Amplifier Suggestions/Opinions

[ridger]

I play mostly classic rock, southern rock, country and blues with my strat (someday hope to own a les paul also). I want to upgrade to another amp, but within a budget of less than $500. The amps I am looking at are listed below (no order). Two of them, Behringer and Carvin, are not available at my local music store, so I could not hear them. I've read the reviews at harmony-central, but I would appreciate your suggestions and opinions. Thanks.

 

1. Behringer Ultratwin GX210 or GX212

2. Behringer Vintager AC112

3. Carvin SX100 or SX100D

4. Marshall MG100DFX

5. Fender Princeton 65 DSP

6. Fender Deluxe 90 DSP

7. Crate GFX65 or GFX120

8. Crate GLX65

[Sylver]

Got something against tubes? For $500, you can get a pretty nice tube amp.

[Caevan O’Shite]

Don't ignore used amps- you can get a lot more for your money, if you play your cards right. Pump Myles Rose for advice on the "Feel free to ask Myles" thread. He's quite the knowledgable expert, as many here would attest!

As far as tube, as opposed to solid-state, amps go, considering your stated musical leanings I would think that a tube-amp would be more to your liking in the long run. Sure, there's some maintainence involved, but- if you plan on biting the bullet for a Les Paul down the road, I'd say you're into this enough to put up with that for the best in tone and "feel".

You should be able to find something descent in that price range, just figure out first what your needs are- channel switching vs. one AWESOME channel, clean headroom vs. low-volume overdrive and compression, clean and/or distorted sounds, etc.

 

Is this for home use, or playing-out in bars and clubs?

 

BTW, what are you using now that you are so hot to replace?

[sbrock1san.rr.com]

Originally posted by ridger:

1. Behringer Ultratwin GX210 or GX212

2. Behringer Vintager AC112

3. Carvin SX100 or SX100D

4. Marshall MG100DFX

5. Fender Princeton 65 DSP

6. Fender Deluxe 90 DSP

7. Crate GFX65 or GFX120

8. Crate GLX65

A Peavey Classic 30 or a Fender Blues Jr. would wipe the floor with anyone of those amps for blues, country, classic rock, etc. Both cost about $375-400. If you've never owned a tube amp before you owe it to yourself to at least consider one, their clean sounds are warmer than solid state and the distortion is more natural IMHO.

[roy d]

If you want to go solid state, I'd pick the Carvin out of the ones you list... but I too would recommend at least considering tubes. The Peavey Classic 30 and Delta Blues (basically the same amp only with tremolo and different speakers) sound great for under your price range. I play a Delta Blues 210 and like it a lot. I don't think you can beat that amp in that price range. Likewise the Fender Blues Jr. and the Carvin Nomad are good choices. The Carvin gives you a two week trial period and you can send it back if you don't like it.

[ridger]

To answer some of your questions. I never considered tube amps...didn't know if they required a lot of maintenance or what. I currently play through a small 20 watt Crate amp that I've had for many years...it has been very reliable. I play for pleasure at home or with a group of friends. I guess I want to upgrade because I would like to have something with more tone, volume, etc., and I've got the itch for a new amp! Thanks for your posts.

[Dylan]

I would also vote for a Fender tube amp. You can get a brand new Hotrod Deluxe for a little over $500 or less than $400 used. Behringer? Don't get me started!

[Caevan O’Shite]

Yeah- a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe would probably do ya real good!!! PintheG' (Now known as D Man) has hit it on the head right there. Even if you had a bunch of other cool amps, one o'those would probably be a cool addition just to have for a convenient little amp for spur-of-th'moment trips to jam or an extra amp for a friend to plug into. If you can't get a viable sound outta one of those, with your guit' and maybe some sorta distortion box for "heavy-er" sounds (it comes with clean, overdriven, and boosted-overdrive 3-way switching, you might not need a dist.-box at all...) then something's very wrong with the picture.

As you describe your current scene, that amp would do you proud! -k

[revolead]

Originally posted by Pain in the Glaven:

I would also vote for a Fender tube amp. You can get a brand new Hotrod Deluxe for a little over $500 or less than $400 used. Behringer? Don't get me started!

Behringer's are terrible, not the way they sound so much, but my bassist got an Ultrabass BX1200 and it broke within 6 mo. that he had it. He sent it in, it took three months to fix a minor problem. Plus Behringer makes money off of ripping off other peoples patents and selling it cheaper. I agree with everyone that a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe is perfect for your styles. Its very bluesy, yet has a great "hic" tone for country as well, and its substantial enough to hold its own, yet isn't too powerful to get a natural clip out of.

[Gato]

My vote for Roland Cube 60, try one of these ¡¡¡

[coyote]

Another possibility: Try a closed-back extension cabinet with your currrent amp. A 2x12 or 4x12 will make a difference in your tone, and might be just the ticket. 20 watts (especially if the Crate is a tube amp) will be loud enough for just about any playing situation if you run it thru a good cabinet. You may be able to find an old 2x12 very cheap out there somewhere.

[jetboy]

if you're going solid state check out the tech series, pretty good modeler and lots of other features for the $.

 

But ultimately for the real tone, tubes are the real deal. Look for a used uni-valve or one of the fender or peaveys mentioned. Reverend has some nice deals on tube amps as well as carvin and they sell direct for a bit less $$.

 

To play at home or even jam as long as the other guys aren't playing full stacks 10-20 watts of good tube power will be more than loud enough.

 

I play a 15 watt 2-10 and use a hotplate to lower the volume for home playing.

[Gabriel E.]

1. Behringer Ultratwin GX210 or GX212

2. Behringer Vintager AC112

3. Carvin SX100 or SX100D

4. Marshall MG100DFX

5. Fender Princeton 65 DSP

6. Fender Deluxe 90 DSP

7. Crate GFX65 or GFX120

8. Crate GLX65

None of the above. Actually, I've heard good things about the Carvin but for that much money, you can buy a nice tube amp - a must for Southern Rock IMHO.

 

All the previous suggestions for Peavey and Fender amps are good. I would also suggest looking for a used Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue or "Silverface" Fender tube amp from the 1970s.

[Blue Strat]

Check out some old Silvertone tube amps, the 1482 in particular. Also, you can find some nice, lesser-known tube amps in pawn shops that sound awesome.

 

I'd think that you could get a Marshall head for under $500 used.

[doc taz]

Hi ringer.

 

Let's get past the hype, shall we? (With all due respect to the tube lovers )

 

Before I proceed, I'll say that whatever sounds good to you is best, whether it's tube powered or not. Trust your gut instincts.

 

With that said, as a fan of Fender ss models, including a late 80s Deluxe 85 (plenty loud BTW), I'd say go for the Deluxe 90 DSP. The Celestion speaker it uses is similar to ones equipped in many Marshall 4x12's, and definitely gives it all the tone and power you need. You can also disable it, and power a single 4x12 later on with this amp.

[sbrock1san.rr.com]

Originally posted by tazzola:

Let's get past the hype, shall we? (With all due respect to the tube lovers )

You're right, tube amps are just hype. Shhhhhhhh, don't tell Myles

[jetboy]

taz,

 

I personally don't believe tube amps are hype, I like them. I also believe a player should use whatever works for them and sounds good to them.

 

If someone is getting good tone and I see they're using ss, I say good for them.

 

For me I feel it's easier to get good tone out of a decent tube amp but that doesn't mean you only get good tone out of tubes. I've heard just as many bad tones out of what should be good tube amps as I've heard good tones out of ss. I just prefer a good tube amp over just about anything else.

[Gato]

Originally posted by SteveRB:

Originally posted by tazzola:

Let's get past the hype, shall we? (With all due respect to the tube lovers )

You're right, tube amps are just hype. Shhhhhhhh, don't tell Myles

..........

[James-Italy]

From my experience 10-15 yrs ago valve amps were head and shoulders above SS- there was no comparison. Nowadays, some of the SS amps sound pretty darn good especially if loaded with effects and modeling. And it all depends on the kind of music you play.

 

You said you play "classic rock, southern rock, country and blues". Best I can tell those equal tubes. You should check out a tube amp side by side with the other finalists.

 

I'm having a blast with the "tube" thing these days and am blown away by how much tone you can generate without any effects and just the guitar and some hot tubes. With the THD running the tubes Guitplayer/Myles reccommended I'm getting "tube screamer" tones straight from the amp baby.

[CARMINE DAMICO]

Try the new amp from ROCKTRON,the Replitone,with midi mate connector,it smokes my boogie,CARMINE see it/click it on my site http://www.carminedamico.com http://www.mp3.com/carmined

[Wickerman]

Personally, I'd get a Carvin Nomad before I'd even TOUCH a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe... The HRD's dirty is just chinsy. It's so thin and brittle. The clean is great but when you go to the second channel, watch out... Nomad's dirty blows 'er away.

[Blue Strat]

Originally posted by tazzola:

Hi ringer.

 

Let's get past the hype, shall we? (With all due respect to the tube lovers )

 

Before I proceed, I'll say that whatever sounds good to you is best, whether it's tube powered or not. Trust your gut instincts.

 

With that said, as a fan of Fender ss models, including a late 80s Deluxe 85 (plenty loud BTW), I'd say go for the Deluxe 90 DSP. The Celestion speaker it uses is similar to ones equipped in many Marshall 4x12's, and definitely gives it all the tone and power you need. You can also disable it, and power a single 4x12 later on with this amp.

Being a fan of Metal tones, I like a lot of solid state amps, mainly Peavey, Crate, and Randall combos. The OD channel will out do most tube amps on overdrive and sounds very tight on the low end.

 

My personal favorite as far as tube amps would be Marshall JCM 800 2204's or JCM 2000 DSL-50's. These amps have a different kind of sound to them, not like Fenders or Mesa Booger's. Marshalls just seem to have a depth to them that most other tube amps don't seem to have, IMO.

 

I hate Peavey Delta Blues & Classic 30's!

[funky hot grits]

The fender hot rod deluxe is a great choice. If you want a great rig for blues, classic rock and southern rock, I'd look around for a second-hand Hot rod Deluxe and buy a G2D classic overdrive.

 

The classic will give you an extra two gain stages for crunch and lead with that old marshall tone. I own a classic, and run it through a mesa blue angel head and duo cab. I get a great clean from the amp, and fantastic crunch rythm and lead from the pedal. If you lean towards fender sounds for blues, you may want to look at the cream tone. This thing eats tube screamer reissues for breakfast.

 

check out: www.g2d.co.nz

[ridger]

Thanks for all the posts. It seems the majority recommends a tube amp. I'll check out the amps recommended and let you know what I go with. Thanks again.

[zoso2003]

I've used a Peavey Classic 30 for years playing everything from metal to country and it's a very versital and LOUD! amp. It surely isnt a Marshall or any other 100 watt tube head, but I've never played anywhere big enough to warrant that much power. It also fits in the trunk real well and the tubes have been pretty reliable. Best of all it's cheap and easy to find, now I got 2 that I run in stereo and both sound great. Fact: Jimmy Page played many solos and rythyms on Zep's recordings using a little Supro with an eight inch speaker.

[mark_dog]

Fender Hot Rod deluxe

[Bob Spatz]

I agree with the previous reply. If you are really looking for an amp that you won't grow out of, get a tube amp. A Peavey Classic 50 is a very versatile amp and would be perfect for the styles you play. They can easily be bought used for the price range you describe. I have been gigging with one for 4 years now and it has NEVER let me down. I play much the same type of music that you do. Another good value is the Crate Vintage Club 30. You could take the Crate nameplate off and almost pass this for a boutique amp. 30 Class A watts is plenty loud for most club stages. I have reviewed both these amps on Harmony Central - check it out.

 

Personally, I wouldn't fool with ANY solid state or digital amp - only tubes sound like tubes and the maintenance is no big deal and well worth it.

[Teahead]

As has been said many times on this thread...

Hot Rod Deluxe!

 

It does, as Wickerman said, suffer from a brittle overdrive channel, but this can be overcome.

The clean sounds are so rich you won't want to use anything else, a well chosen o/d pedal can

give you the perfect accompaniment to it. Ditch the Fender footswitch and find something to push that power stage.

 

In my experience, you get a much more consistent sound this way. There is also much more control over your o/d sounds, such as, more easily adjusted gain and separate EQ control.

 

Whatever you decide, trust your ears over every thing else, and best of luck!

[john_l]

I'd have a look at the other Behringer Vintager - the GM110 - it produces the closed solidstate imitation of glassy fender clean that I have heard, and the Marshall sim is crunchy and very musical. It has balanced XLR out with optional ground lift to go to direct into a PA in addition to an output to an external cabinet. It is a bit dry for some situations, but at $99.00, you have about $400 left over for a good reverb tank and / or effects.

 

I'd stay away from high output tube amps unless you really intend to play them at "eviction level" volumes because they don't sound nearly as good when you aren't heating the valves.

 

When I play out, I take the GM110's and play directly through it or out to the PA. I have a second GM110 hooked up to an A/B switch so I can switch between amp sounds.

 

I have heard that the Behringer stuff is a bit light in the loafers when it comes to durability, but the GM110 seems to be built like a tank. (And I carry two). Time will tell, of course...

 

Originally posted by ridger:

I play mostly classic rock, southern rock, country and blues with my strat (someday hope to own a les paul also). I want to upgrade to another amp, but within a budget of less than $500. The amps I am looking at are listed below (no order). Two of them, Behringer and Carvin, are not available at my local music store, so I could not hear them. I've read the reviews at harmony-central, but I would appreciate your suggestions and opinions. Thanks.

 

1. Behringer Ultratwin GX210 or GX212

2. Behringer Vintager AC112

3. Carvin SX100 or SX100D

4. Marshall MG100DFX

5. Fender Princeton 65 DSP

6. Fender Deluxe 90 DSP

7. Crate GFX65 or GFX120

8. Crate GLX65

[gtrmac]

Try a Fender Pro Junior. I recently recorded one and it sounded great. The clean setting was like a baby Vox and it was nice and smooth when overdriven. It uses an all tube design and a very simple circuit that really lets the guitar sound like it's supposed to.

 

They're very inexpensive too.

 

The reason many guitarists insist on tube amps is because of the way tubes behave when overdriven, especially in the output section. Solid State amps behave differently when driven to distortion and even amps with IC's in the preamp sound noisy and thin to me.

 

Here's an interesting technical article which explains the major differences between tubes and solid state and perhaps why they are still favored by many guitarists:

 

http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/select/0898/tube.html