feeble! Posted February 21, 2004 Report Share Posted February 21, 2004 Ok, I'm downsizing and upgrading my amp. I currently have a 50w beast of a peavey, and as much as I love the old ox (and it is old) I don't like the shitty sound it gives out on a lot of occasions.I don't gig or play in a band either, so the 50w seems a bit excessive, I never turn it up past two and it's too big for my room really.So, I'm going to be buying a new amp. Fender or Marshall?I'm looking to be buying about 30wIt's gotta look coolPrice range is about 180Any advice? So far the competition is between a fender champion 30 DSP and a marshall mg 30 DFX.Any useful comments would be great, has anyone bought either of those amps and thought they sucked or whatever?Feel free to let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leckie Gilman Posted February 21, 2004 Report Share Posted February 21, 2004 no way do you want a dfx.gross.they use em in my school and they're just rank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig deadenstereo Posted February 22, 2004 Report Share Posted February 22, 2004 Dunno, those MG amps are pretty good practice amps. Maybe a Line 6? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tav Posted February 22, 2004 Report Share Posted February 22, 2004 Please stay away from the Roland Cube or Zoom practice amps, they wreak of cheapness. I had the displeasure of using both in Bruce Millers while testing guitars. If you stretched your budget - Line6 Spider 2 112 225 from www.gak.co.uk...that's going to be a very versatile amp for the money. 12 amp models that deliver a complete range from Clean to Insane 7 Smart Control effects (up to 3 simultaneous) including Tape Echo, standard Delay, Sweep Echo (all w/Tap Tempo), Chorus/Flanger, Phaser, Tremolo and Reverb 4 User-programmable channels Built-in front panel Tuner Headphone/Direct Out for practice or recording Enough power to kill pesky Chupacabras and Evil Payasos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tav Posted February 22, 2004 Report Share Posted February 22, 2004 Marshall MG50DFX 199 or the 30watt for 111. Prices from www.gak.co.ukGet the Marshall sound in a compact practice/gigging amp. Though small, it delivers a dynamic yet toneful punch. 50W. 12" speaker. 2 footswitchable channels. Loaded with digital effects including reverb, delay, chorus, and flange. Includes special features such as FDD (Frequency Dependent Dampening), CD ins, plus emulated line out, and emulated headphone jacks<<<headphones great for practicing at 3am!Features: 50W12" speaker2 channels (footswitchable)Digital effects including reverb, delay, chorus, and flangeFDD (Frequency Dependent Dampening)CD ins, plus emulated line out, and emulated headphone jacks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feeble! Posted February 23, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2004 I was looking at the line 6 spider 2 a couple of days ago, it's a real beast - the 50 watt marshall is pretty awesome, and the footswitch is very handy (I don't think the 30 watts have them) although I do have a couple of distortion pedals so it wouldn't be too much of a problem, I'm currently trying to get my dad to stretch the budget a bit but he's not having it But then I'll just come to the old problem of not needing that much power, my 50 watt right now never goes up past 2, or if I'm home alone I crank it up to a mighty 3, so the 30 watt amps seem to be the wisest choice in that respect. The problem is I have to think about whether or not I'm going to be joining a band. A 30 watt would be ok for jamming sessions I guess, but at the expense of footswitchable channels and being able to join a band. Unless I keep the 50 watt I have now... I'm still thinking - I have to wait another month or two before I actually get to buy/play with any amps because I'm still researching them all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tav Posted February 23, 2004 Report Share Posted February 23, 2004 Common misconception power <watts> has no bearing on how loud your amp is...a 1watt amp would be too loud for your room in some cases and yes you do get them. The sheldon hand made valve amp was reviewed in guitarist this month and it was 1watt or adjustable to 3watts and they said it is loud enough for practice and jamming. With solid state amps <like the marshall> and digital modelling amps <like the line6> you can run at low volumes without sacrificing tone. Only if you owned a valve would running the volume at 2 cause any problems. Also it is good to have the volume potential there so if need be someday you can turn it up and it will work in a jam/live situation...you never know when you might need that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundian Posted February 24, 2004 Report Share Posted February 24, 2004 Originally posted by Tav:With solid state amps <like the marshall> and digital modelling amps <like the line6> you can run at low volumes without sacrificing tone. Solid state is bad enough, but digital modelling? Give it a few years and they might get close but at the moment, digital modelling makes me dry retch. I'd rather have a microphonic valve (3 in the past four days) than a digital modeller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leckie Gilman Posted February 24, 2004 Report Share Posted February 24, 2004 i hate all this like purely solid state amp stuff and line6 pods and amp simulators n stuff.horrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobyb Posted February 24, 2004 Report Share Posted February 24, 2004 why not get a Vox valvestate? The cambridge 30 twin reverb is pretty good. couple of hundred quid second hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tav Posted February 24, 2004 Report Share Posted February 24, 2004 Originally posted by soundian:Solid state is bad enough, but digital modelling? Give it a few years and they might get close but at the moment, digital modelling makes me dry retch. I'd rather have a microphonic valve (3 in the past four days) than a digital modeller. Hmmm I wonder why they have made there way into the pro market then? Heaps of bands are using digital modelling in their rigs so surely they must be of some use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundian Posted February 24, 2004 Report Share Posted February 24, 2004 Originally posted by Tav:Hmmm I wonder why they have made there way into the pro market then? Heaps of bands are using digital modelling in their rigs so surely they must be of some use? As long as you can switch off all the digital processing I don't have a problem, then you can have the best of both worlds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tav Posted February 25, 2004 Report Share Posted February 25, 2004 Hmmm so you wouldn't be impressed if someone turned up to a gig with an entirely digital set up lol? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundian Posted February 25, 2004 Report Share Posted February 25, 2004 Originally posted by Tav:Hmmm so you wouldn't be impressed if someone turned up to a gig with an entirely digital set up lol? Depends what style of music they were playing. If it fits, use it, but why limit yourself to digital only? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Found Power Posted February 25, 2004 Report Share Posted February 25, 2004 I have a Line 6 Spider II.I must admit, that's mainly because of all the blinking lights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ibid Posted February 25, 2004 Report Share Posted February 25, 2004 I use some line 6 stuff in the studio and sometimes live, but, good as they are, they don't quite yet match the glorious sound of an overdriven valve. They are getting close though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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