I have been playing acoustic guitar for a little over 6 months and I have decided to get an electric guitar for my birthday next month. However, my knowledge is very limited on amps and such, and I was wondering what a good amp would be for a beginner like me. I am getting a Gibson Les Paul Studio (Fireburst w/ chrome hardware), and I don’t want my parents paying too much more for an expensive amp.
Anything Marshall or Line 6…
Can’t go wrong.
Mesa Boogie makes really great amps.
You should get the Vox Valvetronix ad30vt Modeling Amp.(i have it, and I LOVE it!)
A modeling amp is basically an amp that can ‘model’ all kinds of other amp’s sounds. This specific amp can model 22 other amps. So you pay(i bought mine for $270..they are less now) for this amp and get the sounds from 22 other amps that would cost you anywhere from $1,000-$2,000 or more each! Read more about it on this link
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Vox-Valvetronix-VT30-30W-1×10-Guitar-Combo-Amp-105156558-i1428847.gc
EDIT: Almost forgot to say this. This amp is 1/2 solid state and 1/2 tube amp.. so it has tubes in it. Any other tube amp’s cost would start out at $700 or more which is another reason why this is such a good amp for the price. I love the difference in sound the tube makes
I understand it can be a bit confusing, but do yourself a favor and search the internet for articles on tube versus solid state. Everyone has their own taste but most “gigging” players will swear by tube amps. I have 4 amps at the moment, all tube and I wouldn’t have a solid state amp if you gave it to me. The obvious advantage to solid state is price. If you want to spend less than $200 solid state is your only option. For a practice amp the Fender Frontman 25R is a good inexpensive choice, but really most solid state amps sound very similar to me. If there is anyway you can swing $249 the VOX AC4-TV is a killer tube practice amp. For a beginner stick with a smaller amp. Don’t worry if it’s loud enough to play with a band or not since you will certainly get something better before that time comes. The VOX amp mentioned above is a hybrid and may sound better than some solid state only amps, but will sound nothing like a VOX all tube amp. Still might be a good choice on a budget though.
An amp like the Spider IV 75 is good, but it runs about 300 dollars. You can also downsize and get the Spider III 15 or 30 which are 100 dollars and 200 dollars, respectively. There are also a few good affordable options from Marshall (they do say a Marshall and a Les Paul were meant to be together).
Fletcher,
Big things come in small packages. The Roland Cube series is amazing and very cheap. Skip the cube 15, but the cube 30, 60 and microcube are all amazing amps with great tone.
The 60 is like $350 or 400, but the microcube is <$150 and has all the tones you’ll ever need. When you want to play gigs with a drummer, just plug the microcube into the singers PA system.
There are tons of other amps to get down the road, but you want something reliable, with lots of great sounds, and easy to carry around, for a great price the roland cubes can’t be beat.
Good Luck,
John
Look in your price range and play the amps with your own guitar at the store.
When you’re looking at the lower end practice amps you don’t have many options on choice anyways. Marshall, Fender, Crate, Peavy etc. etc., basically you pay for what you get and a practice amp is just that, for practice.
Don’t worry too much about the sound right now, you need a practice amp to play in your room. When you want to start playing with a band and doing live shows, that’s when the type of amp is very important.
Go and get yourself a small peavey amp.
Theyre cheap, sound good and have a 5 year warranty.
You cant really break them!