new amp help

I need to get a new amp since te one I have is crap. I would like one that has the electronics all in one cabinet or a short stack. I'm willing to spend the most:250. Whats the best to get? I mostly play rock with distortion, but go back and fourth between that metal and harder. I also plan on playing in front of small to a bit larger audiences.
-ps: i know i posted this twics, just put it in the wrong spot the 1st

250 is not a lot of dough so you need to shop a bunch. Grab your axe and head to every music store and pawn shop in town. If you rely on floor effects to get your distortions, check out the solid state gear. If buying used, be sure the speaker is good (no cone buzz/rattle when set clean) and the pots (controls) are not scratchy/static/dirty. Try to get 50 watts with a single 12" speaker. This would take you from practice to a gig.

Peavey Bandits are a tough amp for the money.

Well......, suggesting an Amp to someone can be tricky. Simply because every guitarist usually has very strong opinions about different brands, tube vs. solid-state, etc..

But my advise to you would be to ignore the whole "name brand" issue and do some research on a variety of different amp models. Sometimes you can save a bundle and still be pleased with the choice you made.

For example: The other guitarist in my band decided to get himself an amp recently that would be better sounding than the half-stack he was currently playing through. Money was a big issue at the time, so he wanted an amp that was affordable but still sounded good.
All seemed hopeless...........until a friend of mine brought a Behringer GMX212 V-Tone down to my house one evening, simply to check out for the hell of it.
Well..........., the other guitarist in my band just happend to be there at the time, and did'nt give the Behringer much thought at first.
After all, we thought of it as a practice amp that was'nt a "Big name" company, as far as amplifiers go anyway.

Well, to make a long story some-what shorter, the friend left the amp at my place and we decided to give the amp a real listen to. To our surprise, the amp sounded a hell of a lot better than we expected!
"Lets hook it up to the 4x12 cabinet and see what it does!" he said.
So we did..................and he loved it! To him it sounded better than the "Higher name" amp he was using. Now he uses it constantly.

The amp only costs $279.00, has two 12 inch speakers, on-board processing, and a ****-load of hook-up connections in the back.

The moral of the story? Check out everything. Browse some sites such as Musiciansfriend.com (that's where the Behringer was from), because there are amps out there for those on a tight budget. And when you win the lottery and have a room full of high-priced amps, remember to send me one each week to play-test!!! Best of luck Bro. :cool:

After looking into the Behringergmx212 it looks like a really good deal. Everyone that posted something about it all said the same: Icredibal effects ans sound for the $$$. One question though. When didtortion is on, how loud is it by itself? I know its a bit quiet on clean since ppl said that too. Also, you do think it would sound good on the amp to play any kind of music?

Actually, you've brought up a few good points on this amp that you might need to consider, depending upon your personal tastes.

You are correct about the different channel volumes. On one channel we noticed that the volume was slightly lower than the other.
But keep in mind that it does'nt have a specific "clean" or "distorted" channel. For example: My band-mate uses one channel as a distorted rhythm sound, and the other channel as a distorted lead sound.

Basically, you can set each channel for whatever type of sound you want. But keep in mind the slight volume difference.

Honestly...........I can't really comment on the "Clean" sound of the amp at high volume yet. At the last few rehersals we have had since he started using this amp; he has only used the distortion at high volume.

How does the distortion sound? Well, in my humble opinion, it sounds just fine. And he's happy with it for now, especially since it did'nt cost him an arm and leg!

I think you asked if the amp sounded good on it's own, without hooking it up to a 4x12 cab? In our opinion, yes. We did'nt notice a huge difference in sound, except for the obvious fuller volume. (due to 4 speakers instead of 2)

Just to give you a reference point, we are a Heavy Metal band, and even though we do play some clean parts......mostly he uses distortion.

Remember dude, I'm not trying to sell you on "this" particuliar amp, hell, you may not like it at all! Or you may love it! Just letting you know that there are amps out there at reasonable prices............and just because they don't cost thousands of dollars does'nt mean they suck.

Best of luck in your search bro!!! :cool:

Good news, I was able to up my spendage to $475. I'm going to the store tomorrow and trying some out.I might be getting the Crate gt1200, but im still looking.

Just got back. Got the Peavy TransTube 112 EFX. Sounds great. Lovin it so far.

Glad ya found one that suits ya bro!!!

Keep jamm'in. :cool: