college dorm room amp shootout

[tone4days]

as i mentioned in another thread, my youngest is headed off to college in a couple of months and, as he has recently started playing guitar, needs a small but decent amp ... price point should be in the $100-$150 range

contenders so far are Line 6 Spider IV 15, Peavy Vypyr VIP1, Roland Cube 10GX

thoughts among those? other contenders to consider?
thanks

 

[DankStar]

Re: college dorm room amp shootout

everyone's raving over that yamaha modeller. given the size, clips I've heard, and those that have endorsed it, I'd go with that one personally (both professional and dudes I trust on here). looks cool too.

 

[tone4days]

Re: college dorm room amp shootout

yeah, it's a sweet piece of kit ... but double the max price ... i have always liked yamaha amps - always solid and great sounding, but theyve never really hit the wide spread adoption point among guitarists

i offered him my yamaha DG-stomp and a pair of headphones ... but i think he wants to be able to jam with other folks he meets, not just practice by himself

 

[DankStar]

Re: college dorm room amp shootout

ah, I was thinking they were a bit less for some reason.

 

[Matt42]

Re: college dorm room amp shootout

I'd go with the Cube, hands down.

 

[tone4days]

Re: college dorm room amp shootout

yeah, that android app to swap in other models is pretty sweet - too bad the app for the other models in the cube line are iOS only

it's a little light on features compared to the line6 or Peavey, but i know the tones will be there

 

[Masta' C]

Re: college dorm room amp shootout

The Yamaha THR series would be perfect. Here's a mint condition used THR10C on Reverb for $195 shipped and the guy has a "best offer" option, so you can probably get it for less: LINK

Otherwise, I fully second the Cube. Solid and dependable with great sound for its size.

However, before buying the 10GX, I'd suggest doing a search on your local Craigslist and see if you can find either a 20XL (or 20GX) or a 40XL (or 40GX) in that same price range. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a newer Cube used.

 

[JOLLY]

Re: college dorm room amp shootout

Headphones and a Line 6 Pocket Pod.

 

[allbutromeo]

Re: college dorm room amp shootout

Blackstar ID:Core 20 $150, Orange Crush 20 $140,

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: college dorm room amp shootout

headphones are a must
I would think Cube as I too have one

but a small multifx pedal probably be better for a novice

drum loops and multiple amp models

maybe a powered speaker to play out on

headphones = $25 or so
RP series Digitech used = $25-40
powered Kustom speaker new = $100

modular and scalable

 

[zzmoore]

Re: college dorm room amp shootout

Headphones and a Line 6 Pocket Pod.

This will be much more practical.
Any guitar amp will be too loud for a Dorm, and most have roommates.
He just started playing, so he will not be gigging anytime soon. He can get a "real" amp when the time comes.
good luck

 

[JOLLY]

Re: college dorm room amp shootout

This will be much more practical.
Any guitar amp will be too loud for a Dorm, and most have roommates.
He just started playing, so he will not be gigging anytime soon. He can get a "real" amp when the time comes.
good luck

That's what I was thinking as well, and that is why I posted such. It doesn't take much for roomates to get in a fight. I figured with the headphone option that would keep that to a minimum. Ya know, even though I like to rock and roll, I would get pissed off if I kept hearing some dude trying to play through an amp all of the time when I was studying or whatever.

 

[Demanic]

Re: college dorm room amp shootout

Roland Microcube.

 

[Matt42]

Re: college dorm room amp shootout

This will be much more practical.
Any guitar amp will be too loud for a Dorm, and most have roommates.
He just started playing, so he will not be gigging anytime soon. He can get a "real" amp when the time comes.
good luck

I played my Lonestar in my dorm room from time to time.

 

[dominus]

Re: college dorm room amp shootout

Most modeling amps have a headphone out.

Vypyr.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: college dorm room amp shootout



Yknow. Something minimalistic.

 

[tone4days]

Re: college dorm room amp shootout

thanks guys - good advice - lots to think about ... he might want to jam with other guys, so headphones-only might not be best solution ... but headphone capability is certainly a must

 

[Lampy H]

Re: college dorm room amp shootout

I think those new Vypyrs sound really good.

 

[iamthesuck]

Re: college dorm room amp shootout

+1 on the orange/green

In all seriousness, my line 6 spider 3 was fine in my dorm.

 

[dominus]

Re: college dorm room amp shootout

I've tried every generation of Line 6, and it just always seemed to be lacking to me. I don't think I really have the best ears in the world (I actually prefer solid state amps for tons of distortion), but they seem to be the most digital sounding of all of the modelers. (Although the first generation POD *did* have a good sounding Rectifier model. Whatever they did to change that on the 2.0 forward killed them for me.)