Spec me Guitar Amp

lemonkettaz · 11 Jul 2006 at 19:37

Ive never had a good amp before.. ive settled with a Marshall G15RCD for about 6years now (15watt).

So i thought while i have a bit of cash (before uni) ill treat myself to a decent amp.

Although i'm not really clued up on them.. whenever ive done a gig or played before ive just used somebody elses (thats why ive never had a reason to buy), all i can say is i didnt enjoy somebodys peavey amp as much as i enjoyed a fender stage1000 i think.

anyways, my budget is £500... anyone with any good ideas? cheers

(p.s. if its important i have a fender strat and tele... i play anything mainly good old rock

)

Andelusion · 11 Jul 2006 at 20:06

Well you can get a decent combo for that price, as usual *yawn* Marshall DSL401 would be a good buy, although I don't think they still make them new (can't find one in GAK), you could push for a TSL601 though although I found the distortion to be better on the DSL.

A clean sound may also be more important to you so i'd suggest having a look at some Laney VC series amps, is there a decent guitar shop near you? As usual you really need to try them yourself really.

Have a search on harmonycentral.com for some reviews and soundclips (most likely will be some in the forum).

SidewinderINC · 11 Jul 2006 at 20:13

trusting a harmony central review is like trusting somebody say cat vomit tastest nice!

if you play old rock stuff then a fender might be a good buy, not sure whats in range at that price - but you can get some good 1x12" fenders for around there i think. not sure about the overdrive on these though

Laneys have a nice clean sound with just as good crunch/overdrive - always good to check out

Andelusion · 11 Jul 2006 at 20:23

SidewinderINC said:
trusting a harmony central review is like trusting somebody say cat vomit tastest nice!

If you look past all the 'OMG THIS AMP IS *** SUX I COUDNLT PLAY FAST WITH IT BUT AT ALL!11' reviews, there's actually a lot of knowledgable people on there, it's pretty easy to see who knows what they're talking about after a while.

Don't look at the overall ratings, read reviews and look for correlations.

lemonkettaz · 11 Jul 2006 at 21:02

clean tone is very important to me...

i dont do overkill distortion... i feel it just saturates the original tone from the guitar, i very rarely play some heavy stuff, but it isnt my thing.

should i be concentrating my looking to valve amps? or are solid states good?

i get confused when it comes to cabs and amp heads....

SidewinderINC · 11 Jul 2006 at 21:08

get yourself a valve amp

fender hot rod deluxe!

lemonkettaz · 11 Jul 2006 at 21:10

how much is that....?

SidewinderINC · 11 Jul 2006 at 21:15

£499

40W all valve, i believe Kele from bloc party uses one too. only reason i know that is i saw one when they were gigging haha. not sure on other bands that use them. i had a tinker about on one of the other fender valve amps. really warm tones!

give it some research

lemonkettaz · 11 Jul 2006 at 21:17

40w.. is that powerful enough?

SidewinderINC · 11 Jul 2006 at 21:19

its all valve so its pretty loud

i dont know much about that amp except for it sounds pretty nice

give it a google, look for some reviews etc.

KPeh · 11 Jul 2006 at 21:37

I echo that Fender Valve Amps are worth looking at (but it's a matter of personal taste, really), if not the Hot Rod Deluxe then the somewhat cheaper Blues Junior. It's still a brilliant valve amp, except it is possible to use it at bedroom volumes. Obviously it's better much louder, but hey. The Vox AC15/30 are also worth looking at. They're very popular at the moment.

You might want to consider where you want to use the amp, how heavy it is etc.

lemonkettaz · 11 Jul 2006 at 21:44

well.. i wont be walking about with it...

if its heavy it doesnt matter....

hopefully i be using at gigs n what not... but i just want a good amp with a good sound.. something ill enjoy

starscream · 11 Jul 2006 at 22:28

lemonkettaz said:
40w.. is that powerful enough?

I've got a Hot Rod Deluxe and gig regually, and I don't think it's ever gone past 4! Anything over 1 at home will get the neighbours banging on the wall

Other correct answers to your question include the DSL401 and 602 (if you can stretch to it). If a clean sound is more important to you, or you use pedals, go with the HRD, if you looking for "The" dirty sound without using anything else, go with a Marshall.

starscream · 11 Jul 2006 at 22:31

SidewinderINC said:
£499

40W all valve, i believe Kele from bloc party uses one too. only reason i know that is i saw one when they were gigging haha.

I *think* that is the Hot Rod Deville, which is what the fender equivilent of the DSL602. It's a very nice amp, but for the same price you can get a HR deluxe and extension cab, which is probably better value

lemonkettaz · 11 Jul 2006 at 22:47

hr deluxe ?

i dont have anything more than £500 either... so if its a bit more i cant take it...

not unless i get an extra 50p for my amp at the mo

SidewinderINC · 11 Jul 2006 at 22:48

knew there was somebody on the forums with one, just couldnt remember for the life of me who it was!

lemonkettaz · 11 Jul 2006 at 22:51

what a hr deluxe?

SidewinderINC · 11 Jul 2006 at 22:53

starscream · 11 Jul 2006 at 22:54

lemonkettaz said:
what a hr deluxe?

Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. You will be able to pick one up for under £500 - http://www.soundslive.co.uk/product~name~Fender---Hot-Rod-Deluxe---Black-Tolex~ID~474.asp

The DeVille (louder, 2 speakers) is more like £650 new, but you might be able to pick one up for under £500 second hand

lemonkettaz · 11 Jul 2006 at 22:59

hmmm...

whats the deal with the valves then... they dont need replacing regular do they?

ive looked at this amp before and was always keen... but i get swayed when it comes to VOX amps...i think im definitely looking at the Hot Rod Deluxe... but wonder if there are any others that can sway my mind...

is there a site that gives audio samples of amps?

did you say you have one of these amps? got any more crack on it? (detail)