Looking for an amp
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Posted on May 08, 2003 04:25 pm
sean bacastow
Member Since: Feb 14, 2003
I was looking a good sounding amp and an amp with decent wattage(if thats a word) for my home studio. Im not really looking for a stage amp but somthing that will sound good recorded. Any reccomendations would be appreciated.
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May 08, 2003 04:31 pm I'm assuming you mean a guitar amp. Boy, this one could get debated forever! What sort of budget are you looking to stay within? What style of music do you play? Are you more concerned with a great clean tone, great distorted tone or somewhere in between? This info will help narrow the field enough to give you some better ideas.
May 08, 2003 10:04 pm if you mean a guitar amp, a simple combo can get some great tones. Not some dinky 15w practice amp, but not a full stack either. 50w to 100w will suffice. I personally like the sound of a 2x12, and having played thru an old Fender Twin Reverb, I want one bad. Blue's right, this could be a whole website in itself.
Personally I don't have any decent guitar amps, but I've been getting a nice tone from my old Crate (it's really in a wooden frame) 45w 1x12" combo. It has two channels, clean and overdrive, switchable by foot switch, and a sweet sounding reverb. It's been my carry along everywhere amp for a few years but I havn't tried mic'ing it yet. Just got some SM57's in the mail, so maybe I'll do that this weekend.
May 08, 2003 10:21 pm Yeah, I have a Crate 15 watt right now. OH I was looking for a really nice distorted tone and im into punk/rock/heavy metal and alternative. I want either a fender or a marshall thinkin and not just cuz they're famous but because I like the sound.My budget will be up to $700.
May 08, 2003 11:58 pm dude.... 700$ you can find a nice orange OR 80 combo, youd love it. i play a fender right now, 4x10 deville... that gets the job done for all kinds of styles, you really cant trust marshall... ive had at least 10, all different models from different time frames. The solid states are horrible sounding, and all the tube amps are hand made and just slapped together, so you could get a good one or a bad one. trust me dude. go to your music store and set up 2 marshalls of the same model and eq them the same, you will hear a big difference in sound. NOW (breath) if you are looking for something to record with why not just go with a pre?... a mesa would be your best bet, you could get a nice triaxis pre for 700$ used if you look around some of the used sites. or their new recto pres are really nice sounding. very natural for recording situations. pod pros are amazing, i dont care what anyone says, best money you could spend as a guitarist with a studio. ive used one on several occasions on a few projects. But if you really want a combo amp to record with go british (orange, hiwatt, sound city), you cant lose. did i miss anything?
May 09, 2003 08:02 am Awsome I will look into that. I was also looking at the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, it is a tube with 40 watts for $559
stupeMember
Since: Apr 03, 2002
May 09, 2003 11:12 am sean, many new school artists use mesa boogie rectifiers for their heavy distortion. such artists include blink 182, sum 41, creed, limp bizkit etc. personally i have owned a mesa boogie dual rectifier and i was able to get the same tone as the hot new artists. the only thing about it is that you can ONLY get that one thing out of the rectifiers, so if youre looking to play jazz or blues or want different guitar tones dont go for it. but if you only record and play new school punk/pop/metal then the mesa boogie rectifier line would suit your needs.
May 09, 2003 04:28 pm Chalk another vote for the Dual Rectifier for me too, but that's going to fall a bit out of the price range. I would strongly suggest that you consider Line 6. Good deals can be found on their Flextone combos and one of those would give you a lot of flexibility in your sound. I love the sound of the Mesas and the older Marshals for distorted tones, but the Line 6 stuff gives you a bit of the "best of both worlds" and also can out out a great clean tone as well.
May 11, 2003 01:30 pm I am into a wide varity of music and have a lot of pedals so i was thinkin a crateGx212 with spring reverb would be nice. I was steering toward a tube qamp but I dont think i could give the tube amp the matinence it deserves
May 11, 2003 01:37 pm A lot of people I know rag on Crate, they just hate them, personally, I think they are pretty decent amps. I think Crate has a nasty, raunchy distortion that just rocks! and the clean sound is very good.
I have never figured out why people give Crate such a hard time...I think they seriously under-rated.
May 11, 2003 03:29 pm i would stay away from mesa amplifiers. they rattle appart, and the repair time from the shop is really nasty. something like 4 5 months. i had a tremoverb head and a markIII combo. both amps needed to be serviced while i owned them just from playing out live a few times a week. Crates are really low grade amps. crate should be sold with realistic crap at radio shack. But i mean, its true you do get what you pay for, that is why a solidstate amp is more affordable, and a poorer sound quality than a tube amp. tube amps arnt hard to service for the everyday tube swap or biasing. just read over your manual and get a book on tube amps and youll do fine. trust me. youll be kicking if you dont go with a tube amp. oh yea. everyone buy OZMA-"spending time on the borderline" so long and thanks for all the fish.
JasonMember
Since: Feb 17, 2003
May 11, 2003 07:25 pm I have a crate DX212. It has onboard digital effects (can be programed and updated). This amp has 2 12" speakers and has 100 watts. i think that it is very good. Check them out. The're not very expensive either.
If you want, and can offer the right price, i might could sell you the one i have. I have been wanting to get a half stack anyways.
thanks
jason
stupeMember
Since: Apr 03, 2002
May 11, 2003 08:32 pm the mesa boogie i had was rock solid, its true that you need to replace the tubes 1nce a year but that is true with most tube amps, as far as repair and service i though mesa boogie was really efficient and prompt, i had never taken mine on the road though. another good alternative for an amp if you are looking for a step down from the mesa boogie's is the Peavey 5150 II.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
May 13, 2003 10:10 pm I will join the rectifier bandwagon also. But like blue said, try the Line 6 Flextone. I have played through one many times, and loved it. If you can record live via miccing the cab, its got great tone.
fredzsMember
Since: Jan 07, 2003
May 13, 2003 11:53 pm Peavey XXX or 5150!
May 18, 2003 09:53 pm Yeah I here good things about Peavy and Mesa Boogie amps but I cant find any at MS. Maybe I'm just stupid ,but I've been looking for a while.
GeoffSM7b the Chuck Noris of Mic'sContributor
Since: Jun 20, 2002
May 19, 2003 02:17 pm if you are just looking for an amp for recording reasons , how about linking into such things like the line 6 POD , or something like that , you have a great variety of amps and effects , plus you don't wake up the neghbors at 2am . Just a thought , if you're just doing recording.
May 19, 2003 03:26 pm Just my 2 cents, but I would try to avoid Crate and Peavy. Unless you're considering the very top of the line from Peavy, they're primarly made for a more "beginner" market. Crate is basically the same way. I've heard good sounds from both companies, but it's rare in my experience. If you are going to seriously consider one of these. I suggest you go and play through a variety of them. Not all amps sound good for all players. You want to make sure you get an amp that works well with your playing style. I had a friend once who owned a sweet vintage Marshal that had been modified by Lee Jackson. It had an amazingly HUGE sound when he played through it. When another friend sat in on a jam using that amp and the same guitar, it sounded like... a Peavy! You need to get an amp that fits you. If that turns out to be a Peavy or Crate, so be it. But my bet is that you'll have a harder time finding one of those that sounds good than if you went with Marshal, Mesa, Line 6, etc. Of course, budget is a concern too and for what you're looking to spend, you can probably rule out several of the suggestions right off the bat. If budget is not such a concern, then definitely take a gander at Soldano. They sound AWESOME!
May 19, 2003 06:15 pm Wow,I know what you're saying about diff. players sounding diff on amps. Right now Im checking out line 6 and a Randall 2/12 100 watt combo. Anyone know about Randall?
May 19, 2003 06:25 pm I haven't heard anything about Randall in quite some time. But, I used to play with a guy who had a Randall head and a 4x12 cab. It sounded great! He did use a lot of effects so I don't know how much of his sound was made up by those, but generally, all the effects in the world won't make a bad amp sound good. I think Randall is definitely worth checking into. Personally, I plan to pick up a Line 6 Vetta combo sometime in the near future. I just love the extreme versatility and they sound fantastic. I have come to really like Line 6. They've got a great line of products that are designed from the start with home recording in mind. Best of luck with your decision. Let us know what you decide on.
May 20, 2003 08:25 am Thanks, I really didn't know how hard picking out an amp could be< and you guys have helped so much, thanks.
May 20, 2003 09:04 pm Iwas looking at the diff. POD models and I was wondering what model to get and I was wondering if I can plug my guitar into the POD and then plug that into my mixer, will that work?
MinkusMazBane of All ExistenceMember
Since: Mar 27, 2003
May 20, 2003 09:10 pm the PODxt looks like it's got a lot more options, but it seems like they'd only be useful once you got a hold of the basics of what the POD does. if you've got a rack that you're using, you can get a POD Pro for that. if you don't or you're on the cheap, just get the POD 2.0
yes, plug your pod into your mixer. that will work. i imagine you'd also be able to plug it straight into wherever your mixer is plugging into, to keep it succinct (suck what?).
May 21, 2003 08:10 am i think pod pro is the only decent sounding gear line 6 makes. their xt and 2.0 models are horrible. its like a kids toy. plastic construction. and their amplifier are so noisy! and hard to program.... such heavily effected crap they dont focus enough on the amp sound itself. randell is good. engater is working for randell now and im pretty sure he designed the entire new line. i have played their cartridge pre amp rack system. its really cool. but its pricy. remember this though, you get what you pay for with music items such as this. if you spend 300 dollars on a piece of plastic think of how long it will last. if i were you, like i think i have said earlier,, go for orange, hiwatt, sound city. pod models their sound after these amps but there is no real substitute. a step down from that would be something like a fender hot rod, a soldano hot rod 50, or a marshall mid 80s jcm 800. i know the last 2 amps might be hard to find new, but used in good condition shouldnt be a problem... not to plug or anything but come over to www.harmonycentral.com ive been buying/selling/trading gear there for 5 years and have never had a problem. there is the widest selection from people all over the world. i know youll find something nice there, and they have a huge review section for all kinds of gear.
May 21, 2003 12:55 pm Well, I disagree wholeheartedly. Firstly, the POD 2.0 and XT are NOT made out of plastic. The case is all made from cast metal and is very durable. The POD PRO is nothing more than a POD 2.0 in a rack unit with some additional input/output options. I have worked with both fairly extensively and have noticed no difference in sound whatsoever. To say that the POD PRO is "the only decent sounding gear Line 6 makes" seems crazy to me. But of course, that's all a matter of opinion, so you have to take what any of us says as such.
One of the "boutique" amps mentioned (Orange, Hiwatt, Soldano) would be great if you have the budget, but they're going to be a bit pricey for sure. What you have to do is go play through everything you can. Then and only then will you really be able to make a fully informed decision. What sounds terrible to me may be exactly what you're looking for and vice versa. There's a lot of different paint colors out there. It's up to the painter to pick which ones to use and how to mix them.
May 21, 2003 06:37 pm Hi all! I haven't posted in a long time. Well, anyways, I'm pretty sure that the POD is made out of plastic, but it's very shiny, heavy duty plastic. You can tell from the edges of it and how the surface reacts to heat. Well, I'm not postive about that, but I just wanted to make a post... haha. Even if it is plastic, that doesn't make it poor quality! In many cases plastic is the way to go. It's not like it's a foot pedal or anything. I'm pretty sure the POD pro and POD are the same soundwise, so, yeah, if one's a good piece of gear than so is the other. Personally I would say the POD pro is a rip-off if either of the two are. I mean, $300 extra for a metal case, a different shape, and some XLR i/o's sounds pretty rediculous to me.
May 21, 2003 06:45 pm Hey, muffins, welcome back, good to see you :-)
Whether made of plastic, steel or granite, it is the best commonly available amp sim on the market today, the XT model only improved on an already phenominal.
I dunno if the pro is a rip off, I am personally willing to pay a little extra for a rack mount, and the next POD upgrade I do will be for that, I hate the stupid little shapes all these amp sims are, POD, V-Amp whatever...especially the V-Amp, that stupid little guitar shape, makes it look like something my 2 year old daughter would play with...
Bottom line, notwithstanding other opinions, the POD rocks.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
May 21, 2003 10:01 pm Hey MyKungFu, I have some bad new for you. The case of the PODs are made of High Grade Aluminium. Then painted with a high grade acrylic paint. I dont know what the other makers of amp sims are doing, but I do know the Line 6 doesnt scrimp.
As far as their full blown amps, I dont know were you were listening to one, but I have several friends that own several differant models, and not one of them makes a whisper of noize. Maybe the AC line had a bad ground were you were whne you heard it.
And lastly, you consider Soldano a step down from HiWatt and Orange. Soldano amps have always been hand built, form the ground up. The quality is astounding, and cannot be matched for a live amp of that caliber. The sound of pure tone is what Soldano is about, and the crunch isnt half bad either.
And lastly of lastlys, I have programed in my POD via midi and been very satisfied with the sounds I can achieve with a little extra care in how I use it. I do not miss my live rig at all now. So as dB said, the POD rocks, and I will add this the POD Rools
May 22, 2003 04:30 pm Yeah, my recordings when I mic my amp is VERY noisy and I dont know what to do about it and I figure the POD will clean it up.
May 22, 2003 04:35 pm Indeed it will. And if you need an amp for live situations, you could get one of their amps and get the best of both worlds!
May 22, 2003 06:22 pm yeah I really like the look of the flextones
May 22, 2003 06:33 pm Check out the Vetta. Might be out of the price range that you want to spend, but they are sweet! You can run two completely separate amp models at the same time! Clean tone from one speaker and grind from the other. Talk about flexibility!
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
May 22, 2003 09:07 pm Yes indeed, the Vetta is rock solid. One of the guys that are coming to record here at the end of June owns one and he loves it. He also has the Flextone Spyder, that is my personal fav for its ballsy bluesy sound. He says hes never even tweaked any of the presets, just plays em as is.
May 27, 2003 10:40 pm Oh and I was gong to pick up a digital 8 track recorder and could I use a POD with that?
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
May 27, 2003 10:55 pm Yes indeed sean, you can. That is what the POD is for, direct recording without and amp.
LokiCone PokerMember
Since: Apr 07, 2002
May 28, 2003 12:57 am Fender Champ and an SM57...
LokiCone PokerMember
Since: Apr 07, 2002
May 28, 2003 01:03 am Crank those tubes and get a nice dirty crunchy sound. Oh baby...
May 28, 2003 06:55 pm NO i know its for direct recording but does it matter if its on the computer or not
May 28, 2003 07:11 pm No, it doesn't matter. A PC will give you control beyond what you see in the knobs on the surface, but it will work with any type of recording.
May 28, 2003 07:18 pm Cool i was tinking about picking up a fostex digital recorder
