Members Jbird Posted December 22, 2005 Members Share Posted December 22, 2005 Gorilla doesnt make the cut? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dinrodef Posted December 22, 2005 Members Share Posted December 22, 2005 My vote is for the crate xt15rI took a beginner guitar buddy of mine shopping at GC and tried out all the under100 dollar practive amps they had in stock. The Crate won because it had the best low end... I also liked the reverbEverytime I go over to his apartment I plug into that little amp and show off... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jrfan Posted December 22, 2005 Members Share Posted December 22, 2005 If you want to stay at or around 100.00 , yeah go with a modeller. I practice with a guitarport. It's small,cheap, has a ton of features and sounds good. Just gotta have a computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jerry_picker Posted December 22, 2005 Members Share Posted December 22, 2005 Originally posted by L6Sguy plenty of great suggestions, lemme add one more: Crate VC508. the first thing you should do though is go out and play a hundred different amps, at least. Both good suggestions.Lately, 508's have bumped up a bit in price. A year ago $75-100 was possible; today $125 is more like it.In my small amp tone quest, I have accumulated an assortment, and have to say that I do love the Champs.(I hate to promote sleepers, since the prices invariably skyrocket after promotion at this forum. BUT...the Gibson Skylark Tremolo early sixties silverface with the two 6bq5's and no tone control is da bomb.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blinz Posted December 22, 2005 Members Share Posted December 22, 2005 Within your budget, I suggest you look at the Vox AD15VT. As a beginner you don't really know what sound or what style amp you're going to like. One of these small modelers gives you the chance to try out a bunch of different options to see what you really like. I have a number of tube amps, but I like my Vox AD15VT enough that I have used it for a number of gigs (mic'd through the PA) because it sounds great. I'm not saying amps like a Champ or similar aren't cool amps. They are great, just maybe not your best bet as a first amp if you do not have the additional cash to get it serviced if you get one that needs a cap job, new tubes, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members d_dave_c Posted December 22, 2005 Members Share Posted December 22, 2005 I'm going to have to echo something that a couple people have mentioned - the Behringer V-Amp. It's $99 and it is a ton of fun. Plus, once you get an amp and start playing with people you can bypass the amp models and use the effects - reverb, tremolo, delay, chorus, compressor, etc. It's like having all of the Behringer pedals at your service. You will need to buy some midi cables to connect to your computer. That opens up a new world of uses. Those start at around $20 and go up to $50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jerry_picker Posted December 22, 2005 Members Share Posted December 22, 2005 Originally posted by d_dave_c I'm going to have to echo something that a couple people have mentioned - the Behringer V-Amp. It's $99 and it is a ton of fun. Plus, once you get an amp and start playing with people you can bypass the amp models and use the effects - reverb, tremolo, delay, chorus, compressor, etc. It's like having all of the Behringer pedals at your service. You will need to buy some midi cables to connect to your computer. That opens up a new world of uses. Those start at around $20 and go up to $50. My favorite modeling preamp is (the discontinued) Yamaha DG Stomp. Versatile, built like a brick-sh*t-house, like having a dozen good quality pedal effects, plus amp and speaker modeling, plus pedal wah capability, all for $100-125. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted December 22, 2005 Members Share Posted December 22, 2005 I'm going to probably get flamed here but I don't think tube is the way to go for a small bedroom amp. First of all you get very few features for a lot of money and maintenance...Second of all the sound isn't that great when you scale everything down for household volumes. Solid state analog amps blow away cheap small tube amps in sound, features and plain practicality. Sure a nice high watt tube amp sounds great...but in the practice amp category a lot of that tube sound gets lost because of the cheap speaker and parts required to make that amp affordable..... MY VOTE? Behringer GM110.TRUST ME THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Darylb23 Posted December 22, 2005 Members Share Posted December 22, 2005 Originally posted by dinrodef My vote is for the crate xt15r I took a beginner guitar buddy of mine shopping at GC and tried out all the under100 dollar practive amps they had in stock. The Crate won because it had the best low end... I also liked the reverb Everytime I go over to his apartment I plug into that little amp and show off... Glad to hear someone likes it. I just got last years model used for $50. I am very much a beginner so it seemed perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bdegrande Posted December 22, 2005 Members Share Posted December 22, 2005 Roland Micro Cube. Has every feature you would want in a practice amp. You can plug in a CD/MP3 and play along. It has amp models and effects. It has a headphone jack, which most tube amps won't. It also can run off batteries, letting it double as a portable/outdoor/travel amp. Do a search here, a lot of HC people have and love them. You will be building a small tube amp, so you certainly don't need a second one of those. Even the 10 watt tube amp you are talking about will be quite loud for home use, if you wanted to gig, you would need a larger one. The Vox VR15 that you mentioned is an outstanding value at the sale price ($89 at my local GC if I remember right). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jerry_picker Posted December 22, 2005 Members Share Posted December 22, 2005 Originally posted by guitarcapo I'm going to probably get flamed here but I don't think tube is the way to go for a small bedroom amp. If you want low/no maintenance plug-and-play, you are probably right.If you want tone that gets in your marrow, eventually you'll find your way to tubes. (For me it took 30 years!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members L6Sguy Posted December 22, 2005 Members Share Posted December 22, 2005 Originally posted by guitarcapo ...a lot of money and maintenance..... this is not neccessarily the case. not at all. maintenance? c'mon, you make it sound like you need timing belts adjusted and emmissions checked. tubes (maybe a bias, depending on the amp) maybe once a year, filter caps every 20yrs, and what else? i've scored the X60 for $200 2yrs back, and if i'd bought that amp 18yrs ago, i could've saved myself the $ and aggravation of so many starter/SS rigs over the years.now while i know things have come a long way in recent years as far as amp advancement, my feelings here come strictly from a "if i knew then, what i know now...." perspective --- i'm suggesting low-rent rigs, perfectly servicable, but not something likely to be outgrown over the next year.(truth be known, i spent a couple years using a Smokey amp plugged into a boom-box spkr as my home practice rig, so really i'm open to whatever gets the job done ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PompeTron_9000 Posted December 22, 2005 Author Members Share Posted December 22, 2005 Originally posted by guitarcapo MY VOTE? Behringer GM110.TRUST ME THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT I was also considering this amp as most of my current music experience is in electronic music production so I know my way around a nice MIDI setup much better than around a guitar. This is basically the reason I had been waiting for a good deal to get into guitar as my spare time and budget is divided between my electronic and guitar based musings. The effects loop on that is very appealing, as I could very easily experiment with various effect software I have and use my laptop as a giant effects box. Currently I don't have any apps made specifically for guitar sounds, but I'm sure they exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fuzztone Posted December 22, 2005 Members Share Posted December 22, 2005 Is a Champ too loud for bedroom/apartment use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LAracer Posted December 22, 2005 Members Share Posted December 22, 2005 Originally posted by fuzztone Is a Champ too loud for bedroom/apartment use? No. It can actually get quieter than my Frontman. Maybe the tone isn't the optimal at low volumes (I wouldn't know since I never get to high volumes)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jerry_picker Posted December 22, 2005 Members Share Posted December 22, 2005 Originally posted by fuzztone Is a Champ too loud for bedroom/apartment use? I use one in the living room of my apartment, almost daily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted December 23, 2005 Members Share Posted December 23, 2005 Originally posted by PompeTron_9000 I was also considering this amp as most of my current music experience is in electronic music production so I know my way around a nice MIDI setup much better than around a guitar. This is basically the reason I had been waiting for a good deal to get into guitar as my spare time and budget is divided between my electronic and guitar based musings. The effects loop on that is very appealing, as I could very easily experiment with various effect software I have and use my laptop as a giant effects box. Currently I don't have any apps made specifically for guitar sounds, but I'm sure they exist. Another great feature is the high impedence line out that you can feed into a PA directly for small bar gigs. All for 100 bucks including shipping. God I love mine. I'm thinking of buying another one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jerry_picker Posted December 23, 2005 Members Share Posted December 23, 2005 Originally posted by guitarcapo Another great feature is the high impedence line out that you can feed into a PA directly for small bar gigs. All for 100 bucks including shipping. God I love mine. I'm thinking of buying another one. This does all that as well:Plus, you can use it as a deadly weapon if the gig turns ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mindwave Posted December 23, 2005 Members Share Posted December 23, 2005 another vote for the roland micro cube i hated them when they 1st came out, but then i realized its no an 'only amp' kind of thing, but a 'i want to practice when the wife is around' kind of thing. now i love it, even built my entertainment center with room for it in the bottom. looks good, sounds good, all is well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Alchemist Posted December 23, 2005 Members Share Posted December 23, 2005 I recommend saving the cash and getting a higher quality smaller amp for practice. The reason being, unless you are a touring musician, most of your playing will be at home practice through that small amp. Might as well get something great which will make your practice more enjoyable. Just my opinions. As far as needing to crank tube amps, you dont have to. A low volume good tube amp still blows away an SS amp. I play my 40 watt traynor with volume on 1, and still get incredible tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PompeTron_9000 Posted December 23, 2005 Author Members Share Posted December 23, 2005 Originally posted by Alchemist I recommend saving the cash and getting a higher quality smaller amp for practice. I'm thinking along these lines myself. I'm in no major hurry to get an amp and as with getting the guitar I don't mind waiting for a great deal to come along. Also I'm in the process of sellling some stuff I don't use anymore and may be able to extend my price window a bit more. However, its hard to justify spending over double what I payed for the guitar on an amp, but the amp can always stick around for my later gear purchases or if its a great deal is more apt for trades and such since margin wouldnt be as much an issue. Thanks for all the help guys, anyone got any clips of the contenders they want to share? BTW: Those 40 watt traynors look really nice, enjoy her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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