Help me buy an electric-guitar amp
I just bought an electric, and I'd love to get a lot of varied sounds out of it, which I can't currently do with my little Roland AC-60 acoustic amp. My question is this: does it make more sense to invest in an amp with multiple built-in effects or to add something like an effects box to my Roland?
Hi Dennis, what kind of electric guitar did you get? Do you to play some different music style ? Can< t help the the amp as I only have a line 6 GX to create all kinds effect on the guitar but iy works only with head phone. Mind you they have more advanced model that you record directly from, but it does not beat an amp, that is for sure. They also have some digital amplifier that are very versatile and you have all kinds of pedal sound that are integrated. I am told that they are not as warm as with an amp amplifier, but I could not hear the difference when it was demonstrated to me.
Marc
Marc
dennisg wrote:
:dry:
Another loaded question:
What kind of Electric did you purchase?
What style of music do you want out of the guitar/amp?
Budget?
Power? IE: 5/15/30/100/up to 200 watts (way too much for any human being)
I have a Fender frontman 25/reverb
and a small Bugera Vintage 5 tube combo w/reverb
The Bugera is nice, as it has power adjustments .1/1/5 watt output, plus a headphone jack. It also has the capability to be plugged into a cab for more volumn if wanted.
Either of these can be purchased for well under $200.00
The G-dec / Vox valvetronix types are nice, lots of tweaking and effects to play with.
Personally, just my honest opinion, a little reverb, a good tone, (and lots of practice)will sound pretty darn close to whatever you like to imitate.
I just bought an electric, and I'd love to get a lot of varied sounds out of it, which I can't currently do with my little Roland AC-60 acoustic amp. My question is this: does it make more sense to invest in an amp with multiple built-in effects or to add something like an effects box to my Roland?
:dry:
Another loaded question:
What kind of Electric did you purchase?
What style of music do you want out of the guitar/amp?
Budget?
Power? IE: 5/15/30/100/up to 200 watts (way too much for any human being)
I have a Fender frontman 25/reverb
and a small Bugera Vintage 5 tube combo w/reverb
The Bugera is nice, as it has power adjustments .1/1/5 watt output, plus a headphone jack. It also has the capability to be plugged into a cab for more volumn if wanted.
Either of these can be purchased for well under $200.00
The G-dec / Vox valvetronix types are nice, lots of tweaking and effects to play with.
Personally, just my honest opinion, a little reverb, a good tone, (and lots of practice)will sound pretty darn close to whatever you like to imitate.
Good questions by all. Some more info on how you'd like to use it or what you expect out of it might help. I remember when I was buying my first amp, I didn't know exactly what I wanted out of it yet, it was all new to me. So I understand if you can't necessarily answer these questions yet.
As for using an acoustic amp as your electric amp, I wouldn't advise it. Acoustic amps are tuned differently, meaning they have different frequency capabilities and different tonal ranges. My Marshall acoustic amp actually has a tweeter in it with a crossover, something that most guitar amps do not have. It's possible, though I'm not certain about this, that you could damage your acoustic amp by playing too loudly with an electric and all the distortion that you may want to use. Seek additional information about that though, I may be wrong... At low volumes there would be no problem at all, but you'll certainly get a different sound out of that type of amp than you would from a electric amp.
I have a Roland Cube 30x. Fantastic small 30 watt solid state practice amp. It has a plethora of built-in effects as well as a host of different amp models. And a headphone jack to boot, really practical and useful practice amp. One of my favorite features is what they call the power squeezer. When you turn this on, it knocks the power output of the amp down to like 5 watts, this gives you all the gain and sustain at low volumes that are usually only possible at higher volumes. Great for practicing at home and with headphones.
Here is the link: http://www.rolandus.com/products/produc ... rentId=416
I suggest you plug in to one next time you're at Guitar Center.
Maybe try one of the similarly sized/priced VOX amps too, they have some nice features.
Again, this is all assuming you are looking for a practice amp and not a larger gig amp with some big volume.
I think ultimately, for the "best" sound, if there is such a thing, and the most versatility, a pedal board and or separate stomp boxes is a good way to go, but this is quite a bit more involved and I'd still suggest a new amp for this route. This also takes up a bit more room and requires more $$$.
Man my posts have been long lately, I gotta get to playin' :laugh: :laugh:
Good luck! So fun buying new gear!
As for using an acoustic amp as your electric amp, I wouldn't advise it. Acoustic amps are tuned differently, meaning they have different frequency capabilities and different tonal ranges. My Marshall acoustic amp actually has a tweeter in it with a crossover, something that most guitar amps do not have. It's possible, though I'm not certain about this, that you could damage your acoustic amp by playing too loudly with an electric and all the distortion that you may want to use. Seek additional information about that though, I may be wrong... At low volumes there would be no problem at all, but you'll certainly get a different sound out of that type of amp than you would from a electric amp.
I have a Roland Cube 30x. Fantastic small 30 watt solid state practice amp. It has a plethora of built-in effects as well as a host of different amp models. And a headphone jack to boot, really practical and useful practice amp. One of my favorite features is what they call the power squeezer. When you turn this on, it knocks the power output of the amp down to like 5 watts, this gives you all the gain and sustain at low volumes that are usually only possible at higher volumes. Great for practicing at home and with headphones.
Here is the link: http://www.rolandus.com/products/produc ... rentId=416
I suggest you plug in to one next time you're at Guitar Center.
Maybe try one of the similarly sized/priced VOX amps too, they have some nice features.
Again, this is all assuming you are looking for a practice amp and not a larger gig amp with some big volume.
I think ultimately, for the "best" sound, if there is such a thing, and the most versatility, a pedal board and or separate stomp boxes is a good way to go, but this is quite a bit more involved and I'd still suggest a new amp for this route. This also takes up a bit more room and requires more $$$.
Man my posts have been long lately, I gotta get to playin' :laugh: :laugh:
Good luck! So fun buying new gear!
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Dennis:
I am also curious about what you bought, and what you want to do with it. If you are anything like me, you probably want something that allows a broad range of sounds so you can play whatever strikes you. I currently own three electric amps.
1. Crate GX-15R - little practice amp with reverb. First amp I ever bought.
2. Line 6 - Spider III - great practice amp with built in effects and an input for my MP3 play - I use my MicroBR as the input so I can learn songs. Here is a link to it: http://line6.com/spideriii75/
3. Mesa Boogie - Express 5:50 - switchable from 5 watts to 50 watts depending on your needs - I can tell you that 5 watts can get louder than I had ever expected. Here is a link as well: http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/ ... xpress.htm
Now, if I had about $3,000 that I could plop down right now, I would shoot down to The Amp Shop in Sherman Oaks, CA and by a Bogner Shiva or Duende. Reinhold Bogner is an amazing amp designer and has made some great equipment. The Shiva has some sparkling cleans like those to be found in the Fender Twin series with the ability to crank up the power to get that crunch when you need it. He also partnered with Line 6 to create the Spider Valve Amp. This one has many effects, but gives you the tube pre-amp for that more classic sound. Messed with this one for a while but settled on the SPider III because it had a headphone jack. Here is a link to some of his stuff: http://www.bogneramplification.com/cust ... rsInfo.php - make sure to click on the models and then check out the MP3 samples that they have of various settings and guitars.
Keep us posted on your research, as there are tons of great amps out there. Buying an amp is like buying a guitar. You need to go plug in to as many as possible and see what YOU like. Everyone has their opinion, but YOU are the one that needs pleasing..... B)
Jason
I am also curious about what you bought, and what you want to do with it. If you are anything like me, you probably want something that allows a broad range of sounds so you can play whatever strikes you. I currently own three electric amps.
1. Crate GX-15R - little practice amp with reverb. First amp I ever bought.
2. Line 6 - Spider III - great practice amp with built in effects and an input for my MP3 play - I use my MicroBR as the input so I can learn songs. Here is a link to it: http://line6.com/spideriii75/
3. Mesa Boogie - Express 5:50 - switchable from 5 watts to 50 watts depending on your needs - I can tell you that 5 watts can get louder than I had ever expected. Here is a link as well: http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/ ... xpress.htm
Now, if I had about $3,000 that I could plop down right now, I would shoot down to The Amp Shop in Sherman Oaks, CA and by a Bogner Shiva or Duende. Reinhold Bogner is an amazing amp designer and has made some great equipment. The Shiva has some sparkling cleans like those to be found in the Fender Twin series with the ability to crank up the power to get that crunch when you need it. He also partnered with Line 6 to create the Spider Valve Amp. This one has many effects, but gives you the tube pre-amp for that more classic sound. Messed with this one for a while but settled on the SPider III because it had a headphone jack. Here is a link to some of his stuff: http://www.bogneramplification.com/cust ... rsInfo.php - make sure to click on the models and then check out the MP3 samples that they have of various settings and guitars.
Keep us posted on your research, as there are tons of great amps out there. Buying an amp is like buying a guitar. You need to go plug in to as many as possible and see what YOU like. Everyone has their opinion, but YOU are the one that needs pleasing..... B)
Jason
Dennis- of course the big question is what are you going to play on it? If it's smooth jazz or pop, your Roland 60 would still be my choice. But if you want that great British power compression crunch I found an amazing amp while doing my research on this same subject.
If you don't want to spend the money for a old time Fender Twin Reverb after you just plunked down on that Taylor 814 check out Blackheart amps, especially the Little Giant stack. Unbelieveable rock sound with all the drive and distortion you'd want for under $400. FUlly tube amp. Check out this link:
http://www.blackhearteng.com/
If I ever get serious again about hard rock this will be my next amp!
Happy hunting! :cheer:
If you don't want to spend the money for a old time Fender Twin Reverb after you just plunked down on that Taylor 814 check out Blackheart amps, especially the Little Giant stack. Unbelieveable rock sound with all the drive and distortion you'd want for under $400. FUlly tube amp. Check out this link:
http://www.blackhearteng.com/
If I ever get serious again about hard rock this will be my next amp!
Happy hunting! :cheer:
Okay, here's the Taylor electric I bought:
I completely understand why you good folks would ask what I intend to play, but I can answer that with only one word: everything. Or, more accurately, I don't know yet. I'm completely inexperienced using an electric guitar, but I'm attracted to specific songs I hear on the radio, and I'd like to try duplicating the sound. That's impossible to do with my current setup. So I'd like to just dabble with a variety of effects just to see what sounds good. I even think that knowing I can get a certain sound will inspire me to learn songs that employ that sound.
Not sure about budget. I could probably go as high as about $800, but I'd like to pay less, if possible.
I knew when I made my first post that you would have a bunch of follow-up questions. I just don't know enough about electrics to anticipate them.
Keep the answers coming. I'm loving what I've gotten so far and I appreciate all your responses.
I completely understand why you good folks would ask what I intend to play, but I can answer that with only one word: everything. Or, more accurately, I don't know yet. I'm completely inexperienced using an electric guitar, but I'm attracted to specific songs I hear on the radio, and I'd like to try duplicating the sound. That's impossible to do with my current setup. So I'd like to just dabble with a variety of effects just to see what sounds good. I even think that knowing I can get a certain sound will inspire me to learn songs that employ that sound.
Not sure about budget. I could probably go as high as about $800, but I'd like to pay less, if possible.
I knew when I made my first post that you would have a bunch of follow-up questions. I just don't know enough about electrics to anticipate them.
Keep the answers coming. I'm loving what I've gotten so far and I appreciate all your responses.