Guitar Amp Talk

[XNASA]

Let's discuss guitar amps, shall we?

I'm trying to decide if I should buy a new amp. I recently started playing out again and the new band requires that I get more chunk in my style. Unfortunately, the little Fender amp that I've been toting around for the last three or four years won't do the trick anymore.

I've got a Music Man HD130 sitting in the basement. It's really loud. But it's also really heavy, and a bit temperamental. Plus it has absolutely no features. No line out, no channel switching, etc.

So I'm thinking that the best way to go is to by a modelling-style amp. Something with 1-12", or 2-10"'s, at least 50W.

Anybody play through a Line 6 Spider? How about a Behringer V-Ampire?

Any other good modelling-style amps that weigh less than 50 pounds?

:shrug:

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

1. Blues Deauville 2-12

a 4-10 is too heavy and the 2-12 can blast the FORUM while giving you the tube feel. It weighs right about 50 lbs and you can run it alone or with a pre-amp.

OVerdrive and reverb are standard features but I use a Roland processor that imitates several amps and every pedal BOSS ever made.

[XNASA]

4. Yeah. I'm a Fender guy, but.........

...I'm not willing to spend that much on an amp that I plan on giggin' with. And I'm getting tired of using pedals, etc. Both the 2-12 and 4-10 violate the 50 pound rule that I have set.

If I was looking for a recording amp, I would look no further than a nice Fender with tubes, just like the one you recommend.

But I'm looking for something different this time.

What I'm really looking for is opinions of modelling-style amps.

[madmax]

2. My husband has 6 Amps that I know of

he may have more hidden around the house :( He's at work till 11:00 p.m. but, I've bookmarked this and maybe he can help you out.

I know nothing about Amps except that he has at least 2 Fenders, 1 I know he's interested in selling, lol.

[srpantalonas]

3. I hate modelling amps...

But I understand the attraction. You end up with a rather thin tone which can't be beefed up in the PA without a lot of work. If you're looking for portability I'd stick with a single 12" tube, stay away from Line 6 (I have both the rack and the pedal and I can tell you they are tone killers) and try two ratt distortion pedals--one for crunch and one for body (volume up, distortion down) when the crunch isn't on.

[XNASA]

7. I've played through a POD before.

And you're right, it was a bit thin. But the band I was in at the time was more of a pop band, so thin wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Chunk wasn't really necessary.

Truth is, I've read nothing but rave reviews about the Behringer stuff. Still, I can't fathom the thought of playing through a Behringer amp.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. Sums Up My Feelings Nicely, Senor

I use a Boogie. 1 12" speaker, 60W of power, channel switching. Don't need the pedals, but when i had my other amp (a Fender) used the amp's distortion for body and then kicked in a pedal to grind.

Same concept, different execution. I tried for years to use all-in-ones, and Zooms and Scholz stuff to get the sound i heard in my head. Then i bought a Boogie and in 10 minutes i got the sound. What a dumbass i'd been.
The Professor

[phatkatt]

5. Can't help you with a modelling amp ...

... I hate 'em. They do an amazing number of things poorly.

I suggest getting a nice tube combo and running pedals. Fender Blues Deluxe from the 90's is a nice little amp (1x12). I play through a Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue, which is sweet, but they run around $600 used. I have heard the Peavey Classic is pretty nice (for a Peavey) and is pretty cheap.

[ProfessorGAC]

6. A Suggestion For Ya!

My friend recently bought one of the Crate Flexwave 5 Series amps. It's 60 watts, lots of punch, single 12". It weighs no more than half of what my Boogie weighs, so i'm guessing around 30#, maybe less.

It's not a modeling amp, but the Flexwave does provide some interesting tonal options and a fairly smooth distortion for solid state. It's got built in reverb and does have effects looping. It's pretty quiet in the distortion mode and not a whole lot of hiss at higher volume. (A bit, but you can't get NONE.)

It feels solidly built and the cover and grill had no defects we could find.

I think he paid something like $230, delivered. Might not be the ultimate option, but a nice, light, live-worthy amp on the low-end costwise.

Just a stopgap suggestion.

BTW: Back in the early 80's i had a Musicman. PeeeeeeeYuuuuuuu! Man i couldn't wait to dump that and get someting else. It sounded good in the store, and good at low volumes in my house, but at volume the clean sound always had this "barky" sound, and the overdriven sound was way too heavy in even harmonics. Ick!
The Professor

[XNASA]

10. You're right.

My MM sounds like a barking Twin. Some people like 'em though. I should probably sell it.

I've known two people that had Crates. Both of them blew up.

Maybe I should just get some new strings. LOL!!

[Blue-Jay]

9. Don't laugh, but....

Crate makes a very good amp, that I'm thinking about buying myself. It's not a modeler, but I was impressed by the wide range of tones and built-in effects. The one I looked at is the GLX-65. It's a 1-12" that's built like a tank, and has a built-in tuner. Three channels, that are foot-switchable. If you're looking for a solid state amp that's not too heavy or pricey, I'd recommend it.

The Line 6 Spider is OK, but something about it sounded too "artificial" to me, especially on the crunchier settings. See what you think, though. I suppose it's a matter of preference.

I haven't heard too many good things about the Behringer. From what I've seen and listened to, they're on the right track in the amp-building business, but aren't quite there yet.

You might want to go to www.harmonycentral.com and read some of the user reviews. Take what is said on the reviews with a grain of salt for the most part. The reviewers tend to be overly enthusiastic or overly critical. Still, you can get a good idea of what's what if you read carefully.

Good luck!

[mulsh]

11. check out fender cyber series

in the last month or so I've played through a cyber twin & cyber deluxe. pretty impressive for modeling amps. I've also played through the vox modeling amp. it was pretty sweet too. guess having a tube preamp helps

I play through a deville 2x12 and a Deluxe reverb, I love them both for different reasons but if I could get away with buying another amp it would be one of the fender cyber amps

[toddzilla]

12. best deal on amps is the peavey classic 50

comes in 2x12 or 4x10 combo..

sounds like a little brother to a mesa 2x12 combo.

loud enough to play out but not back breakingly heavy.


rivera makes some great combo amps too , but pretty pricey.

i don't like playing out with really expensive stuff, makes me nervous when i have to leave it somewhere. better to lose a 400 dollar amp than a 1200 dollar one, especially when you aren't recording or anything.


p.s. i've owned line 6 amps, they sound great at bedroom listening levels, but really crap out when played live. i'm not a fan of modeling amps for live use, they just don't cut the mustard compared to a well-built tube amp.