Help for an utter newbie in this department

[Childbride]

to be succinct...

in order to fulfill one of my new year's resolutions, my guitar teacher is teaching me a song that i can play the chords to no problem [the eagles, 'lying eyes'... usu the song i play on my 12-er at bedtime and one of my fav songs] but he's going to teach it to me in a diff key with the lead and fillers on electric.

we have two behringers [which i have no clue how to use] and the electric one is kinda heavy... i need an amp.

i need an electric amp that is light.

i have a significant deal of titanium in my spine that precludes me from carrying anything heavy at all... and i need something that doesn't stink on ice, but i can carry to and from my lessons.

he also wanted me to get a reverb pedal, which i know nothing about, either.

i know that there is a TON of talent and experience on this forum with regard to this issue, would you pretty please help me with suggestions?

[ted s]

Maybe an Epiphone Valve junior combo for an amp ? Nice size, simple, not expensive. Most that have them love them, and it doesn't stink on ice.

[Guitar Gal]

CB,

Here is my .02 ......

Look at the Vox DA5 or the Roland Microcube amps. Both are small (about 6 or 7 pounds), have different amp settings for you to choose from, have built in effects such as reverb, can run on batteries or a 9 volt adapter, and they have a great sound :

I personally have the Vox DA5. I love the portability of it. It can go anywhere and it sounds very loud for such a small amp. On the back there is also a switch to adjust the overall power level so you can turn it to output at .5 watts, 1.5 watts, or 5 watts. This feature is nice if you want to practice at low volumes and still have good tone. I really like the "clean" and "blues" amp selections.

If you google the two amps, you can probably get an idea what they sound like.

Good luck in your search

GG

[tot_Ou_tard]

Guitar Gal has got titatanium-friendly suggestions that won't stink on ice & will give you many options.

I like my Fender Champion 600 (I replaced the tubes) & that sucker is itsy-bitsy (but still heavier than GG's reccomendations) & I love the tone from it. You might want a clean boost or OD to push it at lower volumes.

[Childbride]

ok... [so please don't laugh at me, i really, sincerely don't know]

so if i get one of these amps that have reverb options, i can bypass the pedal necessity?

k

[Guitar Gal]

ok... [so please don't laugh at me, i really, sincerely don't know]

so if i get one of these amps that have reverb options, i can bypass the pedal necessity?

k

yes, you can bypass the reverb pedal if you get one of these amps.......

GG

[just strum]

CB, how much are you able to carry without pain? And why don't you have that guy you married carry it for you. He's always bragging that he can carry fifteen 12 packs with one arm.

[Childbride]

yes, he can.

but he teaches night school on the nights that i have my lessons, so i'm on my own.

on your question, which is valid... lessee. katie is 17 lbs. i can lift her almost always, if the weather is good. i wouldn't want to push 30, no way, no how.

[tot_Ou_tard]

yes, he can.

but he teaches night school on the nights that i have my lessons, so i'm on my own.

on your question, which is valid... lessee. katie is 17 lbs. i can lift her almost always, if the weather is good. i wouldn't want to push 30, no way, no how.

Well then the 5 watt tube amps...Fender Champion 600 & Gretsch electromatic should all be in range.

I don't think the VOX ad30Vt is more tha 10 lbs, but I could be wrong.

[just strum]

The AD30VT is 26 lbs. CB, how are you going to use the amp, are you branching out to the dark side, or is this for things like the EA20? I think a 10 to 15 watt amp would easily do the trick if you are playing at your lessons or at home.

Edit: the 5 watts that Tot suggests is a perfect option also.

[tot_Ou_tard]

The AD30VT is 26 lbs.

Shows how manly my arms are . Data is better than guesses.

The DA5 or microcube or a small 5 watttube amp seem like the way to go CB.

[piebaldpython***]

Hey CB,
VOX 15R Pathfinder, 18 lbs with both tremolo and reverb knobs. TOT's tube amp suggestions are of course, superb, BUT...you will need a reverb pedal with ALL of those. Any of the little VOX'S would be good....DA5, DA15 (22lbs) or the 15R Pathfinder. Lightweight, highly regarded, they all have reverb included....the DA5 and DA15 all have other FX too plus a multitude of amp styles (the Pathfinder has just one amp style).
Price wise; the Pathfinder is $120, DA5 is $140 and DA15 is $160. Headphone access for all 3, so that if you wanna practive while SHINER is passed out ( ), it's no problemo

[Katastrophe]

+1 for the suggestions already mentioned. Getting a separate head / cabinet will lighten the load, as you can make two trips if necessary. Also, a rolling suitcase cart can help with the load, too, and they are fairly lightweight. The Valve Junior sounds great, and it doesn't get much simpler to operate.

Welcome to the dark side... Amphs can be as addictive as guitars.

[wingsdad]

Hey, CB-
I remember when Shiner got the Behringer GM110...simple, self-contained and very decent little electric git amp. I may have even : helped steer him toward it.

For what you're doing, at the stage you're at in developing as a guitar player, and for your needs for lightweight versatility for lessons and practice, with a little jammin' with Shiner thrown in, I think the suggestion of the Roland MicroCube is best, and here's why:

Besides having a built-in 'tuning fork' tone and enough 'amp models' to give you a variety of electric tone capabilities, it's got simple to dial-in essential effects (chorus, phaser) AND a seperate Delay/Reverb effect. And an aux input for a jam-along/play-along cd player, etc., and a headphone jack.

And since you can run it on batteries, if you want to sit out on that beach or at that poolside bar on that vacation (with or without headphones) and wail away, it's just the ticket.

That said, because you love that Wash EA20 acoustic/electric so much, what most folks don't realize is that the MicroCube is in fact capable of serving as a neat little acoustic practice amp because among the 'amp model' settings, it has a setting for MIC Input...which works way differently with an acoustic/electric guitar's preamp than an electric guitar input. Because, simplistically put, trying not to get too technical, an a/e's preamp 'behaves' more like a microphone than electric guitar pickups. Plugging into the MIC input on this is much like plugging an a/e into a PA system. (That's a technical as I'll get about it; those who've done this know what I mean.)

And that's why I have one. I got mine because I can get good sound out of my a/e's as well as my electrics. And it's plenty loud for around the house.

For you, if you want to plug a mic in and sing for Mom or Gram...well, the MicroCube will fill your need there, too.

Oh, yeah...it comes in black, white, or red, if that matters...
MicroCubes at Sweetwater
And that's my 2 cents...

[Duff]

I have a VOX Pathfinder 15R, usually only findable on websites like musciansfriend.com and rarely found in Guitar Center stores or other music stores. This is a really great amp with reverb and a cool vintage tremolo with depth and speed dials plus a boost button with volume and gain dials for overdrive. Highly recommended and dependable. I grab it an go. But at about five more pounds you could get the superior amp described below. I am not a salesman or affiliated with any company and just got one yesterday myself as noted below.

I also just got a Fender Super Champ XD from an online place called MusiciansBuy.com for $279 with a free ten foot quality Fender guitar cable and free shipping, I got 2 day air for $17 extra and got it yesterday. This is a tube amp. The Pathfinder is 100 percent solid state. The Super Champ XD looks like a typical silver grill Fender amp (see attached picture) and is of high quality and is in extreme demand with most online stores like musciansfriend.com and zzounds.com sold out, not to mention many others. I found it at MusciansBuy.com and they have a few left. I would say this is a typical, "he who hesitates is lost" scenario. This is a very high quality Fender amp and will probably become a classic because of several good reasons. It has excellent build quality, is composed of outstanding internal components, is designed very well, very well thought out and has a tube preamp and two 6V6 (outstanding) power amp tubes. It blends in 16 amp models or emulations that include several classic Fender amp tones and British amp tones like Marshall stacks and Vox amps. It has 16 effects including several reverbs. It is highly adjustable and takes pedals well.

The Fender Super Champ XD is a much in demand super good amp with a tube design and tube sound that weighs in at 24 pounds. Call MusciansBuy.com at 1-877-778-7845 Toll Free. I have no affiliation with any company. These guys are great and will get the item to you quickly because they are the only place I could find that actually have these in stock. No backorder here. Weight 24 lbs, copied from the website. "Classic Fender Spring Reverb", copied from the website. Also has extra sturdy handle, 5 year warranty that's transferrable, 15 tube watts ( one tube watt is roughly equivalent to 3 solid state watts, so equal to a 45 watt solid state amp in power). Sounds very good at very low volumes and sounds good at loud volumes.

This is a quality amp that is dependable and is supported by a well distributed service network. It has a great sounding stock 10 inch speaker. Black tolex vinyl type outer protective surface, rubber feet, and a typical fender silver weave cloth speaker grill.

If you can carry this amp you would be hard pressed to find a better amp in my opinion. It is not super sophisticated like the highly digital VOX chromies, amps with expanded metal chrome speaker grills, and has a record of excellent dependability and outstanding craftsmanship in its manufacture.

I didn't want a Fender amp when I started playing again and stayed away from them. Then I decided to get a tube amp and the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe impressed me immensely. This is a very heavy amp, I'm 58, but I can handle it. The Fender Super Champ XD, however, is very light and has two amp models of the Hot Rod Deluxe, plus models for various other classic Fender amp tones.

This is a well thought out, well put together amp that has been accepted with enthusiasm by the Fender purist groups and is available at a really great price, considering that great sounding Fender amps cost $800 plus. It is intended for home and practice use but some people gig with it.

I am not a salesman of any type and have posted here many times. I just got one of these. Did my research and am sharing it with you.

Today you can get a great amp for the same price as a low quality amp. Generally the bigger the speaker the better an electric guitar will sound, so a 10 inch speaker is great a lot of amps have 12 inch speakers.

Tube amps sound much smoother and warmer than solid state amps and are the amps that most people move towards as they become more informed about guitars in general. They are not more difficult to use and the maintenance requirements for someone in your usage category would probably be minimal and highly inexpensive. You rarely need to change tubes if the amp is used relatively lightly, such as in taking lessons and practicing; as opposed to nightly several hour long club playing at high volumes.

I hope my ideas are of assistance to you. This is one beautiful amp and looks like a typical Fender style amp. Fender being known for quality for many years. Any teacher would be impressed with this little amp.

Duffy
Winfield, Pa
mbolduc@dejazzd.com

[Duff]

I forgot to mention that the Fender Super Champ XD has two amp models of the renowned Fender Acoustasonic amplifier. It is supposed to work very well on these settings with acoustic guitars. They are special uncolored extra clean channels that reproduce the sound of an acoustic guitar or acoustic electric extremely well. Normally you would not play a guitar with acoustic pickups through a regular electric guitar amp because it won't sound right. I have a separate amp for my acoustic, a Crate Gunnison 60 watt amp with microphone inputs so you can play and sing. I will, however, use my Super Champ XD with my acoustic for versatility.

Duffy

[duhvoodooman***]

Excellent advice from Wingsdad! : A small solid-state unit with built-in reverb capability seems a very logical choice. Light, inexpensive, flexible, portable. In addition to the Roland Microcube, the Vox DA-5 would fall right into this same category, and only a few bucks more expensive. Under 8 lbs! And I & many others here can vouch for the Vox amp & effect model technology.

You might also want look at the Line 6 Spider III 15W combo:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...ier?sku=482276

Only a C-note, similar feature set, and you'd get more power and the bigger 8" speaker. But you give up battery-powered portability, if that's a consideration for you.

Good luck w/ your decision, CB!

[marnold***]

This is a quality amp that is dependable and is supported by a well distributed service network.

I wonder if Fender will actually fix them though. From what I understand, all but a few amp manufacturers have replace-only repair policies. Not only that, but a local shop said that they're having a hard time even getting schematics to do repairs. Obviously, replacing tubes is one thing, but if it gets more complicated than that . . . That's especially something to think about with a tube amp that will be inherently more fragile than a solid state amp.

Of course, at the rate that people are doing mods to their amps, warranties might be irrelevant.

[just strum]

There you go all the unknown is now answered and you can go buy the ONE that was recommended.

I'll add another suggestion: Take the primary guitar to the guitar store (assuming there are some in the area) and try some out to see what you think. Take Shiner with you, so you two can take turns playing and also standing back and just listening.

Good luck and remember, be careful out there.