Small Valve Head/Combo for Home Practice

[Higgins666]

Yep, I'm looking to upgrade my home set up, but I can't find any company that produces a low wattage valve/hybrid head/combo. I'm currently using a little 15 watt Laney, wich is more than enough volume wise, but just doesn't reach what I'm looking for sonically (it's solid state & overdrive is set up to make my hybrid heads valve section distort, so you can imagine what happens), I can't use my hybrid head for home practice, as it, along with me cab are at the studio we practice at.
So, can anyone think of anything that would be useful? Or something I should look into.
ATM I can only think of one solution, get a small valve guitar head (IE Blackstar HT-5) & run that into a small bass cab (like a 1x12, or 2x12).

 

[RickenBoogie]

Find a used Ampeg b15, or B15R.

 

[lousybassist]

I recently bought a Hüghes & Kettner Bass Master, which is a 5 Watt all valve amp that can also be used as a preamp. It's perfect for playing at home, volume wise, and it also sounds very nice. (at least as far as I can tell, I haven't had much time to play through it yet)

The bad things about it is that it's no longer in production, and that it's ugly. Here's what it looks like (it's not mine in the picture):

 

[Jason P Bass]

I use an Epiphone Valve Jr head. All tube, 5W. It's plenty of volume for practice purposes when hooked up to a decent cabinet.

I use a Sansamp programmable bddi (3 channels) as a preamp. You can push the Valve Jr. to any level of funk at pretty much any volume.

It sounds great (especially at the price point). I really wish I could get my gig amplifier to sound that cool, or I really wish the Valve Jr. had another 445 watts.

 

[TaySte_2000]

Vintage is the best route and not always expensive. I have a 1957 Dynacord MV15 which is a nice little all tube pa amp but sound a amazing on bass and it's tiny it actually looks like a lunch box I paid about $300 for it, which considering the cost of my big rig really makes it an affordable home practice setup.

Just need to find the ideal cab for it, I've been using the speakers in my Mesa Boogie Buster combo, might get Matamp to make a 2x12 for it though.

But plenty of low wattage vintage tube gear out there cheap, WEM, Simms Watt, Dynacord, Echolette etc

Here is mine

 

[Crabby]

I have a Valve Junior as well and its a blast when plugged into a bass cab. I actually had an Ampeg 810E for awhile and the little VJ on top made a killer sounding little rig. But through any bass cab, the VJ provides a very warm tube tone that breaks up nicely. Of course the volume is not going to be over the top loud, but for a great tone when jamming alone, its perfect.

 

[mentalpatient]

Look into the just released Fender TV Bassman models, all have a tube preamp. The 10 inch can only be overdriven by the master control as it has no gain knob. So it may get too loud before you get it sounding how you want. All the other models have the usual gain and master controls, the 12 inch is 150w I think.

Marshall has the MB60, 60w 12 inch. ECC83 pre amp valve.

I have not listened to any of them.

 

[ctdaniel]

The Epiphone Valve Jr. is Awsome. I plug it into an Avatar 2x10 cab and go directly out of my Carvin LB70. It is the perfect practice amp. In fact, I've been trying to figure out a way to duplicate that "class A" tube sound in my gig rig (Ampeg V4BH).