Headphone Amps & Effects

[studio1087]

I want to buy a headphone amp. I have a small cheap Marshall MG-10 on my guitar bench with a headphone jack but I don't want to cart the amp around as a headphone unit. I want a small headphone unit that I can store in a guitar case or string change bag for late night practice when our kids are sleeping.

I have one of those Danelectro E-Studio gizmos and it's not very nice (but it was dirt cheap).

Perhaps a used POD or a Behringer V-Guitar set up or something. I have a Digitech PR 50 but it has no headphone output.

I would spend $75 or so.

Any ideas??

[BoB/335]

I have an original Rockman by Tom Scholz from back when they first came out. I'm not sure if they are still made but I have seen them on ebay. 2 different clean channels (one sounds a little more like a single coil with my humbuckers) a dirty channel, a real dirty channel, digital delay and digital chorus. You can link up at least another unit (maybe more. I forget) and jam with your buddies. Has an Aux in to play along with any music source. I love it but sometimes I think I'd rather have a Micro-cube.

[studio1087]

Boss made one in the 80's called the Jam Man or Jam Station. It had OD and stereo chorus and stereo delay in the headphones. I remember that the stereo delay made it sound huge in your head.

That would be a great toy.

[bender-freak]

Originally Posted by studio1087

I want to buy a headphone amp. I have a small cheap Marshall MG-10 on my guitar bench with a headphone jack but I don't want to cart the amp around as a headphone unit. I want a small headphone unit that I can store in a guitar case or string change bag for late night practice when our kids are sleeping.

I have one of those Danelectro E-Studio gizmos and it's not very nice (but it was dirt cheap).

Perhaps a used POD or a Behringer V-Guitar set up or something. I have a Digitech PR 50 but it has no headphone output.

I would spend $75 or so.

Any ideas??

i had my buddy from Morgan Music in Lebanon, Mo. send me a Phonic AM240D mix-pad, 6 channel stereo, has 100 builtin FX's (delays, stereo delays, pan delays, tap delays)...chorusing, phasing, flanging, buncha different types reverbs, REAL by-gosh tremolos...!!!!....has 3 band EQ for each channel, heaphone output, left & right output to run to amp/mixer, record outs/in, trims...crap, the list of features can fill a book....i plan to use it in place of an amp; straight into PA....have already done some recording with it , "learning it", so to speak.....it's great IMO.....size wise, about half the size of a VCR box and made of metal, not plastic..!!!....i am VERY happy , and the FX's are extremely good, not cheesy at all....price wise, ain't gonna say what i gave for it.....more than $75 brand new, but less than $130....crap-a-mighty, you'll pay that for a delay pedal...check one out...i will mention, no distortions, but that ain't the kinda stuff i do anyhow....oh yeah....sounds fantastic through stereo headphones, too...good luck on the search....cheers

[stratelecaster]

When you say "PR 50", did you really mean RP 50? If so, you can plug headphones directly into the output on that pedal and control the volume with the triangle buttons on the right. Good luck

[Mojohand40]

Behringer V-amp is a pretty nice unit for a lot of stuff, including headphone amp. I like playing through headphones on mine better than my Digitech RP-250.
BUT, have you looked at the Tascam Guitar Trainer? I like mine! once you get the sounds tweaked and the balances set and stored it's darn handy for late night practice. It's the one that lets you play along with the built in cd player, and loop parts and slow down the temp without changing pitch.
You can get them for about 150.00
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...ner?sku=241255
But be forwarned, you will need to get the ac adapter as it sucks batteries.
or:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...Amp?sku=240508
The Dean Stack in a Box for forty bucks. (I got one, it's okay).
The Stack is nowhere as versatile or nice as the Behringer or Tascam or Digitech BUT it is very small and with bud type earplugs, fits nicely in any guitar case. It's about as big as a deck of cards and batteries last long enogh in it. If size, cost and portability are your concern get the Dean Stack in the Box.

[studio1087]

I meant RP 50.

I bought the Digitech to add reverb and trem to a Pro Jr. and never realized that headphones would work in the output untill I read the comments above. I have a nice pedal board and the RP 50 gets used with the Pro Jr on occasion.

I had fun with my Strat & the RP 50 least night.

I'm starting to to think that the RP 50 is one of the best $59 toys that I've bought.

Thanks everyone.

[abraxas]

Originally Posted by BoB/335

I have an original Rockman by Tom Scholz from back when they first came out. I'm not sure if they are still made but I have seen them on ebay. 2 different clean channels (one sounds a little more like a single coil with my humbuckers) a dirty channel, a real dirty channel, digital delay and digital chorus. You can link up at least another unit (maybe more. I forget) and jam with your buddies. Has an Aux in to play along with any music source. I love it but sometimes I think I'd rather have a Micro-cube.

I have fond memories of the original Rockman... from "back then" IIRC the delay/chorus are analog circuits

That said my daughter has a Microcube and the little thing is just great fun! You can also jam along with, say, an acoustic guitar with ease if need be.

There are also kits of some pretty interesting headphone amps, if you'd like to go that way. E.g.: http://www.runoffgroove.com/ruby.html

[BoB/335]

I still have and use my original Rockman. I got it right after the period of time in my life where I could have made the most use of it.

[stymie]

I used to run my ROCKMAN through a Peavey KB100 keyboard amp as an effects pedal rather than a headphone amp. Got tired of the cords getting in the way. TOO much spaghetti.

8))

[morroben]

I use a little Korg Ampworks modeling signal processor. Not sure if there's a model number for it. It's small, about the size of the average effects pedal. I really like it. I bought it when I was traveling around in a motorhome. When we got to an RV park I'd hook up the tv for my ex and I'd go in the front and put on headphones and play. It has some really good tones. Several amp types, cabinets, and effects to choose from. I use it for recording now that the motorhome and ex are gone.

[Guitarzan]

Originally Posted by bender-freak

i had my buddy from Morgan Music in Lebanon, Mo. send me a Phonic AM240D mix-pad, 6 channel stereo, has 100 builtin FX's (delays, stereo delays, pan delays, tap delays)...chorusing, phasing, flanging, buncha different types reverbs, REAL by-gosh tremolos...!!!!....has 3 band EQ for each channel, heaphone output, left & right output to run to amp/mixer, record outs/in, trims...crap, the list of features can fill a book....i plan to use it in place of an amp; straight into PA....have already done some recording with it , "learning it", so to speak.....it's great IMO.....size wise, about half the size of a VCR box and made of metal, not plastic..!!!....i am VERY happy , and the FX's are extremely good, not cheesy at all....price wise, ain't gonna say what i gave for it.....more than $75 brand new, but less than $130....crap-a-mighty, you'll pay that for a delay pedal...check one out...i will mention, no distortions, but that ain't the kinda stuff i do anyhow....oh yeah....sounds fantastic through stereo headphones, too...good luck on the search....cheers

Benderfreak:

Interesting looking box. Can you use multiple effects-like compressor, delay, and chorus at one time? How many can you use? Can you do programming and add additional features through software?

I guess the question I am asking is what are the limitations and tradeoffs in this box?

Once can purchase one of these boxes for $90 new on an internet special. That is cheaper than a used Pod 2.0

[bender-freak]

Originally Posted by Guitarzan

Benderfreak:

Interesting looking box. Can you use multiple effects-like compressor, delay, and chorus at one time? How many can you use? Can you do programming and add additional features through software?

I guess the question I am asking is what are the limitations and tradeoffs in this box?

Once can purchase one of these boxes for $90 new on an internet special. That is cheaper than a used Pod 2.0

there are a host of FX's that are combined; the ONLY drawback i really see to the thing are the individual FX's have to be "dialed" in on a rotary dial ; no pre-set button access that i have seen....works for my applications as i really needed something more portable that would work in the sound system and do away with the need of a Twin or some such "BIG HEAVY"....and this does it for me since i only use the "tap" delay function 95% of the time in a "live" situation....in spite of the lack of a "preset" access function i am well satisfied...i figger if it had a seperate pedal and such for the instant accessing, i would then lose the "smallness" and compactness, which is what i was after...have it mounted on a board in this order, Ernie Ball volume, Boss compressor, then the Phonic AM240D; am planning to add a Boss TU2 after we're done with Santa....can pick the "board" up under one arm, Tele under the other, cables and strap in the gigbag and am gig-ready...no more mountain of stuff and multiple trips back and forth setting up...hope this helps...again, i am very satisfied with the quality of the FX's....no distortions, but i'm more of a Chet/country jazz/B,G, and A bender guy.....cheers...PS...when i said individual FX's have to be "dailed" in via a rotary dial, i meant each "pre-set"; not each FX..!!!...anyway, there are some combinations of delay, reverb, chorus, etc there..no builtin compression which is which i threw my Boss CS3 on the homemade pedal board

[eclipse]

I have been using a Zoom 503 amp simulator for years as a headphone practice amp. I've been really tired of buttons and scrolling for a long long time. Recently I noticed that many retailers were selling the Crate PowerBlock for a good price. £49 here in the U.K. and $99 in the U.S.A.
It has a multiple of uses. It will function as a headphone amp, as 150 watt guitar amp, as a direct box or power some monitors, ect...
The best thing is it has knobs. It has stereo RCA jacks in for cd player or ?
I ordered one in the U.K. from Turnkey. Due next wednesday. Here are some links with better descriptions.

http://www.guitargearheads.com/modul...hp?storyid=174

http://www.guitarplayer.com/story.as...torycode=10748

[Tim Armstrong]

Glad to read that the original poster had a unit that does the trick!

I bought a Yamaha Magic Stomp on sale from MF for cheap earlier this year, and it does the headphone fun thing quite well, as well as providing me a decent DI for duo gigs (I play bass into one of the Fender models, works great!).

Cheers, Tim