Just got an American strat, now which small amp?

[moon]

I thought there was a pretty obvious difference between the real amp and the Mustang.

[RiversRubin]

I'm really not a fan of modeling amps - I don't like synthesizing tones off of the amp - it feels/sounds faux to me. Then again, I don't use many radical settings. I've always enjoyed my simple Fender Frontman amps - straightforward, has a reverb settings, that's it. If I want to add more tones, I'll add them with pedals.

[catdaddy]

Originally Posted by Jeff Scott

Apparently, neither amp can produce any clean tones..........................

Production note: they REALLY need to put microphones in front of the talent's mouths so some of us can actually understand what they are SAYING through all the reverberant field of the room.

Clean tones? I suppose you wanted popcorn and a beverage too.

Listening note: I had NO difficulty understanding or hearing anything through my AKG K240 phones.

[catdaddy]

Originally Posted by moon

I thought there was a pretty obvious difference between the real amp and the Mustang.

Not saying you didn't discern the difference accurately, but apparently a lot of people said the same thing and they were wrong about which was which. Oh and just for the record the Mustang is actually a real amp even if it's not the kind you prefer.

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by catdaddy

Clean tones? I suppose you wanted popcorn and a beverage too.

What's the problem with wanting some clean sounds, too, along with all those various distorted tones that were demo'd?

It's very easy to disguise an amp's true sound by using only distortion, you know? Or, perhaps you didn't realize that sometimes us musicians who use an electric guitar do like to hear it clean on occasion?

[Paully]

Take a look at the Yamaha Thr amp. I think it will fill the bill nicely.

[franchelB]

Originally Posted by Prizen

Hi guys,

I'm an acoustic man that has ventured into the electric world. Got a fender strat and am having a hard time choosing an amp. I've done some research and see that the first decision appears to be amp type - tube, solid state, or a modelling amp (which I believe is solid state but also replicates the sounds of multiple different amp types). I never plan to gig, and the amp will be for use in my home only.

From my understanding so far, it appears to me to be a no brainer to choose a modelling amp as it replicates many different tones? I see a lot of folks prefer tube amps for tone, but I am put off by the maintenance involved with tubes - what's the real maintenance burden on say, a fender super champ, is this something to be worried about?

Welcome any thoughts on directing me to choosing an amp - music style is folk, country, rock, blues. Really anything but metal!

Thanks

First off, I was led to believe that the tube amps needed more maintenace at one time, so I settled for a solid state. Then in 2005, I bought a Peavey Delta Blues...since then, I've only had to change the tubes one time, only because the amp fell from the amp stand when another guitar player had accidentally knocked it down. It never needed maintaining after that. Plus it has "that" sound (an indescribable warm, "fuzzy"-feeling sound). I've used solid-state for years until 2005, and I couldn't get "that" sound, no matter what guitar pedals I used.


And the Super Champ looks very interesting:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/ampli...itar-combo-amp

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by franchelB

...I was led to believe that the tube amps needed more maintenace at one time, so I settled for a solid state...I've used solid-state for years until 2005, and I couldn't get "that" sound, no matter what guitar pedals I used...

As Marvin and Tammi said, "ain't nothin' like the real thing, baby" - and with the new self-monitoring/auto-biasing circuits being incorporated into many new amps (older cathode-bias designs always had that capability) there should really be no "fear factor" involved in buying a tube amp. While there are many jazz players who use high-quality analog solid-state amps (Polytone, Henriksen, Evans, JazzKat), as do bass players for a variety of valid tonal/logistical reasons, I've yet to see any act at the semi-pro level or above that features modeling amps in their backline; with advances in manufacturing techniques as well as the "budget boutique" movement arguably pioneered by Bugera, there are some great tube amps out there in the under-$1K market, that'll take you from bedroom to festival and everyplace in between - why settle for less...?

[Prizen]

Originally Posted by Paully

Take a look at the Yamaha Thr amp. I think it will fill the bill nicely.

Thank you all so much for your input guys. After further research from each of your comments I am edging closer to the above. This appears to be the best bedroom amp from what I have seen, and I have see many positive reviews. However, the one burning question I have is-

With an amp such as the Yamaha THR, how much of an influence does the guitar I plug into it have on the final sound??

[Jeff Scott]

Originally Posted by Prizen

With an amp such as the Yamaha THR, how much of an influence does the guitar I plug into it have on the final sound??

What guitar you play always has an influence on the final sound.

Hope this helps.

[DesolationAngel]

Originally Posted by Prizen

With an amp such as the Yamaha THR, how much of an influence does the guitar I plug into it have on the final sound??

I've played everything I have through it... from lap steel to resonator, acoustic steel to acoustic nylon, single coil to humbucker. I've even played bass through it. It has so much twiddle-ability that it's hard not to get a good sound from almost anything and have fun while you're at it. Most recently I was playing a 335 copy that has a Seymour Duncan Phat Cat P-90 in the neck position. I have the amp set to "Deluxe", bass at 10 o'clock, middle at noon, treble at 2 o'clock and just a hair of Tremolo and a touch of 'Hall' reverb. And it sounds great, at low volumes, playing late at night in the den.

I think you'll have a lot of fun with it.

[Malty]

I'm looking for a small home tube amp myself and this thread has been helpful.

I've been running Fender Mustang (with the Fuse software) and Roland Cube amps. Sometimes I use the amps and effects in Garage Band. What I like best about the modeling tools is that I can get my fix of a wide range of music without having to buy $70,000 worth of amps and pedals and without having to leave my chair ;-) I also like being able to input other sources to play along with.

Running my Tele through a Twin Reverb in a store did make both my wife and I say "Wow!"; however, I don't need to entertain my neighbors.

[Fretzalot]

Checkout Blackstar 5watt

[rburke]

5 watt amps can be much louder then you would expect, Perfect for playing around the house. My 6 watt VHT is great. Lower levels you still need a pedal to get a good OD sound but crank it and no need for a pedal anymore.

[Vognell]

Originally Posted by Malty

I'm looking for a small home tube amp myself and this thread has been helpful.

I've been running Fender Mustang (with the Fuse software) and Roland Cube amps. Sometimes I use the amps and effects in Garage Band. What I like best about the modeling tools is that I can get my fix of a wide range of music without having to buy $70,000 worth of amps and pedals and without having to leave my chair ;-) I also like being able to input other sources to play along with.

Running my Tele through a Twin Reverb in a store did make both my wife and I say "Wow!"; however, I don't need to entertain my neighbors.

Yeah... that's what I like about the modeling amps. They're an inexpensive playground for the casual noodler. I think the models bear a fair resemblance to the amps they're trying to emulate (I love the Bassman and the Twin Reverb Models), though the tonal characteristics of the "real" amps are distinctly better in person.