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#278574 - 23/07/10 01:53 PM first amp advice needed
LES LES Be Nice (I'm New!) Registered: 07/07/10 Posts: 20	hi can anyone advice me as what make model amp i should go for as its only going to be used for home use i dont need a lot of amps but i would like a nice clean sound so would i be better of getting a basic amp and changing the speaker(s) les
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#278575 - 23/07/10 02:31 PM Re: first amp advice needed [Re: LES]
Thebluesman Thebluesman Be Nice (I'm New!) Registered: 22/07/10 Posts: 2 Loc: Yorkshire	1st amp- finda 25Watt/30watt tube amp combo .Its loud enough for bedroom & stage use.Add a speaker cab later & its suitable for "live" & /Rehearsal use. If u keep the vol LO for HOME use then try a 2nd hand CARVIN combo.Excellent tube amp suitable for Rock.country/Blues.
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#278579 - 24/07/10 02:12 AM Re: first amp advice needed [Re: Thebluesman]
Lurcher Lurcher Professional Forumite! Registered: 09/02/09 Posts: 899 Loc: Tipperary, Ireland	Hiya Les. Most home players would opt for either a 15w Solid State amp or a 5w valve amp. The SS will likely give you more versatility and compete with a valve amp on the clean sounds. Most SS amps in this class are 'modeling' amps which try to emulate the sounds of the famous stage amps and give a good range of effects. A small Valve amp will most likely give you a nicer sound all round but will be more limited in its range unless you add some pedals. Price wise, the Roland Cube 15x (not really a modeling amp) can be found for about £75 as can the Peavey Vypyr 15. The small Line 6 amps have varying reviews but most players concede that they always sound rather digital. There is also a Vox offering which is a little more expensive but very popular. In valve options, there is a lot to like about the little Fender Champ 600, the Vox AC4 and Epiphone Valve Junior. Your best bet will be to go along to a music shop that carries a big range and try as many as you can within the budget you have available. Brian _________________________ I pick up my guitar and play Just like yesterday Guitarist with The Silver Hoarde. Geriatric Metal for your weddings and wakes.
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#278591 - 24/07/10 11:36 AM Re: first amp advice needed [Re: Lurcher]
LES LES Be Nice (I'm New!) Registered: 07/07/10 Posts: 20	thanks folks now i have some names and model numbers to check out les
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#278594 - 24/07/10 04:09 PM Re: first amp advice needed [Re: LES]
Richard - Richards Guitars Richard - Richards Guitars Administrator & Forum Council Member Old Timer Registered: 30/07/01 Posts: 5446 Loc: 5 Tiddington Road, Stratford U...	and my golly - for pure pleasure you HAVE to check out the Kustom H5 Head and cab at £200. 5W pure valve - one knob (volume) - its the business. Tip of the day,,,, use your volume and tone to clean and sweeten the tone - people never do this and it annoys me!!! Do it and you will be rewarded with the most blissful tones. _________________________ http://www.richardsguitars.co.uk http://www.guitars.co.uk/richards
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#278599 - 25/07/10 12:42 AM Re: first amp advice needed [Re: Thebluesman]
english_bob english_bob Unregistered	Originally Posted By: Thebluesman 1st amp- finda 25Watt/30watt tube amp combo .Its loud enough for bedroom & stage use. No joke. A 30w valve amp ought to be plenty for stage use, but the larger the amp, the harder you may find it to get a suitably low volume for home use- if an amp is designed for playing live, and therefore loud, the volume knob will often go from "too quiet" to "too loud" for bedroom playing within a very short space. Not always the case of course, so you'll need to check this with any potential purchase. The other issue with using a more powerful amp at home is that valve amps tend to need to reach a certain volume before they "wake up"- below that, you won't really hear much evidence of all the great stuff people say about valve amps, because it all relates to what happens to the sound of a valve amp when it's turned up to a point where it has to do some work. Think of it like using a Ferrari to do the school run at 20mph in rush hour traffic- if this was the only experience you had, you'd wonder why people bothered with them, but get that car out on the open road, put your foot down, and.... "ahhh, I get it!" Of course, the less powerful the amp, the lower the volume at which it has to work to keep up, hence all the interest in little 5-watters recently. Even with an amp this small, top volume is still going to have the neighbours paying you a visit to ask if you wouldn't mind perhaps maybe if it isn't too much trouble just turning it down a tiny bit You haven't mentioned what your budget is- that might help with specific recommendations.
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#278601 - 25/07/10 02:06 AM Re: first amp advice needed [Re: ]
stickyfiddle stickyfiddle Spam Commander (Forum Council Member) Old Timer Registered: 22/04/04 Posts: 5874 Loc: London, UK	I recommend the same thing to basically everyone... Laney VC15. Unless you want to play metal it's perfect for anything else- not too loud for home and under £200 used. I've considered/tried replacing mine several times since I bought it 4 years ago and I've always come to the conclusion that I'd have to spend close to a grand to get anything better _________________________ PSN: stickyfiddle
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#278603 - 25/07/10 04:47 AM Re: first amp advice needed [Re: stickyfiddle]
The Tiggs The Tiggs Professional Forumite! Registered: 08/04/10 Posts: 355 Loc: Derby	It really depends on what sort of music you want to play Les. Go to a good music store and try some out. Take your guitar with you, try to do it on a week day when the're not so busy. For me I'd want one with at least one real valve in it. 5W is fine for home use, 30W does both (unless you're playing heavy metal). I don't understand your remark about changing the speakers.
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