Best Value Guitar Amps

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twsknight

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Hi there,

I'm slowly building up my studio equipment and what I really need is a guitar amp. It needs to be suitable for recording and suitable for small gigs should the need arise.

From what I read many moons ago when I last though about getting a guitar amp, 60w is minimum I'm looking for if I want it to cut it in any sort of live situation.

I'm not in the least bit fussed about brands and names, I just want a quality amp. It doesn't necessarily need overdrive/distortion, as I'm happy to invest in that seperately, especially if it means I can get a better amp for the money.

I don't have a strict budget, I'm happy to save, but I'd like it to stay in the lower end of triple figures. Anything over £500 is most definately out of the question (espically given my ability on guitar and the current guitar I own).

Help and advice would be most apprciated.

Cheers
 
Don't worry so much about wattage - I've played 15 watt tube rigs that would hang with even a loud drummer, no sweat. Meanwhile, my 50-watt Rectoverb can vaporize small children at fifty paces.

Now, the million dollar question - what sort of tones are you after? And what's your guitar?
 
Yeah we'll definitely need some more detail about what you're after. So you've got a specific price range in mind, which is a good start. Now what would you say are your top 3 other requirements for your new amp? Some examples:

- versatility
- killer tone
- modelling features
- tube or solid state?
 
try the new crate class A tube types... lotsa versatility there...
 
Well long term I'm looking for a good all rounder. It's more important that it sounds good when recording than live. My grand scheme to have a decent recording set up is my main aim, and the guitar amp is one of the key things I am now without. It's safe to say that I'll always be playing rock music and blues. I doubt I'll ever move onto mellower projects, so it's got to have some balls to it.

At the moment I'm writing songs for a punk band I'm trying to form. I guitar is a Tele copy called a "Freshman" which I bought just to get back into guitar. It plays suprisingly well for a cheap guitar.

Long story short, the band I'm forming involves people travelling a couple of hours on train to get to my place where I've got rehersal space set up in the garage. It seems likely that I'll have two guitarists, but can only garantee one amp, so I figured as I need a decent amp for recording purposes I might as well get one that we can use for band practices too.

Back onto the sound (sorry if I keep jumping back and forth) I want a big sound when I record. As I'm new to this, I don't know how much is amp and how much is editing and fx etc. but I want the guitar to sound as alive as possible in the recordings.

Really I'm looking for the "ol' reliable" in terms of amps, something that is consistent, versatile and will get the job done. It doesn't need to be anything fancy, I don't need any line 6 crazy amp modelling stuff (unless I can get it cheap of course;) ) and it doesn't really need to be suitable for gigs, it's recording well that counts.

Sorry if this is a bit of a long and slightly incoherent message, it was a hell of a long day at work.

Cheers
 
If your dead set on an amp and need gigging volume. Here are a couple ideas:

1) Tech 21 Trademark 60 - Excellent very versitile amp with good low end response and plenty of clean headroom. Loud enough to hang with a full band if needed and has an XLR direct output if needed.

2) Line 6 Spider Valve 112 - I'm not a big fan of the Line 6 Spider series. However, this amp is a departure from the rest of the line with a much smoother top end and increased low end punch. Also has a direct XLR output if needed.

If you don't need gigging volume consider the Fender Super Champ XD, Vox Valvetronix, or First Act VA series (currently being blown out).

If you don't need volume at all: Peavey Revalver MKIII, Digitech RP500 or GNX3000, or Boss GT10.

Feel free to stop by my site and have a read as well, www.frugalguitarist.com.

Good Luck!
 
I still consider my Fender Super Champ XD the best/most versatile amp in the price range.

15-watt tube tone (it's a digital modeling preamp into Class A/B dual 6V6 power amp)

footswitchable (2 channels - clean and modeling)

moddable - starting with the popular speaker upgrade and on to adding FX loops, line-in, etc.

Line-In (does not mute speaker) - great for live situations when miking isn't possible - this is simulated, but pretty close to the real sound. you still get the "real" sound on stage.

yes, it's loud enough to hang with a drummer, if not you just mic it.

it can drive an external cabinet and gets much louder.

it has several really nice models - i like fender cleans and fender bassman, but you can also get convincing "british" overdrives and some heavier distortions. also a decent acoustic sim (if you use electric guitar) or use it with a plugged-in acoustic - maybe not the best recording rig for acoustic tones, but great bonus.

on-board effects aren't all equally useable, but i love "spring reverb". it also has chorus, tremolo, delay, etc. but you wouldn't record with those.

even people who've had original all-tube fenders say that this amp has "the" tone. of course, speaker needs to be considered.
 
lots to choose from for value valve amps:
epi valve junior of course
the blackheart line
fender blues jr. or pro jr.
peavy classic series
orange tiny terror
used randall mts amps (though you have to buy modules for it).
 
I was just browsing a thomann catalogue and noticed they had an epiphone triggerman guitar head and speaker for £267. Anyone know if it's any good as an amp?
 
I would go for either a silverface fender champ, vibrochamp, princeton (w/ or w/out reverb) or a deluxe reverb, depending on what's available in your area and what pricing is like.

The champs are 6W, the princetons 12W and the deluxe 22W.......depending on what your volume needs are. However, a champ through a 2x12 sounds pretty huge, and a deluxe has to be running a little hot to get that great fender tone (which means it's loud).

remember that functionally, a doubling in wattage has about a 3dB effect on the overall volume. granted, 3dB is nothing to sneeze at, but try not to get caught up in "you need 60W to gig with". that's BS. i've gigged with 6W before. :D

If recording is truly your first priority, i would recommend a vibrochamp and a 12in external cabinet. and then use pedals to get the dirt you can't get out of the amp.

lots of folks seem to really be into the new Superchamp XD amps. and i've heard them sounding good, so that might be a good option for you. i had one of the new vibrochamp XD amps for about 3 days but it just couldn't hold a candle to my '76 champ, so back it went. modelling amps really just don't do it for me. the VCXD sounded boxy and didn't record well at all. the cheap speaker had a lot to do with that, i'm sure.


cheers,
wade
 
As far as "value" goes, I assume you mean a good sounding amp for reasonable cash with good recording traits.
For a pure and warm sound stick with all tube (with fresh tubes and bias) and low wattage. NO MODELING AMPS!
And no matter how tempting a new $300 Crate tube amp is, spending the same cash on Craigslist for a vintage amp that sounds WAY better will be well worth it. So for goodness sakes, stick with a good name like Fender, Gibson, Vox, or an old Epiphone or Magnovox will sound better than some of those new modern tube amps (that are just copying early Fender circuitry anyway).
For example Fender Champs are great. This little 5W thru a good mic can sound like a Marshall stack. Claptons "Layla" was recorded on a Champ after all.
 
SunnTube said:
[...]NO MODELING AMPS![...]
For example Fender Champs are great. This little 5W thru a good mic can sound like a Marshall stack. Claptons "Layla" was recorded on a Champ after all.
Click to expand...

ok, soon there'll be the tube v.s. non-tube discussion again... so read this http://www.epinions.com/content_3726614660 .

"Layla" - in my ears - has some of the ugliest guitar-sounds I've ever heard... no matter how many tubes were used in the chain.

I don't say buy one of these, but just listen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYSe5CppUf8 ... for something around 200£?
 
SunnTube said:
And no matter how tempting a new $300 Crate tube amp is, spending the same cash on Craigslist for a vintage amp that sounds WAY better will be well worth it. .
Click to expand...


never even bothered to try one have you???
 
Crate vintage club 50 or 30. Gainwise they will do anything up to hard rock, but not metal. My VC50-310 has three 10s, two channels with independent reverb controls on both, eqs and volumes on both, and is powered by a quartet of 12ax7s in the preamp and a quartet of el84s in the output section.

I got mine used for under three hundred american dollars. It came mounted on casters and with the footswitch for changing channels. Sometimes I run a mxr distortion+ pedal in front of the guitar into the distortion channel (amp gain set to ten o'clock - low) which changes the amp into three channel monster. Randy Rhodes sorta did the same thing except he ran his distortion+ into a Marshall with the gain turned up.

You can also get some cool acdc tones by pushing the output tubes into distortion on the od channel. In sum, very versatile amp for cheap. Very heavy though...mine is 70 pounds.
 
SunnTube said:
As far as "value" goes, I assume you mean a good sounding amp for reasonable cash with good recording traits.
For a pure and warm sound stick with all tube (with fresh tubes and bias) and low wattage. NO MODELING AMPS!
And no matter how tempting a new $300 Crate tube amp is, spending the same cash on Craigslist for a vintage amp that sounds WAY better will be well worth it. So for goodness sakes, stick with a good name like Fender, Gibson, Vox, or an old Epiphone or Magnovox will sound better than some of those new modern tube amps (that are just copying early Fender circuitry anyway).
For example Fender Champs are great. This little 5W thru a good mic can sound like a Marshall stack. Claptons "Layla" was recorded on a Champ after all.
Click to expand...

The champs are cool, and I actually really like the newer version (champ 600), but he will be hard pressed to get modern punk rock tones out of one. Maybe the scxd could pull it off better, but not the good old champ--at least by itself.

In defense of the all-tube crates, I would not say they are cheap/bad imitations of the old Fenders. If that were the case they wouldn't be using elxx output tubes and they wouldn't be including so many gain stages. And besides, many famous amp designs were derived from the old Fenders. Take Marshalls for example- they started out as direct copies of Fenders. It's not necessarily a bad thing...

I guess it is a trade off. Go with a crate and you lose out on resale value, but you get great sound for the money. Go with the big names and you have cough up a big initial investment, but those amps usually maintain or even gain value as time passes. I'm not saying you can't find one used, but you may have to wait a while for a deal depending on where you live.

To the op, just go with whatever your ears tell you is best. Don't let the name game govern your decision, at least not too much.
 
Thanks for all the advice guys, it's really helped.

I had a look on the crate website, and the fw65 caught my eye. It seems to have good reviews, so I may give it a test run.

A further question:

For my fellow UK members, can anyone reccommend a good shop for amps in the Manchester/Cheshire/Stoke area?
 
owwmyfoot said:
Take Marshalls for example- they started out as direct copies of Fenders.
Click to expand...
Not quite. The first marshalls were copies of the tweed bassman circuit, but had different transformers and power tubes, which inherently changed things.

This is similar to your defense of the crates not being copies of fenders (who do have an el84 amp, btw.....the blues jr).

But really, Fenders were simply circuits taken out of the old RCA tube application manual, so what's to define innovation really?

I'm not a big fan of crate amps. Really, i'm not a big fan of amps based/printed on circuit boards. Too many heat-related failures (across marshalls, voxes, everyone really) that are not field-servicible. Give me an old fender or marshall amp (or a new close that's PTP or turret board) and a stack of pedals and I'm a happy camper.

And i disagree that you can't get a punk tone out of a Champ. All you need are the right fuzz and dirt boxes and the right guitar/pickups.


cheers,
wade
 
mrface2112 said:
Not quite. The first marshalls were copies of the tweed bassman circuit, but had different transformers and power tubes, which inherently changed things.

This is similar to your defense of the crates not being copies of fenders (who do have an el84 amp, btw.....the blues jr).

But really, Fenders were simply circuits taken out of the old RCA tube application manual, so what's to define innovation really?

I'm not a big fan of crate amps. Really, i'm not a big fan of amps based/printed on circuit boards. Too many heat-related failures (across marshalls, voxes, everyone really) that are not field-servicible. Give me an old fender or marshall amp (or a new close that's PTP or turret board) and a stack of pedals and I'm a happy camper.

And i disagree that you can't get a punk tone out of a Champ. All you need are the right fuzz and dirt boxes and the right guitar/pickups.


cheers,
wade
Click to expand...

Yeah...maybe. I don't buy the whole "we set out to build the first rock and roll amplifier" schbeal. In those days, Fenders were unbelievably expensive in the U.K. and Jim Marshall set out to sell direct copies of the bassman for cheaper. Why? To make money. The first few they made were direct copies with U.S.-sourced power transformers. Once they started to cut costs by subbing out parts, they realized the sound of the amplifiers was changing for the better-- and so did a number of notable players. It's all gravy either way. I digg it.

I agree that the point-to-point amps are better, especially if you plan on owning an amp for life. But for what they are (throw-away amps essentially) the Crates are an unbelievable value.
 
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