What is a good Recording Amp.

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+Absinthe+

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ok, so I just got Boss BR-600 Digital 8 track recorder (I love it) and while it sounds good, my current amp (Yamaha GA-10 practice amp which sucks) isn't quite the top of the line amp. I was wondering what a good recording amp would be for a good price (150 max. sadly work isn't so easy to find around here, especially when in school). It doesn't have to be perfect, but just one that is decent for rock/indie stuff.

My current setup is a Guitar (I've been favoring my cheap yamaha for some odd reason) to amp. then I use a cardioid audio technica ATR30 directly into the recorder, but I can change the setup to accommodate the amp.

thank you for your time =]
 
For that amount of $, I'd consider one of the amp modelers. I have the Behringer V thing that I bought a while ago- i paid 50 bucks for it if a recall. It doesnt get much use, because I have nice amp, but it isn't the worst sounding thing. I used it recently to put down a few song ideas- it was late and I didn't want to wake the whole house up. Look at the Pod stuff too. I'm really not a big fan of the modelers (or Behringer), but I really doubt you'll find an actual amp that sounds better for that price. Just my 2c.
 
Save your money and buy something you'll want to keep forever.
 
Before this goes any further:
Supercreep said:
Save your money and buy something you'll want to keep forever.
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What is the hurry to get a new amp now? Save up.



Anyway, my advise for getting any amp:
*bring your guitar
*bring your stomp boxes
*don't buy before playing your songs through your guitar with your stomp boxes

It is the only way to know.
 
Could you tell us what you think sucks about your current amp and what you expect out of your next amp? I have played that amp before alongside a bunch of solid-state and tube amps I own (including a Vox AC-15TBX, tweed Champ and tweed Deluxe, 1976 Marshall JMP, a Triumph Silicon Lead 100, and some original amps I designed and built). The Yamaha was decent for certain things, especially in a recording situation where power/volume was not an issue. Depending on what was needed, it could be made to sound better (or at least different) by changing the speaker setup and wiring up a different cab, or adding one or more pedals to the mix. I can see that amp working fine for "rock/indie" given that is a pretty broad, non-descript classification.

For example, do you like the tube sound or the solid-state sound? Do you want the greater maintenance/expense that comes with a tube amp or the lesser maintenance/expense that comes with a solid-state amp? Are you wanting a pure clean sound or an effected/distorted sound from your AMP (just the amp, not your whole rig)? Do you want low power, higher power, or a flexible range of power? What is going to be your preferred recording setup (direct in from a line-out, micing a built-in combo speaker, micing an external cab, etc.)? Are you going to use pedals or not? If yes, what kinds of pedals -- distortion/fuzz/overdrive types, modulation types, etc.? Do you need channel switching or multiple channels or not? Are the tone controls on your Yamaha adequate or do you need more, less or a different kind of controls? Without knowing a lot more about what you want out of an amp, you risk getting off-base recommendations and buying another amp that you do not like.
 
BIGSHAQDADDY said:
THERE IS ALWAYS A PLACE FOR LOW WATTAGE CLASS A TUBE POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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1193312897E4txVY.jpg
 
haha thanks guys for all the replies =].
I like the amp I have now (it does have a very broad use) but the feedback is a huge turn away. No matter what there is always mucho feedback, and when recording it becomes annoying. I just got $165 so I may go to a pawn shop and pick something new up. (After testing of course). I'm debating still, but if all goes well I'll be playing thru effects pedals and the amp will be Mic'd thru a cardioid dynamic mic. I've never really messed with tube-amps much (never could afford one).

If anyone can give suggestions to reducing feedback or amp suggestions thatd be great. I'm currently looking into the current suggestions.

Thank you =]
 
+Absinthe+ said:
haha thanks guys for all the replies =].
I like the amp I have now (it does have a very broad use) but the feedback is a huge turn away. No matter what there is always mucho feedback, and when recording it becomes annoying. I just got $165 so I may go to a pawn shop and pick something new up. (After testing of course). I'm debating still, but if all goes well I'll be playing thru effects pedals and the amp will be Mic'd thru a cardioid dynamic mic. I've never really messed with tube-amps much (never could afford one).

If anyone can give suggestions to reducing feedback or amp suggestions thatd be great. I'm currently looking into the current suggestions.

Thank you =]
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You shouldn't have feedback all of the time even with a cheap amp. Either your pickups are no good or you are adjusting the amp's controls drastically wrong.
 
+Absinthe+ said:
haha thanks guys for all the replies =].
I like the amp I have now (it does have a very broad use) but the feedback is a huge turn away. No matter what there is always mucho feedback, and when recording it becomes annoying. I just got $165 so I may go to a pawn shop and pick something new up. (After testing of course). I'm debating still, but if all goes well I'll be playing thru effects pedals and the amp will be Mic'd thru a cardioid dynamic mic. I've never really messed with tube-amps much (never could afford one).

If anyone can give suggestions to reducing feedback or amp suggestions thatd be great. I'm currently looking into the current suggestions.

Thank you =]
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I agree with the other poster that this does not sound like a problem with your particular amp. Most likely culprits for feedback with solid-state amps like yours are bad guitar pickups (interior components could be loose or poorly isolated or insulated), guitarist positioning (standing in front of the speaker or reflection point or in a resonant spot), amp or pedal settings (using extreme gain or distortion/non-linearities in the signal path), and poor recording space. Changing amps will not address the majority of these issues; in fact, going to a tube amp can increase the risk of feedback/squealing issues when you factor in the occasional microphonic tube.

Try to figure out the situations that make your feedback worse and the situations that make it better and see if you can isolate the problem and fix it. Otherwise, you may be blowing your money on another amp that will have the same problems.
 
BIGSHAQDADDY said:
Yeah well you are probably an ansestor of some idiot who through out his 1957 tweed champ beacuse the new vox super-beatles came out.
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This is not particulary helpful, to newbies or anyone else.

I'm fairly certain my ancestors, idiots though they may have been, knew the difference between threw and through. :)

Oh, and nice chiclets.
 
BIGSHAQDADDY said:
Yeah well you are probably an ansestor of some idiot who through out his 1957 tweed champ beacuse the new vox super-beatles came out.
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well that's not really fair.
The Valve jr is a kinda dark sounding amp.
I know quite a few people that don't care for it.
I like it a get some great sounds out of it by using a good OD in front of it but not everyone likes every amp.
That doesn't make 'em dumb.
 


I've used one of these before for recording, my friend had one laying around just for that purpose. We never used it live, but for living room recording sessions it was really nice. It's very responsive, and the separate output level means you can get 'turned up' tone without 'turned up' volume. It's pushing your budget limit at around $150 but, it's a Vox. I'm not usually interested in name brands at all, but they do have a reputation to uphold, so you know it won't be a piece of unreliable junk that melts down from being used too much or turned up too loud.

If you care, it has built in effects, and amp modelling tailored to its own speaker too. I don't know what kind of tones you are looking for but this thing would do crunchy classic rock sounding stuff and ridiculous full stack sounding heavy chug-chug sounds really well. It's not loud enough for stage without some kind of reinforcement, but for a recording amp it was great - not something I would get rid of to get a 'better' amp down the road. I wish it was mine and not my friends, because now I can't use it any more since I moved away.
 
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