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Hi. I was interested in a new amp and would like some insight on the best amp on the market for the money. I currently have a Marshall AVT50 and I'm satisfied with it but for the money I'm wondering if there aren't better amps out there for home use and small to medium gigs. Thanks for your help. Matthew.
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this would be best suited in Amps and Accessories.

How much money are you willing to spend? What guitar(s) and/or Effect(s) do you currently own? What style of music do you play?
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Originally Posted by Casey this would be best suited in Amps and Accessories.

How much money are you willing to spend? What guitar(s) and/or Effect(s) do you currently own? What style of music do you play?
I have a schecter c-1 blackjack and no effects. I want a heavy metal sound but at the same time a crystal clear accoustic sound. Not over $1000.
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I've never heard of an amp for a buck...besides even if you found one, t would probably suck. Good amps cost $$$.
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Hmm, Peaveys can usually do what you need them to. They're not too expensive either. It really does depend on what type of amp you want/need and what effects are a must for you.
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Best all-around tube amp for the $$$ imho: Peavey Classic 30
Best modeler: Line 6 Spider II
Best money-is-no-object amp: Bad Cat
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Originally Posted by gtrdave Best all-around tube amp for the $$$ imho: Peavey Classic 30 i've read that the new best all-around tube amp for the $$$ is the Peavey Valve King series. the VK50 is in the same rice range as the C30 and is tonally versatile in comparison to the C30. The VKs will do metal...the C30s not so much.
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Originally Posted by thesteve i've read that the new best all-around tube amp for the $$$ is the Peavey Valve King series. the VK50 is in the same rice range as the C30 and is tonally versatile in comparison to the C30. The VKs will do metal...the C30s not so much.
I haven't tried the Valve King yet. Guess I'll have to look into them.
For mushy metal sounds I can always run my Boss OS-2 and Digitech Bad Monkey into my Delta Blues 210. I'll have enough distortion to kill any pretty round edges on my sine waves.
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Originally Posted by gtrdave For mushy metal sounds I can always run my Boss OS-2 and Digitech Bad Monkey into my Delta Blues 210. I'll have enough distortion to kill any pretty round edges on my sine waves. haha...well i'm sure with the right pedal a C30 can pull it off...heck...i've half convinced myself that with the right pedal i could do anything with my HRD too.
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For what you get, including a two year "You Break It, We'll Fix It" warranty, I would recommend a Traynor YCV40, YCV50 or YCV20 tube amp. This one also includes the footswitch and a metal grill beneath the grill cloth. Traynor (aka Yorkville) has a long history of making good amps.
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I've not played a valve king But the XXX is an awesome pick for a metal amp. I've played one and I'd advise that to anyone wanting to play metal. It's 3 channels, you can swap out the power tubes between EL34's and 6L6's. Active EQ on crunch and ultra channels. It has speaker damping which mimics the effects of switching between diode rectifiers and tube rectifiers. I just have a beef with all those girlies on the faceplate.
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Originally Posted by dcunning30 I just have a beef with all those girlies on the faceplate. you can always replace the faceplate...or get a used Peavey Ultra Plus, which is the predecessor to the XXX, and doesn't have the girls.
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Originally Posted by thesteve haha...well i'm sure with the right pedal a C30 can pull it off...heck...i've half convinced myself that with the right pedal i could do anything with my HRD too.
Just push the "more gain" button...
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Originally Posted by gtrdave Just push the "more gain" button... haha...well J&H plus the "more gain" can get pretty heavy...maybe i should try it through my Mesa/Boogie 4x12 sometime.
though honestly, unless you run the HRD at lower gain settings (below 4 or 5) the difference between gain and more gain is hardly noticeable.
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Originally Posted by thesteve you can always replace the faceplate...or get a used Peavey Ultra Plus, which is the predecessor to the XXX, and doesn't have the girls.
I have the Ultra212.