Good Amp

[Urza9814]

Hey, I'm looking to buy a new amp for my guitar in about a month (well, actually, my mom's buying me a new amp... :-P) and I'm wondering if you have any suggestions? I'm getting it for a band I'm in (my older brother's band...couldn't find anyone else who played guitar :-P so they're stuck with me :-P) and I'd like 2 channels, and they can both be on at the same time, but that's not really needed...for price...I dunno...I was thinking of one, it was $250, and that apparently was too cheap...so base it on that :-P but nothing super expensive :-P
figured I'd ask some ppl who know what they're talking about :-P

[Mr. Bert]

Urza,

There are a lot of good amps out there these days. You have a lot to choose from. You can usually find some good used amplifiers at Guitar Center, or go with a brand new one.

I will only ever play through Marshall Amplifiers. Always have and always will. However, my tastes have changed over the years.

Back in the day, I played through a 1959 Super Lead Plexi and two 4x12 cabinets. There was a time when I would play nothing but a tube amplifier, but technology is changing that.

SLP's don't sound good at low volume levels (small gigs) and I had a lot of trouble with tubes going bad from being knocked around. I also had to do without reverb on the early SLP's.

I played a live show outdoors once at the California State Fair and the amps were in direct sunlight. As we played, I noticed my tone began to 'soften' up. The distortion was dropping off and the voume was going away from the heat. Tube amps don't like heat.

I am now using Marshall Solid State Amps and feel they are a lot more consistent and reliable. Some people swear by tube amps and that is fine, but you can get a nice sound from a reasonably priced, solid state amp.

I have some old recordings that were done on my old SLP with a single 4x12 cabinet and I recently made a recording with my Marshall MG-80RCD plugged into a single 4x12 cabinet. I compared the two and they sound so close, it is hard to tell the difference.

I use the amp's built in overdrive to get distortion. I don't use any 'stomp boxes' and I think it gives a warmer, more natural sound than you can get with any effect pedal.

I have the 'Gain' set at 3/4, Bass at 3/4, Treble all the way up and 'Contour' (Mids) are set at the 1 O'clock position. This gives a nice crunch, but still lets open chords sound clean enough to use them.

When played through my Hamer Standard with Duncan PAF's, it has a tone somewhere between Angus Young and Randy Rhoad's live sound. Not a carbon copy, but really close.

I use the MG-50RCD for small gigs and practice, the MG-80RCD for larger performances and the MG-100HDFX Half-Stack for big venues. I bought my MG-50RCD last year for $259.00 from Guitar Center.

I'm not trying to sell you on a Marshall, just letting you know what I use and what is working for me.

You might want to check out the Crate MX65R. It is a 65 watt solid state amp with 1x12" speaker. It has three channels, spring reverb, line out, speaker jack and cost $279.00 in the current issue of Musician's Friend.

Check out some of the used amps at your local music stores. Sometimes, people change equipment looking for that elusive sound and you can find some great amps dirt cheap.

Best of luck...Bert

[BillyFurnett]

Hey Urza,

It's great that you're getting to jam with your bro.


It might be helpful to give a bit of overview on the intended use of the amp you're looking for, such as:
1. Are you playing electric or acoustic guitar?
2. What type of music?
3. Will this amp be for playing out?
4. How many watts is the bass player pushing?

Things like this might help narrow the suggestion field a bit for everyone here as well as help YOU ultimately decide on which amp is right for you.

[Mr. Bert]

Billy has touched on some excellent points. I assumed you are playing electric guitar (rock) in a live setting. I also took the price range you mentioned into consideration.

I think 50 watts is about as small as you should go for any amp that will be used to play with other musicians, especially if you have to contend with an aggressive bass player.

You don't need a top quality amp to just play around with. But, if you plan on sticking with it, a better amp may very well be a wise investment.

Feel free to E-Mail me if I can help you out in any way...Bert

[BillyFurnett]

Also...

If you can somehow hold off a bit and maybe make it two months, then perhaps you can save a little more to put towards an amp of higher Quality. I know it sucks to wait (Oh man don't we all know that!) but If you explain to your mom that although a quality amp might cost just a bit more now.., It will also retain more of it's value when it's time to upgrade for the BIG tour or even if someday it doesn't work out. I bet almost everyone here has bought gear they wished they would have waited just a bit on... A good amp now is a likely good amp five years from now that you can sell if you want and actually get something back.
A cheap amp is.., well, you get the picture dude.

[Urza9814]

ok...I really don't wanna do that much looking...I'm lazy :-P
I also don't know...like...ANYTHING about guitars :-P

to answer BillyFurnett's questions:

It might be helpful to give a bit of overview on the intended use of the amp you're looking for, such as:
1. Are you playing electric or acoustic guitar?
2. What type of music?
3. Will this amp be for playing out?
4. How many watts is the bass player pushing?

1 - Electric
2 - uh...here's the only song we've got as MP3 right now:
http://www.angelfire.com/electronic2...age/Newest.mp3
3 - uh...???
4 - uh...we don't have a bass player... :-P 2 keyboards and a drum...the keyboards will be amped...but they're the drummer's amps, so I don't know anything about 'em...

[Outlaws]

15-30 watt tube amp and a nice overdrive pedal is all you need.

[Outlaws]

Whatever you do.....stay away from Crate.

[Mr. Bert]

That's a great quality recording. The keyboards sound neat. Nice progression. Keep it up...Bert

[BillyFurnett]

Cool deal man.

I'm glad you jumped right back with the answers and got a few suggestions.

30- 50 watts is likely all you'll need.
$250-$300 should get you a decent Marshall or Fender combo that will serve you well.

[Urza9814]

Originally posted by Mr. Bert
That's a great quality recording. The keyboards sound neat. Nice progression. Keep it up...Bert

lol...except it's not a recording...it was made on Finale (music writing software)

so...30-50 watts
Marshall or fender...
should be around 300...awesome

[Outlaws]

Hold up!!!!!!

30-50 watts is plenty, and probably almost too much if you get a tube amp. But if you get a solid state, then the sound is the same at any volume. I say 50-100 watts for a solidstate.

[BillyFurnett]

True True

Good point.

50 + for solid state.

[OnTheBlackRock]

ALL I CAN SAY IS GET AT LEAST 40 WATTS! Or you'll never get over the drums... and it just doesn't sound as good miked unless u got a NICE sound system etc.

here are my suggestions> go used. try to get a half stack you can get a carvin head cheap on e-bay and they sound pretty good and you can get a cab used... like even a rogue cab of behringer a cab is a cab.

OR get a 2x12 or 2X10 marshall MG valvestate amp if ur playing like punk stuff

OR for blues type stuff and ur playing alota clean get a JC120 chorus 2X12... i saw one at GC the oether day used for 299.99

[shortyprs]

The problem you've got is that you're dealing with lower end amps because of your budget. In all the amps listed so far, the drop in quality in the budget amp is unacceptable. Tube or solid state, most Marshall's under $500.00 sound brittle. Nothing like that sweet plexi. There are a few decent Crates, but very few. Not worth searching for. The Fender Hot Rod Deluxe can be brittle and honky unless you spend the bucks to upgrade speakers and tubes. It seems all ia lost!

At least, it seemed that way until I helped a kid in my son's band replace his crate. After a lot of searching, a very good low priced used amp jumped up and demanded to be bought. Go find a used Peavey Classic 50. Excellent tone and versatility for the buck. Nice classic el84 tube sound. Sweet lead sound. Nice clean. Easy to overdrive. Great with a Rat or other petals for the crunch kids love these days. Check ebay.

[Urza9814]

Looks great! however...my brother doesn't like the way it looks...do you think mebbe Guitar Center or somewhere would have one we could, like, 'test'...If it's as good as you make it sound, then that'll probably get him to change his mind...hopefully...though he's not the one buying it...my mom is...though he seems to think he is... :-P (hmmm...mebbe I could get 2... :-P)

[shortyprs]

GC is always a little iffy on what they carry. I didn't see one locally. Musicians Friend lists them on the internet new with user reviews. New, the amp is a little pricey. Harmony Central has great reviews of the amp, with prices for used amps. Show them to your brother and then check ebay and the local trades. The kid I helped has been playing his for a week now and is more in love with it than before. The trick is to buy it used. If it has problems, its usually the tubes. You can retube the whole amp at eurotubes.com for $40.00 - $50.00. Unless you can spend more than a grand, this amp is hard t beat.

[mgchicago]

Good, no one said Line6.

I will never, would never use one of those digital "dial in any amp brand's sound" type of amps. Fender is doing it now too with on board digital settings and it makes me sick.

I have a late 80s Fender Pro 185 that I bought used in 1994. At the time I wanted a Crate because they were cheap, but my Dad, while shopping with me showed me the fender.
150 Watts x 2 12"s
Solid State, but using something Fender did for a while called Tube Emulation. I've played it next to a Twin Reverb before and it sounded so similiar.
I can't remember ever having it's volume above 2.
Two channels, a nice second channel Gain that you can get a million sounds out of, not to mention that you can play through both the clean and the second channel Gain at the same time, really brightens the notes through the distortion. I do this and go through my chorus pedal to the Fender and a Crate Vintage reissue tube amp that was given to me by a friend

I don't know how easy it is to find that Fender amp these days. Every now and then I see someone at a show using one. I paid $400 used for it, and they were close to $800 new.
The only thing I'd upgrade to would be an Orange or Hiwatt.

[Urza9814]

Aight...finally looking at some Amps, and out of the ones mentioned here, yea, I think I'd go with the Peavey Classic 50, but today my brother and mom went to get a mic stand, and said they've got a peavey 112 and 212, which he said was a good amp, and my brother really thinks I should get the 112. Anyone know anything about those?

[donkeystyle]

peaveys transtube line doesn't sound very good. if that's all you can afford though and your not willing to look on ebay and other places for used amps, then get it.

you seem to be ignoring the best advice thats been given....to get a quality amp in your price range you need to look at used amps.

[Urza9814]

you seem to be ignoring the best advice thats been given....to get a quality amp in your price range you need to look at used amps.

I am looking at used amps...that's about ALL I'm looking at...the peavey classic 50 I'm looking on E-bay, and I think the 112 and 212 were used...well, thanks for the tip anyways...I think I'll stick with the classic 50...

[Moonrider]

Originally posted by Urza9814
Looks great! however...my brother doesn't like the way it looks...

Screw the way it looks. How does it SOUND?

Our bass player routinely does small/medium clubs using a 15 watt Vox with an sm-57 stuck in front of it. Every bass player that sees him is simply flabbergasted at how HUGE that itty-bitty thing sounds.

Pop tarts and boy bands focus on looks. If you wanna go that route, get a bimbo with huge teats, run her mike through Autotune, and thrill the hell out of tin eared teenage boys with raging hormones and poor taste

Oh yeah... if she can lip sync, you can go the britney route and have a real singer record her vocals for her.

[MusicallyMrM]

Hey, I'm a player of over 30 + years. I've played through some great amps and some major trash. I'm here to tell you that Line 6 amps have a lot of potential and sound great under most situations. Most of the serious Line 6 Amps are pricey (Vetta, Duoverbs, Flextone III and the Mighty HDseries) Sounds to me like a Spider would do an excellent job for you. I own a Carr Rambler, Fender Twin Reverb and a Line 6 Spider 112. (I do a lot of studio work and different projects require different tools sometimes) Don't let anyone fool you. The Spider will do the job for you if you understand that:

-The amp models are simulations and they aren't supposed to sound just like the real thing
-If you spend the time learning to tweak the thing, you can actually get pretty much whatever sound you shoot for. (Except the Insane mode-the vote is still out on that one)
-With the release of the more powerful Spider II, the first generation Spider is dirt cheap and is very well built.(In spite of the plastic parts, it handles the road well-I know this personally)

This little monster weighs in at 40 lbs and small enough to carry around from studio to studio yet more than adequate to play most venues with the exception of large colliseums where you might rather come through the sound system anyway. 50 watts of basic modeling is all you need. Simple-stupid easy to use and a very versatile aresenal of on-board effects.

This amp (and a few others) get bad reviews because so many say they sound brittle and bland. I've found that most of the time, EQ'ing this amp correctly cures a lot of the problems. (Settings that work on Peaveys and Crates, etc. don't sound great on this amp-(the amp archetecture is way diffrent than the former) and though it comes with a 16 ohm custom Celestion, a G12 replacement really wakes it up. (Something to consider later on down the road). These originally sold for almost $500.00-now I've seen them as low as $250.00 brand new. Try one. Sure it isn't a tube amp but for what it sounds like you are doing, you don't need a tube amp anyway. Tubes, not the amps but the tubes are subject to failure in any tube amp unless you a very careful with how you handle it. A tube as not much more than a variation on a light bulb. (U know what happens if you shake a light bulb really hard....) There's a good example of my Spider 112 used in a song I wrote called "Slim Goody". Playing a Les Paul on the cut. You can hear it at www.soundclick.com/bands/2/musicallymrmmusic.htm That's my site. I think you'd like this amp. (and I am not affiliated with Line 6 in anyway; just a very satisfied user)

[LMSone]

Get a Laney GC30 or GC50 - solid little performers, and the proprietary H&H speakers are the bomb. They repaced the GC series with the HC, which just don't sound as good to me - sound thinner and less warm. My GC30 had far more punch and volume (and a much better clean tone) than my ex-bandmate's 40 watt Marshall combo did.

[nicolaad30]

Either amp that can push more than 50 - 80 RMS watts (this is something like the average sounding level) can help you a lot for live, studio, practicing, ettc...plus, it will rock and beat even the bass player.

Here are some you could see in www.musiciansfriend.com for the range 250 - 300 $.


Amp Output Cab. Price

Behringer Ultratwin GX212 2x60 2x12 299 $
Behringer V-Ampire LX1-112 2x50 1x12 299 $
Line 6 Spider 112 1x50 1x12 299 $
Line 6 Spider II 112 1x75 1x12 299$


There are several amps out there that will vary from 400 to 500 $ that may help you a lot, like Fender ( I would go for the Hot Rod Deluxe, or the Cyber Deluxe), Marshall (there are so many, and I'm not a fan of Marshall). Also the Line 6 - Duoverb (which is two amps in one...you can use two different amps at a time in different speakers) would be a great choice.

From those above, I would personally go for the
Behringer V-Ampire or the Line 6 Spider II. They both deliver a nice amount of sound, the've got effects included (the behringer can be upgraded via internet) and because of the fact that the guy that plays with me has a Line6 Spider I recomend you highly this choice (it has a collection of the best ams, like marshall, fender, mesa. Though it does not sound exactly like them , but they have a close range.) I have tried it and you can use it for either style you will without having to change to another amplifier...plus, you've got effects...good effects.

Well, if you want, take a look to Harmony-central.com and go to reviews. Then, Guitar Amps by manufacturer and clik on Line 6. find the Spider 112 or the Spider II 112 and read the reviews...

Hope I helped.

HEY THIS GUY IS NOT GOING TO BUY A MARSHALL HEAD OR A VETTA OR SOME SORT OF EXPENSIVE AMPLIFIER. THOSE I MENTIONED ARE GREAT CHOICES AND GOOD SOUNDING AMPS. IF HE WANTS HE CAN UPGRADE WHEN HE HAS A COUPLE OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AND BUY HIMSELF A MESA HEAD WITH A 4x12 CAB...