amp advice

hulmerist · Post by **hulmerist** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 7:50 pm

currently have an orange crush 30r which i've grown a bit bored of, my guitar is a tele deluxe 72 reissue

i like this but obviously cannot justify paying that much for an amp due to

a) my buyers remorse
b) my shite playing which would be an insult to said amp

so, what i'm wondering is, can i get something that sounds kind of like that at around the Â£100 mark that would be a good match for my guitar

ps i'm new be gentle with me

Post by **Doog** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 8:16 pm

Not for Â£100, alas :/

hulmerist · Post by **hulmerist** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 8:44 pm

well yeah, kind of figured...maybe something half a nice?

hulmerist · Post by **hulmerist** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 8:58 pm

and also....preferably amps with a headphone socket...because well...you know...the shitness factor again

Post by **Doog** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 9:07 pm

What is it you don't like about your current amp? Might be worth trying a few pedals out if you're just after a nicer sounding overdriven sound. You're not really gonna find a tube/valve amp under Â£300, and those won't have headphone sockets due to their high voltage, fussy nature.

Maybe try looking at a modelling amp? The Vox Valvetronix will give you a million decent sounds, don't cost the earth and have headphone outputs:

AD15VT: 15-watt 1x8" speaker
AD30VT: 30-watt 1x10" speaker
AD50VT: 50-watt 1x12" speaker
AD50VT-212: 50-watt 2x12" speaker
AD100VT: 100-watt 2 x12" speaker

The 15watter can be had for a little over a ton.

I've got a 15w Zoom modelling amp for home use and it really sounds decent for the money, especially if you're just going guitar to amp.

JamesSmann · Post by **JamesSmann** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 9:53 pm

i just bought myself a AD30VT and it is fucking radness. highly reccomend.

Will · Post by **Will** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 9:53 pm

Valvetronix would be a good place to start; they sound especially good through headphones and you can even use it for direct recording if you upgrade to a better amp later.

Otherwise you could look at something like the Crate V-18 112. It's not a straight-ahead Vox clone, but it would get you most of the EL84 sound for a reasonable price. There's one on ebay UK currently for 108 pounds buy-it-now.

Keep in mind also that digital amps have very low resale, so the Crate might be a better option if you're planning to upgrade later

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 10:22 pm

i'd recommend the AD15 personally; they're brilliant for what they are (bedroom recording / practising).

i've also heard good things about these- http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_ga15.htm although i haven't heard one, i'm just going by a friend's opinion.

BobArsecake · Post by **BobArsecake** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 10:29 pm

Sod buyer's guilt, and no gear is too good for any player.

dawnofzion · Post by **dawnofzion** » Wed Aug 27, 2008 11:04 pm

I have a Vox AD15VT that I would be willing to trade straight up for the Orange Crush 30R. It is in Perfect condition and it works flawless. Where are you located?

Justin J · Post by **Justin J** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 1:19 am

who did that demo and how did i miss it?

yaksox · Post by **yaksox** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 1:24 am

BobArsecake wrote:Sod buyer's guilt, and no gear is too good for any player.

I totally agree with that sentiment. Be good to your self. Think about it from the perspective that your playing will get better -- or from another one of - you don't have to judge your playing in relation to other people's.

We should have a pow-wow about the VX advt series here sometime. I have one too, but I'm starting to think that I wouldn't recommend it. One thing that's bothering me it the quality of the wood + tolex the cabnet is made from. There's damage marks on the back of mine already just from being carted around a bit on a little trolley.

I'm thinking a good rule of thumb for the future might be to spend the same amount on an amp as you did on your best guitar.

If you're in the uK have a look around for a 2nd hand ac15 or ac30, in the US get a fender blues junior.

yaksox · Post by **yaksox** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 1:26 am

bubbles_horwitz wrote:who did that demo and how did i miss it?

Yeah. I like the tibetan folk stuff and cat.

JamesSmann · Post by **JamesSmann** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 1:26 am

i haven't carted my AD30VT around at all yet...but i'm not too arsed about dings. it's a 250 dollar hybrid amp.

Reece · Post by **Reece** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 1:30 am

bubbles_horwitz wrote:who did that demo and how did i miss it?

http://shortscale.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16565

dawnofzion wrote:I have a Vox AD15VT that I would be willing to trade straight up for the Orange Crush 30R. It is in Perfect condition and it works flawless. Where are you located?

You should definately jump on this if you can.

yaksox · Post by **yaksox** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 1:30 am

St. Jimmy wrote:i haven't carted my AD30VT around at all yet...but i'm not too arsed about dings. it's a 250 dollar hybrid amp.

Yeah I know. It's a minor quibble. It's sounds great, I just spent too much on mine because of shipping.

Will · Post by **Will** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 3:53 am

My main issue with the AD15/30 is the noise floor - it's not terrible on the Fender models, but on the Vox model there's a constant hissing through the speakers.

shae · Post by **shae** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 3:55 am

BobArsecake wrote:Sod buyer's guilt, and no gear is too good for any player.

<3

Fucking ace attitude man and I couldn't agree more.
You should get whatever it is that most interests you and will keep you interested in playing more and more.
Personally I'd recommend a Roland Cube 30. Those things are fucking ace. But for a bit more cashola, I'd get a Bad Cat Mini Cat from the US.
They can be wired to work on 220-240v, has headphone input, is all tube and sounds fucking wicked (especially through a 1x12 which you can add later!).

hulmerist · Post by **hulmerist** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 7:05 am

thanks for the replies!

since i know nothing about amps really i'll try and be more specific, i want it to sound good when using pedals, my pedal collection consists of a rat2 which i love to bits, it's the only way i can a sound out of my amp and guitar which i adore, but i can never quite achieve that the bends-ish tone that i'm after

it'd also be nice to have a clean tone a la jeff buckley at sin-e (if anyone has heard that one)

i think i have too many wants and needs, i've been looking at the epiphone valve jr and the fender champion 600....any good?

Reece · Post by **Reece** » Thu Aug 28, 2008 12:26 pm

I did a demo of the Champ 600:
[youtube][/youtube]

And sloan did a demo of the Valve Jr:
[youtube][/youtube]
They're both good little amps, but you've only got a volume knob so you either gotta love the sound or have some pedals.