Advice needed on new amp!

[Sada Yairi]

Since you guys gave me such useful advice re a new electric, now I'm asking for input on the amp to go with it. Haven't decided fully on the guitar yet but it will be either an Epiphone Wildkat, a MIM Strat or maybe a Gibson LP Studio (Faded). I'll be playing mainly blues (lead, rhythym, finger picking), jazz and a bit of light rock. I like a full-bodied mellow tone, the sort of sound you get out of the old tube amps but I can only afford a (relatively) cheap amp.

I'll be using the amp at home and when jamming with friends (maximum of piano, drums, bass and one other guitar). I want headphone jack, aux input (to play with backing tracks etc), and good quality clear sound at low volume. I rarely use overdrive, and no shredding. Built-in tuner is handy but not imperative.

At the moment the frontrunner is the Fender Mustang II. In Aus this amp is $300 (seems to be around $200 in the US) and that's the price-range I can afford. I have confidence in Fender amps cos my current prac amp is a Fender I've had for probably 15 years (I'm only just getting into the whole electric guitar thing properly now, coming from a classical guitar background). I've played around with the Mustang II in a shop and I did like a couple of the 'modelled' amps ('57 Deluxe & Deluxe reverb in particular).

Another option might be something like the Roland Cube 40XL though I haven't played around with one of them yet. Please give me your input - pros and cons of the Mustang II, and other options to consider (only in the US$200 or below price-range). I will play the guitar I (finally) get through the amp before I decide on the amp too. For my genre of music what are VOX, Orange, Peavey, Lane, Marshall like? What other factors should I consider? Thanks in advance!

[Tig]

The Mustang is a great amp series. It offers plenty of useful blues and rock tones at a useful volume range. I honestly can't think of any negatives unless someone is used to the tube amp "feel" and touch sensitivity. You can replace the amp model patches that you don't need by simply downloading patches from the Fender Fuse community.

[Sada Yairi]

I've read lots of reviews and the odd person here or there says it's not good enough for metal, or they prefer their old tube amp, but besides that everyone seems to think it's great, particularly for $200.

[Sada Yairi]

Another one on the list of potentials is the Fender Vibro Champ XD - anyone had any experience with it?

[guitartango]

You may want to spend a little more and consider a second hand amp, maybe a Fender Blues JNR or Peavey amp. Of course you don't get all the bell's and whistles of a digital amp but then again all you need is a delay pedal and overdrive.

Go on spend the money .

[kiteman]

I don't think tube amps will have headphone jacks. The Mustang amp sound like a winner and I've heard good reviews on them. Of course the Cube amp and the Vypyr amp are also worth considering.

[Bookkeeper's Son]

A friend has a Super Champ XD, and I think it's a pretty slick package, what with tube power AND digital models/effects. Sounds darn good to me, and I sometimes think that perhaps I should've saved up a few extra bucks and got one of those instead of the Cube.

That said, my Cube 30 has been pretty satisfying overall, and is very easy to use compared to some other SS modeling amps.

Also, another friend has a Vox AD30VT, which is a hybrid modeling amp featuring a 12AX7 tube-powered pre-amp, giving it some genuine tube tone. It's another good choice, although not quite as simple to use as the Super Champ or Cube.

[Sada Yairi]

After lots of internet reading, the options are narrowing down. I want aux input and headphone jack, so the Vibro Champ, Champ 600 and Super Champ are off the list. The remaining options (all around $300AUD) are:

1) Fender Mustang II

2) Rolad Cube 40XL

3) Peavey Vypyr 30

4) VOX VT40+

Looking for feedback!

[mapka]

+1 for the Cube amp series

[Bookkeeper's Son]

My personal vote among those choices goes to the Cube, for ease of use. Simple, intuitive controls, no software updates.

[Sada Yairi]

Simple operation appeals, but at the same time I'll end only using two or three different 'voices' so once they're set up it'll just be a matter of switching between them - I tend to develop one favorite setup, and have a couple more available for when I switch genres. Even if the amp I buy is complicated and difficult to use, it will likely only be a hassle during the initial set-up stage. As such, it's the tone that will determine which amp I actually buy. I'm after a nice mellow, fullbodied, fat bluesy tone, like you'd expect from a tube amp. And all the software processing stuff for me is irrelevant.

[bcdon]

I have a VOX VT30 and it is an excellent little amp. The models are really nice and the built-in attenuator is great for late night jamming at low volumes.

[Sada Yairi]

I have a VOX VT30 and it is an excellent little amp. The models are really nice and the built-in attenuator is great for late night jamming at low volumes.

That attenuation feature is certainly appealing, a very practical idea.

[Tig]

Having owned a Vypyr, I will steer anyone and everyone away from them. They aren't terrible, but for the same price, there are several better, easier to use choices like the Roland Cube, Fender Mustang, and Vox VT.

[Bookkeeper's Son]

Having owned a Vypyr, I will steer anyone and everyone away from them. They aren't terrible, but for the same price, there are several better, easier to use choices like the Roland Cube, Fender Mustang, and Vox VT.
I'll second that. Overly-complicated, but it would make a nice Christmas ornament with all its lights......

BTW, the Cube doesn't have a variable attenuator but it does have the "power squeezer" switch, which cuts the power to 2 watts.

[Sada Yairi]

Ok, well the Vypyr is off the list - that was easy! Been looking at youtube demos of the Cube and VOX (have played the Mustang myself). VOX is looking the frontrunner at this stage, and incidentally it is the cheapest. It has the adjustable power level too.

[Duffy]

I'd say look around and try to find one that reaches out to you and that should be able to stand up to the developing level of your talent and ability.

Maybe you will get lucky and one will reach out to you and find you, making your search that much easier. Keep your eyes open. there are a lot of great amps out there. I'd say one of the most important factors to bear in mind is the repairability of the amp you get. A lot of these modeling amps are "disposable" if something big goes wrong. On the other hand the old amp designs found in some Fenders, Marshalls, Peaveys, Voxes, and other amp designers that use long standing, tried and true amp designs have proven reputations of repairability. With these "traditional" type amps you are more likely to find that they will be repairable beyond reckoning. They don't use printed circuit boards designed to some obscure undocumented circuit that were made in some unimaginable corner of unfathomable Asia, where they didn't make any replacement units and constructing them from scratch is impossible. Repairability is something that I think about before I buy an amp.

Good luck with your amp quest and I hope you run into one that you find to be really great.

[kiteman]

I pretty much agree with duffy. I'd find a plain jane amp with a master volume and no onboard crap. Get your FXes from a pedal or two instead. Those amps tend to sound better without going through extra circuitries found on modeling amps.

After all the amps I had and sold I kept my Blackheart Handsome Devil head and cab. It's a tube amp though but rather plain jane.

[Eric]

Hi SY,

For your needs (aux in, headphone, mellow tones), I'd say a modeling amp like the Mustang or Vox VT series looks like a logical choice. There are other options out there like the Vibro/Super Champ XD, Tech 21 Trademark 60, or a few others that would give you what you need and could possibly be found used within your range, but the easier option will probably be the Fender or Vox.

I think Tig had it right when he said that aside from tube feel, the Mustang series is pretty good for their low-gain stuff like the Deluxe, Bassman, Princeton and similar models. It doesn't necessarily have that same spongy feel that a tube amp will give you, but there are quite decent and usable tones in it.

The Vox VT series also seems to excel in that arena, and the main weakness I've heard of those is that they do not get convincing high-gain tones, which would probably not be a concern with you. There is a 12AX7 tube in their circuitry somewhere, which might give you a more round tone. But that's all just based on reputation -- I've never owned a Vox VT amp.

The only other thing I will mention about the Mustang amps is that I have heard that there is not a huge difference between the I and II, but that the III gives a lot more options and improved sound. So budget constraints may ultimately dictate your decision, but I thought I'd throw that in just as some added info. I have a Mustang I and use it mainly as my practice amp, but I have not used the II or III.

Good luck with your search.

[markb]

I've had a Cube 60 and an AD50VT. The Cubes are more amp like in operation. They do what the knobs say they are doing. The Voxes (Voci??) are a bit more like an fx processor and have a bit more of a learning curve. OTOH, a Cube needs a bank of individual footswitches and cables to control all it's functions while the latest Voxes have a nice multifunctional (and optional but reasonable) 5 button switch. I'll be shopping for an amp soon and would go for either the Cube 40 or 80 or the Vox VT40+. You can save 8 user presets on the Vox. The Cube will give you 2 or 3 channels depending on model.
The Mustangs have a lot of hidden features that can only be accessed via a computer which puts me off a bit.

I rejected the Vypers as soon as I saw one. Ugh!

[markb]

Off topic, but it would be Voces (third declension, feminine, nominative plural)

Thanks for that. My state education didn't run to the classical languages :)

[jilaw50]

For a solid state amp you can't beat the Roland Cube...get the biggest you can afford, like the 80XL (which replaces the Cube 60, which I have, and is a good choice if you can find one used). I am playing my Roland Cube 60 in this video at a Festival when the sound guy's half-stack didin't work...lucky I had my Roland with me as a back up. We mic'd it and sounded great: see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfebVqQxamg&list=UU5SV48ycFxGMqcca4KYm_yg&index=20&feature=plcp
If you plan on playing anywhere but your bedroom I would advise against the Fender Blues JR.....better tube amp is the Fender Blues Deluxe (buy used, to keep cost down). The Peavey 30/ Delta Blues tube amps are undervalued in my opinion and deserve consideration. Try and play them all, preferably side by side, and your ears will point you in the right direction.

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[stingx]

Used laney cub 12. Will make you cry.

[Sada Yairi]

Anyone got any thoughts on the Orange CR35LDX? Seems to be a very simple setup (not all the millions of models and effects on the Fender/VOX), and seems to be more focused on clean tones rather than metal which might suit me. I spent an hour playing around with the VOX in a shop the other day, and it took me nearly all that time to find some tones I liked.

[oldguy]

Used laney cub 12. Will make you cry.

^^^^^this ^^^^^

For a little more money, you get a LOT more tasty sound.
The Orange is a good amph.....the Laney Cub is a great amph that just oozes tone.

[Sada Yairi]

I want a headphone jack and aux input, so the Laney won't suit. Starting to lean toward the Orange based purely on reviews and youtube demos. Will find one to play with next.

[Bookkeeper's Son]

I was just noodling on my Cube 30, and I gotta tell you to look again at Cubes, because they sound great and are a bunch of fun to use. Actually, the Cube has two clean sounds - the JC Clean channel, and the Black Panel model, which is based on the Twin Reverb. And slightly less clean, but a lot of fun, is the British Combo model, based on Vox ACxx amps. Roland JC120 amps are renowned for their clean sounds, and the Cube's clean channel certainly does them justice. Additionally, you get the other higher-gain models, if you want to get some hair in your tone for a change of pace. The effects, especially chorus and reverb are genuinely useful. The new Cube 40 has a few more bells and whistles that you might actually be interested in, particularly the looper. And the Cubes are damned easy to use; you don't even need to look at the manual.

I play clean a lot, since I'm not really a lead player, but the other stuff is nice to have, if for no other reason than to keep things interesting.

[Sada Yairi]

The Orange is the current frontrunner, but I still haven't played with the Cube. I'll make sure I do.