What Amp?

[bartok.waters]

Hi!

See if you can you give models of amps that fit the following conditions:

. Not very big;
. Not very small;
. Not big;
. Not small;
. Must have overdrive/distortion;
. Intended for Home Recording;
. Intended for low level rehearsals;
. 2 inputs (optional);
. Tube/Hybrid (optional);
. Another nice things that I probably forgot;
. Not very expensive;
. Not very cheap;
. Not expensive;
. Not that cheap;

Well... I guess that's all...

So people, let me know what amp would you take to the grave along with your guitar and whatever recording gear you have...

Thanks in advance,
Pedro Gonçalves

[nicolaad30]

Try out this brands: Marshall (good overdrives)
Fender (the best cleans)
Mesa B. (the best overdrives)
Line6 (lots of effects -- amp simulator)

For what your are using it, I would go for a Spider 110 (Line 6).
If you want to spend a little bit more, Flextone series (Line 6).

[arjun]

If you're looking for something with nice distortion, check out Marshall's AVT20.

[Buck62]

Originally posted by arjun
If you're looking for something with nice distortion, check out Marshall's AVT20.

Great choice, but I would get the AVT50 just to have the extra volume to keep up with a drummer.

I dumped my 130-watt Peavey TransTube for the AVT50 and I've been extremely happy with it ever since.

[DJL]

The Marshall AVT50 is a good choice.

[jacobs]

sorry, but i'd say drop any and all advice above this.

if you're looking for an amp to nail good cleans and overdrives....one of the marshall tube combos, or a mesa nomad combo is the way to go. if you want an amp to play blues or anything with less overdrive, check out a fender tube combo.

marshall/mesa(non rectifier mesas) have the best overdrives. unless you're playing metal, i'd stray form the rectifier mesas. solid state or hybrid leaves you wanting more, always. tube or nothing. as for the line 6's, they do a great job emulating tons of DECENT sounds. personally, i'd rather get an amp that only does 1 INCREDIBLE sounds, as compared to a ton of OK sounds.

no matter what.....go to the store, play a ton of amps. one of them will be calling your name.

jacob

[Buck62]

While I agree that the Marshall and Mesa tube amps are a bit better than the AVT series, Pedro said he wanted an amp that's "not too expensive, but not too cheap."
Maybe you missed that part.

The amps you're talking about are relatively EXPENSIVE.

The AVT50 can be purchased for less than half the price of the Mesa Nomad and it's at least 90% as good. If you read the reviews at harmony central, you'll see that the words "over-rated" pop up quite often in the reviews of the Mesa amps. Also, the Marshall AVT series rated slightly better than the Nomad series of amps.

Paying double the price for that "perceived" extra 10% of tone is for people that have the extra $$ to throw away. Apparently Pedro doesn't have the option to pay the extra money for a foofy boutique amp.

Besides, you're still down 3 to 1 in the advice department, so maybe your opinion is the one that needs to be dropped.

[Henri Devill]

Check out the Tech21 amp {50 watter I belive}..Single 12 combo.. its about 500.00 new maybe you can find a used one for less..Just a different option to look at..Good luck



Don

[LocusLarsen]

Originally posted by Buck62
The AVT50 can be purchased for less than half the price of the Mesa Nomad and it's at least 90% as good. If you read the reviews at harmony central, you'll see that the words "over-rated" pop up quite often in the reviews of the Mesa amps. Also, the Marshall AVT series rated slightly better than the Nomad series of amps.

Paying double the price for that "perceived" extra 10% of tone is for people that have the extra $$ to throw away. Apparently Pedro doesn't have the option to pay the extra money for a foofy boutique amp.

Besides, you're still down 3 to 1 in the advice department, so maybe your opinion is the one that needs to be dropped.

Okay..............

HarmonyCentral? So you go by "ratings" rather than play? HarmonyCentral non-the-less......... ATV doesn't even stand in the same room as a Mesa, and I don't care much for Mesa either.........

And the extra price goes into being able to feel what you play.........I am sorry, but you CANNOT get that with MOST cheap crap. Even acoustics............=)

[LocusLarsen]

Get a BluesJunior and a nice Distortion or Overdrive pedal

[Dani Pace]

You might try something like a Fender Princeton and a tube preamp, it's a combination that I have found works well for most things.

[bartok.waters]

ok people....

thanks for the advice....

but there's something I forgot to mention: I would prefer an amp that can give me an average of different sounds, since I'm into recording....

BTW, something between the 300$ and 500$ would be nice...

Thanks,
Pedro

(300$ - 500$ !? I've got to be joking...)

[Buck62]

Originally posted by LocusLarsen
Okay..............

HarmonyCentral? So you go by "ratings" rather than play? HarmonyCentral non-the-less.........

No, I personally have played the Mesa Nomad55 and I own an AVT50.

As a matter of fact, I played through over 30 different amps before I decided to get the Marshall AVT50.

Why?... Because you can't beat it for the price.

From what the original post said, that seems to be what he's looking for... "bang for the buck."
In that respect, the AVT50 delivers the goods for only $450. The Mesa costs more than twice as much.
Read the post above this one and you'll see that my assessment of what Pedro is looking for (a good-sounding, moderately-priced amp) was correct.

Besides... doesn't tone come from the fingers of the player rather than the amp?
I've seen some guitar players that would still sound like total shit with a $3,500 Mesa.

[Even]

A name often forgotten.... Randall.

I nabbed a 150watt dual channel a few years back and yanked the stock speaker out and popped in a 12" celestian (vintage).

[LocusLarsen]

Originally posted by Buck62
Besides... doesn't tone come from the fingers of the player rather than the amp?

What good is a race car driver if he is driving a shitty car.

And no, SRV is not SRV though a Create SolidState amp.

If the amp cannot give back what you put in, how do you enjoy it?

I don't doubt that the ATV is good. Just don't say it gets higher ratings like it is somehow better than an amp twice its price.

[arjun]

Originally posted by LocusLarsen
I don't doubt that the ATV is good. Just don't say it gets higher ratings like it is somehow better than an amp twice its price.

First of all, this is just a little annoying. You've heard several of us spell it several times, it's AVT, not ATV. ATV is all-terrain-vehicle. Anyway, I suggest you go play one and see for yourself. Better than an amp twice its price? I think it is. Because you can get the AVT50 for $325 used, and it certainly beats off the pants of some Peaveys I've played through before. Not to mention it has great distortion channels.

[jacobs]

the simple notion that an AVT is better than a tube amp like a marshall/mesa/fender is not just wrong, its hilarious. this argument has been had so many times, and nobody ever wins. thats why i'm going to reiterate my advice once more:

"no matter what.....go to the store, play a ton of amps. one of them will be calling your name."

anyone who has a clue won't hear a solid state power amp equipped amplifier calling their name, or at least thats how i feel about it.

as for you looking for an amp that can cover a wide territory, you mgiht want to look into a line6 or something similar then. they do make a huge amount of decent sounds, just nothing extraordinary.

jacob

[LocusLarsen]

Originally posted by arjun
Because you can get the AVT50 for $325 used, and it certainly beats off the pants of some Peaveys I've played through before. Not to mention it has great distortion channels.

Peavey Doesn't Count!!!!!!!!!!!!

....and they are not that expensive anyways, why use them as a comparison?

Hey.....A 50 watt 900 combo is only 4-5 used. That would would bitch slap that AVT.

[Analytical Man]

I HAVE A LINE 6 SPYDER THAT IA 150 WATTS, 2X12 IN SPEAKERS. GREAT DISTIRTED TONES, GREAT CLEAN TONES. 4 CHANNEL OPERATION, BUILT IN EFFECTS. REALLY GREAT FOR RECORDING, BUT ALSO LOUD ENOUGH TO COMPETE WITH A LOUD DRUMMER. I AM SELLING THE AMP AND THE 4 CHANNEL FOOT SWITCH FOR 400. NEW THE AMP WOULD COST 650, AND THE PEDAL 60. THE AMP IS IN IMMACULATE CONDITION, PRISTINE AS THE DAY I BOUGHT IT. I JUST DON'T REALLY NEED IT. I HAVE OTHER THINGS I NEED MORE RIGHT NOW.

RUTHANDSHAUN@MAQS.NET

EMAIL IF YOU ARE INTERESTED

[Axe4Yahweh]

Ain't it wonderful how folks like to spend yer hard earned Bux for ya?

It looks like you are looking for great versatility for lil coinage to me. I was in the same boat almost 3 years ago when I got back into music. I spent the better part of 4 months comparing everything that I could find new and used for 500 bux or less and I'm talking just about every name brand out there. Tube, Hybrid, and Solid State.

I now have two great Peavey 112 Combos and a Behringer V-AMP2.

Let me mention the second one that I bought first because right now, there's one on ebay just like mine that will prolly go for well under 300 Bux. It's Peavey's best kept secret. It's called the Peavey Prowler and it's comparable to the Marshall DSL 401 and much better than a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe because it has a very usable and versatile Distortion Channel whereas the Fender HRDlx does not. The Prowler will do anything from Fender Clean on the Clean Channel (and I'm talking like a Twin Reverb here, it's clean even if ya Dime it). The Distortion Channel can do anything from Dirty Blues to Grunge so ya can leave the stinkin stomp box distortions and overdrives at home. Here's the link to the auction:

http://search.ebay.com/search/search...Peavey+Prowler

The only prob with this amp is that it's best played loud (like most tube amps, ) but it does do a decent job at low volumes.

My other Peavey Combo is a Second Generation TransTube Studio Pro 112II that Peavey released late in 2000. I bought mine right after Thanksgiving that year and I still love this amp because it's so freakin versatile. The Clean Channel can do both the Solid State Clean like the Roland JC120 and it can do Tube Clean. The Distortion Channel on it can do everything from Classic Rock to Dirty Blues to High Gain to Metal. Again, just leave the freakin distortion and overdrive boxes at home cause ya won't need them.

The trick to using a Peavey 2nd Gen TransTube Amp is to Read The Freakin Manual. (RTFM) There is a suggested settings page in there for different tones and ya start there and tweak to taste. Believe me, if there is a sound that you are looking for, it's in there. You just have to tweak till ya get it.

My sidekick uses either an 80's Fender Deluxe Reverb or an original 65 Fender Twin Reverb and he has to bring three different stompboxes to do what I can do just with either of my amps. Both of those ol Fenders have gone down, the Twin more than once, over the past two years. My Peaveys just keep on goin like the Energizer Bunny.

The V-AMP2 is a whole story in itself as far as it's versatility and the same can be said for most Modelers out there.

That's what I use and it works for me and it will work for you.

CR ><>

[Timanator]

I think you need to go out and try some your self to decide.

Everyone has their own opinions and biases, when it coems to Tone, everything has their own tastes and preferences.

I tried and liked the Crate DXJ112 and bought it because I liked it so much. I now play more on it than the Lee Jackson half stack I have.

As for recording, a Line 6 POD would be easier than most amps to manage and duplicate sounds. But do your own research on this one, Marshall, Ampeg, Peavey, Crate, they all make an amp to fit someone. And thats why they are all still in business today, not because one fo the "sucks" compare to others.

[Abelskeeper]

I picked up a used but in new condition Marshall JMP-1 Midi Tube Preamp from a friend for $250.00, and a Mesa Dynawatt 20/20 pwr amp at musicgoround.com, a demo model for $372.00. Match that with your favorite cab or two, and you can cover a wide range of tones, for a little money. I use a Peavey 4x12 cab, a BBE sonic maximiser, and a Digitech Valve FX with control one controller, for a nice 1/2 stack...

Terry

[shawn gibson]

Terry - I'm looking at getting a 20/20 for my Boogie Recto- Preamp, both for recording and occasionally playing. And either a pair of 1x12 or 2 2x12 Rectifier cabs (using G-Force, like stereo) for the ocassional gig (which I said I'd never do, but people are asking).

How's that 20/20 sound. Can you crank it? Can you keep up in a small bar?
Shawn

[SteveE9C6]

I like the Peavey classic 30 for this. I also found a Kendrick 118 in a pawn shop for cheap. With a sparkle drive, it shines!