"What amp should I get?" guide by Jessica - Page 2

JessThrasher · March 26th, 2007

So I just finished answering a thread about "what amp should I get" and I decided to make a guide about it. So before you ask me or post about "What amp should I get", read.

Helpful hints:

1. Resist pressure from others. Just because almost every band you know is using a Marshall stack doesn't mean you have to. I know that everyone is saving up for or dreaming of owning a Marshall stack someday. Marshall seems to be the best selling brand of amps but there's nothing wrong with using a not as best selling brand.

2. Everyone's rig is usually different in some way. Equipment is such a personal thing...I don't even know where to start! Like I said above, just because your hero is using something doesn't mean you have to.

3. Stay away from Ebay if possible. I've had friends buy amps off Ebay and they tell me that some of them sounded not better than banging pots and pans amplified. Here's a sound clip of my bandmate's guitar sounded like. (does it sound like something you would hear on new years eve?)

http://h1.ripway.com/commanderjess/b...otsandpans.wav

4. Plan on getting your amp in a package your local music store put together? Go for it! you're getting a good deal there!

5. If you're buying from a music store, try out the amp before you buy. There's nothing worse than buying an amp from the store and as soon as you try it at home, it sounds like that sound clip above.

6. If it acts weird or any mishaps, BRING IT BACK TO THE STORE! I've had a bad experiance with a bandmate of mine (17 year old self taught guitar fixer) trying to fix it. Morale: Don't try to fix it yourself unless you really know what you're doing and have good experiance fixing these things.

7. Think hard about your price range. You don't want to burn a hole in your wallet too soon.

8. Think about whether you really want it or not. The worst thing is you buy one and afew months/years later you deside you don't want it any more and burnt a hole in your wallet for nothing.

9. Have fun!

Think about the following:

- What's your price range?

- What type of music do you want to play?

- Are you going to be using clean or distortion more?

- Are you ok with a bajillion knobs and buttons?

- Do you have a particular brand in mind?

Good luck amp buying!

Still need more help? Ask me.

fly135 · #16 March 27th, 2007

"Have you had experience with crates before or this one specifically, and could you tell me what kind of sounds you could dial out of it?"

I have no experience with Crate amps. I've heard people complain about reliability problems but you can get that with any amp. It seems like good value for what you get and the 2 year warranty is only $25. I recently sold a Fender Deluxe 900 on Craigslist for $200. It was in perfect condition and had generally the same feature set as the Crate except it was 90 watts. Craigslist is a good place to watch for deals.

You could probably dial in pretty any distortion level you want with the Crate. 2 Gain channels and a clean with footswitch gives you access to a variety of sounds with just a tap of the foot. I noticed that the DSP setting is retained for each channel, so that's a plus.

A major consideration in a purchase like this is what the distortion sounds like. Is it harsh and buzzy or smooth and creamy? Invariably the worst complaint about solid state amps is that the distortion is too harsh. A lot of the harshness is amplified by poor playing technique. I got rid of the Fender because I couldn't warm up to the distortion channels.

The difference between this amp and a modeling amp is that a modeling amp modifies the timbre (and gain) of the signal for different amp models. My Fender wasn't a modeling amp but it has a timbre selection for each channel. The timbre gives you automatic access to preset EQ. Scooped, dark, bright, acoustic, etc. This may or may not be a big deal to you. It wasn't to me. I got tired of pushing buttons trying find a timbre I liked after dialing in gain. I'm happy with my Bandit just dialing in the gain and leaving it with that. Overall I think that you are getting a lot for $200. Too much FX can have you twisting knobs for so long you forget to actually try to learn to play.

agent0064life · #17 March 27th, 2007

Thanks

Mike8307 · #18 March 27th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by hermanli_ibanezshredder

Jessica, not Jennifer.

Ooopsss.... a thousand pardons.

Michael

fly135 · #19 March 28th, 2007

agent, I happened to notice that the 2x12 version of that Crate amp was only $50 more. If you decide to go that route it seems like it would be worth the extra $50 to get double the watts and the extra speaker.

agent0064life · #20 March 29th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by fly135

agent, I happened to notice that the 2x12 version of that Crate amp was only $50 more. If you decide to go that route it seems like it would be worth the extra $50 to get double the watts and the extra speaker.

link?

fly135 · #21 March 29th, 2007

Agent, this Peavey Classic 30 is right in your neck of the woods....

http://tampa.craigslist.org/msg/302181759.html

The other link....

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...DSP?sku=487787

jimmyzowens · #22 June 16th, 2007

6) Tube vs. Solid state. You will see a lot of discussion and arguments over this issue. You will see people who you may rightly figure are a lot better players than you saying that you can't get that sound out of a SS amp. Don't take it to heart because you aren't going to get "that sound" out of any amp at this stage. If you feel compelled to go tube right away then you will be throwing out the whole FX in an amp category and will need to take the pedal route. So keep that in mind.

im just wondering about this post it seem ur saying that if you go tube you have no effects but pedals ? i just got a vox valvetronics and they say its a tube amp and it has a ton of effects .. did i get jyped or am i just miss informed

Mike8307 · #23 June 17th, 2007

The Vox Valvetronics is what they call a hybrid I believe. The pre-amp is digital allowing for a ton of great effects and amp models. There is a tube in the power amp so you can get that tube "warmth" and "over driven" sound.

Not sure exactly how it works but they are great amps.

Mike

SlickCat · #24 June 17th, 2007

Amps...I had a 60watt Crate solid state combo; Gallien Krueger 120watt solid state combo; Peavey Musician head and 4x12 cab solid state; Marshall 50watt tube head and 2x12 cab; Mesa Blue Angel tube 40watt combo; Mesa subway blues tube 20watt combo; Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb tube amp; and now own a hand built repro of a Fender tweed deluxe tube amp.
I guess my point is I have seached for the tones I love over the years and some of these amps gave me exactly what I was looking for. My advice is buy something with good resale value (Brand Name) because no matter what you get you will soon trade it for something else. If you need a all around amp that can get lots of sounds tones and effects I would recommend the Vox Valvetronic line. They are a hybrid tube/digital amp and they sound great, and cover all kinds of tones. Once you find the tone your looking for and wattage needed,then upgrade to that particular amp you prefer.

bigfinger23 · #25 June 18th, 2007

All the information was very helpfull thanks

kaka · #26 July 2nd, 2007

thanks Fly and JEssica for these valuable info.

sam_railkar · #27 July 20th, 2007

Thanks for the info. It really helped.
I know what amp to get now. But, I had 1 question.
Can I buy just an amp now and but the pedals in the future?
OR
Do I have to get everything together. As long as the pedal I buy in the future is compatible to my amp, I shud be fine. Correct?

Stratrat · #28 July 20th, 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by sam_railkar

...I know what amp to get now. But, I had 1 question.
Can I buy just an amp now and but the pedals in the future?
OR
Do I have to get everything together. As long as the pedal I buy in the future is compatible to my amp, I shud be fine. Correct?

Yep. You can start off with just the amp, and buy the pedals later. As far as compatibility, any effects pedal is compatible with any amp. Some may sound better than others with a particular amp (which is very much a matter of personal opinion and experimentation), but they all have the same cable jacks and will fit any amp.

BTW, which amp did you decide on?

sam_railkar · #29 July 20th, 2007

Stratrat: Thanks a lot. You might find this question dumb. But, I am new to all this.
Is a pedal same as a foot-switch? Or is a foot-switch needed in order to use a pedal? Thanks once again.

fly135 · #30 July 20th, 2007

The term footswitch is frequently used to describe a box with 1 or more switches used to control channel and FX switching on an amp. There are other devices including FX units that can use footswitches. Footswitches are just switches that sometimes have circuitry that allows muxing switch signals on less wires.

Pedals generally are standalone units that are used to color your tone. They have switches and knobs on them. Oddly enough a pedal is not always a pedal at all in the sense that a pedal is something you push with your foot like a volume pedal. It's a generic term used to refer to all individual tone coloring devices. The term "expression" pedal is used to refer to a pedal on a multiFX unit that can be used to control volume, wah, and other FX. Or it can be a standalone volume-like pedal that is plugged into another unit for controlling parameters.