What kind of amp?

[Eddie N]

for 500 bucks your best bet would be the POD.. its only $300 , but i know theres a rack mount POD coming out with some better features and it should be priced in the $500 range.. theres a thread with more info floatin around here somewhere... i say go with the POD , especially on your budget... the POD should be good in a live application also , unless someone has some better advice or can state otherwise..

- eddie -

[randompurpleness]

ok, so I'm doing some mad research about what amp to get. I've been playing guitar for awhile and have a good enough one to record direct so it doesn't suck. Anyway, I'm reading in reviews of different amps about solid state and tube state and that kind of stuff. Does anybody know what this means? More importantly, how does it affect the stuff I record? Also, do different brands have certain advantages in tone or something else that would be better to get for recording? I'm not about to rush into anything, I've been doing this research for awhile and I hate the sound I get from micing my little Peavey practice amp. I've thought about the POD, but I also want something I can use live for playing in my band. Is this possible with the POD? Thanks for you input, I want to make a definite decision by the end of February, but I'd still appreciate replies to this even after that.

I forgot to mention, I'm willing to spend around $500 for this so I know I'm not going to get the greatest equiptment but I still want quality so I may be willing to up that amount if something worthwile comes along.

[This message has been edited by randompurpleness (edited 02-14-2000).]

[dan]

Before I explain anything else to you RN Ill tell you that a small amp combo in the recording world doesnt always make for a bad sound. You said you recorded direct, have you ever tried micing the amp. Depending on what sound your after you get a much better distortion sound from small amps lots of times. You can get a much better controlled cranked amp sound from alota practice amps with a 57(mic) 12" from the speaker. No shit, Ive heard this technique sound like a stack of marshalls cranked all the way. Its a great rock or bluesy sound.

For a clean sound youll want a larger amp if youre micing it for a full sound.

A solid state amp is an amp that doessnt use tubes in the curcuitry. It uses electronics that emulate tubes and is considered much lower end. They generally dont have the warmth of a tube amp. My favorite amp in the world is one I have thats a 35 year old tube amp.