Looking for a budget amp for metal in drop tunings... what's out there?

Hey everyone,

I’m trying to find the best amp for bedroom playing. I’ll mostly be jamming metal in Drop tunings at home, no gigs or anything. I’m looking for something that doesn’t need to be too loud but still sounds good.

My budget is between 350 and 500 USD.

I was thinking about the Boss Katana series, either 50w or 100w because of the 0.5w option, but I’m open to suggestions if there’s something that sounds better in that price range.

Thanks in advance for any help!

If you’ve already got a cab, a used 6505MH should fit your budget easily.

Darin said:
If you’ve already got a cab, a used 6505MH should fit your budget easily.

Or you could look at the Valveking MH. It’s closer to a 6505 in sound than its name suggests.

Both amps have power scaling (20/5/1 watts), XLR and USB outs, plus a speaker defeat switch.

If you don’t have a cab, you can get a used 6505+ combo for around the same price. It sounds great at bedroom levels if you tweak the EQ a little. Plus, if you ever want to play gigs, you can plug it into a 4x12 and keep up with a drummer.

For a modeling option, check out the Peavey Vypyr series. Many of its models are high-gain amps.

Darin said:
If you’ve already got a cab, a used 6505MH should fit your budget easily.

I actually own the full-size Valveking, which I bought to use as a power amp. It’s a solid choice for the price, though it does need a Tube Screamer to really get the sound going.

Darin said:
If you’ve already got a cab, a used 6505MH should fit your budget easily.

The newer version of the Valveking has a built-in boost, so you won’t need a Tube Screamer anymore!

Check out the Positive Grid Spark 2.

The Peavey Ultra 112 could be a good option too.