[Robomatt]

Hi guys,

I want to buy a new amp, combining my Boss GT-8 processor. So far I would like to buy either Marshall or Roland. The Marshall AVT seems pretty expensive. So I decided with the MG series. However, wherever I read, some people just say "stay away from the MG series!!!" and some say "it is an awesome amp". I am very confused. I will either purchase 30 watts (MG30DFX) or 50 watts (MG50DFX). My intention is to play in my bedroom and in a small garage. Then one of my friends told me to go for the Roland Cube series. But as I said, I have Boss GT-8 processor and I don't need the effects on the Roland Cube, which is more expensive than the MG series. See, totally confused!!! Please help me out of this dilemma:)
Thanks in advance.

[RobertoCorbari]

Ive never liked the MG series amps myself, i owned a 15DFX for a short while and have never missed it. It could be worth checking out the Orange Crush range, i have a Crush 10 that i use for bedroom practice and thats pretty good o i imagine the larger Crush 30 should sound at least as good.
If you are only going to be playing at low levels then i would also check out the large range of low wattage valve amps that are around, i have a Fender Champ 600 that i quite like, Epiphone have one available which is often recommended as well.
Get down to a shop and have a try.

[AcousticSmash]

Marshall MG's are the dog sh.t of all amps. The only people who say the MG series are good amps are the ones who are extremely tone deaf, n00b guitarists who know fvck all about good tone. The AVT line is hardly that expensive, the AVT50 would be plenty loud enough for most gigs unless you are playing in a big park or stadium and even then I have seen guys just mic it, for the price it is a good amp. The best advice is to save and buy something good, don't buy a cheap piece of sh.t solid state amp unless it is a good quality one and most of them suck, get either a hybrid amp like the Marshall AVT or go for a straight up tube amp, you can get a 40 watt all tube Marshall DSL combo for 1000 bucks and it would be more then enough for most band situations.

Generally stay away from amps with built in effects, which include the Line 6 Spider amps (which aren't that great imo) or their Flextone III (which is actually pretty good) and cheap solid state amps. Save your money until you can buy something decent, a Marshall AVT50 would work for both home practise and playing with a band, one of the better amps for those on a budget.

[Robomatt]

CODE

Marshall MG's are the dog sh.t of all amps.

Ok thx for the replies. I will see if I can get an AVT50.

[billy16]

The Roland Cube 30 would work for you. It's got effects, but you don't have to use them. Saw someone mention the Crush series from Orange. Nice amps, a bit more than most amps in that range, but to me they seem worth it. A Fender Blues Jr. or a Pro Jr. (the blues junior giving you the most tonal control) might work for you as well, but they're going to cost more than the cube, the Blues Jr. at MF is running $480 and the Pro at about $380.

Peavey has a few new ones out now that would work. The Rage 258 is 25W which should work for a garage and a bedroom, the Envoy is 40W, which would be a bit much. Personally, if you go with a Peavey, get the Bandit 112. It's 80W, but you can pull the power down to 40W or 20W, which would be good in case you'd need it for a bigger setting.

[AcousticSmash]

I would advise a Pro Junior for playing blues/blues rock and jazz as it is good for those genres. The stock speaker kinda sucks since it lacks the treble that I desire, I have heard that it is a good amp with a Celestion 12H30 in it though but it is the kind of speaker that will give you more mids and boost the bass a bit while reducing the treble which does not work for what I could potentially use it for. If I could find the right speaker and some better quality tubes, I would use it as an amp for playing surf and blues.

[ninjato]

Low volumes, go w/ the Roland and solid state option. Sure a tube is sweeter tone but I find w/ tube, it HAS to be up at a certain volume before it starts to sound good. SS amps allow to to setup a decent tone when played at low levels. Keep in mind those settings will suck once you turn the amp/gain up. I just play in a low volumen enviroment all the time and find that my SS amps give me better tone at lower levels than my tube amps do.

[juventusfc99]

I personally try to stay away from solid-state amps like the Marshall MG Series. Now don't get me wrong, I've played some alright sounding solid-states, but for what kind of music I play (rock, blues, country) I'd much rather get a tube amp.

Why don't you look into getting an entry-level tube amplifier like a Peavey Classic 30 or Fender Blues Junior, or something in that range. You can probably find a good used one of these for around $300 probably.

[improviduto]

I personally try to stay away from solid-state amps like the Marshall MG Series. Now don't get me wrong, I've played some alright sounding solid-states, but for what kind of music I play (rock, blues, country) I'd much rather get a tube amp.

Why don't you look into getting an entry-level tube amplifier like a Peavey Classic 30 or Fender Blues Junior, or something in that range. You can probably find a good used one of these for around $300 probably.

I'd play a BJr with your guitar before buying it. They've got a reputation for sounding boxy. Out of my three electric guitars that I use (see the gear link in my profile), the Tele was the only one that sounded good with everything stock. The archtop and the M-75 were boxy because the low-end just isn't there with that speaker/cab combo. I swapped out the stock speaker with a Jensen Alnico 5, and the sound improvement was remarkable. Sounds fantastic with the Tele and a hell of a let better with the M-75.

I may do the Bill M tone stack mod (http://home.comcast.net/~machrone/bjr/bjtone.htm) to try and get more low end. Maybe I'll even swap out the preamp tubes and try some other combination (like the 12AY7 in V1 and 12AT7 in V3 that Bill M suggests).

I remember playing a Peavey Classic 30 a while ago and not having any complaints. I don't own one, so I'm no expert.

If you're going to run a processor to shape your sound and play loudly, you may want to look for a clean tube amp. Make sure you try out your gear on the amp before you buy it and spend some time with it. It will cut down on the disappointment.

[caprico]

how much money you plan on spending?

[ninjato]

Still, Roland's JC120 emulation gives you the perfect clean amp to run the GT8 processor nicely.

I'm a huge Roland fan when it comes to solid state amps.

[highwaystar332]

The Orange Tiny Terror needs mention here.

Although the head+cab will probably be out of your price range.

This post has been edited by highwaystar332: 30 April 2008 - 03:42 PM

[felixq78]

Stay away from solid state amps and even digital amps if you really want good tone.
Smaller amps will give you better tone at lower volume.
With respect you're thinking in reverse. A good effects unit shouldn't be the decider when it comes to tone. Your amp should be good enough on it's own and you'll only get that sort of tone from a tube amp.
If you can find a Peavey Classic 20, get it! they are cheap, sort of an unknown secret.
They're amazing when it comes to tone and a Boss GT-8 will certainly enhance the great tone that your tube amp can provide.
20 watts is still pretty loud in tube terms but who cares about the neighbours I don't.
Decibels aren't directly proportional to watts so 20 watts isn't half the volume of 40watts it's like this
40 watts is 94% as loud as 50 watts.
30 watts is 86% as loud as 50 watts.
25 watts is 81% as loud as 50 watts.
22 watts is 78% as loud as 50 watts.
20 watts is 76% as loud as 50 watts.
18 watts is 74% as loud as 50 watts.
15 watts is 70% as loud as 50 watts.
12 watts is 65% as loud as 50 watts.
10 watts is 62% as loud as 50 watts.
9 watts is 60% as loud as 50 watts.
8 watts is 56% as loud as 50 watts.
7 watts is 55% as loud as 50 watts.
6 watts is 53% as loud as 50 watts.
5 watts is 50% as loud as 50 watts.
4 watts is 47% as loud as 50 watts.
3 watts is 43% as loud as 50 watts.
2 watts is 38% as loud as 50 watts.
1 watt is 31% as loud as 50 watts

So you see 9 watts still isn't half the volume of 50watts, it's still pretty LOUD
You really need to drop down to 5 watts if you want something quiet, it's still pretty loud though. About the loudness of a trumpet at full tilt.

This post has been edited by felixq78: 14 November 2008 - 06:39 AM

[gregsguitarsdotnet]

the bassman reissue is they way to go, 4 x 10 touch sensitive ,i have one i bought in 1990(ish) with the tube rectifier, never looked back...........

[ninjato]

More importantly, you should take your guitar to the store and play it thru the amp you are thinking of getting. Keep in mind also that you will not be playing in as big of a room if you are getting it for home, so how it sounds at the store will be a tad different from how it will sound in your home.
The amp really should match your application. I'll give you an example....I have a Fender Twin '65 Reissue 85W tube amp. I use it maybe once a month if that because it's just way too loud for my house. So although it is a great amp or "awesome" amp, I can't use it to its capacity 95% of the time. I actually play thru a 2Watt Roland MicroCube Solid State amp most of the time when I'm at home.
Also keep in mind for gigging, most are mic'ing the amps to the PA now so you just have to have enough to push to a mic.

Pedals also behave differently thru a SS or a tube for better or for worse. Don't expect your current effects unit to sound/react the same thru a different amp.

[billy16]

Another thing to remember is that smaller wattage tube amps are where the tone really is. Most professional recordings are done with a small tube amp. I'd love to get ahold of a Laney Lionheart. I've heard what those can do and I'm pretty impressed. Best 5W tube amp out there. Only problem is that'll run you $1000. My advice is to save up and buy something that will not only cover what you need but will also sound good. The extra time spent saving willl certainly be worth it.

[uberthegreat]

There's no sense in getting something from the MG series when you can get this for a similar price.

http://www.guitarcen...397-i1145634.gc

[billy16]

Valvekings are somewhat like starter tube amps. They sound pretty good, but internally, they're not so hot. Cheap components and a so so speaker don't really give the amp a great sound. It's not terrible, but I'd go with something a bit better in that price range. With different tubes and a new speaker, it's better, but still not great. It's sort of like those people who put those exhaust packs on their Honda Civics and those crappy spoilers to make the car seem cool. Sure, it looks great, but it's nothing compared to a real car like a Charger or GTO.

[noodle69]

if you are just playing at home and jamming , then maybe a cheap solid state with a good clean sound and an amp modelling device like line6 pod would help you decide the sort of expensive amp that you would like to save for in the future .

[richardmorris]

Valvekings are somewhat like starter tube amps. They sound pretty good, but internally, they're not so hot. Cheap components and a so so speaker don't really give the amp a great sound. It's not terrible, but I'd go with something a bit better in that price range. With different tubes and a new speaker, it's better, but still not great. It's sort of like those people who put those exhaust packs on their Honda Civics and those crappy spoilers to make the car seem cool. Sure, it looks great, but it's nothing compared to a real car like a Charger or GTO.

Spot on. This is VERY true. A ValveKing is made in China out of cheaper components than something like a Classic or 6505. Not a bad amp, just not as good.

I also agree with Improviduto about concentrating on a clean amp. "If you're going to run a processor to shape your sound and play loudly, you may want to look for a clean tube amp. Make sure you try out your gear on the amp before you buy it and spend some time with it. It will cut down on the disappointment."

Ok, having said all that. I happen to own a GT-8. In fact I've owned (and sent back to Musicains Friend) a BUNCH of these big and small multi-effects units. DigiTech, VOX, and POD all went back. I kept the GT-8 and three ZOOMs. Not saying the the ones I sent back are bad, just not to my liking. The GT-8 has some great sounds in it, is very flexible, and has knobs. All you need is a good clean amp with EQ. I recently picked up an amp/speaker cab that is working very nicely with the GT-8. A Crate PowerBlock and a Crate 1x12 speaker cab with a Celestion G12-100 speaker. The PowerBlock was $120 on ebay and found the speak cab at a local store for $100. A steal at that price.
Also. I've played the GT-8 thru a Marshall AVT, a ValveKing, a Peavey 6505 1x12 combo prototype, and my various Peavey solid state amps. I couldn't hear a difference going thru the tube amps. I don't think you would realize any advantage spending extra money for a tube amp. Sometimes people get real snobby about this tube vs solid state issue. Don't let it keep you from buying solid state. It's cheaper, now and in the long run, more reliable, and most people can't hear the difference anyway.
As for the Bandit recommendation that someone mentioned. That's a good amp. And, has a nice speaker simulator on it.