Best Practice Amp for ≤ $100?

Re: Best Practice Amp for ≤ $100?

sosomething said:
Heh, definitely something to consider, Hunter..
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You're going to get a lot of regurgitation of what folks heard from other folks who hear it from other folks. I'm giving you videos of me playing one of the candidates --- putting some real clips where my mouth is.

I get sick and tired of "web wheelin'" --- a term coined by the off-road forum community, where newbies with a stock Wrangler in the driveway would read Pirate4x4 for a month or two, then pop in on threads critiquing the triangulation of roll cages, 4 link suspension designs, or transmission choices. I have no time for that kind of bull.
 
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Re: Best Practice Amp for ≤ $100?

Ditto.

I appreciate the real-world feedback based on your own experience.

The tones ARE nice.

I'm sort of wondering if I should just gather a little more cash and spring for the Blackstar HT-5, though. I played one of those in GC a few weeks ago and was completely stunned by it.
 
Re: Best Practice Amp for ≤ $100?

sosomething said:
Ditto.

I appreciate the real-world feedback based on your own experience.

The tones ARE nice.

I'm sort of wondering if I should just gather a little more cash and spring for the Blackstar HT-5, though. I played one of those in GC a few weeks ago and was completely stunned by it.
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Cool.

I bought a 5 watt tube amp with the same thing in mind - practice amp with legit tube tone. Granted, mine is a NMV Blackheart, but you can guess what i'm getting at here: the VOX modeler sounds way better than the Blackheart at the volumes that I'm realistically practicing at. If the Blackstar has a master volume you could be fine with it, I have no idea, but my Blackheart BH5H was way too loud for my life. I got an attenuator for it, got drive pedals, compressors, etcetera; but that's all pretty involved for what was supposed to be an easy grab-n-go practice amp. I use my VOX more because it was designed to sound good at low volumes, and it does, plus I don't have to dick with pedals and power supplies and the attenuator and having an extra cord to hook all that up, having 3 pieces, etc. My Blackheart is kind of a science experiment --- I force myself to use it because everyone says they're great, and that tubes are the way to eternal glory, yada yada, but it just straight up doesn't sound as good as my modeler. Suck my truth.

Sorry for walking a tangent for a moment with you. You know what's up. I just compared my VOX to something you weren't even considering, and ignored your mention of the Blackstar almost entirely, because I haven't played one. You know to buy what you want. I just hope you are clever enough to see what the difference between internet "it" gear and stuff that actually fulfills your real needs. I think you are.

-Hunter
 
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Re: Best Practice Amp for ≤ $100?

Heh, don't worry about it. My interest in the Blackstar comes entirely from the fact that I spent about 30 minutes cranking the crap out of one in a music store and loved it. I'm unaware if it's some kind of internet buzz product or not.

If I do decide to go with a cheaper option, I'm thinking the little VOX or the Micro Cube is the direction I'll go.
 
Re: Best Practice Amp for ≤ $100?

I use and love the Cube 20X,but the 15X is cool also and priced right at $100.
 
Re: Best Practice Amp for ≤ $100?

Aceman said:
Your cube 20 isn't exactly...stock, shall we say?
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Just added a 1/4" speaker out and no other mods....Sometimes I run it into another cab,but mostly just practice through it....The 15X is still $100 though.....LOL
 
Re: Best Practice Amp for ≤ $100?

Micro Cube. $96 buckeroonies shipped, E-Bay. Took 2 days to get to me. Been playing it everyday since I got it, a total blast, and will play for 20 hrs on 6 AA batteries. Talk about jammin anywhere, anytime. Effects are awesome and at 2 watts will rock yer doggies.

Peace,

Darrin
 
Re: Best Practice Amp for ≤ $100?

sosomething said:
I'm sort of wondering if I should just gather a little more cash and spring for the Blackstar HT-5, though. I played one of those in GC a few weeks ago and was completely stunned by it.
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I've briefly owned a 2W tube amp and have owned my 10-12W Peters for six years now. As you might guess, the 2W amp had no cleans. It did get some wonderful power amp crunch but even it didn't really get there until it was at "loud TV levels". Even with the 10W amp, clean tones are quite compromised...and with a 2x12 cab that amp is actually loud enough to hold its own in a two guitar band.

Given my experience, I'm not sure that a low-wattage tube amp is going to be less of a compromise as a practice amp. You give up most of your clean headroom and it still has to get somewhat loud to give up the goods.

Count me among those suggesting a Cube.
 
Re: Best Practice Amp for ≤ $100?

For a practice Amp you won't get better than the PODXT for under 100 dollars. You could get a pretty good said of headphones with that 100 dollars instead.



sosomething said:
Despite owning several high-quality tube heads and good cabs for gigging and recording, I do not own any kind of practice rig for home use besides my lowly PodXT through PC speakers. This saddens me. :(

I'd like to stick something suitable on the "Christmas List" this year, and that's why I've got the price restriction. Tube, solid-state, hybrid, whatever - it doesn't matter. I just want to know YOUR pick for the best combo amp at or under one hundred bucks.

Looking at MF, it appears that there is a big selection of stuff from a bunch of companies. All my experience is with big stuff, so I don't really have a good frame of reference when it comes to home rigs.

Thanks in advance!
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Re: Best Practice Amp for ≤ $100?

Pink Unicorn Horsey said:
I say stick with the PodXT and get some nicer comp monitors.
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+1000!

Actually, I had my best practice rig with my POD 2.0 and some $10 Sony headphones.

Got a PODxt, got $100 headphones, got all of the expansion packs, got a GDEC, got a Vox VT15, and I still like the POD 2.0 with the cheap headphones the best.
 
Re: Best Practice Amp for ≤ $100?

DonP said:
+1000!

Actually, I had my best practice rig with my POD 2.0 and some $10 Sony headphones.

Got a PODxt, got $100 headphones, got all of the expansion packs, got a GDEC, got a Vox VT15, and I still like the POD 2.0 with the cheap headphones the best.
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The 2.0 had some tones you can't get out of the XT
 
Re: Best Practice Amp for ≤ $100?

aleclee said:
Nope, but I think I've played enough teeny tube amps to have a strong opinion about what they offer and what they lack.
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That's the thing - the HT-5 completely disabuses all those typical notions of low-wattage amps.

As I said in an earlier post, I spent about 30 minutes with one in a store, and the thing FELT like a STACK. I mean, quieter, but the tone and response was STARTLINGLY "grown-up amp"-like.

The teeny-amp stigma really doesn't apply even remotely.
 
Re: Best Practice Amp for ≤ $100?

sosomething said:
That's the thing - the HT-5 completely disabuses all those typical notions of low-wattage amps.

As I said in an earlier post, I spent about 30 minutes with one in a store, and the thing FELT like a STACK. I mean, quieter, but the tone and response was STARTLINGLY "grown-up amp"-like.

The teeny-amp stigma really doesn't apply even remotely.
Click to expand...

I will go play one next chance I get, on your recommendation.

I am not really happy with my Blackheart mini stack. I don't know if it's the cab or the amp, but it doesn't have tha bass --- and I want some thump, and some chug. When I was gigging every weekend, I ran a cable from the effects send of my big Fender to the input of a bass amp, and I maxed the bass and nixed the mids and treble, enforcing a low-pass filter on the amp to make it function like a subwoofer. I even put a Rockford-Fosgate car audio subwoofer in it. I know that sounds a bit excessive, but it worked for the band I was in --- no bass player, but a badass keyboard player, and me. It worked.

ANYHOW, looking forward to playing a little amp that sounds and feels big.
 
Re: Best Practice Amp for ≤ $100?

aleclee said:
Nope, but I think I've played enough teeny tube amps to have a strong opinion about what they offer and what they lack.
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That's the thing... I love my EPI Valve Junior but it is too loud to be a good practice and not loud enough to be a good jam amp.
 
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