Amp Recomendations for a Dorm room

[ZoSo0789]

Re: Amp Recomendations for a Dorm room

do those even sound that great? I've always wondered, I've always thought they where more of a joke sort of thing than somethign that you can actually use

 

[suislidE03]

Re: Amp Recomendations for a Dorm room

If your Vox is too loud, I cant see why you could possibly run any amp with the volume low enough and not have it sound like junk. I also dont understand how you keep dropping the word crap and horrid on all line6 gear. The Spider line is crap and horrid, but their POD line and similar are not to be compared. I went through a year of dorm life with my guitar port, and I owe that thing every lick or solo I ever learned. The best investment I have made thus far. PERIOD. So get your head back on, and try one of the PODs. There are so many clips online and elsewhere of PODs, setup and recorded in every way possible that sound great. Many sound terrible, but they dont know how to record any better than an infant does. Dont rule these things out!

 

[ZoSo0789]

Re: Amp Recomendations for a Dorm room

If your Vox is too loud, I cant see why you could possibly run any amp with the volume low enough and not have it sound like junk. I also dont understand how you keep dropping the word crap and horrid on all line6 gear. The Spider line is crap and horrid, but their POD line and similar are not to be compared. I went through a year of dorm life with my guitar port, and I owe that thing every lick or solo I ever learned. The best investment I have made thus far. PERIOD. So get your head back on, and try one of the PODs. There are so many clips online and elsewhere of PODs, setup and recorded in every way possible that sound great. Many sound terrible, but they dont know how to record any better than an infant does. Dont rule these things out!

yes the Spider line is what I'm referring to. And it's my understanding (thats apparently ignorant) that the same digital modeling on the PODs is whats in the Spider line. If not, it cant be too much different. I dunno, I havent COMPLETELY ruled it out, but from what I've tried, its not exactly drawing me to it. I'm going to try out some stuff as soon as I can get to guitar center.

And you can run stuff only half as loud as my 15 watt Vox and still sound better. Loudness has nothing to do with anything. Hell go look at some 1/2 watt all tube amps; those are said to be completely amazing and you can run some at full capacity and still hear yourself think

 

[kjrocks]

Re: Amp Recomendations for a Dorm room

A POD will sound waaaaay better than a Micro Cube.

Played through what, just headphones? He wants some sound too.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Amp Recomendations for a Dorm room

OK, I think we are talking but not communicating.

My new recommendations:

Line6 TonePort -> computer speakers = option to crank the amp models and retain unmatchable volume control. I use this in my apartment, and I think it sounds great. Sounds better than my solid state amp for sure.

Don't knock it until you try it. I'm pretty discriminating with tone, and I am getting by with this setup while I'm living here in the concrete jungle.

 

[lex666]

Re: Amp Recomendations for a Dorm room

I've also gotta agree that if the Vox is too loud, then just about any other amp is probably gonna be too loud too. I'd suggest getting some good speakers and plugging in your Vox thru the headphone jack. You should be able to simulate cranking the vol on the amp, but have a low volume coming thru the speakers...

 

[SlowGroove]

Re: Amp Recomendations for a Dorm room

I still stand 100% rock solid behind the NEW Fender G-DEC JUNIOR !!!


SOoooo much better than the first/bigger G-DEC stuff !


James

 

[SlowGroove]

Re: Amp Recomendations for a Dorm room

I've also gotta agree that if the Vox is too loud, then just about any other amp is probably gonna be too loud too. I'd suggest getting some good speakers and plugging in your Vox thru the headphone jack. You should be able to simulate cranking the vol on the amp, but have a low volume coming thru the speakers...

True . . . so why don't the OP pull a black Keys on him self & get a Smokey amp.

Only the size of a pack of ciggies :drive:
http://www.smokeyamps.com/Smokey_Pages/smokey.html
EDIT: watch the demo vid !!!


Too much for the OP (i know), and for me, but i would LOVE to have a 1/2Watt Nano Amp into a 2x8 cab :
http://zvexamps.com/amp_view.html


I think the 1W BuMBOX Lead 1 will also be a great dorm amp, IF you have space for a Head N' Cab.
http://www.bumboxamps.com/



There goes my Nano GAS again . . . must ...resist ...to ...want ...aghrrrrrr !!!

 

[i love everyone]

Re: Amp Recomendations for a Dorm room

True . . . so why don't the OP pull a black Keys on him self & get a Smokey amp.

Only the size of a pack of ciggies :drive:
http://www.smokeyamps.com/Smokey_Pages/smokey.html
EDIT: watch the demo vid !!!

These are actually pretty cool little amps. A friend of mine has one that he uses in his dorm. Of all the tiny battery-powered amps, I'd say it sounds the most like an actual big amp, not nearly as boxy or anything.

 

[Kac]

Re: Amp Recomendations for a Dorm room

Fender G-Dec.

 

[Fender_Punk]

Re: Amp Recomendations for a Dorm room

ANY of the 5W tube combos, like the Crate Palomino V8, Fender Champion 600, Epiphone Valve Jr. etc... would beat going to a solid state. These are your best option if you wanna keep the feel and tone of a tube amp, and may even be quiet enough to get some breakup out of them before your dorm mates start complaining.

As for SS amps, the ones I've played and would recommend would be a Vox DA5, AD15VT and Roland Micro Cube. KAC also makes a good recommendation with the G-Dec, I've tried that one and though it certainly isn't my favourite small amp, it's certainly got a lot of fun presets to play around with and some wicked cool features. However I'd personally go with a 5W tube amp over all of these. Another good idea would be headphones and those tiny little vox amps that plug into your 1/4" jack.

I guess a 1 or 2 watt Marshall or Fender mini stack (like the mini tone master posted above) would suffice, however they come nowhere close to tube tone, so I wouldn't recommend one.

My best recommendation though would be to buy a small tube amp and make sure you play well enough, and some of the styles your dorm mates like, that way even if you are a tad loud, they won't be complaining. Good luck.

 

[Diego]

Re: Amp Recomendations for a Dorm room

No matter what you buy, if it doesn't have a headphone output, don't buy it.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Amp Recomendations for a Dorm room

I vote POD, floorboard multi-processor, Korg Pandora, or Tascam GT-1 CD Trainer.

What might be cool would be a small mixing board with an out to a headphone distribution system. You could jam with people--plug all your PODS into the mixer--and rock out with no one being the wiser.

Whatever you get--keep it under lock and key--and insured--cuz some a-hole will steal it.

Bill

 

[SlowGroove]

Re: Amp Recomendations for a Dorm room

These are actually pretty cool little amps. A friend of mine has one that he uses in his dorm. Of all the tiny battery-powered amps, I'd say it sounds the most like an actual big amp, not nearly as boxy or anything.

After watcing that Smokey Amp vid, i am deff gonna order one for me !

Hell, the Black Keys recorded with one mg:


James

 

[SlowGroove]

Re: Amp Recomendations for a Dorm room

Fender G-Dec.

I personally prefer/like the G-Dec JUNIOR


James

 

[ZoSo0789]

Re: Amp Recomendations for a Dorm room

thanks ya'll, I'll be looking into some of these recomendations as soon as I can get to Guitar Center sometime this week or next week. I'll really be looking at the Microcube, the G-Dec Junior, a pocket POD, and possibly the Digitech RP90 just for kicks. I have a friends Digitech RP80, but I hate the **** thingl it sounds like aa fart in a paper cone and is very fake sounding. But I've heard they've come along was since then, so I'll give it a spin. I'll most likely look the most at the Microcube though because I'd rather have a real amp, and it comes with headphone jacks too. In the mean time, keep the recomendations coming and personal experiences/reviews/opinions/whatever on whatever you recomend

 

[korovamilkdud]

Re: Amp Recomendations for a Dorm room

well you could invest in headphones if you wanted to go totally quiet. However, I did meet a couple guitarists on my floor in college by playing LOUDER rather than softer. Nothing came of it, but you could almost look at it from a marketing point of view.

Just throwing that out there. Make sure you have a line out if you decide on quiet practice.

 

[ZoSo0789]

Re: Amp Recomendations for a Dorm room

oh yes, I'm making sure it'll have a head phone or a line out jack. Thats very important. I just want to be able to play normal (I'm not a big fan of headphone wearing while playing) through a amp.

 

[millsart]

Re: Amp Recomendations for a Dorm room

I love my Smokey Amp! only thing that annoys me with it is that carrying a guitar cable to play the thing is a real pain compared to the amp. They need to build some sort of ultra small wireless unit into the thing so they you can literally pull it from your pocket, toss in on the table and jam lol

Also a pretty sweet little amp is the Danelectro HoneyTone, they are only about $30, have a very cool retro look and don't sound half bad, 3.5" speaker I think.


Amps like that are really thing I buy just "because". Because they look cool or for the fun of playing a pack of smokes or just because they are so cheap that its a dumb impulse purchase.

Regardless though, they actually deliver some pleasing sounds which just blows me away.

No they aren't the most toneful things ever, but man, sitting on the porch with a little battery powered amp playing some slide guitar..... I can't think of an amp that sounds better in that time and play

 

[millsart]

Re: Amp Recomendations for a Dorm room

oh yes, I'm making sure it'll have a head phone or a line out jack. Thats very important. I just want to be able to play normal (I'm not a big fan of headphone wearing while playing) through a amp.

Oh god how headphones suck. I've had plenty of really high end pairs costing $100 up, AKG, Sony etc but regardless the ear fatigue just kills me not to mention the annoyance of the cord, them falling off if you start to get into the music, my ears getting all sweaty, starting to get the dreaded cauliflower ear etc.

Id say find something with a small speaker you can use as whisper volume over relying on headphones.