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#16
01-25-2023, 02:48 PM
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Strats and SG’s, like peas and carrots!😹😂😹 frank d.
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I love playing guitar 
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#17
01-25-2023, 02:59 PM
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Ray Gibson SJ200 Taylor Grand Symphony Taylor 514CE-NY Taylor 814CE Deluxe V-Class Guild F1512 Alvarez DY74 Snowflake ('78) Last edited by rmp; 01-25-2023 at 03:06 PM.
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#18
01-25-2023, 04:53 PM
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I recommend the Yamaha THR over the Fender Mustang Micro (I have both of these amps, THR 10 II Wireless). It'll allow you to carry the amp to your residence hall's common areas and play for others (and you can also use headphoens when you just want to play for yourself).
Since your budget is $500, consider the THR 10 II Wireless (currently on sale at https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...ii-transmitter for $580) The wireless will allow you to just carry your guitar (probably on a strap) and the amp to places very, very conveniently. No cable to get caught on anything and nothing to trip up on.
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#19
01-25-2023, 05:45 PM
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How about getting one of the real floor modeler type units and then using headphones or a reasonable speaker that you'd be using for music listening or similar? Obviously initial investment is going to be higher than you are proposing ...
I have an FM3 from Fractal and I know Helix has a few floor models that have a lot of fans and some are priced less than the Fractal. The FM3 covers any pedal / effect I want sounds awesome recorded direct at USB has great headphone out and is great through any reasonable powered speaker. Plus the very regular firmware updates are basically new gear days every few months saving on GAS. That and it's full on gig level gear that you could actually use for practically anything you want going forward (jamming with your friends if they have a mixer you could use that input or bring your own speaker) The unit is incredibly small and portable for what gear it makes up for saving both space and allowing portability. Anyway throwing it out there if you haven't thought about it. The Fractal can be had for 999 ish which is well outside your budget but I think some of the helix stuff can be had much closer to your price range. I have the THR30 which I also love. And I have actual amps. The Fractal stuff through powered speakers (which I also use for whole house music playback) gets the nod 90% of the time I am playing electric or wanting to record. Although like Jack said above if it's casual amp to take somewhere to Jam at lower volumes the Yamaha is what I would usually take given the convenience of one box no power. I also have the Mustang Micro and I pretty much only use that when I want an ultra portable setup to bring somewhere to play for myself where I don't disturb people.
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#20
01-25-2023, 07:59 PM
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Nearly all of my amp acquisitions over the years (as well as several of my instruments) have in fact been precipitated by "several people I jam with...[who] considered doing stuff together" - the most recent being a country-rock band composed of fellow retirees (ages 64 to 76 at its inception) that enjoyed a fairly successful three-year run until the lockdown, so time/age are no obstacles to the need for better gear - and count on the fact that you will be playing out, most likely sooner than later... While a single dual-purpose combo would be an ideal situation - something that'll allow you to practice/record in your room while still having enough power/tone to cover a small- to mid-size house - you may need to go with a headphone amp and a small-but-mighty gig rig, and the fact that you're thinking of buying used (not a necessity if you shop wisely BTW) does open up the field to a great extent. In this regard the digitalization of guitar amplification has proven to be a mixed blessing, with its built-in planned obsolescence: if you don't need up-to-the-nanosecond features, cutting-edge gear from a couple years ago can often be had for a fraction of its original cost, the main drawback being limited (or non-) availability of replacement parts/software updates, as well as the reluctance of many techs to work on them (again, voice of experience). In short, there are good deals to be had on what will inevitably become a throwaway amp and, while I'm a diehard analog (tube or solid-state) guitar-cable-amp kinda guy, this route might indeed be a good way to go for now, until you've completed your studies and/or have a pressing need for something better... If the thought of a disposable amp doesn't appeal to you, one of the pedalboard amps like those you mention in your original post (got a few myself - Hotone Mojo Attack and Britwind, Traynor Quarter Horse DT25, Vox MV50) paired with a compact high-power speaker cab offers the benefits of easy storage/transport, giggable power without bulk, recording/practice/DI capability (in most cases) and the ability to use the cab with a full-on stage head down the road - something like this (now-discontinued but still available used) 300W 2x8":  https://www.markbass.it/product/dv-jazz-208/ All the best until then... 
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"Mistaking silence for weakness and contempt for fear is the final, fatal error of a fool" - Sicilian proverb (paraphrased)
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#21
01-26-2023, 05:43 AM
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For a dorm space, and having either a headphone and a decent speaker option, I think the THR series. I used to have one, and I liked it. Through headphones on the gain settings, it bugged me that I could hear the computer processing the sound. It would sort of fade away and then suddenly stop. This was before the newer models, so it may be better now, and I was being super picky. It was a great amp that wasn't too fiddly (I don't like things that are too complex!), great compact size and there are times I wish I hadn't sold it. I would get the blue tooth model now.
I have not played with a spark, so I can't comment on them. I have heard good things about it, but I have also heard that it is kind of fiddly. That is one thing that I don't like about most modelers - they sound generally pretty good out of the box, and then if you mess with the settings, I find that sometimes, I can't remember all the things I changed and then can't figure out how to get back to the settings where I thought they sounded good. So, I eventually wind up gravitating back to my tube amps, which are generally pretty simple to operate and make sound good.
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#22
01-26-2023, 05:50 AM
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you can make any changes and save all on the amps control panel connecting via app gives you the whole shebang, and that's where I've noticed quirky things, but it's not really absolutely needed to use this. it's a very cool amp
__________________
Ray Gibson SJ200 Taylor Grand Symphony Taylor 514CE-NY Taylor 814CE Deluxe V-Class Guild F1512 Alvarez DY74 Snowflake ('78)
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#23
01-26-2023, 09:29 AM
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If you only want to use headphones, you can't do better than the Mustang. It's the ideal couch practice amp. It's about the size of a cigarette lighter and holds a charge for a long time. The fact that you can Bluetooth in backing tracks makes it an unbelievably powerful tool. Take it to a guitar store and spend the day jamming along with backing tracks accessed by your cell phone. You can play at full volume and no one will be the wiser. If you want a speaker in addition to headphone use, then the Spark is the best choice. When this product is criticized it's usually for features it doesn't need and probably shouldn't have had in the first place. The ability to automatically generate backing tracks based on your input sounds good but also sounds like something not likely to work very well. The ability to decodes chord structure from something you input also sounds like something not likely to work very well. At the Spark's price point, it didn't need either of these features. What does work very well is the Spark's ability to be a low-cost modeling amp. It has dozens of different amp and pedal profiles. The combinations appear to be endless. What you can't think of yourself, you can import online from other users. The speakers are remarkably good and have a certain Bose quality to them that disperses the sound around the room. It's also plenty loud if you need it to be. It's not much bigger than a loaf of bread and sits unobtrusively almost anywhere. When I put one in my practice space, my wife didn't even notice. The price is right, and the quality of both of these products is quite frankly unbelievable. We live in the golden age of inexpensive electric guitar equipment. I've got a PRS guitar, a Mustang Micro and a Spark, and I don't need anything else. All of it cost less than $1k. I can't even think of anything else to buy...other than more guitars, of course. I've got instruction and backing tracks on my computer, so I don't even need teachers or a band anymore. The only thing that limits me is my own talent. Cost is no longer a deterrent.
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#24
01-26-2023, 11:56 AM
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Another option that hasn't been mentioned the OP might look at is the Katana 100mkii head. Well within the price range louder and cheaper than the thr30 with just the built in speaker and will drive a full size cabinet down the road.
Smaller and more portable than the non head katanas. When I had my friend over with a Spark we both preferred the Katanas tone to the Spark.
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#28
01-27-2023, 07:49 AM
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The THR5 is a great little practice amp.... Wish I had one in college. Sounds great at low volume and does all the tones well enough. The 5 is so portable.... but small speaker.... It can lack a little bass compared to a regular amp. For me the portability is worth it over the 10.... The tones are still all I could ask for at low volume. I just accept that a little bass is rolled off, and I don't really use it at volumes where the lack of bass starts to irritate me.
__________________
Alvarez: DY61 Huss and Dalton: DS Crossroads, 00-SP Kenny Hill: Heritage, Performance Larrivee: CS09 Matt Thomas Limited Taylor: 314ce, 356e, Baritone 8 Timberline: T60HGc
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#29
01-27-2023, 09:48 AM
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i use nux mighty plug pro
https://www.thomann.de/gb/nux_mighty_plug_pro.htm
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#30
01-27-2023, 09:56 AM
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I really love my Yamaha THR for practice and as an all-around, but I once in a while find myself just looking for a more interesting / distinctive tone than what the amp and its built-in effects can deliver. Even when I'm just practicing, I find myself just wanting a specific tone, so despite having the Yamaha I'm still in search of a new amp, maybe a Vox AC15, which I think won't be too much for playing at home.
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