Need amp advise

The New Guy

The New Guy

New member
Hey everyone, I need some of your expertise....

I am interested in getting a new amp...in the past I have relied on just the clean and dirty channels of whatever amp I have owned...they have mainly been reletively low budget models i.e. crate, peavey, marshall valvestate etc.

what I've decided to try this time is a good basic amp with good all around clean and distorted tones (not too expensive...under $500) to use as a base, then buy various pedals to create different tones,

do any of you have any recommendations?

any help would be greatly appreciated....I dont play out, but do home recording so power is really not an issue but I think I would like a 12" speaker.

thanks in advance for any help.
 
Re: Need amp advise

I'd go with a Peavey Classic 50. You can get it in either a 212 or 410 configuration, and it has great clean and distorted tones. You can pick one up on Ebay for $400 or less in many cases.

Ryan
 
Re: Need amp advise

Thanks Ryan, thats in my price range. dumb question, will tubes make a difference in overall tone using pedals?..also playing at relitively low volumes like I do, is there a big difference in tube vs. solid state?
 
Re: Need amp advise

Most of my playing is done at low to medium volume levels, and I can definitely hear a difference between tube and solid state amps. I would suggest going to a local store and trying out both the Classic 50 and the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. I believe the Fender uses 6L6 tubes, while the Peavey uses EL84's. Personally, I prefer EL84's, which is why I went with the Classic 50. But give both a try and see what you think. Both of these amps have excellent clean channels as well.

Ryan
 
Re: Need amp advise

Depending on how much distortion/overdrive you want from the amp, you have several good choices as listed above. The peavy classic tube amps certainly get good marks from many players around here. If you are looking for an amp with a very decent clean sound, good headroom, and adequate blues type od and crunch (but not much more IMO), the Fender Hot Rod series are great amps, and are good platforms for pedals.

To really achieve a harmonically rich sound from a tube amp, you need to deliver enough wattage to the power tubes to get them cooking, and this means louder volumes. If you do your playing at lower volumes, an attenuator will probably be necessary to achieve that sound. Attenuaters can be had used from the low $100's up to new at about $300. There are several good choices out there, including Weber and THD.

My vote would be for a Marshall JCM 800 2 channel combo, the 4210 or the 4212. They can be had around your price range, and have some awsome potential with just a few modifications! 50 watts of pure rock and roll.
 
Re: Need amp advise

Thanks Jeff....I have one more question, when I want distortion, I want everything from mild to very extreme, should I rely on the distortion from the amp? or rely on a really good distorton pedal?...what would sound better? is there really any difference if you have a good sound platform?
 
Re: Need amp advise

You could always look at the Carvin Vintage 16. Very simple 5/16 watt tube amp at a great price and if it sounds anything like it's big brother, the BelAir, it will rock.
 
Re: Need amp advise

set your amp up so you can go from clean to crunch with your guitar's volume knob, then use a pedal to get your more distorted tones
 
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