Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeMcKee
I know it's more than you mentioned, but I really like my Blackstar HT-5R. One feature I like, that I didn't see on other tube amps is the headphone output, so you can play and get that great tube tone without bothering others. Like it a lot.
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The Bugera V5 Infinium also has a headphone out as well as a 5W/1W/0.1W attenuator, so you can play and get that great tube tone without bothering others - and I got mine at GC on coupon day for $127 with a bit of additional haggling...
To the OP:
You already
have an excellent acoustic amp - you
need a dedicated electric guitar amp...
Given your style of music and the way you're going to be performing it, I'd personally look for something that takes pedals well and has loads of clean power (
PSA: it's all about headroom and providing a solid platform for your outboard loopers -
not raw volume) - which in my book screams
analog solid-state 1x12"/2x12" combo. Fortunately, there's plenty of good used stuff out there - old Peavey Bandit/Special/Special Chorus amps can be had for well under your $250 budget, and the USA gear is built like tanks; FWIW the Fender Champion 100 hasn't been too well-received - savvy players looking for (relatively) light weight and big power (100W) tend to favor the predecessor Frontman 212R "blackface" (looks like a Twin Reverb, gets those classy Fender blackface Twin-style cleans, 25% lighter), and if you can find one for a good price grab it now, as the surf crowd is driving prices of the best examples into (and above) their original retail range. My personal fave in a solid-state combo is the pre-1985 Randall RG Series, designed/marketed by a former associate of Leo Fender from the pre-CBS days, and intended to compete directly - two independent non-switchable channels, built-in trem/'verb/bright switch - with Fender's '70s silverface line (comparably priced when new, and sold on their tonal and construction merits); these are real sleepers in the market (I've seen the 120W 2x12"/2x10"/1x15" combos selling for under $200 in good condition, the relatively rare 4x10" for not much more when/if it can be found) and make an excellent stand-alone amp for Americana/blues/classic-rock (as well as country, jazz, surf, and other cleaner-style) players. FYI they're also quite loud for their rated power - more akin to a tube amp in this regard (small wonder the '80s metal bands started using them) - but since they're equipped with pre/post gain (and
very wide-range passive EQ controls - I thought my RB-120 1x15" bass/guitar combo had active EQ when I first bought it) you can roll back the volume to reasonable levels without killing your tone...
Hope this helps...
