Practice Amp Suggestions

[EETStudent]

Im on the market for a low watt practice in the $150 or less range. Im open to buying used and Im keeping my eyes open for deals on the Bay and local CL. Any suggestions? I need something small and basic that I can plug into while at the apartment. I'd like something with decent cleans and a decent, ratty vintage breakup available. Preferably tubed, but I'd entertain other types.

 

[Stubee]

Not tube but I say Vox PF-R. I got good tube amps but for that $ a PF-R is to me a lay down.

 

[Lunchie]

Fender Champ 600's. They sound decent out of the box but are cheaply mod-able as well. Fun little amp.

 

[joeford]

another vote for the crate vintage club series amps. grabbed up a 20 watt class A tube amp for $150 a couple weekends ago. still probably the best sleeper amp out there right now. cleans are gorgeous, vox-like sparkles... and the gains can be everything from a classic breakup to a pretty thick tube-driven crunch. this is my third time buying an amp from this series. i sell them when im broke or want something else, end up regretting it, and always come back to them

 

[Lance]

I picked up a Mustang 1 for $50 on CL recently. For the price of a cheap pedal you get a great amp with a tuner, headphone out, recording interface and patches you can download from the web. It's a no-brainier.

If you want to get loud, there are M2s on CL for $100. I thought the M1 might not sound as good as the 2 but in my little basement apartment it's more than enough.

 

[3 Chord]

Snoop around guitar center used gear. PV envoy 110 restripe or similar would do pretty nice.

fwiw, sometime SS is a better choice over tube for a practice amp...(ducking for cover)

 

[jjlikesguitar]

Fender Mustang I is nice, you should be able to pick one up cheap since now there's a V2. Also, if you're willing to spend a little more: Blackstar HT1 is awesome... 1W all valve.

 

[waparker4]

http://augusta.craigslist.org/msg/3733874540.html

I love the sidekick amps. $100 is a lot...

The tube champ 12 is probably cool, $275 is a lot...

 

[jefrs]

At that price forget valves.

At that price valve amps are ratty.
At that price solid-state modelling amps are pretty good.

 

[blowtorch]

VOX Valvetronix AD30VT

 

[jefrs]

VOX Valvetronix AD30VT

I've got one.

It's an older discontinued version but probably the best of the Valvetronix.

The other modeller I have is a Cube20X

Lately I've been mucking about with an ipad and Amplitube and Garage Band - for which we need a 'stinks' smiley.

 

[Lowbassnotes]

Old Peavey Bandit would work well IMO.

 

[jefrs]

Old Peavey Bandit would work well IMO.

It's a good amp but it's 100W - /not/ a practice amp then

I had one, not exactly house trained are they.

 

[telleutelleme]

For maximum flexibility, I'd recommend the GDEC 3/30 which supports Fender Fuse versions (Classic, Blues, Rock and Country per-configurations, all downloadable). You can create and save presets just like for the Mustangs. You can load and save band tracks (MP3 or WAV files). It has headphone and direct line out for recording and an optional SDcard for additional presets and band tracks. It is what it is, a modeling amp for home and practice use.

To be honest mine has become an MP3 looper and player for recording. They are easy to find used now and can be had in your price range.

 

[JayFreddy]

At that price forget valves.

At that price valve amps are ratty.
At that price solid-state modelling amps are pretty good.

I think this is accurate. There are a many good solid state practice amps in that price range, especially if you consider used stuff.

I got a THR5 on sale for $150. Perfect for what you are looking for.

I also have an older Cube 30 that I got used for around $80, and a Peavey Envoy that is comparable to the Cube 30. Both of these also have headphone jacks, but the Cube's headphone jack sounds better, IMHO. The GDEC is another good choice. A Vox modeller or a Marshall Valvestate would fit the bill too.

If you can get the price down to $150, the Yamaha is probably going to be the closest to what you're looking for.

 

[kcolyar]

I have the Mustang 1 v1, love it for home practice! perfect size, price and portability. Sounds are great for 99$

 

[Lowbassnotes]

It's a good amp but it's 100W - /not/ a practice amp then

I had one, not exactly house trained are they.

Which Bandits are 100 watt? I thought the bandit 65 was a 65 watt SS amp? They have volume knobs too, you can decrease the volume with it.

 

[denny]

At the price you mentioned, and living in an apartment, a digital modelling pedal is probably the best bet. You can run into headphones, and if you want to make some noise, a stereo or even computer speakers can be used. If you want a real AMP sounding amp, the CUBE series are a serious contender. I have an older CUBE30 that compares favorably to a real 60's Fender Deluxe Reverb in side-by-side comparisons (at moderate volume). A winner in the headphones only category is the Pandora practice devices.

denny

 

[jefrs]

Which Bandits are 100 watt? I thought the bandit 65 was a 65 watt SS amp? They have volume knobs too, you can decrease the volume with it.

The Valvestate Bandit is a 100 watt stage amp, more if you add the ext-cab.

Older ones like the Express-112 were smaller 65W jobbies

They are still bloody loud stage amps and they do not turn down to household level well.

Would you recommend a 100W 1959 SL Plexi head for practice?

 

[bun malaey]

Yamaha THR series of amps are amazing practice amps.