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i am currently looking at getting a amp for my guitar (a cort z22) and now i'm faced with that eteranl question: tube or SS? sadly, i don't have that much money to spend on an amp, like $300, $350 absolute max. so from what i've seen this means i can't really get a good tube amp. if you know of a good tube amp in my pricerange, plz tell me. the SS amps i have been looking at are the crate gtx65 and the carvin sx200c. sadly all the music shops in my area charge exorbiant prices, i've found better deals online. however, if i buy an amp online i don't get to hear it b4 purchasing. yaeh i realize that the carvin (which is the one i am favoring, by a lot) has more than enough power, but hey, i like things loud. so basically any advice on amps would be welcome. i'm kinds an electronics guru, so i know the "geek speak," well at least to a certain extent.
EDIT: btw i play a lot of pillar, skillet, etc.
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oh,and i am just buying a good ss amp to tide me over till i can get a good, high quality tube one, like in a couple years.
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Originally Posted by What5647 oh,and i am just buying a good ss amp to tide me over till i can get a good, high quality tube one, like in a couple years.
Have you considered any modeling amps?
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Line 6 Spider II 112 75watt
It's an amp that would serve your Pillar and Skillet needs as well as TFK, Disciple, PAX217 and so on.
$300
Spring for the FBV-4 and it's an extra $75 or so...well worth it, imho.
I'm all for promoting tube amps (I've still got 2) but for what you want to play you may want to go the modeling route for now because of their versatility.
FYI: the Spider II is my main worship amp.
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Originally Posted by tht00 Have you considered any modeling amps? i thought this on modeled 12ax7 tubes? maybe i misunderstood modeling. i don't need several types of tube sounds, 1 is fine. also take note that i have already looked at several more feature-packed amps in this pricerange and decided quality would be better than features, besides, that carvin has most of the effects i wanted. kow rugged is that spider? and more info on the other amp, can't figure out what it is...
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Originally Posted by gtrdave Line 6 Spider II 112 75watt
It's an amp that would serve your Pillar and Skillet needs as well as TFK, Disciple, PAX217 and so on.
$300
Spring for the FBV-4 and it's an extra $75 or so...well worth it, imho.
I'm all for promoting tube amps (I've still got 2) but for what you want to play you may want to go the modeling route for now because of their versatility.
FYI: the Spider II is my main worship amp.
My main amp right now is a Vox Valvetronix AD30VT, another modeling amp, 30w, $240. Great sound, flexable, and right now, probably one of the most flexable and best sounding amps uner $250. Also, the AD15VT (15w) is $180; exact same configuration with less power (would still be more than enough).
Also, I've heard good things about Roland Cubes, and some about the Peavey Transtube line.
Originally Posted by What5647 i thought this on modeled 12ax7 tubes? maybe i misunderstood modeling. i don't need several types of tube sounds, 1 is fine. also take note that i have already looked at several more feature-packed amps in this pricerange and decided quality would be better than features, besides, that carvin has most of the effects i wanted. kow rugged is that spider? and more info on the other amp, can't figure out what it is...
I'm not sure what your first question is asking...
And what did you have in mind by 'features' and 'effects'? Many times, those are simply selling points on amps and aren't typically worth basing a purchase on.
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ok, here's basically what i need from an amp:
good clean sound, when i play guitar for youth group everyone else uses an acoustic, so i want to try and fit in with that sound.
i also want to be able to crank up the distortion when i'm playing at home, with friends, etc. which is when i play pillar type stuff.
power, i love things loud. how loud? like floor-shaking loud, loud enough to feel it. (yeah yeah yeah,, i already know i'll be deaf one day...)
durability-i don't want the thing to crap out on me b4 i get a good tube amp.
as for the modeling bit-what i understood it to mean was that it modelled the sounds of different tubes. (class a, ab, b, etc.) and since that 12ax7 is used in some tube amps i had looked at that that's what this one would sound like.
oh, and for features and effects, i was looking at a crate gtx65 at one point, loads of effects, not much quality. the carvin is simpler and only has 4 effects, so i figured that based on the "you get what you pay 4" phrase that a fancy a $280 ($470 list) amp wasn't as good as a plain $300 (??? list) one.
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why don't you look at say a Peavey classic 30 Tube amp? Seems like it fits the Bill perhaps, and its a good tube amp. In price range. Tide me over purchases are usually the biggest wastes of money.
a 30 watt can blast you. In fact one time when I saw the blamed, they were using a 15 or 20 watt tube amp.
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Originally Posted by BillSPrestonEsq why don't you look at say a Peavey classic 30 Tube amp? Seems like it fits the Bill perhaps, and its a good tube amp. In price range. Tide me over purchases are usually the biggest wastes of money.
a 30 watt can blast you. In fact one time when I saw the blamed, they were using a 15 or 20 watt tube amp.
i'm running out of comp mem i got so many apps open. will look at the peavy, cause i have heard that tubes are louder than SS. however i really might not be able to mantain a tube that well due to lack of funds, so we'll see.
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uhh, everywhere where i've looked that peavy is $400 or more, looks good but can't afford it.
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Tube amps aren't that big of a deal for maintenance. It's not like you're paying for things once a month. We're talking once every year or two here depending on how much you use it.
If your youth group acoustic players aren't plugged into a PA or acoustic amp you're probably going to be too loud with most tube amps. You get down that low on your volume control and it becomes really touchy to where it would be hard to match the volume of unplugged acoustics.
That being said... I, like tht00, have the Vox Valvetronix AD30VT. It's VERY versatile in tones and has GREAT volume control. I can play along with an unplugged acoustic if I want or, in the case of this past Sunday morning, with a cranked and un-mic'ed Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (30W all-tube amp), live drums and an amplified bass. Of course, my amp was cranked all the way up almost and the Hot Rod was barely even on 2 out of 12. The Vox also has some nice sounding effects built-in. You can basically only use one effect at a time, but they sound pretty nice. Get a $20 two-button footswitch and you can switch between the two channels and turn your effect off or on with ease. Also, the two channels can be configured however you want. Instead of just a clean and dirty channel you can make it clean and overdriven, overdriven and dirty, dirty and dirtier....whatever combination of two tones you want.
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Originally Posted by What5647 uhh, everywhere where i've looked that peavy is $400 or more, looks good but can't afford it.
You looking used?
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Originally Posted by Brent Tube amps aren't that big of a deal for maintenance. It's not like you're paying for things once a month. We're talking once every year or two here depending on how much you use it.
right, i'll keep that in mind, but you have to factor in random events.
Originally Posted by Brent If your youth group acoustic players aren't plugged into a PA or acoustic amp you're probably going to be too loud with most tube amps. You get down that low on your volume control and it becomes really touchy to where it would be hard to match the volume of unplugged acoustics
yes, the do play unplugged acoustics, but is plenty loud. the main guitarist has a really nice Martin (no idae what year) and we have a 12 string and every once in a while a 2nd or 3rd acoustic. but if i get an SS amp i guess it's not a prob.
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Originally Posted by BillSPrestonEsq You looking used? i absolutly DESPISE, HATE AND LOATH used electronics, i just don't trust them at all, i have no idae what they've been through. yeah, i realize this is a major hadicap when considering amps, but it's just me, i'd rather pay more and do the breaking in myself.
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Originally Posted by What5647 i absolutly DESPISE, HATE AND LOATH used electronics, i just don't trust them at all, i have no idae what they've been through. yeah, i realize this is a major hadicap when considering amps, but it's just me, i'd rather pay more and do the breaking in myself.
well with tube gear, especially quality tube gear, you are shooting yourself in the foot here. Used is where you will find the good deals, and frankly, electronically they are pretty simple.
Chances are a used tube amp would be a much better choice than a new SS amp. Another thing with used tube amps. The resale value is high. Don't like it? Sell it. You won't lose much of anything. New Solid State amp? You lost a lot of money on the resale.