Guitar players...??

[SymphonicX]

Hey all
Do you play guitar? if so, what amp do you use for practise?
I'm looking for a new amp, something small but classy - price isn't an issue but sound quality is a major point. It has to be below 65w though, far below it...I basically just want a nice, small practise amp that has a really great sound - particularly (and essentially) a nice crunchy, awesome distortion channel...don't really care about loads of effects or anything like that, it's just got to have a nice heavy and clean tone to it that I can be proud to bang out some metal on, not this awful valvestate that I've got now which you just can't get anything out of barring string reverb noises and clangs and shit...ugh.
Any ideas lads and ladettes? Your help is, as always, greatly appreciated!!


thanks!

[Tricky]

I cant remember what make mine is, but ive got a cheap little practice amp that does me ok for bedroom playing, its a similar size to a 14" portable TV. To be fair I havent used it much since I got my accoustic at xmas, but once ive learned some more il be getting it out again. I'll find out the make when I get home tonight & post it

[Darksider18]

wow dude. i love doing what you do aswell. just jammin with a really heavy crunchy sound. i may have your exact preferred amp. its cheap, small wattage, really heavy and brilliant quality sound. but it also has added effects.

-22 presets and effects. half clean and half distorted.
-no need for an effects pedal. but if your feeling as if you want to up the -amount of stuff to do, theres an effects pedal jack there.
-headphone jack.
-The ability to save up to 4 of your own tone set-ups.
-28W Power. and also the ability to adjust your wattage.
-Only downfall is that it has no speaker input jack, so you cant use it live. its just solely for practicing on.

youve got a hell of alot there to play around with. great amp.

its from valvetronixs. a fantastic and affordable VOX VT15.

heres a link to the review about it. a review which is really informative and would help you alot. :).


http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/guitar_amplifiers/vox/valvetronix_vt15/index.html

[LouCipherr]

I currently use a Marshall Valvestate 8080 amp (single 12" speaker, but it's 80 watts) that's quite a few years old (probably early 2000's) which is a kick ass amp - and not only that it's light and portable too. The good thing is, even though it's 80 watts, it still sounds excellent at low volumes too.

here's what it looks like:

http://www.guitariste.com/forums/photos/21914-1-big.jpg

I've been using that and a Valvestate VS100 three-channel head with a 4x12 as my main amps for so long it's hard to remember. I did get rid of the VS100 head & cabinet a few years ago (left my band, no need for a 1/2 stack), but I stand by Marshall's Valvestate technology & amps. GREAT stuff. Both amps have that brilliant Marshall gain, so if that's what you're looking for, try out their Valvestate line. Excellent stuff.

VS100 pic:

http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/images/130N/VS100RH_front.jpg


and more on valvestate tech:

http://www.marshallamps.com/heritage/valvestate_i/valvestate_i_01.asp

Can probably find some great deals on used amps if you take a look around.

[bassman]

If you're just wanting it for personal use and don't want to spend any money....you should think about loading Audacity. It's a free recording program for download and you can tweak all the effects to your liking. Plus you'll have a recording program there waiting for ya. It's pretty good, actually. And free to boot.

Although you may want an actual amp over head phones or computer speakers....

[SymphonicX]

I currently use a Marshall Valvestate 8080 amp (single 12" speaker, but it's 80 watts) that's quite a few years old (probably early 2000's) which is a kick ass amp - and not only that it's light and portable too. The good thing is, even though it's 80 watts, it still sounds excellent at low volumes too.

here's what it looks like:

http://www.guitariste.com/forums/photos/21914-1-big.jpg

I've been using that and a Valvestate VS100 three-channel head with a 4x12 as my main amps for so long it's hard to remember. I did get rid of the VS100 head & cabinet a few years ago (left my band, no need for a 1/2 stack), but I stand by Marshall's Valvestate technology & amps. GREAT stuff. Both amps have that brilliant Marshall gain, so if that's what you're looking for, try out their Valvestate line. Excellent stuff.

VS100 pic:

http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/images/130N/VS100RH_front.jpg


and more on valvestate tech:

http://www.marshallamps.com/heritage/valvestate_i/valvestate_i_01.asp

Can probably find some great deals on used amps if you take a look around.



My old amp is a Marshall Valvestate VS265R - it's "older than God" (to quote Warner Shook) - and to be honest the sound is nothing short of pathetic. It's so loud you can't hear anything and completely underperforms at lower volumes. The onboard distortion channel is basically rubbish and unuseable and plugging an effects pedal into it barely makes it listenable, it's completely impossible to find a good sound with it...! But I've had it for about 10 years and it was 2nd hand when I bought it...might check out the newer ones on your suggestion. Thanks :)

[LouCipherr]

My old amp is a Marshall Valvestate VS265R - it's "older than God" (to quote Warner Shook) - and to be honest the sound is nothing short of pathetic. It's so loud you can't hear anything and completely underperforms at lower volumes. The onboard distortion channel is basically rubbish and unuseable and plugging an effects pedal into it barely makes it listenable, it's completely impossible to find a good sound with it...! But I've had it for about 10 years and it was 2nd hand when I bought it...might check out the newer ones on your suggestion. Thanks :)


Wow, I can't believe you had that kind of experience with the Valvestate line. I never messed with the VS265R though, so I can't speak for it's performance. Something doesn't sound right though, 'cause those valvestates has some massive amounts of distortion - at least the ones I owned. The singer for my band is the one that turned me onto the VS100.

I personally loved both of my valvestates (my band played mostly classic rock and some metal) and it was perfect for those sort of sounds. I still have my 8080, and love it to death.

These two I had (the 8080 and the VS100) had no problems whatsoever at lower volumes - matter of fact, that's why I picked up the 8080 because the VS100 performed so well and even at low volumes. Playing the clubs we played at didn't really warrant the use of my VS100 and the 4x12 half stack (way too loud - not because it needed to be, but I'm a guitarist, so I love my rig LOUD if I can manage it), so I picked up the 8080 which basically was the exact same thing as the VS100 minus a channel (VS100 was a 3 channel - clean, dirty & lead and the 8080 had a clean & dirty channel) plus it only had one speaker (celestion) as opposed to the 4 12" greenbacks in my 4x12 cabinet.

I used to just throw the 8080 on a chair behind me, angled up 'twards the back of my head. Worked out very well and made our sound guys very happy.

BTW: just FYI, for all the recording Dj and I do for the movie scores, I don't use my 8080. I run directly into my computer via a Line6 GuitarPort and record into Adobe Audition. It's just much easier that way than picking the right mic, trying to position the mic perfectly on the speaker cone, getting 'just the right sound' - hell with that, I fire up the GuitarPort software (called "GearBox") - get a good sound, and run with it.

[blind2d]

My amp's a Fender Bullet 150, and it holds up pretty well...

[tkane18]

I'm looking to buy one this weekend.
I think it's going to be the Marshall MG15FX.

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/reviews/guitar_amplifiers/marshall/mg15fx/index.html

[SymphonicX]

some great ideas to check out there...particularly interested in that 15w MG15FX just cos its very quiet by comparison :)

Thanks for the suggestions, when I get down to Tottenham Court Road again I'll try all of them out, in the meantime if you have any others, let me know!!
:D

[tkane18]

I did end up buying the Marshall MG15FX.
Great sound and pretty good FX for a smaller amp.
I went in to Best Buy and asked if they had any and how much. While he was checking, I noticed the amp on display by two guitars. It was marked as an open box item and priced at $75.
The regular price is $150. It came with the full 1 year manufacturer's warranty and I got the 2 year Best Buy extended warranty for only $14. I don't usually get the extended warranty but it was only $14 and if it breaks on me, they have to give me a brand new one.

[Crappingbear]

My old amp is a Marshall Valvestate VS265R - it's "older than God" (to quote Warner Shook) - and to be honest the sound is nothing short of pathetic. It's so loud you can't hear anything and completely underperforms at lower volumes. The onboard distortion channel is basically rubbish and unuseable and plugging an effects pedal into it barely makes it listenable, it's completely impossible to find a good sound with it...! But I've had it for about 10 years and it was 2nd hand when I bought it...might check out the newer ones on your suggestion. Thanks :)

Marshalls are meant to be run full bore and sound like crap at anything under 10. If the tubes aren't glowing red, no good. You might want to try a power soak. Mine was built by Tom Scholtz (Boston) back in the 80s. You plug it in between the amp and speaker so you can dial the amp up to 10 but the speaker is only on 2. That way you can actually play your double stack in an apartment at low volume while using the amps high output volume.

Now, having said that, I like teeny tiny small low watt amps over driven. Let the organic sound of a 5, 10, 15 watt amp rip. You can always mic them into the p.a.

I play a 78 Les Paul and Fender The Strat with minimal pedals but its rock and blues type stuff. Guitar + low watt amp = rock and roll. I don't need active pickups, 20 pedals, dropped D tuning or any other crap to rock out.

[LouCipherr]

Marshalls are meant to be run full bore and sound like crap at anything under 10.

Agreed - when they're all-tube Marshalls, but when you're playing with Valvestate, that's usually not the case. It wasn't in mine, but apparently SymphonicX had a different experience with his.

Wait, let me put that into a better perspective - ANY marshalls sounds better cranked to the max, but, the Valvestate line was designed to have "that sound" without cranking the thing to unreasonable volumes.

There, that's better. :D