Newbie needs a pract. amp shortlist, new or used!

[poodlesrule]

Me, newbie, got himself an Ibanez Artcore.

I need help building a shortlist of practice amps, either new models, or an 'old reliable" list of decent used combos (to screen on CL or such).

Goal/Style sought: mostly clean bluesy sound

Your thoughts or recs..?


I did read here about the new stuff coming from Peavey, the Crate sale, the recs for the Vox's... still reading!!

[duhvoodooman]

Budget??

[poodlesrule]

Under 150

Funny: with laptop, having morning tea in bed, spouse looks at the MF webpage for the Vox DA5, and says... "cheap!"
I should sneak more early morning purchases...

EDIT/Additional Q: what is the actual benefit of a USB port feature?

[scgmhawk]

I have a Vox and like it and haven't had any issues. Plus, I like having the different models to get a variety of sounds. But, I have to say, that Crate V18 112 for $149 is mighty tempting and fits right in your budget and is all tube. And, you're getting more than 5 watts which could be a good thing down the road. I can't vouch for the quality though. Good luck with your decision!

[Jimi75]

I have read decent reviews about the Roland Microcube.
The samples you can listne to online sound very good.

[ShortBuSX]

Id say if youre shopping Craigslist, Im pretty sure you could find a used Vox AD30vt for bout $150...Ive got one Ive been trying to sell on there for bout 3 weeks @ $185(with the pedal), if I really needed the money Id reduce it to bout that....now Im not even certain I wanna sell it:thwap:

I also see alot of Kustom amps for less than $100 on Craigslist...I read good things about the tubed models and have always wanted to try one.

Id just suggest looking on Craigslist 3 times a day, so you dont miss any great opportunities, but be warned, youll find stuff you didnt even know you wanted...Ive been searching for a used Blues Jr on there for bout 2 months, and have since acquired 2 Strats in the meantime:thwap:

[Spudman]

EDIT/Additional Q: what is the actual benefit of a USB port feature?

You can easily upload software revisions and record into your computer without the need for an additional interface.

[poodlesrule]

Veeery early this morning, I read about the new/upcoming Peavey Vypyer 15.

Anybody know more about it...?

[Rocket]

If any Marshall MG is on your short list... scratch it!
MG = Marshall Garbage.

[sunvalleylaw]

Veeery early this morning, I read about the new/upcoming Peavey Vypyer 15.

Anybody know more about it...?

It is on my short list for a cheaper portable amp and has a lot of, but not all of the features of the larger Vypers. No USB, not all the effects, no onboard looper. But I am going to get a Vyper 30 for my son, and check out the 15 when I am down at the store getting it. Probably in the next week. There is a thread on the vyper series. Search "vyper" and you will pull it up. I would be considering it in comparison to the DA5 or a used AD30, and I guess the guys that know say these Rolands and Crates look ok too. I would lean toward Roland I would think between those two, but that is just me.

[duhvoodooman]

I see used Epi Valve Jr. combos on our local Craigslist quite often. Usually in the $75 - $100 range. Excellent value there for a good sounding 5W tube amp. Look for the v.2 or 3 models, though--they have the 3 different output impedance jacks on the back (4 - 8 - 16 ohm). Also great for modding! :D

[poodlesrule]

It is on my short list for a cheaper portable amp and has a lot of, but not all of the features of the larger Vypers. No USB, not all the effects, no onboard looper. But I am going to get a Vyper 30 for my son, and check out the 15 when I am down at the store getting it.


I did look at the Vypyer 15 today, very briefly, at a GC near lunch.
I don't know about the electronics, but the case is rather flimsy... even compared to a somewhat similar Line 6. Uh.

[TS808]

I would recommend any of the models of the Vox ADxxVT series. I have the AD50VT 212 and really like it alot. The Crate 18-watt is in your budget, but that amp may be a bit loud for a practice amp.

If you can find a used Tech 21 Trademark 10 or 30, I'd highly recommend either. Cool little amps with alot of punch and really good tone.

[tunghaichuan]

I'd second the Roland MicroAmp. Sounds very good, doesn't cost a lot of money. They are about $125US at the various local guitar shops.

tung

[Mr Grumpy]

Vox AD15 would be good, or a used 30. If you can find a used Behringer GM110 that would be worth a look too, great sounding amps.

[Duff]

GM110 at audioallies.com under instruments for 98 dollars, thirty solid state watts, analog moddelling and cabinet moddelling and drive settings, plus drive volume, master vol, and eq. Has a DI out and all kinds of connectivity including an effects loop. Highly rated amp at harmonycentral.com.

I bought one from audioallies.com and couldn't be happier. Has super good tone and a Bugera ten inch speaker. Solid bulild and real good looking. A lot of amp for a little money.

This is out of production but some places like audioallies.com sell them but won't be for long. The new model is not as good, supposedly.

You would be able to dial in a super blues tone with this awesome thirty watt amp. Don't let the name Behringer scare you. This is a dependable and very solid Behringer amp.

Check out audioallies.com, no affilliation to me just a place I like to mention that is little known. Call them up if you can't find it on the site, but don't get the GM108, it is a different animal. The thirty watter is a strong thirty watts and has all sorts of tones. It's an amp you'd want to keep.

I have an Artcore AS73 cherry trans I just got recently. Super great guitar. You would definitely like this amp compared to the tiny ones you are considering, plus it's ANALOG modelling, not digital. Some people way prefer the analog modelling. I'm cool with digital though, like in my Fender Super Champ XD and Vox DA5, a great little portable AC or battery powered amp, but no where near the size or volume as the Behringer which can actually cut it with a moderate drummer in a smaller environment or blast you out of your house and upset all the neighbors while sounding really really good doing it.

Duffy

[poodlesrule]

Thanks Duffy!

I am in touch with the supplier you mentioned, and just need to pull the trigger.

I am glad to hear you mention the AS73 in relation to the amp, blues reference included -- I kept mumbling some of the lyrics of "Stormy Monday" all day... which is understandable considering the rain coming to N.E.!!

[Duff]

Musiciansfriend.com, has some great deals on all tube small amps: the V5 is a five tube watt equal to fifteen solid state watts for 99 and a V18 eighteen watt tube amp equal to approx fifty four solid state watts and more controls than the V5 and the V18 is going for 149 but act fast because they raised the price once already. Like at least twice the price. These deals are hard to believe and should be really super for blues. The V50 for 199 is fifty tube watts and is endorsed by a big time Blues dude, forget his name, see the Crate site. That baby is a class AB amp with two channels, clean and overdrive with lots of controls and connectivity and has an American sound, whatever that means, Fender I suppose, or Peavey Delta Blues, I'm not sure but it would be a super deal and really loud enough for future events involving drummers. You'd have the drummer yelling at you to turn down; a much more satisfying feeling than having an outrageously loud drummer derogatorilly telling you to "get a real amp" because you can't cut above his din. I'm a drummer myself, but unlike a lot of drummers I can play soft, not just all out full blast, which is common - full blast drummers that play really loud and can't really play good softly or even moderately. Not to offend any drummers, it's just a fact. You'll find out if you get too small of an amp.

I'd get on it right away and would think that this is one of the best amp deals that you are going to find for quite a while. Tube tone is preferred to a substantial degree by many players here and elsewhere. These are supposed to have a British sound, supposedly code for Marshall. Sounds like a good deal. I might get one myself if I can put it together. I have an inexpensive bass in mind to back up my expensive one but that should be around for a long time, these amps won't be at this half price or less value for long. He who hesitates is definitely lost, definitely goes for these, believe me. Act fast if you want the deal.

Go to musciansfriend.com and click on amps and cabinets on the left of the home page and select combo amps, look down on the left and you'll see Crate, click on that and it will bring up about twenty four amps. Look at the ones I mentioned and maybe some more but check out the tube ones for sure they are the ones marked way way down.

Hope this helps in your search for a good amp.

Duffy

[Mr Grumpy]

. It's an amp you'd want to keep.

I have an Artcore AS73 cherry trans I just got recently. Super great guitar. You would definitely like this amp compared to the tiny ones you are considering, plus it's ANALOG modelling, not digital. Some people way prefer the analog modelling. I'm cool with digital though, like in my Fender Super Champ XD and Vox DA5, a great little portable AC or battery powered amp, but no where near the size or volume as the Behringer which can actually cut it with a moderate drummer in a smaller environment or blast you out of your house and upset all the neighbors while sounding really really good doing it.

Duffy

Duff, you are making me feel bad about getting rid of my GM110 - Ive actually been toying with he idea of tracking one down again instead of the valve junior Ive been thinking of. Why oh Why did I get rid of such a great, solid little amp. They are now quite scarce in the UK

Oh and thanks for re-awakening my GAS for an AS73..............mmm Trans cherry red

[tunghaichuan]

Duff, you are making me feel bad about getting rid of my GM110 - Ive actually been toying with he idea of tracking one down again instead of the valve junior Ive been thinking of. Why oh Why did I get rid of such a great, solid little amp. They are now quite scarce in the UK


I don't know, If I were in the UK I'd think seriously about getting one of these:

http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_ga15.htm?partner_id=87171

I believe it is a Epi Valve Special without all the tone robbing DSP crap.

Looks cool.

tung

[Mr Grumpy]

I don't know, If I were in the UK I'd think seriously about getting one of these:

http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_ga15.htm?partner_id=87171

I believe it is a Epi Valve Special without all the tone robbing DSP crap.

Looks cool.

tung
Also on my Thomann wish list :) as is the little GA5 'junior-a-like'

[Duff]

A place called audioallies.com is selling the GM110's for 98 dollars US. Probably could talk them into shipping you one. Their phone number is on the web site.

Good luck. It is a loud little, nice analog modelling amp that can keep up with a moderately loud drummer in a fairly small place.

Hope this helps,

Duff

Not affilliated with that company in any way.

The Ibanez is really nice looking feeling sounding playing. Don't think I'll switch out the pups. The buckers sound good. I'll post some pictures now that I know how to do it.

[piebaldpython]

So DUFF; if you had a choice between the GM110 and the DA5 and it was solely to be used in the house, mostly bedroom playing, which would you pick??? Thanks.

[Tibernius]

Also on my Thomann wish list :) as is the little GA5 'junior-a-like'

I've got the GA5 and it's definitely worth the cash. Seems to have less distortion than the VJ judging by the clips on the net.
The tone control's fairly awful though, I'm thinking of going for a fixed-tone setup with a gain control. No idea how I'd do that though, or if it's even possible. :thwap:

[poodlesrule]

So DUFF; if you had a choice between the GM110 and the DA5 and it was solely to be used in the house, mostly bedroom playing, which would you pick?.

+1 on that...
and what about the Pathfinder 15 R..??

[tunghaichuan]

I've got the GA5 and it's definitely worth the cash. Seems to have less distortion than the VJ judging by the clips on the net.
The tone control's fairly awful though, I'm thinking of going for a fixed-tone setup with a gain control. No idea how I'd do that though, or if it's even possible. :thwap:

Looking at the schematic, the tone control has its own board which is connected to the pot and is not a part of the main board. In fact the tone control is a three band with only the treble band being adjustable. The other two bands have fixed resistors instead of tone pots. You could adjust the tone pot to where it sounds best, then remove the pot carefully from the circuit as not to disturb the wiper, then measure it. Then you'd get the closest fixed resistor and solder it into the board where the pot was.

Personally, I'd remove the entire EQ board and put in a tweed-style tone control, which doesn't rob gain like the three-band. You'd probably get enough gain that you wouldn't need another gain control. Then just do the regular Valve Junior tweaks, and your amp would be rockin'.

I bet between Duhvoodooman and me, we could come up with a lot of tweaks for your amp.

tung

[sumitomo]

I saw a GM108 for 40 buck on craigslist in Bend,Oregon.Sumi :D

[Duff]

I'm not Bob Dylan, of course, but I don't think he'd care which of those amps he played in his room. They are all three really good amps, but think about that Crate V18 at musciansfriend.com for 149, no tax.

Watched some utubes last nite of Dylan and he played a different guitar on every song, couple beautiful strats, a tele, an Airline Spudman tells me, some special Gibson Les Paul with a headstock inlay like I've never seen probably a really old well taken care of guitar.

So any way you go will be a good choice, I think, if you spend a lot of time playing it and learning it, finding its sweet spots, special characteristics, etc.

I have all three.

I play the Vox DA5 the most and in fact took it apart tonight and resoldered a broken solder joint on the PCB where the power plug plugs in. I was lucky, I could see some faint sparks and some semi microscopic cracks in the trace and solder points. I applied flux and used a well heated fifteen watt pencil soldering iron to very very lightly touch them up, no added solder. Then I finished it off by adding a very little solder at some weak spots on the joints and on the cracked traces without getting any solder on any other solder places. I use very thin electrical solder from radio shack an it is about one mm in diameter. Works great in tight places where a lot of solder would mess things up big time.

The DA5 has some great sounding effects like autowah and is editable in three parameters for the effects, plus has a tap tempo button. A lot of great amp models including two cleans, three blues amp models, three crunch models, drive, and probably a couple more. It has one tone knob for eq, not two or three or four. It has a separate gain knob next to the volume knob and it gets loud enough to aggravate your surrounding neighbors and obliterate your family or roomates. It switches, however between point five watts to one point five watts to five watts and you can use six C cell batteries to take it on the road, camping, picknicing, on the hunt, etc. Take it somewhere and sit around and play and see what shows up. A nice feature. It is small, about ten inches by ten inches and about six deep. You can take the battery panel that's velcro'd on off for an open back amp sound.

I haven't used my Pathfinder 15R much lately but it is really cool with a vintage Vox sound and layout. Clean and overdrive, nice eq, reverb, and a vintage style tremolo with speed and depth knobs which I like to set at slow and shallow to get that wavering rotary Leslie speaker type sound. Works good for blues. It looks really vintage and is a super amp but you usually have to order it from musciansfriend or somewhere like that. GC usually only has the Pathfinder 10 which is another animal and something I wouldn't get, like a Behringer GM108, although some people like them.

I think the GM110 is a super value and you get three drive models, clean, high gain, and mega high gain, not in those same words. You get American, British, and HiGain amp models I think. You also get three cabinet models, a four by twelve Marshall stack supposedly, a Vox two twelve supposedly, and a Fender tweed I believe. It has a full eq, a separate drive knob to even overdrive the already overdriven models, a master volume knob, no reverb I don't think but a Danelectro corned beef will work great! It has incredible connectivity including a built in DI out for using xlr cables to connect to a board or PA. Lots of other things like a effects loop, etc. Plus a ten inch quality speaker and thirty solid state watts, for 98 dollars. It's supposedly very dependable unlike some other Behringer items.

That 149 Crate V18 would be a mind blower for sure and you could turn it down low enough to really enjoy it at home and it would almost definitely keep up with a moderately loud drummer, definitely with a drummer who knows how to play more softly and more mellow.

musciansfriend.com is even selling the five watt V5 for 99 dollars. These prices are less than half of the normal price and they won't be around long. That little five watt tube amp would be great along with a multi pedal or other single pedals. Definitely. The V five has an eight inch speaker but the V eighteen has a full twelve inch speaker that would give you a richer tone, supposedly, I think definitely.

Being an amatuer my ideas on these amps might not be equal to those of some of these super experts here on the Fret, but I know for sure some of them like any of the above amps and would agree that any of them would be good for home use. The Behringer and the V18 obviously have more potential for jamming with friends. The DA5 has that playing in the park with the batteries for thirty hours on one set, and seeing what shows up; could be a catalyst for rounding up some babes, definitely. Bring a dog along and you'll be a sure hit.

Hope these ideas from a relative neophyte or novice/intermediate player help you out. I need to practice every day, which I do, and take lessons more regularly. Lessons are how you learn a thousand times faster and get a thousand times better, at least for someone at my level of ability. They really help and are not expensive.

Let us know how your search turns out but I wouldn't play around if I was going for one of those Crate tube amps. He who hesitates is lost. You can preorder which would be highly advisable especially with the V18.


Duff

[poodlesrule]

Infusing new life to the thread...

Well, it looks like I would need an practice amph at two locations, and I don't want to carry stuff back and forth.

Back then, I got the Vox Pathfinder 15R and am pleased with its clean sound.

I am back into considering the Microcube and also the Behringer GM110 (as Duffy indicated way back then.) which is still available, in small quantities, apparently...

Question is, did any newer offerings worth considering appear on the scene since we last talked about practice amph..?

[Duff]

Did I mention that I played the Peavey Vypyr and found it to be lit up like a Christmas tree? All sorts of tones and models. Very flimsy in build and had a buzz coming from something loose in the chasis behind the knobs, probably a wire vibrating against the faceplate or something like that. Completely open back.

I played a new old stock I guess, not that old, Marshall MG15CDR with a tank reverb and bought it on the spot. Just two channels, no models, clean and overdrive and reverb as an extra. Sounded way better than the Peavey. Really clean almost Fender clean channel and a beautiful drive channel and a real decent adjustable reverb. Probably cost a little more than the Peavey but nice.

Also, look around for deals. You can get a Peavey Windsor Studio brand new here by me for 199. Can you believe that. Closing it out, all the Peavey stuff. I got a HP Signature EXP for 199 Tiger Eye maple brand new. I want that Windsor.

Duffy

[gndboy]

This may be waaaaaaay too late - I'd recommend steering clear of single-ended tube amps (especially the current ones) for an all-round practice amp. You may never be satisfied with the essentially one sound, which only smears as you turn it up. Good used tube amps are out there, and they have their charm and issues. A real good choice in my opinion for a new current-production box is the Vox Pathfinder 15R solid-state combo. It's inexpensive and sounds real presentable over a range of tones. Opinions will vary. Good luck!

[poodlesrule]

Thanks gnboy.

At the time, I did buy a Pathfinder 15R. I think Duffy talked me into it.

I like it a lot.

As I mentioned before, I ran into two 10" speakers (given to me, from a older Marshall Micro Stack?), and made an extension cab for the Pathfinder. Same Vox voice, but much more body than the 8" speaker!

[Perfect Stranger]

Fender Mustang I or II

[gndboy]

I have come to dislike single-ended tube amps for general use, including practice and rehearsal. Per above, it's a one-sound thing that can be cool for some stuff, but generally is frustrating for general playing. There is no denying the fantastic trem of the Supro 16T, but even with a good 6V6 it's impossible to get any tone approaching what could be called clean. For an inexpensive box that sounds good over a large swatch of sonic territory I still recommend the Vox Pathfinder 15R. There are a ton of amps out there, but not many new at $120 that satisfy.

[gndboy]

Poodlesrule - I like what you say about the 2X10 + '15R. I had one of those awful Cambridge 30's c. 2002 with 2X10. I really like tens (the speakers and the strings hi) and I may well try a setup similar to yours. No way am I going to do baffle surgery on my Pathfinder. Lately I play mine with the tone controls mid-scale and the volume control all the way up, using the gain control for level. Up to a point it is really "Byrds" sounding. Playing my '15R through a good 1X12 Celestion cabinet sounds fine, but I actually like the internal eight. Gonna put a Weber eight I have in there and see how it sounds. Whoever designed the Pathfinder 15R really nailed it.

What make are your tens from the mini Marshall? You can likely find out from numerals on the speaker frames; try the Waldom Electronics website, which may be able to supply useful clues. Chances are about 85% or better they're Celestions, Oxfords, or Eminence. Those are all good speakers, and I'll bet there is not much difference (in my case) between the stock eight and a Weber. It's fun to compare speaker drivers.