Calling on the pool of Fretboard amp knowledge SORTED

notonlybutalso

I have firmly decided that i need a change in rig, but the problem is i have absolutely no idea what my options are! So i was hoping i would get some good suggestions and most importantly steer me clear of terrible choices! I am leaning towards a 1x12 combo anywhere between 15 and 30 watts. I don't need a loud amp on stage as i just mic up and a lower level would be handier for home practice. Whatever it is needs to have a nice clean tone as it will have to take my pedals well. I noticed someone has a blackstar handwired 15W artisan for sale on here and i like the look of that just to give you a general area to go for, but frankly i don't know what amps are out there at that level/spec, so any advice people can give me would be greatly appreciated  

Wazmeister

What sound are you after ? That is, what sound is in your head ?

I owned a Blackstar Artisan and they are a good amp. Loader than you think too...

notonlybutalso

That's the question that has me hitting my head off the wall, i have gone back and forward between glassy fender type amps, and rounder orange/marshall etc styles. I think if i am going for a small 1x12 it needs to be a fairly balanced, round tone to counteract the characteristically "lacking low end extension/prevalent top end" that those size enclosures tend to have

ICBM

Which clean tone do you prefer out of the "Fender" and "British"? Or are you looking for something in the middle, or different?
Does it need reverb? If so, how important is the quality of it?
Does it need to take distortion and fuzz pedals, or just overdrive?
Do you use bandwidth- and headroom-hungry effects like octaver, layered delays or resonant filters?
How large and heavy is tolerable?

Also don't assume that lower power means a better sound at lower volume, or even the ability to be played very quietly at all. Some powerful amps have much better volume controls and sound better quieter than many low-powered ones. Powerful amps generally (although not always) have more low-end than lower-powered ones too.

Dave_Mc

ICBM said:

Does it need reverb? If so, how important is the quality of it?

LOL, if he needs reverb, presumably he needs the quality to be fairly decent?

Other than that, agreed

ICBM

Dave_Mc said:

LOL, if he needs reverb, presumably he needs the quality to be fairly decent?

No - the large number of Marshalls with reverb prove otherwise .

In fact I would say that *most* amps with reverb have a fairly poor one. Some people just need a generic reverb to fill out the sound a bit, in which case that's fine. Some like to use it as more of a full effect or an important part of the music/arrangement, in which case it needs to sound better in its own right.

p90fool

Dave_Mc;370348" said:

ICBM said:Does it need reverb? If so, how important is the quality of it?

LOL, if he needs reverb, presumably he needs the quality to be fairly decent?



Other than that, agreed

Not at all. I don't use reverb at gigs in a rock band, but it's nice to have a little bit at home in a carpeted living room full of soft furnishings. It doesn't have to be great quality for that tbh.

samzadgan

I will weigh in with an amp option that i always give...Orange Rocker 30.

The clean is very nice, warm and clean. It only has one volume knob, but there is a reason for that...its already eq'd perfectly. The dirt channel has a fait bit on tap, not full on metal, but will do rock perfectly and stoner rock/metal. The eq on the dirt is very well voiced and wide spectrum of tones can be had.

Its one of the best pedal platforms i've ever had and takes every pedal really well. This isn't a problem with me as i dont use them...but a lot of people complain about the fact that it doesn't have an fx loop.

I would say overall tone is not pure vintage orange tone...it has a little bit of marshall to it too...but either way, very british and very vintage sounding. Also, i haven't tried it, but some people change out the v30 speaker to other options and get more from the amp.

Dave_Mc

ICBM said:

Dave_Mc said:

LOL, if he needs reverb, presumably he needs the quality to be fairly decent?

No - the large number of Marshalls with reverb prove otherwise .

In fact I would say that *most* amps with reverb have a fairly poor one. Some people just need a generic reverb to fill out the sound a bit, in which case that's fine. Some like to use it as more of a full effect or an important part of the music/arrangement, in which case it needs to sound better in its own right.

p90fool said:

Not at all. I don't use reverb at gigs in a rock band, but it's nice to have a little bit at home in a carpeted living room full of soft furnishings. It doesn't have to be great quality for that tbh.

I suppose (to both of you) )

For me I'd kind of like it to be good if I thought I needed it.

monquixote

What sort of budget are you looking at?

RaymondLin

monquixote said:

What sort of budget are you looking at?

This, otherwise the new Mesa mark V 25 seems interesting.

ThePrettyDamned

The artisan is a wonderful sounding amp, I preferred the 15 to the 30 - which is odd for me, but then I preferred the big big brother head versions to them so... Quite different sounding beasts, the 15 and the 30 could be speaker choice.

Not sure it'll do home practice though. Not because of power, just didn't try it at low volume.

Otherwise, what sort of sounds and budget do you have?

notonlybutalso

hell's bells i just got back from work and seen all these reponses! I will try to wade through them apologies if i miss any questions:

In terms of clean tone i want something quite airy and extended in the highs, i notice with fender amps there is a definite lack of midrange which leads to too hollow a tone so if i can avoid that that would be preferable.

Reverb i don't need as i have a good reverb pedal already, currently i only use an overdrive pedal although i have had germanium fuzzboxes running previously that arent on my board any more, but you never know! Distortion probably not either but it would be nice to have the option to run distortion or fuzz just to know i am not limiting my future choices when choosing this hypothetical amp.

As for bandwidth hungry effects i dont really have any, all i use in that department is a delay but it isn't very complex or heavily layered.

Weight is a tricky one in regards to tolerance, i will put up with a lot more weight for an amp i love the tone of :P

Finally budget, i am looking at around 600, if i can get something for less then fantastic, but if i find something really love i am willing to stretch maybe another hundred upwards. Cheers so far guys

monquixote

Should I assume that when you are talking mostly about cleans that you rely on your pedals for dirt?

If so (and at the expense of just recommending the amp that I own) you might be able to find a H&K Puretone within your SH budget. It's a super simple amp with an awesome clean tone. 

I've also been lusting after the MJW Electra, but that's probably outside of your budget (and mine sadly)

notonlybutalso

Indeed the amp i am after will basically serve as a clean tone which i will feed my pedal board into, although having a few extra features wouldn't hurt for other eventualities.

I saw a puretone head for sale on here some time ago and quite liked the look of it but having just rechecked (the combo is between 1200 and nearly 2 grand new!) i dont think i could afford it, even less so the MJW but damn that looks nice :P

RaymondLin

Stretch a little more and get that Mesa Dual Rec from the Classified !

ThePrettyDamned

An mjw bantam would just about be in budget. I'm obsessed by them because they look so cute! Not sure what you need in terms of features mind.

The artisan sounds like it'll work for you too.

RaymondLin;370855" said:

Stretch a little more and get that Mesa Dual Rec from the Classified !

At £950, although a good price, it's quite a stretch - more than 50 percent higher than original budget! So I'd say that's out.

Plus extra cost for the cab on top.

stickyfiddle

I'm going to say Laney VC15/30 or Fender Blues Deluxe

ICBM

notonlybutalso said:

In terms of clean tone i want something quite airy and extended in the highs, i notice with fender amps there is a definite lack of midrange which leads to too hollow a tone so if i can avoid that that would be preferable.

Reverb i don't need as i have a good reverb pedal already, currently i only use an overdrive pedal although i have had germanium fuzzboxes running previously that arent on my board any more, but you never know! Distortion probably not either but it would be nice to have the option to run distortion or fuzz just to know i am not limiting my future choices when choosing this hypothetical amp.

As for bandwidth hungry effects i dont really have any, all i use in that department is a delay but it isn't very complex or heavily layered.

Weight is a tricky one in regards to tolerance, i will put up with a lot more weight for an amp i love the tone of :P

Finally budget, i am looking at around 600, if i can get something for less then fantastic, but if i find something really love i am willing to stretch maybe another hundred upwards. Cheers so far guys

That helps a lot. If you want airy highs but not Fender BF/SF scooped mids…

Not Blackstar or Orange - too dark.

Probably not most Mesa - not 'airy', even though they can be brighter. (The Blue Angel would be a possibility, but rare and probably not in budget.)

A Fender Tweed of some sort might work - they're a lot more midrangy, and can be bright.

Vox - AC15 possibly, or one of the rare AC30CC1s (discontinued).

Marshall - if they did a Bluesbreaker in a smaller format it would be nice… but it's huge and heavy. Sadly you're unlikely to find a 1974x within budget.

Laney… try the 20W Lionheart. Looks out of budget new, but a couple of shops are doing them cheaper. It also comes with a fantastic speaker, unlike most other amps in this price range and makes a big difference.

This one looks almost too cheap to be true, but it's certainly within your budget - http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_amps_detail.asp?stock=10020411315529&gclid=CjwKEAjw-8ihBRD2t9qT3NaW7igSJAD3_sNVNEC1xh77x4PAzf2xrW4yb9ejJ13-TJzaqD_spSym-hoCAlTw_wcB

notonlybutalso

I have had my eye on a lionheart for a while now although i haven't had any firsthand experience of them, has anyone on here got one? and can tell me how they stack up against fenders? My last amp was a fender blues deluxe actually @stickyfiddle but i found it lacking in the midrange and frankly it was just too damn loud :P

Bron_Yr_Aur

This is a great thread, and another fine example of why this is such a great forum!

ICBM said:

Laney… try the 20W Lionheart. Looks out of budget new, but a couple of shops are doing them cheaper. It also comes with a fantastic speaker, unlike most other amps in this price range and makes a big difference.

This one looks almost too cheap to be true, but it's certainly within your budget - http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_amps_detail.asp?stock=10020411315529&gclid=CjwKEAjw-8ihBRD2t9qT3NaW7igSJAD3_sNVNEC1xh77x4PAzf2xrW4yb9ejJ13-TJzaqD_spSym-hoCAlTw_wcB

I need to try one of these, I also want an AC style amp, and love the thought of something UK made...