Question:
Ok I've read most of the comments inside the sticky threads above (wow that took a while) and most everyone is supporting my initial perception: A tube amp is the way to go if you want serious tone and price is not the overall deciding factor.
I'm looking to buy a new amp and I want as much info from knowledgeable sources as possible before I go on my search. Let me give you some background information and then maybe you all can reply with some insightful responses like "you know nothing about guitars...go jump off a cliff!" =)
Background:
I've been playing guitar for about 4 years now but it's mostly been on an acoustic guitar so that's where the lack of amp knowledge springs from. I've messed around with some friends' electrics but nothing serious. The first band I was in already had a lead guitarist who was much better than me so I basically played rhythm guitar. For the past couple of years I've basically just went around the local area where I live leading praise and worship with a friend of mine (just jamming out with a couple of acoustic guitars, Shane&Shane style except not as good). So we just recently decided to add on a bass player and a drummer so I bought my own electric guitar so I could start giving our sound a little more flexibility.
Equipment I have:
(1) '72 Fender Telecaster Deluxe reissue with the twin humbuckers and the jumbo strat headstock.
(2) Line6 DL4 delay modeler pedal
(3) Boss CH-1 Chorus pedal
(4) Boss DS-1 Distortion pedal (I know this thing is crap but I didn't buy it)
Some bands that I really enjoy and like to play is stuff from Sister Hazel, Hillsong Youth (United Live stuff), Polarboy, Chris Tomlin, Charlie Hall, etc.
My favorite band is Bleach and I'd love to have an amp that can give me the flexibility to play some stuff like that but it isn't anything I would be playing on stage. The Bleach stuff would mostly be me just jamming out by myself.
I've currently been researching:
1. Hiwatt
2. Orange
3. Fender
4. Vox
Also, I'd like to mention that I would like to stay under $2000 because I don't consider myself the "end-all" musician and really can't justify spending thousands of dollars on equipment. I'd really like to stay around $1000 even though most of the brands I listed above are going to take me out of that range (I think). And if anyone has any recommendations on where to start with a good pedal board configuration I'm all ears.
I know this is really long and I apologize but I wanted to give you guys as much info on what I'm looking for as I could. Thank you all so very much and God bless!
Added later:
Looking at getting a combo amp with at least 2 channels. Also looking for something between 30 and 50 watts. Thanks to all who have replied so far!!!
-Phil
Answer:
Alright cool, thanks for providing lots of info. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with an Orange amp. Very high quality, pure tone, stuff. Ebay, Craigslist, and your newspaper (and CGR) are your friends. Also Harmony Central is very helpful for reviews. $1000-$2000 will get you some awesome amps.
What kind of situations will you be playing in? Do you need/want 1, 2, or even 3 channels on the amp? My first suggestion would be: Carvin!
Carvin V3
Carvin Legacy
Carvin MTS
They are all 50/100w tube amps, all come in 2x12 combos or heads. If you have any questions about those, go join the carvin boards here.
The V3 is the most versatile of the 3, with 3 channels, 2 effects loops, etc. The Legacy is known for it's "Steve Vai" characterists with awesome cleans and smooth, rich overdrive. The MTS is the cheapest of the 3, but has great cleans and killer distortion as well.
There are so many options. If you can get to your local Guitar Center to try some out for awhile, that always helps. People perceive tone differently, so what sounds good to someone may not sound good to you.
Hope that helped, and good luck with your search.
Answer:
you answered every question I would've asked...I'm going to go ahead and assume that this is $2000 and $1000 USD, which means that you should be able to stay near that range (definitely sub-$1500).
In my opinion, the amplifier is the tonal basis of the electric guitar, so I'm going to deal with amps first, and think about pedals as after after thought (though it looks like you've got a good starting point...except that DS-1 :-p).
Something to consider here is the question of volume...that is, how much do you anticipate that you'll need?
without knowing this, here's a short list of amps I'd look at just off-hand
Vox AC30
Fender Deluxe Reverb (if you need less clean volume...it's 22W) or Twin Reverb (more clean volume...85W)
Orange AD30TC (the TC model is a two channel amp)
I honestly don't know alot about Hiwatt amplification aside from their reputation.
Answer:
Originally Posted by BamaBleach Ok I've read most of the comments inside the sticky threads above (wow that took a while) and most everyone is supporting my initial perception: A tube amp is the way to go if you want serious tone and price is not the overall deciding factor.
I'm looking to buy a new amp and I want as much info from knowledgeable sources as possible before I go on my search. Let me give you some background information and then maybe you all can reply with some insightful responses like "you know nothing about guitars...go jump off a cliff!" =)
Background:
I've been playing guitar for about 4 years now but it's mostly been on an acoustic guitar so that's where the lack of amp knowledge springs from. I've messed around with some friends' electrics but nothing serious. The first band I was in already had a lead guitarist who was much better than me so I basically played rhythm guitar. For the past couple of years I've basically just went around the local area where I live leading praise and worship with a friend of mine (just jamming out with a couple of acoustic guitars, Shane&Shane style except not as good). So we just recently decided to add on a bass player and a drummer so I bought my own electric guitar so I could start giving our sound a little more flexibility.
Equipment I have:
(1) '72 Fender Telecaster Deluxe reissue with the twin humbuckers and the jumbo strat headstock.
(2) Line6 DL4 delay modeler pedal
(3) Boss CH-1 Chorus pedal
(4) Boss DS-1 Distortion pedal (I know this thing is crap but I didn't buy it)
Some bands that I really enjoy and like to play is stuff from Sister Hazel, Hillsong Youth (United Live stuff), Polarboy, Chris Tomlin, Charlie Hall, etc.
My favorite band is Bleach and I'd love to have an amp that can give me the flexibility to play some stuff like that but it isn't anything I would be playing on stage. The Bleach stuff would mostly be me just jamming out by myself.
I've currently been researching:
1. Hiwatt
2. Orange
3. Fender
4. Vox
Also, I'd like to mention that I would like to stay under $2000 because I don't consider myself the "end-all" musician and really can't justify spending thousands of dollars on equipment. I'd really like to stay around $1000 even though most of the brands I listed above are going to take me out of that range (I think). And if anyone has any recommendations on where to start with a good pedal board configuration I'm all ears.
I know this is really long and I apologize but I wanted to give you guys as much info on what I'm looking for as I could. Thank you all so very much and God bless!
-Phil Wow, thats a high budget. You can definitely get something for that. fender cleans are really good. However, if you play garage rock like bleach, you may find the distortion less than satisfying.
A vox AC-30 is not the first thing I think of when I think of bleach. Marshall is. Don't get me wrong, I love the AC-30.
Now if most of this stuff is just in your room and with accoustics... you probably want a combo amp, not a half or full stack. That would be overkill.
Peavey makes really good tube amps as well. I also have an affinity for hughes and Kettner myself.
Answer:
Originally Posted by Building429_Boy Alright cool, thanks for providing lots of info. In my opinion, you can't go wrong with an Orange amp. Very high quality, pure tone, stuff. Ebay, Craigslist, and your newspaper (and CGR) are your friends. Also Harmony Central is very helpful for reviews. $1000-$2000 will get you some awesome amps.
What kind of situations will you be playing in? Do you need/want 1, 2, or even 3 channels on the amp? My first suggestion would be: Carvin!
Carvin V3
Carvin Legacy
Carvin MTS
They are all 50/100w tube amps, all come in 2x12 combos or heads. If you have any questions about those, go join the carvin boards here.
The V3 is the most versatile of the 3, with 3 channels, 2 effects loops, etc. The Legacy is known for it's "Steve Vai" characterists with awesome cleans and smooth, rich overdrive. The MTS is the cheapest of the 3, but has great cleans and killer distortion as well.
There are so many options. If you can get to your local Guitar Center to try some out for awhile, that always helps. People perceive tone differently, so what sounds good to someone may not sound good to you.
Hope that helped, and good luck with your search.
Thanks for the reply bldg429!
Yes, I forgot to mention that I want 2 channels (at least).
As far as situations goes, I could find myself playing a huge variety of venues. I've played in front of 10 people in a little coffe shop and I've played in front of 1-3 thousand in an outdoor event. My guess would be to get a smalller amp so I can crank it up a little bit and let the tubes scream and if I need extra volume I can just mic it up.
I'm familiar with Carvin. I bought a Cobalt acoustic from them and I've played quite a few of their electrics that my friend has purchased. Also, our bass player uses a Carvin bass. We also use a Carvin powered head to run our sound but it's a little fickle. I love their guitars but the head being a little fickle had me worried about them so I really haven't given their amps much thought but maybe I should.
Answer:
Originally Posted by BamaBleach Thanks for the reply bldg429!
Yes, I forgot to mention that I want 2 channels (at least).
As far as situations goes, I could find myself playing a huge variety of venues. I've played in front of 10 people in a little coffe shop and I've played in front of 1-3 thousand in an outdoor event. My guess would be to get a smalller amp so I can crank it up a little bit and let the tubes scream and if I need extra volume I can just mic it up.
I'm familiar with Carvin. I bought a Cobalt acoustic from them and I've played quite a few of their electrics that my friend has purchased. Also, our bass player uses a Carvin bass. We also use a Carvin powered head to run our sound but it's a little fickle. I love their guitars but the head being a little fickle had me worried about them so I really haven't given their amps much thought but maybe I should.
Which amp is that? Is it an older one? Or rackmounted? (Quad-X or T100)
Answer:
Originally Posted by BillSPrestonEsq Wow, thats a high budget. You can definitely get something for that. fender cleans are really good. However, if you play garage rock like bleach, you may find the distortion less than satisfying.
A vox AC-30 is not the first thing I think of when I think of bleach. Marshall is. Don't get me wrong, I love the AC-30.
Now if most of this stuff is just in your room and with accoustics... you probably want a combo amp, not a half or full stack. That would be overkill.
Peavey makes really good tube amps as well. I also have an affinity for hughes and Kettner myself.
Thanks for the reply Bill!
The current band I'm in now isn't geared anything like Bleach. It's a typical praise and worship band (think Passion). I threw that in there because I really enjoy that style of music and maybe one day down the road I'd like to be involved in that style. So if I'm going to be dropping a grand on an amp I'd like for it to do the job for the long haul.
And yes I'm thinking a combo amp is the way to go for me. You guys keeping bringing up stuff that I left out of my original message, lol. I guess it wasn't as detailed as I thought.
Answer:
You can get really good amps for 300-and up dude. I would check out the Vox AC-30 or a Mesa Boogie combo or something. Also check out the higher end Peavey tube amps. You can ever cheack out the old Peavey tube amps, which sell for really cheap on Ebay.
Answer:
Originally Posted by BamaBleach Thanks for the reply Bill!
The current band I'm in now isn't geared anything like Bleach. It's a typical praise and worship band (think Passion). I threw that in there because I really enjoy that style of music and maybe one day down the road I'd like to be involved in that style. So if I'm going to be dropping a grand on an amp I'd like for it to do the job for the long haul.
And yes I'm thinking a combo amp is the way to go for me. You guys keeping bringing up stuff that I left out of my original message, lol. I guess it wasn't as detailed as I thought. For that style, Id be tempted to look at an AC-30. Not only that, but if you so chose to get a real high gain amp in the future... you would have enough left for one.
Answer:
Originally Posted by Building429_Boy Which amp is that? Is it an older one? Or rackmounted? (Quad-X or T100)
I'm sorry, I meant a powered mixer. It's like the one linked below except it's and older model that is in a case with carpet.
http://www.carvin.com/products/singl...RX1200&CID=MXP
Answer:
Originally Posted by BillSPrestonEsq For that style, Id be tempted to look at an AC-30. the current AC30CC has two channels, however these are not footswitchable. this may be the advantage of the Orange AD30TC, which I've read are similar to the AC30, but a bit darker overall.
Answer:
Originally Posted by thesteve the current AC30CC has two channels, however these are not footswitchable. this may be the advantage of the Orange AD30TC, which I've read are similar to the AC30, but a bit darker overall.
Would this not be the footswitch for that amp?
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...mps?sku=150323
Answer:
Originally Posted by thesteve the current AC30CC has two channels, however these are not footswitchable. this may be the advantage of the Orange AD30TC, which I've read are similar to the AC30, but a bit darker overall. drat I forgot this about the vox.
Answer:
Originally Posted by BamaBleach Would this not be the footswitch for that amp?
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...mps?sku=150323 according to the AC30CC manual, the footswitch turns the reverb and tremolo on and off.
Answer:
Originally Posted by BillSPrestonEsq drat I forgot this about the vox. reverb and tremelo.