small cheap amp...what to get

  • Thread starter Thread starter dastrick
  • Start date Start date
For blues and rock I would not reccomend those amps. Honestly, if you're looking for a recording amp . . . I'd save an extra 40-50 and get a used fender champion 600 or a used vox ac4. (the ac4's are sooo killer!!) But yeah. That is just my personal point of view.


edit:
dastrick said:
Here's what I'm looking at so far: and it needs to be come from musiciansfriend because I'm using a gift card.
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sorry, i missed that part. Ok, yeah, I don't know what to tell ya. The front man series isn't horrible. I played one for a while cause it was all that was available where I was living. They actually sound pretty decent. But definately not quite as nice as a tube amp. Just my $.02
 
I'm a little skeptical of cheap tube amps. This amp is gonna stay in my house and I'm pretty much going to use it to practice different mic techniques and different mics. I'm really leaning toward the Fender Frontman 25R. At some point in the future I'll build an isolation box for it so I can play it when the families sleeping. ;)
 
I know it's hard to do, but I'd suggest waiting a little longer until you can afford something just a little better. It will actually save you money in the long run.

I haven't personally heard the ACTV4 yet, but I keep hearing great things about them. The thing that should interest you about them is, that aside from a reportedly killer sound (everybody's tastes are different, so you should try to play one in person yourself), you can dial the power output down to 1/4 watt, so you probably wouldn't need the iso cab. At most, you'd have to rig some blankets around it. And it would give you something better-sounding to experiment with as far as micing techniques. No point in getting a really accurate recording of something that sounds like crap to begin with. I guess I shouldn't say that, as I don't really know what the amps you're looking at sound like.

Really, if you're going to get a cheap solid state amp, and you're going to use cheap mics, you might want to consider (and everyone can start screaming now) a modeler, especially is it's mostly for practice. Modelers may not be the real thing they're modeling, but neither are sub-$100 solid state amps, and they're a godsend for bedroom practicing. Now, if you're planning on jamming with a friend, then go for the amp.

Do you already have any pedals that you're planning on using?
 
Probably a good idea to save a few more coin and get a better amp- but why wait? Fender Frontman 15's sell (at least here in Atlanta) for around $40 every day- you can buy one tomorrow, and sell it six months later for the same amount you paid for it. So, buy one now, save up the money for something better, and when you are $40 away from your goal, sell the Frontman 15.
 
stevieb said:
Probably a good idea to save a few more coin and get a better amp- but why wait? Fender Frontman 15's sell (at least here in Atlanta) for around $40 every day- you can buy one tomorrow, and sell it six months later for the same amount you paid for it. So, buy one now, save up the money for something better, and when you are $40 away from your goal, sell the Frontman 15.
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That makes no sense to me. If he's got $100 now why would he want to blow almost half on some P.O.S. only to "TRY" and sell it later and risk taking a loss?
 
Has anyone heard that Bugera? The headphone jack feature on a tube amp seems pretty cool, and would make it perfect for your needs (as well as mine) if it sounded good. I think I might make a stop in at GC today.
 
notCardio said:
Has anyone heard that Bugera? The headphone jack feature on a tube amp seems pretty cool, and would make it perfect for your needs (as well as mine) if it sounded good. I think I might make a stop in at GC today.
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go check one out for us.

It almost HAS to be better than a Frontman or that MG15.
And I have/had one of each. I still have the MG15 ....... it mainly serves as a footrest when I'm programming my keyboard.
I gave the Frontman away.
 
Will do. Just remember, my opinion rarely coincides with anyone else around here, mostly because I don't need something that sounds good at volume. But dastrick's needs are pretty much the same as mine in this case, though I don't know what kind of music he plays or what kind of sound he's looking for.
 
I wish I had somewhere around here to go and check it out. Let me know what you think about it.
 
Well of course the GC in the town I'm in at the moment sold their only one yesterday, I may be going home this weekend, and they supposedly have some at 2 different stores there.

I did get to try out the Vox ACTV4, though. That is one cool little amp. It's just about what I need, but I'd like to hear the Bugera first. I didn't get quite enough time with the Vox, and you know how freakin' loud GC can get at times. I only played it with a Strat that I've now convinced myself I have to have. It was a '98 or '99 MIM with just the sweetest maple neck...but I digress. I'll try to get a report on the Bugera as soon as I can, 'cause now I'm interested.
 
I went by our local music store today, but of course they didn't have it.:mad: All they had was Marshall, Ibanez, & a couple of VOX.
 
I got the fender Champion 600 new at GC when they were on sale for $99.00. I upgraded the tone caps, tubes and speaker. Great sounding amp. Put a tube screameresk in front of it. I got it for the cleans. I tried the ephi, vox, and the beri and the fender blowed them out the water for the clean tone. The vox 4tv had a decent overdrive sound. I have a marshall for that.
 
So I emailed my local music store and asked them if they could get the Bugera v5. They replied back that they didn't carry "Behringer (Bugera)" products. Is Bugera made by Behringer? I looked on their website, but couldn't find any info.
 
dastrick said:
So I emailed my local music store and asked them if they could get the Bugera v5. They replied back that they didn't carry "Behringer (Bugera)" products. Is Bugera made by Behringer? I looked on their website, but couldn't find any info.
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Bugera amps are made in the Bugera factory. They are only distributed by Behringer.
 
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