Question for Gee-tar Players

[tpaul]

Get a tube amp. I've been playing through a Peavey Classic 30 for many years, it's a solid option but there are many others.

 

[sawzalot]

I bought a Hotone Ampero used off of Craigslist and play it through my IEM system. Lots of amp and effect choices there and it’s very cost effective.

 

[TheSeagoats]

My personal favorite amp is the Orange Tiny Terror, $350-400 online usually, and I have a 1x12 speaker to play it through. Just volume, gain, and a passive tone knob, less messing with settings and more playing.

 

[2strings2frets]

Give a Peavey Vyper 2 a listen. 40 watts comes with a boatload of effects on board and can be used as well for bass or acoustic guitar. Mine worked for 6 months and quit. Sent it to Peavey under warranty, they replaced a cracked circuit board and it has worked for the last year.

 

[2milehighspike]

I don't know how available they are where you are, but a guitar playing mate I really respect does pub gigs with a Blackstar HT5r. The great advantage, he says, is that you can crank it up to the max and still get invited back. Its pretty versatile and later versions have various useful bells and whistles.

I have a 1980ish Fender Champ which admittedly really only has one sound, but its a *good* sound. However they're probably stupid money now and have no versatility at all.

If you have a significant other or neighbors, anything more than 5 or 15 watts will offend. And will offend your ears too. A small wattage tube amp will give very satisfying saturated tube tone and can keep up with a drummer with out adding to the tinnitus that most of us already have.And if you get to the point of playin out, and will be using a PA, add a mic and your good to go. There are MANY artists playing huge venues with a fender champ. +1 on the Blackstar 5h. sounds great clean or pushed and has a 12" speaker which is a must in any combo IMHO.

 

[GreyBeard]

Blues Jr.

My buddy Joe and I have been playing together for close to 40 yrs. He has used all sorts of amps over those years and by far the best sounding one has been the Blues Jr.

 

[Killing Floor]

Depends on your budget and needs. The Champ combos are nice for one size fits all. Supro makes some great low wattage combos. As always a Fender Twin Reverb is a great choice.
My advice is go try some amps.
Post pics, those are sweet guitars.

 

[higain617]

Boss Katana. It will give you a big range of sounds to experiment with.

 

[7bridges]

I currently own a Fender Custom Deluxe Reverb, a Hot Rod Deluxe (1 x 12) and a 1965 Re-issue Princeton Reverb (1 x 12). The Princeton Reverb is the best all-around workhorse/practice amp and is not a back breaker. Plenty loud enough for most situations. Highly recommended.

 

[pbass2]

I second the Blues Jr. vote. Hits the sweet spot for power, size. It's very versatile - works for many styles - takes pedals well. Hard to beat.

 

[jamesblue]

- BOSS Katana 50 MK II ($270 new). This is one of the most popular amps on the market; 12 inch speaker (guitars just sound good thru a 12), it has differnet amp models and effects. Get the foot controller. Most tube amps even 5-watt ones are too loud for home pratice IMO. Get a pedal tuner and at least 1 boost/distorsion pedal (Ibanez Tube Screamer, Boss DS1, Boss Super OverDrive).

 

[jmattbassplaya]

Lots of good options already mentioned. I’m a big fan of the Marshall DSL 40 because it allows you to attenuate between 20 and 40 watts. I basically keep mine at 20 because the 40 watt setting gets ridiculously loud. The cleans are great, the digital reverb is musical if only a bit modest, and the drives… I mean, it is a Marshall I use it with a Les Paul, Tele, Strat, PRS CU24… and even my basses as a practice amp. They all sound great through it!

 

[jimmydean]

Blackstar makes a 10 watt stereo combo amp that is awesome and can KRANK !

 

[roller]

See if you can find a Bugera V5. These tube amps sound killer... have built-in reverb... and are a fantastic bang for the buck.

The choices of guitar amps are pretty overwhelming. Any recommendations from you all? Thanks.

 

[HelpImaRock]

Pretty much any 1x10 or 1x12 combo amp will get you there. Check your local Craigslist.

One thing to note, you'll see a lot of Fender "Hot Rod" and "Blues" series amps. These get loud way too quickly, and you'll want to use a volume pedal in the effects loop. That's shouldn't dissuade you from the amp. They have a great clean channel.

If I were buying a new guitar amp today, I'd join in the chorus of Peavey Classic, Fender Blues Jr, or Fender Pro Jr.

That said, I play through a Silverface Fender Musicmaster Bass amp with an Eminence Tonkerlite speaker. Does the job at home and will keep up with a drummer. If I needed more power, I have an Allen Encore, which these days only sells for a little bit more than a Fender anyway. Best amp ever, IMO.

 

[Stewie]

12-15 watt Fender tube amp. Deluxe Reverb is the bees knees

 

[REV]

I recently jammed with a guy who used a very small Quilter tone block 200 into a 112 cab. It was pretty impressive. A Fender Deluxe reverb or even a Pro Jr. are really nice.

 

[B-Lo]

Thanks everyone! Lots of great recommendations. I just hope I can keep GAS at bay once I get decent at playing. Bass and drum GAS are already hard to fight without throwing a guitar into the mix .

 

[GregT]

A Fender Super Champ is what I use when I don't use my Dr Z Z-Plus. It is a great little amp with a lot of different amp tones, including built in effects. It is perfect for home use and good/loud enough for a small gig or jam. I also get great clean guitar tone by plugging into my Fender Rumble 100 and 200, which are two great bass amps.

 

[LordRyan]

I've been using a Vox AC15CC1 for several years when I do guitar gigs. It is plenty loud for just about any situation and I get many favorable comments about it's tone. I had been using a 100 Watt Music Man combo since the early 80s but it was heavy and overkill for most gigs.