Reddit mentions: The best guitar amplifier accessories

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?

Would you be averse to another multifx pedal? The HX Stomp would likey cover all of your bases for you, including headphone out. For specifically metal, this video goes in depth about how it can be used as an entire signal chain for a guitar. I linked to the timestamp where he starts talking about the stomps.

I can definitely understand wanting individual pedals, though. There's a lot more fun to be had tweaking individual knobs, and a lot less exhausting menu diving like you'd have in a multifx. Also, the HX Stomp is a lot of money to spend for one piece of gear.

For ampless/headphone/travel/direct to board solutions, there are a lot of options now. A few that I know about (all prices in USD):

• Mooer Radar ~$150: One of the first mini pedals to do this sort of thing. Has great reviews, and I don't think you can go wrong with this one.
  
• NUX Mini Studio ~$100: Simpler, more straightforward interface. with just three knobs to set your sound up. It's the mini version of the NUX Solid Studio, which has a LOT more features on it for ~$200.
  
• Hotone Omni IR ~$120: Cab IR loader similar to the Mooer Radar, but with a thru signal, an aux in, and an XLR out. Newer pedal, so not as many reviews and not as much knowledge about any shortcomings, but overall looks to be a great value-for-money option.
  
• Neunaber Iconoclast ~$250: More expensive, but with some more intuitive controls that don't require you to know everything about every speaker cabinet ever made, and also stereo in and out in case you want to get crazy with stereo setups. I've heard nothing but amazing things about this pedal.
  
• Two Notes Torpedo C.A.B ~$400, and Torpedo C.A.B. M ~$300: From my understanding these are "best of breed" meaning they're more boutique and are full of features and quality. I don't know nearly as much about these, so do your research and see if it's worth the extra money to throw down for either of these (I personally don't think it's worth it).
  
  In front of those you may want some sort of a preamp pedal to liven up your sound and get some nice gain staging to push with your distortion pedals/boosts/comp/etc. There are a ton of those, and I can recommend some if you'd like, but I think I've already typed out way too much for one post.

Depends on what you are looking for. The one I listed is very entry level. A great cost saver is the DIY kits, but you'd have to be comfortable around a soldering iron. And of course, it does help to swap out the included stock tubes. The Chinese ones that generally come with most of these ChiFi amps are pretty lackluster. I'd substitute these guys for the stock pre-tubes;

https://www.thetubestore.com/sed-6p1peb

Various options for the rectifier tube here, though it's not going to change the sound too much;

https://www.tubedepot.com/t/tubes/rectifier-tubes/5r4-5v4-5z4

There are some decent power tube replacement tubes in all sorts of prices as well, many from Amazon. And Amazon still honors returns on tubes! So if you don't like them, no big deal. (most dedicated tube sellers don't allow returns based on sound quality.)

https://www.amazon.com/Electro-Harmonix-6SN7-EH-Vacuum-Tube/dp/B001LNLZHW

Update:
I ended up choosing the simplest/cheapest solutions to my immediate needs rather than splurging on any future proofing. I went with "good" out of good, better, best.

The immediate needs were the following, to reduce time between songs live:

• scroll through the Ventris' 8 onboard save slots easily and accurately, left or right, even with the pedal on. That solves the extra tap dance to scroll right turn off, click option switch to go right, turn back on); and to go left (doing the same thing, but holding the option switch and releasing at the exact right time while your foot is blocking the indicator lights)
  
• controlling tap tempo on the ventris and DD-7 at the same time, again to save time in the tap dance, especially on the DD-7 where tapping tempo requires holding the pedal down 2 sec, then tapping, and then to turn off, holding it down again to disengage and then tapping to turn off.
  
  To do that
  
  
• I used this 2-button footswitch for the left/right control, plugged into the ventris 1/4" external switch input with a TRS cable (make sure the back switch is on switch not expression). That worked out of the box.
  
• And then I also bought this Source Audio Tap Tempo switch to control both pedal tempos. 3.5mm cable into the Ventris' other external switch (you have to turn this on in the Neuro editor to work, and set it to control the option tap), and 1/4" TS cable into the DD-7) There are other multi-tap pedal solutions out there, but I wasn't sure if they would work with Ventris' 3.5mm input. One of the downsides to doing it this way is the DD-7 is Boss, which means it uses a normally closed NC tap tempo switch. It still works, but the tempo is triggered when I release the switch not when I step on it. So I just need to step and release quickly for them to be pretty closely synced. Another pedal I considered was this one, which can control 3 tap tempos and be built to sync NC and NO switches. Just wasn't sure how it would act converted to 3.5mm.
  
  
  The "better" solution I considered was a midi controller that could also control tap tempo on the DD-7. I would want this in order to save setlists, and scroll through one by one live - delivering the right settings to Ventris and auto-tempo on the DD-7. I would have gone with the Disaster Area Designs DMC-4 Gen3 but decided to save $100 and a lot of setup time.
  
  
  "Best" solution, which would be totally overkill for my setup, would be a looper that controls midi and non-midi pedals so I can have the whole setlist programmed in. I considered:
  
  
• Disaster Area DPC-5 Gen 3 (but would have needed to add onto it to control everything
  
• Gigrig G2 (too pricey)
  
• Boss ES-8 (probably would be the best option for me, but didn't want to spend the money)

So full disclosure I did the whole sketch from memory and didn't actually look up an amp stand, drew what I thought they looked like but apparently they don't make them with the legs facing forward like that. I was hoping to have space to easily tuck away my pedals under the amp when I'm not using them.

That being said I found this on amazon that gives me something close to it and it has the bonus of having an optional mic arm attachment for recording. I wish it elevated the amp a bit higher off the ground though.

I had one of these previously and it got the job done.

Both stands should definitely hold your 2x12, I used a Fender Twin from the 70's (those were heavy as hell) on it the one I had before and the there are pics of the first one with a Twin on it.

I used these which might be the most I do for now. Have you finished the enclosure at all? I haven't decided what or how to do it -- doesn't look terrible unfinished, but will eventually want them to look nicer.

Using the same inuke here, have you adjusted the dsp at all? I'm in the middle of figuring out how to use REW with my radioshack SPL meter, hoping to finally play around with it this weekend.

I'm pretty happy with them, for about $900 they complement my Ascend Acoustics CBM-340's nicely. Just need to adjust for the room at this point.

I'm not very well learned on any of this stuff so forgive me if I'm following your chart incorrectly.

I recently grabbed some AudioTechnica x700 headphones (and I'm loving them) but have static when I plug them in to my PCs sound card. I'd imagine my mic gets the same noise when I speak.

Following your chart, it appears I need a DAC/Amp combo as I also want to hook up my bookshelf speakers and then just plug in my mic/headset as needed. If it helps, I currently have a Muse m50 (https://www.amazon.com/M50-TPA3123-Stereo-Amplifier-option/dp/B016OAP8HY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1543452531&sr=8-1&keywords=muse+m50) which I use to hook up some bookshelf speakers. Ideally I'd get something that can sit on my desk, lets me hook my speakers up to my PC, and I could plug my headset/mic as needed.

I'm sure everything you have listed in your chart is amazing, but do I really need to spend $200-$500 to get something to deal with the situation? I'm trying to get something that won't break on me anytime soon, but for my needs spending multiple hundreds seems extreme.

I don't know about the other amps in the page you linked, but the Behringer AC108 is a lot of fun. It does a good solid state clean sound and a good tube-preamp distortion sound. I swapped out the stock 12ax7 tube with one of these: https://www.amazon.com/JJ-Electronics-T-12AX7-S-JJ-Electric-Amplifier/dp/B0002M728Y If you like how the stock tube distortion sounds, though, there's no need to upgrade.

The Bravo seems decent but I just don't trust cheap Chinese tube amps, especially when they don't post full measurements (I wonder what they're trying to hide?)

But, under $114, on Amazon, there isn't really much in choices. The Bravo plus a warm sounding tube, like this one, will fit the bill.

I also would recommend this. It offers more flexibility because you change tubes and opamps to mod your sound. You can also adjust gain with it unlike the Ocean.

Well hey, five bucks cheaper at Amazon.

OP: Welcome to the Classic 50 club, hope it treats you good! (Also, I'd recommend buying a small hand truck to move this heavy mofo around!)

I can think of a few options, depending on budget and size of your venue.

A personal portable amplifier will work pretty well for smaller venues, and have the added benefit the microphone is attached to you allowing you to move freely rather than be transfixed to a single point on stage. I don't know that I recommend the linked model specifically, I just grabbed one from Amazon quick. I'd do some research.

If you're doing medium sized or larger venues you're going to need something larger, like u/Ebackes88 says. I'd consider how many of these gigs you're doing versus the cost of renting. If it's a small amount, renting is probably the way to go, but obviously there will be a point when purchasing is cheaper.

One thing I'd keep in mind if you purchase is that you don't need a PA with sixteen channels (or ports) like a band might. I can't imagine you needing more than two (one for voice and one for music, if you have any. Something like this would probably do the trick. Yes it's got four channels, it's nice in case one breaks or if you find you'd like having more than two, plus it's tricky to find systems with less. This one also comes with a very crappy microphone, which you're probably going to want to upgrade right away. The downside here as opposed to the other option I suggested is that going wireless without sacrificing quality will cost you.

First things first, if it were me I would just buy it right off the bat. That said...

1. Reverb tank should be simple pimple. Unless it's some odd setup(which I doubt it is), it would usually be a RCA jack type plug and play. Accutronics has always been my favorite replacement reverb tanks.
   
   
2. Tubes wouldn't be expensive to mess with if you wanted to try others out. I would see what ones they had in there and then just order a couple different brands to see what sounds best to you. A couple [JJ preamp tubes] (https://www.amazon.com/JJ-Electronics-T-12AX7-S-JJ-Electric-Amplifier/dp/B0002M728Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541011028&sr=8-1&keywords=jj+12ax7) and [a matched set of EL84 JJ power tubes] (https://www.amazon.com/JJ-Electronics-Amplifier-Tube-T-EL84-JJ-MP/dp/B003FO89CE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541010458&sr=8-1&keywords=jj+el84+matched+pair) are really cheap and tend to be built well from the years I've been buying them for. I'm thinking only the first two preamp tubes would have anything to do with the tone section as the third one (furthest small tube to the left when looking at the back) could just be the phase inverter and also driving the reverb. I'd have to loom through a schematic first to actually know for sure, though.
   
   
3. Price would be good to me as it's half off new and I'm a cheap bastard that can attempt to fix things if I need to. If it sounds good to you in just replacing a reverb tank and trying out different tubes, tear it up.
   
   I had no idea of these cheap guys being around and may end up getting the little 5w version for fun around home. How cool.

OK, this parts list uses the blue and black case that is inverted with a window. You can put the 120 mm NF-A12x25 right under the top filtering mesh blowing onto the graphics card. Or remove the stock fan and put the more powerful Noctua fan at the rear of the case at 1200+ rpm to pull air down through the mesh without it being in plain view. This fan is more pleasant then others at high speed and comes with all needed wires and accessories.

PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor | $439.50 @ Vuugo
Motherboard | ASRock X570M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard | $279.92 @ Vuugo
Memory | *G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory | $104.99 @ Newegg Canada
Storage | *Crucial MX500 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $129.99 @ Newegg Canada
Video Card | *ASRock Radeon RX 5700 8 GB Video Card | $447.50 @ Vuugo
Case | BitFenix Prodigy M Cobalt Blue MicroATX Mini Tower Case | $89.88 @ Amazon Canada
Power Supply | *Corsair TXM Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply | $99.99 @ Amazon Canada
Case Fan | Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM 60.1 CFM 120 mm Fan | $37.90 @ Amazon Canada
Monitor | *Acer XZ321QU bmijpphzx 31.5" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor | $568.50 @ Amazon Canada
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before BS PITA MIR) | $2253.17
| Mail-in rebates | -$55.00
| Total | $2198.17
| | *Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria |

If you do not want to push the budget to the max, I would first cut the processor from the R7 3700X to the R5 3600 ($2025). Then I would cut the graphics card two levels to the RX580 8GB, then add 3 TB of storage, and a Windows 10 stamp ($2050, see below). Then you will want to play on 1440p medium presets with high textures. FreeSync on the monitor and graphics card should make that a smooth and low-latency experience.

PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor | $265.50 @ Vuugo
Motherboard | ASRock X570M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard | $279.92 @ Vuugo
Memory | *G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory | $104.99 @ Newegg Canada
Storage | *Crucial MX500 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $129.99 @ Newegg Canada
Storage | *Seagate Barracuda 3 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $94.99 @ Newegg Canada
Video Card | *ASRock Radeon RX 580 8 GB Phantom Gaming D Video Card | $256.41 @ Vuugo
Case | BitFenix Prodigy M Cobalt Blue MicroATX Mini Tower Case | $89.88 @ Amazon Canada
Power Supply | *Corsair TXM Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply | $99.99 @ Amazon Canada
Operating System | *Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit | $134.94 @ shopRBC
Monitor | *Acer XZ321QU bmijpphzx 31.5" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor | $568.50 @ Amazon Canada
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | (before BS PITA 50/50 flip) | $2050.11
| | Mail-in rebates | -$25.00
| Total | $2025.11
| | *Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria |


If you don't like the big handles on the Prodigy M case, they can be removed if you buy some appliance feet for the bottom. The compact case has the power supply exhaust on the bottom, and it needs clearance from the floor/desk. The graphics card is at the top of this case, so you can see the graphics card through the mesh and the window. It is also really blue.

https://www.amazon.com/Reliable-Hardware-Company-RH-1606-8-Amplifier/dp/B00JJ191Z6/

Have that same amp. Swap out the reverb tank for this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BGXW50/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1.

Costs like $20, is as easy as unplugging a pair of RCA cables, and will drastically improve the quality of the reverb. By far the cheapest, easiest, and most effective modification I've ever made to any of my gear.

I used an A/B/Y box to go to 2 amps at a given time. Of the 3 guitar tracks recorded for each song, 2 were cut using the Sunn + the Laney, while the 3rd was cut using the Laney + the Peavey. Pretty much the only pedal I used this session was a Superfuzz clone made by wattson. That pedal sounds huge. I also used a pigtronix class A boost for a lead at one point. The sunn rig actually strips out much of the high end coming from my guitar and functions as almost a clean bass sound to offset the guitar sound from the laney. The XXX through the 2x15, by contrast, has a dirty bass sound, so all three rounded things out nicely. I got the idea to run the XXX through the 2x15 from having previously sent guitar heads through it with good results in the past. I bought the cab off a friend in Primitive Man, and he had told me to give a guitar head a shot through it, so I did.

Look into getting an A/B/Y box to split your signal. I'm considering getting the Voodoo labs pedal in this link as it can run up to four heads simultaneously.

Super easy. Remove some screws, unplug the leads, screw in the new unit, plug in the leads. I searched around and found that the tank is commonly known to be cheaply sourced and prone to being weak sauce. Prevailing scuttlebutt was that this one was a marked improvement. For that cost, I figured what the hay, give it a shot. Totally worth it and then some. I can hear the reverb more clearly across the volume range as well as reverb setting levels. Check out Amplifiedparts.com directly if you want to find one for your model. They've got tons of goodness.

Hey guys, literally got a call the other day to get the band back together! I'm super excited, but I haven't touched my gear in about 7 years. I flipped on my ADA MB-1 and I'm not getting any sound out of the tube stage on the preamps. I believe these use 12AX7A tubes, but can I use a set of 12AX7 tubes like this. I know nothing (or have just forgotten at this point what I need to replace these with. Thanks, I'm going to be back here alot if we start playing on the regular!

I advise you to change the tubes in case you've bought a used AC15C1: as example JJ Tube Upgrade Kit For VOX AC15C1 Amps EL84 ECC83S ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VVNIIVS ) or any other alternative tubes. Sound will improve dramatically, especially on Top Boost channel.

I have not had to replace the tube on it. I've had it for almost three years and I listen to my records roughly 2-3 hours a day...maybe 3-4 days a week. The VP130 doesn't have an on/off switch, but I leave mine plugged in 24/7. So, my tube is always "hot" and has been for 3 years.

The one that comes with it sounds great to my ears, but if you ever need to replace it, I think you can use one like this fairly cheap:

http://www.amazon.com/Sovtek-12AX7LPS-Vacuum-Tube/dp/B0002M71VC/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

I think they are all tilted. Like this. You could always make one yourself out of wood pretty cheap and easy.

No, buy the Ultra.

You can use a passive AB/Y switcher as a footswitch and even run into both channels at once (how good this sounds is very amp-dependent, but if not - it still works as a switcher). This one from Fender is excellent and less than $50.

Grab yourself an ABY Box like this one This one Two leads from the pedal, one to the Normal and One to Top Boost. This way you can switch between or have them both on at the same time. I do Exactly this with my AC30CC2.

The "footswitch" input on the back is for the Vox VFS2A footswitch. This Allows you to turn your Reverb and tremolo on and off.

These look to be the recommended upgrades https://www.amazon.com/Electro-Harmonix-12AX7EH-Preamp-Vacuum-Single/dp/B0002M72JS/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1484263520&sr=1-1&keywords=EH+12AX7

Have a quick google, lots of info on the phono stage and which upgrades sound best.

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 replaced the feet with these and I've put felt sliders in it as well.


I've only use 1" sliders on it but you could go 1.5" to be exact on the feet. But it works, I can slide it around on my hardwood floor by myself. But you need assistance when lifting this. It was troublesome lifiting this to the stairs lol but I survived.

>I replaced the feet with these and I've put felt sliders in it as well.

Very smart.


>I've only use 1" sliders on it but you could go 1.5" to be exact on the feet. But it works, I can slide it around on my hardwood floor by myself. But you need assistance when lifting this. It was troublesome lifiting this to the stairs lol but I survived.

I can only imagine. My Rythmiks are almost half that weight and I was not a happy camper pushing either of them up my staircase by myself.

I didn't know one existed either, but Google is your friend:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008FJXH0S/ref=mp_s_a_1_1/152-7119786-7566052?ie=UTF8&qid=1472727893&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=double+amp+stand&dpPl=1&dpID=41bquMPeeIL&ref=plSrch

Hi, I have the Bravo v3 and was wondering if there is a better tube for this thing. Any suggestions?

edit: Found two that I may want to try. Electro Harmonix or Sovtek...

This has all 5 of them:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AOA6FXC/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2/188-6137407-2567854?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_r=0915A8DDT6FXC2YQEM8N&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=1944687562&pf_rd_i=B00VVNIIVS

This is just the power amp section:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003FO89CE/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1/188-6137407-2567854?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_r=0915A8DDT6FXC2YQEM8N&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=1944687562&pf_rd_i=B00VVNIIVS

And this is just the pre-amp section:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005F5TP6U/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_3/188-6137407-2567854?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_r=0915A8DDT6FXC2YQEM8N&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=1944687562&pf_rd_i=B00VVNIIVS


You could also google something like "VOX AC15 tube replacement kit" to compare brands and prices for the whole set of them.

I have 6 guitar cabinet stands I had made for this 6 years or so ago.

Bought 6 of these.
https://www.amazon.com/Stage-RS7000-Stage-Monitor-Guitar/dp/B0002GY7MO

Cut the top part off, welded it to the triangle on the bottom. And now I have Confidence Monitor stands.

I use some 55" LG's and some 42" LG's on them. Here's a picture of a board meeting setup for example.
https://imgur.com/Eh9rkUm

Really nice, man. Try these guys on the bottom in each corner. I swear by them.

The adhesive for the rubber feet my case came with was garbage, so i bought these. Just used a drill, some screws, and some nuts to attach them to the bottom. Looks good and the case is higher than it was before, so probably has better airflow.

Your guitar plugs into a box, that acts as a splitter, and runs an input to each amp.
Something like this.

I just meant for a Vox. Are they all about the same then?

Something like this would be fine?

you mean a [JJ] (http://www.amazon.com/JJ-Electronics-T-12AX7-S-JJ-Electric-Amplifier/dp/B0002M728Y) for his vajayjay

FTFY :-)

I bought some of these a while back to put on my Pioneer PL-518. Not sure if they will fit on your SL-D2, but if no one else offers a solution I'd give them a try.

this thing? https://www.amazon.com/Mod-Reverb-Tank-8EB2C1B-Equivalent/dp/B003BGXW50

These will do the job. Just put the pointy bits in the holes.

ABY pedal. I've got this one to do just what you're asking - http://www.amazon.com/Fender-023-4506-000-Electric-Amplifier-Footswitch/dp/B00HQXUH5W

There are much cheaper options available if you look.