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February 5, 2019 at 2:38 pm #124509
hello I am looking to get a new amp at a reasonable price i love a clean sound and like playing the blues, any suggestions?
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February 5, 2019 at 3:35 pm #124513
Mark,
What is going to be the main use of the Amp Stage to in the house or bedroom etc are obviously differing requirements? Is portability an issue and where is your budget. I have three amps an HH 100 watt twin combo with 12 inch Celestions from way back in the 1970s when they first came out. It solid state and very powerful. with two channels for two separate guitars and each channel has reverb a bright and a normal input. The master Chanel has sustained and tremolo effects available. The Downside is 70lbs weight. I have a Yamaha THR10c which is my main use amp and it is mostly USB connected to my desktop and acts as my computer sound system as well as a modelling amp with a built in tuner. Much has been said about these in the forum and many have them and love them. I would buy another if this quit. They are a little pricy but its definitely one of the Amps to check out.. My most recent purchase is a 2 year old Mesa Boogie RectoVerb 10/25 watt. This is ample power for playing in the local pub etc and has all the Mesa qualities of their tube amps and sounds as good as you could want a fabulous AMP. Both these last two amps are very well covered on youtube.
Blackstar have a great following here two They are relatively cheaper but extremely well made very high tech andd versatile with a great modeling capability. Most recently the Boss Katana has proved to be a great amp too. so check those names on Utube and it might help you out. but think what you need it for first and what is the budget?
Hope that helps
JohnStrat -
February 5, 2019 at 5:07 pm #124517
Blackstar Artist 15 or 30 – Low wattage tube amps with old school voicing with the blues & Classic Rock in mind. Great sounding amps for sure
Blackstar ID Series 30, 60 or 260 are great progammable amps or modeling amps as other companies call them. Advertised to be Loud As Valves and I believe it – Blackstar engineered the characteristics of 6 output tubes in tone and performance. 12 effects, 6 channel preamp and full stereo
Blackstar ID Core 20 or 40 for a small portable amp, viable alternative to the Yamaha THR10c. 12 effects, 6 channel preamp and full stereo – plus half the price of the Yamaha
Blackstar HT20R MKII 20-watt – great all around amp for blues or rock
Hmmm, seems that I’m biased towards Blackstar…… LOL
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February 6, 2019 at 7:04 am #124586
Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue is my favorite. You can find a nice Fender Blues Jr. or Pro Jr. for about 350. The Peavey Classic 30 112 is also very affordable. These are tube amps and give a nice crystal bell like clean tone. I have used Marshall, Vox, Peavey and Fender. Today I have a Fender Tweed Pro Jr. A Fender Silver Face Champ and a Marshall DSL 15. Love them all but Fender in my opinion is the best.
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February 6, 2019 at 12:24 pm #124611
Thank you so much John, it was a big help.
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February 6, 2019 at 12:26 pm #124612
Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue is my favorite. You can find a nice Fender Blues Jr. or Pro Jr. for about 350. The Peavey Classic 30 112 is also very affordable. These are tube amps and give a nice crystal bell like clean tone. I have used Marshall, Vox, Peavey and Fender. Today I have a Fender Tweed Pro Jr. A Fender Silver Face Champ and a Marshall DSL 15. Love them all but Fender in my opinion is the best.
I love the Peavey Classic line of amps, I had a Classic 50 410 that was an amazing amp for sure. Wide range of tonal possibilities.
If I were to buy a Fender amp, the Princeton Reverb and Deluxe Reverb would be my choice.I discovered Blackstar a couple of years ago and they’ve engineered some of the sweetest sounding amp available today. Very versatile
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February 6, 2019 at 12:40 pm #124613Anonymous
I’m also looking to replace my Fender Mustang II v2. I have my choices down to two. Boss Katana 50 or Yamaha THR10 series. Can’t makeup my mind.
I’m also on the fence with Fender GT40 because of the wifi and Bluetooth options but there’s something about that amp that doesn’t sound right on all the demos I’ve watched.
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February 20, 2019 at 8:19 am #125875
Ivan, I have been eyeing up that Boss Katana 50 myself. Definitely looks like a cool amp and tons of positive reviews.
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February 8, 2019 at 2:11 am #124780
My personal view on amps
I find transistor amps tiring, after more than 1/2 an hour with 1 on I’m happier to turn it off and just play Unplugged.
They just feel in your face too clinical, the majority of my playing is low to mid volumes with a reverb or trem pedal on.
Transistor amps have come along way but I’d want to be able to take it back after an extended demo at home, if it doesn’t pass the extended noodle time clean test then it would just sit in the corner mostly unused.
Hope this helps
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February 19, 2019 at 10:12 am #125726
I also would vote for the Blackstar HT series or Artist series. I have a HT-5R and love it for at home practice. It has an ISF (infinite shape feature) which allows you to get marshall or fender tones with the twist of a dial. Its also a tube/solid state combo. One of it’s best features is the emulated output jack that i plug my BeyerDynamic DT770 studio headphones into and get great sounds while silent practicing.
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February 19, 2019 at 12:16 pm #125735
Buying an amp is a very personal thing. I tried the Fender Mustang, Vox VTX, Blackstar ID Core and HT One, but when I played with the Vox MV50 Clean I didn’t hesitate and bought it. I put it on my pedal board beside a overdrive and reverb pedal.
When I would buy an amp now I would probably buy the Vox Mini Superbeetle.rgs
Luc
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February 19, 2019 at 2:06 pm #125749
I also would vote for the Blackstar HT series or Artist series. I have a HT-5R and love it for at home practice. It has an ISF (infinite shape feature) which allows you to get marshall or fender tones with the twist of a dial. Its also a tube/solid state combo. One of it’s best features is the emulated output jack that i plug my BeyerDynamic DT770 studio headphones into and get great sounds while silent practicing.
I’ve seen remarks by people that the ISF control is worthless and that it doesn’t do anything for tone. I find on my Artist 15 and my ID260, the effect can be subtle but I use it especially when switching between guitars with single coil to humbuckers. Its a genius concept for sure…..
And I have to bring up G&L’s tone circuit too, instead of 2 tone controls on the front pickups like a Strat has, Leo designed a Passive Treble & Bass circuit that shapes the overall tone of the guitar. With those controls on the guitar and the flexibility of the Blackstar amps, you have an extremely wide range of tone.
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March 9, 2019 at 10:15 am #127808
The ISF feature is only noticeable on channel 2
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February 19, 2019 at 6:32 pm #125796
So much will depend on budget. There is a world of difference between having $100 to spend and $10,000.
I currently have a Boss Katana 50, and a Yamaha THR10c. I like them both, and use them in different rooms. If I had to choose between them, I would probably take the Katana. Both of them are a lot more flexible if you tether them to a computer. I can’t be bothered, and so pretty much stick to what I can dial in on my own, and that’s basically good enough. I also like the Backstar ID series (but not the cheaper versions that came later, the ones with the “true valve” technology. And you could get an old Fender Mustang 3 v.2 for very cheap, and get great results from it.
I intend to move up to a robust digital amp sometime later this year, either one of the Helixes, or a Fractal Axe-fx, or a Kemper. That requires also having some sort of monitoring in place. Budget for that will range from $1000-$3500, depending on what I finally decide upon. ($1k would be something like the Helix LT with an Alto speaker; $3500 would be the Axe-fx 3 with a Henriksen Amp or an Atomic CLR as speaker). These will get just about any amp sound you can imagine, and when done right, they will be virtually indistinguishable from recorded versions of amps that they model.
With a $10K budget, I would maybe bypass the modelers and get a few tube amps. They are heavy, loud, costly to maintain, and they sound glorious. I would also probably have to be willing to get a divorce. And if I could spend that much on amps, I would still spend it on guitars first, so its not gonna happen.
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February 19, 2019 at 8:23 pm #125827
Lots of good suggestions. Just want to add the Vox AC10. Surprised how good this 10 watt tube amp with a 10″ speaker sounds.
Mike
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February 20, 2019 at 8:16 am #125873
I bought a Fender Champion 20 off amazon for $99. It does everything I need it to, and has amp models and effects built in. It sounds decent, and for the price I really have no complaints at all. Also, it has an aux input and a headphone out, which is important to me because 99% of the time I play is when the rest of my family is sleeping. I guess it just depends on your current playing situation. Can you turn it up and crank it when you play? Or do you have to play quietly or even silent through headphones?
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March 6, 2019 at 3:42 am #127551
So much will depend on budget. There is a world of difference between having $100 to spend and $10,000.
I currently have a Boss Katana 50, and a Yamaha THR10c. I like them both, and use them in different rooms. If I had to choose between them, I would probably take the Katana. Both of them are a lot more flexible if you tether them to a computer. I can’t be bothered, and so pretty much stick to what I can dial in on my own, and that’s basically good enough. I also like the Backstar ID series (but not the cheaper versions that came later, the ones with the “true valve” technology. And you could get an old Fender Mustang 3 v.2 for very cheap, and get great results from it.
I intend to move up to a robust digital amp sometime later this year, either one of the Helixes, or a Fractal Axe-fx, or a Kemper. That requires also having some sort of monitoring in place. Budget for that will range from $1000-$3500, depending on what I finally decide upon. ($1k would be something like the Helix LT with an Alto speaker; $3500 would be the Axe-fx 3 with a Henriksen Amp or an Atomic CLR as speaker). These will get just about any amp sound you can imagine, and when done right, they will be virtually indistinguishable from recorded versions of amps that they model.
With a $10K budget, I would maybe bypass the modelers and get a few tube amps. They are heavy, loud, costly to maintain, and they sound glorious. I would also probably have to be willing to get a divorce. And if I could spend that much on amps, I would still spend it on guitars first, so its not gonna happen.
Tube amps have a warmth to them that you feel as well as hear and my feeling on a Kemper and it’s ilk is that why buy something that is an imitation of the real thing?
My tube amp is incredibly tactile and responsive to changes in playing and the combination of controls on it and the guitar.
My amp was 2nd hand 12 years ago and I kind of look at it now as a lifetime purchase we are extremely happy together 🙂
On topic if I tried to replace it then hand wired tube amps don’t leave you much change from 2k if any and to get O/D I use an origin revival drive ( recent 2nd hand purchase still expensive though).
The Kemper at the same price point still needs a power amp speakers and a computer to interface with it.From experience I tend to set stuff up and leave it.
There is another side to this as well I play to relax and messing with computer parameters while having infinite options is one thing you just don’t want me to have. (until recently I was a software engineer / technical analyst)
Anyway hope my very personal view / bias was helpful 😉
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March 9, 2019 at 10:26 am #127809
The ISF feature is only noticeable on channel 2
On my Artist 15 and, the ISF feature is very useful on both channels and on the Blackstar ID amps, its useful on the channels that I’ve tried.
As mentioned, its very subtle – much like a compressor, if you listening closely, you miss it-
March 9, 2019 at 2:46 pm #127826
I guess your ears and amp is better than mine so thats good.
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March 9, 2019 at 2:51 pm #127827
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March 9, 2019 at 3:22 pm #127828
No offense taken. We have different amps and different ears. Also in response to your post “I’ve seen remarks by people that the ISF control is worthless and that it doesn’t do anything for tone”.
I think folks might not be able to hear much of a difference if on the clean channel whereas the OD channel is much more noticeable in comparison to clean. I myself don’t hear anything useful on the clean channel, but that is me. I don’t tweak the amp much. For clean i set volume to 1 and tone to 9 (in other words about a tad over half on vol and about 1/4 on tone) for warm clean. If i run the the isf back and forth it doesn’t flavor it for me??? The fact that it works for your ears is a good thing. Also, i must note that i play almost exclusively through headphones (Beyer Dynamic DT 770 Studio) via the emulated output. So that could have something to do with it. I live in a condo! -
March 10, 2019 at 4:10 am #127859
“Tube amps have a warmth to them that you feel as well as hear and my feeling on a Kemper and it’s ilk is that why buy something that is an imitation of the real thing?”
There are a few reasons: First, there is the cost. Any of the high end modelers will end up saving thousands in amps and pedals, while giving more variety and options.
Second, is consistency. Tube amps can sound different in different conditions.
Third is weight. If you are lugging them around, there is a world of difference.
Fourth is ability to play at low volumes and get sounds that are like the recording of tube amps we all love.
Fifth is ease of recording to DAW, and the flexibility that recording can have.
Sixth is variety of sounds available.
Those will have different weights for different people. And there may be some advantages to tube amps, but they are rapidly disappearing. Already, when played through the same cab, the high end modelers are proving themselves to be indistinguishable from the amps and effects they are modeling.
Finally, the entire world of electric guitar is largely focused on imitating the real things. People are looking to copy the sounds of the guys they loved, and that means getting copies of 50s technology, in guitars and amps.
Even if I were not interested in a modeler, with $1000 to spend I would still buy a solid state amp: a Henriksen Bud, to be specific. We all like different things, I guess.
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April 1, 2019 at 10:36 pm #129282
I love my Fender Blues Junior.
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