Which Amp?

Ahhhhh, an ever important question. Do not rush into this one. Two questions that might help the class. What type of music (I think I know) and what's the budget? Oh, I guess a third one. Are you a strong lad?

Are you a strong lad?

Good one!

You need at least 200W, don't ever let the other guitarist overpower you....J/K

But Roy was right you'll realize quickly how heavy and much of a pain in the a22 it is to haul a big amp around.

I have a Fender Deuxe that's about 50 -60 lbs and eventhat was a bit of a pain to lug around but it's doable. If you start thinking Marshall half stacks etc., you better be prepared.

Now if you are jamming at your house like I have been then everyone else has the problems I get to just turn it on when everyone shows up... :D

Keep in mind that a 100 watt amp is not twice as loud as a 50 watt amp. It is in reality only something like 3db louder. Sure, you can get a 100 watt amp cause the other guy has one, but you don't need it unless he cranks his amp to the max. If his amp is more powerful and you were using the same amp design through the same speaker and his amp was maxed out, you wouldn't hear yours. (You would need ear protectionas well) If he plays at a reasonable volume, you would be fine as even low wattage amps through an efficient speaker can be obnoxiously loud. Lots of people here will tell you you don't need a 100 watt amp unless you are playing a stadium. So ........

Definitely as mentioned before : Are you a strong lad?

and ........

Does the other guy go to eleven?

i hope he doesn't crank it up, it'll blow my head off, it'd be like "back to the future" when he goes flying backwards, i think he had it on 3 and it was well loud, would be ok with a heavy amp but getting a stack with head would be too big for my car, seen a marshall combo 100w on ebay plus i'm at the guitar shop tonight so i'll have a look what they've got there..

I've got a 50 watt amp that's solid state(not-tube). It seems like it's loud enough for anything place I'd ever play. It would probably work for a local bar or a coffee shop. I think tube amps are alot louder for the same wattage or at least that was my experience on the couple of amps I tried.

I've got a 50 watt amp that's solid state(not-tube). It seems like it's loud enough for anything place I'd ever play. It would probably work for a local bar or a coffee shop. I think tube amps are alot louder for the same wattage or at least that was my experience on the couple of amps I tried.

Yeah, a 40 watt Fender tube amp would be loud as heck compared to a 50 watt solid state. But, the tone of a tube amp......I like a lot.

One other thing to consider, is that I've heard that some digital efforts do not cut through other instruments that well.

Roy, IMH experience the problem with digital amps cutting through is that a lot of digital modelers seem to have much more 'intense' EQs. If you take a simple small tube amp with basic EQ it's often hard to get a really bad sound out of it. It's extremely easy to get a horrible sound out of a GT8. And because it take some time and energy in getting used to a new modelers lots of people I know use the presets. The problem with that is that Boss knows how to sell their equipment: most of the presets sound very impressive in the music store but are totally useless in a mix with multiple instruments. I'm sure you all know the metal bands with SpiderII amps where the guitar sounds like a bunch of flies engaged in a variety of erotic activities.

But it doesn't have to be that way. My digital Vox AD30 came through very well during a small outdoors gig with the attenuator at 15W (IIRC) and at rehearsals it was even lower.

I'm sure you all know the metal bands with SpiderII amps where the guitar sounds like a bunch of flies engaged in a variety of erotic activities.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Oh dear....wow what an analogy. I just laughed out of my heart over this, Arjen. (Still can't control as I view the thread again...)

Thanks for the wonderful comparison and I am glad to know that I love metal bands just about that much. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

When you say a 100W Marshall amp, you do not say whether he has the solid state or all tube Marshall. Although 100 watts is a 100 watts, I guarantee you a 100 watt tube amp will sound much louder than solid state.

For playing live gigs, you probably should try to get at least a 30 watt tube amp. If you go solid state, I would go for at least 75 watts. This will be plenty of volume for all but the biggest clubs or very large crowds. But most large clubs have PA's, you just mic the amp into the PA.

It starts getting real loud when you have two guitarists with loud amps. One guy turns up so he can hear himself over the other, the other guy turns up, then you turn up again, he turns up again..........

Pretty soon it is deafening and really isn't music anymore. It is just blaring noise.

So, you've got to learn to play at volume levels that sound good.

Volume is important, but good tone is more important. So what if your amp is super loud but sounds like a chain-saw?? :roll:

When you look for an amp, sit down and play it awhile. If you play with distortion, then try the amp out with distortion and hopefully a similar guitar to the one you own. Turn all the tone knobs, experiment with gain levels and see if you can get great tones that you really love. When you find an amp that sounds awesome the way you play, that is the amp.

I hear that Wes!

Back when I was in a band, I couldn't get those knuckleheads to play quiet to save their souls!
I had an 80 watt 2 x 12 amp and I needed it!

There really is no need to play at those levels though.

Wes and TR have good points.

If you're talking Marshall tube amps, a 100 watt 1/2 stack [should] have more clean headroom than a 50 watt 1/2 stack.
(Of course the speaker rating factors in.... trying to keep it simple here though)

Take the original Allman Bros line up.... Duane played through a 50, and Dickey through a 100;
Dickey had a much cleaner sound.... Duane; a nice bluesy breakup.

Clapton's Bluesbreaker amp was a 50 watt Marshall combo.

The 22 watt version is plenty loud, but has more breakup at gig levels.

It depends on what kind of music you play as well.

Metal players will want all that clean loudness that a 100 watt stack can give so that they can run a million pedals thru it.
Distortion comes from a pedal for them.
(Metal players also like Solid State amps for the onboard Gain available)

Blues nuts'll be happy with a 50's 12 watt Fender Tweed Deluxe.
They like pure tube overdrive.

My own opinion is that 30-40 tube watts is good for band applications.

Ken

Now technically, 100 watts is 100 watts, tube or solid state ... but ....... tube amps do sound louder. I was going to suggest 30 - 50 watts of tube amp would be good for most applications and solid state? Well, I don't think you can have too much solid state power as I find their tone is less volume dependant so head room is what I go for in a solid state amp. Hence ... I have a 30 watt tube amp (and a couple 5 watters) and a 120 watt solid state head. I like to play with distortion so thats why the low end of the gigable tube amp range at 30 watts. I also wanted an amp that would be usable at home. I have found out by past mistakes that a 50 watt Marshall tube amp is not living room friendly, at least not to get the sound I wanted from it. I hate to tell people what to get, but judging from the above advice, I'm in the same ball park so I'll jump on the band wagon with some numbers. :lol:

What about a "line 6 flextone 3" with effect pedal £250

mark, the first review on musician's friend on this said exactly what a couple have referred to. The lack of ability to cut through others to be heard. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Line-6-Flextone-III-Plus-1x12-Stereo-Combo-Amp?sku=482241

Having said that, the others looked as if they do gig, and I've seen earlier flextones being gigged without problems....at least visible to me. Still, I just have that gut feeling that if you go with someone's tube amp for the same money (Fender has two choices for about the same money), that you'll be well satisfied and have no worries. I mean, it doesn't get better than a tube amp, right? Just get a couple of pedals if you don't like the distortion on them. More and more fun.

Anyhow, wait for our expert friends to chime in.