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What's a good first amp

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pedalbuilder said:
One thing that a lot of people who are new to electric guitar seem to do is lean on their equipment. If you can get a great sound by pushing a button, you are less likely to learn about picking dynamics and using your guitar and amp volume and tone controls to get the sound you want.

Plug me into a clean amp, though, and all of my inadequacies as a player shone through. Once you have the skills though, you can make these digital toys sound fantastic!
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Excellent point you brought up. I remember all the unwanted noise my pick and fingers made when switching from a digital modelling amp to a class A tube amp. It taught me to clean up my pick and finger attack in my right hand.
 
pedalbuilder said:
:offtopic

Being the noob here I have to ask - why are folks here spelling amp with an h, like amph? I've never seen this before, but I'm seeing it a lot here.
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Doesn't everybody spell it that way?
 
Blaze said:
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Dang, that Alex Hutchings is an amazing player!

So far as as amph recommendations go, I'll throw in a suggestion for a Mesa Triple rec and 4x12.:rockya

Nothing better than learning new chords at 150 dB.:R

And you can get screaming soloes..
 
NWBasser said:
Dang, that Alex Hutchings is an amazing player!

So far as as amph recommendations go, I'll throw in a suggestion for a Mesa Triple rec and 4x12.:rockya

Nothing better than learning new chords at 150 dB.:R

And you can get screaming soloes..
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There's wisdom here, folks!:dude
 
How about a Vox Valvetronix modelling amph. The 15 Watt is pretty cheap, and has a nice sound.

Another advantage of modelling technology is that it gives a newer player the chance to experiment to find their tone. If they end up gravitating to, say a Fender tone, then their next amph can be a nice Fender tube model.
 
First Amp

For an experienced player I would suggest either a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe or Blues Deluxe; lacquered tweed is a very nice finish; or a Peavey Classic 30 or Delta Blues. These are amps that one could jam with any other group with adequate power to be able to hang with the rest of them.

As a secondary amp there are a lot of inexpensive bedroom amps that are very nice, like the Vox DA5 with the power switch from 0.5 watts up to the full 5 watts and the dual power option of six C cell batteries or the wall current adaptor that is included and the mic input and separate volume control, the Vox Pathfinder 15R, Blackheart Little Giant head or combo, Cube, Vox ADxx+, SCXD most definitely, Peavey Mini Colossal with the power knob.

Also, the Egnater Tweaker sounds real good turned down real low; with all its adjustments you can get really great sounds at real low volumes or crank it for some real fun, but it's not able to compete with a loud drummer like the Hot Rod Deluxe or the other ones mentioned above.

Another real good first amp would be the Fender SuperSonic 60 watt version if money isn't a problem, or any other real good pro type combo.

Your first amp doesn't necessarily have to be inexpensive or low powered. In fact I would say if you are only going to have one amp it would be wise to get one with enough power to play with friends when the opportunity arises.

The sound of cranking up a tube amp with at least thirty watts, like the Classic 30, is VERY rewarding.

But if cranking the amp is out of the question, a low power amp might be a good idea, or a big enough one to jam with that has a power level knob on it like the Vox AD60XL, for instance, that a place near me has NOS for a good price and I always think about buying it. But those old modelers are really really complicated amp designs and a LOT of things can go wrong with them that are really expensive to get diagnosed and fixed, time consuming to fix as well. They are probably essentially disposable unless the problem is only a minor jack problem or something simple.

I'd say get as good and dependable an amp as your buget can afford, within the feature set that you need.

If you don't know much about amps, take someone who does along and play a lot of them until you find one that you connect with and run it by your friend as to the probable dependability, quality, etc. Salesmen will sell you anything and tell you "everything is subjective". You need to do the foot work and do the practical thing. Buying two amps might be a solution.

If playing with others in an electric band situation is probable, a Classic 30 or Hot Rod Deluxe or above would be practically a necessity. You wouldn't want to be playing around with a tiny underpowered practice amp when they have pro stage amps.
 
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pedalbuilder said:
New guy here, so ignore me at will, but I am going to humbly disagree with all of the modelling amp sentiment here. Not that there's anything wrong with a modelling amp, but I always recommend that people start out with a solid, basic clean setup and learn to play with that and grow from there.

One thing that a lot of people who are new to electric guitar seem to do is lean on their equipment. If you can get a great sound by pushing a button, you are less likely to learn about picking dynamics and using your guitar and amp volume and tone controls to get the sound you want. For me, I know it was years before I ever touched my guitar's volume knob - I was playing Boss digital modelling rigs and almost any sound I wanted was at my disposal. Plug me into a clean amp, though, and all of my inadequacies as a player shone through. Once you have the skills though, you can make these digital toys sound fantastic!
Anyway - my vote would be a good tube amp - the Blues Junior is a way to go, and there are other options as well (in that price range a used Traynor YCV-40 is a really nice option). She sounds like she's already a musician who likely understands tone and whatnot so once she's settled in she can thing about changing the speaker, adding effects, or whatnot and developing her own tone .
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What you are saying is true in some apsects, but I think that when a person first picks up an electric guitar, and amplifies it there are two things that can go wrong. One is that you have a cheap "Starter" guitar with a poor action and it is so hard to play that you just can't do it. The other is that you hear things on your favourite recordings and you want to sound like that. Most of us take up the guitar with that purpose in mind. What usually comes out of the speaker is usually both nasal, and lacking in depth. Another turn off. I think that these two factors are the main things that cause people to give up the electric guitar.
The Blues Junior is a great first amp, but you need to be able to set it up.
I think what you are forgetting about the Modellers is the clean channel. I don't have experience with the Cube, but I do with the SCXD. The clean channel is modelling a 65 Deluxe reverb and comes pretty close. (I have a 65 and A/Bd them. ), and nothing sounds as sweet as a 65. Also add into the mix the subject of pedals, which is a whole learning curve unto itself. With the SCXD you get a sampling of most of the effects at varying levels. Much easier to understand than hunting though the thousands of pedals out there. It is compact and light weight and all us need is a guitar, pick and cord.
So if you are thinking of paying 400 for a Blues Junior, why not pay 300 and get it all in one neat package.
Even when I sucked at guitar I always had those moments when I got the tone that one of my idols could get and it kept me coming back.
And about the amp vs amp_, with all respect to the guys here I just can't use that term. LOL.
 
ZMAN said:
What you are saying is true in some apsects, but I think that when a person first picks up an electric guitar, and amplifies it there are two things that can go wrong. One is that you have a cheap "Starter" guitar with a poor action and it is so hard to play that you just can't do it. The other is that you hear things on your favourite recordings and you want to sound like that. Most of us take up the guitar with that purpose in mind. What usually comes out of the speaker is usually both nasal, and lacking in depth. Another turn off. I think that these two factors are the main things that cause people to give up the electric guitar.
The Blues Junior is a great first amp, but you need to be able to set it up.
I think what you are forgetting about the Modellers is the clean channel. I don't have experience with the Cube, but I do with the SCXD. The clean channel is modelling a 65 Deluxe reverb and comes pretty close. (I have a 65 and A/Bd them. ), and nothing sounds as sweet as a 65. Also add into the mix the subject of pedals, which is a whole learning curve unto itself. With the SCXD you get a sampling of most of the effects at varying levels. Much easier to understand than hunting though the thousands of pedals out there. It is compact and light weight and all us need is a guitar, pick and cord.
So if you are thinking of paying 400 for a Blues Junior, why not pay 300 and get it all in one neat package.
Even when I sucked at guitar I always had those moments when I got the tone that one of my idols could get and it kept me coming back.
And about the amp vs amp_, with all respect to the guys here I just can't use that term. LOL.
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A lot of good points in here -- I agree with a lot of what you said.

You have a very good point about recreating the tones in songs; that was a big reason why it took me two tries to go electric. My first time was with a crappy amp and cheap Squier strat, and the tone was so weak and I couldn't get close to the songs I liked. Clean amps are good to showcase your sloppiness, but you need a reason to keep playing the guitar.
 
As I'm the topic of discussion, I wanted to say thanks for the great suggestions, y'all were very helpful. With a little bit of researching and some slightly uninformed testing, Santa finally made the decision and provided the winner....Roland 40XL. Now, off to figure out what the hell I'm doing.

I'll be lurking.
Cheers.

p.s. So, what to buy next?
 
GoodCathy said:
As I'm the topic of discussion, I wanted to say thanks for the great suggestions, y'all were very helpful. With a little bit of researching and some slightly uninformed testing, Santa finally made the decision and provided the winner....Roland 40XL. Now, off to figure out what the hell I'm doing.

I'll be lurking.
Cheers.

p.s. So, what to buy next?
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Cool, sounds like you got a good one. :dance My first amp was a total piece of crap. :thwap

For your next purchase, I would suggest lessons. Since you have an electric guitar and a decent amp, I would put money into learning how to play. Speaking from personal experience, it is too easy to get into the trap of buying gear to enhance your playing. I learned the hard way that your tone improves when you practice, not when you swap out gear. I'll step down from my soapbox now.
 
GoodCathy said:
As I'm the topic of discussion, I wanted to say thanks for the great suggestions, y'all were very helpful. With a little bit of researching and some slightly uninformed testing, Santa finally made the decision and provided the winner....Roland 40XL. Now, off to figure out what the hell I'm doing.

I'll be lurking.
Cheers.

p.s. So, what to buy next?
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Welcome the Thefret Cathy!

Congrats on the new amp. I really like the Roland Cube sounds.

I still think you should have bought a Mesa Triple Rectifier and 4x12 cab though....

You see, that way your neighbors at the end of the block (or next town?) can come over and offer "critiques" of your playing.;)
 
GoodCathy said:
As I'm the topic of discussion, I wanted to say thanks for the great suggestions, y'all were very helpful. With a little bit of researching and some slightly uninformed testing, Santa finally made the decision and provided the winner....Roland 40XL. Now, off to figure out what the hell I'm doing.

I'll be lurking.
Cheers.

p.s. So, what to buy next?
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Hey stalker...glad you took the plunge. Can't wait to hear you on that thing. Feel free to bring it over for a tutorial....


@tung: keep in mind, chic can already play guitar, just new to the dark side. She had the privilege of playing to thousands in an old crow medicine show group as well as in an 70's rock group this past summer. Wallflower, she ain't.

Having said that, taking lessons for the 'lectric wouldn't be bad at all, just choose your teachers VERY WISELY.
 
Tio Kimo said:
Having said that, taking lessons for the 'lectric wouldn't be bad at all, just choose your teachers VERY WISELY.
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Curious...why do you say that?
 
@ SVL, exactly

@ Eric..GC is a good friend of mine and we have an electric guitar teacher who is a good friend....it was in reference to that...

having said that, it still holds true.
 
Tio Kimo said:
@ Eric..GC is a good friend of mine and we have an electric guitar teacher who is a good friend....it was in reference to that...

having said that, it still holds true.
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*smirk* I choose you over Senor Crankypants. Besides, you are cheaper to bribe.

Actually, I'm more in need of instruction on utilizing the amp(h) in conjunction with the electrified version of the guitar. More of a capabilities discussion as well as slight differences in fretting/strumming - wide-body vs. solid, etc. Always easier to talk with someone that can explain the ins & outs.
 
Using a new electric

Welcometo the Fret.

One thing I do that greatly helps me familiarize myself with my new guitars and develop muscle memory so that I don't have to stare blankly and constantly at the fretboard is to play my guitars at night in bed and play myself and my fiance to sleep - with the lights OUT.

This is really awesome. You develop your ear, which I assume yours is quite developed already, and also master finger positioning, chord changes, etc. without looking at the fretboard; because looking at the fretboard in the dark would be futile anyway. This has helped me develop great muscle memory and to develop my ear greatly. This also necessarily breaks the eye/fretboard fixation problem so prevalent in guitar playing. Of course sometimes you have to look at the fretboard and I usually have my bedside computer monitor on, providing minimal light if I need to verify or correct finger placement or I get just plain lost on the fretboard.

This is a cool way to learn to work on fretboard mastery in a regular schedule. It also allows you to immerse yourself deeper into the heart and soul of your music because of the absence of other sensory input when you play in the dark. This lets you focus on listening largely unimpeded and also connect with your heart and soul, getting deep into the rythym and groove.

You also have a cool type amp that lets you get a lot of tone, including overdrive at very low volume, because of the power scaling and ability to turn down the amp to very low wattages.

I just had my Vox DA five battery/wall power little "Chromie" type modeling amp, without a tube, on a short vacation trip. My Michael Kelly Patriot Custom with Rockfield full sized humbuckers sounded super great at very low volumes during my night time playing at our host's home, without disturbing them and without having to use headphones.

I mainly play my electrics in this manner of quiet playing and they are actually quieter than my acoustics and are more compact and ergonomically designed for comfortable reclined playing. All the time I find myself waking up with my guitar across my chest, having played myself to sleep and I have even found myself playing in my sleep, ha ha ha ha. Is that cool or what?

Anyway, the night time playing in the dark works for me, even if it sounds funny. Playing on a dark stage is also a challenge and hand/eye fixation is a difficult habit to break. This is just one fun method to help accomplish several goals.

I really love playing electric guitars thru good amps since I switched over several years ago from acoustic.
 

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