Members Grayson73 Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 I'm a beginner electric player looking for a 2-channel amp. I play at church so it's mostly rock tones, like Chris Tomlin and Hillsongs songs.Doesn't matter if it is tube or solid state, but I need the following:1. Best tone for low volume. I'm always getting complaints that the electric guitar is too loud (room of about 80 people). Is there an amp that has full sounding tone at low volume?2. 2-channels and foot switchable (one for crunch parts and one for lead parts).3. Speaker needs to have decent dispersion, so that those directly in front don't hear it super loud and those on the sides barely hear it. I will mic the amp to the FOH to help with this.4. Sounds good with my Agile AL-3500 (Les Paul style). I will be plugging in directly to the amp and won't be using pedals.5. Lightweight, since I will be carrying it every week.6. Money is not an object, but prefer $1000 or less.Am I beyond help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SnowStorm Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 If you want dispersion from speakers than it would be good to go with 10" speakers as they tend to spray more and be less beaming than 12" imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chrispsullivan Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 Peavey Classic 30 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grayson73 Posted October 19, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 Originally Posted by chrispsullivan Peavey Classic 30 40 lbs is heavy, but I'm willing to lug it if there aren't better options that are lighter. Will a 30w tube amp sound good at lowish volume? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Phrophus Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 What are you using now/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Murdoch Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 If you're going to low volume, your best bet is probably going to be a solid state amp. Most tube amps...most, not all...sound their best when the power amp really gets cooking, which, in turn, means higher volume. Some of the best tones I've ever gotten at low volume was through an old Marshall Valvestate. It has one 12AX7 in the preamp. But it really does sound great at lower volumes. If you can find one of those, I'd go for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Murdoch Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 If you're going to low volume, your best bet is probably going to be a solid state amp. Most tube amps...most, not all...sound their best when the power amp really gets cooking, which, in turn, means higher volume. Some of the best tones I've ever gotten at low volume was through an old Marshall Valvestate. It has one 12AX7 in the preamp. But it really does sound great at lower volumes. If you can find one of those, I'd go for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members greg apocalypse Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 Dude, a Peavey Classic 30 is perfect for your situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members newholland Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 for low volume, i'd seriously consider solid state amps. You'd have way better control of gain and overall volume at lower levels-- even moreso than with a 5 watt guitar amp-- which'd still probably be too loud for church, unless you've got yourself one loud church.edit: murdoch: jinx. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chrispsullivan Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 Originally Posted by Grayson73 40 lbs is heavy, but I'm willing to lug it if there aren't better options that are lighter. Will a 30w tube amp sound good at lowish volume? Guitar is not for wimps. The reason I recommended the Classic 30 is that you can get that at really reasonable used prices used, they sound great, and have the two channels you want. It's probably not as quiet as you would want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chrispsullivan Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 How about the Blackstar HT-5? http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HT5R/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chrispsullivan Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 Or the new 15 watt Marshall DSL combo. http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/DSL15C/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SnowStorm Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 Originally Posted by newholland for low volume, i'd seriously consider solid state amps. You'd have way better control of gain and overall volume at lower levels-- even moreso than with a 5 watt guitar amp-- which'd still probably be too loud for church, unless you've got yourself one loud church. edit: murdoch: jinx. I agree with this. Solid-state or a modeling amp would probably be best. Maybe buy a lower cost solid-state or modeling amp now and have money left over for a good tube amp later. -Roland Cube 60 or 80 -Maybe a Line 6 DT25, tube amp but modeling, I don't know how much it weighs. -Tech 21 stuff -Fender Mustang amp. They are getting great reviews. -Vox Valvetronix stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nightflameauto Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 Peavey Transtube combo of some type. I have an Agile 3100 that I play through a Studio Pro 112 red stripe and it sounds pretty thick and full no matter the volume. The pots also have a good taper so you don't go from whisper to scream really quickly and can actually dial in a good volume for a given situation. I love that amp. It gets used for everything from my electric violin to bass duties in some low-volume situations without complaint. The Bandits are plentiful and cheap, and the Studio Pros can often be picked up for nothing because pawn shops don't know what the heck they are. I got mine for $80 and it's still one of my favorite amps ever. Not my absolute favorite, but damn close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members knucklefux Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 i don't get it.yes, there's a sweet spot where tube amps sound best (and it's usually pretty loud) but that doesn't mean that they sound worse than solid state amps at low volumes. with a classic 30, at least you have to ability to crank it into that sweet spot if you get the opportunity. with a SS amp, you don't.i support the classic 30 suggestion, although you may want to reconsider your position on pedals...especially if you want a distorted tone that can't be had with the C30 alone.as far as the dispersion thing, turn the amp so the speaker points 90* from the crowd and let the PA do the work for the audience. basically, do a sidefill setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarbilly74 Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 I'd suggest a Fender Mustang III. It's one of the lightest amps out there, it sounds good for low volume playing, comes with a footswitch and it will have everything you need (channels, effects, tuner etc) in a small lightweight package. You also can feed it directly to the PA using the cab emulators and have complete control of your volume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guidedbyechoes Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 Does the church have a pa system? If so go with some modeler like the 11rack or gsp1101 from digitech. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators justcrash Posted October 19, 2012 Moderators Share Posted October 19, 2012 Originally Posted by Murdoch If you're going to low volume, your best bet is probably going to be a solid state amp. Most tube amps...most, not all...sound their best when the power amp really gets cooking, which, in turn, means higher volume. Some of the best tones I've ever gotten at low volume was through an old Marshall Valvestate. It has one 12AX7 in the preamp. But it really does sound great at lower volumes. If you can find one of those, I'd go for that. This. For a tube amp to sound decent at bedroom level you're looking at a 3-5 watt amp, tops. Have you looked in to a modeler? I know it's not "cool" but there are a lot of good tones in those boxes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Shine Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 Dumble. Or Snax. Christian bitches love the snax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grayson73 Posted October 19, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 Originally Posted by guidedbyechoes Does the church have a pa system? If so go with some modeler like the 11rack or gsp1101 from digitech. Yes, we have a PA system, but I use the amp as my monitor since we don't have any. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ron Burgandy Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 Originally Posted by SnowStorm If you want dispersion from speakers than it would be good to go with 10" speakers as they tend to spray more and be less beaming than 12" imo. This is just dumb. Not even in the realm of reality kind of dumb. Where did you possibly read this and what makes you even begin to think its true? OP - get a modeling amp. The Vox Valvetronix or the Fender Mustang series both have options that will work for you. In my last band I used a Vox AD30vt and it was perfect for rehearsal. They sell a small footswitch to allow you to dial in two channels of whatever you want. The Classic 30 mentioned above has a clean channel and a crunch channel so you'd need pedals to accomplish a crunch and lead channel. The chrome grill Vox AD50vt can be had for a couple hundred bucks and puts out plenty of sound for what you need. The footswitch is like $40 and the amp itself is lightweight. Don't even bother with tubes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JerEvil Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 Man I have a Mesa F-50 combo and 1x12 Mesa cab I would part with for $875 shipped! Let's do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SnowStorm Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 This is just dumb. Not even in the realm of reality kind of dumb. Where did you possibly read this and what makes you even begin to think its true? Because I've talked to sound guys about it and have also found it to be true on stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members greg apocalypse Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby This is just dumb. Not even in the realm of reality kind of dumb. Where did you possibly read this and what makes you even begin to think its true? He wasn't talking about sound, he was talking about looks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SnowStorm Posted October 19, 2012 Members Share Posted October 19, 2012 Originally Posted by greg apocalypse He wasn't talking about sound, he was talking about looks. In this scenario, 2 10" speakers would disperse more sound than 1 12" speaker. The same as a 2x12 cab compared to a 4x10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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