I'm looking for a low wattage tube combo for recording purposes mainly. I need ok cleans, but I will be needing good sounding and fairly high gain metal distortion. Now, the problem seems to be that most of the smaller tube combos are more clean/mid-gain oriented.

Does anyone know of an amp suitable for my needs?

Also, would buying a mid-gain amp like, say, a Bad Cat Minicat and a OD/distortion pedal yield a viable alternative?

Suggestions please...

Thanks in advance

I think Engl makes some combos ... What's your price range?

I think he means thos 1-10 watt tube mini-amps. I've seen a couple on the net too.

Maybe you should try one out with some good OD, like a tubescreamer or procorat?

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I haven't decided on a set budget yet, I want to get the low down on what's available first. However, keep in mind that I'll be needing some high gain distortion.

I was also considering buying an ENGL thunder combo (not really low wattage, but...), but I don't have the opportunity to try it before I buy, and I don't know enough about the tone of that amp. I've heard some ENGL clips on rocksolidamps.com but they fail to give me an impression of what the tone is like. Also, most of their clips are death metal like, which I'm not really into...

I couldn't play it a lot, but it can do any kind of metal easily.

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Yeah, I hear a lot of people talking about how versatile they are, however I'm a little hesitant buying without trying first. What other brands of amps are they comparable to soundwise?

Engls have a sound of their own... if you like it or not, that differs

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Check out this dude's recording thru a guitar->amp setup thru a Mesa Mark IV:

mesa mark IV

This Mesa also has a silent recording option that inactivates the speakers when recording. It is 85 watts, which may be more than what you're looking for, but it is an extremely versatile amp. Lamb of God, Metallica's Black Album, countless others use them. I just bought a head used for $1000. Don't know if that's your price range or not, but I thought I might suggest it. If you do decide to get it, go with the 2x12 vertical recto cab. The combos don't come with vintage 30s, which are the speakers of choice for many audiophiles.

how much are you willing to spend? something like a 30-60w tube 1x12 combo teamed up with a thd hotplate would suit you just fine.

or you could just buy an actual thd head. great cleans and medium gain tones, with low wattage AND a built in hotplate. and for your high gain needs just throw a boost pedal in front.

then of course some kind of cab....

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