Somebody in the Electric Guitar Forum...

[AlamoJoe]

...Said they hoped none of the weirdos in the Amp Forum crept in. So, while I've been through here before, might have even asked a few questions, it's been a while. I have always found weirdos to be operating on the same somewhat wobbly surfaces I inhabit most of the time. Thought I might make some friends and learn some things....Like the best $200 I could spend on an amp right now.

 

[Mr.Grumpy]

...Said they hoped none of the weirdos in the Amp Forum crept in.

 

The sub-forums don't seem to be as "clique-y" as they were back in the day. (Political forums may be the exception). Back then, the amp forum had a large group of regulars, and if you weren't part of that group, your posts could be ignored or subject to (OMG!) snarky sarcastic responses...

 

....Like the best $200 I could spend on an amp right now.

 

C'mon, man, you know the drill. What kind of music do you play? What features do you want in an amp? A gain channel? Reverb?

 

Lots of great choices in this price range, IF you are not religiously opposed to amp modeling amps.... Boss' Katana series, the Yamaha THR series and Fender's Mustang modeling amps all have good reviews.

 

If you gotta have tubes (valves) then your choices are much more limited - the Epiphone Jr. and the little Bugera 5-watter.

 

 

[Cornholio Farquarth III]

"Just get a Line6 and be done with it."(sm)©®

[DeepEnd]

In general with a $200 budget I'd look at used. My main amp is a Roland Cube 80XL modeling amp that I bought used for less than $200. There's currently a used Jet City 20 Watt tube head and matching 1X12 cab on the local (St. Louis) CraigsList for right at $200. No effects and single channel but if I were in the market for a tube amp I'd take a serious look.

[Emory]

Got my grand nephew a Katana on last visit to US. Really a fine amp, but what do I know? I only get to USA once a year

[WRGKMC]

Starting off a thread by saying you hope you don't run into wierdo's is what sounds weird to me. Its an open forum and what may appear weird to you may simply be another persons attempt to help you.

 

It does seem like the op is inviting confrontation instead of asking for advice however. Easy enough to find out however so I'll keep an open mind.

 

I can say your post has nothing in it to narrow down the possibilities. There are literally thousands of different amps that meet the $200 budget. Far too many to simply start guessing what might suit you best. So that leaves three possibilities.

 

Its understandable when a beginners who never owned an amp, would lack the ability to provide details that help narrow down the possibilities due to their lack of experience.

 

For someone with experience, you'd think they'd know its important to be specific in order to get good advice.

Questions like these would do allot to help others narrow down the possibilities.

 

1. A list of amps you have owned and what you liked or disliked about them.

2. The guitars and pedals do you use,

3. Type of music do you prefer to play,

4. Do you play mostly overdriven from the amp or prefer clean tones and use pedals for overdriven sounds.

5. Tube, solid state or either.

6. Size of the amp needed, wattage, speakers, combo or head cab combination.

7. Is it for recording, performing, or both.

8. If you play in a band what do the other players use.

9. What would be your ideal amp if you had the money.

 

If the OP isn't a beginner or actually looking for advice then its just another pointless troll thread and the post was never meant to find serious results.

[Phil O'Keefe]

You're consistent, I'll grant you that!

[DeepEnd]

I think the OP was just making a joke and obviously you didn't get it. If you really think this is a troll thread why bother to reply?

[AlamoJoe]

I was just trying to break the ice with a little humor WRGKMC. Wasn't trying to ruffle any feathers or start any trouble.

 

I've looked at the Boss Katana. I've looked at the Marshall Code 25. Looks like the Marshall has more options insofar as amp types. I guess I just want to hear what y'all have to say about amps around $200 is all. I don't play out, and Iean towards more blues based, 60's style rock with a particular bent towards classic psychedelic stuff. Perhaps I'd be better off with a pedal board type thing like a Line 6 HD series thing? I sold all my pedals off years ago. I have a Boss ME-50...That's it as far as floor effects.

I have a '71 Fender Super Reverb and a Roland Cube 15. The Fender is simply too loud anymore, and the Roland is fine for just screwing around, but doesn't have any heart.

 

But thanks for making me feel small anyway WRGKMC...All I wanted was to get some opinions. I wasn't trolling, nor looking for confrontations.

 

Sorry I asked.

 

 

 

[Axisplayer]

If the Fender is too loud, try something other than a new amp. Super Reverbs are GREAT amps, but yes, loud. Buy a MiniMASS or a PowrBrake or similar. You can get one that does 50 watts for your budget and they work. I play in my living room with a selection of two Marshalls, a Univalve, and a 50 watt The Valve. Tone is good and I can get it down to conversation levels easily. Better than buying a cheap amp since you own a great one. I use the miniMass but this fits your amp just fine.

 

https://www.tedweber.com/mass-lite

[WRGKMC]

I was just trying to break the ice with a little humor WRGKMC. Wasn't trying to ruffle any feathers or start any trouble.

 

I've looked at the Boss Katana. I've looked at the Marshall Code 25. Looks like the Marshall has more options insofar as amp types. I guess I just want to hear what y'all have to say about amps around $200 is all. I don't play out, and Iean towards more blues based, 60's style rock with a particular bent towards classic psychedelic stuff. Perhaps I'd be better off with a pedal board type thing like a Line 6 HD series thing? I sold all my pedals off years ago. I have a Boss ME-50...That's it as far as floor effects.

I have a '71 Fender Super Reverb and a Roland Cube 15. The Fender is simply too loud anymore, and the Roland is fine for just screwing around, but doesn't have any heart.

 

But thanks for making me feel small anyway WRGKMC...All I wanted was to get some opinions. I wasn't trolling, nor looking for confrontations.

 

Sorry I asked.

 

 

 

Thought you might have just been breaking the ice so please accept my apology.

 

I been eyeing that Marshall code myself for awhile. I been using a Marshall Valvestate as my main rig, and I have two of the small 15W versions as practice amps so I can run effects in stereo. The drive tones are your typical big Marshall sound, tight and violin like. Excellent for leads. I don't use the crunch channel much on my main head. Its a bit grainy for my tastes. The cleans are what sound super. Very touch sensitive, it has the jangle and takes pedals exceptionally well. It is a hybrid with a tube preamp and Mosfet outputs which mimic power tubes better then any SS device.

 

Marshall does make excellent effect pedals. They simply aren't as popular as the Boss and not exactly inexpensive. I have several of their foot pedals and actually favor the over the boss. I suspect Marshall has incorporated those same effects into their code amps and I like the idea they've added all their modeled amps into the one unit.

 

I can say Vox does an excellent job on their SS amps too. They use a preamp tube in the power section then amplify it with Mosfets using some unique circuitry. My studio band buddy owns one of those AC100's with the stereo head and stereo cab. The modeling and effects run off a pedal board and the quality of the sound is excellent. He can dial up all kinds of amp models. The AC 30 setting is one of my favorites

 

Fender has made several modeling amps over the years. Fender made G-Dec and Cyber Twins in the early 2000's A buddy of mine used one in his blues band. He was able to nail and amazing range of tones from that amp. I even recorded their band live once. The only thing I couldn't stand were the ice pick tones of the upper mids. They drove me nuts. I'm not sure if it was his settings or the speakers causing it but It was irritating enough to make me avoid those amps.

 

Fender has switched to the Mustang series now which seem to be doing well. I played with yet another guitarist recently who uses one, but I really didn't get to hear that amp used well. The guy hasn't mastered its operation and doesn't know how to implement its use, but the little I did hear had some decent tones happening. .

 

Peavey is another one that's into modeling amps now. They make some low cost tube amps that might be in your range too. I've never been a huge fan of Peavey's even though I own and have owned several. They have a weird tone stack which doesn't get me the sounds I like. Their new modeling amps seem to be competing directly with the Line 6 models and look to be affordable.

 

I have two friends that use the Line 6 amp and played out with several others who used them. The smaller amps are a good buy and have very decent clean tones, full and rich. The quality of the effects are good too. I'm not a huge fan of the rotary effect knobs however. I have a similar effect arrangement in one of my small Marshalls. You loose your settings if the knob gets moved transporting then you have to find it again.

 

My other buddy that has the Full 100W stack has the floor board and programmable presets. I've played out with him allot and even recorded his band. He's into the metal thing and is an excellent player. The amp/cab has a 300hz scoop that gets him his big metal tones he uses so its a good match for him. I worked with him on shaping many of his sounds. From what I can see the amp does have some limitations and wouldn't be a great match for the stuff I play which is more blues and jazz oriented but for anyone needing a modern tone its a good match.

 

The Boss amp you mentioned I haven't heard. I know boss and Rolland gear well however. I've used a Boss GL-100 preamp rack unit for recording since the 90's. Have or have used many of their pedals and multi effect boards over the years too, many of which can be used to drive a power amp and cabs directly.

 

Another band mate of mine couldn't decide on what amp he wanted for his Boss pedal board and since the board had stereo effects he didn't want to go with a single amp mono.

 

I suggested he buy a power amp and cabs which he did. Think he bought a stereo crown head and a couple of cabs with green backs. He made a poor choice on speakers. He should have bought full range speakers instead. The green backs have a honkey midrange tone more suitable to driven tube amps. His pedal board does all the tone shaping so you want the power amp/speakers to have full fidelity. He still he got around those problems with EQ shaping and played out a couple gigs and they sounded very good on stage.

 

On that Katrina I suspect they combined one of their multi effect pedal board designs and stuck it in a cab with a power amp so the amp has similarities to their pedals. Boss's signature tone is actually not having a signature tone, instead it tries to all thing to everyone. That can lead to doing many things well but no one thing really great. Its likely a great beginners amp for someone finding their tone or for someone who wants a wide variety of tones for doing cover music.

 

 

 

Since you already have a Boss Pedal board, Having an amp with all the same effects built in seems to be redundant to me. If you plan on getting rid of the pedal board then the amp should give you similar sounds.

 

 

 

Another amp you might want to think about is the Yamaha THR amps. The looks of it are a bit strange with its retro 50's tool box power amp look, but anyone whose owned one has posted only rave reviews. The low watt versions are ideal for practice and recording and I believe they are adaptable to many situations including direct recording. If you are looking for something lower wattage that can be cranked up to scream at lower volumes it might be your ticket.

 

One other low cost option might be to simply get a lower wattage tube combo. many people have been buying those Monoprice tube amps. They make a 5W version of $99 and a 15W version for $199. https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=611815&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI48ao08nN2AIVVLbACh2zUQ_yEAQYASABEgKEq_D_BwE

 

I wouldn't mind having one of those 15W versions for practice and recording I mostly use effects pedals for my tones but I love having a little tube growl in back of them to warm things up. I been thinking about selling off my 15W Marshalls and snagging one.

 

 

[Voltan]

for what its worth, brother, one of the few sales of equipment ive made in the past was my little super reverb,,, ok, and the marshall plexi 50 watt... but of everything i miss my super reverb the mostest... if you honestly cant be talked out of selling it... pm me... lol...

[1001gear]

what is © and ® copyright and registered?

[Cornholio Farquarth III]

Yes. I also own the service mark.

[AlamoJoe]

That's wealth of info WRGKMC...Thanks, and sorry for the misunderstanding...Sometimes it's really easy to misconstrue folks intentions when you don't have any history with them, and can't see their faces to catch a wry smile...

[AlamoJoe]

for what its worth' date=' brother, one of the few sales of equipment ive made in the past was my little super reverb,,, ok, and the marshall plexi 50 watt... but of everything i miss my super reverb the mostest... if you honestly cant be talked out of selling it... pm me... lol...[/quote']

 

The 'Ol Super ain't goin' anywhere Bro....But if that changes, you will absolutely be the first to know..

[1001gear]

Jam partner in the 60s had a SR and a melody maker. Nailed Missippy queen.

[Cornholio Farquarth III]

I've watched quite a few Marshall code vids. I haven't seen many demonstrating very good sounds. Most sound thin or brittle.

 

I would need to try one in person to make a realistic judgement though.

[t_e_l_e]

hmm i'm happy with my pignose 7-100 and pockrock combo for noodling around at home. best thing, my kids let me play it while around on low volume, if i pick up an accoustic or play unplugged, they beg that i should stop playing, i guess they like the electric sound

 

but what i really enjoy playing is my big stereo setup in the rehearsal room tone/sound wise. last week during rehearsal my sovtek made some cracking noise, maybe some tube. i switch from high input to the low and it was gone(not noticeable anymore) to finish rehearsal.

i did not have time to swap tubes so a played a second rehearsal in this setting, and its really annoying cause its not sounding like i'm used to it, stereowise as pedal wise etc...

 

long story short, if you like your super reverb, you should relly try a minimass or powerbrake with it, instead of another mini-amp which is again a compromise in sound

[daddymack]

You could always pull two of the power tubes out of the Super...

 

If you are using the OD etc from the ME-50, then any small SS Amp would be adequate for home use. but I would be more inclined to go with something like a Champion 600.

[DeepEnd]

I've watched quite a few Marshall code vids. I haven't seen many demonstrating very good sounds. Most sound thin or brittle.

 

I would need to try one in person to make a realistic judgement though.

One issue I have with the Code amps is that all the amp models are Marshalls. To me, it kinda misses the point of a modeling amp. Another is the sheer complexity. A friend has a Peavey Vypyr and it's almost like flying the Space Shuttle. I like the Vox amps where you have a knob to select an amp and another to select an effect. My Roland Cube works the same way.

[AlamoJoe]

One issue I have with the Code amps is that all the amp models are Marshalls. To me, it kinda misses the point of a modeling amp. Another is the sheer complexity. A friend has a Peavey Vypyr and it's almost like flying the Space Shuttle. I like the Vox amps where you have a knob to select an amp and another to select an effect. My Roland Cube works the same way.

 

One of the vids I watched said they have "American" amp models in these new ones.

[AlamoJoe]

Thanks to all of you. Clearly I have quite a bit more research to do, and thanks to all of you I have several different avenues to pursue before making a move.

[DeepEnd]

One of the vids I watched said they have "American" amp models in these new ones.

There are a few preamp models labeled "Classic American" in various flavors of drive and a power amp model labeled "American Class A/B" with various settings for "presence" and "resonance" but the rest are Marshall, including all the cab models.

[AlamoJoe]

There are a few preamp models labeled "Classic American" in various flavors of drive and a power amp model labeled "American Class A/B" with various settings for "presence" and "resonance" but the rest are Marshall, including all the cab models.

 

Well that sounds a bit limiting then doesn't it? I've got a lot of research to do it would appear. Thanks for the info!