I currently have a Vox DA15 which i got 2 years ago and happened to think sounded amazing but now my ear has devoloped more it sounds really digital and fake to me.
I'm hoping to upgrade to something with tubes and i'm not bothered about ruling any amp makes out at this stage so i'm open for all suggestions.
Budget is about £400.
I need something which would be reliable and loud enough for playing small venues, and has atleast 2 channels.
Preferably it'd be good if it was versitile,Rock, Pop, Blues, Jazz, Funk, possibly metal but it doesn't need death metal distortion levels.
My influences are Incubus, Smashing Pumpkins, Muse, Pink Floyd, Queens of the Stoneage, Dinosaur J.R, Alice in Chains, Minus the Bear.
I could probably find access to amps suggested to try them out but i'd just like some direction to what may be good to look at.
Thanks.
Welcome. :D
Do you want 2 channels for instrument and voice (not likely if it ain't acoustic), or for 2 instruments, or do you mean clean with overdrive?
Oh well, had to ask. Rock on! 8)
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
Hey :D
I'd like the 2 channels to be for a clean and a distorted, as i like to change between them a fair bit in songs. Maybe 3 for a clean, distorted rhythm and lead.
If its worth anything i play a PRS SE Singlecut.
Hope this helps!
Right-O!
Well, here's ONE amp that looks pretty cool to me.
Price is nice, and like I said, it is one idea, maybe worth an ear?
http://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Laney-LV200-Guitar-Combo-Amp/B2B
Why not not check this one, 2? :lol: all-tube, as you wish, it might sound like it has 100 watts! :wink:
http://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Peavey-ValveKing-112-Combo-Guitar-Amp/4KG
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
Is it possible for you to go toa shop and try them out? Some amps sound so much like each other and some sound so different. The one that I ended up with is not the one I would have gotten had I not tried them out.
Roy
"I wonder if a composer ever intentionally composed a piece that was physically impossible to play and stuck it away to be found years later after his death, knowing it would forever drive perfectionist musicians crazy." - George Carlin
Thanks Blue Jay!
They look like some definate ones to try out.
Is it possible for you to go toa shop and try them out? Some amps sound so much like each other and some sound so different. The one that I ended up with is not the one I would have gotten had I not tried them out.
Hi :)
Yeah, i'm planning on trying out as many amps as possible but i'd just like a few suggestions from people who aren't complete amp noobs like me :lol:
The only music shops nearby dont have a very wide selection of anything so i'd probably have to spend a day out amp shopping in one of the cities, which i look forward to(!), but dont want to have to do too many times.
Comparing the 'big two' of Fender and Marshall, I've always preferred Fender's clean tones to the Marshall, and vice versa when it comes to anything driven. I think very highly of the Blackstar tube amps, they have really nice cleans and really fat driven tones too, best of both worlds. They can be quite pricey though. I know Dawsons music store stock them, so if you have one nearby, maybe check some out there......and then order one more cheaply from anywhere else that sells them. Sorry I'm not more help on this.
Hi scrybe!
Blackstars seem like very very nice amps! But way out of my budget but i'll try them out anyway, they maybe a future option when i've got some more funds :)
I've been researching Peavey Valveking amps, which seemed like a good amp for the price. But i've heard that they require a lot of upgrades to make them into a decent amp. Has anyone had any experiance with these?
Thanks
Hi scrybe!
Blackstars seem like very very nice amps! But way out of my budget but i'll try them out anyway, they maybe a future option when i've got some more funds :)
I've been researching Peavey Valveking amps, which seemed like a good amp for the price. But i've heard that they require a lot of upgrades to make them into a decent amp. Has anyone had any experiance with these?
Thanks
They look okay to me, I know a dealer very well, and my son has 2 Peaveys, but not that model.
I just looked up Brand Name amps in your price range in the UK and combed through the specs by eye, more or less. :wink:
I was shocked at the price of Fenders and Marshall, BTW. Had hoped to find a Blues Deluxe or something for you; yikes over 4 times the price? Hot Rod Deluxe was another but way overpriced. FWIW a used Super 60 is usually a good bargain.
We'll have to let yet another person answer and chat, as we are happy to do, and also ... happy hunting! :D
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
I was shocked at the price of Fenders and Marshall, BTW. Had hoped to find a Blues Deluxe or something for you; yikes over 4 times the price? Hot Rod Deluxe was another but way overpriced. FWIW a used Super 60 is usually a good bargain.
We'll have to let yet another person answer and chat, as we are happy to do, and also ... happy hunting! :D
Yup, we get ripped off horrendously on amp and guitar prices. Makes for interesting reading on here when US guys complain about prices for gear and I'm thinking "yeah, but you're still paying close to half what we have to pay!?!"It's especially true of tube amps which were dirt cheap up until about 7 years ago - I picked up a Marshall JTM45 for £300 back then, only to find out it retails at more than 3 times that now. :shock:
I was thinking along the lines of the Blues Jr, but it doesn't have two channels, and it wouldn't really have the aggression to handle metal, imho. I'm not too familiar with the ValveKing series. They do seem very poopular on forums, but the downside of forums is they tend to attract posts only from the obsessed fans or the haters - finding a good measurement of a product's success can sometimes be a bit tricky.I wouldn't rule out buying second hand, either through a store, or through ebay or a guitar mag or something. For under £400 there is the Epiphone Blues Custom, 2 channels http://www.thomann.de/gb/epiphone_blues_custom_30.htm This amp has been rebadged a bunch of times and Andertons were offering it for a straight £300 under a different name last year. I wish I could remember what that different name was now! But might be worth a look.
There's also the Line 6 Spider Valve, but again I've not tried it - http://www.thomann.de/gb/line6_spidervalve_112.htm
The Blackstar amp I was thinking of was the HT-5 combo, which comes in around £316. It's only 5watts, but depending on venue size, band (mainly how well the drummer can control his volume), and micing possibilities (if you're running through a PA often, you might find micing this amp works well for you) it might be an option. I've come to the conclusion that it's better to get a less powerful amp and have it running nicely hot than it is to have a powerful amp and keep having to turn it down in gigs and lose 'that tone'. You might find it difficult to get clean tones at sufficient volume with this option, but you should be able to get dirty tones at suitable small gig volumes. Whether its an option really depends on what tones you need in your gigging context. http://www.thomann.de/gb/blackstar_ht5_combo.htm
Nice post Scrybe! Excellent work and research, I enjoyed and learned from reading that .... links, facts and insight. 8)
So whenever you're not too busy, and are inclined to be as helpful as always, I do enjoy the pearls of wisdom and wit from your new wave of the British Invasion of talent. :D
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
