Topic: A New Amp, For My Guitar.

[benly- ben]

A few years back my mum baught me a cheap n tacky 40quid amp its a rocktek rk30b, I just cannot get any descent sound from it. Now, a few years on I've baught a guitar to last me, now I want a descent amp to last me. I want a good sound, some effects and it needs to be loud enough for a gig. Any reccomendations?
Ben

[Burnboy]

check out http://shop.firstact.com/PublicStore/catalog/Amplifiers,143.aspx Ive got the 50 watt amp with the foot switches. 8 different effects and boost. Its plenty loud, and sounds great

[Sam Green Racing]

  thanks Burnboy, I'll pick one up for him when I'm in Boston later in the year.

Ben lives in Manchester, England. he should have said.

Sam.

[Burnboy]

im sure a 60 pound(weight, not quid) amp doesnt cost too much to ship over the pond hahah

[nokrome]

MARSHALL FULL STACK!!!!!!!!

[Retro Rocket]

MARSHALL FULL STACK!!!!!!!!

 



Mick

[schwebel]

Try a Fender Super Champ XD. It is a 15watt Class AB tube amp with built in effects. I think it sounds pretty darn good. Should have enough juice for a small gig, anything large the amps are mic'd anyway. What kind of music do you play, what kind of sound are you looking for?

[tramp]

got a marshall avt 150 love it

[azuredesign]

Hey Ben,
Why don't you stick with a Brit made company like Marshall or a Vox? People seem to like the Vox Av series, as well as the solid state Marshall  series noted below. I'm a fan of the Vox AC-30, but that's a boat anchor to move around. If you needed to, you could also get a Vox tonelab or a Line6 pod to produce most of the effects you're probably looking for.
I hope you have as much fun as I've had,
Ben

[Otto]

I bought a FENDER Deluxe Reverb Reissue. Keep your eyes open for a used one... You'll never look back.. The combo units with the effects, OD , etc, a not the quality of a good pedal you could pick separately.  And the effects channel is always in the circuit adding grunge, even when off..

Just my 2 cents.

bc

[JBMorse]

I agree with Otto's recommendation.  You won't outgrow a good tube amp like a Fender Deluxe.  I might even prefer the Hot Rod series over the vintage series for its versatility.  I use one at school and it's great for almost anything. 
You should bring your guitar to your music shop and try some different amps to see what sounds good to you.  Fenders are the only ones I can recommend from continued experience, but I have tried a friend's Vox AC30 and it was brilliant! 

[Otto]

I got rid of my Hot Rod Deluxe after a very short time of ownership. The OD gain circuit has waaaaay to much gain. Even tried to tame it with lower drive 12AT7 or 12AU7 tubes in place of the 12AX7's ... No go. The HRD was by far, one of my least favorite amps I ever owned.

bc

[josixpak]

got a marshall avt 150 love it

Yeah, I remember working ridiculous hours in fast food one summer in high school,about 8 yrs ago. How did I reward myself? A Marshall avt 275! Great amp and its been solid since I've owned it.

Of course, the op hasn't mentioned what kind of music he plays. For instance, if I were a heavy blues player, this would NOT be the amp I would have bought. As unhelpful as it sounds, you really have to go to the shop and play them each to find what your sound is. If you're going to invest a few bucks on something, know what you're getting.

A bit off topic, has anyone seen this deal? http://www.fender.com/souloftone/

A couple of weeks ago I played with a Fender Twin for 20 minutes in the shop and the shirt should be on the way!!

[mlinder]

I use a vox ad100vt. Not too expensive, sounds great, and I've used it in venues that hold a thousand people to venues that hold a hundred people. It has some interesting and useful features, one of them being a knob that keeps the amp sounding exactly the same no matter how soft or loud a venue requires.

[benly- ben]

Hey Ben,
Why don't you stick with a Brit made company like Marshall or a Vox? People seem to like the Vox Av series, as well as the solid state Marshall  series noted below. I'm a fan of the Vox AC-30, but that's a boat anchor to move around. If you needed to, you could also get a Vox tonelab or a Line6 pod to produce most of the effects you're probably looking for.
I hope you have as much fun as I've had,
Ben

I was thinking vox.

[texaninseattle]

MARSHALL FULL STACK!!!!!!!!

these are best heared when turned up to 11!!!!!!!!!

[75cb750k5]

I don't know what kind of music you like to play but line 6 makes some pretty good amps too. they even have crazy distortion settings and they don't really break the bank either. My buddy got a 70w for 200 bucks.

[UnCrash]

I have a Brit made 50 watt Laney. 

Love the amp, half tube and half solid state.  http://www.laney.co.uk/show_prod.php?prod=lc50-112

[martino1972]

I got a crate 5o....full tube,cheap awesome sound......

[benly- ben]

Cheers guys
Ill bear them in mind.

[Sam Green Racing]

Here ya go little sh1t

http://www.mcgregoramplification.co.uk/

Sam.

[mlinder]

Here ya go little sh1t

http://www.mcgregoramplification.co.uk/

Sam.

Sam, those would require a pre-amp, some kind of sound modeler, and an EQ designed for guitars, as well as a cabinet for speakers. I've done it before, it's no fun!

Check craigslist in your area. Some good stuff can be had for pretty cheap

[fuzzybutt]

dependng on what you want to spend ben AND what they cost over there. fender makes alot of really nice, lower priced amps, so does marshall and theyre made in england i believe, used to be anyways

[ChrisR]

If you didn't mind secondhand and wanted to go with a British company then you might consider an old Trace Elliot guitar combo - a Speed Twin valve if you can find one or a solid state Super Tramp. Although Trace Elliot are well known for their top quality bass amps they made some highly regarded guitar amps too that can be found pretty cheaply these days and are often on ebay.
 Traynor are making amps again. They are Canadian and have a reputation for bombproof, high quality amps in the Fender mould. I have an old guitar combo and really like it. If you could find an old one, a YGM or YGL combo you would probably never want to part with it and it'll cost half the price of a vintage Fender and is arguably better.
Just some suggestions as good value alternatives to the more mainstream amps.
I've always liked Voxs and wish I still had my AC30s from back in the days when no one wanted that old school valve rubbish and lusted after solid state reliability!
 You would probably want a good effects unit to play through these amps as they are basic units although Vox amongst others do some modelling amps with a large array of effects built in which might be all you need for a while.
Good luck and look forward to hearing what you decide upon.
 

[azuredesign]

If you didn't mind secondhand and wanted to go with a British company then you might consider an old Trace Elliot guitar combo - a Speed Twin valve if you can find one or a solid state Super Tramp. Although Trace Elliot are well known for their top quality bass amps they made some highly regarded guitar amps too that can be found pretty cheaply these days and are often on ebay.
 

I didn't realize or forgot that T.E. was British. The Velocette series were marketed by Gibson(who I think owns T.E. now) as their Gold Tone series. I have been very impressed by the 15 watt model, 2 el84 valves(tubes for us yanks),and would recommend it if it's in your price range.