Looking into buying a new amp...

[interceptorMR2]

Hey there, so I've been playing guitar with a crappy little 10W crate amp for about 6 years and I think I'm more than ready to move on to a new amp. I like to play some of the harder stuff but not too hard, (Three days grace, Avenged sevenfold), but I'm not really sure what to look for. I want something loud enough to play over drums, something that has good distortion (i heard some amps like Line 6 have fake-sounding digital distortion...) and maybe a few effects thrown in. My budget goes as far as $400. I'm not really looking for something that will just be "enough", if you catch my drift. I want to have an amp that I can expect a lot out of without spending around $1500+ for something like a Mesa Rectifier.

I did a little looking around and heard some great things about this Amp, but like I said, I don't know exactly what to look for.

Ibanez TBX150R
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/p...Amp?sku=480945

If anyone out there knows a thing or two about amps, I would appreciate some help. This is going to be my first "real" amp and I want to make sure I make the right choice for what I play. Thanks!

[pntballer5634]

there's a marshal mini stack, check it, its supposed to be good, i want one. and three days grace makes me feel
and what guitar you got? i got a 2000 les paul classic ( i think discontinued or limited edition or some ****) with humbuckers. plays like a dream

[interceptorMR2]

I have just an Epiphone Les Paul standard, but I still love it. I can't really afford super nice guitars, but my next target after this amp is a Schecter Hellraiser (with a floyd rose of course). I'll look up the Mini stack for sure. As for TDG, I like em, they aren't my favorite though. They get REALLY repetitive with their lyrics and it gets old.

Edit: mini-stack ain't loud enough, assuming I found the right one. My friend plays his drums a little on the... ear piercing side haha. It said only 15W

[TheDarkShadow]

the marshall mini stack looks good, I personally love marshalls

50W
30W
Uber awesome

I can't find a link to the mini stack...

if you have a guitar center or sam ash near you, go and try some out

[interceptorMR2]

Wow. just wow. ugh.

Thanks for the first two links. the third one can die in a hole lol

[paintballkid0206]

Originally Posted by pntballer5634

and what guitar you got? i got a 2000 les paul classic ( i think discontinued or limited edition or some ****) with humbuckers. plays like a dream

i hate you..... jk. i would love to have a guitar like that. right now i'm "rockin" an Ibanez GAX70. and a $100 Roland Micro Cube amp. people have called that amp "cute"... I need new gear. lol.

back on topic, I'm sorry I can't help much. But I will definately be keeping an eye on this thread, I will want a new amp soon enough.

[shunut]

I say keep saving and get a nice Marshall, you won't regret it. I had been playing on a cheap 15w solid state Marshall for a while and decided I wanted a new amp. I really wanted something tubular, which are generally more expensive that solid state amps. I bought a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe because I could get one for cheap, $400. Has tons of power, tone is pretty good, but it really isn't what I wanted or needed. I think the best thing you can do is find a local music store and go there and play their amps. Find one that you like the sound and has all the features you want. I would not try to cut corners though and try to find something cheap. Get a good amp. If I could do it over again, I would have just kept saving and got the Marshall that I want.

[interceptorMR2]

I've heard awesome things about the Marshall amps, but can I still crank out that heavier sound that I'm looking for? I'm pretty into the heavy metal stuff, can the Marshall amps put out that heavy distortion stuff?

[DRAGON]

Distortion is an affect. Affects are primarily conveyed through a remote electronic device, not necessarily the amp....hence 'distortion pedal'. Multi-effect pedals that have tons of effects are even more fun -

Tube amps are teh shiz. You can have a 50w guitar tube amp that'll shatter your ear drums at like a 5 setting. If you want a decent tube amp at an inexpensixe cost, look up an Ampeg half stack. They'll cost you a bit more than $400 but not quite as much as a Marshall but will easily crack the plaster on your walls -

Frankly, you really aren't going to get much for $400. You might do a little better if you save a bit more and get something decent as shu suggested. It's like those guys trying to save a few bucks by buying a 48/3000 tank then realize they only get about 3-400 shots from them. They'll have to eat the price of that tank when upgrading because not too many people want them unless you sell it used for dirt cheap -

Speaking of used, you might try that route if you're good at bartering prices. I bought about $15,000 worth the equipment(new not used) in the late 90's which isn't really all that much when you're buying into quality stuff. I bought everything at Guitar Center. Bought about everything for less than listed. Depending on how hungry the sales rep are you can wheel and deal with them like you're at a flea market. I got to a point where I just went straight to the manager to buy stuff. The managers at Guitar Center look more at how many pieces he can move per month in his store, not so much how much he can make for his own pocket as a middle man like the floor reps do -

If you're really stuck on just spending $400, try some solid state Fender stuff. It's not really that bad and has a decent sound and good name for resale. It's hardly the equipment you're going to gig a stadium with though. You get what you pay for -

[interceptorMR2]

Yeah I just got off the phone with a buddy of mine who is a wiz at pretty much anything guitar related, he said don't settle for solid state anything if I want something good out of it. I'm gonna go with tube amp, probably a combo amp cause I'd like to use it more for smaller gigs, our band is just starting out and I don't plan on blowing any places up with any speaker cabinets... but thats great advice you guys, I think I might just hold onto my money a bit longer and save more. I don't think I'll want even a half-stack just yet, a combo is better for lugging around to practices and gigs and what not, but I think since I've been playing for 6 years or more, I probably need something a little more... in my range. Of course, I'm still gonna take a trip to some stores and try out some amps.

Then again, maybe I'll just buy something solid-state for a temporary fix to my problem, I need a new amp pretty bad if I plan on doing any gigs any time soon, so maybe I'll get something simple, but better than what I have (anything is better than my current amp) and still save for a nicer amp.