Need advice on Tube Amps

So, I've been looking around a bit, since the band I've been jamming with for three weeks have recommended getting a powerful Tube Amp (they say it will make it easier to find a band, and I won't have to rent gear for future gigs), but I have absolutely no clue what to look for! I've heard good things about Marshall Tube Amps, and even managed to find a powerful one within my own budget, but I'm not quite sure if it's worth the money.

It's a Marshall 6100 Anniversary Limited Edition Tube Amp Head with an analog foot-controller and a matching 4x12" cabinet, with all together goes for 5000DKR, or roughly 700-800USD, so it's not that expensive, which leads me to believe that it might not really be such a good Amp anyway, despite getting 9/10 in some reviews I found.

I'm probably just overly paranoid, but that's just me in a nutshell. But I'd rather get a great Tube Amp that can work for years or decades, than a mediocre one that needs to be replaced with a better one within years.

Does anyone know this Marshall 6100 Anniversary Limited Edition? And are there other great Tube-Amps that won't cost too much? The only requirements are that it is powerful, and sounds great.

P.S.: I found the Amp mentioned on a Danish equivalent of eBay (I'm quite sure it's even a Danish sub-section of eBay). I haven't been able to find it in any stores yet.

I've also heard that Fender, Mesa and Vox should be some pretty good brands, but I mostly only see people using Marshall during concerts, so that's why I assume they're the best Tube Amps.

have a look at the vox night train and orange amps, i'm also a fan of laney amps. There's a lot of choice out there so there's no need to stick with marshall although they are good amps but with so much choice it may be worth looking online for models that are in your price range and checking out reviews or demo's on youtube. I've played through a few 20 and 30 watt valve amps that were run through a 4x12 cabs and they easily loud enough with a full band.

Any idea about Blackstar? I've seen a dozen different models of those, but I don't really know what they're good and bad for. Same goes for all other brands, by the way.

yes blackstar are good amps so are fender and jet city. It all comes down to personal taste and the sound you are after. The other guitarist in my old band had a jet city 20 watt valve amp and it was stunning, he never had any problem with volume levels at practice and if it wasn't loud enough at gig's we'd get the sound guy to put a mic on the amp. How much is your budget to buy an amp and would you prefer a combo or half stack?

Yeah, while playing with the other band, I did try borrowing a Jet City 20W Tube Amp, and it really had no problem keeping up with a large Peavey Tube Amp head with a 4x12" cabinet (not sure about how powerful the Peavey was, but it was loud). As said, I have no real clue what to look for in a Tube Amp, but I'd prefer one of those Head and Cabinet-type Amps (I think those are the ones called "half-stacks"). I only demand that it can play loud enough for a mid-sized venue, so I won't have to replace it anytime soon. Also, I'm only saving for one right now, but I'd like to have an idea of what I want when I can afford it.

Also, is it better to buy a brand-new Tube Amp or is it better to buy a used one? I've seen some people saying used ones sound better, but on the other hand, with a new one, you can be mostly sure there's nothing wrong with it.

Kasperow,
My opinion, you want at least 75 watts, up to around 150 watts+, with a 4 12 cabinet that should do anything you want for a long time.

Things to look for, how many lines out does it have in the back. I would look for one with at least 2. So if you ever want to add another 4x12 cabinet all you would have to buy is a speaker cabinet and a cord. If it only has one line out does it have the power to run 2 12 cabinets in series. How many instruments can be plugged in at one time? Do they sell a cover to cover it during transportation? Does it have a switch to change the ohms it puts out to run speakers with different ohms? Does the head have a stand by switch?

The speakers in the cabinet are also a big part of the sound. As long as the ohms are the same, there is no reason you can't run one kind of head and another kind of speaker box. Best of both worlds kind of thing. For the kind of money you’re talking about spending Do Not Settle. If you can’t find something that speaks to your insides go to another store.

When listing to the setups, stand in front of the amp and back at least 8 feet. There is a wall of sound waves moving from an amp that big you want to be in front of it to feel it.

I would buy a brand that has been around for a while as far as the amp goes, but you will have to decide on what brand. Play through them all, no one else’s opinion matters, but yours.

So, it can pretty much be summarized as "try as many as you can until you find the one you like the best"? I have a basic idea of what kind of sound I want from it, but that's it.

Kasperow,

Then, don't be so fast to buy a big system. That is way too much money to spend if your still learning what it is you even want. The same stuff will still be for sale 8+ months from now after you have spent more time discovering what you like. You are still discovering there are more types of music out there that you like.

I think that is the best advice I can give you.

Originally Posted by: haghj500Kasperow,

Then, don't be so fast to buy a big system. That is way too much money to spend if your still learning what it is you even want. The same stuff will still be for sale 8+ months from now after you have spent more time discovering what you like. You are still discovering there are more types of music out there that you like.

I think that is the best advice I can give you.

I guess that's true. I have been listening to quite a few new bands lately, and I'm still in the process of discovering all of my "musical bloodline", with Slash, Robin Trower, Richie Blackmore and Mark Tremonti only being a small part of it. It sounds like it would be wiser to discover the whole "musical bloodline" before investing in a large Tube Amp. More so, considering that my current practice-amp is powerful enough for a practice room, and I don't even have the people needed to start my own band, so getting a big amp probably shouldn't be my first priority.

Until those things are in place, I could go try out a few Tube Amps in the stores, just to get an idea about how they sound.

Kasperow,

Wise man !
Its hard to walk away from the Big Amp Bug. I save for about 2.5 years to buy my first big amp.

Originally Posted by: haghj500Kasperow,

Wise man !
Its hard to walk away from the Big Amp Bug. I save for about 2.5 years to buy my first big amp.

Yeah, another thing I should probably be aware of is that "expensive =/= better". I have 3 electric guitars myself, an SG, a Les Paul and a Strat with humbuckers, worth 2000DKR, 1800DKR and 800DKR respectively, and honestly, the Strat sounds just as great as the Les Paul (which, by the way, sounds almost identical to one of the expensive Gibson LPs). I think the expensive 10kDKR LPs I've tried only sound, like, 10% better, and that's compared to an 800DKR guitar. The SG also easily sounds as great as those expensive Gibson models too (both the SG and LP are Epiphones, though). They all sound great, and they were all quite cheap. The amp I currently use, a 40W Fender Mustang II V.2, cost only the same as the SG, and it also sounds great, especially when running the British 60's, British 80's or American 90's presets, which are the ones I use most. Great little amp for practicing at home, but I'll need to be able to play loud for gigs when that time comes. Can Mustangs be connected to a 4x12" cabinet to make them louder? They've got a small 4,3mm jack for Headphones, but I don't know if that can be used for running a 4x12" cabinet. I also don't know if modeling amps are actually useful for gigs, but it'll be a while before I'll get any of those anyway.

Kasperow,

About a year ago I went looking for a guitar to keep by my chair in the living room, I wanted it to play well, but not cost too much as it will be in the living room where people and kids walk by. I found an Epiphone Les Paul Studio. Having played on it for about a year now, I've grown to like the thing and I'm surprised how nice it plays. I would not go buy another just to get the Gibson name on the head stock. I have only plugged it in an amp 3 or 4 times, but I have always been happy with its sound.

I’m sure Amp’s are the same way.

If the Mustang does not have a line out in the back for speakers it was most likely not built to power a 4 12 cabinet. The head phone jack for sure was not. Well it might for a “short” period of time, but not for a gig. My guess is it would hurt the amp.

Originally Posted by: haghj500Kasperow,

About a year ago I went looking for a guitar to keep by my chair in the living room, I wanted it to play well, but not cost too much as it will be in the living room where people and kids walk by. I found an Epiphone Les Paul Studio. Having played on it for about a year now, I've grown to like the thing and I'm surprised how nice it plays. I would not go buy another just to get the Gibson name on the head stock. I have only plugged it in an amp 3 or 4 times, but I have always been happy with its sound.

I’m sure Amp’s are the same way.

If the Mustang does not have a line out in the back for speakers it was most likely not built to power a 4 12 cabinet. The head phone jack for sure was not. Well it might for a “short” period of time, but not for a gig. My guess is it would hurt the amp.

So if I want to use a Mustang for gigs (I love the versatility of it, even though lots of people seem to hate Modelling Amps), I should consider the Mustang V Head and a Mustang V 412 Cabinet? The things I love about the Mustang are that I find it simple to use, it can have a lot of presets that can be easily changed on-the-go on the amp itself or by using Fender FUSE, and it generally sounds nice to my ears. Of course, people will always prefer a real Tube Amp over a Modelling Amp, but I'm the one playing it, so in the end, it really should be all up to me exactly what Amp I play through, as long as it is loud enough.

Originally Posted by: KasperowSo if I want to use a Mustang for gigs (I love the versatility of it, even though lots of people seem to hate Modelling Amps), I should consider the Mustang V Head and a Mustang V 412 Cabinet? The things I love about the Mustang are that I find it simple to use, it can have a lot of presets that can be easily changed on-the-go on the amp itself or by using Fender FUSE, and it generally sounds nice to my ears. Of course, people will always prefer a real Tube Amp over a Modelling Amp, but I'm the one playing it, so in the end, it really should be all up to me exactly what Amp I play through, as long as it is loud enough.

Your amp choice is part of how you define your sound. I may be wrong, but I can't imagine a band requireing that you play a tube amp. Playing live in a crowded bar or something, minor sonic differences get lost. In that setting, I think the ease of use you like is a hard requirement.

If you are recording in a studio - that's a different story and minor sonic differences can be heard.

Ultimately, I would say it's your sound and your amp choice is up to you.

Personally, I switched to a tube amp recently (Peavey ValveKing). I found it very responsive to my playing and thought it was "lively" when compared to solid state amps I've used. It's a personal perference though.

Kasperow,

I think modeling amps now days are great. Like you, I like the versatility of the modeling amp and the last amp I bought was a modeling amp. I can get it to feed back just like a tube amp. As long as I was happy with the sound on stage, I would not care if it was tube or solid state.

The science and electrical components simply were not as advanced when they first started making modeling amps and they got a bad name.

I did jam with a buddy for a few hours Saturday, he was playing through a older peavvy and over all I liked it's sound better than my modeling amp. But they were very close.

haghj500, to begin with, until I start getting sold-out gigs at large venues for more than 500 people, I think versatility is more important than having several specialized amps to switch between. When I'm skilled enough to play gigs for the first few times, (which could take a while...), I'll rather bring a single Amp I know how works, and then later switch to having a couple of large amps. Of course, first I'll have to actually become good enough and have enough songs to be able to play a whole gig.

Originally Posted by: maggiorYour amp choice is part of how you define your sound. I may be wrong, but I can't imagine a band requireing that you play a tube amp. Playing live in a crowded bar or something, minor sonic differences get lost. In that setting, I think the ease of use you like is a hard requirement.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "hard requirement". I know that a Modelling Amp won't have the same authentic sound as a Tube Amp, but I don't really think they sound too different.

Originally Posted by: Kasperowhaghj500, to begin with, until I start getting sold-out gigs at large venues for more than 500 people, I think versatility is more important than having several specialized amps to switch between. When I'm skilled enough to play gigs for the first few times, (which could take a while...), I'll rather bring a single Amp I know how works, and then later switch to having a couple of large amps. Of course, first I'll have to actually become good enough and have enough songs to be able to play a whole gig.


I'm not quite sure what you mean by "hard requirement". I know that a Modelling Amp won't have the same authentic sound as a Tube Amp, but I don't really think they sound too different.

Sorry..I'm in work mode :-). By hard requirement, I mean it's a necessity. So, on stage, it's critical that you can easily switch between the different sounds you want/need and not feel pressured. So the ease-of-use of your current amp, I would think, would outweigh any sonic differences with a tube amp. This assumes a tube amp setup will require other stuff (stomp boxes, etc) to acheive the sounds you are using from your modeling amp.

I recently bought a Zoom G5 stomp box/amp modeler. I saw a youtube review where the reviewer said he's used it plugged directly into the mixing console in the venue. This was his fallback when he couldn't rent an amp where he was playing or the rented amp turned out to be crap. This is amp modeling used in the extreme.

The point is that

Originally Posted by: maggiorSorry..I'm in work mode :-). By hard requirement, I mean it's a necessity. So, on stage, it's critical that you can easily switch between the different sounds you want/need and not feel pressured. So the ease-of-use of your current amp, I would think, would outweigh any sonic differences with a tube amp. This assumes a tube amp setup will require other stuff (stomp boxes, etc) to acheive the sounds you are using from your modeling amp.

Ah. Okay. In that case, I agree completely. Whether or not it's actually loud enough, though, I don't know. For gigs it'll have to be pretty loud, and when I practice at home, I usually either have Master Volume at 2 or 3, or I use headphones so I don't get problems with my neighbors.

As for using effects, I only use a few pedals, as I prefer to be able to walk around freely and not just be stuck in a corner, playing my guitar. Right now, the only one I have that can't be replaced with Fender FUSE is actually my Wah-Wah. My overdrive and Distortion can be added in Fender FUSE, to give better results, even, compared to using my actual pedals. I don't know how good that would look during a gig, though, having someone standing in the back of the stage with a laptop so I would be able to run effects through FUSE. People would probably think it'd be playback, which I want to avoid, so a laptop with FUSE would have to stand behind the amps, so others wouldn't even know it is there. Still, before that becomes relevant, I need to become a better guitarist first, and I also need to have a bunch of songs and a band to play with.

Originally Posted by: KasperowSo, I've been looking around a bit, since the band I've been jamming with for three weeks have recommended getting a powerful Tube Amp (they say it will make it easier to find a band, and I won't have to rent gear for future gigs), but I have absolutely no clue what to look for! I've heard good things about Marshall Tube Amps, and even managed to find a powerful one within my own budget, but I'm not quite sure if it's worth the money.

It's a Marshall 6100 Anniversary Limited Edition Tube Amp Head with an analog foot-controller and a matching 4x12" cabinet, with all together goes for 5000DKR, or roughly 700-800USD, so it's not that expensive, which leads me to believe that it might not really be such a good Amp anyway, despite getting 9/10 in some reviews I found.

I'm probably just overly paranoid, but that's just me in a nutshell. But I'd rather get a great Tube Amp that can work for years or decades, than a mediocre one that needs to be replaced with a better one within years.

Does anyone know this Marshall 6100 Anniversary Limited Edition? And are there other great Tube-Amps that won't cost too much? The only requirements are that it is powerful, and sounds great.

P.S.: I found the Amp mentioned on a Danish equivalent of eBay (I'm quite sure it's even a Danish sub-section of eBay). I haven't been able to find it in any stores yet.

I've also heard that Fender, Mesa and Vox should be some pretty good brands, but I mostly only see people using Marshall during concerts, so that's why I assume they're the best Tube Amps.

you need to ask ur selv a few things when buying an amp.do you want one,two or three channells how much money is in ur budget and most inportant wat kinda of music do u play,tube amps are great at high volume i love tube amps, but there are pro and cons on both tubes and solid state,anyway good luck to ya....btw there is an thread on this subject,by prsplaya .its all about choosing the right amp for you.....axe2

If you can swing it, I suggest the Orange Rockerverb 50 or 100.
They sound great.

DGF

Seattle, WA