Amp question

[SteveK]

Regarding sound quality, most guitar players I know prefer analog over digital. The old analog delay pedals that Boss and Ibanez made are now going for $175 and up while it's difficult to sell a digital delay without taking a beating. The truth is as far as new pedals go if you're sure you like it and are going to keep it for a while, spend a little more to get a pedal that won't give you any problems. I love Fulltone stuff because it's built like a tank from high quality parts, and they have the tones I'm looking for. The only pedals on my gig board that are not Fulltone, are my Barber compressor and my Strobostomp tuner. YMMV, and you should listen to as many different models and brands as you can. Another thought to keep in mind is, "buy used and play for free". Meaning that if you buy it used and don't like the pedal after using it for a while, you can probably sell it for what you paid for it. As far as batteries vs. power supply, some people can hear a difference and detect a different response between the two, but I can't, so for convenience I just use the power supply and don't worry about replacing batteries or having one go dead in the middle of a gig or recording. Hope this helps!

 

[Farview]

I mean this with the utmost respect: I think you are putting the cart before the horse. Get the amp you want to get the sound you want and you might find that you don't need as many pedals and effects to dress up what you are playing.
I went through this when I was younger (I am very old now) and one day I was forced to plug straight into the amp (the pedal board got left at home) and play a show like that. I was amazed at the power, clarity, and feel I was able to get out of my guitar without all that crap in the way. I stopped using effects that day ( for the most part, I had a chorus for the clean stuff and a delay for the solos for a little while)
I do understand gear lust and the 'more is better' attitude, but you really need to get your basic sound in order before you worry about trying to put together a 12 rack space Bradshaw system.

 

[Supercreep]

If you're going to use lots of effects and heavy distortion it matters less what amp you're using.

Try to listen to some nice tube amps at moderate volume and listen to the differences in tone between pickups at different guitar volume levels (I mean to use the volume pots on your guitar). See if you can find a spot where without much of a difference in actual output volume you can make both clean and distorted signals depending on how lightly you strike the strings. This degree of control and expressiveness is why nice tube amps are so sought after.

Please, please buy the best amp you can. Keep the old one, because it's just another tool in your toolbox. But 750 to 1000 dollars should bag you a very nice 210 or 410 combo amp. Don't worry about the class A boutique stuff for now.

 

[MrStitch]

Allright.. got me convinced. I allready have a speaker cab, that i think is probably pretty good. So now, I should look for a head.

I'll poke around at the local shop, and save some serious cash. Do ya suppose I could get a good tube amp head for around 400-500 bucks??

I seen the peavy 5150 price tag.... damn, thats just too much.

 

[Farview]

They have been making tube amps for more than 60 years, you can buy a used one and save money.