Also Need New Amp

[simonsays]

Hey there,

Sorry to sound like a broken record but I would love to hear some advice from you guys. I've never really known a lot about amps and have had this Marshall MG30DFX for ages now, which isn't gonna cut it for me anymore...

Firstly, I find it's Overdrive channel pretty dire and would prefer to just use a distortion pedal. Also, I don't need the FX channels because I have a few pedals already: Boss DD3, TR-2, Loop Station and a Digitech Whammy. I am planning on getting a lot more pedals too, Reverb and Overdrive at the top of the list. So I need an amp that can handle all of them well. Its especially important with the Loop Station because, well, I like layered melodies. I play many different styles but I love 'film music' if that makes any sense to anyone, if not, ignore me. I play a lot of shoe-gaze, Sigur Ros sort of stuff as well though.

I'm using this amp for home use only, maybe small gigs or so but a combo amp is really what I'm looking for. I would love to start recording some of my music soon though. I don't know anything about tubes but i hear they're more expensive. I don't want to spend anymore than like £400-500, ($800-1000?)

Right now the Fender series has caught my attention, Blues Junior etc. but I'm open to all suggestions. Thanks!

[michael.flavor]

Okay, I'll bite.

When I think of Sigur Ros, I think of clean and shimmery. Check out something in the Roland Jazz Chorus line. Since you're looking for bedroom/small gig volumes, maybe keep an eye out for the JC-55, JC-77, or JC-90 (or something similar). The JC-120 would most likely be overkill, unless you hate or have no neighbors.

By nearly all accounts, you'll want to get some sort of distortion/overdrive/fuzz pedal instead of using the onboard distortion. Bad Monkeys, Rats, and Big Muffs all get crazy amounts of love here, but I'll go ahead and throw in the DOD 250/YJM 308 for consideration.

Oh, and if one of those amps (bought used) and any of those pedals runs much more than half of your budget, I'd be surprised.

[simonsays]

Thanks for biting, that roland series does look like what I'm after. Although I'm from the UK and can't seem to find any retailer for that specific series. That JC-120 looks absolutely insane though!

[michael.flavor]

Don't forget to check the used venues like Craigslist or your local resale shops, since I think only the JC-120 (and the JC-90?) are in production. At least for the JC-120, used prices are about half that of new prices.

[simonsays]

I'll keep a look out for it. Any other suggestions?

[Scruff]

When in doubt, go for clean that you can spruce up with pedals.

For (f'in) loud? Fender Twin.

Maybe a Blues Deluxe, for less splatteringly loud volumes.

[michael.flavor]

Originally posted by Scruff
For (f'in) loud? Fender Twin.

Originally posted by simonsays
I'm using this amp for home use only, maybe small gigs or so

I think the Twin might be a little much, but here's my own question: how are the low-volume tones of the Twin, Blues Deluxe, Blues Jr, etc?

[simonsays]

I'm very much favouring toward the Blues Deluxe right now.

[crazycoyote]

Originally posted by michael.flavor
I think the Twin might be a little much, but here's my own question: how are the low-volume tones of the Twin, Blues Deluxe, Blues Jr, etc?

Keep in mind the Twin has a 1/4 power switch, so you can run either 100 watts or 25 watts. I'm looking very hard at getting one right now.

simonsays, definitely look at the Twin, Twin Reverb for shimmery cleans, the Twin Reverb especially if you're going to use a lot of pedals.

[alphaguitar]

+1 for the Jazz Chorus. I didn't know they still made them new. Haven't seen one in years.

Watch out for the weight of the Twin. I know you said home use, but you also mentioned small gigs. The Twin isn't easy to carry around.

For a cheaper option, you may want to look at the Peavey Classic range. By playing with the difference between pushing the pre-amp or power-amp, you can get a nice range of tones. If size isn't an issue, they used to do a 4x10 version which makes for an interesting combination. Go for second hand or the 2x12 or 1x12 to keep the price down.

If you're careful about which amp you buy, you may not need the overdrive and reverb pedals. And you can save money there to spend on a better amp. Unless you hoard pedals like a lot of us :-)

It also depends on how much you need clean headroom. I'd be half-tempted to suggest a Matamp Minimat combo or an Orange Tiny Terror combo for the price. You'll have a lot more fun playing at home with these as they'll sound good at low volumes. But if you need a lot of clean sounds at loud volume, then they're probably not the best for you.

[head_cold]

There are a couple Jazz Choruses on eBay right now all well below the £500 mark, if you're okay with buying on eBay.


Also, dare I say it, the Roland Cube 60 does an excellent job of modelling a Jazz Chorus.
I mean there isn't much to model when it comes to a Jazz Chorus is there?
Please don't lynch me for suggesting a modelling amp

[alphaguitar]

Please don't lynch me for suggesting a modelling amp

I was also thinking of suggesting the Vox hybrid amps. They've got the tones for Sigur Ros type work, but I've no idea how reliable they are over time.

Would the Cube 60 suit small gigs? I'd have thought it would struggle against even a quiet drummer, especially if the drummer started playing

[michael.flavor]

Originally posted by alphaguitar
Would the Cube 60 suit small gigs? I'd have thought it would struggle against even a quiet drummer, especially if the drummer started playing

If if was a gig where amps are miced, I'd have to imagine that you could practically be playing through one of those $50 Fender Mini-Twins.

Okay, I might be overexaggerating there, but a Cube 60, from the specs on Roland's site, sounds like it would work well for a Sigur Ros/'film music' style at home/small gig volume levels.

[alphaguitar]

If if was a gig where amps are miced, I'd have to imagine that you could practically be playing through one of those $50 Fender Mini-Twins.

Yes I agree with the concept. Going through the PA provides for more flexibility in choosing a lower power amp.

If un-miked, I think a 60W solid-state is going to struggle with a drummer. One of my older amps is a 65W Hughes and Kettner club reverb. It's a great amp with a nice feel for a solid-state. But it couldn't compete with the volume from a drum-kit. I had to mic it up.

Suppose we need to wait for the OP to post back about what he needs.

[Scruff]

Since we've deviated onto loudness, I know that my 15w Tiny Terror can keep up with most drummers and my mostly deaf cousin can hear me playing from down the street, so it should be remembered that wattage doesn't control volume entirely. It takes five (four?) times the wattage to effectively double the decibel output, while my 15 watt Tiny Terror can overpower most other 15 watt amps that I've tested. The ubiquitous Fender Twin is only 80 watts, but puts out absolutely gross clean volume.

Micing will fix almost any problems with volume, but it always feels good to not need a damn mic.