Tell me about amps

I own a very very small amp I think the brand is johnson... cheap little $50 thing that I bought to hold me off until I decided whether I wanted to stick to guitar or not. now that I have had a guitar for a while I wonder how I ever survived without one. and now me and some friends are talking about getting a band together, I have one friend who plays bass and another that is learning drums. all three of us have crappy equipment and I doubt that my tiny amp would be able to be heard over the drums even if I cranked it all the way up. since starting I know alot more about guitars, effects, pickups, strings, and everything else except amps and cables, I know virtually nothing about amps and cables so if someone could explain about different things I should keep in mind while buying an amp, combo amps, cabinets, amp heads, I have not the slightest clue about what any of that is good for. thanks for your help in advance

Alright,here is the lowdown(gansta)

all that expensive(for me)stuff is LOUD and sounds GOOD(depends).

there are amp combo's(what you have)

They come in many sizes and watts.Watts are a good way to judge how loud it can get or how much air it can push.100watts is the standard for big rigs,but 50watts and up should be fine for a gig.Speakers can range from a small 5" speaker to large 18" ones.The standard in combo's are 1x12 or 2x12(1 or 2 12" speakers).

heads are basically combo's without the speakers...you put them on a cab of your choice.Cabs come in tons of variations...a standard cabinet is 4x12 and it will rumble your chest(4 12" speakers).A speaker cable will go from the head to the cabinet.

thats really all you need to know...

if you want to know whats 'good' just look at the price...a good combo will be 400$ and up.A good head will be about the same or more.a good cab will run from 400$ and up as well.Anything under those prices will be reflected in the product(not that good deals are not out there).

The advantage of a head over a combo is that you can play the head through different cabs and the head may be cheaper.a combo's advantage is its portability.

there are speaker cables,instrument cables,microphone cables e.c.t.Get whatever you need.Quality can also be reflected in the price of the cable...your sound may be dulled by super cheap cables..there durability can suck too.

you get what you pay for...

so what about tube amps and non tube amps I have no clue what they are and what the difference is

Originally Posted by: CW14theres LOADS of info on that here, just use the search.

Valve (tube) amps sound much better than solid state (non tube) amps but are much more expensive and the tubes need replacing every so often.

I'll leave it to someone more experienced to explain the details...

You can explain for a hundred years with technical mumbo jumbo, just listen for 2 seconds and it will all be explained. Go try em.

Mirror Chuck = You get what you pay for. Or that's at least the way it usually is. Take your axe into the shop and try every amp they have. Even the ones you know you can't afford. Do it until they beg you to buy something (just don't play Smoke on the Water or Stairway to Heaven). Be sure you are happy with the one you pick out.

Tubes vs. Solid State - Well, I'm a valve guy. But I own, and use both. Transistor stuff is easy, light weight and cheaper. Tubes do a magical thing that only tubes can do. There's no comparison but each have their place. Shop wisely. I've seen great Solid State gear and crappy tube gear, and the other way around. Stick with name brand. I will make a bet though, if you buy a trans amp now, you will buy a tube later.

If I were you I would spend the 100 bucks for a Behringer V amp2 for now. It will fairly well simulate 32 amps and that will help you decide what you really want before you spend a lot more money.

I have used my VAmp to record on many occaisions, each time ending up with recordings that many could not tell were done on a sim. Also you can get full drive and overdrive at ANY volume you wish for.

Sidenote, I also own a Vox ToneLab, which is now my main amp sim. I do also own amps but love being able to record direct at room volume or less.

Just my own thoughts.


Songsmith