Slightly OT - Solid State Amps

[ccasey]

I realize this is a better question for the amp forum, but I prefer this forum (note I didn't say its better ... I just prefer it!), so hope you'll indulge me.

I'm looking at getting an inexpensive amp for home practice and possible small gigs (house parties and small rooms like restaurants) with a cover band. Had a Blues Jr. a while back but sold it because I wasn't using it enough. Now looking at various options for around $300, but saw an ad today on Craigslist for a Peavey Classic Chorus 210, which size-wise would probably be about perfect, has good features including reverb and chorus, dirty and clean channels, footswitch, pre amp in and outs (wet and dry) and is CHEAP. If I could get it before its gone, I could probably still buy a little tube amp pretty soon like the little 4 watt Vox.

 

Question is, does anyone here use SS amps for gigging? I realize most will prefer tube amp tone, but to me the plus side would be reliability (no concern about blowing tubes, for one) plus a few more features than I could afford in a tube amp with my very ltd. budget. Thoughts?

 

Appreciate all the good info on this forum.

Chris

[charlie13033]

I use a Roland Cube 60. However, I would get the Cube 80 now. Believe me, you can use it for ANY venue. I have and it has ALWAYS done the job for me. And it is only 35 lbs! I am seriously thinking of getting an Avatar 1 x 12 Cube extension cab for it.

[Virgman]

Peaveys are fine amps.

 

That 210 will be very adequate for live playing if you like the sound.

 

I love Peavey amps. They are just rock solid.

 

A 112 Peavey (65-80 watts) is also more than adequate for most gigs. It can be miked for larger venues.

 

I can't speak for the newer Peavey Viper modeling amps. Haven't used one.

[Will Chen]

I've used solid state amps for a vast majority of my gigging over the last 15 years with great success and constant compliments on my tone.

 

Personally, there are only 2 solid state amp companies which make fairly affordable and reliable gear which sound great at both bedroom and gig volumes and that is Tech 21 and Peavey.

 

My main gigging amp for years has been a Trademark 60. It has way more than enough volume for gigging with a live drummer and second guitarist with a footswitchable boost to ensure you are heard when you need to be. Fantastic tones can be had, however shared eq forces you to compromise one of the channels in some situations. The amp is around 35 pounds making it extremely portable. Alex Skolnick (in his jazz trio) and Les Paul both currently use this amp for gigging.

 

A solid competitor at nearly half the price new is the Peavey Bandit. dedicated eq for each channel ensures you can dial it in without compromise and it also has a footswitchable boost. The various voicings on each channel cover a tremendous range of tones which should be able to handle pretty much any style. Another amp which sounds great in the bedroom or at a gig and it's in the 40 pound range, still very portable. The "red stripe" and newer Transtube amps are the best sounding and most versitile in my opinion.

 

You'll likely get a bunch of replies bashing SS to a thread like this from many who haven't even tried a good solid state amp. In the end it all comes down to personal preference and I judge amps with my ears...

[Woody_in_MN]

CCASEY,

 

I think you are asking for two seperate amps. The first a practice amp, and the second an amp for giging.

 

For the practice amp, there are many brands, and I have heard people say there is not much difference between them. That said, I have a 16w Kustom with Celestion speaker I like very much. A couple online places are offering a 10 w Ibanez amp with gain (but not reverb) for $29.

 

For gigging: I think you are looking at a 60w - 100w amp. Part of this depends on what your drummer is using, and how loud he/she is. As a couple have said already, Peavey is a good choice. I bought a used 75w Peavey Bandit for around $100. It was ancient, but all the electroics still worked, and the speaker was good.

 

I would encourage you NOT to get something in the 30W size. It is too big for practice, and it is too small for gigging. The worst of both worlds.

 

Have fun,

 

- w

[Burningleaves]

 

I realize this is a better question for the amp forum, but I prefer this forum (note I didn't say its better ... I just prefer it!), so hope you'll indulge me. I'm looking at getting an inexpensive amp for home practice and possible small gigs (house parties and small rooms like restaurants) with a cover band. Had a Blues Jr. a while back but sold it because I wasn't using it enough. Now looking at various options for around $300, but saw an ad today on Craigslist for a Peavey Classic Chorus 210, which size-wise would probably be about perfect, has good features including reverb and chorus, dirty and clean channels, footswitch, pre amp in and outs (wet and dry) and is CHEAP. If I could get it before its gone, I could probably still buy a little tube amp pretty soon like the little 4 watt Vox. Question is, does anyone here use SS amps for gigging? I realize most will prefer tube amp tone, but to me the plus side would be reliability (no concern about blowing tubes, for one) plus a few more features than I could afford in a tube amp with my very ltd. budget. Thoughts? Appreciate all the good info on this forum. Chris

 

 

 

 

If you change your mind about tube amps then you might look into a used Peavey classic 30. You should be able to swing one for $300. That aside, any of the older PV SS models should do the trick. I wouldn't pay more than $200 for one.

[SPONGEBOB]

... used Fender Princeton chorus.. Small light ss amp that sounds wonderful... 100% Fender tone from its 2x10 speakers.. Really nice light amp, with a lovely classic Fender sound.. Get one thats made in USA.. Some were Mexican made... around $200 or less should get you a clean one..
Another good bet would be Peavey Classic 20

[ccasey]

Thanks for all the helpful input so far. There was a mistake in my original post, b/t/w: I said Peavey "Classic Chorus 210" but it's a "Studio Chorus 210". The seller says its 70 watts.

C

[Greg Bogoshian]

I use a Fender Deluxe 85. I paid $150 for it a year ago. These actually have a good reputation. You'll recognize it as beeing a "Red Knob." Distortion channel is usable and pretty versatile with the footswitch, but not as good as the better tube amps, but the cleans are very Fendery nice and it takes pedals very well. It also can get VERY loud if necessary. I'm quite pleased with it and so is my band. It is in a 1x12 open-back cab and has the spring reverb tank...

[Will Chen]

 

Thanks for all the helpful input so far. There was a mistake in my original post, b/t/w: I said Peavey "Classic Chorus 210" but it's a "Studio Chorus 210". The seller says its 70 watts. C

 

 

Wattage really doesn't mean much. I've played 100 watt solid state amps that couldn't hang with the fullness and punch of the 60 watt Trademark 60. You really need to play the amp. I know Tech 21 and Peavey (Transtube) make efficient and good sounding ss power amps paired with a good speaker which deliver at high volumes. I've had poor experiences with ss power from Crate, Line 6, and older Fender (though there have been some very good ss amps as well) which sounded good in the bedroom but were either harsh and raspy at gigging volume or were strangly quiet based on the high wattage rating.

[Florbastang]

Just get a Microcube or a Vox DA5 or something. You'll have the perfect home practice amp, and for gigging, just mic it or run it direct to the board. Do people not mic these days? I guess I just don't understand the 60-100 watt recommendations. Stuff like that takes it out of the realm of bedroom/home practice and seems to be needless strain on your arm and back, not to mention the amount of space the behemoth would take up.

 

Though, those Trademark amps are cool. I've owned a few. But I wouldn't expect to be able to get a 60 for under $300. These days you'd be lucky to get a TM10 for under $150 (even under $200 would be lucky sometimes).

 

The gain channel on the TM60 blew, in my opinion though. I found it bright, harsh, thin, and metallic, even after I dialed the EQ for the the gain channel. I found the other models (the 10 and 30) to be lacking on the gain channels, but not nearly as badly as the 60.

[darkcheef]

CCASEY, I think you are asking for two seperate amps. The first a practice amp, and the second an amp for giging. For the practice amp, there are many brands, and I have heard people say there is not much difference between them. That said, I have a 16w Kustom with Celestion speaker I like very much. A couple online places are offering a 10 w Ibanez amp with gain (but not reverb) for $29. For gigging: I think you are looking at a 60w - 100w amp. Part of this depends on what your drummer is using, and how loud he/she is. As a couple have said already, Peavey is a good choice. I bought a used 75w Peavey Bandit for around $100. It was ancient, but all the electroics still worked, and the speaker was good. I would encourage you NOT to get something in the 30W size. It is too big for practice , and it is too small for gigging. The worst of both worlds. Have fun, - w

 

 

It's not to big for practice, I have a 30W peavey vypyr that is 1x12 and it is the perfect size for practice. Since I like to sit when I play and have no chairs in my room I use the amp since it is so durabe and a little smaller than a regular chair.

[HELSTRUME]

Find a Tech 120 if you can. They are ripping loud, and sound great.

[Sean-Patrick]

... used Fender Princeton chorus.. Small light ss amp that sounds wonderful... 100% Fender tone from its 2x10 speakers.. Really nice light amp, with a lovely classic Fender sound.. Get one thats made in USA.. Some were Mexican made... around $200 or less should get you a clean one.. Another good bet would be Peavey Classic 20

 

 

+1

 

The 80's one have the most amazing chorus...

[Stratmaster458]

You could make do with a Epiphone Valve Jr. its not full of features but it sounds great and can get pretty loud for a 5 watt amp.

[jjfastfingers]

I use a solid state amp for most of my gigging an award sessionette 75 combo and get perfectly usable sounds from it. Thing to remember is most of your audience will be non guitarists they don't know the difference between tube and ss amps and if you hide the amp out of sight most of the guitarists watching won't know your using ss.

[golias]

If you're mainly playing clean, there are a ton of great solid state amps out there.

 

The Roland Jazz Chorus series are the very cream of the crop, in my opinion, and that Peavey 2x10 you say you're considering is probably a reasonably close clone of the Roland (specifically, the JC-77). If they are selling it cheap, I'd say jump on it.

[Will Chen]

 

If you're mainly playing clean, there are a ton of great solid state amps out there. The Roland Jazz Chorus series are the very cream of the crop, in my opinion, and that Peavey 2x10 you say you're considering is probably a reasonably close clone of the Roland (specifically, the JC-77). If they are selling it cheap, I'd say jump on it.

 

 

JC120 is probably my all time favorite clean amp. But so darn big, loud, and heavy that I just couldn't keep her anymore...

[Woody_in_MN]

 

It's not to big for practice, I have a 30W peavey vypyr that is 1x12 and it is the perfect size for practice. Since I like to sit when I play and have no chairs in my room I use the amp since it is so durabe and a little smaller than a regular chair.

 

 

OK - I'll edit my comment. You are right - with a dial-able gain, it is not too large for practice - but it is too small for giging.

 

- w

[ccasey]

I've played a great many gigs at which there was no PA or the PA didn't have enough clean headroom in the lower registers to handle guitar and/or bass. A bunch of places expect you to bring all your own gear including a PA if needed. Having a loud amp is the difference between needing a 1 - 200 watt PA with a couple smaller speakers to only handle vocals to a 3 to 500 watt PA with large full range speakers.]

Good point. I suppose on reflection that the practicing feature is secondary to the amp being gig-worthy. The band I'm playing with is in its infancy and has a good sounding but small PA ... probably best to leave it to vocs. I've tried going through it at practice and was not thrilled ... part of the reason I'm shopping amps.

In response to one earlier post, I do like the Vox options okay from what I've heard, and they certainly offer affordable models, but my issue there is the other guitarist I play with uses a Vox Valvetronix (one of the smaller ones) and also plays a strat most of the time, which I do as well, so I'm hesitant to be playing the same guitar and the same or a highly similar amp to him. I'd really like to have some tonal variety ... Seems to me most bands with two guitarists have at least slightly variant setups, if not totally different.

Thanks again to all for the tremendous feedback. I'll likely take a look at the Peavey if its still available, but you've also given me many suggestions for others to look out for.

[unworthy]

... used Fender Princeton chorus.. Small light ss amp that sounds wonderful... 100% Fender tone from its 2x10 speakers.. Really nice light amp, with a lovely classic Fender sound.. Get one thats made in USA.. Some were Mexican made... around $200 or less should get you a clean one..

 

 

I have one that is 17 years old and still works and sounds great. Two things to know about them. At 2x25W they will not keep up with a moderately agressive drummer. A better choice would be a Power/Ultra/Ultimate Chorus. They are a 2x60W 2x12 that will do everything a Princeton Chorus will do only louder and fuller, and they're still not terribly heavy and commonly found on the used market. The other thing is to test all of the jacks. They are plastic and board-mounted, making them difficult to replace.

 

I wouldn't rule out that little Peavey. If the price is right, it's locally available and you can check it thoroughly, it might be exactly what you need.

 

D

[ccasey]

Update: The Peavey went away. I knew it was a good deal! And so did four other people who e-mailed the guy within like ten minutes of his ad posting ... oh, well. That gives me a breather to look at some of the other suggestions posted on here. Thanks again for all the input.
Chris