Buying Amp.. Need Advice

Heres a clip from the a mountain fest in Manipur:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaxEwEofO4i

Its a mobile clip. So quality is terrible. It makes the ESP M 100 FM sound so good.

 

dude! that doesnt qualify...it might as well been my old MG10CD for all i could make out!

just get your lazy ass down and record some clips

 

Hey Raj, thanks for your offer, happy to take it up!

I set out with a budget of 1500+ Aussie $. But cut it down after I played some Line 6 amps. The Flexton III is the modelling amp I found pretty impressive. It's a modelling amp with plenty of power and 50-100 watters are available for $1000-$1500.

The other option is the 40watt all-tube Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. This is pretty reasonable - an all watt combo for 1300.

I would not have thought about this too much except for the fact that I didn't enjoy playing it as much as I did the Line 6. It seemed to lack the punch and at times seemed a little shrill. Lacking a tight bottom too.

Just got me confused further still.

For reference, my favorite bands are Aerosmith and Led Zep, and in keeping I play a Les Paul most of the time. I like a thick, crunchy 70s rock tone (which is why a Marshall would be most approp, but any decent model costs the earth).

But I also want the option to be able to play a clean sounding hindi song or something like Green Day. Not keen on metal.

For the record, I have the Boss ME-50, so I can add a lot more drive and FX some tube-amps offer.

Chal, something for you to chew on. Thanks,
Umang.

 

Well, i think your perfect choice would be the Vox AC30. Marshall are known for bad clean sounds but VOX is reputed to have the best clean and the top boost channel is plain brilliant! and a 30 watt tube is as good as a 90-100 watt solid state amplifier and the tone is to die for.

for any medium gain stuff like led zep and aerosmith this amp will be more than perfect for you. crystal clear cleans and lovely overdrive. For slightly more gain, you can use a booster style pedal like a BD-2(i love this one..way more than the TS9 everyone keeps raving about).

In a lower budget range, there's the Laney LC30 which is also damn good. Perfect Class A tube tone! And its a damn good 1 * 12 combo..bang for the buck!

 

Umangu you gig right? A tube amp of 30W upwards will be good for you.

Don't settle for a modelling amp when you can buy and maintain an all tube.

 

oh and get rid of the ME-50, it'll spoil a lovely tone machine(tube amp)....just get the amp and a overdrive pedal for more gain. the amp has a nice reverb and tremolo....for chorus et al get individual pedals or save up for a rack based unit like the G Major which is dedicated for effects and known for transparency.

The thing is that when u have a nice tube amp, you should try your best that you dont use too many tone coloring pedals that'll destroy the purity of the tone of a tube amp.

 

The Vox AC30 is not 30 watts, more like 20 and is not like the AC30s of old. They changed the preamp tubes and since then it sounds kinda off (lacks the same old sparkle ).

When buying a tube amp it helps to know the kind of sound you want because there are just that many variables. I've modded my amp about 6 times and the kind of variation i get is almost ridiculous. Now I can use different kinds of power tubes together and have a blender knob to go from one to the other and in between.

people are doing some pretty wild stuff with the EVJ so on your budget that's what I would recommend. I have a collection of mods if you want some

 

why dont you buy a messa boogie dual rectifier... its tone is to die for, if it was available in india, i would have definatly bought it..

 

^ Because he says he is not keen on metal.

 

Thanks for all your help guys. This has been really interesting and useful. I hope the_NTt the original poster got something out of it!

The reason I took a while to reply is that I was out trying amps on the weekend. Only two worthwhile amps really fit my budget. The Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and the Vox AC30CC, surprise! Raj must be happy.

Mesa Boogies are all out of budget.

I'm yet to try the Vox, but it looks impressive on the net. I understand Tallkien's POV, but man, nothing sounds as good as it used to in the old days. That's why they make 3 grand reissues.

Everyone has recommended the Fender HRD (or it's bada bhaiya the Fender Blues Deluxe reissue) - it's a Fender and one of the largest selling amps. Damn loud for 40watts too.

I'll try the Vox and tell you guys what I think. Anyway, I'm not gonna buy immediately. Have to think about the money I'm spending making my Strat!

If I could afford a Marshall, even the smallest DSL, I would have got that. All my fave guitarists use Marshalls, but too expensive, man.

The BOSS ME-50: yup nothing spectacular, but it fits a lot into a neat package. I use it mostly for tremelo/harmony, chorus and it's delay section. Plus it heaps on a lot of Distortion that a Fender will never be able to manage. Wah's not anything worth writing about though.

 

hi...

Go and get the VOX. When it comes to modeling amps there's nothing that comes even close to these amps in their price range, well, even for a lot more money... Tried'em all and still keep ad 15 vt. Simulations of cleaner amps are great and the heavier ones need a little tweaking, gepending on a guitar that is used, but you can get just about any sound you're after...

 

Did a Vox v Marshall the other day. The Vox just didn't cut it for me. It's a real old-fashioned amp in that it doesn't have a channel switch. In order to get the overdrive I was after I had to crank it and let it warm up. But after blasting it for half an hour, all I got was a headache.

Played the Marshall TSL straight after and it was absolute bliss. The Vos may be a good amp, but it's definitely a Marshall for me.

The only problem now is, I've gone from looking at $1300 40watters to an $1800 60w Marshall, with two 12" Celestions. A real monster, and it weighs al most as much as me! The question is, do I really need this amp or not. But if there's nothing else smaller/cheaper that's right for me, I have no option.

If I buy, you guys will be the first to get a clip...

 

I guess the Vox wasn't one with a master volume control?

 

For that kind of money, check out out some second hand bogners

 

bogner XTC = yum!

bogner uberschall = roar!

 

BOgner uberschall+ extasy+me=RUM