Guidance and Suggestions on "THE" amp purchase

[Sixthview]

Hello all. First time posting. Hoping for some recommendations on what I would like to be my end all be all of amp purchases.

 

So my mom recently passed and I am coming into a bit of expendable cash from her estate. Outside of paying off my debts (as opposed to a second bankruptcy, lol) I am looking to treat myself to a really nice amplifier. One that I probably would never be able to purchase otherwise with kids heading to college in 3 years, etc...

 

So I figure my ceiling for this purchase is about 7k... which pretty much covers almost any amp I have ever known of.

 

Currently I own an original 5150 script, and a Marshall JVM205. I like them both, but I am also not pleased with them both either.

 

To help, I am into Alt Rock: Pumpkins, Bush, etc. I use an IC and Russian Muff often, sometimes preferring just to set a nice clean and then distorting with this. Other times, I like the amps distortion. I also like to hit up GnR, Eric Johnson, SRV, Gin Blossoms, and other things that just seem to catch my fancy at the time.

 

I do a lot of my own music too... Mostly for myself. I don't gig out or play in a band... Just Jam in my den for fun.

 

My primary guitars are strats... Lace Sensors in 2 of them and Hotrails in others (yes I know I am a Corgan fangirl).

 

I would prefer a Head. Something that I can pair with a really nice 2x12 cab (I currently have a cheaper 4x12 that I would like to improve and save space).

 

So with all that said, I am looking for a smooth and great sounding amp that I can have a lot of fun with. Low Wattage would be nice so I don't disturb the entire house. A must would be that I works REALLY well with a Muff. I have been eyeballing the Rectoverb 25, with their 2x12 slant cab. I have always heard people talk about how much they love their Mesa...

I would love to go and try them out myself, but I live in an area with zero accessibility to guitar shops so testing out stuff is like null. And the closest one is a cheap place that wouldn't carry anything good.

 

So what, if you could, would you have me YouTube the crap out of? Thoughts and recommendations?

 

Thanks!

[Tomm Williams]

You could talk to Ben Fargen and have him custom design an amp just for you.

[DeepEnd]

First welcome to the Forum. $7K is a lot of money, at least for most of us. What a lovely problem to have. How close is the nearest decent music store? I'd want to make a day of it, bring my guitar, and actually play through any amp I was considering. Look for something with variable power (i.e., 1 Watt, 5 Watts, 20 Watts) or a built-in attenuator. Beyond that, the sky's the limit.

[Mikeo]

Hello all. First time posting. Hoping for some recommendations on what I would like to be my end all be all of amp purchases.

 

So my mom recently passed and I am coming into a bit of expendable cash from her estate. Outside of paying off my debts (as opposed to a second bankruptcy, lol) I am looking to treat myself to a really nice amplifier. One that I probably would never be able to purchase otherwise with kids heading to college in 3 years, etc...

 

So I figure my ceiling for this purchase is about 7k... which pretty much covers almost any amp I have ever known of.

 

Currently I own an original 5150 script, and a Marshall JVM205. I like them both, but I am also not pleased with them both either.

 

To help, I am into Alt Rock: Pumpkins, Bush, etc. I use an IC and Russian Muff often, sometimes preferring just to set a nice clean and then distorting with this. Other times, I like the amps distortion. I also like to hit up GnR, Eric Johnson, SRV, Gin Blossoms, and other things that just seem to catch my fancy at the time.

 

I do a lot of my own music too... Mostly for myself. I don't gig out or play in a band... Just Jam in my den for fun.

 

My primary guitars are strats... Lace Sensors in 2 of them and Hotrails in others (yes I know I am a Corgan fangirl).

 

I would prefer a Head. Something that I can pair with a really nice 2x12 cab (I currently have a cheaper 4x12 that I would like to improve and save space).

 

So with all that said, I am looking for a smooth and great sounding amp that I can have a lot of fun with. Low Wattage would be nice so I don't disturb the entire house. A must would be that I works REALLY well with a Muff. I have been eyeballing the Rectoverb 25, with their 2x12 slant cab. I have always heard people talk about how much they love their Mesa...

I would love to go and try them out myself, but I live in an area with zero accessibility to guitar shops so testing out stuff is like null. And the closest one is a cheap place that wouldn't carry anything good.

 

So what, if you could, would you have me YouTube the crap out of? Thoughts and recommendations?

 

Thanks!

 

 

There's gonna be no one amp that fits all tones.

Mesa makes great amps, and amazing cabinets. I personally have own many Mesa amps and I am down to 1. I got rid of them as they where combos, and not light to haul or move. The heaviest amp I have ever owned was a Mesa Tremoverb. The thing was amazing, but was 2 pound shy of 100 lbs.

 

There's a lot of great companies out there. I live in a rather small area my self, so I can't test drive much with out a bit of traveling. So I know where you are coming from.

I currently have a dozen electric guitar amps, from the Mesa, many Fenders, a small Gibson a Dr Z and a couple of old school Marshall combos. Different tools for different jobs.

 

My grab and g home amp is mostly a Fender Princeton RI. It is what it is and record well, takes pedals will. Sometimes I move up to a Fender DRRI I have, depending on the situation.

 

The DR Z Maz 18 w/ Reverb and a eq bypass mod, has been a very nice amp. and records well. I bought the Maz 18 after selling some really heavy weight Mesa amps. I wasn't getting any younger. The Maz amp are different than Vox amp, and have a Vox like tone, but I can also nail a Fender Deluxe tone when needed.

 

I'm not a high gain player, but I do like some modest gain.

 

On that note Ben Fargen as mentioned makes a killer amp. He is currently making a Marshall Olde 800, that is amazing. Ben's a bit slow on answering email, for what I have heard. As while back he was doing a Fender like amp called the Black Bird.

 

7 grand is a lot of coin to spend on an amp. Try not to spend all of mom's estate money in a weekend, and I'm sorry to hear about her passing.

 

The amps I would look at are the Meas Mark 25, or 35. Mesa video clips tend to be higher gain stuff.

 

Also, Check out the Fargens's, Dr Z amps, Morgan amps, Carr amps ( which are combos), Swart amps. Tone King, Victoria ( combos and old skool Fender sounds, Freidman, ( for a killer Marshall tone.)

 

For home use, you might even want to get an attenuation.

 

 

If I had to pick one amp for me it would be the Swart Atomic Space Tone and push it in to higher gain with a pedal. You're looking at about 3 grand for the amp and a matching cab.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Axisplayer]

I would offer this as a thought. All of the amps mentioned above by Mikeo are great amps. Any would be great to own. In your position I would be approaching this another way. I would be looking for a classic amp. The amps which will hold their value in the future without a loss of value? I don't know either. No one does. The best bet is something that has already shown to hold investment value. You aren't dragging it around to gigs so it won't get ruined. I would be looking for a vintage Marshall, Vox, etc. Find the ones that are original, playable, and look like investment grade. The reason, for me anyway, is that I may stop playing at some point or need cash. If you are wealthy and this is a toy, buy anything you like. If this is that one chance to spend a wad, do that, but on something you can cash out later if you need or want to. A classic will sound great today, hold its value, and probably even MAKE money down the road if taken care of. Just a thought about how I tend to buy my gear.

[Cornholio Farquarth III]

There are many things that can be said about making THE amp purchase. There are a lot of people here that have made THE amp purchase . . . . . . . .many times. There are a lot of reasons for that. They can range from unrealized expectations to tastes changing over time.

 

One of the things to keep in mind, especially when going for a big ticket amp is you want to know what it reallysounds like. Watching ace axelslingers on Youtube will give you a general idea, but you really should try the amps out for yourself. You mention that you aren't near a local shop that would have what you might be interested in trying. There are lots of people in the same shopping and evaluating situation that you're in. Given the amount you are willing to spend and the quality you're looking for, I would recommend investing in a trip, or two, or three to another state where there are shops with higher end amps. This is not unusual at all (many people do this) and, as far as I'm concerned, a must-do for someone committed to finding something they intend to be THE amp.

 

You'll find at least one of these higher end places in most metropolitan areas. I don't know personally about other parts of the country, but there are some great places in NYC (Manny's, Rudy's, lots of other private one off dealers too, etc.) and north/central Jersey (Russo). Also, there have to be plenty of these places in SOCAL. Line up some of these dealers and call ahead to make sure they have the amps in stock and queued up that you want to try.

 

To me, an investment in some airfare, and a few days of hotels, is definitely worth it, to try the best stuff. I can't imagine buying sight unseen and then being disappointed that the amp doesn't sound like what I heard on a Youtube vid. I've met more people that bought without trying, only to be disappointed.

 

So, anyway, that would be my approach to it. I hope you find what meets your expectations.

[doublecross]

I like Axisplayer's take on this. Not only retain its value but increase. which means you need to buy used in most cases and look for the sleeper flying under the radar. The amp world is crazy, one day they cant sell them and go out of production and the next the amp geeks are fighting to get them. The older James Brown designed US made Kustom's are a good example. Years ago you could have bought a used DC in mint condition for $500 bucks. today you rarely see them for sale and if you do it aint gonna be $500 bucks or mint. Soldano and Mesa Boogie hold their value well, as does Egnater, Matchless and several other boutique builders. Your not going to get into them cheap either. Meaning unless an oddball it wont really increase in value. in which case buy used and break even, (just in case that bankruptcy thing pops up again, lol) I guess my brain is just wired that way though, I started with used up old muscle cars back in the 80's, and as a mechanic that makes sense. Bought them cheap fixed them up and sat on them awhile, Well you know what happened next right? I took the same approach when it came to collecting guitars and amps. So you got yourself a nice 2018 Mercedes AMG very very cool. Just not as cool as my 1969 Yanko Camaro or worth as much.

[nice keetee]

hold onto the $$ burning a hole in your pocket and play a bunch of amps UNDER your budget.

[WRGKMC]

Good advice here. If you're asking for advice on a forum what to buy its obvious you haven't got a clue might be best for you. No one here knows how you play and can advise you what might be a great match. The best they can do is tell you what they like about gear they've owned.

 

I'd also say if you spend more then a grand on a head you're likely throwing that money away, especially if you are thinking about a lower wattage amp. From a technical aspect, Anything below 20W only cost a few hundred dollars in parts to build using the highest quality parts made. You can go ahead and pay more for the brand name or having it custom voiced, but there is absolutely nothing there that's going to justify paying more then 100~200% markup in profit.

 

The last thing I'd do is make yourself venerable to all the Heelocks out there by telling them how much you have to spend. Only a fool would do that or someone trying to impress others. Its s stupid thing to do whan making purchases because you're sure to be rolled for anything someone can take you for.

 

I suggest you visit some local music shops and leave your bank card at home. Bring your guitar and try out different amps till you find what suits you then go home and sleep on it for a day or two. If you still think its a good match, go on line and start price comparing. Just because you have the money to buy what you want doesn't mean you have to pay top dollar. An amp is just a tool like a hammer is to a carpenter. Its the man behind that tool that makes fine art. The gear only gives you the potential to create good art work.

 

While price checking you also want to dig up all the dirt you can find on the product. Sales people are very good at talking you into buying something and will make you think its not only made by god but craps golden nuggets every time you use it. Whet they don't tell you is how many come back in 6 months because of poor workmanship, components and crappy designs.

 

You can buy something known to last and has a simple design that's easily maintained and repaired or you can buy something new and highly complex which only a factory can repair. High tech is allot of fun until it fails and then you're up that proverbial river without a paddle getting it repaired so its wise to stick with a manufacturer that will still be around in 10 years or more if you're making a high tech long term purchase.

 

 

If you go vintage then you definitely want to stay away from modded abortions or neglected amps. Just because its od doesn't mean its any good nor does it mean it's going to sound good. A good vintage amp will cost more but with a wise purchase you can get something many guitarists would give their left jewel to own.

 

Beyond that it comes down to what you want to use it for. If your plans are to record your own music you don't need an overly loud amp but one that produces a full quality sound is definitely important.

 

You could also go another route. Give the fact there are so many great options buying yourself a small PA and getting a decent mic and using amp emulators is a great option for a one man situation. Bose makes those radial PA systems which sound fabulous. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/L1Compact?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1diL_aOW2AIVFZ7ACh1ZSQBVEAQYASABEgKPTPD_BwE You could get yourself a drum machine with a programed bass part, then either use a miced amp or go direct using amp emulators and sing as well and do the whole one man band thing yourself. That would surely be much more gratifying then just playing guitar by yourself.

 

[onelife]

I don't think you need to spend that much to get "THE" amp or, should I say "THR" amp...

 

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https://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical_instruments/guitars_basses/amps_accessories/thrh/index.html

[Grant Harding]

My answer when I was in your shoes was a Bogner Shiva. Even though it's heavy it's the best amp for me, price notwithstanding. The clean channel is unbelievable - fat and tight lows, with incredible snap and bounce. The tone controls let you get a wide range of useful sounds. The gain channel is my favourite gain sound period. It's smooth and tough at the same time and just sings.

[badpenguin]

There are so many option there, that this is an impossible question. Do you want a tube amp? Perfect for that low wattage bedroom playing. (Swart immediately comes to mind.) https://swartamps.com/amplifiers.htm

Or a modeling amp? (Kemper is THE choice by many pros.) https://www.kemper-amps.com/

Like Onelife has suggested, the THR by Yamaha is an amp perfect for just about everything. AND it's inexpensive compared to the others listed above. https://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical_instruments/guitars_basses/amps_accessories/

 

[Mikeo]

I don't think you need to spend that much to get "THE" amp or, should I say "THR" amp...

 

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https://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical_instruments/guitars_basses/amps_accessories/thrh/index.html

 

 

I have a Yamaha THR classic combo at my house. It's a been a handy lil guy. I even did a small gig with the thing with it mic-ed.. The pre-sets worked well. No muss not fuss, as they say. Good thing cause I must have walked a 1/2 a mile with that and a Gretsch TN Rose. That guitar with hardshell case was getting heavy.

 

The THR head is not that inexpensive.

 

Digital, It's all something to think about.