I Need Guitar Amp Suggestions

**bemmis** · 07-04-2008 06:24 PM

I am getting an amp to go with my lace sensor equiped Telecaster.

Right now I am using a Line 6 POD hooked up to a cd speaker. the sound is really really awful if its barely over half way up, and that isn't loud at all.

so... I play mostly sounds like ratatat, radiohead, and muse. My price range is up to about $300

I really like the sound of the vox AC30 but it is far out of my price range, so have been looking at the vox AD30VT. The advantage to that would be it would eliminate my need for the POD, so I could sell that for about $100 I would presume, bringing the cost of a $300 amp down to $200. Another option would be to keep the pod and use it as a preamp for some small cabinet are simply just a loud speaker. My only worry with this is that I might not be able to get the tone I am looking for, as my POD, although, close, has not quite been able to get the tones I want. However 99% of my experience on the POD is using my Epiphone Dot i just replaced with the tele.

So if you guitar players have a suggestion for an alternative modeling amp to the valvetronix, or a certain speaker or cabinet that would help me achieve the tones and sounds I am looking for, then let me know!

Thanks.

EDIT: another option would be either a cheaper amp or speaker/cabinet in tandem with some effects pedal.

**BradleyGT** · 07-04-2008 06:50 PM

I absolutely love the sound of my Marshall JCM 900. I play an American Strat HSS.

Only problem, its out of you price range and pretty much the exact opposite sound I think you are going for.

Somewhat useless post I guess, but others may get something out of it.

**rush340** · 07-04-2008 07:17 PM

Look for a used AD60VT or AD120VT (or the VTX versions). They were better. Otherwise, the AD30VT is still a great choice, and a very versatile amp.

You could also go with an old tube amp, but you would have to save up for a cab, and yo uwould lose some versatility and reliability. If you have a job and can save up more money relatively quickly, I love my Orange Tiny Terror.

**karrot** · 07-04-2008 07:21 PM

find a used fender tube combo, 1x10 or 1x12, 20-40 watts
if you want more tone, hook it up to a 2x12 cab (closed back) and rock

try not to use pedals, they suck a little bit of tone out of amps imo... especially tube ones. you can find some good deals on craigslist,

**streetheap** · 07-04-2008 07:47 PM

So you're looking for an amp that models? I've heard from others the Vox modeling amps are pretty cool.
To be quite honest, I don't know much about any of the digital stuff, but I know Buddy Guy sometimes records with a Fender Cyber-Twin (a modeler) and it sounds pretty amazing, recorded. Don't know how much something like that would cost though. Like Karrot said, pedals are tone-suckers. If you're looking to increase your gain through a transistor pedal, check into getting something warm like a Tube Screamer, Boss Overdrive, or DOD Blues Driver.
IMO old tube amps are the way to go. Sure, they're heavy, and they break down the day of a gig, blah blah, but they have such an organic live sound that transistors or micro chips can't replicate. IME
I've had an '85 Marshall JCM 800 4104 for 16 years, and it has been a very reliable, great sounding amp, no matter what guitar I put in front of it.
Good luck on your tone quest.

**Brute379** · 07-04-2008 07:57 PM

I know nothing about playing guitar, but I do know a little something about tube amplifiers.

I built a Fender Champ repro from a kit for a freind who does play and has numerous amps and he likes this one a lot.

Easy to follow directions, take your time, read reread and you should be fine.

http://www.stf-electronics.com/Page0015.Html

**WWL-NJ** · 07-04-2008 08:46 PM

Originally Posted by bemmis

I am getting an amp to go with my lace sensor equiped Telecaster.

Right now I am using a Line 6 POD hooked up to a cd speaker. the sound is really really awful if its barely over half way up, and that isn't loud at all.

so... I play mostly sounds like ratatat, radiohead, and muse. My price range is up to about $300

I really like the sound of the vox AC30 but it is far out of my price range, so have been looking at the vox AD30VT. The advantage to that would be it would eliminate my need for the POD, so I could sell that for about $100 I would presume, bringing the cost of a $300 amp down to $200. Another option would be to keep the pod and use it as a preamp for some small cabinet are simply just a loud speaker. My only worry with this is that I might not be able to get the tone I am looking for, as my POD, although, close, has not quite been able to get the tones I want. However 99% of my experience on the POD is using my Epiphone Dot i just replaced with the tele.

So if you guitar players have a suggestion for an alternative modeling amp to the valvetronix, or a certain speaker or cabinet that would help me achieve the tones and sounds I am looking for, then let me know!

Thanks.

EDIT: another option would be either a cheaper amp or speaker/cabinet in tandem with some effects pedal.

Hey... Finally a thread with something I know about...

I build Guitars and use tons of Lace pups...
Which lace pups do you have in there?
Under normal situations, I would say go for a tube amp... Like a Fender Blues Jr... But with the sounds that you are after I have a few different suggestions...
1- Try to find a Fender 85 or 85 Deluxe... It's a workhorse solid state amp from the '80-90's. The deluxe has and extra drive channel. But the key is to use the amp in blended-channel mode... Use the clean channel for volume and dail in the dirt with the distortion channel. With this amp you could also run the pod into the preamp in and get the benefit of that. This amp is LOUD for it's size and can handle anything up to mid-sized theatres/ large clubs on it's own.
2- The Vox AD30VT is a fun little amp. It's like a push-button rock star machine. I have 5 or 6 of them in my studio, den, office and my brother's house. They might have a hard time keeping up with a big drumset... but they mic up very well. The modelling is good and you can really tweak the tone to your liking. The modelling actually just "fools" you into thinking you have a Marshall of Blackface... But if you just let it fool you, you'll be happy. Kinda like watching a good science-fiction movie...

The circuit design of the Vox has a serious flaw in that it is not properly cooled or heat sinked... so the chip can blow. It's just a chip-based amp...like a car stereo. But that's not a bad thing because the chip is like $2. I have so many AD30VT's because of this. I bought them for $10-$30 broken and fixed them for $2. I have one in the studio with a small cooling fan built in for reliability's sake. So if you are just playing at home...the Vox may do it for you.
3- Get a good speaker cabinet with celestions and a power amp...run the pod through that.
I have a Christian artist that I work with and he uses a san-amp on a microphone stand. He changes power amps and speaker cabs for the venue size... But his small club set-up is an 80watt peavey(cheap) power amp into a homemade cabinet. Sounds amazing. He plays 2 of my axes. Both with Lace pups. With this rig, you can always upgrade. But get the best cab that you can afford.
You can use one of your older longboards as a loading dolly... There we squeezed longboards into the post...

Have Fun!

**bemmis** · 07-05-2008 12:17 AM

Originally Posted by WWL-NJ

Hey... Finally a thread with something I know about...

I build Guitars and use tons of Lace pups...
Which lace pups do you have in there?
Under normal situations, I would say go for a tube amp... Like a Fender Blues Jr... But with the sounds that you are after I have a few different suggestions...
1- Try to find a Fender 85 or 85 Deluxe... It's a workhorse solid state amp from the '80-90's. The deluxe has and extra drive channel. But the key is to use the amp in blended-channel mode... Use the clean channel for volume and dail in the dirt with the distortion channel. With this amp you could also run the pod into the preamp in and get the benefit of that. This amp is LOUD for it's size and can handle anything up to mid-sized theatres/ large clubs on it's own.
2- The Vox AD30VT is a fun little amp. It's like a push-button rock star machine. I have 5 or 6 of them in my studio, den, office and my brother's house. They might have a hard time keeping up with a big drumset... but they mic up very well. The modelling is good and you can really tweak the tone to your liking. The modelling actually just "fools" you into thinking you have a Marshall of Blackface... But if you just let it fool you, you'll be happy. Kinda like watching a good science-fiction movie...

The circuit design of the Vox has a serious flaw in that it is not properly cooled or heat sinked... so the chip can blow. It's just a chip-based amp...like a car stereo. But that's not a bad thing because the chip is like $2. I have so many AD30VT's because of this. I bought them for $10-$30 broken and fixed them for $2. I have one in the studio with a small cooling fan built in for reliability's sake. So if you are just playing at home...the Vox may do it for you.
3- Get a good speaker cabinet with celestions and a power amp...run the pod through that.
I have a Christian artist that I work with and he uses a san-amp on a microphone stand. He changes power amps and speaker cabs for the venue size... But his small club set-up is an 80watt peavey(cheap) power amp into a homemade cabinet. Sounds amazing. He plays 2 of my axes. Both with Lace pups. With this rig, you can always upgrade. But get the best cab that you can afford.
You can use one of your older longboards as a loading dolly... There we squeezed longboards into the post...

Have Fun!

great reply!

i have a lace red in the bridge position and a stock neck pickup, although i am thinking about changing it.

option 1 and 2 sound best. they are also less expensive so that is also great ill look into the fender amp for sure. a fender amp with a tele plus a POD should sound great now that I think about it. the twang of the tele could be really perfectly dialed in to the perfect sound with just the right amount of distortion.

what I did before with my Epiphone was raise the bridge pickup as close as I dared to the strings, set it to modern higain with full drive, no bass, full middle and trebble, then bypassed all effects and eq's. that was the closest I could get. However, the higher volume seemed better, but the speakers started developing loud static scraping up each note because it was struggling so hard. I am really optimistic because right now I feel like my guitar itself is much more versatile than my epiphone, alot of it being the single-coils, and that it's twang and brightness will make it cram more note clarity and scream into the old sound, which is exactly what I like.

thanks alot for the reply I think I'll start with looking for a fender, then try to find a broken vox like you said. I actually tried the ad30vt in the store and wished it had a tad more note clarity and scream, but I liked it anyway... I'll definately have to look into the 60 watt one. if I could find a used one that would be awesome.

thanks alot everyone for the replies...

**WWL-NJ** · 07-05-2008 08:35 PM

What pup do you have in the neck... another lace? or a stock tele pup?
You can crank the lace sensors right up under the strings... no magnetic pull problems at all there... The Red wil really honk up close like that. You can PM me for suggestions for the neck pup if you like.
I checked ebay for fender 85 (eighty-five) a while back and they were starting to go for big bucks... so good luck there. The bigger Vox might be cool. Like I said, you have to sort of suspend reality a little with them and just play... but you're used to the pod so you know about that stuff...

**Firefox777** · 07-05-2008 08:41 PM

i have a crate GX30 amp that ill sell ya for a hundred bucks

**kaplac** · 07-14-2008 12:48 AM

A good modeler is the Line6 Vendetta (I think that's it's name), Line6's spider series is absolutely atrocious, but this amp really is pretty neat. I enjoy using it. Another alternative is the line6 spider tube amp (the name escapes me). Both of these amps are line6's higher up modelers and hold up quite well. If you enjoy the sound of modeling processors then these woudl be good options too look at.

Another option that is available to you is keeping the POD, buying a tube power amp and running into a nice cab loaded with a good set of speakers like celestions.

Re-reading your last post, you mentioned that you liked a good screaming lead tone. I don't know how much distortion you like, but just know that after a certain point Fender's start sounding really shrill when distortion is added. Their solid state amps in particular. If you want a good clear high gain lead tone, then a Fender may not be for you. If you have the dough I might suggest an older Marshall, something along the lines of a plexi or a jcm 800.

The problem with using a POD for developing sounds is that you're either chained to the product becuase it's the only thing capable of your sounds. Or you have to blow loads of money on pedals to try to replicate your sound from the POD (or surpass). Since you aren't happy with the tone from the POD, may I suggest that you try to reinvent your sound with new tools. Look into a good tube amp and maybe a couple pedals to find exactly what you want. Instead of having to 'settle' with your POD and other tools that you bought to compensate for what it lacked.

**scabus maximus** · 07-15-2008 03:09 PM

Streetheap:
I've had an '85 Marshall JCM 800 4104 for 16 years, and it has been a very reliable, great sounding amp, no matter what guitar I put in front of it.

Man, the 800 series were a great amp. I used to have a 4103 and 4104. Pure brutality. I don't have either anymore (boohoo). Glad to see them still around and doing well. Tubes are the best!

**parabola** · 07-15-2008 04:39 PM

CL · 07-15-2008 04:59 PM

If you care about your tone, stay the hell away from solid state amps and stick to tube amps. Check out some used Traynor YCV20's and YCV40's, they are amazing sounding tube amps, extremely reliable, are loud enough to play small venues, have some serious headroom, and can be had for around the price range your aiming for, depending on from who and where you get them. Also, check out some used Fenders as well. The best thing to do is go to a local guitar shop and play as many tube amps in your price range as you can. Its always best to try before you buy, to avoid potential dissapointments. Bring your guitar with you too.

If your looking for a good starter tube amp on the cheap, check out the Epiphone Valve Juniors, they are great amps for people new to the whole tube amp arena. With a few mods, these little amps have some of the most amazing cleans i've ever heard out of a tube amp, and i've owned everything from cheap Peavey Valvekings all the way up to boutique amps like Mesa/Boogie Mark IVs and to my current Bogner XTC. The Epiphone Valve Juniors can be had for around $100 depending on where you get em. They only have one volume knob and an on/off switch, thats it. If you want distortion or the like, run a effects pedal in front of the amp.

Good luck.

**Dizi** · 07-15-2008 05:29 PM

You need one of these..

or these..

or better yet..

**mojomuskrat** · 07-15-2008 06:40 PM

Fender Super Champ XD. Sounds amazing, very versatile. Read reviews, give it a try, bring it home

I got one back in Feb. and have been blown away. $300 MSRP

CL · 07-15-2008 09:02 PM

Originally Posted by Stinkfist

You need one of these..

That little cigarette amp is actually really badass!! I've played one before, i was really blown away at how loud they can get, and how good the bass was for such a little ass speaker. They are great amps for low level practicing.

**streetheap** · 07-15-2008 10:25 PM

Originally Posted by scabus maximus

Streetheap:
I've had an '85 Marshall JCM 800 4104 for 16 years, and it has been a very reliable, great sounding amp, no matter what guitar I put in front of it.

Man, the 800 series were a great amp. I used to have a 4103 and 4104. Pure brutality. I don't have either anymore (boohoo). Glad to see them still around and doing well. Tubes are the best!

The guy who works on it offers to buy it when I take it in for its "checkup" every couple of years. He increases his offer each time; I think he's up to $1100.

I believe this circuit board (as far as Marshall makes) is the best balance of moderately high gain and vintage sound, without sounding too brittle. Also I've modded it with an extra 12AX7 in the front for a little more dirt. On the low input, it basically sounds like an unmodded 800 on the high input. The extra preamp tube does round the edge off the tone a little, but I can correct some of this by using alnico pickups. It would probably sound a tad bit more garage-y with some lower watt speakers, but the Celestion 80s give a little more lower end thump and definitely tons of headroom, though I do remove the rear panels on all my high watt speaker cabinets. I don't know. Works for me.
CL: The reissue blue and gold Traynors kick ass. I love those amps with a tube screamer in front, and a Tele on the rear pickup.

Also, Bogners are pure secks. My buddy has a few of them, and my ratty ass can almost sound like Jerry Cantrell with his main rig.

**scabus maximus** · 07-16-2008 03:42 PM

I'm just a sucker for mil-spec wiring. Kind of brings a tear to my eye...

**Dizi** · 07-16-2008 04:04 PM

Originally Posted by CL

That little cigarette amp is actually really badass!! I've played one before, i was really blown away at how loud they can get, and how good the bass was for such a little ass speaker. They are great amps for low level practicing.

Very true, they are sweet lil practice amps. They claim it can drive a 4x12 cabinet, at least until the battery dies. Musiciansfriend sells this verison for $24.95: