Topic: amps?

i want ot buy an amp pretty soon and was wondreing what i amp is the best to use or has the least fuzz and static

Re: amps?

acoustic or electric? Band/gig or personal use?

[b][color=#FF0000]If your brain is part of the process, you're missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something.
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Re: amps?

Also, what style of music do you play?

4 (edited by rodhook 2008-06-04 03:14:48)

Re: amps?

Montana W. wrote:

i want ot buy an amp pretty soon and was wondreing what i amp is the best to use or has the least fuzz and static

HI,I ALWAYS WANTED ONE,I FINALLY GOT IT.THE CADILLAC
OF AMPS. 100 WATT TWIN 12" VOX VALVETRON.IT'S ACE YOU
CAN DO ANYTHING WITH THIS.THE BUILT IN EFFECTS + ARE
A1 FROM CLEAR TO RAUNCH.YOU'LL NEVER NEED ANOTHER AMP.

  HI,

ALL THE OTHER GUYS ARE RIGHT IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU WANT TO DO.ALL I AM SAYING IS YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO UP GRADE FOR MANY MOONS.                                          ROD.

5 (edited by cytania 2008-05-30 11:41:19)

Re: amps?

Are you plagued by fuzz and static at present Montana? If you have a 50hz type hum it may be you have a classic single coil guitar.

With many amps geting a fuzzy 'breaking-up' sound is part of the desired effect. So that Vox Valvetronic will allow you to select an amp sound that is screaming and dirty if you want it. If however you are a really clean sound then you want a solid state or transistor amp such as a Roland.

Not certain what you want? Buy a Line6 Pocket Pod, hook it up to the hi-fi or headphones and play with all the amp models. When you find sounds you like note what amps/effects are involved, you can then find a real amp that matches.

'The sound of the city seems to disappear'

Re: amps?

cytania wrote:

Are you plagued by fuzz and static at present Montana? If you have a 50hz type hum it may be you have a classic single coil guitar.

With many amps geting a fuzzy 'breaking-up' sound is part of the desired effect. So that Vox Valvetronic will allow you to select an amp sound that is screaming and dirty if you want it. If however you are a really clean sound then you want a solid state or transistor amp such as a Roland.

Not certain what you want? Buy a Line6 Pocket Pod, hook it up to the hi-fi or headphones and play with all the amp models. When you find sounds you like note what amps/effects are involved, you can then find a real amp that matches.

Cytania,

Montana W is on this side of the pond 60 hz hum:)

Bootlegger.

Re: amps?

It depends on where you're going to use it and your budget.  If you're going to be playing in your basement you don't need anything more than 30 or 45 watts.

"A steering wheel don't mean you can drive, a warm body don't mean I'm alive"
Switchfoot

Re: amps?

H

cytania wrote:

Are you plagued by fuzz and static at present Montana? If you have a 50hz type hum it may be you have a classic single coil guitar.

With many amps geting a fuzzy 'breaking-up' sound is part of the desired effect. So that Vox Valvetronic will allow you to select an amp sound that is screaming and dirty if you want it. If however you are a really clean sound then you want a solid state or transistor amp such as a Roland.

Not certain what you want? Buy a Line6 Pocket Pod, hook it up to the hi-fi or headphones and play with all the amp models. When you find sounds you like note what amps/effects are involved, you can then find a real amp that matches.

THAT IS THE BEST IDEA SO FAR I HAVE LINE 6 XT BUT THEY
ARE EXPENSIVE.THE VOX HAS 11 DIFFERENT AMP. SETTING BUILT IN.
                                                           ROD

Re: amps?

HI,ALL THE OTHER GUY'S POST ARE RIGHT. IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU WANT TO PLAY WHERE.ALL I AM SAYING INSTEAD OF ALWAYS UPGRADEING AND LOSEING $ ON TRADE IN THE
VOX TWIN WITH 100 WATTS OF POWER IS ALL YOU WILL EVER NEED OR WANT.IF YOU NEED MORE JUICE THEN MIKES ARE USED.

                              SORRY FOR THE MIS INFO.
                                                                            ROD

Re: amps?

hay guys sorry it took so long to reply but i am playing mostly hard rock and i am starting a band so one i could use in a gig would be nice but i dont care about the effects or fuzz and stuff just as long as it doesnot humm, i have a line 6 pod x3 the newest one, i just want an ampto play in gigs feel free to ask any more questions to help me decide what to get,         and thx for all the info smile

Re: amps?

What's your budget?

If you can afford it it's worth getting a Valve amp. (in the US they're usually called Tube amps)
They do sound better, especially for rock, but you get a very slight buzzing from the amp. It wouldn't be noticable while playing though.

Re: amps?

i dont want it to be over 450 dolars but i dont have any money rite now

Re: amps?

Montana W. wrote:

i want ot buy an amp pretty soon and was wondreing what i amp is the best to use or has the least fuzz and static

hi again sometimes the cord to you guitar will made noise.
if you use a high shielded cable it reduces much of the noise.

       rod

Re: amps?

Montana W. wrote:

i dont want it to be over 450 dolars

$400 gets you one of these:

Peavey ValveKing 112 50W Tube Amp
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ … sku=481442

Crate V Series 112 50W Tube Amp
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ … sku=487054

Worth checking them out in person first, if possible.

Re: amps?

Tube amp definitely.  After that, it's all about what features you like.

Some people like lots of effects and gizmos.  The Valvtronic amps are fantastic in that regard.  Some folks (like me) are easily confused, so a minimal number of knobs and buttons suffice.  The Epiphone and Kustom tubes are great for that.

But a tube amp, no matter what.

Someday we'll win this thing...

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Re: amps?

You seem a little preoccupied with noisiness. What type of guitar/amp do you currently play? Not that cleanness isn't important but I would caution you against it being your main criteria in selecting your amp. The tone should always be your top priority. If you purchase a quality piece of equipment (and for around $400 that is certainly possible) noisiness will not be an amp problem. Most of the time, static and buzzing can be traced back to a loose connection somewhere (often in the guitar), a bad cord/cords or poor grounding. Also, if you play a guitar with single coils, get used to the idea of some buzzing (especially under fluorescent lights). There is a reason why humbucker pick ups are so named.

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Re: amps?

sworch i got my amp for Christmas with my (first) electric guitar, the amp is a specturm i had never herd of that brand until i got the guitar but it just a little 15 watt amp and since then i have been geting into guitar playing prety seriously so i thought i would get my self a nother amp, also wat is the difference between a tube amp and the other ones or is there?

18 (edited by Tibernius 2008-06-10 15:16:23)

Re: amps?

Tube amp: Sounds better, almost all "Pro" amps are tube amps. You can control the amount of distortion by strumming and picking at different strengths. Cost a bit more but they are worth it.

The other amps are:

Solid State: Your old amp will be one of these. Fairly basic and cheap, but they sound worse than Tube.
Hybrid: These are part Solid-State, part Tube. The VOX Valvetronix series are hybrid amps.

You might want to read this:

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Guitar/Buying_an_amplifier

I read it shortly before buying my second amp, a Harley Benton GA5, which is exactly the same as an Epiphone Valve Jr.
(I bought it to replace my 13-15 year old Yamaha Solid-State amp, which was hissing like mad.)

Re: amps?

ok thx

Re: amps?

Those are massive generalizations. A tube amp derives it's sound from vacuum tubes where as a solid state amp uses transistors. The net result is that tube amps tend to have a more "natural" sounding compression where solid state amps tend to be somewhat more abrasive sounding when distorted. When played clean (no distortion) solid state amps can be more "accurate" in their reproduction of your guitar's sound. One example of this would be the Roland JC-120, a horrible distorted tone but one of the cleanest (if somewhat cold)( clean tones available.

I generally play acoustic instruments and while a tube amp can "warm up" my sound in a nice way, I generally gravitate toward solid-state amps for their range and versatility with my application.

My advice to you would be to take a friend whose opinion you trust to a local music store and try a few different things out. These things are very subjective. Over the years I have wasted a lot of money buying things I assumed where the best just because they were one thing or an other. Just listen carefully to your own ears. They won't lie to you.

Good luck.

[url]http://www.myspace.com/stevewaltherorchestra[/url]

Re: amps?

Sworch wrote:

Those are massive generalizations. A tube amp derives it's sound from vacuum tubes where as a solid state amp uses transistors. The net result is that tube amps tend to have a more "natural" sounding compression where solid state amps tend to be somewhat more abrasive sounding when distorted. When played clean (no distortion) solid state amps can be more "accurate" in their reproduction of your guitar's sound. One example of this would be the Roland JC-120, a horrible distorted tone but one of the cleanest (if somewhat cold)( clean tones available.

I generally play acoustic instruments and while a tube amp can "warm up" my sound in a nice way, I generally gravitate toward solid-state amps for their range and versatility with my application.

While that's true, it doesn't really suit his style. He did mention he plays Rock, so he would be using distortion more than a clean tone.

I have read that Solid-State amps are better for acoustic. I haven't actually played an Electro-Acoustic though so I don't know much about it myself.

Re: amps?

I hadn't noticed Montana's rock reference until you mentioned it. I stand corrected. If you are looking for a distorted tone, it is hard to argue against a nice tube amp. For $400 your selection may be somewhat limited but I'm sure you'll find something. To be honest, if I were you I'de wait and save an other couple hundred bucks before I started looking at tube amps.

Above all else, trust your ears.

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Re: amps?

ok i will do tht i will save some money up because i want to get a good amp that will last for a long time, thx

Re: amps?

Montana W. wrote:

ok i will do tht i will save some money up because i want to get a good amp that will last for a long time, thx

Tube amps are nice if you are really concerned with your tone and if you can afford one, but amps like the Line 6 Spider III series can get you a ton of sounds, including those of tube amps, for a lot less money.  If you don't care about mimicking certain sounds, then a tube amp probably will get you a better tone.  Also, I might add that for $400 you can get a sweet solid state amp with tons of effects and power for a lot less cash than a tube amp with no effects and less power.

"A steering wheel don't mean you can drive, a warm body don't mean I'm alive"
Switchfoot

Re: amps?

06sc500 wrote:

Also, I might add that for $400 you can get a sweet solid state amp with tons of effects and power for a lot less cash than a tube amp with no effects and less power.

30Watts Tube is equal to 100Watts Solid-State.
I bought a 5Watt Tube amp and it's louder than the 25Watt SS amp I replaced.