I have been amp shopping all week.
I checked out Peavey, Fender, Marshall, Line 6, Kustom, Crate, Behringer and a few other odds and ends.
I read many reviews on each amp (mostly at Harmony Central)
And I finally settled on a Crate GTX212 w/dps.
Now that it is too late to change my mind anyone have good or bad experiences with Crate amps?
Well I think you got a really nice solid state amp. I would say you probably got the best deal for the money. Solid state amps offer a great deal for the money but tube amps give the best sound. I used to think it doesn't make much diffence then I heard my friends traynor amp(an awesome canadian brand...check them out) Now I totally recommend tube amps. They are waaaayyyy louder then a solid state amp of the same wattage. Also they have such a warm sound it is just awesome. If you are looking for a fender amp check out traynor amps. They sound very similar for half the price. I am a marshall sound man, I love the crunch of a marshall but let me tell you that a traynor ycv40 sounds very nice. So, the point of my rant is....
Solid state amps are probably the best for practice(because of their price and versitility). But I would say if you want to play on stage a tube amp is the way to go because of the ability to shape your own sound. That being said I was really close to buying some crate amps, but in the end I "settled" for a used traynor amp and I'm so happy i did.
That amp you chose should be just fine. With any amp you just have to spend some time turning all those knobs until you find the tone(s) you like.
Congratulations.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Really? There's a Traynor 30-watt kicking around a mom-n-pop music shop I know back home. Tried it, thought it was fun. Maybe I should give it another go :D
Henry Garza, Saul Hudson, and Darrell Abbott could not be here tonight, but they all had sex and are proud to announce the birth of their two-headed baby, Rodya S. Thompson.
- Paraphrased from the Tenacious D series
Have fun spending quality time exploring the different possibilities of the amp. Anytime someone gets a new piece of equipment is always positive. I know you'll here guitarist (myself included) always recommending all tube amps this is mostly because of the tone type produce and have been using them for many years. You'll here pro's and con's from both sides. I use both types amps. Part of the final stages of my signal chain are solid-state power amps.
Most of all have Fun.
Joe
Really? There's a Traynor 30-watt kicking around a mom-n-pop music shop I know back home. Tried it, thought it was fun. Maybe I should give it another go
Yes, I think this is a problem. Many people just plug their guitar into an amp and expect instant perfection. This doesn't happen very often.
When a manufacturer makes an amp, it has to sound good with many different types of guitars and even effects. It has to sound good with a Les Paul with humbuckers, or a Strat with single coils. If they knew every person who bought their amp was going to use a Les Paul, then they could probably build that amp so it would sound fantastic the moment you plugged your guitar into it. But it might sound lousy with single-coil pickups.
But that's why there's all those knobs on there. So you can change the amount of gain, or bass, treble, and middle. Even bright switches and Presense controls. Plug effects straight in or use the Effects Loop. So they try to design an amp that will work with anything. So, you have to spend some time and get to know your amp and how it sounds with your guitars. It may sound great with a Strat and lousy with an LP. But turn those knobs and you'll find some good settings.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
