Best "Starter" Amp for Personal Use?

[tennisbum]

Now that I have put up a discussion about better "entry level" guitar (Epiphone or Squier), I guess I also need to turn some attention to a "starter amp".

 

In another post someone mentioned that I should be looking at least at a 12" amp (because of the better sound it gives compared to a 10"). My guitar playing is going to be for home use in a standard size bedroom for my own enjoyment.

 

Knowing this info: what "starter" (ie: pretty cheap) amp (company and model) would you recommend for this purpose? {I would prefer the cost stay as low as possible but something that will last more than a year or two}.

 

Thanks for all your help. I'm sure you get tired of us newbies posting the same questions over and over but you'll never know how much it means to us to get great advice from guitarists who have been in our shoes. Thanks again.

 

tb

[Gato]

Roland Cube 15 or Cube 30. ¡¡¡¡

[tennisbum]

Any thoughts on the Fender Frontman 15R or 25R amps?

 

Thanks.

 

tb

[JimK]

If you're playing in your bedroom, then you might want to consider something that has headphone capabilities. That way you can play into the wee hours of the morning and not annoy the rest of the family.

 

The Fender Frontman amps are solid-state (I think). Why not consider an amp modeler? They usually sound better then a solid state amp and you'll get more sounds out of it (plus some effects, too!). If you want to play without the headphones, you'll need some way to amplify the modeler. With a lot of the modelers, you can use a home stereo for this.

 

Just my $.02

[Blue Strat]

Originally posted by tennisbum:

Any thoughts on the Fender Frontman 15R or 25R amps?

 

Thanks.

 

tb

I like the Fender Frontman 15R. It sounds pretty good if you roll the gain back to 5 and turn the volume up. A Peavey Rage 158 is a good starter amp too. I'm almost sad that I sold mine.

[Cowbell]

The Fender Frontman 15R is great! My first practice amp. But then I upgraded to Music-Man and Cyber-Twin

[Boggs]

Look into the Carvin SX50... Great sounding little amp that you can grow into a bit. Outstanding tube emulation circuitry without the hassle of tubes. Not a lot of bucks. www.carvin.com . Boggs

[Rim]

I've been impressed with Marshall's AVT series. They come in all sizes and prices. Even the smallest one has a very good distortion sound and the clean isn't bad.

[Sean Ryan]

Although you wanted a 12" I have a Marshall G30RCD 30W with 2 channels. It's got Footswitch Jack, Line Out, Headphone Jack and CD input. Not too expensive. Nice sounds.

[Tedster]

Ya talkin' about a little practice amp, or something you can gig with?

[Wickerman]

Carvin SX50 or V16... Pignose makes a good little 40watt tube amp... Fender's Pro Jr... As far as starter gear, it's ALWAYS better to wait and save up your money for something that will sound better, be more versatile and last longer. If you get something cheap you'll just outgrow it in a very short time period where as if you spend about $300 on an amp and $300 on a guitar, you can get something that will last you as long as you play. The Carvin amps and the Fender will all always be great home-practice amps. They're wonderful pieces of equipment. And for $350 you can get a Mexican made Fender Stratocaster or Telecaster. Then there's always used gear. eBay's Musicial Instruments section always has good gear for low prices with the Buy It Now option. I've seen $400 guitars for $200 in primeo condition. Used is a great way to go for new players.