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Some Amp ?s that have prob. been answered

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(@mattypretends116)
Honorable Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 530
Topic starter  

I've been playing a line 6 spider 1 for nearly a year now, and have gotten to the point where I know my desired sound well enough to get something a bit more specific. I love the line 6 since it gives such a variety of sounds, but I recently tried a tube for the first time, a marshall AVT, not sure of the specific model. WOW, what a difference. The big, wet tones were great! I'd never thought an amp could sound like that. I'd love to pick up a Marshall, but figured I'd run a few ?s by you all.

I've been browsing the catalog and need an opinon on the following:

1.) How long do tubes genreally last? I've heard a variety of answers ranging from forever to a week. Furthermore, exactly how much maintainence is involved with a tube amp?

2.) Price vs. Performance. I want to get a reasonable variety of tone from an amp. My guitar, a  Carvin AE185, has a fishman acoustic pickup under the bridge and gives a pretty good acoustic tone. I noticed that one AVT model offers an acoustic simulator, so in theory would produce a pretty good acoustic tone with my guitar, but I still want to be able to obtain a good distortion. I'm looking to invest, within reason. $500 tops (I'm in college, after all).  What model sounds best? Are the MG solid states a good alternative, even though they are not tube?

3.) To half stack or not to half stack. How much wattage do I really need?? I've been gigging a bit as of late, and hope to do more this summer with a band. Think average club size, tops. Will PA miking be enough to pick up where my amp leaves off if I just go for a 100 watt combo.? Is the half stack really necessary, or is it mainly an ego thing?

Thanks for your input, I appreciate it.  :)

Matt

"Contrary to popular belief, Clapton is NOT God. The prospect that he is God probably had a large hand in driving him to drugs and booze. Thanks everyone."

-Guitar World :lol:


   
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(@steve-0)
Noble Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 1162
 

Well, i may not be an expert, but i'm sure i can help you out a bit. Question 1: no, tubes will not last forever and do wear over time, here's an article about how to maintain a tube amp since it requires more maintainance than a solid state or digital:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=040412150002024150211043396235/g=home/s=articles/content/doc_id=91846          

part 2 of the article

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=040412150002024150211043396235/g=home/s=articles/content/doc_id=91864

As for question 2, i'm not the person to answer that. Question 3: Half stack or not to half stack. Personally, I enjoy the nice cosy combo amp, and i've seen alot of very powerful combo amps with tubes, however i've heard that along with the massive loudness, a half stack may give you a different tone. Your best bet would be to try them both at a store to see what you think.

Steve-0


   
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(@mattypretends116)
Honorable Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 530
Topic starter  

Thanks for articles Steve-o, hopefully someone will answer #2. I think that $500 will be too little based on the prices I have been seeing, but I can hope. Right now I'm thinking combo myself, but who knows...

"Contrary to popular belief, Clapton is NOT God. The prospect that he is God probably had a large hand in driving him to drugs and booze. Thanks everyone."

-Guitar World :lol:


   
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(@stock28)
Estimable Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 109
 

1) Tube life varies. Some members here have been using the same tubes for years. Depends on how you care for them and how much you use them. For the most part maintanance is nill cept for the tubes.

2) The AVT is not a true tube amp. They have tube pre amp and solid state power amp. Good but not true tube sound in my opinion. The MG series is Marshalls low end amp. They sound all right for solid state, but don't expect great tone out of them.

3) One hundred watts is more than enough. Fifty or sixty is fine as you will probably mic the amp anyway in a big hall.


   
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(@acceptedone)
Eminent Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 27
 

I think the MG marshalls sound GREAT for solid state... i have the MG250DFX, and i LOVE it... im not gonna lie and be like "yeah, its just as good as a tube amp" because its NOT, but it gets REALLY REALLY close to tube tone at times... i LOVE the thing... i knew when i bought it i was making a compromise... i cant afford to keep up a tube amp, in case a tube wore out or something... i couldnt be without an amp, and im too poor to buy tubes, so i went with the MG... the amp can get just about any tone im looking for... it even gets into the Nu-metal crunch at times (not that i PLAY that crap, i just experiment with the amp at times to test its bounds) but, at the end of the day, it'll never be a tube amp.. ive never played any of the marshall AVTs... so i cant go there, but i think that the MG series marshalls are GREAT, considering that they're solid state. As i said, i think the compromise in tone is marginal, especially considering the (general) sturdiness of a solid state amp


   
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(@wes-inman)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5582
 

First, I like AcceptedOne's attitude. I know myself and Joe Forrok Star are always pushing tube amps, but solid-state amps today are great. The average listener (or guitar player) could not tell the difference. They are more durable, weigh less, and less expensive.

As for question #2, to get acoustic sound, you want as clean a sound as possible. IMHO Fender amps have about the best clean sound around. That amp you described with the acoustic simulator sounds great, you can get both distortion AND the acoustic sound you want. If you had the money to buy 2 amps, you could purchase one for your heavy distortion needs, and an acoustic amp for clean sound, switch with an A/B switch.

Full Stack? Half Stack? Combo?

Who wouldn't love to own a Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier Full Stack? But how often would you use it? And those suckers are heavy and awkward to move around. Perfect if you're playing for 200 crazy college kids, but what about when some friends call up and want to jam in a small apartment?

So I think it's important to be very practical when choosing an amp. Me, I like combos. They're plenty loud enough for gigs (you can always get an extension cabinet later), and small and light enough to go anywhere. Yeah, they're not as cool. And that is important if you're gonna be in a Rock Band and want to make an impression. So you have to weigh all these things.

That's why I said I liked AcceptedOne's attitude. He weighed all the pros and cons and came up with the best, most practical amp for his needs. I think you have to be like that.

If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis


   
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(@Anonymous)
New Member
Joined: 1 second ago
Posts: 0
 

I'm going to add another question to your list: How much do I want to lift and carry?

Many years ago I gigged with an Ampeg V-4 half stack. It was a great amp with great sound, and extremely well constructed. Then one day we played a place called "The Up Top Sub Shop". The owner didn't want to disturb the customers by having us load in through the main entrance, so he asked us to load in through the back, which basically meant hauling my 85 pound (39 Kg) head and 75 pound (34 Kg) cab up four stories of glorified fire escape.

I traded the amp and cab in on a 1x12 60 watt combo two days later.


   
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(@acceptedone)
Eminent Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 27
 

First, I like AcceptedOne's attitude. I know myself and Joe Forrok Star are always pushing tube amps, but solid-state amps today are great. The average listener (or guitar player) could not tell the difference. They are more durable, weigh less, and less expensive.

As for question #2, to get acoustic sound, you want as clean a sound as possible. IMHO Fender amps have about the best clean sound around. That amp you described with the acoustic simulator sounds great, you can get both distortion AND the acoustic sound you want. If you had the money to buy 2 amps, you could purchase one for your heavy distortion needs, and an acoustic amp for clean sound, switch with an A/B switch.

Full Stack? Half Stack? Combo?

Who wouldn't love to own a Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier Full Stack? But how often would you use it? And those suckers are heavy and awkward to move around. Perfect if you're playing for 200 crazy college kids, but what about when some friends call up and want to jam in a small apartment?

So I think it's important to be very practical when choosing an amp. Me, I like combos. They're plenty loud enough for gigs (you can always get an extension cabinet later), and small and light enough to go anywhere. Yeah, they're not as cool. And that is important if you're gonna be in a Rock Band and want to make an impression. So you have to weigh all these things.

That's why I said I liked AcceptedOne's attitude. He weighed all the pros and cons and came up with the best, most practical amp for his needs. I think you have to be like that.

Thanks dude... :)

I played a Marshall AVT 150 yesterday, with a Fender 72 thinline tele, and a fender classic 60's strat... the only complaint that i have with the amp is that it tries to do WAY too much... it had effects and reverb settings out the wazoo, and that kinda irked me... the clean channel was VERY similar to my marshall (as it should have been) and the two overdrive channels were very different, but i couldnt find any tones on it i couldnt get close to with the mid-scoop and gain control on my MG... i heard a guy shredding on it with an ESP and an Epi Zakk Wylde LP... and he sounded GREAT... but that was more the player than the amp... from what i could tell of the AVT, the fact that it has preamp tubes doesnt add much to the tone... but it DOES add something... with that said... i fell in love with that MIM 60's classic strat ;)

Oh, just for reference, thanks to the two 12" celestions make the MG250DFX weigh in at about 80 pounds.


   
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