Got my guitar!! Looking for amp now

[hiroku]

i finally got my jp! i been stuck with midterms so i haven't had time to start. i also bought a roland micro cube from my friend that i'm planning on leaving in my apartment by school.

i was wondering what amp i should buy for my house, i go home on weekends and was thinking about getting a different amp for my house so i would have one less thing to lug back and forth (i know microcube is very small) ok its just an excuse to buy another amp.

im looking for something versatile. i've been hearing a lot about how ppl like tube amps better. i have no idea how much i should spend. i dun need the loudest but want to make sure it doesnt sound bad. i guess somewhere around $500, more or less. if its really important to spend more i will.

thanks guys! i'll post up pics when i go home this weekend.

 

[threeminutesboy]

Can you explain/tell us what kind of sound you are looking for ?

Vintage, heavy, funk, new wave ?

 

[SouthernILL]

Alot of things to consider my friend !!!

What style of music do you play....or better yet,How many styles ?

$500....You got a few options....Just make sure to play that new EBMM guitar through what ever amp you decide on. Take it with when you go and don't let em' talk you out of it !!!!

Tubes are great ....but there is a little more cost in owning one that I won't get into as you can research that subject.

I am a gear junky and have had alot gear .Modeling Amps and Tube amps... But I will say this.....All I have is tube amps now.....and my hack style tends to lean to Steve Earle(Eric "Roscoe" Amble tones) the Young Brothers from "Down Under!" Mike Ness(Social Distortion) Rich Robinson(Black Crows) Rev.Billy F. Gibbons and countless others. But they all have tube Amps in common......

Really, I could get buy with plugging straight in with a small tube combo cranked and just using my volume/tone knobs......But having a few stomp boxes is too much fun and with a tube amp and changing you pick attack and your volume and tone settings there are vast amounts of tones to be had...And finding them is all part of the fun.


I don't know what JP uses but if he is one of your favorites and he has a favorite tone on a recording....Research it ...and try and use that as a guide.

Jeff

 

[David]

If you are happy with the Micro Cube, you could get the bigger model. The Cube 60 is supposed to be good. I am a tube guy but use my Micro Cube a lot for practice. The Vox AC-30CC is great for clean sounds and indie rock type stuff. If you want rock, then I would look in Mesa's direction, maybe a Stiletto or used Rectifier or MarkIII. If you are on a budget and want something heavy look for a used Peavey 5150. There are a million amps out there, you just have try some and see what you like.

 

[TonyEVH5150]

+1 on the Roland Microcube. Great tones out of a 8" speaker and a 5 watt amp. I use this one in my house. I can still crank it and not worry much about waking up my wife, the neighbors, every dog in the county.

I've heard good things about the Vox Valvetronix series. It's a tube/solid state hybrid, so you can still get tube tone, but you'll have some flexibility with onboard effects.

I also have a Peavey Valveking. 50 watt 1x12. Probably more amp than I'll ever need, since I rarely gig, but still it's a great tube amp for the money. These will fit your budget great.

There are a lot of tube amps out there. Try a few out and see for yourself.

 

[Mike Martin]

Peavey Classic 30. 1 12" speaker, 30 tube (class A-B) watts, EL84 power tubes. It rocks for the money. And if you need more gain, grab tubescreamer, DS1 or whatever your favorite might be and go nuts.

I use this amp all the time and use it for any blues, jazz, funk rock gigs that don't require the Wrath of God, but that dosen't mean it won't get nasty.

I have a video clip on my MySpace page of a solo from a fusion gig I did this summer but I am using the Classic 30 and a delay pedal. That's it. In the video I'm playing a semi-solid guitar as compared to the other video with my JPM.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

The Line 6 Flextone III is a great amp, but then again the Microcubes are pretty amazing!

 

[hiroku]

Can you explain/tell us what kind of sound you are looking for ?

Vintage, heavy, funk, new wave ?

more towards the rock or heavy side i guess.

 

[Fusionman]

For quiet home practice, the Micro Cube is great. A 6.5 inch speaker and 2 ripping watts that sound like at least 15 watts!! I have actually used mine for low volume band rehearsal and its ok for that plus a set of 6 AA batteries last a long time.
Any of the Roland Cube amps are good and the Vox modeling amps are nice too.

 

[Rossie]

Alot of things to consider my friend !!!
I don't know what JP uses but if he is one of your favorites and he has a favorite tone on a recording....Research it ...and try and use that as a guide.

Jeff

JP uses a wide variety of Mesas.
Road Kings, Mark IIC+, Mark IV, and Lonestar for cleans...
That's alot of money...

 

[LoudGtr]

The Line 6 Flextone III is a great amp, but then again the Microcubes are pretty amazing!

+1 I have a Line6 Flextone IIXL which is a 100W stereo 2x12 combo. It covers alot of ground. Freakin' heavy though if you need to move it alot. Thankfully I don't.

EDIT: Lots of Mesa models and tones inside a Line6.

 

[hiroku]

what do you guys suggest? get a cheap one first like $200 or blow all my money now on a good one? im just starting out and definitely dun need anything loud. just want something that won't sound bad and have a few effects in there.

there was a guide online saying that amps are like cars. about how both a ford and a ferrari can go up to 70mph but the feeling from start to 70 is totally different. so even tho i dun need a loud amp should i still spend more? is the sound on a more powerful amp going to sound much better even tho i dun turn it up all the way?

 

[roburado]

is the sound on a more powerful amp going to sound much better even tho i dun turn it up all the way?

That really depends on what you're looking for. More powerful amps are going to have be able to get louder without distorting, but that's not necessarily a good thing depending on what you want from the amp. However, it may be just what you are looking for. Whose tone do you like? What kind of sounds do you want to get? Those are things you're going to have to ask yourself. Then, as has been suggested, research what those artists use.

 

[vexed73]

Used Carvin Amps like XV-112, MTS combo, Legacy. Mesa nomad 45.

 

[robelinda2]

maybe go a Vox Vavletronix combo. great value, heaps of tones.

 

[peterd79]

i've used the VOX AD50vt it's a great amp with lots of options... the tone is great for a solid state
I'm currently using a Peavey Valve King and it's an amazing amp for the price... i'm sure there's better out there but a Tube Combo amp starting under $500... it's a steal.