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Sigfridsson
Hello guys,

I just registered today and I was hoping that you could help me find a nice amp!

Basically I recently moved to Italy and sold my old amp, I used to play on a quite old Marshall VS100 which probably had seen it's better days!

Now I'm currently looking at something a bit smaller, which still has some nice sound.
I am currently looking to buy a Peavey Bandit 112, which I have heard a lot of good things about!

http://www.musik-produktiv.co.uk/(s(pcnlr7...12-3247013.aspx

The main area of use will naturally be practicing at home and perhaps hopefully in the future jamming with some people as well. I mainly play Metal and Rock, but I would naturally still like to be able to get a wide variety of sounds!

If you can find something you would recommend from the site mentioned above let me know!

Thanks!
ZakkWylde
How much money can you spend on your next amp and what kind of amp (solidstate, Hybrid, Tube) do you want?
Sigfridsson
QUOTE (ZakkWylde @ Oct 28 2008, 04:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
How much money can you spend on your next amp and what kind of amp (solidstate, Hybrid, Tube) do you want?


The amount of money I can spend really depends on what I'm getting for them, but considering the fact that the idea is to buy a smaller amp to practice on and perhaps jam a little bit on as well if I get the opportunity I think the price for the Bandit is quite alright, which is around 300€.

I can however stretch it quite a bit more than that should I feel you guys show me something which feels worth the extra money!

Solidstate or Tube for the amp I guess, however I have some serious doubts that I would be able to get a real tube combo-amp for that kind of money.
Electric_Blues
QUOTE (Sigfridsson @ Oct 28 2008, 04:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
The amount of money I can spend really depends on what I'm getting for them, but considering the fact that the idea is to buy a smaller amp to practice on and perhaps jam a little bit on as well if I get the opportunity I think the price for the Bandit is quite alright, which is around 300€.

I can however stretch it quite a bit more than that should I feel you guys show me something which feels worth the extra money!

Solidstate or Tube for the amp I guess, however I have some serious doubts that I would be able to get a real tube combo-amp for that kind of money.


Hi there

you might want to consider getting a amp modeller. Basically they will give you a wide variety of different sounds and are great for practicing. They wont give you a sound as good as a cranked tube amp , but in my opinion they are perfect for practicing and sound better than solid state amps.

This is what i use at the moment - http://www.voxamps.com/us/valvetronix/vt-series/

They cost about £200.




Sigfridsson
QUOTE (Electric_Blues @ Oct 28 2008, 06:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hi there

you might want to consider getting a amp modeller. Basically they will give you a wide variety of different sounds and are great for practicing. They wont give you a sound as good as a cranked tube amp , but in my opinion they are perfect for practicing and sound better than solid state amps.

This is what i use at the moment - http://www.voxamps.com/us/valvetronix/vt-series/

They cost about £200.


I actually owned one of those! and they were quite nice I must say, I think it was the 30w version I had!
There was a few downsides however, I was not really able to get a really heavy sound through it.. I mean it was great for most things but for that I felt it could have been better.

A bit off topic, but I was thinking about getting a nice little FX Pedal and Wah Wah as well and I just noticed this one, the DigiTech RP 500, http://www.digitech.com/products/Multi-Effects/RP500.php
Anyone got any comments on that one? You reckon getting a MultiFX like that one and just running it to some reasonably cheap amp for practice could work fine until I feel ready to buy a proper amp stack?
Ivan Milenkovic
That would work of course, but you will use it for practice at home mostly, it will not have the sound you are after in studio on rehearsals, or gigs. So I suggest be patient for a while and buy yourself an all tube combo, or at least some kind of a good quality hybrid. I would suggest getting a small 5W tube combo for home practicing.
ItsMe
QUOTE (Sigfridsson @ Oct 28 2008, 07:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I actually owned one of those! and they were quite nice I must say, I think it was the 30w version I had!
There was a few downsides however, I was not really able to get a really heavy sound through it.. I mean it was great for most things but for that I felt it could have been better.

A bit off topic, but I was thinking about getting a nice little FX Pedal and Wah Wah as well and I just noticed this one, the DigiTech RP 500, http://www.digitech.com/products/Multi-Effects/RP500.php
Anyone got any comments on that one? You reckon getting a MultiFX like that one and just running it to some reasonably cheap amp for practice could work fine until I feel ready to buy a proper amp stack?



The xt versions of the Vox amps has some absolutly awesome OD sounds. The best modeling OD IMO. Check them out. And you can even play the 100w version in bedroom/midnight mode because of the adjustable output power.
Sigfridsson
QUOTE (ItsMe @ Oct 28 2008, 10:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
The xt versions of the Vox amps has some absolutly awesome OD sounds. The best modeling OD IMO. Check them out. And you can even play the 100w version in bedroom/midnight mode because of the adjustable output power.


Could you show me a link to that amp? or any out that series for that matter, only found a XL and a VT model, but not been able to find the XT one.
Fullmetal_Tmd
http://www.musik-produktiv.co.uk/(s(pcnlr7...uper-champ.aspx
The Fender Superchamp is, by far, the best amp modeller for the price. Better than the Vox models BY FAR.
ItsMe
QUOTE (Sigfridsson @ Oct 28 2008, 10:34 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Could you show me a link to that amp? or any out that series for that matter, only found a XL and a VT model, but not been able to find the XT one.



Sorry I meant xl .

Check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jN2nCnY7lTM



http://www.voxamps.com/us/valvetronix/xl-series/

Sigfridsson
Thanks for all the advice guys!

But the XL series is an actual tube amp however?
ItsMe
QUOTE (Sigfridsson @ Oct 28 2008, 10:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Thanks for all the advice guys!

But the XL series is an actual tube amp however?



no its not. all the valvetronics are hybrids. That means they have a modeling part and a real tube (only one) in a patented circuit in the power section. This section can adjust with the model amp from class A to A/B. this makes them quite realistic.
FrankW
I think you should buy the nicest combo amp you can afford. There are alot to choose from. You should consider a nice tube amp, as they sound much better than solid state amps. Check out Fender, Mesa Boogie, Engl, Marshall, and other top amp manufacturers that offer tone.

Most of the top amp manufacturers have many different combo models to choose from.

Buying the best amp you can afford means that you will be inspired by its' sound and capabilities, which will help you improve as a player. It all comes down to how much you can spend. smile.gif
Sigfridsson
I think I've decided for an amp now, the Vox Valvetronix AD50VT-XL, It sounds really good considering the price, which in fact was surprisingly low!

I checked this Review on youtube by Guitarworld and just as I mentioned previously, it sounds pretty good considering the price!

Only thing I was left wondering after watching the video was if you can get a nice smooth lead tone with it, but no doubts you can get something nice set up on it!

The reasoning behind not just buying a cheap little combo is that it's just so much more motivating and fun to play if you get some nice sound as well, all this while it doesn't really set me back that much. I will still have the budget to buy a proper tube stack If I feel that I need/want one later on - but for now the main aim was really just to play at home and perhaps jam a little with some friends!

All comments and recommendations are still welcome as I haven't placed the order yet!
Young Guitarist
Sounds like a good deal:)
shammy
Go for Fender Superchamp XD. YOU will love it. Youtube it, those nice warm tube tones are for real, I just picked one up and cannot stop talking it up.Good luck, amp shopping always fun
Marshmall0wz
I'd go for the XL or the Bandit 112. My valvetronix was awesome for about 8 monthes than just started having TONS of problems sound wise. The speaker gave way i think haha.
Guitar1969
QUOTE (Sigfridsson @ Oct 29 2008, 03:25 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I think I've decided for an amp now, the Vox Valvetronix AD50VT-XL, It sounds really good considering the price, which in fact was surprisingly low!

I checked this Review on youtube by Guitarworld and just as I mentioned previously, it sounds pretty good considering the price!

Only thing I was left wondering after watching the video was if you can get a nice smooth lead tone with it, but no doubts you can get something nice set up on it!

The reasoning behind not just buying a cheap little combo is that it's just so much more motivating and fun to play if you get some nice sound as well, all this while it doesn't really set me back that much. I will still have the budget to buy a proper tube stack If I feel that I need/want one later on - but for now the main aim was really just to play at home and perhaps jam a little with some friends!

All comments and recommendations are still welcome as I haven't placed the order yet!

That amp didn't get too good of a review over at www.harmonycentral.com(Really great place to read real users reviews) .

Correct me if I am wrong, but I was always under the impression that tube amps(Or Hybrids) don't really make good practice amps since tube amps really beg to be cranked up, and at home practicing doesn't really give you opportunity all the time.

I don't know your home practice situation, but for my practice amps, I need solid state since they also allow headphone use, as well as aux inputs(such as IPOD), and fast warm up(switching on and off) which are not usually available in tube amp configurations. What about like a Roland Cube-30 (they actually rate really well, and work great with added effects in front of them). I have the Roland Microcube, which is a relaly small portable amp, it it is awesome for low volume use at home.

whatever your direction, I would recommend using the Harmonycentral user review section mentioned above. I have used it for all of my purchases and it hasn't steered me wrong yet.
Ivan Milenkovic
Hybrid amps are switched on/off just as easily as solid states, and I've used AVt50 Marshall hybrid both at home and on gigs, and at home it served me well, although it was too loud, being 50W. For home use 1W tube amp is just about enough, but you can't really find that.
FrankW
I agree that most tube amps have to be cranked to get tone. I have a Fender G-Dec solid state amp for the house.

But there are some butt kicking tube amps out there with a low watt switch to crank them at home without shaking the house. Check out the Mesa Boogie Lonestar, Lonestar Special, the 5:50, and 5:25 combo amps. These are killer tone amps with the capability to crank at low volume. smile.gif
Sigfridsson
Yeah we shall see how this one works out for me, I got the 50w version of the Vox Valvetronix AD50VT-XL + footswitch for roughly 250€ (managed to get some heavy discount!), which felt like a REALLY good price for what I get.

I will try it out, might just write a review of it as well, should it be a big disappointment I'll just sell it and get some little tube amp instead - Considering what I payed for it I'm fairly sure I can get a pretty good chunk of what I payed back by selling it!
Ivan Milenkovic
I think you got a pretty good deal, and you should keep the amp for some time, there's no point in selling it right away. After a couple of months you will know it inside out, so then IMO you should decide if you wanna sell it or anything. I think that is a great amp indeed, played it in the studio, has a bit of Vox character in it, and models stuff very nicely. It can produce some various sounds, that's for sure. Congratulations on your purchase mate, wise choice. smile.gif
Sigfridsson
QUOTE (Ivan Milenkovic @ Oct 31 2008, 11:06 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I think you got a pretty good deal, and you should keep the amp for some time, there's no point in selling it right away. After a couple of months you will know it inside out, so then IMO you should decide if you wanna sell it or anything. I think that is a great amp indeed, played it in the studio, has a bit of Vox character in it, and models stuff very nicely. It can produce some various sounds, that's for sure. Congratulations on your purchase mate, wise choice. smile.gif


Ah so you tried it out a bit? I mean the review I saw of it was nice and all but he mainly just played the same stuff and used the presets, did you have a chance to try out if you could get a smooth lead tone going?
Ivan Milenkovic
I wasn't aiming for a smooth lead tone on rehearsals, bit I managed to make a nice smooth clean preset for rhythm. I'm sure with a bit of tweaking you will find a good lead tone as well.
Sigfridsson
QUOTE (Ivan Milenkovic @ Oct 31 2008, 11:55 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I wasn't aiming for a smooth lead tone on rehearsals, bit I managed to make a nice smooth clean preset for rhythm. I'm sure with a bit of tweaking you will find a good lead tone as well.


Ah that's cool, can't wait for it to arrive so I can play around with all the settings and try to find some cool sounds smile.gif
Mr T
QUOTE (shammy @ Oct 30 2008, 09:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Go for Fender Superchamp XD. YOU will love it. Youtube it, those nice warm tube tones are for real, I just picked one up and cannot stop talking it up.Good luck, amp shopping always fun


Just checked out a review on youtube for it. That amp sure has some cool sounds.
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