These Go to 11 - The Guitar Amp Thread

ajax · May 30

On 5/23/2024 at 9:12 AM, topochico said:

I will say that I have the Yamaha THR II and I love it. It’s sounds fantastic, compatible with my old Line 6 G10 relay with no significant lag.

Well, I broke down and bought a THR10ii. It'll go on my desk so can noodle around in-between meetings. Should get to me in a week.

I read that the gen 2 doesn't sound as good as the original THRs but you can fiddle around with the settings to get them to sound close to the original.

topochico · May 31

3 hours ago, ajax said:

Well, I broke down and bought a THR10ii. It'll go on my desk so can noodle around in-between meetings. Should get to me in a week.

I read that the gen 2 doesn't sound as good as the original THRs but you can fiddle around with the settings to get them to sound close to the original.

It also has some pretty nice bass settings for home practice. It's super easy to set up favorites in the app

Edited May 31 by topochico

hullabelew · May 31

I have 4 amps right now. Blues Jr., Vox AC4, Spark, and a Katana 50 (primarily use it for my pedal steel).

I picked up a Pigtronix Looper but none of my amps have an effects loop. Any ideas about a small amp (sub $400) that has a decent clean tone, with an effects loop.

From scouring Reddit, the Orange Crush 35RT may be a decent choice, but I've never played an Orange amp. I just want something to practice more complex looping where I can use the effects loop so the tone remains unchanged. Ultimately, I'm going to buy a Peavey Classic 20, but can't pull that trigger right now.

What say you?

tbone_ · May 31

Believe it or not, the Monoprice 15 gets really good reviews

https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=611815&utm_term=&utm_campaign=PMax+%7C+Marrier+%7C+ULTRA+HIGH&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&hsa_acc=6614305189&hsa_cam=20629231349&hsa_grp=&hsa_ad=&hsa_src=x&hsa_tgt=&hsa_kw=&hsa_mt=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_Thz57LaLbno2nKVeDWtSK7RFGh&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIy7TKo9i4hgMVmc3CBB1q0wL5EAQYASABEgLtkfD_BwE

Deej · May 31

Guys on the guitar forums love them.

Gil Bang · June 1

I'm gonna buy one of those mofos.

topochico · June 1

10 hours ago, hullabelew said:

I have 4 amps right now. Blues Jr., Vox AC4, Spark, and a Katana 50 (primarily use it for my pedal steel).

I picked up a Pigtronix Looper but none of my amps have an effects loop. Any ideas about a small amp (sub $400) that has a decent clean tone, with an effects loop.

From scouring Reddit, the Orange Crush 35RT may be a decent choice, but I've never played an Orange amp. I just want something to practice more complex looping where I can use the effects loop so the tone remains unchanged. Ultimately, I'm going to buy a Peavey Classic 20, but can't pull that trigger right now.

What say you?

Not sure about the guitar amps, but I have an Orange Crush Bass amp that I absolutely love. I sold every other bass amp, because it is so versatile.

tbone_ · June 1

I'm gonna buy one of those mofos.

Please do and report back

ajax · June 1

On 5/31/2024 at 9:21 AM, hullabelew said:

From scouring Reddit, the Orange Crush 35RT may be a decent choice, but I've never played an Orange amp. I just want something to practice more complex looping where I can use the effects loop so the tone remains unchanged

I've seen people say they love the 35RTand also seen people who say they hate it.

If you can play loud I would get the Monopice, which is the same as a Harley Benton 15W.

I also think you might be able to hack a looper into your signal with one of your existing amps using a line out and a powered speaker with the looper in-between, if it's just for practice.

hullabelew · June 1

54 minutes ago, ajax said:

I've seen people say they love the 35RTand also seen people who say they hate it.

If you can play loud I would get the Monopice, which is the same as a Harley Benton 15W.

I also think you might be able to hack a looper into your signal with one of your existing amps using a line out and a powered speaker with the looper in-between, if it's just for practice.

Damn...hadn't thought about that hack. Going to go test drive a used 35rt and it is sounds like crap, I'll order the Monoprice.

Gil Bang · June 1

3 hours ago, tbone_ said:

Please do and report back

I will. I just signed up for a new credit card, and of course, I need to do a certain amount of spending in 3 months to get the mileage bonus, so I'm going to wait for that to arrive before I pull the trigger.

Gil Bang · June 1

BTW, I used to love Randall amps. You don't see many around any more.

Deej · June 1

Doesn't the Monoprice have a switch to turn it to 1 watt?

tbone_ · June 1

BTW, I used to love Randall amps. You don't see many around any more.

Dime pretty much put them on the map.

Doesn't the Monoprice have a switch to turn it to 1 watt?

Yes

Gil Bang · June 2

I had the RB-120 when I was playing a lot of bass. I was young and stupid, but I thought it was pretty solid.

ajax · June 3

I got my THR10ii. I just need to figure out where to insert the bread.

This thing is awesome. When I first got it, it sounded boxy. I upgraded the firmware and changed the speak tuning from "focused" to "open" and it sounded 100x better.

It has a separate guitar volume knob aside from the gain and master knobs so I can play super quiet without affecting tone. And the tones it has are really good for a modeling amp, some of the best I've heard.

Edited June 3 by ajax

hullabelew · June 5

Monoprice on the way. Orange was just OK. Probably good enough, but let us spread some amp knowledge. I'm doing this for us.

Deej · June 5

Thank you for your service.

hullabelew · June 9

NAD. Monoprice arrived yesterday. Just spent an hour testing it out.

Shipping was very fast. Double boxed. No candy. About the same size/footprint as a Blues Jr. Tad lighter. Seems to be well constructed. Not the prettiest thing on earth.

Guitar straight in. Decent sound. Has bass, mid, treble, but also a tone knob which works wonders. Gain and volume are both responsive. No switch for the reverb so I'll have to dig one out of the closet. Doesn't get as loud as my Jr. but the tone is nice. I have electrical noise issues in my basement but it doesn't seem to be any noisier than my other amps.

The so-called attenuator is a joke. 15 to 1 watt switch just turns it to a muddled mess at a lower volume, especially if using pedals. With guitar straight in, it still isn't that nice of a tone but if it is just you trying to play quietly, it is almost ok. I had better luck just turning down the volume on the guitar. Attenuator on Vox AC4 is MUCH better.

For a sub $300, it sounds better than the Orange 35RT. I'm pleasantly surprised as I just wanted a cheap amp with an effects loop. Interesting to see how long the tubes last. I haven't messed with the effects loop yet.

Rimbo · June 21

"must be earthed" is my new favorite engrish

hullabelew · June 24

On 6/21/2024 at 2:15 PM, Rimbo said:

"must be earthed" is my new favorite engrish

Made me giggle as well.

hullabelew · June 28

Put some more time in with the Monoprice. Again, it's my first amp with an effects loop. With my pedals all in front, it was a humming/noise making mess but with the dirt/OD in front and the time effects through the effects loop, boy is it sweet. I'm really liking this thing, ESPECIALLY for sub $400 tube amp. Still, I think those folks who say it is so much better than a Blues Jr are kind of silly. I've been running a stereo setup with this and a Jr and they actually do well together.

I was really hesitant to buy this thing. Just KNEW I was going to be sending it back, but it is doing exactly what I wanted it to do. Know idea how well it will hold up if I decide to take it out of the house to practice so I'll keep you updated.

Deej · June 28

15 minutes ago, hullabelew said:

Put some more time in with the Monoprice. Again, it's my first amp with an effects loop. With my pedals all in front, it was a humming/noise making mess but with the dirt/OD in front and the time effects through the effects loop, boy is it sweet. I'm really liking this thing, ESPECIALLY for sub $400 tube amp. Still, I think those folks who say it is so much better than a Blues Jr are kind of silly. I've been running a stereo setup with this and a Jr and they actually do well together.

I was really hesitant to buy this thing. Just KNEW I was going to be sending it back, but it is doing exactly what I wanted it to do. Know idea how well it will hold up if I decide to take it out of the house to practice so I'll keep you updated.

That amp is a Laney clone, correct?

What until you put a better speaker in it.

hullabelew · June 28

That's what I've read about the Laney clone. Replacing that speaker is down my list of things I wanna do. Going to see how well this thing holds up before I put any money in to it.

Paul Wesley · July 10

(putting this observation in the amp thread, but it could also go in the pedal thread)

So I had my first experience tracking with one of the latest-version amp modelers yesterday - a Helix.

It's pretty easy to understand the appeal, I have to say. I had my pedalboard (that I spent a year plus $$$$ building and cutting my own perfect-length patch cables), plus an amp ($$$) plus a cabinet ($). Took several trips from the car to haul it in, and a bunch of cables, etc. My buddy comes in with a Helix (his entire rig) under his arm - one trip, obviously - and is plugged in and tracking overdubs in like 30 seconds or less...

And it sounded good. Pretty intuitive interface. I think if we played you a track and said, "pick out which of these guitars that was tracked using a modeler," I'm not sure you could do it.

I'm sure if you broke it down effect-by-effect a la "That Pedal Show," we'd probably agree that the phaser isn't *quite* as good as your favorite Phase90, the flanger doesn't *quite* have the same panache as an Electric Mistress, etc, etc.

But damn, it's light years easier than sourcing, building, and maintaining all that stuff, and I'll bet it gets you 90% of the way there with 3% of the effort. And this doesn't account for a decent ribbon mic (even a cheap Royer is $500) and a pre.

In fairness sake, we have to say that if you spent $800 for a vintage Electric Mistress, it's highly likely that in a decade you could sell it for double that. And that $1500 Helix is gonna be worth $100 in a decade.

But still...

Goredho · July 10

2 minutes ago, Paul Wesley said:

(putting this observation in the amp thread, but it could also go in the pedal thread)

So I had my first experience tracking with one of the latest-version amp modelers yesterday - a Helix.

It's pretty easy to understand the appeal, I have to say. I had my pedalboard (that I spent a year plus $$$$ building and cutting my own perfect-length patch cables), plus an amp ($$$) plus a cabinet ($). Took several trips from the car to haul it in, and a bunch of cables, etc. My buddy comes in with a Helix (his entire rig) under his arm - one trip, obviously - and is plugged in and tracking overdubs in like 30 seconds or less...

And it sounded good. Pretty intuitive interface. I think if we played you a track and said, "pick out which of these guitars that was tracked using a modeler," I'm not sure you could do it.

I'm sure if you broke it down effect-by-effect a la "That Pedal Show," we'd probably agree that the phaser isn't *quite* as good as your favorite Phase90, the flanger doesn't *quite* have the same panache as an Electric Mistress, etc, etc.

But damn, it's light years easier than sourcing, building, and maintaining all that stuff, and I'll bet it gets you 90% of the way there with 3% of the effort. And this doesn't account for a decent ribbon mic (even a cheap Royer is $500) and a pre.

In fairness sake, we have to say that if you spent $800 for a vintage Electric Mistress, it's highly likely that in a decade you could sell it for double that. And that $1500 Helix is gonna be worth $100 in a decade.

But still...

I had a helix for awhile and felt it was really good. I think the AxeFX is better, but significantly more expensive. My current favorite that I am using on my board is a Tonex pedal with Amalgam amp+cab captures. $399 and then about $15-$20 per amp you want to buy a capture for from Amalgam. That is significantly cheaper than the Helix and AxeFX but it's pretty much just amp and cab simulation. There are free captures and a community sharing service, but that's a very mixed bag in terms of quality. The interface on the pedal is good, the app used to find and load captures onto the pedal are a weak spot. More of a pain in the ass to navigate, search, manage than it needs to be. I'm currently using a capture of a Dr Z AC80 and it sounds and responds really well. Below is a video demo of it with good sound quality from the amalgam site.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/a319e2_0dbde6e3b2a14a83944933d8e8808554/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

As alluded to, it's not a full rig pedalboard emulator like the helix or axefx, though. You have amp and cab, and a noise gate, compressor and a meh reverb but nothing else. So it's more of an amp-in-a-pedal thing where you build a traditional pedalboard around it vs an all in one solution. The current state of my board with the tonex serving as my amp/cab and the chain going guitar -> ultraviolet -> D&M drive -> Tonex -> Deco. Everything to this point is mono. Fro. there its stereo. Deco -> Terraform (modulation) -> Nemesis (delay) -> Ventris (reverb) -> Infinity 2 looper. It sounds so good hearing everything in stereo. It's very easy to gig or record with. Live, I just take my pedalboard and plug into PA. Recording, I just go stereo out to an interface. I don't have to deal with issues with non-deterministic mic placement or phasing or a bad room or whatever. Its the sweet spot for me and what I'm doing.

What's an amp, a pedal, hardware and software is all getting very blurry. I don

squib · August 17

Father-in-law had this sitting in a closet when he passed. '50s era Fender Champ Amp and Steel in matching cases. Plugged it up and all sounds fine other than I can't play it. Would love to know more about it if anyone has insight.

dcbc · August 17

That stuff looks clean. 50s Champ will get a pretty penny. I know nothing about pedal steel.

squib · August 17

Is there a preferred online marketplace for this kind of stuff? I came across something called Reverb...

dcbc · August 17

9 minutes ago, squib said:

Is there a preferred online marketplace for this kind of stuff? I came across something called Reverb...

Reverb is fine, but it used to be better.. You'll make more money on Facebook Marketplace. For a small monthly fee, you can adverte it on thegearpage.net and have a decently-sized audience, but the cork-sniffage will be high. Easy route is to send pictures of it to Chicago Music Exchange. They'll make you a better offer than Guitar Center. I sold an Epiphone Casino to them once. Worked out fine, and was super easy if you don't mind leaving a few bucks in value on the table.

If you're in Austin, take it to Austin Vintage Guitar. They'll make you an offer. Just do some research on the value. Lots of info out there. Reverb will show you sales prices on things, which helps in that regard.

Edited August 17 by dcbc

hullabelew · August 19

On the steel, post pics here and you will get a good idea of what is it worth.

https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewforum.php?f=5

Buzzrock · August 19

I don’t know if this is what people are actually paying, but here’s a ‘57 Champ in much worse condition on Reverb for $3200

https://reverb.com/item/83852922-fender-champ-amplifier-1957-tweed?utm_source=rev-ios-app&utm_medium=ios-share&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=83852922

Goredho · August 19

Reverb works, but prices on used gear are falling pretty precipitously. Not the best time to be a seller if you can afford to hold on to things.

Deej · August 19

13 minutes ago, Buzzrock said:

I don’t know if this is what people are actually paying, but here’s a ‘57 Champ in much worse condition on Reverb for $3200

https://reverb.com/item/83852922-fender-champ-amplifier-1957-tweed?utm_source=rev-ios-app&utm_medium=ios-share&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=83852922

You got to look at the history of the prices they have actually sold for.

Goredho · August 19

7 minutes ago, Deej said:

You got to look at the history of the prices they have actually sold for.

Deej is right, you want to go to the product page here https://reverb.com/p/fender-champ-5f1-narrow-panel-5-watt-1x6-guitar-combo-1956-1958

And then find the value/transactions section like this:

Even if you don't sell there, the prices on reverb tend to affect the prices you get elsewhere. i.e. prices on TGP are less than Reverb by about what you pay in fees on Reverb, Guitar Center will give you about 60% of value on Reverb, etc...

Edited August 19 by Goredho

Buzzrock · August 19

1 hour ago, Goredho said:

Reverb works, but prices on used gear are falling pretty precipitously. Not the best time to be a seller if you can afford to hold on to things.

Sweet!

@squib I’ll give you $350

squib · August 20

14 hours ago, Buzzrock said:

Sweet!

@squib I’ll give you $350

Damn, I may pay you $350 to take it. I really don't want to put this stuff in a UPS van headed north. It may just go back in the closet for now. I assume it won't hurt it to age a bit more.

What can brown do for you?

hullabelew · August 20

@squib Where does this amp currently live?

squib · August 20

3 hours ago, hullabelew said:

@squib Where does this amp currently live?

dcbc · August 21

On 8/19/2024 at 5:33 PM, Goredho said:

Deej is right, you want to go to the product page here https://reverb.com/p/fender-champ-5f1-narrow-panel-5-watt-1x6-guitar-combo-1956-1958

And then find the value/transactions section like this:

Even if you don't sell there, the prices on reverb tend to affect the prices you get elsewhere. i.e. prices on TGP are less than Reverb by about what you pay in fees on Reverb, Guitar Center will give you about 60% of value on Reverb, etc...

Chicago Music Exchange will give you a much better price than Guitar Center, but you have to ship it. But with that Champ, I'd list it and get as much as I could for it. It won't cost much to ship, and it doesn't take up much floor space. I've shipped amps large and small all over the country and, once, to Australia. Label and box up the tubes and put them in the cabinet. Gets some large pieces of closed cell foam to pack in there. Wrap the amp in bubble wrap, and put it in a tight fitting card board box. Wrap that box in even more bubble wrap with some foam corner pieces on the box and put that in another tight fitting box. Tape every seam a lot. Use a roll of tape. Insure it. I've had better luck with FedEx than UPS, but I've heard horror stories about both of course. But I've also shipped everything from a champ up to an eighty-pound, 4x12 speaker box across the country without a scratch. You just have to pack them for war.

Edited August 21 by dcbc

Buzzrock · August 21

That sounds like a huge pain in the ass. I’ll get someone to swing through Lubbock and take it. Driver can keep the $350.

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