Question:
Hi GUys,
I am looking for an amp to use with my youth kids. I like tube amps my self but thinking that Durability and less maintence of Solid state might be better suited for this particular purpose. However correct me if I am wrong.
So, what amp would you recommend for under $400 used or new.
thanks, David
Answer:
Perhaps a bit more info..
What style music are we talking about?
What level of ability do these kids have?
Are you looking for onboard effects? Seperate pedals?
What kind of guitars do these kids have?
Off hand, i'd say look for a used Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, or Deville. Probably get that for around $300-400. But the more info you give, the better amp we can recommend.
-shane
Answer:
We play TOmblin, Crwoder, Hillsong etc type of music.
THese kids have never played electric but I am going to teach it to them.
We have keyboard, acoustic guitar, and flute.
Only guitar is low end ibanez strat type of guitar, but I guess I will be using my EBMM guitars for awhile. I hope to have them purchase their own guitar to their own taste after they get better.
Answer:
Wow. That's a big jump. Why not play your microcube for a while? This will give some time for them to learn what they're doing and develop they're own tastes. And..to see if they're actually going to stick with it. Don't go blowing money too fast. I'd definately just play through your microcube for a while. Volume isn't really going to be an issue (unless you have an extremely loud floutist, haha). Keep it simple and see if these kids are going to stick with it before you go buying a really nice amp that will probably just get messed up.
-shane
Answer:
Hi Shane,
I know what you mean and I agree. One thing I forgot to mention is that this amp will also be used my our young adults time to time playing their electric.
So yes we can use my microcube for awhile, but I think it might just be bit too small for few applications. And plus, I want to take this oppertunity that the commitee has given for us for a new amp. THis kind of opperunity does not come by very often if at all.
Answer:
David,
what sort of acoustic situations are you looking at? Is volume (or lack thereof) a big concern?
As rad as it would be to get a $400 tube amp like a Hot Rod Deluxe or a Peavey Classic 30, sometimes these amps just aren't practical from a footprint perspective. When I had my HRDlx, it was heavilty attenuated and I still rarely brought the volume knob above 2. In one service I played, the amp was mic'd and faced towards me (away from the crowd), but in other situations I was constantly being told I was too loud even though I could barely hear it.
When I used a Hot Rod Deluxe in a youth group band, the group ran about 30-40 people and the amp could be a royal pain at times to keep a reasonable volume on. I think I would've been alot happier back then with a Blues Jr. and a decent OD pedal.
Answer:
Originally Posted by thesteve David,
what sort of acoustic situations are you looking at? Is volume (or lack thereof) a big concern?
As rad as it would be to get a $400 tube amp like a Hot Rod Deluxe or a Peavey Classic 30, sometimes these amps just aren't practical from a footprint perspective. When I had my HRDlx, it was heavilty attenuated and I still rarely brought the volume knob above 2. In one service I played, the amp was mic'd and faced towards me (away from the crowd), but in other situations I was constantly being told I was too loud even though I could barely hear it.
When I used a Hot Rod Deluxe in a youth group band, the group ran about 30-40 people and the amp could be a royal pain at times to keep a reasonable volume on. I think I would've been alot happier back then with a Blues Jr. and a decent OD pedal.
Well... I think many of the reaons you stated is the reaons why I am leaning towards Solid State. It can be played at low volume and loud and still sounds fairly nice.
Tha acoustic situation in my youth group is single acoustic guitar with keyboard. However our young adult service has two amplified acoustics, drum, and bass. SO this is the situation or an amp I am shopping for.
Answer:
Why don't you use a cube, but take it a step up? Get Cube 30. It's a very versatile little amp, it sounds pretty decent. You could probably find used for just under $200 I would think. I learned a lot of from having one of them, and it was an enjoyable amp to learn from, cause you can get quite a variety of sounds from it.
Answer:
Originally Posted by SOngman Well... I think many of the reaons you stated is the reaons why I am leaning towards Solid State. It can be played at low volume and loud and still sounds fairly nice. This being a consideration, have you looked into any of the smaller tube combos like the Fender Blues Jr. or the Traynor YCV20? I definitely understand what you're saying. IMO most SS and tube don't sound too different at low volumes, and in that consideration I'd go with SS, but I've found that as you turn them up, the characteristics change more and more. Some SS amps do take on a voice of their own, but many of them just sound lifeless at higher volumes. They work as amplifiers of signal, but they don't really do much else.
looking strictly at current, common SS amp manufacturers, I'd look into Line 6 and Vox's digital modeling amps, or at Tech21. All three of these make fairly versatile SS amps that will sound decent.
Tha acoustic situation in my youth group is single acoustic guitar with keyboard. However our young adult service has two amplified acoustics, drum, and bass. SO this is the situation or an amp I am shopping for. is your young adult service loud, or with a large audience? Would you be able to go with something smaller and mic it up? I guess you answered my poorly worded question, but only half of what I was meaning to ask...my bad.
Answer:
Originally Posted by thesteve looking strictly at current, common SS amp manufacturers, I'd look into Line 6 and Vox's digital modeling amps, or at Tech21. All three of these make fairly versatile SS amps that will sound decent.
I have a Vox Valvetronix 30watt and I love it. You can check it out here. It works really well in low volume situations because it has an output knob as well as a master volume. You can set the output anywhere from 0-30watts to fit your situation. It also has quite a few amp models(11) and built in effects(11). You can also buy them in 15, 50, 100 watts and everything but the 100w is under $400.
Answer:
How do you guys compare Vox Valvetronix 30watt to Roland Cube 60?
thanks
Answer:
They're very similar, as they're essentially competing amps. It's up to personal prefernece which one you get, since each of the amps does certain models better than the other. I think the Vox does the lighter overdrive models better than the Cube, but the Cube might have an edge with the heavier, high gain models. For your purposes I'd think the Vox Valvetronix 50 watt model may work for you.
Answer:
Originally Posted by SOngman How do you guys compare Vox Valvetronix 30watt to Roland Cube 60?
thanks
I haven't had much experience with the Cube, but either way you would be getting a good amp. I'm probably biased (okay, most certainly biased) but I would by the Vox.
Here's what each amp has that the other doesn't:
Vox:
1) Valve (tube) reactor circuit
2) 2 more amp models and 5 more effects (plus tap timing for delay)
3) Preset amp models
4) Adjustable wattage output (this is a really cool feature)
Roland:
1) More wattage
2) Separate line out that doesn't shut off the speaker
3) Tuner
Sound wise, it really depends on what you're going to play. If you're going to play really hard rock/metal the Cube will give you a better overdrive for that, as Rainer already mentioned. But I think the Vox has a better clean sound and mild overdrive, so it will probably work better for about everything else.
And theres my completely unbaised opinion.
Answer:
if you want to go tube, id suggest a fender blues jr, they arnt too loud. the HRD is much louder. but to play those those kinds of songs youll need some basic effect pedals. mainly overdrive. for simplicity the vox and roland are both great choices and you wont have to get effect pedals which might be better for starting off. id suggest buying used. if you dont like the choice you made, you could always sell it for the price you found it for. good luck
Answer:
I agree with the Line 6 / Vox suggestion. My brother has the Vox AD15VT. It's really a nice little amp. It has just enough amp models and effects to cover a lot of territory without being overly complicated. I'm sure the 30 and 50 watt versions are just as good.
As far as Line 6, I played a Spider not too long ago and it was much improved over the original versions from a few years back. The 75 watt version runs around $300.