NGD - Acoustic guy finally goes electric

[3notes]

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

Agreed. Problem is I’ll have to sell one of my acoustics to be able to snag a decent tube amp. And I really don’t want to do that. But that may be inevitable. I’m loving this Strat and have no interest in limiting its tonal capabilities with a cheap amp...

It's not a cheap amp. I have a Champion 20 that will never be sold or traded. And never given away. You can get a world of tone out of any Fender amp. Fender makes great amps. I've owned several over the years.

[ch willie]

Originally Posted by 3notes

It's not a cheap amp. I have a Champion 20 that will never be sold or traded. And never given away. You can get a world of tone out of any Fender amp. Fender makes great amps. I've owned several over the years.

I've always used Fender amps, not exclusively, but mostly. I've played through a Deluxe Reverb, full tube for the past 12 years, and I constantly get compliments about my tone.

For bass, I play through an Ampeg tube head. But for smaller gigs, I have a Fender Rumble 350 and a small Rumble 40. Excellent bass amps, and again, I get a lot of compliments on the sound.

I'm old school and love tube amps. But the latest technology of solid state is sounding pretty good.

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by 3notes

It's not a cheap amp. I have a Champion 20 that will never be sold or traded. And never given away. You can get a world of tone out of any Fender amp. Fender makes great amps. I've owned several over the years.

Yes - whenever I hear/read someone new to electric where the interest is peaked, something is going right with the amp. For home use I would stick with what you have, but if you insist on upgrading don’t miss out on a fat, colourful midrange which is the heart and soul of electric and can be appreciated at low volume for home use when necessary. I would go tweed champ handwired EC or something similar - blackface scooped midrange is a one trick pony at low volume and in my opinion a waste of money for home use.

[Rev Roy]

So now that I’ve taken my first step into the electric world I see that even a routine NGD thread quickly devolves into a spirited debate about amps and pedals. No wonder I’m hearing the sirens call to hop down that expensive rabbit hole myself.

[Jaden]

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

So now that I’ve taken my first step into the electric world I see that even a routine NGD thread quickly devolves into a spirited debate about amps and pedals. No wonder I’m hearing the sirens call to hop down that expensive rabbit hole myself.

I’m sure you know my thoughts about pedals already - zero - guitar straight into amp, the latter which has a single tone control, one volume, one input jack, together with volume and tone control on the guitar - *way over the top for flexibility* as is. No rabbit hole for me, thanks, just back to the basics acoustic guitar style.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

Agreed. Problem is I’ll have to sell one of my acoustics to be able to snag a decent tube amp. And I really don’t want to do that. But that may be inevitable. I’m loving this Strat and have no interest in limiting its tonal capabilities with a cheap amp...

As the owner of any Godin, Eastman, or Korean Gretsch Electromatic will be happy to tell you inexpensive doesn't necessarily mean cheap; I've been using these as my go-to amps for a while now, and for a grand total of $600 for both - less than the cost of a single Princeton/Deluxe Reverb RI - you can cover everything from late-night practice to a 700-seat house with all the sweet tube tone you could ask for:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...tube-combo-amp
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...tube-combo-amp

If you're not familiar, search the reviews here on the Electric subforum from the many satisfied fellow owners - they really are that good - and having played my own Strat through both I think you'll find them to be an excellent combination...

[Steel and wood]

Don't discount the option of a really good solid state modelling amp like a Fender Mustang (at least to begin with) which will be much cheaper (won't have to sell a guitar to afford) and is more practical and versatile (settings, effects, tuner and headphone jack off the top of my head) for home/practice use. (Your Stratocaster like mine will respond beautifully to this type of amp like it would to tubes).

Just a suggestion.

[Rev Roy]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

As the owner of any Godin, Eastman, or Korean Gretsch Electromatic will be happy to tell you inexpensive doesn't necessarily mean cheap; I've been using these as my go-to amps for a while now, and for a grand total of $600 for both - less than the cost of a single Princeton/Deluxe Reverb RI - you can cover everything from late-night practice to a 700-seat house with all the sweet tube tone you could ask for:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...tube-combo-amp
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...tube-combo-amp

If you're not familiar, search the reviews here on the Electric subforum from the many satisfied fellow owners - they really are that good - and having played my own Strat through both I think you'll find them to be an excellent combination...

Thanks for the tip, Steve. I feel like a newbie all over again in the electric world...

[ataylor]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

As the owner of any Godin, Eastman, or Korean Gretsch Electromatic will be happy to tell you inexpensive doesn't necessarily mean cheap

Agreed. Lots of great bang-for-buck guitars and amps out there. I have two that have become something of cult classics: the Fender Baja Telecaster and the Vox Pathfinder 15R. It's crazy how good both are for how much they cost.

Originally Posted by Steel and wood

Don't discount the option of a really good solid state modelling amp like a Fender Mustang (at least to begin with) which will be much cheaper (won't have to sell a guitar to afford) and is more practical and versatile (settings, effects, tuner and headphone jack off the top of my head) for home/practice use. (Your Stratocaster like mine will respond beautifully to this type of amp like it would to tubes).

Just a suggestion.

The OP mentioned he got a Champion 50XL — right along the same lines but with fewer menus and screens and a more traditional amp look.

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

Thanks for the tip, Steve. I feel like a newbie all over again in the electric world...

I can empathize. I didn't get my first electric guitar until I'd been playing acoustic for nearly a decade, and even though another decade has passed since, I still feel like I'm a novice when it comes to electric!

[roylor4]

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

Agreed. Problem is I’ll have to sell one of my acoustics to be able to snag a decent tube amp. And I really don’t want to do that. But that may be inevitable. I’m loving this Strat and have no interest in limiting its tonal capabilities with a cheap amp...

SS amps have their place - especially for clean tones. They are also usually MUCH lighter than tube amps, making them ideal for taking to jams and playing with friends.

Once you buy a tube amp, the difference in warmth and the way a tube amps sound envelopes you rather than putting out a small cone of sound becomes immediately apparent.

They are both good tools to have. Personally I love tube/tube hybrid amps but will likely go with a Pod Go modeling pedal for almost all my live gigs. Just not enough room in my car for 2 speakers, bass amp, guitar amp and 3 guitars & banjo.

I will always have at least one tube amp at home though.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by roylor4

...Personally I love tube/tube hybrid amps but will likely go with a Pod Go modeling pedal for almost all my live gigs. Just not enough room in my car for 2 speakers, bass amp, guitar amp and 3 guitars & banjo...

You need a larger car...

[roylor4]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

You need a larger car...

It's a Corolla. Could be worse - could be an MG Midget.

[philo426]

Strays are so easy to play...should enjoy it!

[philo426]

[Dru Edwards]

That's a beauty. Right colors for the burst, pickguard , aged pickup covers and rosewood neck.

OT: I've been thinking about maybe getting a Vox amplug. How do you like it?

Originally Posted by philo426