tube amp suggestions?

I'm looking for a good tube amp that I could use for small gigs (bars and such) and in my garage or house. It doesn't have to be extremely loud, but I want good tone. And I want to spend less that $1,000.

I was looking at a lot of amps, and some of them are more expensive than a used car. Like the Mesa Boogie Mk 5, why is that amp so expensive? Is it because of it's size/power? Or does it have better tone than others? I'm looking for something that has the same kind of sound but not so expensive.

~Rusty

Unfortunately , you didn't say what kind of music you are playing . A good all rounder at a reasonable price is the fender blues junior . Surprisingly loud , considering its power rating and will maintain a clear tone at full blast . If you want lots of dirt , put an overdrive or distortion pedal between guitar and amp . Just a suggestion , there are a lot of good low wattage tube amps out there

Heres one you should really consider. Marshall DSL15 combo.
Its loud. And has a pentoid to swicth the wattage to 7.5.
I have one and IMO it sounds great'even at low levels.
Tube amps are fck in loud bro. Another good amp to look at are the Blackstar amps.
I have the HT5 Blackstar and love it. You get allot of tones with it.

Unfortunately i dont use them. Because i have a 19 month old daughter. Well the Blackstar has emulated headphone jack' which you don't see on tube amps.
So im more then happy with my boss js10. Plug and play..
Happy hunting.

Sorry I play rock and metal mostly. And some blues. But like I said, the functionality and tone possibilities I'm seeking would be that of a Mesa Boogie Mk V. Here's a link to the head: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Mark5HD

And here's a link to the combo: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Mark5-112


I don't know a whole lot about tube amps, but why is this thing so expensive compared to a lot of the tube amps that are around $500 to $1,000? Is it all the controls it comes with? Or does it just sound better? Or is it simply louder?

~Rusty

+1 for the Blackstar HT5R. Also check out Bugera. Love my V22!

I been playing metal for a long time now. Love it, both amps i mentioned can do the job,all you would need is a high end distortion pedal. Especially with the Marshall.
And check out blackstar HT5 metal tube amp. This one kicks a$$. It would cost ya $499 ,and if you go to musicians Friend ,they would knock off 10/15% off.
Unless you have that kinda off dough for a mesa. I would go with blackstar ht5 metal tube amp. It even has a metal front cover. Google it. As far as why mesa is so high dollor. I really don't know. I know i would love to have one. But untill i start making big money with my music,it can sit at Sweetwatar. If i had to geuss why there so much money. I would start with,were are they made,the parts they use,there design, quality work man ship.

Its almost like asking why is a mercedes so expensive, in a way. Good luck. Do you have a band or are you goin solo. Pls don't take this the wrong way, but i think you said you have only been playing for 11 months now.
I honestly think that bs metal amp is up your alley. Don't let 5 watts fool ya. My 5 watt is so loud,im thinking of buying a one watt so i can push those power tubes.

That's when they sound best,when you push those power tubes up on high. ..goodluck.

axe2,

It's funny you mention the Blackstar, because I was looking at that as a possible future purchase in Guitar Center today. And I totally agree: I've only been playing a little under a year now. But I'm looking at the Mesa as a possible future purchase. Like WAAAAY in the future lol; maybe a few years. I'm just trying to learn about tube amps, what makes them priced so differently, and what kind of advantages they have.

But speaking of the Mesa Boogie Mk V head, do most heads have all those controls? (equalizer, different boosts, gain, treble, bass, multiple channels, etc.)?

And here's another noob question: can any head be used with any sized cabinet? And is it the cabinet that determines how loud it will be? Or both the head and cabinet?

Because like you said, I also want to purchase something for now that I can crank up without it being incredibly loud for small areas like my garage.

Another thing I just noticed that might have something to do with how expensive the Mesa is:

It has the options of 10/45/90-watt. So it can go as loud as 90 watts!

I found a 1 watt Blackstar Ht-1. This would be perfect for me over the next couple years until I need something bigger. It has EQ, Gain, Overdrive Select, but I don't see any Bass, Treble, or Mid controls. Would those three just be stuck at a predetermined setting? Or is there a way to adjust them? Check it out: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HT1