the pre/post jacks on the center-right of your controls).
   
4. (Or build that box—it's a ridiculously simple project, but when I eventually rebuild mine, I'm going with a 25k ohm audio pot, not the 100k I used)
   
5. Crank the master volume and use the volume box to keep your volume reasonable.
   
6. Use an overdrive pedal the way god intended—slap your shit straight into full drive, but with some actual control over your tone.
   
7. the Monoprice compressor pedal is surprisingly perfect for adding just a bit of bite to your tone without appreciably increasing the drive.
   
8. Just get used to constantly apologizing for your amp's uncontrollable volume and bad-gnarly drive.

Contact cleaner, $4.77 @ Amazon, but you can buy at probably any store like Lowe's.

CRC 05103 QD Electronic Cleaner -11 Wt Oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BXOGNI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_m1G9Bb2YS6DMT

And the place on the pot to spray it (about halfway down on the page)

http://www.mtdkingston.com/thezone/repair_and_maintenance.html

I think you mean tonebone. But, I used the bigshot to AB my two amps through one cab, works great. It also has a phase lift so you won't get that horrible buzzing.

https://www.amazon.com/Radial-BigShot-True-Passive-Switcher/dp/B000FKIO6M/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_267_img_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=GSBYWND9SXP2K5773XKR

Very complete answer, thanks man!
I'll order a T-12AX7. Is this one okay or are there subtleties about ''Medium gain'' that I should look into?

I got this and it works fine. https://smile.amazon.com/GLS-Audio-Speaker-Cable-12AWG/dp/B004Z2H07K/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1519941297&sr=8-2&keywords=guitar+speaker+cable

Don't splurge on some expensive or super thick cable. As soon as the signal hits the jack in the back of your speaker cab, it's going to travel through a very light gauge wired to the actual speaker.

I did as you suggested with the single battery powered pedal in the loop, and it seemed to get rid of the hum. I then plugged the pedal back into the original pedal chain in the FX loop and the power conditioner and lifted the ground as that video described (I put a 3 prong to 2 prong adapter in between the power supply and the power conditioner) but there was still hum when I did that. If I buy an isolation transformer, like this where would you recommend putting in in the loop? Before or after the pedals?

I use these: Whitmor Supreme 4-Tier Shelving with Adjustable Shelves and Leveling Feet Chrome https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007MHD1K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_iRqVAbMB5FT87

It'ss fairly common for a Chinese factory to make off-brand versions of the same amps they are contracted to build. But they will have different cosmetics.

So while it seems pretty unlikely a company will make a OR15 knockoff, it is very possible that factory that makes the actual OR15 might use the same guts in other amps for other markets. I think the most notable version of this lately is the Laney Cub 12R and Monoprice 15-watt amp. They are the same inside the chassis.

If you live in a fairly major population center, you can use kijiji to find a nice little amp for a good price, if you're willing to be patient and strike quickly when you find one.

-

Or you can look at a VHT from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.ca/VHT-AV-SP1-6-Special-Combo-Amplifier/dp/B003V5WI24

I have the head version of this amp, and I think it's great. Stock output tube was shit, but that happens with most cheaper tube amps.

There are a million pedals to choose from. The Joyo Ultimate Drive is a good place to start. Maybe also a tube screamer or tube screamer clone.

Do these look like the right kind of cable.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B006LQH2B2

Have you considered something like this? https://www.amazon.com/JF-16-British-Effects-Brit-Rock-Simulator/dp/B005M0KLGQ

This is most likely the problem. I have the combo version and it does this in my living room. Older house where there are a few circuits for the whole place. Dimmer switches, anything with a motor, etc can add interference to a circuit. Try a different room. I recently got a few power conditioners to help eliminate the noise. Not a surge protector strip, a power conditioner. Amazon has some that aren't crazy priced ($55. Furman Power Conditioner, Silver... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009GI65Q?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share)

I've used this table to stack two combo amps: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006D50RO/