Help: My student gets a Ball! (pics) Help him with an amp choice.

[Zaarin]

Well, I previously made a thread about my student getting a 'Ball. He got a beautiful JP6 in Blue Dawn, the 2007 limited model. I had almost considered getting one at some point before I got my BFR and the 7. Finally got around to posting the pics tonight as I am a very busy grad student. Check out these pics.

The offending guitar.


By the looks of it, he's quite pleased.


Very proud of him and the progress he's made. So here's the deal. His parents are going to get him an amp for Christmas. Limit is 1500 bucks. I know he wants something very versatile and customizable, something that won't require buying pedals or an effects rack. He also wants something that has dual inputs, so he can switch on the fly between the piezo and the mags (I don't think the parents want to hassle with a PA system or another acoustic amp). He would like a foot switch as well, which is pretty much standard fare I think for the most part. Something that plays well quiet and also has a headphone jack so that he can practice and not blow up the house all the time is also preferred.

I haven't bought a new amp in a long time, still plugging away on my old Line6 Ax2/212. I may get a new amp in the future or at least a PA system for piezo and vocals. Anyways, I need some help in helping him to select an amp since I haven't been in the market for a long time. I'm having him come over tomorrow to play around with my amp to see how to mess with the settings and the overload of features it has. I am probably going to take him to a guitar store on Friday to demo some amps. I was thinking possibly a 2x12 combo of some form might be a good choice... How are those new Line6 Bogner amps? I got to play around with the head unit and a stack one time, sounded good to my ears. We are also not averse to craigslist or eBay.

Help us!

[RobW]

wow, kid's got a heckuva guitar

might as well go top-notch with the amp then too, and get him something like a Hughes & Kettner Switchblade 100 2x12 combo

[edrod]

[fatoni]

thats nuts for a kid that young to have such a professional guitar. and the piezo and mag pups signal can be sent out of 1 of the jacks so you wont need to inputs on the amp. if i were you...or him or whatever, id look into a used mesa on craigslist. anything (except for maybe a rectifier) is going to be super versatile so look for the f series, mark series, dcs, studios, nomads or subways. heres a cool site that overviews all sorts of online postings-
for sale : mesa : combined classified and auction listings

[Nik_Left_RG]

thats nuts for a kid that young to have such a professional guitar. [/url]

+1

Seriously.. Come on,.. Stop spoiling that kid

NIce guitar btw

I wish....

[universe777]

+1 for that kid! If he stays with it he's gonna be a monster player no doubt! I was fortunate for someone to believe in me enough when I was really young to give me a "pro" level guitar and it changed my life.

If your in CA maybe take a trip to the Carvin store and try out a V3?

[koogie2k]

Line 6 is a good choice as it has built in effects that you can run on a short board. He doesn't need the Vetta model...maybe the Flextone and he can keep the volume down in the house and it can still crank loud if need be. Plus, it won't be that heavy and I don't think he is gigging yet...

[Luc]

Haha the guitar is three quarters of his full body size

Nice one, although I think too it is spoiling the kid....

Can't comment on the amp though, never played a JP plugged in.

[Ahess86]

Why do many people think that buying a nice guitar for a child is spoiling them? This always killed me when I worked in a music store. Parents don't blink at spending money on a piano or a nice band instrument, but they think that buying a child a nice guitar is spoiling them.

I think its excellent, we all know that you're more inspired to play on a better guitar. Wish more parents would be willing to go the distance to get their kids into quality guitars.

I'd second the Carvin V3. Features/sound/quality for the price, its one of the best out there. No built in effects though.

[universe777]

I fully support the young ones having the best gear, like I mentioned in an earlier post, I was very fortunate to have someone pass a fine guitar my way and it changed my world...But good point Ahess, I never thought about it from that perspective...If a parent was to buy their child a band instrument (as opposed to renting) it could easily eclipse the price of most guitars.

The V3 is wonderful, and if you check their site they have videos and holiday pricing specials. Also, in the 2*12 config, thanks to it's silky smooth master volume pot it's very usable and MUSICAL for a living room situation. To some it might be overkill, but the kids obviously committed to the craft.

No onboard effects - but that's the way to go isn't it...it forces you to play CLEANER

[slipagent]

I'm ok with a kid having a nice guitar as well as long as it's not his first and he has shown interest, practice and progression and he realizes it's not a toy and respects it the way he should....getting a expensive quality guitar to start your kid in lessons before he has tried it is absurd. Each kid is different and each situation is different.

[Zaarin]

Why do many people think that buying a nice guitar for a child is spoiling them? This always killed me when I worked in a music store. Parents don't blink at spending money on a piano or a nice band instrument, but they think that buying a child a nice guitar is spoiling them.

I think its excellent, we all know that you're more inspired to play on a better guitar. Wish more parents would be willing to go the distance to get their kids into quality guitars.

I'd second the Carvin V3. Features/sound/quality for the price, its one of the best out there. No built in effects though.

Exactly. Thank you. I was kind of put off by the "he's spoiled" comments. As an educator, I know when kids are spoiled. He is not. This is his second guitar. He has put a lot of time and dedication into playing, and as you said, this new guitar has inspired him to play more and focus on his technique. He takes excellent care of it to say the least.

I'll have to look into the Carvin. I guess we wouldn't be adverse to getting a nice amp with no onboard effects, and then get some kind of Boss board or something. Keep the suggestions flowing...

[paranoid70]

[QUOTE=Ahess86;562991]Why do many people think that buying a nice guitar for a child is spoiling them? This always killed me when I worked in a music store. Parents don't blink at spending money on a piano or a nice band instrument, but they think that buying a child a nice guitar is spoiling them.
[QUOTE]

I think it is because we all had really crappy guitars at that age and older and are just extremely jealous. My first couple of guitars were insanely cheesy. I didn't have a "decent" guitar until I was 18, and I stuck with that one for over a decade.

If my daugher and/or son (ages 13 and 9) decide to play, I have a nice SUB1 I am saving for them.

[Luc]

OK, maybe I put it wrong here....it's just that I think you should go up with smaller steps (I didn't....)

I started with a crappy spanish guitar I got from my aunt..got a decent one after that. My first electric was an OLP, still have it, and still think it is much better than any other guitar in that price range. That one really helped me playing the guitar better, mainly because I had the idea that if I could play decent on that axe, I'd 'deserve' a real EBMM more...after that I got my first Luke and haven't looked back ever since. The OLP is wall decoration now

So Zaarin, I apologize for my quick and disrespectful response...as long as the kid loves his JP everything is cool

[Shadowbox]

I don't have any experience with the Carvins, but the Line 6 Flextone III would suit his needs well. He would be able to experiment with different effects and amp models and maybe base his first tube amp purchase on the sounds he liked in the modeling unit.

Regarding a quality guitar for a young player...there are valuable arguments on both sides. One of the things I hate to see is the kid who is passionate about the guitar and gives it up because he or she has a low-quality instrument and/or is unaware (as is his or her parents) that high action and poor intonation can be corrected.