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#273040 - 08/03/10 04:11 AM
Re: ?Help plz for a complete newbe?
[Re: stickyfiddle]
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english_bob
english_bob
Unregistered
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Planet Waves are good. I'm no expert either, but I have some PW cables that have served me well for years. Generally, you get what you pay for, so anything over £10 ought to be decent, and many will have a guarantee. You'll want at least a 10' cable if you plan on sitting any distance away from your amp. I prefer 20' cables since they give you a little more room to roam, but that's more helpful for gigs than home playing.
Sticky makes a good point- making your own cables is fairly simple if you can solder (which in itself is a good skill to learn as a guitarist...), and will get you a better quality cable for less than a shop-bought one...
On the amp front- if it were my £300 I'd look for a Laney VC-15, which is small and pretty enough to use at home and leave out without it presenting much of an obstacle or an eyesore, but will just about get you through small-ish gigs as and when you get to that stage in a few months or years. As with guitars, it's a good idea to try out as many amps within your budget as you can find and make your own mind up...
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#273041 - 08/03/10 04:37 AM
Re: ?Help plz for a complete newbe?
[Re: ]
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Sampledred
Be Nice (I'm New!)
Registered: 04/03/10
Posts: 41
Loc: Manchester, well for the last ...
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of I've heard peavey mentioned alot what about this?
http://www.dawsons.co.uk/acatalog/peavey_vypyr_30.html
gonna look at the laney now.
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#273050 - 08/03/10 05:47 AM
Re: ?Help plz for a complete newbe?
[Re: Sampledred]
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english_bob
english_bob
Unregistered
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I can't comment on the sound of those amps, since I haven't played one, but the one obvious decision you'd have to make before you opted for one of those was whether you need all the extra features- will all those effects and extra channels and doo-hickys get in the way of finding one a decent sound and learning to actually play the guitar?
If you think you're going to have enough on your plate with learning the guitar in the first place without having to worry about phasers and flangers, compressors and tremolos, you might be better off with a more straightforward amp. If I'd had all that stuff to fiddle with when I started out, I'd have spent more time making noise than learning to play.
I tend to be a bit of a "glass-is-half-empty" thinker, but when an amp has all sorts of built-in this, that and the other, I'm inclined to wonder whether the designers didn't spend more time cramming all that guff in than they did making sure the amp sounded really good without all the "seasoning".
When choosing an amp, some of the basic stuff to consider:
Valves, transistors, digital: This is to do with the electronics that make the amp work- valves look a little like lightbulbs, and used to be used in everything from radios to computers (such as they were...) back in the '40s and '50s. They are an obsolete technology nowadays outside of audio applications, where they are still used because they're arguably the best *sounding* way to amplify sound. They're large, fragile, expensive(ish) and will need to be replaced periodically, but a good valve amp really does sound wonderful, and chinese manufacture is driving the prices of valve amps waaay down.
Transistors do the same job as valves, from an electronic point of view, but they're tiny, last pretty much forever and weigh next to nothing. They don't sound the same as valves, or respond in the same way to your playing, but that's something you probably won't notice at this stage in your playing career.
Digital amps are a fairly recent invention, and usually attempt to "model" amps that are too large, rare, expensive or loud to be practical. In theory, you can have the sound of various famous amps, each of which would be suited to different styles. Do all digital modeling amps sound like the amps they're supposed to? No, but that doesn't mean they don't sound decent.
Wattage: this is partly about how loud an amp can sound, but it's also about how it will respond to your playing- loud or soft- at different levels. If you're going to be playing at home at sociable levels, this only really affects you in two ways: you'll have trouble getting a quiet sound from a high-wattage amp that's really designed to be used at gigs, and if you opt for a valve amp (which needs to be turned up a bit to get the best from it), you may find that it sounds a little bland.
Channels: Amps often have more than one channel- the idea being that each channel will produce a different sound- normally one "clean" and one distorted- and you'll be able to switch between them quickly (think of the intro to "Smells Like Teen Spirit"). Of course, why stop at two? Some digital amps like the Line 6 Spider series and the Peavey Vypyr you're looking at have the ability to program several preset sounds, which expands what you have available. Much more useful for gigs than for practicing at home, but nice to have...
Weight: depends on what you're prepared to put up with carting around- valve amps are heavier than an equivalent transistor or digital amp, mostly because of the hefty transformers that are required. Many people think the difference in sound is worth the extra weight, but your back may not agree.
Edited by english_bob (08/03/10 05:50 AM)
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#273125 - 09/03/10 07:45 AM
Re: ?Help plz for a complete newbe?
[Re: ]
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Vialli
One of the Regulars
Registered: 01/02/10
Posts: 67
Loc: Bristol
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I'll try to give an alternative glass-half-full perspective to Bob's glass-half-empty view of modelling amps. Not that I disagree particularly with anything he said – the post is a good summary!
I have a Peavey Vypyr & find it excellent for my needs as a beginner/improver. It is true that there are LOTS of options, sounds and effects but I haven't found that distracts me much from learning the guitar. True, there have been occasions on which I have played with the different settings but I have used this to motivate myself to spend more time with my guitar as opposed to less. I’ve found a few amp types and settings that suit me and I use those. As the sounds achieved are largely controlled by software I’m not sure it would sound much better if it just replicated a single amp type for example, but I take the point about focus. The Peavey also acts as a tuner (not so great) and allows me to record to a computer via USB if I want to play back how I sound – not sure all models have the USB connection though, I think the lower end ones may not.
Also, it has helped me learn a lot about amplification and effects in a way I could not hope to have done if I had to go out and buy effects pedals etc. I guess maybe this is what Bob is referring to when talking about being distracted! I see it as a stepping-stone. It is perfect for home use and plenty loud enough for jamming. Should I ever become more serious about playing outside my home then I think I will be better informed to go out and try some tube amps.
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#273127 - 09/03/10 08:40 AM
Re: ?Help plz for a complete newbe?
[Re: Vialli]
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english_bob
english_bob
Unregistered
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It is true that there are LOTS of options, sounds and effects but I haven't found that distracts me much from learning the guitar. True, there have been occasions on which I have played with the different settings but I have used this to motivate myself to spend more time with my guitar as opposed to less.
This can absolutely work both ways- it's largely dependent on what sort of a person you are- some people can quite happily ignore potential distractions and get on with the task in hand while others can't. Some people will be able to grasp a fairly complicated device like the Vypyr quickly and easily, whereas others would struggle with all those knobs and features and would do better with a one-knob no-messing amp like a Valve Jr.
Also, it has helped me learn a lot about amplification and effects in a way I could not hope to have done if I had to go out and buy effects pedals etc. I guess maybe this is what Bob is referring to when talking about being distracted! I see it as a stepping-stone.
Another good point. Having a lot of tones at your disposal is a good way to find out what various effects and amplifiers sound like, and gives you a good impression of what you might like to invest in later on down the line to get "your" sound. That said, it's easy to be put off an effect or an amp brand by a poor rendering of it in your modelling amp or multi-effect.
Equally, some people may come to rely on the pre-programmed sounds available to them (which are often a little over-egged in terms of effects and geared towards in-the-shop "wow factor" rather than long term usefulness) to create impressive sounds rather than developing their technique and their ability to craft a good sound themselves. Once again, this is partly a personality thing- someone with the right focus will find a powerful tool in an amp like yours, whereas to someone else it will be a distracting toy.
Incidentally, I didn't mean to suggest that *all* the playing around with effects and amp models you might do with an amp like that is evidence that you're being distracted from learning to play the guitar- the electric guitar itself is only *part* of an instrument along with the everything else in your signal chain, so IMO it's equally important to learn how to get your amp and effects working for you as it is to develop a solid technique, a good chord vocabulary and all that other stuff...
Edited by english_bob (09/03/10 08:41 AM)
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#273367 - 13/03/10 02:27 AM
Re: ?Help plz for a complete newbe?
[Re: ]
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Sampledred
Be Nice (I'm New!)
Registered: 04/03/10
Posts: 41
Loc: Manchester, well for the last ...
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Got my guitar today  cue dancing round the office like an excited child 
Thank again for all you patience and help, you've been amazingly nice to a newbie  I'll try to post a pic of my nu toy l8r.
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#273417 - 13/03/10 01:19 PM
Re: ?Help plz for a complete newbe?
[Re: Sampledred]
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Blues_Dev
Forum Council Member
Professional Forumite!
Registered: 20/01/10
Posts: 166
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Cool!!! the strat?
Getting a new guitar always makes for a good day. When I got my first guitar I dont think it was more than 2 feet away from me at any time in the first 24 hours:)
Edited by Blues_Dev (13/03/10 01:23 PM)
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#273458 - 14/03/10 12:01 PM
Re: ?Help plz for a complete newbe?
[Re: Blues_Dev]
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Vialli
One of the Regulars
Registered: 01/02/10
Posts: 67
Loc: Bristol
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I couldn't stop picking up my first guitar for ages, even if I couldn't do much with it other than pretend I was in a rock band (at the age of 36!). Please post a pic or at least let us know what you went for. Excellent you got your guitar & I completely understand if nothing else appears on this thread for a while as hopefully you will be spending lots of time with your new acquisition. Have fun.
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