low wattage tube amp for stoner/doom

[trench-mouth]

Greetings,
Im looking for a low wattage tube amp for recording stoner/doom metal. Of course this will be a compromise as stoner/doom is meant to be played painstakingly loud, but my living situation wont allow for that at the moment.

My plan is to run a fuzz pedal into the clean channel. Im considering the VHT special 6. Anyone got any opinions on this?

thanks

 

[sprack]

Orange Dual Terror. Right out of the box, the Fat channel wins.

 

[006]

Hard to beat Orange for the stoner/doom genre. That or Sunn, of course.

 

[JakeAC5253]

Greetings,
Im looking for a low wattage tube amp for recording stoner/doom metal. Of course this will be a compromise as stoner/doom is meant to be played painstakingly loud, but my living situation wont allow for that at the moment.

My plan is to run a fuzz pedal into the clean channel. Im considering the VHT special 6. Anyone got any opinions on this?

thanks

Never tried the Special 6, but from what I know of your typical VHT amp, its feel will be far from Doomy, even with a fuzz in front. You want something that is going to have some give. Maybe buy an old beat up Fender tube combo amp and drive that, like a Hot Rod Deluxe. Of course it is likely that this will also sound BETTER when driven to louder volumes than you like, but I think that's part of the sound. Maybe try a Blackheart Little Giant. Its 5w and NMV clean channel only. Only thing with this is that due to its low wattage it might not take a fuzz too well.

 

[MarcusGHedwig]

+1 for Orange, maybe the Dark Terror instead

Also:

Painstaking: taking or characterized by taking pains or trouble; expending or showing diligent care and effort; careful (a painstaking craftsman; painstaking research)

 

[trench-mouth]

I hear you on the tiny terror guys. I actually used to own a TT, but had to sell it due to money issues. However, its a little out of my budget right now.

Jake: thanks, gonna check out the little giant.

Marcus: thanks for educating me I didnt know that (english is not my first language)

Keep the suggestions coming guys, its greatly appreciated.

 

[trench-mouth]

Jake, one more thing: why do you figure the Blackheart little giant would be more fitting than the VHT?
Also, why would a low wattage amp not take a fuzz well?

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

Not a straight-up rotten fuzz tone, but here's my JCA20 driven with a DIY fuzz pedal:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1809705/Infrazzz-JCA.mp3

It can get a lot dirtier with a more aggressive fuzz, tho. Lovely amp anyhow.

 

[~BURNY~]

Blackheart Little Giant + Big Muff.

 

[JakeAC5253]

Jake, one more thing: why do you figure the Blackheart little giant would be more fitting than the VHT?
Also, why would a low wattage amp not take a fuzz well?

I answered the first question above, the VHT sound is too tight and compressed, not a good match for doom where you need a loose and dynamic feel. I just checked out some clips of the Special 6 and it seems this is the case at first glance, have you seen someone using one of these amps for doom like you are talking about?

The reason a low wattage amp can't really handle distortion pedals is that they (as far as I know, technology of about 5-10 years ago) use opamps for gain and the preamp tube is used as a diode rather than a clipper. You don't get a lot of headroom with a setup like this, so it'll again feel very dry and you might get harsh distortion. From clips I've heard, the Little Giant just seems to have the best quality clean for an amp in its class, and seems to loosen when pushed. I might pick one up myself now that I'm thinking about it...

 

[trench-mouth]

Thanks a lot Jake!

After much reading and hunting down sound examples, Ive decided to go with the Blackheart.

 

[trench-mouth]

Anyone got any reccomendations as far as a 1x12 cab to go along with the blackheart head? Anyone tried the combo?

 

[~BURNY~]

I own BH little giant, don't expect huge amount of gain or even a crunch at low volume. This thing is a lot louder than you think when you push it and has no master volume. However, it takes distortions pedals amazingly well if you scoop enough mids hence my suggestion for a big muff.

 

[trench-mouth]

Sounds good. I wont really be needing low volume crunch, as I´ll be using a fuzz pedal. How is the build quality of the combo? Feels sturdy enough?

 

[~BURNY~]

Can't answer for the combo but the head is well built.

 

[JakeAC5253]

Anyone got any reccomendations as far as a 1x12 cab to go along with the blackheart head? Anyone tried the combo?

If you aren't afraid to drop a little coin to get closer to the sound, pick up an Avatar 1x12 or 2x12 contemporary with T75's in it. And yes, the Big Muff is awesome too!