Amp Suggestions

johnnykazz

Hey guys, these forums have been very helpful to me over time so I present another question to you all:

Obviously, we are all getting tax rebates soon and I'm sure looking forward to it. I have decided that I will put mine away and begin saving money to buy a few new guitars and one new workhorse of an amp so I can continue working on my own music. I am not looking for an amp that some specific artist used as I am still trying to find my own tone and style. I am currently using a ####ty Line 6 Spider IV amp because I am on a budget but not for long once I save up some money. Based on what I currently am using, this is obviously a really big step up no matter what I get, so I don't really need anything that is stadium tour ready or anything of extremely high quality boutique style or whatever. Here are the few things you should know so I can be helped accordingly:

• The brand does not matter to me, I am open to all suggestions.

• The guitars I currently use are a 1996 stock Fender Jag-Stang & a 2005 Squier '51 with

a DiMarz Red Velvet in the neck and a DiMarz SD in the bridge. I am also looking to pick

up a guitar with P90's and a guitar with single coils such as a Mustang, Strat, Jaguar, or Tele.

So, as you can see I need something pretty versatile.

• **A really important necessity, I need an amp that can take pedals extremely well and still sound good.**

I will be using an overdrive pedal as a really light crunch base tone with the rest of my pedals after that, because obviously I don't want to go from ultra-clean to full bore distortion and can't without it sounding ####ty. So, a pedal lover is a must without coloring the tone with a bit of volume.

• I have never owned a real tube amp, so I am looking for a tube amp.

• I would like to stay in a budget of anywhere from $500-$1000. $1000 is my absolute limit, and I would like

to find something for cheaper if possible, unless you feel it is not worth settling for anything but

an amp in the closer of $1000.

Thanks for your help in advance guys, look forward to hearing good advice on my first tuber.

johnnykazz

What do you guys think of these two amps?

Egnater Tweaker 112 15W

VHT Special 112 12W/20W

If you have experience, which one would handle pedal betters? I noticed the Egnater Tweaker is a sound-shaper style amp, which I was trying to avoid, but to my understanding this is in no way the same type of thing that Line 6 is. It seems they are just switch choices on the front to help make the amp have a lot of versatility in tone (i.e. American, British, etc.)

Anyone have a suggestion of what would be better for me?

Doug

Hey, Johnny. I'm three years new to electric guitar but here's my two cents...

The Peavey Classic 30 is a versatile tube amp for almost any guitar style. Most of my guitars have P90s and a few have traditional single-coils. The C30 seems to bring out the growly, gritty sounds of the P90s. But all my guitars get very clear cleans, also. The Gain channel is gradual in going up through dirty to radical distortion. I get good sustain, Woman Tone, Tele Twang, Brown Tone...and the Quack when I want that from my Mustang. 😳

The controls are really helpful: Volume, Bass, Mid, Treble, Gain channel with foot switch, and reverb. The 30 watts is plenty powerful for small gigs; at home the volume is rarely above 3. It's compact and not too heavy.

These have an excellent reputation, sell for about $590 USD new and can be found used for $200 to $300. Be sure to check these out before you make a decision.

johnnykazz

Doug said:
Hey, Johnny. I'm three years new to electric guitar but here's my two cents...
The Peavey Classic 30 is a versatile tube amp for almost any guitar style. Most of my guitars have P90s and a few have traditional single-coils. The C30 seems to bring out the growly, gritty sounds of the P90s. But all my guitars get very clear cleans, also. The Gain channel is gradual in going up through dirty to radical distortion. I get good sustain, Woman Tone, Tele Twang, Brown Tone...and the Quack when I want that from my Mustang. 😳
The controls are really helpful: Volume, Bass, Mid, Treble, Gain channel with foot switch, and reverb. The 30 watts is plenty powerful for small gigs; at home the volume is rarely above 3. It's compact and not too heavy.
These have an excellent reputation, sell for about $590 USD new and can be found used for $200 to $300. Be sure to check these out before you make a decision.

I'll be sure to check it out. Unfortunately, I have to deal with Guitar Center because they offered me $135 towards the new amp if I trade in my old amp. I know I could sell my old amp for more, but you know how it works when you are anxious for a new amp. I will be sure to check out the Peavey Classic 30 before I make any final decisions. Thanks for your input!

spirograph

how ya getting on? check out jet city. i got the jca20h, my first valve amp, and im a pedal-fiend too, and it loves it.

cobainjagstang123

JET CITY FOR THE WIN! I have a jca20h too, along with the matching cab. it sounds super sweet! I also half own a jca100h (my bro payed half and so did I. Its the "family amp") and it is amazing the overdrive in it is freaking killer too! Also, if you want a smaller amp I have a Fender Champion 600, and it packs a BIG punch for a tiny amp. Each of the three amps handle pedals SUPER well.. Especially fuzz pedals 😈 Hope this helps!

carlmcd

The Champ 600 is a fun little amp, and it does take pedals quite nicely. Super-cheap, too (seen them used for less than $100 at GC). Be aware, though, that while it CAN pack a punch if you crank it, the 6" speaker included is also a bit...underwhelming. You'll be fine if you're stripping off some of the lows using either pedals or your guitar's tone controls...but I found that playing straight into it with too much low end it would get SUPER sloppy. The 6" speaker just doesn't have that low end, but it tries to respond down there and the results ain't pretty.

I hear you can clear this up somewhat by replacing the speaker with something that has a slightly more appropriate response. Not a pricey switch, either. It also sounds great run through a cabinet.

Also, if you can find a used one, the Blues Junior (Fender) is a great little amp. Takes pedals decently as well, but you can also get some really nice tone out of it straight. Plenty of clean headroom though. I feel like the new asking price (like $500) is high, but if you can find one GC usually sells them used for like $350 or $400 (I picked mine up for $300 cash used). Only thing it's missing, if I had my wish, is an effects loop.

johnnykazz

Thanks to everyone for their input. I got a chance to play all of the suggestions that were mentioned here. Deciding on a new amp is more difficult than it seems. I ended up selecting the new VHT Special 12/20 with Reverb & Tremelo even though it was a pre-order. They said mine is expected to ship out on March 6th I believe I paid $379.99 after trade-in of my Line 6 and Guitar Center's President's Day sale. The original price was $599.99. I did get a chance to play a Blues Junior, and that thing sounds great, especially with a Tele. I also played a Peavey Classic, and I already own the Champ 600, and it is truly a great little amp. I even had mine leaning back point up towards me a few weeks ago and whatever I was using gave out and it fell so the switch is stuck on. Still works like a trooper. Truly rocks when you crank it up. I will post soundclips when I get the new VHT. I saw HNB had recommended the VHT Special 6 and looked into the brand and got a chance to play the VHT Special 12/20 standard, and then I preordered this new one with reverb and tremelo.