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GMC Forum _ GEAR & PRODUCTION _ New Amp Advice

Posted by: eaglesnh4 Feb 19 2010, 04:21 PM

Hi, I have just been granted £350 to buy a new guitar amp by a youth funder. so i need to give them a receipt for the amp and it can be no more than £350. everyone has been telling me to get a tube amp. i am getting a boss me70 and was going to get a vox vt100, however people have said get a tube amp and the boss me70 will do for your effects. can you point me in the right direction

Posted by: ZakkWylde Feb 19 2010, 04:28 PM

What do you need the amp for? Home use or playing with a band?
Also we need to know what styles of music you want to play!

Small, home use tube amp, 5 watts:
http://www.thomann.de/gb/blackstar_ht5_combo.htm

Tube combo amp for rehearsals and gigs:
http://www.thomann.de/gb/peavey_valve_king_112_gitarrencombo.htm

Posted by: eaglesnh4 Feb 19 2010, 04:33 PM

gigging and rehearsing at our practise room, we play hard rock/rock n roll

Posted by: sted Feb 19 2010, 04:33 PM

http://www.dv247.com/guitars/fender-blues-junior-tube-guitar-amp-combo--34790

Very well thought of amp this, loads of clean headroom and brilliant with pedals.

http://www.nevadamusic.co.uk/Guitar_Amplifiers_and_Speakers/Guitar_Amps,_Combos_and_Cabinets/Guitar_Combos/sc1585/p6905.aspx?utm_source=google&utm_medium=GoogleShopping&utm_campaign=googlebase&utm_term=%7Bkeyword%7D

50w 1x12 Peavey valveking, decent tube amp, used widely by gigging musicians.

http://www.andertons.co.uk/electricguitaramps/pid17969/cid557/blackstarht20studio20headelectricguitaramplifierelectricguita.asp

Bit of a cheat this one as its only an amp head (You will need to add a cab) but they are astonishingly good value for money and you could probably pick up a 1x12 for fifty quid off ebay.

Posted by: eaglesnh4 Feb 19 2010, 04:42 PM

so is peavey the way to go?? its alot of money and its not one of the best makes peavey isit??

would you guys not suggest a vox vt100 then considering im gettin a boss me70

Posted by: ZakkWylde Feb 19 2010, 04:51 PM

Peavey is one of the biggest and best amp makers! They excell in the hard rock and Heavy Metal genre so don't be fooled by the big brands like Marshall or Fender!!! Peavey is the leading amp maker in the high gain sector along with Mesa Boogie and Engl!!

The Peavey Valveking is a real tube amp and it sounds perfect for Hard Rock, it will blow the Digital sounding Modeling Vox out of the water. Get the Peavey and the Me70 for effects... Using the Me70 with the vox wouldn't make sense at all since it has already built in effects

Posted by: eaglesnh4 Feb 19 2010, 04:55 PM

will the peavey be loud enough, ( i agree with what your saying ) its just im weary because i dont have a very good experience in the market , ive made alot of mistakes so im being careful. so definately get the peavey with the me70 ye?

Posted by: zoe Feb 19 2010, 05:10 PM

Anyway, for a budget of £350, that is to say around 399 euros, peavy will be your best bet for a tube amp.

You may also go for a DA (Digital Amp) such as a Spider Jam that is able de model a lots of Amp + effects and so on.

I've bought a SpiderJam on top of my regular tube gear for several reason: Lightweight (a tube amp is pretty heavy), a lots of different sound, great quality even at low volume, effects included, possibily to record your take, a lots of presets and amp models, drums...and all this for 420€.

All in one it was a pretty good investment for jam, training sessions, songwritting....

Sure, it will never sound as good as my Mesa triaxis / 2:90 / Eclipse Gear, but the budget ain't the same, and pratical aspects neither

Posted by: ZakkWylde Feb 19 2010, 05:10 PM

50 watt are almost as loud as 100 watt so no worries, also tube amps are extremely loud compared with solid state or modeling amps - if you set the volume on the Peavey on half it will already shake the walls of your rehearsals room, it's so loud you will most likely never use it on max volume!!

If you really need the ME70 is up to you...
Most people only use a couple of effects when they are playing, I for example have a wah, an overdrive and a Delay - that's it. And I don't need any other effects... If you only use 2 effects then it doesn't make much sense to buy a MultiFX that has hundreds of effects in it but rather the two effects you will use. If you want to use more effects or you don't know which you will use and want to experiment then get the ME70.

Posted by: eaglesnh4 Feb 19 2010, 05:13 PM

ok thanks alot

Posted by: MickeM Feb 19 2010, 09:18 PM

I think the VT100 is an excellent choise. You won't have to worry about worn tubes and biasing. You'll have lots of different amp sounds in the Vox and since it has effects built in you won't need the Boss Me70 at all.

After a few years maybe you find yourself always dialing in a Marshall sound, a Fender sound or a Vox sound for that matter and perhaps then you have learned fom the VT100 what your sound preference is and with the extra experience you then have you might chose to go for a tube amp

Posted by: eaglesnh4 Feb 19 2010, 11:09 PM

is the vox really that different from my line 6 flextone iii. lots of effects built in ????

Posted by: ZakkWylde Feb 19 2010, 11:40 PM

No the Vox Vt100 is pretty much the Vox version of a Line6 amp: Modeling sounds and a few effects...
It sounds a little diffrent than a Line6 since it's made by a diffrent company but all in all it is not a step up from your Line6 Amp

Posted by: eaglesnh4 Feb 19 2010, 11:58 PM

ok thanks mate, youve been a great help, im gonna stick with what you say and get the Peavey and then get my boss me70.

QUOTE (ZakkWylde @ Feb 19 2010, 10:40 PM)

Is it worth putting the extra £50 and getting the peavey 212 instead of the 112??

Posted by: ZakkWylde Feb 20 2010, 12:25 AM

If it's worth is up to you...
The 212 is a 100 watt amp so it is even louder and with the 2 speakers it will sound fuller, on the other hand it will be even heavier to carry arround and with 100 watts it is almost impossible to play it at home (if you intend to)!

Posted by: eaglesnh4 Feb 20 2010, 12:39 AM

i just dont want to get the 112 and then think, for £50 more i could of got an amp twice as loud. it would be staying in our bands practise room

Posted by: ZakkWylde Feb 20 2010, 12:53 AM

It's not twice as loud, double wattage doesn't mean the sound increases the same way as loudness scales diffrently (MickeM can explain this far better than I can). The 50 watt Valveking is about 80-90% as loud as the 100 watt Valveking so that does not make a lot of diffrence.

The diffrence is how they will sound and how portable they are. It's best you try them both in a store and see which one you like...

1. Rule of buying Equipment: ALWAYS, AAAAAAAAAAAALWAYS TRY IT BEFORE YOU BUY IT!!!!
It doesn't make much sense if we suggest an amp which you might not like so go find a store that has the amp and go try it with your own guitar to get the best impression!

Posted by: eaglesnh4 Feb 20 2010, 01:34 AM

none of the locals have the peavey

Posted by: ZakkWylde Feb 20 2010, 01:36 AM

Then consider taking a roadtrip to a store that has it OR make sure you order from a store that guarantees you moneyback in case you don't like the amp!

Posted by: eaglesnh4 Feb 20 2010, 02:08 AM

well the link you gave me has 30 days money back guarentee

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Feb 20 2010, 02:47 PM

I suggest Peavey ValveKing as well, you cannot go wrong with it, it's a great amp. Not too mention the price/performance ratio (excellent).