Any help choosing an amp?

[MyLPDeluxe21]

I sent back my Peavey Vypyr 30 which was defective (i had the warranty) and I'm hopefully getting my reimbursement as soon as this holiday weekend, now i have time to look for another amp because I'm pretty much playing without an amp right now. I have found some but i need people's opinions on the amps. My total budget is $300 and not a dollar more, i would like to stay below $300. I have a Gibson Les Paul Studio Deluxe and a Silvertone SRK1. I play anything from blues, to hard rock, to full on high gain metal. The only time i have to try out amps is when i actually go out to guitarcenter to buy an amp.

My amp choices
Marshall AVT100 $250
Line 6 Flextone II Plus (with footswitch) $270
Vox Valvetronix VT40+ $250 (new)
Please feel free to post some suggestions (i don't buy online or buy off craigslist)

 

[Cygnus X1]

Well you answered your own question then.

Run down to GC, play whatever you like, then buy what you like.

My ears can't answer your question, and the quality of what you listed is about par for the price point you demand.

 

[Mantis]

fender super champ xd???

save another $200.oo 0r $300.oo and go for a pro jr. or blues jr.

 

[eaglewolf]

I think it is funny how we spend thousands on a guitar, and only want to spend a couple of hundred on an amp. (I include myself in that group, by the way.)

I think VHT's Special 6 comes in around that price point, though I haven't tried one. The Vox AC4TV gets a lot of good reviews as well. One of those might work for your intended application, and both are reasonably priced tube amps.

Keep in mind that you might find it a bit difficult to get a really good amp that covers all the bases you want for the money you have to spend, at least without using pedals. A tube amp is generally preferred around here, and there are a couple in that price range. Solid state amps usually provide more features and will probably cover more ground for the same money, but often at the sacrifice of overall tonal quality.

I will say that after I bought a cheap amp (Marshall MG) I decided to pay at least a little more attention to the amp than I had been. My current amps are not among the best, but they provide decent results for the money. (I sold off the one really great amp I've owned, a Mesa Roadster - way out of your price range by a factor of almost 9 - but it was too loud for my purposes.)

Like was mentioned, check a few out and see what sounds best to your ears. That way you will get the best for you for the money you have to spend.

David.

 

[nauc]

I think it is funny how we spend thousands on a guitar, and only want to spend a couple of hundred on an amp. (I include myself in that group, by the way.)

I think VHT's Special 6 comes in around that price point, though I haven't tried one. The Vox AC4TV gets a lot of good reviews as well. One of those might work for your intended application, and both are reasonably priced tube amps.

Keep in mind that you might find it a bit difficult to get a really good amp that covers all the bases you want for the money you have to spend, at least without using pedals. A tube amp is generally preferred around here, and there are a couple in that price range. Solid state amps usually provide more features and will probably cover more ground for the same money, but often at the sacrifice of overall tonal quality.

I will say that after I bought a cheap amp (Marshall MG) I decided to pay at least a little more attention to the amp than I had been. My current amps are not among the best, but they provide decent results for the money. (I sold off the one really great amp I've owned, a Mesa Roadster - way out of your price range by a factor of almost 9 - but it was too loud for my purposes.)

Like was mentioned, check a few out and see what sounds best to your ears. That way you will get the best for you for the money you have to spend.

David.

thats because most of us love great guitars and ok amps vs the other way around and dont feel like forkin over $3000 or $5000 or more, to have both

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

Think signal chain. It all adds up.

Would you put retreads on your Porsche?

 

[eaglewolf]

thats because most of us love great guitars and ok amps vs the other way around and dont feel like forkin over $3000 or $5000 or more, to have both

That makes sense, but a couple of years ago I spent $3500 on a LP Custom 68 and bought a Marshall MG amp (for nearly $500) to play it through. The guitar was what I had always wanted and the amp was what I had money left over for. Had I bought a Standard for $1000 or so less which would have satisfied as much as the Custom, I could have spent extra on the amp and been more satisfied with the sum total of the parts for the same money.

Now I view things a bit differently, but I was just pointing out that we are sometimes backwards in our priorities (in my opinion anyways.) The amp has more to do with your overall tone than the guitar in most cases, and yet we tend to skimp on it.

I understand why - the guitar is what we hold in our hands and touch while playing, or the human interface - but the amp has more to do with the sound. I think we sometimes forget that. Sound is what most of us play for, so it seems to me that the amp should be a bigger priority. I realize not everyone sees it that way, and if you are a truly great player you can make almost anything sound good, but my position is still the same.

I certainly am not trying to knock others' priorities - to each his own - but I'm searching for that great amp that meets my needs (and the cash to pay for it) and it has shaped my thinking on gear purchases. While good deals may deviate me from my plan, at least I'm headed in the amp-first direction over another guitar. After all, every time I tried out a new guitar I played it through an awesome amp. Shouldn't I try to have an awesome amp to play it on when I get home?

David

 

[Hector Arcadius]

From the 3 you posted, I woudl go for the Vox, especially if you don't plan to use any pedals. Very nice tones and great versatily, as it is. Now, if you do own some OD / distortion pedals, perhaps you could check out how they react with the Marshall, perhaps that could bring some very interesting results. Just the way I see it, though...

 

[hipofutura]

David, I completely agree with you. The tone is all about the amp and guitar player. A great musician can make a Walmart guitar sound spectacular through a decent amp.

If you haven't yet, you have to try a Dumble clone. Preferably a HRM.

 

[rocknhorse1]

Agree with both of you on this one. The amp is where you should spend the money.

 

[nauc]

That makes sense, but a couple of years ago I spent $3500 on a LP Custom 68 and bought a Marshall MG amp (for nearly $500) to play it through. The guitar was what I had always wanted and the amp was what I had money left over for. Had I bought a Standard for $1000 or so less which would have satisfied as much as the Custom, I could have spent extra on the amp and been more satisfied with the sum total of the parts for the same money.

Now I view things a bit differently, but I was just pointing out that we are sometimes backwards in our priorities (in my opinion anyways.) The amp has more to do with your overall tone than the guitar in most cases, and yet we tend to skimp on it.

I understand why - the guitar is what we hold in our hands and touch while playing, or the human interface - but the amp has more to do with the sound. I think we sometimes forget that. Sound is what most of us play for, so it seems to me that the amp should be a bigger priority. I realize not everyone sees it that way, and if you are a truly great player you can make almost anything sound good, but my position is still the same.

I certainly am not trying to knock others' priorities - to each his own - but I'm searching for that great amp that meets my needs (and the cash to pay for it) and it has shaped my thinking on gear purchases. While good deals may deviate me from my plan, at least I'm headed in the amp-first direction over another guitar. After all, every time I tried out a new guitar I played it through an awesome amp. Shouldn't I try to have an awesome amp to play it on when I get home?

David

agreed....

 

[Dolebludger]

This same idea that the amp quality is really more important than the guitar was told to me by Barney Kessell, who was the #1 jazz guitarist in the US for years in the 50s and 60s. This made a believer out of me.

 

[Cygnus X1]

Sounds stupid but true.
It is the Voice of the Instrument.

I got a great amp in 1983.
I still have it and play it often, but have been through dozens
of guitars.
'67 Deluxe Reverb, and it isn't going anywhere.