need help on choosing amp

[Blazing-Corpse]

I am looking to buy a an amp to practice with a drummer with since my old amp doesn't have enough watts.The two amps i've been leaning towards is the Crate GTD65 and the Line 6 Spider 3 75 watt.Does anybody have any input on which amp they prefer to help give me an idea,also if anybody knows of any other good amps suggestions are welcome.

 

[shogunlegend]

Re: need help on choosing amp

I am looking to buy a an amp to practice with a drummer with since my old amp doesn't have enough watts.The two amps i've been leaning towards is the Crate GTD65 and the Line 6 Spider 3 75 watt.Does anybody have any input on which amp they prefer to help give me an idea,also if anybody knows of any other good amps suggestions are welcome.

if i were you, i'd forget about both and get a valvetronix. the 30 watt valvetronix will be enough to play with your drummer. it's probably substantially louder than a solid state. if you put a russian groove tube, the volume will even get a little bit higher. i know because i did this on my valvetronix 100 watt and it gave me more distortion and more volume.

you can't really beat the vox valvetronix amps, unless of course you find a marshall avt. those, to me, sound very good as well. maybe better than the valvetronix.

if you really have to decide, you'd probably be better off with the line 6 because of the options. i can't stand crate solid state amps, and don't think too much about their tube stuff. their new vtx tube amps are rather affordable and sound decent, so you might want to look into them.

 

[zippy]

Re: need help on choosing amp

How much are you looking to spend? The Vox Valvetronix is a great suggestion as its inexpensive and the BEST modeler I've ever personally played. Way better than the Spiders IMHO. I'd stay far far away from solid state Crates. I used to have one and the Line 6 will probably serve you much better. (If its between those two..)

Edit: Welcome to the forum by the way! This, my friend, is probably the best resource for guitar playing related information you will find. You'll get lots of great advice from alot of really cool people, unlike those other boards where everyone yells at you for being "t3h N00b!!11!1"

 

[Fender_Punk]

Re: need help on choosing amp

Welcome to the forum!! Vox Valvetronix definitely is a great choice. Considering any tube amps?? If so I have a bunch of recommendations!

 

[beggar_guitar]

Re: need help on choosing amp

I have a Vox AD120VTX I need to sell for a friend. Even has the VC-12 foot controller. Needs one new speaker though...
You really can't go wrong with these modelers.

If it's something you are interested in send me a PM.

 

[Jackson Distortion]

Re: need help on choosing amp

I am looking to buy a an amp to practice with a drummer with since my old amp doesn't have enough watts.The two amps i've been leaning towards is the Crate GTD65 and the Line 6 Spider 3 75 watt.Does anybody have any input on which amp they prefer to help give me an idea,also if anybody knows of any other good amps suggestions are welcome.

Both have enuff wattage - one has alot of effects and one does not. They both have different sounds - both you may not like.

 

[Blazing-Corpse]

Re: need help on choosing amp

Yea i tryed the crate and the line 6 quite abit and I like the Line 6 alot more and I tryed a vavetronix amp i think the 15 watt and I really liked it alot but i didnt get to really try out its distortion.I'll probably be playing alot of death and thrash metal so i'll need alot of distortion how does the vox's distortion compare to the line 6's?

 

[shogunlegend]

Re: need help on choosing amp

vox has plenty of distortion in their valvetronix line. it would be hard to believe htat you would need more distortion, but if you do, valvetronics amps sound great with pedals - especially tube pedals

 

[Reload in 5]

Re: need help on choosing amp

if i were you, i'd forget about both and get a valvetronix. the 30 watt valvetronix will be enough to play with your drummer. it's probably substantially louder than a solid state.

Umm, the valvetronix has a SS power section.
Awesome amp, but lets not confuse it with an all tube amp.

 

[Johnny L]

Re: need help on choosing amp

Umm, the valvetronix has a SS power section.
Awesome amp, but lets not confuse it with an all tube amp.

+1

I've got a VR15, which does the same 12AX7-in-the-poweramp trick as the Valvetronix. There's a slight hint of tubeyness, but not enough to put it into the "tube watts are louder" bin.

That said, modeling preamps will take pedals pretty decently. As far as Valvetronix vs Spider goes, it seems to me that the Valvetronix is better at Marshall sounds while the Spider does a better Mesa.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: need help on choosing amp

Extreme thrash death metal? Get a Randall half stack and a Boss Metalcore...dime the volume and the gain and have fun.

 

[Blazing-Corpse]

Re: need help on choosing amp

Yeah i forgot to mention i have a budget of about 300 dollars.

 

[SepultuRick]

Re: need help on choosing amp

If solid state is ok than the peavey bandit is ideal and ****s on any of the other ss amps or valvetronix amps mentioned so far

 

[Mr. B]

Re: need help on choosing amp

+1 on the Vox reccomendations. Avoid the AD30vt model though. I bought that one and have regretted it ever since I heard the 15 and 50 watt versions, which both sound much better. Better speaker/cabinet combinations. If you need more gain, go for the new Vox XL line of modelers. The 30 watt XL version comes with a 12 inch speaker and should sound better than the older 30 watt version with its 10" speaker.

 

[zippy]

Re: need help on choosing amp

Hmm.. for 300 bucks, couldn't he pick up a used Laney AOR and juice with with an SD-1? That would get him what he's lookin for I think. Correct me if I'm wrong...

But yeah, definitely look into the Vox's and Randalls. I know Randall makes some really decent SS stuff, and I imagine its probably pretty cheap on the used market. (TO me... there's no OTHER way to buy an amp than used..haha)

 

[shogunlegend]

Re: need help on choosing amp

Umm, the valvetronix has a SS power section.
Awesome amp, but lets not confuse it with an all tube amp.

i'm not confusing anything boy. the only thing confused around here is you thinking you can just talk to me like some punk. yeah, the 30 watt will be just fine for band practice. have you ever owned one? i've had many solid states and i can tell you that the vox hybrids are pretty loud. the little 30 watt vox sounded just as loud as my 65 ss crate. go figure

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: need help on choosing amp

Yeah i didn't think about Laney AOR's. They get a really good metal tone and are hard to beat for the price.

 

[Reload in 5]

Re: need help on choosing amp

i'm not confusing anything boy. the only thing confused around here is you thinking you can just talk to me like some punk. yeah, the 30 watt will be just fine for band practice. have you ever owned one? i've had many solid states and i can tell you that the vox hybrids are pretty loud. the little 30 watt vox sounded just as loud as my 65 ss crate. go figure

Settle down Beavis,
It wasnt an attack on you, a lot of people think that the valvetronix have a tube power section, which is only partially true. The actual amplification is done solid state. I just wanted to make sure that was clear. You said "it's probably substantially louder than a solid state" which makes it sound like it is not solid state.
As to the volume, good SS amps are a lot better than many people think

 

[shogunlegend]

Re: need help on choosing amp

i can see where you might have drawn that conclusion, but i'm aware that it's a hybrid amp. i do think it's a rather loud amp for its size. it also sounds pretty good to me. i'd buy one just to have it for kicking around.