[ninja]

Hello people.

Well I just started playing a week ago and I am hooked. I picked up a squier start for my first. It came with a sp10 amp. I would like to upgrade but don't know anything about them.

I am mostly into rock but do like metal as well. Since I am still new I really dont want to blow a whole lot for a amp right now. I am hoping to spend no more then $300. I was looking at the Line 6 Spider III 75 or 30. Having done some searches I found some people say they are bad while others like them.

Any opinions as to which amp I should get in a $300 price range, or what to look for in a amp? For the people that don't like that amp, Can you tell me why, or what it is about it you don't like. I like the programming you can do with it.

Thanks a lot, and look forward to talking with you all.

 

[rasputin]

I am looking for a small combo to practice with. I looked at the spider 30 and found that it does not have a line out. it does have a headphone out and record out..but when you plug that in , it mutes the speaker.? Let me know if you find a good small amp with a line out.....I'll be lookin.

 

[lornemusic]

Hello people.
I am mostly into rock but do like metal as well. Since I am still new I really dont want to blow a whole lot for a amp right now. I am hoping to spend no more then $300. I was looking at the Line 6 Spider III 75 or 30. Having done some searches I found some people say they are bad while others like them.

Any opinions as to which amp I should get in a $300 price range, or what to look for in a amp? For the people that don't like that amp, Can you tell me why, or what it is about it you don't like. I like the programming you can do with it.

Thanks a lot, and look forward to talking with you all.

As far as line 6 stuff your getting into the amp sim vs. purist debates there and that probably isn't something you want to dive into if your just starting out.

I think there are a few questions we all need to know before we can give you a good answer? Are you practicing playing with tracks? Do you jam with other people? Do you need something where you can play with headphones?

I think once we know that we can point you in the right direction. If anything if your looking for a better "rock" distition than you amp has there are a lot of good distition pedals on the market that will cost you less than $300.00

 

[pkmoor]

I would suggest something from the Roland Cube series. They have quite a few choices available, wattage-wise. They also have a handful of amp models and built-in effects.

 

[ninja]

Thanks guys.

I do not use the amp to play tracks. If I play tracks they are on my stereo or computer.

My friend and I do join up to practice, but I think we both prefer to have are own settings on are own amps.

I do want something that has a headphone jack on it.

I really don't want pedals right now. My amp is crap. It came in a package with the guitar. It is probably worth $30. I would rather get a new one that has a good sound for rock and metal.

I also will look into the roland cube amps if you think they are good
Thanks again guys.

 

[lornemusic]

Marshall MG15MSII Micro Stack, Line 6 Spider III 75 Modeling Combo Amplifier, Roland Cube 30X Guitar Combo Amplifier, Vox Valvetronix AD30VT 30w 1x10 Guitar Combo Amp, all good bets as well as Fender has a line of inexpensive amps. I'd go to the music store and try them all out. That's have the fun isn't it?

 

[ninja]

You gave me a lot of choices. I will look into them all. Thank you.

O, one thing I noticed with the line 6 75 is no distortion? I know you can get a distorted sound with the drive, but would that amp be good for pinch harmonics? I hear you need a lot of distortion.

If all the amps you listed will be good for learning rock metal and pinch harmonics, I will try them all out and get whichever I like the best. I did a little search on Vox and it seems a lot of people have problems with the speakers blowing or another part of the amp breaking.

Thanks again.

 

[pkmoor]

O, one thing I noticed with the line 6 75 is no distortion? I know you can get a distorted sound with the drive, but would that amp be good for pinch harmonics? I hear you need a lot of distortion.

The drive combined with the right amp model should give you all you need for distortion.

 

[Joe King]

If you are just learning, don't go the modeling route just yet. Get a real amp, and understand the functions. A modeler would be like riding a bike to work, then getting to pilot the space shuttle. Too many buttons will lead to a fiery tone crash.

Here's my suggestion.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Palomino-v16-Class-A-Tube-Combo-Amp?sku=487826

Nice and simple, sounds great, and TUBES!!!!!

 

[thatlastingdose]

My suggestion is find a local Guitar Center and ask to play through a few of them find one with a decent distortion channel you like that is in your price range.To me you cant go wrong with Line 6. If you are going through your PC...maybe consider a POD.I think if you have a sound you like you are more likely to want to play you guitar vs. being unhappy with your sound...thats the great thing about Line 6 products.

 

[ninja]

I was thinking about a Line 6 but I found out they are for humbucker pickups. A lot of people say they are not great if you dont have those pickups. I am thinking about a crate or fender amp around $300.


Joe King- The amp you posted looks good but it almost sounds like it would not be good for a distorted metal sound.

I have to keep looking, nothing has really jumped out at me yet. I was hoping a lot of people would have the same opinion, so I would be sure that I wouldnt be waisting my money. One of my problems is I just started playing, so I cant really test out any amps in the store. I would have to have someone else play it for me.

Thanks a lot for all the advice everyone.

 

[rasputin]

One of my problems is I just started playing, so I cant really test out any amps in the store. I would have to have someone else play it for me.

Thanks a lot for all the advice everyone.

I remember those days !!... I used to take my 1st guitar ( a Hondo II ) to the place I bought it every week to have the guys tune it for me..( I could not afford or new how to use a guitar tuner 20 yrs ago). I was so impressed when they did it by ear....I finally recorded each string on a cassette recorder and I tuned my guitar by ear. Maybe thats why I have such a great ear....who knows.

 

[benwed]

Digitech GNX4!!

I started playing again about 9 months ago after about 10 years away from guitar and realized that I wanted a new amp. I went through a pretty exhaustive search of amps in the $300-$500 price range.

I was initially in love with the Line 6 Spider III 75. It had all of those presets to play with, got pretty loud for home practice, etc. It had a CD-input jack which was nice to use for backing tracks.

I also tried the Line 6 Pod XT plugged into my old Crate 60-watt solid-state. Again, there were a lot of presets and cool, customizable effects. I could also plug headphones in and play without an amp - nice feature for late-night practice.

I tried the Vox Valvetronix amps, Vox Tonelab, and various others, including the Crate Palomino series.

One day I was at Guitar Center and noticed the Digitech stuff and started playing around with the GNX4. After a few minutes playing with it and reading about the features, logic hit me and I bought it to take home to play with. It is without a doubt, hands down, the best piece of guitar equipment that I can think of that is on the market today. It has got tons of amp/cab models, loads of effects and an expression pedal, BUILT-IN 8 track recorder, stereo line in/out, mic inputs, MP3 player built-in, etc.

I really cannot say enough about the GNX4. I am in no way affiliated with Digitech. I just wish that someone has steered me in this direction a lot sooner, so if it helps you out and gives you a nudge in a direction you wouldn't have considered then I will be happy to have helped.

What I love about the GNX4 is this: I can load up the memory card with about 100 MP3's, put on my headphones and jam along in stereo to any music I want. Trust me, I tried to do this same thing with all of the other options I listed out, and they all fail miserably. With a traditional amp, you can't get a full range stereo playback for your MP3's.

You can tweak effects and settings all you want, but you DON'T have to if you just want to sit down and play. There are tons of good presets that you can use right out of the box, including good metal tones. The GNX4 is a little pricier than the Spider III ($500 vs. $300 - you can find some deals on the GNX4 on E-bay though), but what the GNX4 does is SO worth the extra money. Do yourself a favor - stop looking for amps and go buy a GNX4 right now.

 

[pkmoor]

I was thinking about a Line 6 but I found out they are for humbucker pickups. A lot of people say they are not great if you dont have those pickups.

If a lot of people say that, then I would say a lot of people don't know what they are doing. The type of pickup you have should not matter. The Line 6 amps have enough different sounds that you should be able to find some that work for you.

Perhaps one of the sales people can demo some amps for you. Just make sure they pick a guitar similar to what you have.

 

[Joe King]

Joe King- The amp you posted looks good but it almost sounds like it would not be good for a distorted metal sound.

I have to keep looking, nothing has really jumped out at me yet. I was hoping a lot of people would have the same opinion, so I would be sure that I wouldnt be waisting my money. One of my problems is I just started playing, so I cant really test out any amps in the store. I would have to have someone else play it for me.

Thanks a lot for all the advice everyone.

Don't let it fool you It screams.

And NEVER EVER feel like you can't try something out in a store. If anyone there gives you a hard time, LEAVE. It's your money, spend it as you will. Never be intimidated, but when you try the amp out, play it at a volume you can hear without struggle, while remembering to be courteous.

After several years at working at a music store, I would put up with any beginner's playing no problem. I couldn't, however stand the jackasses that came in acting like they were going to show me something I had never heard.

Back to the amp deal, you should really make an effort to go hear some. Ask the sales guys to play if you don't feel comfortable. They will, and should be happy to assist.

As far as getting a consensus on what to buy from this forum or any other, you are only going to get recommendations that have worked for others, but there won't be a clear cut winner, just a lot more confusion over choices.

I would say for simplicity, stay with the real amp, and no modeling yet. It's just so much easier to get a handle on the basics without getting sidetracked dinking around with a million options because you can't find the one you liked last time you played.

And for the dollars these days, go tube. The tone is a considerable upgrade from the modeling choices, but the price ranges are almost equal.

Best of luck to you!


Jay

 

[mikethaninefive]

Hate to beat a dead horse...... I have- MIM Strat with Duncan Scorcher for bridge, Seymour Duncan SHR-1N for Mid And stock for neck (the bridge and neck are getting SHR-1's soon) I need a reliable, affordable half stack. Any suggestions? I want to play with friends, for home I have a Crate XTR15R but I def need something bigger for practicing with them and hopefully gigging. I recently got into 80's metal (Y&T, Priest, Savatage, ect.) and discovered my previously unused bar, pinch harmonics and dive bombs My friend Uses a Mesa Tube rectifier and, while really nice it's also really expensive. As a side note tuning problems- gone. Graph Tech nut, saddles and string tree, I can't say enough good things about them. WAY better tone, and of course tuning stability. Thanks in advance Oh yeah, almost forgot check out my Father in law's band at www.sideshowrocks.com