Help: What are the different kind of amps?

[ethanleow]

What are the different kind of amps out there? What are the differences?

 

[djwilbanks]

There is only one kind of amp out there.

Staight up, screamin' tube amps.

Everything else is just a joke.


haha.

Seriously, in the simplest of terms, there are tube amps and solid state amps.

Solid state are generally cheaper and may have effects built in.

Tube amps are more expensive, usually just has an overdrive and a reverb option, but are generally considered to be the better of the two kinds of amps.

You can get more complicated, but I won't.

 

[ethanleow]

Okay.. Tube amps! .. Tell me more about tube amps can? HAHA.. I'm quite noob about amps. are they the same as Valve Amps?

 

[E6type]

Guitar amplifier - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[djwilbanks]

Guitar amplifier - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

+1

Read and learn, the go buy a Fender tube amp and be done with it.

 

[golfnbro]

A T B

All Tube Baby!

 

[diceman]

+1

Read and learn, the go buy a Fender tube amp and be done with it.

What DJ said... only... get a Peavey Classic 30, then be done with it.

Peavey Classic 30 1x12 guitar combo amp - eBay (item 290264307574 end time Oct-29-08 10:40:50 PDT) This one is black, mine is tan/tweed - and I paid $350 + shipping for mine in like new condition on ebay, w/ a footswitch.

I have a big ol' Laney Full Stack (in my avatar), but I gig with that little Classic 30 and use nothing but the onboard overdrive for effects - this little beast handles anything from blues to hard rock. My band ventures through styles ranging from ska to punk to harder rock to metal, and I just plug in direct and go. This amp doesn't have much of a "fuzz" metal distortion, but it has a badass crunchy overdrive, and this amp does very well with pedal effects (boss metalzone or metal muff if needed).

Don't be discsouraged by its size - the 30 watts of tube power will blow any solid state combo of similar size out of the water (120w solid state can't complete with 30w tube, generally speaking). For the money, this is the best amp that I've ever used. Portable, gigworthy, sounds great, and it friggin' screams (I don't get past 4 on the volume at gigs or full volume practices).

I do suggest getting a Tom's Tube Tamer (tube rattle dampener) and a TubeGuard from forum member Danelectro. Both are cheap and worth while upgrades.

TubeGuard: http://cgi.ebay.com/TubeGuard-for-P...39:1|66:2|65:12|240:1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Tube Tamer: http://cgi.ebay.com/TOMS-TUBE-TAMER...39:1|66:2|65:12|240:1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

Best of luck. Regardless of what style you play, you can't go wrong w/ a Classic 30.

 

[lifele55]

Well just to add to the above posts...

If you're on a budget, well the Epiphone Valve Junior or the Blackheart will do. Both you can find them locally

 

[ethanleow]

Many thanks Will check out the amps mentioned by you guys

 

[Guitarsan]

I'll humbly suggest another option.

Agreed, tube (valve for our British friends) I think is the only way to go. The sonic dynamics are way more pleasing.

But also, I've got a Pod XT amp modeler/effects unit. (Stomp boxes/pedals are better, but I love the flexibility and options it provides. I use it live - as long as you're careful with the settings, it's fine for that as well.)

So to get maximum performance and fidelity out of the Pod, you should use a neutral PA system or amp. There is one such amp, built to be neutral in electronics and cabinet so the amp models in the Pod come through, rather than being colored by the amp's own sound.

It's the Atomic Amp. I have the 112-50W. 50w tube amp. It cranks! There's a huge fan base out there, I'm not alone in loving the sound. And while a 50W tube amp with a 12 inch speaker can blow you out of the house, it's also great at lower volumes as well. Check it out if you own something like a Pod.

Read more about them here:

Atomic Amps

 

[ethanleow]

Guitarsan.. thats damn COOL!

 

[Extremerocker827]

Get a Tube Hybrid Combo. They are usually cheaper than most tube amps(they are like a solid state and tube combined Im pretty sure), but they are a great deal. I recommend the Fender Super Champ XD(or non-xd, but those are like 1000 dollars), it has only 15 watts but the tone is out of this world, its like ur a pro when playing with that amp! And its only 300 dollars. And it comes with FX(effects) like reverb, chorus, tremolo, and delay, so its the effects of a SS combined with the tone of a tube. Great amp. You should probably give a price range if you have any, also.

 

[lp_junkie]

the hybrids are tube preamp with solid state power, unfortunately most of the newer ones have some gimmicky built in cheesy effects. I like the Marshall Valvestate MK II's.

Tubes sound the best but for the best tones they gotta be loud and really pushing the power tubes.

 

[MesaBoogie]

I had been using a (pretty reliable and decent beginner amp) Fender Champion 30 DSP but I had GAS once and wanted a Tube amp badly. So I went to the biggest guitarshop in my country, Piens in Deinze, and tried a few out. Maybe you should do the same?
I eventually went with a Mesa F-30 (in a custom finish may I add ) and some time later I bought a TS-9 and the tone is out of this world. I tried the Peavey Classic as well, and although it sounded great, the vibe the F-30 gave me pleased me more.

So go out, check some out, but overall I agree that you can't really go wrong with the Peavey.
Maybe I should add, try some Orange Tiny Terrors and the like? I heard it has that typical Marshall type of overdrive, but less harsh and painful at higher volumes.
Or a Vox of some sort? These have a very distinct Voxy kind of sound, somewhat cleaner than most amps but just at the verge of breaking up (getting a mild crunch).

If you get a tube amp, you might want to try some decent overdrive/tubescreamer clones on it. You may like the crunch setting on your amp but the mild overdrive these pedals give you is IMO a little more usable.


Grtz,

Mesa.

 

[stryker59]

put the orange tiny terror on your list as well! its a friggin kickass amp!! dont let the 15 watt power rating fool you! its class A so its comparable in power to a 30 or 40 watt class AB tube amp. it gets LOUD!!!! i will have one in the near future!!

 

[overdriver]

Tube amp good, solid state bad

 

[djwilbanks]

What DJ said... only... get a Peavey Classic 30, then be done with it.

Peavey Classic 30 1x12 guitar combo amp - eBay (item 290264307574 end time Oct-29-08 10:40:50 PDT) This one is black, mine is tan/tweed - and I paid $350 + shipping for mine in like new condition on ebay, w/ a footswitch.

I have a big ol' Laney Full Stack (in my avatar), but I gig with that little Classic 30 and use nothing but the onboard overdrive for effects - this little beast handles anything from blues to hard rock. My band ventures through styles ranging from ska to punk to harder rock to metal, and I just plug in direct and go. This amp doesn't have much of a "fuzz" metal distortion, but it has a badass crunchy overdrive, and this amp does very well with pedal effects (boss metalzone or metal muff if needed).

Don't be discsouraged by its size - the 30 watts of tube power will blow any solid state combo of similar size out of the water (120w solid state can't complete with 30w tube, generally speaking). For the money, this is the best amp that I've ever used. Portable, gigworthy, sounds great, and it friggin' screams (I don't get past 4 on the volume at gigs or full volume practices).

I do suggest getting a Tom's Tube Tamer (tube rattle dampener) and a TubeGuard from forum member Danelectro. Both are cheap and worth while upgrades.

TubeGuard: TubeGuard for PEAVEY CLASSIC 30 Amplifier - TUBE GUARD - eBay (item 190254254530 end time Sep-30-08 08:15:42 PDT)

Tube Tamer: TOM'S TUBE TAMER For Peavey Delta Blues/Classic 30 - eBay (item 250300590600 end time Oct-03-08 16:08:58 PDT)

Best of luck. Regardless of what style you play, you can't go wrong w/ a Classic 30.

Peavy.

 

[diceman]

Peavy.

My standard question: Have you tried a Classic 30?

(same question I always ask when people roll eyes over Epi Elitists...)

 

[qwank]

when most people hear Peavey they think solid state.

 

[jimmypage14]

What DJ said... only... get a Peavey Classic 30, then be done with it.

wrong buy a mesa boogie single rectifier head there badass