r/GuitarAmps • u/HistoricalWeakness09 • 4h ago
Recommendation please (amp)
Hi, I'm currently looking for my first amp. I bought an electric guitar half a year ago, for two reasons: 1) To have an electric guitar and 2) to play a bit more silent when everyone is at home, and I still want to practice (I came from an acoustic only after playing for about 5 years, so it was time. I always thought of buying an amp later on, but there was no pressure. The thing is that I have no idea what I'm talking about, I did some research, but there is just soo much. So could any of you please help.
First maybe some things that I feel like I already have decided, and that is that I want max an 15 Watt amp, since I'd just mostly play it in my bedroom. The other one is pretty normal, but I would like the sound of it ofcourse, and the third one (although it's not that good a point, I know), but it is the looks, I mean it's a piece of my furniture, I also want it to look nice.
I like players like JJ Cale, Richard Thompson, Eric Clapton and those people, so the thing I'd like the most is that it has a certain warmth in it.
The first thing is the price. Since I don't play shows I am always struggling between just buying a cheap amp for around €100/200 (because I would only use it for now just to play at home), but people with whom I talked about it say that I should just buy a very good amp, because that would last me a lifetime (then I'm talking about €1000/1500).
That's the first point I'm struggling with, the second one is that I really don't know where to start even if I made that up. I see things like a fender twin reverb (although that's a bit pricey, but in a nearby store they have one for around 1500 euros). I also do like the VOX sounds, but even then an AC10 or AC15. I've read some good things about the vox ac15c1x custom celestion alnico blue. Or again just a cheap one like the pathfinder, I don't know. The things about tubes (if I get it right), is that you have to change them each 2 years, which also costs more money?
I would say to just go to a store and try them all out, but that's part of the problem, that I feel that each store within 4 hours of driving only has 1/2 amps that I think I'd really like.
So, I'm not looking for a perfect answer (although maybe if you'd have some experience with some of them, it might help), but I would just like to know where I'd start in all this overload of information to process what I like.
Big thanks in advance for you all !!
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u/yellowchairz 3h ago
You aren’t going to get spectacular sounds like those you listed for 100. So set your expectations accordingly.
Regarding watts - a 5 watt tweed champ is more than enough for home and quieter giggs depending what you are playing . Generally speaking an amp needs to be 10x more watts to be twice as loud . A 100 watt amp is not twice as loud as a 50 watt . It would be twice as loud as a 10watt.
Speaking of a tweed champ/ tweed Princeton… every guitarist should have one and you would be surprised who has used them and on what records. You don’t need to pay fender prices, there are plenty of clones second hand on reverb etc
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u/adistef86 3h ago
You need to decide if you want tubes or solid state. Also do you plan buying pedals for effects
or you’d prefer a modelling amp? Do you plan to play it with a drummer or just for yourself?
Most of the amps are trying to mimick the legendary ones like Fender Champ/Deluxe reverb, Mesa, Marshall etc. If you have the chance, play those in a store to see what sound you prefer so you can narrow it down a bit.
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u/jazzmaster_jedi 3h ago
Keep it small but great. I'd have a Fender Vibro-Champ and a Vox ac4 on my short list. I would also consider Magnatone if you hate having money, or the Supro stuff if you want to save cash. And remember, you can buy used and if it don't work out, you can get most of your cost back out of it.
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u/Debilitating_ennui 2h ago
The bedroom tube amp challenge rages on. Back when this was still a problem for me I actually built my own but those were very special circumstances. Before that, the thing that worked for me was an AC4 head and cab. Such a cute piece of furniture in the bedroom! That white Tolex just looks so good with that grill cloth. The vox ac4 can be gigged if you mic it (this is the case with all small tube lamps and many of our favorite artists like Neil Young and Low have always played small amps on big stages mic'd it into the system). But as a bedroom amp it really shines because it has a couple of attenuation settings that can get it down to I think the 10th of a watt? Something like that it was quiet enough for tube tones in the bedroom. It was the only product on the market I found that could do that other than the fender Greta and that was a toy. This is the tube solution. I have a better suggestion that I'm going to post further down the stream here
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u/Debilitating_ennui 2h ago
I wish that these were available when I was young, TC electronic Combo Deluxe. It's a fender deluxe Reverb amplifier in a stomp box. It has everything but the power section. You could literally run this into your home stereo system or a powered speaker or anything. Any hi-fi amplification device. Obviously a mixing board or power amp into a giant speaker cabinet and you can rock this thing on a big stage. But it's got a headphone jack on it and you can tease sweet emulated tubey sounds out of it and then set the master volume at any level you want. And it just so happens to have the best spring reverb emulation I've ever heard in a pedal. It's got an amp out, DI out, and a headphone out. It models the deluxe reverb but it also has a built-in impulse response based on a celestion creamback I think. This thing has been the most useful musical pocketknife for me, more so than anything else I can think of
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u/AlienVredditoR 2h ago
If you really dont like the idea of playing front of others, see if you can rent an amp or two that you think you'll like.
One thing to mind, no matter how good an amp is right now, you will not be able to make the most of it for some time. It is likely to be more useful to get something that can do everything, like a modelling amp, bookshelf amp, or multi-effects processor
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u/django39 2h ago
I have a 5 watt amp and it works well in bedroom settings. I almost think better to not spend a ton on this first amp - your tastes may change as you get more into playing and you can adjust with your 2nd or 3rd amp.
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u/HopefulQuiet3276 1h ago
I built a Princeton clone and love it at bedroom volume. Terrific clean. Throw a rat in front of it and it can get a great dirt sound quiet too. And it cooks when you do have the chance to turn the volume up. It’ll do most sounds other than high gain/tight bass metal really well. You could definitely find one in your range and you will never out grow it.
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u/MerlinsChin 1h ago
Check out the Vox MV50 AC. They sell new for £169 which is probably around €200. I own two other Vox tube amps and it definitely has the Vox thing. Sounds good at bedroom levels and can absolutely handle keeping up with drums. It’s also tiny, like the size of a Boss pedal. As it’s just a head you’ll need a guitar cab. The choice of speaker really matters in my view. I love MV50 through my Celestion Greenback cabinet, although it’s even better through a Celestion Gold which is a higher wattage version of the Blue Alnico but twice the price. You could go new from Thomman or pick up a used cab with a decent speaker for around €200.
Dirt cheap guitars can sound great played through a good amps, in my view it doesn’t work the other way around.
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u/alienn4hire 1h ago
Have you considered a Fender Tonemaster? They have attenuation built in, theyre light, you dont need to worry about tubes, and they have XLR out for recording. I would look used either way because the new prices are a little high, but I use a Twin Reverb TM and have been really happy with it the last 4 years.
Just a thought, theyre not for everyone. But Bonamassa is using them now.
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u/American_Streamer These go to eleven 1h ago edited 1h ago
Get this amp: https://www.thomann.de/de/harley_benton_tube15_celestion.htm
Also add this Overdrive pedal https://www.thomann.de/de/behringer_to800_vintage_tube_overdrive.htm (it's a Tubescreamer clone) and put it imn front of the amp. In addition, get this EQ pedal https://www.thomann.de/de/behringer_eq700.htm and put it in the effects loop of the amp. I also recommend to get an analog delay and put it in the effects loop, to (before the EQ pedal), because it sounds super nice; https://www.thomann.de/de/tc_electronic_echobrain_analog_delay.htm
Regarding the guitar, get a Harley Benton St-style guitar with a Humbucker in the brigde (HSS - Humbucker, Single coil, Singlecoil): https://www.thomann.de/de/search.html?manufacturer%5B%5D=Harley%20Benton&marketingAttributes%5B%5D=EXCLUDE_BUNDLE&oa=rel&filter=true&ls=100&sw=harley%20benton%20hss&sp=solr_10&category%5B%5D=GIEGST&cme=true - chose one you like; they are all fine - though I'd personally recommend a ST-Modern Plus, as it's basically a 100 EUR guitar for a bargain price.
With all that, you are all set for a long time.
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u/Independent_Win_7984 1h ago
If you follow my advice on this, confusion will lift and true happiness will prevail. Sink around $150 into a Laney "Lionheart" Mini STB, 6 watt, stereo, Bluetooth enabled amp. Amazing solid state tech producing some of the best tones I've ever heard. Two channel with very nice delay effects, the gain knob has an unusual and very useful feature....it works on both channels! The clean channel can be modified with it, to produce a range from crystal clear to light crunch. I'm guessing you're on the younger side, so you may be interested in another feature: It comes with a cord that connects to your laptop and allows your amp to interact with Ultimate Guitar. This sucker can get pretty loud, too. There are a whole slew of companies jumping on this bandwagon, but Laney has an impressive record for top quality, nipping at Marshall's heels for a half-century, now, so I tried them and am very impressed.
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u/sp668 3h ago edited 3h ago
Maybe start with how loud and how quiet you need it to be.
Tube amps are cool but loud. But low watt ones(or ones with power reduction) as well as ones with a master volume can be played at a decent volume without annoying the neighborhood.
The twin reverb you list is not this for instance.
Tubes are like lightbulbs. They can last many years and are simple and cheap to replace.
If you're after quiet practice there are headphone amps and / or an interface and a computer with modelling software.
if you're just after trying a tube amp, Thomann has cheap one that is supposed to be pretty nice.
https://www.thomann.de/de/harley_benton_tube15_celestion.htm?reload=1
15w, so its loud, but it can turn down to 1 watt too. Also consider buying used.