Ok...let’s talk amps!

[Resolve]

Sequel to my thread about selecting a short scale electric guitar!

Marty says that “amp” is topic for its own thread! 😁.

So...I am pretty sure my choice of guitar will be the Fender Jaguar.

Looking for an education on the amp I should get! All wisdom greatly appreciated!! ❤️

[billhammond]

Dec 27, 2017 10:50:52 GMT -5 Resolve said:

Sequel to my thread about selecting a short scale electric guitar!

Marty says that “amp” is topic for its own thread! 😁.

So...I am pretty sure my choice of guitar will be the Fender Jaguar.

Looking for an education on the amp I should get! All wisdom greatly appreciated!! ❤️

Hard to beat a Fender Blues Jr.

[Deleted]

Depends on how big an amp you need depending on what you want to use if for and where.

[Doug]

[AlanC]

Ditto to what Grampa Billy said.

[Marty]

You want 30 watts or less but not less than 15 watts. You don't want really loud and it's fun to be able to push the amp a bit without being loud.

One 12" or 10" speaker maybe two 10" or 8" speakers. Speakers make up a big part of the weight of the amp.

Tubes sound nice but cost more, are heavier and can have maintenance issues. Solid state amps have come a long way in tone since the 70s. 

more later, gotta get my shop open................

[Marshall]

I know much less about amps.

I bought a Fender Princeton Reverb, because it's a tube amp and small enough to carry around. I'm pretty happy with it. But I don't know nuttin. (Paid $900)

The church guitar player with the old Mustang, bought a Fender solid state amp with a lot of programmed sounds. It's more versatile. And it sound awfully nice. Very chimy on the highs. (If only the guitar would ever be in tune.). These are about half the price of the tube amp.

[Deleted]

After all these years and a plethora of various amplifiers, my solution has become two amps both made by Don Mackrill of Mack Amps. An 18 watt head with a twelve inch speaker cabinet and a Gem 2.0 that you can have at 4 or 0.4 watts with a press of a button which I use with a tiny Orange eight inch cabinet. Mack amps are awesome. He advertises "boutique amps at non boutique prices". Unfortunately, the Gem has been discontinued. Terrific little thing. I spray painted it orange to match the cab.

www.mackamps.com/

[xyrn]

I have two, a solid state Crate that's probably 15-20w with onboard solid state effects, "DSP", Digital Sound Processing (that are crap) and a recently bought a tweed Fender Blues Junior that's 15w.
The Crate is okay for clean sound and the onboard overdrive is also okay. As I mentioned, the onboard reverb/delay/flange/chorus are junk.

I really like the Blues Junior.
It's all-tube in the power and sound amplification stages, and yes tubes can go bad but they are once again readily available.
Not a bad idea to keep a spare set on hand in case one blows and stores are closed.

Some folks also like the Vox AmpPlug but not as a primary means of amplification.

[Deleted]

You gotta have a tube amp. I mean really. The Blues Junior is nice. I miss my Blues Deluxe.

[Russell Letson]

Marty: That 15-30-watt range seems on the low side to me--my 30+30-watt Roland C-60 can just about be heard in the jazz-combo lineup of bass/guitar/keys/sax and especially drumkit. (Fortunately I'm not looking to be heard clearly.) Any less power and I might as well not have an amp at all and just go Freddie Green. It would certainly make load-in and setup easier. (The Roland weighs just over 20 pounds--lighter than my Ashdown Radiator 1. Lugging weight has become important to me in my dotage.)

I suppose my ideal amp would run 60-100 watts, two channels, with a 10-12" speaker and weigh under 25 pounds. And not cost $1000. (What I really want is my old Crate 125D in a 25-pound package. And to be 20 years younger.)

[mnhermit]

just saw this combo for sale. I seem to recall someone on this forum had something like this in the past. Have no idea how well it works, but for a starter it doesn't look bad. Seems to be a good deal for the money.

[TKennedy]

I have a Roland Cube 60. Probably like Russ’. Got it used for next to nothing. It is a very decent amp and cheap.

[Marty]

Dec 27, 2017 13:42:04 GMT -5 Russell Letson said:

Marty: That 15-30-watt range seems on the low side to me--my 30+30-watt Roland C-60 can just about be heard in the jazz-combo lineup of bass/guitar/keys/sax and especially drumkit. (Fortunately I'm not looking to be heard clearly.) Any less power and I might as well not have an amp at all and just go Freddie Green. It would certainly make load-in and setup easier. (The Roland weighs just over 20 pounds--lighter than my Ashdown Radiator 1. Lugging weight has become important to me in my dotage.)

I suppose my ideal amp would run 60-100 watts, two channels, with a 10-12" speaker and weigh under 25 pounds. And not cost $1000. (What I really want is my old Crate 125D in a 25-pound package. And to be 20 years younger.)

Price being a consideration and you pay for wattage, pick the wattage to suit the venue. Cyndy won't be up against a set of drums so no need for more than 30 watts. With drums in the mix then 30 watts is about minimum and 40 to 50 watts better suited to the situation. These days solid state amps can sound just as good as a tube amp and size and weight are also considerations.

There is also the idea of using a simple amp simulator pedal and just running it through her PA. 

EDIT: If she had $1300 to spend I'd say just get a Quilter Micro Pro with one 10" speaker and 200 watts that weights 22lbs.
  

[brucemacneill]

I don't know. My 45 watt Behringer ACH450 has worked well for me acoustic or electric medium size room to outdoor venue. They're pretty cheap.

[lar]

Something that needs to be explained is that the watt ratings for solid state and tube amps are not equivalent. A 30 watt tube amp puts out a lot more power/volume than a 30 watt.

Marty is correct. The new generation of solid state amps sound far better than they did just a few years ago. I bought a Fender Mustang III v2 a few months ago. I thought it would work well for the polka band and it's a lot lighter than my Fender Hot Rod DeVille. At 100 watts it's got plenty of zip for playing with my country band. My old 50 watt Princeton Chorus just didn't cut it. Now the Mustang has become my go to amp for most smaller gigs.
What I like about it is that it sounds like a Fender. It's very responsive and I get the tone I want.

I got a very good deal on my Mustang as Fender was discontinuing them in favor of a new model. The new Mustang GT 40 may be just the ticket for Cyndy. 40 watts, two 6.5" speakers and a ton of digital effects for $250. And it weighs in at just 17 lb.  At 40 watts it won't hold it's own in a band setting but it should be a great "bedroom" amp and it does have a USB port for recording.

Fender GT 40 digital amp

[Marshall]

[Deleted]

Use smaller amps and mic them. That has been the general trend if you're not in a hair metal band.

[PaulKay]

The amp I just got was a Fender Mustang GT40. A smallish 40 watt amp with great flexibility and function.  What I like most is the bluetooth capability to sync my iPad Fender app with the amp.  I can stream backing tracks through the amp with the iPad as well.

[coachdoc]

Well, this is thread drift, but I've had my Dean Markley/Ultrasound acoustic amp for several years now. Great for small gigs as my PA, and also works for minimally jazzy thumb style with my Epiphone Joe Pass hollow body. And I won it in a raffle. Can't beat that price.