Guitar amp for for my daughter

hrodbert696 · #1 12-20-2010, 05:11 AM

Not sure if I should post this in amps instead. My 14-year old daughter has been learning guitar and has recently been invited by some friends to play with them. All she has is a cheap scratchy practice amp with five or ten watts in an 8-inch speaker, so I'm thinking of getting her an upgrade.

I'm used to all the discussion of amps from a bass perspective, but what does a new guitarist need to be able to keep up with a band? This is your basic teen garage band, no gigs on the horizon at this point. The sales guy at Daddy's Junky Music was pushing a 20-watt Fender Mustang combo - would that really be enough?

I always heard a bassist needs about double or triple the watts of a guitarist and I play a 220-watt combo, so I had thought she should have 75 or 100 watts, but I don't know... anyone out there double on guitar who can advise me?

oerk · #2 12-20-2010, 05:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hrodbert696

I always heard a bassist needs about double or triple the watts of a guitarist and I play a 220-watt combo, so I had thought she should have 75 or 100 watts, but I don't know... anyone out there double on guitar who can advise me?

IME, it's more like ten times as much.

I would definitely go for a modelling combo. Never heard a transistor combo I really liked the sound of, and tube amps are either one trick ponys or too expensive.

Check out the Roland Cubes. They sound amazing for the money and are much louder than their wattage implies. A used Cube 60 would do the trick nicely, though the new 40XL is probably enough.

Other contenders would be one of the newer Vox combos or a used Line6 Flextone.

James_E · #3 12-20-2010, 05:35 AM

20 watts tube, minumum. 30 watts would be better and serve her well longer. I have not played the Mustang, have heard that they sound great, but I have no idea if that would cut through anything. I know that the VOX amps that compete with the Mustang (multi-sounds, inexpensive) do cut through, but they have some tube thing going on. I think a VT30 would work. Perhaps the Mustang would as well, I have no experience with them.

20-30 watts of tube would easily keep up with most drummers. IMHO 50 -75 watts would be way overkill, unless the drummer is a HUGE hitter, and/or the other guitar player has that much power. If they're into that realm already, her ears are going to take a beating. Get some good ear protection.

fenderhutz · #4 12-20-2010, 05:47 AM

What type of music? I wouldn't buy a 14 year old a tube amp. A Line6 Spyder at 50 watts would be a good bet. Also look at some pawn shop Peaveys. The transtube series are cheap and sound decent.

If it were me (this is actually what I run), I got a Crate Power Block used off of Guitar Centers used site and run it with a cab. Light, portable, loud, sounds good. It will power everything from a 1x10 to a full stack at around 10 lbs.

meRTKendrew · #5 12-20-2010, 06:04 AM

Epiphone Valve Jr. would be my choice. It sounds great, it's very easy to use, it's cheap and it's small.
Lack of volume is hardly an issue guitarists face, guitar needs faaaaar less power than bass. 100W on guitar is absolutely deafening.

-RTK

ninepoundjammer · #6 12-20-2010, 06:20 AM

I know plenty of gigging guitar players that use Blues Jr's (15 watts) or even Champs (5 watts). I had a 70 watt Super Reverb for a couple weeks and it was just stupid loud. Of course, tube amps sound good cranked and a SS amp won't, so if you're going SS you may want a little more wattage.

I'd go with a Blues Jr. myself, if it's in your price range (used?). Good sounding, reliable, plenty loud. I wouldn't get an old tube amp that needs some babying for a 14 year-old, but a newer model should be ok. She may be happy with anything at this point, but her band will probably start discovering good gear by the time they finish high school. You might as well put your cash into something she can use for a long time.

sonic assassin · #7 12-20-2010, 06:21 AM

im 21 and dont have the time and money to keep up with a tube amp. sold my valveking for a line 6 flextone 3. pretty content with it for live applications.

somewhere in the range of 50-100 would work. i played for years on a fender princeton 112+. 65 solid state watts, 1x12 speaker. would take the paint off the walls. indestructible. gain channel kinda sucked, but im a pedal fanatic, so i fixed that in a hurry. clean channel was nice and sparkly. i liked it.

the mustang was being pushed because its new. it might be great... but hes working on commission for a new product.

old peaveys, solid state fender combos, a used line 6 combo, all good. 1-2 12" speakers will cut it.

solid state marshalls like the MG and AVT kinda suck hard. id avoid those.

playing over drums can depend on the drummer. but 100 ss watts 2x12 will always cut it. tube, 30w 2x12 will do. i think the general consensus is that SS is 1/3 the power of tube in perceived volume.

perogato02 · #8 12-20-2010, 06:23 AM

Or the Marshall Valvestate 8020 (or whatever number is has, anyway the 80 watt-combo with 1 speaker): it does the job, not fantastically but nice to start with.

sonic assassin · #9 12-20-2010, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninepoundjammer

She may be happy with anything at this point, but her band will probably start discovering good gear by the time they finish high school. You might as well put your cash into something she can use for a long time.

i half agree with this. by the end of high school, i had a crappy car, a nice guitar rig and a pretty nice bass rig. i owned at least 10 instruments. priorities, right?

i think right now, someone that age needs something that will LAST until the end of high school and suffice for their needs. at that point, when theyve acquired a taste, some money, a job, and a car to get to gigs, THEN they can buy their dream gear.

with that said, reliable doesnt always mean expensive. theres always the chance that its a phase, so dont run out and buy a marshall jvm head or something.

dalkowski · #10 12-20-2010, 06:38 AM

+1 to Line 6. They're all over the place -- cheap -- on Craigslist. Very good stepping stone from the transistor radio, and the modeling capabilities will let her experiment to find the sound she likes.

joshwilkesbooth · #11 12-20-2010, 06:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninepoundjammer

Blues Jr's

I can vouch for this. Also the Orange Tiny Terror combo. I've played out on both, and never had an issue. 15 watts is more than enough for band practice... most shows too. If it's a little too quiet, put it up on a chair.

James_E · #12 12-20-2010, 06:44 AM

I wasn't suggesting a full blown, complex tube amp. That's too much for a 14 year old. But those vox VT30/VT50 combos with that tube in the power amp do work well, have modelling and cut through.

fenderhutz · #13 12-20-2010, 06:57 AM

+1 on the Vox modeling amps. I didn't even think of those. Get the 12 inch speaker though, the modeling sounds thin if not.

perogato02 · #14 12-20-2010, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joshwilkesbooth

Also the Orange Tiny Terror combo. I've played out on both, and never had an issue. 15 watts is more than enough for band practice... most shows too. If it's a little too quiet, put it up on a chair.

Aaah yes, the Tiny Terror ... How could I have forgotten that one?

impactwrench · #15 12-20-2010, 07:22 AM

Peavey Bandits are a good bet for solid state. Line 6 seem to be cheap on the used market too and have all the goodies built in. Often $150 or less used in nice shape. I think a Classic 30 would be a good option too, if you/she would be good about maintaining the tubes. If you really want to go for broke, find a silverface Deluxe Reverb. Talk about an amp to never get rid of. Or maybe a clone 5E3 Fender amp. Ive had a hot rod deluxe that I bought just out of high school, and have yet to find something to replace it. Until I stumble upon the deluxe reverb at a good price...

greenlespaul · #16 12-20-2010, 07:25 AM

Can't go wrong with a Vox or a Orange amp

joshwilkesbooth · #17 12-20-2010, 07:26 AM

I completely forgot about those VOX modeling amps. A friend of mine has one in his living room. I plugged into it and way way surprised at the tones coming out of it.

jimmy rocket · #18 12-20-2010, 07:36 AM

Blues Jr. done.

Solid as a rock, and it sounds great. It's a one trick pony, but it's a great trick.

I recently had the opportunity to try out one of the new Fender Champ XD models and that was surprisingly versatile. Good sounds out of the box and it's less of a one trick pony, but more knob twisting to get a really great sound.

somegeezer · #19 12-20-2010, 07:41 AM

100-150 watts and 2 12 inch speakers. You could get a combo for cheap. Try find an old Line 6 spider. They are really good.

sonic assassin · #20 12-20-2010, 07:44 AM

the vox modeling amps arent half bad. it seems they finally made them 2 banks of 4 channels, which is nice. the XL version didnt impress me as much. i wanted higher gain, but those didnt sound very good. at least not as good as newer line 6 stuff does.

looking at the vox site.. it seems they completely redid these. im going to have to try one out now. i doubt it will unthrone my flextone, but i like knowing current gear