Need help with amp selection

nieveulv

nieveulv

New member
Im using an epiphone les paul custom with PGN/custom bridge combo. What amp should i get for a good heavy tone, i know technique is used and needed, but an amp certainly does help :D..Im currently using a roland microcube (2 watts of power!!) most of the time, and a berihnger GM108 which sounded..well not good.
So any amps to reccommend??? I usually play hard rock and classirc rock (GNR, metallica, zeps), some blues (SRV type) and lots of brit music (Radiohead, muse).
So what is reccomended?? My budget is 500-1000 max. The closer to 500 the better :D Also, is tube recomended? or just get a SS??
Here are some of the choices i looked at but not limited to

-MG250DFX 100W marshall
-Roland cube 60
-MARSHALL AVT50 X COMBO TUBE PREAMP
-MARSHALL DSL-401 40 watt all tube 1 x 12" combo (is the much higher price worth it?)


Thanks guys and any advice is much appreciated :D
 
Re: Need help with amp selection

I see 3 Marshall options there dude, which is cool cuz I dig Marshalls too. Having said that, I probably wouldn't recommend any of those. The DSL401 runs on EL84's instead of EL34's and some people will claim it won't sound like a classic Marshall tube amp.

I'd avoid the MG or solid state Marshalls altogether. I think they're just crappy sounding amps.

The AVT's sound okay. At least the older ones did. The newer ones I never cared for the tone. I'll leave that up to you to decide if you like the tone.

If you wanna stick with Marshalls, I'd save up for a Vintage Modern. 50 watts is plenty to rock with. 100 watts is overkill IMO, unless you're playing large outdoor gigs.

Other brands I'd look into are the Vox Valvetronix series amps, the ones with the silver grill. Lots of people like 'em and they're great sounding amps with built in effects that sound really good too. (except for the 30watt version) These are a pretty good bargain and sound great for a hybrid amp.

I'd also check out the new Line 6/Bogner amps. I haven't heard one yet, but they look very promising. The price is right, and its loaded with good stuff. If I needed an amp for myself, I'd give these thorogh audition.
 
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Re: Need help with amp selection

The older AVT's did sound good, I do not like the newer ones. Avoid MG's at all costs. I would think in the $500-$1,000 range there have to be 50 good amps that fall into that area. I would look into the DSL 401, Laney's, wow, I just had a brain fart and can't remember all the rest. Go to all the music stores close by and play them all. Or go online and look all of them over, read the reviews and then go looking. Good luck and have fun

-dave
 
Re: Need help with amp selection

nieveulv said:
LOL the vintage modern is more than 2x my budget :D
In australia, amps tends to be much much much more overpriced!!!
http://www.venuemusic.com.au/Products.asp?ProdID=10012
Any website i can get a marshall amp from overseas that ships to australia? I still think its much cheaper that way
Click to expand...

Sorry dude, I didn't realize you were in Australia. If it makes you feel any better Marshalls are way overpriced here too.
 
Re: Need help with amp selection

Thanks for the response :D How do i check if the AVTs are old or new? Since im buying from a shop brand new, it must be new? Is that right? I checked ebay USA and none will ship to australia. In here, amps are almost twice the price. Eg. peavey classic 30 cost 400 in the US, in here, its around 1300AUD or 1150USD. Crazy
 
Re: Need help with amp selection

Personally I'd stear well clear of the lower end of the marshall range. generally they don't sound good.
Obviously availability is obviously an issue as well as price.
Line 6 make some pretty decent sounding amps, our other guitarist uses a flextone II which sounds pretty good, especially for the price.
But in the sub DSL 401 price bracket I'd go for modelling amps over hybrid or full valve.

As far as cheap full valve amps they are around (Peavy Valve King, or an Ashdown usually come in cheap) but relibility is a problem as will be spare parts. I do like my Ashdown but it's far from reliable
 
Re: Need help with amp selection

nieveulv said:
Thanks for the response :D How do i check if the AVTs are old or new? Since im buying from a shop brand new, it must be new? Is that right? I checked ebay USA and none will ship to australia. In here, amps are almost twice the price. Eg. peavey classic 30 cost 400 in the US, in here, its around 1300AUD or 1150USD. Crazy
Click to expand...

The older AVT's were known as "Valvestates" when they first came out. A few years later they changed the name to AVT or Advanced Valvestate and along with that, the tone changed. I have an older Valvestate, the VS65R. It sounds great, has a nice low end, and the gain sounds very good and natural. The newer AVT's sound too artificial to me.

I've also got a TSL602, but the price of those have gone up and I'm not even sure if you can get them anymore. I think they've been replaced with the new JVM and Vintage series.

If price is an issue, maybe you might want to avoid getting a Marshall. Marshalls are pretty notorious for being overpriced as of lately. You can probably get a decent amp by another maker that sounds like a Marshall for much less coin. Have you looked at Orange or Laney? The Mesa Stilletto is supposed to be a great EL34 amp but they're expensive here, so I;m sure they're even more expensive there.

Or, you can save some $$$ and get a good modelling amp like the Vox or Line6/Bogner and have way more options and flexibility than any marshall.

Here's a link for the Line6/Bogner amp on sale at MF. Not sure if they ship to Australia tho.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Line-6-Spider-Valve-112-40W-1x12-Guitar-Combo-Amp?sku=483066V
 
Re: Need help with amp selection

http://www.guitar.com.au/amplifiers/electric/orange/index.htm

The oranges are crazily priced here :D Shockingly expensive!!

hmmm so is the mesa!!!

http://www.guitar.com.au/amplifiers/electric/mesa_boogie/index.htm

No opinions on the roland cube 60? Howbout the peavey classic 30? Its slightly over budget but is it worth it? Its around 1250AUD here
If not please recommend some non tube amps as those are so expensive!!! Any brands welcome, as long between 500-1000 AUD :D If better, recommend a website that delivers to australia from the US :D
 
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Re: Need help with amp selection

That's a good deal on the Line 6/Bogner amp on MF. My Spider III sounds awesome and heavy at 200 dollars and only 4 amp models - I bet the Spider Valve rules when cranked. But you have other options if you go the modelling route, as far as the amount of amp models. I like modelling - it doesn't feel too entirely different than tube amps to me, as long as you do some tweaking.
 
Re: Need help with amp selection

Hmmmm MF will not deliver that brand to australia...Suddenly ive been reading reviews and found out about the valvetronix AD50VT which contains good reviews and is within my price range? Should i go for it now or wait a year or 2 and get a decent marshall tube amp?
 
Re: Need help with amp selection

For classic rock stuff I think you could get away with an orange tiny terror but lack of clean might limit you when coming to radiohead type tones (although the el84 section may give some chime its a bit too dirty and dark I think).
 
Re: Need help with amp selection

Try the Peavey JSX. Inexpensive and the ****ing thing rocks man. Check my You Tube link to hear it...
 
Re: Need help with amp selection

The JSX peavey cost around AUD3495 here :D Most expensive recommendation so far LOL.
 
Re: Need help with amp selection

Suddenly interested in the orange tiny terror as i think 15w tube is more than enough. However, can it be played without a cab?? Can i just plug in a guitar and play or do i need to get a cab as well? If a cab is needed, again budget will be over :D
 
Re: Need help with amp selection

If you can get the DSL401 I say go for it. I owned one for 3 months not that long ago, and I loved it. At the time I couldnt get enough volume out of it though (I needed LOUD at the time). There is nothing wrong with that amp!
 
Re: Need help with amp selection

You need a cab bro. BUT! You can get a decent cab for a fair price if you search a bit. This lil head is a flippin monster too!
 
Re: Need help with amp selection

Get a second hand laney LC30II if your doing more hard rock/metal stuff, Vc30 if its hard rock/blues. I can get an ok slash tone out of an Vc30 with a celestion gold.
 
Re: Need help with amp selection

I see a lot of you Aussies on the forums, but I really do not know anything about your home. What is the used market like there, not much selection? Is Ceriatone an option for you guys? Sounds like Nik might be a good fit for you. He offers many amps in the 18-50 watt range. Even brand new, with shipping they are a good deal.
As far as a Marshall goes, I would not waste my money on anything past a vertical input JCM 800. There are just too many better alternatives available.
Bets Of Luck To You :approve:
 
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