UPDATED: Amp now bought, but what is it?
Mate's looking at buying an amp this weekend, I'm looking for suggestions please based on good experiences.
Budget must be no more than £500
He's buying BRAND NEW so please no "Well, I'd get a second hand (insert name of amp here)" thanks
He is in an originals band, just at the "rented gear in rehearsal room" stage.
Mudhoney/ Dinosaur Jr 90's Alternative style music, so he's not a tone-whore looking for an ultra touch responsive valve amp, more like something that will be loud enough for pub and club gigs, take dirt pedals well and be easy to get a good sound out of for someone who is a self confessed noob when it comes to amps (not unlike myself...)
So, ideas please!
Thank you good people of the Fretboard
Comments
I reckon you're making this all up to appear popular ;-)
Truth is, we do seem to have somehow now covered the entirety of my group of friends......:(
Not really convinced with the Mustangs as a platform for pedals or for that kind of music ( their higher gain models being the weak spot) or that they are that tough for gigging.
If 'your friend' went down the modelling route then a Blackstar ID ( the 60 watt combo is about £400 or 2x12 combo or head+ cab would come in around budget) is more of a rocker and the built in effects easy enough to use/ignore.
A Blackstar HT-40 combo would be simpler still but £600 and he would have to know how not to kill the valves. For that money he could have an Egnater Tweaker 40 combo which is ultimately a bit more flexible although probably less noob friendly.
An Orange Tiny Terror + cab would be £550 ish for a pretty simple set up that I have seen a lot of people gigging with, although there wouldn't be any clean headroom to speak of.
I really like the look of the Koch Jupiter which is a £500 hybrid combo with simple yet nice features. However, only one shop in the UK stocks them and it is aimed a bit more at the bluesy end of things.
Laney lc50.
Blackstar id is excellent sounding. Actually, better than some valve amps, seriously.
Peavey bandit. Two of them, set in stereo with badass fuzz and distortion pedals and a stereo chorus like the visual sound liquid, would sound massive, epic and crazy for around 500 sheets.
To be honest, I'd probably go for the bandits (2 amps, way cool!) or the id. Bandits are amazingly reliable and sound great, and the id is frankly one of the finest value amps on the market.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Agreed- the only reason I suggested the Traynor instead is that I suspect (perhaps incorrectly) that the Traynor might be more aimed at the tones he wants. Though (and again I could be wrong here) I think the Traynor has pretty decent build quality too, for its price?
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein