amp ideas

[Steve2112]

My fellow praise band guitarist has a Peavey Vypyr 75 modeling amp and he fiddles with settings between songs. OTOH, I have a Fender FM65R and it's very much "set and forget," which is my preference. Set the EQ and reverb level, select the channel, and you're done. One basic sound. Start playing. It either sounds like a Fender or it's off.

 

 

That is not the fault of the amp. "One basic sound" is fine for one application. Say a church band. Punk band. Folk. Metal. But what if you play ALL of these? Like say at home? For home use or learning songs- I find it helpful to have a close approximation of the tones or genre you are playing with.

 

Now- when I am doing pure lessons and "real practice"...I like my little red Guitar Research amp. Just clean only. Like an athlete doing drills they break it down with no fancy real plays. Helps me focus on what I am really doing without even distortion to get in the way. Makes me a better guitar player faster.

 

But when I want to just play and goof around and prove to myself I can play and sound as good as any band out there (sort of, lol?) ...I can EASILY hit some presets and go. It doesn't take a whole rack of stuff. Fiddling is okay to a point- in fact I LOVE tweaking and finding PERFECT tones and effects. A delay that sets the soundscape perfectly! But you can;t let it get in the way- show some discipline and focus!

 

A good mechanic has tools in the box for everything. He doesn't use them all at once and he knows which one needs used- they are available neat and tidy. It's part of being knowledgeable and professional.

 

It's not the amp- it's the user. Also...to each their own right?

[Phil O'Keefe]

Keep your eyes open for a used Peavey Bravo 112. All tube, about 20W or maybe a bit more, pretty straightforward and easy to use, and they usually sell for around $300.

 

I agree with onelife that a Princeton Reverb would be the ideal amp, but it's above your price range. The Peavey would make a nice substitute for someone with your needs.

[DeepEnd]

That is not the fault of the amp. "One basic sound" is fine for one application. . . .

 

. . . It's not the amp- it's the user. Also...to each their own right?

Nor did I say it was, simply that a fairly simple amp is easier to coax a decent tone out of. If my fellow guitarist wants to fiddle around with his amp, that's fine; I'm not going anywhere. It would, however, be nice if he could dial in a sound he likes and keep it for the few songs we play on a given Sunday. Personally, I'm first and foremost an acoustic guitarist and an acoustic guitar has one basic sound. Plus the OP has said repeatedly:

. . . I don't need an amp with a ton of models or effects built in. If I want effects I'll get some pedals. . . .

. . . I just don't want an amp with a ton of things I don't need like amp modeling and built in fx. The effects if need be I can handle. I really don't want another modeling amp.

To me, that says one basic sound. Clearly it says something else to you.