Can anyone recommend me an amp ?

KeithH · #1 10-18-2007, 07:27 AM

I recently joined a band (were just beginners really), and my 25w practice amp, that Ive been using at home, is obviously not up to it, the other guitarists 100w marshall is drowning me right out.

Can anyone recommend a decent amp, that will give a good rock/metal tone (lots of gain for those harmonics!) that will stand up against his 100w amp ? his marshall looks a bit basic or I would jsut buy one of those.

It needs to be portable in a hatchback car (so no Legacy stacks please!) and hopefully, cheap as possible, under £250-300 is possible.

Ive looked on the bay, a bit hopeless really. PS I play an RG.

Thanks in advance.

Keith

AleTheNervo · #2 10-18-2007, 07:29 AM

Go for a Peavey Transtube, very nice tone for very little money

SeanB · #3 10-18-2007, 07:36 AM

You could get a Peavey Valve King, but that may be stretching it a bit. You could find one new for £300 or so. Cheaper if you looked on the bay.

AleTheNervo · #4 10-18-2007, 07:38 AM

The Bandit is a very-very nice one, but if you find used, and if you're in UK it wouldn't be difficoult, I'd go for sure for a Trace Elliot, between the best amps i ever heard

KeithH · #5 10-18-2007, 08:08 AM

Thanks for your help so far.

What about line 6 ? good, or crap ?

I was looking at a spider III 150 maybe.

Guitarmiester · #6 10-18-2007, 08:25 AM

If anything, look around for a used amp. You can find some decent stuff out there. You'll have a better chance finding something you like a lot more than a Spider III.

AleTheNervo · #7 10-18-2007, 08:31 AM

I don't like line 6, it sounds a bit "cold" to me, but it's a personal taste, you should go and try one yourself

SeanB · #8 10-18-2007, 08:31 AM

Spider III's are far too generic sounding...They arent crap, and they arent fantastic.

I have a floor pod and the tones are very similair the amp. You could probably find something cheaper and better if you look in the used market.

Carlo · #9 10-18-2007, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KeithH

Thanks for your help so far.

What about line 6 ? good, or crap ?

I was looking at a spider III 150 maybe.

If your problem is cutting through the band, definitely avoid line 6 or digital modelling amps.

KeithH · #10 10-19-2007, 10:01 AM

What I meant by cutting through, I mean hardly hearing myself over the drums and other guitar player(who plays through a 100watt amp), becasue my amp is so weak (being only 25 watts).

I tried turning it up to 10, but now its jsut feeding back very badly. So I guess I jsut need a more powerful amp then ?

maestrocity91 · #11 10-19-2007, 05:40 PM

I'd definitley recommend a tube amp
In my experience the more watts you get with a solid state the more of a one dimensional sound you'll achieve, not to mention tubed watts>solid watts!

Fender, Carvin, and Peavey all have great affordable tubed amps that will blow away the rest of your band =D

Best of luck bro!

Darin · #12 10-19-2007, 07:16 PM

(I posted this on another JSX thread, thought it might be helpful here as well)

Here's a nice JSX clip I made a while back on my JSX review.

Played on my PRS Tremonti SE

http://www.christianbattleofthebands...0tuned%201.mp3

another clip. This one with Prestige 2620

http://www.christianbattleofthebands...%20WET%201.mp3

texshred777 · #13 10-21-2007, 04:52 AM

I just got a 5150 combo, and I have to say the 500usd I spent was a great deal. I was pretty torn between the 5150 and the classic 50 212...both great amps and the classic 50 did have better cleans, but the 5150s distorted channel was great. I like the very midrangy sound it has. I really dont put many knobs far off of 12 o'clock, including gain. With the closed back enclosure it's very bassy and punchy, especially with the resonance at about 7 or so. It's a pretty noisy amp, especially if you crank the gain up(which I find unnecassary with the amount of gain on tap) I'll be changing the tubes out soon though, so this should take care of SOME of the problem. A hush/boss noise pedal is a simple enough fix though. The only real negatives I have are the reverb could be better, the clean could definately be better(keyboardist using the fender now) and it's damn heavy. Luckily peavey not only has one handle in the middle but on both sides as well. It definately has a very rich distorted tone, not just the 'chainsaw' or chug tones(plenty of both if wanted) but its pretty harmonic as well. I care enough about the amp that some mods to improve the clean tone might be in the future. As silly as it sounds I really like the look of the amp as well.

tt0511 · #14 10-21-2007, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KeithH

What I meant by cutting through, I mean hardly hearing myself over the drums and other guitar player(who plays through a 100watt amp), becasue my amp is so weak (being only 25 watts).

I tried turning it up to 10, but now its jsut feeding back very badly. So I guess I jsut need a more powerful amp then ?

Is that a 25watt solid state or tube? ..my 30 watt peavey tube is pretty loud and is a VERY used amp for gigging by lots of players and they have no problems. However, if you're competing with a 100watt tube and you have a 25watt solid state, ...you might need to jump up. One idea, ...if that 25 watter you've got is a tube, and it has an extension cab outlet, you may try plugging it into a larger cab before getting a bigger amp. There's a possibility that may do the trick. If it's solid state, ...u'r gonna need a much bigger amp to be heard in the face of that 100w (assuming the 100w is a tube amp). If the 25watt you have is tube, ...you should try micing it into the house PA before getting a bigger amp. You have to consider whether or not this amp will be dedicated for gig use, or home and practice use as well. I think you'll find out that 100watt tube amp is too much power for home and practice because you'll never get to actually crank it up and get the tubes hot, ...which is where you tap into the real tone. A 30watt amp at 7-8 on volume is gonna sound better than a 100watt at 3-4 on volume.

I'd stay away from line6 amps for cutting through, unless you check out the new tube amp spider. I've heard numerous complaints of people with solid state amps who "couldn't cut through" in a live situation. Definitely look around at used tube amps, some peaveys and some marshall's. 5150 is a great sounding amp, carvin legacy, but those are probably too big for your car. I'm pretty happy with my peavey classic 30, and it was louder by far than the classic 50 I tried out in the store for some reason. I'd recommend checking both of those amps out. They are well established, easy to transport and will fit into your car, should be plenty of power for your needs, and with the proper pedal in front of them, they can probably both achieve the tone you are looking for.

Good Luck.

Wild_Child · #15 10-21-2007, 10:35 AM

A half stack shouldn't be a problem in a small hatchback. I can easily fit my Laney amp and 4x12 in my Ka with the back seats down. When I'm taking it out for gigs, I usually just take the head since most venues will provide cabinets, or other bands that have vans to transport their kit will let me borrow one of theirs. In that sense, taking a head would use up less space than a combo most of the time.

That said, I do have an 80w Peavey Bandit Transtube for sale that I can offer you for well within your budget