Choosing an Amp!

[Cam-Vai]

ok, so im getting a new amp and need to choose
i only play a gig once every few months and dont want a stack
but so far here is what id buy

peave joe satch jsx - the 120 watt

carvin legacy vl212 - 100 watt

or something small thats good
preferably 20 - 70 watts
my teacher says that an amp thats abotu 30 is awesome mic'd up but i think the 100 watt steve vai would sound good
i play concerts in halls so not massive but big enough


and recommendations for amps?
must be tube though!
and sound good for recording and work well with pedals

thanks

cam

[smooth55]

What styles do you play? I think you'll find anything with Steve Vai's name on it difficult to play at "home" (ie non-earth shaking volumes). I'm also assuming that you're talking about the JSX combo, unless you just neglected to mention a cabinet you'd like to use with it. Those are very nice and fairly versitile. They sound great at low volumes and the only complaint I've heard with the combos is that they're like 90 lbs. Still, it seems to me like a lot of amp if you're only gigging once in a while.

[EvoGiant]

every peavey head ive ever seen weighs 90 pounds. ha ha.

[Vinco]

Marshall JVM combos and heads are awesome with great prices (in Europe at least).

Used by Dave mustaine, Dave Murray (Maiden), Bjorn Gelotte (In Flames)...

[Cam-Vai]

haha
no i dont want a stack
just like
the small ones with two speakers and stuff
i play alot of metal (ozzy osbourne, children of bodom, pantera) lots of satch, vai, gilbert, yngwie, becker an also i play a bit of primus in my band
i also am getting into stanley jordan style tapping
(uploading a video f my version of bittersweet symphony soon)
so yeh
mainly a heavy metal amp with two channels, preferably tube!

thanks again!


cam

[Cam-Vai]

anyone out there willing to help?

[elcid]

What do you want from us man, the best person to decide what amp you should get is you. I cant tell you some great amps, and someone else will just say "HAHAHA Fender sucks, OMG WTF LOL", or "Marshalls are overpriced garbage"
With no mention of budget suggestions are pointless anyway. Why bother suggesting a Mesa if you have a $300 limit?

[nsabino]

Originally Posted by Cam-Vai

haha
no i dont want a stack
just like
the small ones with two speakers and stuff
i play alot of metal (ozzy osbourne, children of bodom, pantera) lots of satch, vai, gilbert, yngwie, becker an also i play a bit of primus in my band
i also am getting into stanley jordan style tapping
(uploading a video f my version of bittersweet symphony soon)
so yeh
mainly a heavy metal amp with two channels, preferably tube!

thanks again!


cam

Hi, a few years back I had a 5150 half stack, head and a 4x12 cabinet. Awesome power, distortion, you name it.. oh and great tone. The only problem withj this amp was that it only started to cook at volume levels of 6 and above. I never tried a dual rectifier but if you want a high gain tube amp here's my suggestion..

Regards and good luck with your search for ultimate tone...

Nelson

[kotornut]

I'm with Cid, you should decide. There are a lot to choose from. Go try everything. What I like is vastly different from Cid and I wouldn't ask him to suggest an amp for me. I don't hink he would ask me. And that's how it is between everyone on the site. I wouldn't ask anyone to decide for me. Maybe I'd ask about reliability but that's no big deal. Just play everything and you be the judge.

[SeizeTheDave]

Originally Posted by elcid

What do you want from us man, the best person to decide what amp you should get is you. I cant tell you some great amps, and someone else will just say "HAHAHA Fender sucks, OMG WTF LOL", or "Marshalls are overpriced garbage"
With no mention of budget suggestions are pointless anyway. Why bother suggesting a Mesa if you have a $300 limit?

I agree with this about trying everything out yourself. Only you can decide what's best.

Now, for my opinion, Peaveys are great amps! The JSX combo will be very versatile and have good tone (with the help of new speakers and/or tubes). If $$ is an issue, I suggest looking out for a Peavey XXX. It's the middle ground between a 5150 and the JSX. It's got great tone, really versatile, and I think it sounds better than the JSX. I have a XXX and have yet to find a tone in the JSX that's superior.

[THEE HAMMER]

Fender Prosonic combo

Mesa Road King

Jsx,xxx,6505+,Carvin's

jcm2000dsl 2x12

etc. etc. etc.

try some see how you like them, pick the one that fits you most.

[rockguitar4ever]

peavey jsx combo or marshall jvm combo

[HeavyMetal4Ever]

There's a Peavey Ultra 1x12 combo on evilbay at the moment from Tarrawanna in New South Wales. It's had 3 bids, but the current price is/was $81!

There's plenty of options if you are willing to go 2nd hand, after a bit of research and some time trying amps at all the local stores you should be able to find something you like.

Rock on!