VHT AV-SP1-6 Special 6 Valve

real tube sound - best cleans for the price

I play jazz, blues, surf, classic rock with Strats (single coils, vintage, and hum-cancelling versions).

Specs

Tube amp with a 10? speaker, a combination of a Fender Champ and Princeton, with only two knobs, a standby/high/low power switch, and a footswitch for the boost mode. Built quality is decent,it has a classic point to point construction so is robust and mod friendly, the transformers are big for its power rating and the 50W speaker has a massive magnet. The only small problem is that the push-pull volume switch is a bit fragile, so you have to operate it carefully.

Blackface: jazz, SRV, Surf

In standard mode has very nice cleans with huge bass for its size. In low power mode you can dial some nice jazz sounds. In high mode is more dynamic and trebly, suitable for blues. A tube screamer type pedal can take you easy to SRV territory and reacts perfectly with the amp. For surf you only need a reverb tank, the sound is just convincing.

A bit of Tweed: tight crunch

Boost is for use like a drive pedal for solo, but the effect is too intense when you play at lower levels. What boost really does is to change the eq voicing and dynamic response from a blackface sound to a more tweed overdriven type sound (without the extra sag). If you have a distortion+/dod250/DS-1 type pedal they?ll love that mode. You can TOTALLY nail the classic ?Live At Leeds? Who sound. You can go from full crunch to a nice clean sound just by roll of the volume pot of the guitar just like the old days.

In any case, the combination of the big speaker with the low power is great. Playing at home with amp at 4-5, tubes compress a LOT, making chords and notes sustain gracefully. It changes your perception for the instrument. In a live situation it works (especially because of the strong bass), but you need help from the P.A., there are also plenty of mods to make the amp a bit louder.

Conclusion

This amp is highly recommended for beginners to understand and nail the classic clean and crunchy sounds of the 50?s, 60?s, players who want one but GOOD sound, pros who want a nice practice or recording amp at home.

Simple and effective

Very good price vs.sound. Simple amplifier, easy to be modified and customized.

Great value

First of all, the build quality of this little amp is great. Not just for the money. Its sturdy, the corners are well-protected, the metal mesh protecting the valves and the back of the speaker does its job very well. The handle is durable. I would just prefer the volume pot to have the same feel as the tone pot; it's a little looser, probably due to being push-pull.

As to the sound, the amp does the Blackface and Silverface thing without a hitch, and the low powed mode gives you even more variation (the sound is different than in high power mode, but just as good). The only problem I had with this amp was the fact that you have to crank it to get the best sounds, and then it is too loud to be played in bedroom (unless you have very forgiving neighbours). Still, even at lower volumes it's a great amp, especially combined with subtle overdrive pedals.

Excellent Amp!

Amazing little thing. Really organic in the way it brings out the tone of the guitar. Good range of tones even for something with few bells and whistles (the way I like it). Loud enough for a blues band or similar and will keep up with a quiet drummer. Forget it if you want to play with a rock band going full tilt. Great for home use as 3 watt input allows you to crank it. For the price its a no brainer

This is a small amp which goes surprisingly loud. Initially I bought this as a practice amp but its it little too loud for home use. It does however work well as a recording amp especially with a simple setup. While it can sound quite raw, unpolished, and uncompressed (which I often like by the way) when miked properly it yields great tone that sits well in the mix. For some reason I love the way it sounds with a fuzz face and a SHO but not so much with a TS808 or wah pedal or even a multi effect unit. This amp definitely leans more to stripped down blues than (hard)rock or pop. There is no glossing over, it gives warts and all. If you are out of practice or your intonation is off you will be punished!

Superb amp

I bought the amp because I wanted a single-ended 6V/66L6 tube amp.

The amp sounded fine the way I got it, but I modified it by installing it in a custom cabinet with a 12-inch speaker and swapping the 6V6 with a 5881/6L6.

I now use it with an Eminence Lil Texas and Tung Sol 6L6 tube (I've also tried 1 5881 and it would reportedly also work with a KT66). The amp has high/low inputs and runs in either triode (less power) or pentode (more power) mode. That essentially means that the amp can be used at four different volume levels to achive the slightly saturated power-amp distortion, which is what this type of amp is basically designed to deliver.

Overall a great amp with a ridiculously low price tag.

If you put in an 6L6, you'll either need to install an 8ohm speaker instead of the original 16ohm unit for the best sonic result.

The best value out there?

For £125, this is a hand wired clean tone tube combo, with foot switchable boost (switch provided), Hi/Lo inputs and a half power option. The amp likes pedals. The speaker is breaking in nicely. Build quality is impressive.

My guitars love this thing- and my wallet approves! A latter- day Champ clone, for £125?

Maybe the best of the small..

Super clean tube channel, versatille with pedals, loud enough for rehersals, or stage monitor, dependable. Great value for this price. The only thing I may have missed sometimes is a reverb.

Good lil box

Fantastic sounding lil combo! Tubes are awesome! no headphone socket or treble/mid/bass controls instead its just got 1 tone knob that goes thru the spectrum. Nice sounding amp!

My big problem is that the switch has broken to the high output/standby position so cannot access low power, its been treated very well it just halfway thru a play decided to get stuck and i cant fix it without voiding warranty! Other than that its good

Overall it has fantastic sound (the quack i get with my strat in positions 2 + 4 really bring out something in this amp! I love to get it hot and then hear the break up of the tubes a nice creamy sizzling sound is awesome for blues!

Even better is stick a lil o/d pedal infront of it (overdrive NOT distortion/metal) and it really drives it to new sounds!!! I have yet to try a fuzz pedal but i can imagine it'd sound good! Overall tho i am very happy and cannot complain! Its loud enough on High power mode to do a (Small) gig (without a loud bonzo like drummer!) and even if it was struggling there are outputs on the back for hooking it up to speakers so i am sure if push came to shove itd do the business! It isnt the best for heavy stuff i find metal causes the lil speaker to not give the sound i personally am looking for! But then again thats why i want a peavey bandit! So in conclusion its defiantly worth a buy you get great bang for your buck, although i would recommend testing Bugera models of equal size and power to hear the difference and then know your personal taste!