Amp suggestions for gigging

[Flash Harry]

My next amp will be a Fender Twin,

Dream machine - I missed a second hand one that was going for £300. Bugger.

[peterp]

Not sure why I did not think of this until the twin was mentioned,
don't overlook getting some good ear protection!
These amps can push some seriously ear damaging energy.

My next amp will be a Fender Twin,
Good luck.

Blooby

[Tony W]

Great info thus far. I assumed a 100W marshall and a 4x12 were complete overkill, and I never understood the need to drag that big ass setup around.

My 75w spider jam weighs in at about 50lbs. and causes most drummers to beg me to turn down. That said, a marshall half stack sure makes the dick look bigger right?

Nigel,
You confirmed my suspicions regarding the power of the tube. I had a Vox AC15CC1 for a bit, and the guy I bought it from could make it sound so sweet, but I never came close. I know that I now have the control to use a tube amp, it's just a matter of having one at my disposal to get familiar with it. Fortunately I made a little money on it when I sold it.

Andy,
I really dig the idea of the X3 with a keyboard amp, I currently have a Roland KC-150 that I use for e-drums and keyboard in my studio. I still have 2 working channels unused. I may play some keys on a few songs, so that really seems like an ideal concept and reduces the overall load. I wouldn't have to spend a dime either....

Mike,
The backline being too loud... That's a conceptual problem that I don't think I'd be able to remedy. These guys are already vested in their setups and sound. The last thing they will want is a new guy telling them to downsize. They dominantly play 75-300 capacity dives, when they load up, its overkill. I'm won't say a word, I'll just try to fit in as best as possible.

[64Guitars]

I love my Hiwatt 50-watt head and 4x12 cabinet. I never gigged with it, but when practicing or jamming with various bands, I never got the master volume control above 1/4 of its rotation. It's a very loud amp. It's got great tube distortion and dynamics and great clean sound too.

Unfortunately, the price of Hiwatts has skyrocketed and they don't seem to be widely available in the US and Canada anymore. I bought mine in the seventies when the prices were reasonable.

http://www.bananasmusic.com/productdetail.asp/pid_8565/productname_HIWATT-Custom-100-Tube-head

One thing I don't like about the Hiwatt is that it's very heavy and awkward to lug around. So a few years ago I decided to buy something more portable. I got a Marshall MG50DFX solid-state amp with a single 12" speaker and built-in digital effects. It's very portable but I don't like the sound of it. It's muddy sounding and doesn't have the dynamics and rich tone of my Hiwatt. I'm sure that Marshall tube amps are great, judging by their popularity, but I can't recommend their solid-state amps.

There may be some good solid-state amps available but I think tube amps are the safest bet. If you want portability, look at some of the "combo" tube amps. I've heard good things about VOX modeling amps, though I've never tried one.

It's really hard to evaluate amps in the store. Some stores have a plan where you can rent various amps then apply the rental fees against a purchase. That way, you can try a few amps at home or at rehearsals or gigs, then buy the one you like best. I'd recommend doing that if you can. You need to know how an amp will sound when playing with the band. You can't do that in the store. So rent an amp for your next practice session. Then rent a different one for another practice session. Try a few amps in this way until you find the one that's right for you.

[Jim1970]

Tony, Sorry to hear about your Breakup.
Sounds like a new window was opened for you and sounds like a lot of fun.
Go to your Local music store and try out some combo amps.
Alot of the amps out today that are Modeling amps are awesome, Fender Mustang for one is really good, I love mine, But maybe a good 50 watt combo amp with a pedal like the Line 6 HD or Digitech rp500 which I have would work for you. So Many amp models on it that sound Great, plus all your Delays, reverb, effects and wah pedals included. Look at some video on you tube.

Good luck with Playing out with the Band.  I know you will ROCK HARD!!
JIM

[Farrell Jackson]

Tony, you've had a lot of good input from the group on this subject. Here's one more.....have you heard of or seen the Blackheart amps? They are now making a tube head that is 100 watts Class A/B or Class A with switchable power. In the Class A/B mode it is 100 or 50 watts. In Class A mode it is 60 or 30 watts. This is some great power versatility out of a single tube amp. I have a Blackheart 15 watt coupled with an Epiphone 5 watter as mini stack in my studio. The Blackheart cranks for 15watts and has been reliable. The BH100 watt should absolutely smoke and it's a nice looking amp to boot. Here's a picture of my mini stack.

Farrell

[Blooby]

I have only played through one once, but for a "budget" amp, I would take a look at the Jet City line.  Mike Soldano had a hand in making them.

Blooby

[pjd1]

Hi Tony sorry to hear about you recent split with Kim ,, i hope you find someone else who can make you happy !!

Amps ! all you need is a clean, sound a chorus / flange / sound , a crunch and a lead !! i use a Marshall vlavestate which is ultra reliable and a boss gt 6 for the sounds ..

Look for something that is easy to use live and not to complicated when you are under pressure , keep it all simple and maybe expand when you feel comfortable with your setup ,,

Live is an art in itself as you will hopefully find out , take two guitars and practice like F%K !!!

There is NO subsititue than playing with the band and rehearsing till you are robotic like !!!!

Good luck and speak to you soon ..

Dunny

 

[Tony W]

i hope you find someone else who can make you happy !!

Fortunately I did, ME! Thanks Dunny, you probably know I hang on your every word.

Blooby,

You just reminded me that I never set a price range!

I'm not afraid to drop $3000 for a long term investment, though I'd much prefer the $1500 range.

I look at this like any other hobby that costs money. Take golfing for instance, $65 for 3 hours on a course if you're lucky (that's before beers). It doesn't take long for that to add up, its just gradual. So as much as I'd like to say price is a concern, the return on the investment (both pleasure and resale value) is more what I care about.

[Bluesberry]

Good luck with this Tony. As for amps, I know that guitaron just purchased the 100W version of the new Fender Mustang Amp (solid state modeling amp) for live gigging and he loved it, said it was an excellent gigging amp.  I have the 40 W version and I can say that it is a damn fine amp for the price, similar to a Spider amp, but way better tones for live play, so the critics say.....worth looking into.  Not very heavy either.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNgTipganH4