What do you look for in an amph?

[Jx2]

I just spent the last month researching amps for a new one. I hit about every spectrum of the price scale from a Fender Champion to a Marshall JDM1. From reviews I was leaning towards the JDM1 or a Blackstar. One's I found local I was leaning towards a Marshall Valvestate series 1 and a Peavy Valve King. I took into consideration the clean tones first and foremost. I always beleived that, that is the most important because a good overdrive or distoration can get your desired crunch.

I never try to go fully on written reviews or reviews in genral because I beleive amp owners are bias if they want to be or not. I have a friend who owns a Marshall MGFX HS and he loves it but if you read the reviews on this its the most critizied Marshall on the market. It'd take a crowbar, a chain and a 4x4 truck to pry this amp from my buddy.

With that said I think the main thing when buying a amp is to use the reviews for sound clips but ignore the neg remarks till you play it yourself. I ended up with a Randall RX120D HS more amp then I need but this is my 3rd Randall and probably not my last. Someday I will own tube power.

 

[Eric]

I'm really trying to define this for myself since, as of this past Thursday, I've been asked to join a real giggin' band. :) An 8 member band playing classic rock, motown, and oldies for weding reception type gigs. I have some 60 songs to learn ranging form The Animals, to the Commodores, to CCR, to the Stones, to the Ramones.

Wow, that's cool! How'd it happen?

 

[Eric]

Well, not really, I realized it's more like how you view it....I guess yeah, if it'd be more articulate, then it could louder without mushing up...but then, conversely, it wouldn't sound nicely mushy at lower or normal volumes. So on one hand I'd not want it to be more articulate at all, but, well, to retain what articulation it still has even when cranked even further :-)

It's a bit difficult when your sound comes from poweramp largely, or the amp is of 'non-master volume' type...can't much change the volume at all, because the sound comes at a given volume. All you can do is select a wattage that gives the sound at your desired volume - and the speakers that also do that.

But, to me, still, the best sound comes from the non-master volume amps. Every amp I truly loved always sounded the best when it's master was really cranked.

I get where you're coming from here, and I guess what I was trying to say is that I agree. When I say articulate, I don't mean uber-clean glassiness -- I don't really use that sort of tone much.

I've just experienced the gainy mush too many times to want that at this point. Tight and muscular crunch with some punchiness is what I want in a distorted tone.

I feel like this my third attempt to answer the original question...

 

[hubberjub]

I'd like to compare and contrast your Astroverb to my Jet City sometime. I've a feeling that I'd like your Astroverb too :)

You're welcome to stop by next time you're in upstate NY.

 

[Tig]

The December edition of Guitar Player has a great Gear Roundup test and review of 5 low powered amps including the Mesa Transatlantic, Egnater Tweaker, Victoria Ivy League, 65 Amp Tupelo, and the Dr. Z Monza.
Not a looser in the bunch!

 

[Heywood Jablomie]

The December edition of Guitar Player has a great Gear Roundup test and review of 5 low powered amps including the Mesa Transatlantic, Egnater Tweaker, Victoria Ivy League, 65 Amp Tupelo, and the Dr. Z Monza.
Not a looser in the bunch!

I'm rather skeptical about magazine ratings because I think they tend to not say bad things about products, so as not to bite the advertisers' hands that feed them. Motor Trend is the same way about cars.