Practice amps

[skydog52]

Has anybody ever used these practice amps that are out now?

G-DEC and Line 6 Spider Jam types. Can they help a lame player

like me? How user friendly are they?

Thanks

[Steiner]

What are you trying to accomplish?

Good tone @ low volume?

Different sounds from 1 amp?

Portability?

 

All the above?

More???

 

The two amps you name are rather sterile SS amps but may get the job done.

Need... more... data.

[pegleg32]

I have had a Line 6 spider jam for 2 years now. I get great use out of it as a powered speaker, and for recording chord backgrounds and then playing lead over them. I also use it for loading mp3 background tracks with the SD card and playing lead over that. A lot of the precorded jam tracks tend towards stuff I don't play. I think there are 3 blues tracks out of maybe 60 or so. As a useable amp, it ain't good. I cannot get the sounds I want, and after 2 years of playing through it, it is developing minor problems not the least of which is a lot of hiss at times.

 

I probably use it 2 hours a day for accompaniment, so i do get a heck of a lot of use out of it. I would never take it to a gig and I always actually play through a different amp.

 

My absolute favorite practice amp right now is a Bugera V5 through a Bumbox 15" speaker that I just bought from Gopeteygo. I paid $131 used from Muscians Friend for the amp, and Pete sold me the speaker box for $200!!! It rocks and I wouldn't be afraid to play it anywhere.

 

I also have a totally modified Fender Blues Jr, that I like, and a Richter 5E3G that is a wonderful amp, but they aren't getting much use right now.

[skydog52]

What are you trying to accomplish?

Good tone @ low volume?

Different sounds from 1 amp?

Portability?

 

All the above?

More???

 

The two amps you name are rather sterile SS amps but may get the job done.

Need... more... data.

I'm just a hobbyist player. Portability isn't a concern, I just play at home.

Good tone at low volume would be nice because I play at home.

Different sounds would be nice with one amp but pedals can be used.

I thought maybe one of these type amps would be good for playing along with.

Any recommendations on a decent low wattage tube amp?

[GuitArtMan]

Man I was going to post the exact same thing. Playing the various headphone amps at NAMM, many with some sort of band-in-a-box feature really got me thinking "this is cool!" There are some many out there, and with different features, it can be mid boggeling.

[wingnut1]

I have a G-DEC 30 and it's fine for practice, but the tone isn't the same as you'll get from a good tube amp. It's convenient to be able to practice without band members. Fender is coming out with a new G-DEC 3 that has recorded backing tracks like the Spyder Jam and a USB interface. I'd like to try one of these over my current G-DEC.

[Steiner]

I just bought a Vox AC4TV8 at Guitar Denter for $180 and change. It's not the best amp in the bevy (by far) but considering I've paid more than that for an effects pedal, weighs less than 10lbs and has a power scaling for 4, 1 and 1/4 watt, I Love it! They had one more in stock at the store in Canton. You may want to try out the Fender Champ XD too; a tad pricier but has more voices.

[skydog52]

I just bought a Vox AC4TV8 at Guitar Denter for $180 and change. It's not the best amp in the bevy (by far) but considering I've paid more than that for an effects pedal, weighs less than 10lbs and has a power scaling for 4, 1 and 1/4 watt, I Love it! They had one more in stock at the store in Canton. You may want to try out the Fender Champ XD too; a tad pricier but has more voices.

Thanks Steiner. I think I'll make the trip this weekend.

[paul144]

Try the Roland Micro Cube. Yeah is solid state but its got a ton of bells & whistles and its the size of a tissue box.

I leave it right by the couch and play along when I watch TV. Nice gain tones at low volumes.

No tubes to burn out. Gain cleans up when you roll down the guitar volume too.

[tsp17]

Try the Roland Micro Cube. Yeah is solid state but its got a ton of bells & whistles and its the size of a tissue box.

I leave it right by the couch and play along when I watch TV. Nice gain tones at low volumes.

No tubes to burn out. Gain cleans up when you roll down the guitar volume too.

 

yes- for an inexpensive and reliable practice amp the roland micro-cube is a good choice. lots of things to play with on that amp. Epiphone makes some cool retro looking small amps that sound nice, are not too expensive (especially used) that might also be suitable. i almost bought one last year.

[kbp810]

yes- for an inexpensive and reliable practice amp the roland micro-cube is a good choice. lots of things to play with on that amp. Epiphone makes some cool retro looking small amps that sound nice, are not too expensive (especially used) that might also be suitable. i almost bought one last year.

 

The Super Champ XD is a neat little amp, on the normal channel you are playing just straight tube (I think it was either 6L6 or 6V6 power tubes), then you can switch on the different voicings and built in effects if you want play around a bit... and at 15 watts it can still hold it's own fairly well if you ever need to crank it a bit. I think they run between $279-299 new, but if you keep an eye out you can usually find them $150-$200 used. My fellow guitarist in our band plays through one, though he usually just uses the normal channel with a bad money in front, but he gets some pretty decent tone for a relatively cheap setup.

 

I tried the little 5 watt Bugera amp, I didn't care much for it personally, but then again I didn't try running it through a different speaker either... for me the tone just sort of seemed flat and dull and the break up was all flubber.

[rjsanders]

haven't heard a Bugera yet. have used a Roland Cube for some years and it's cheap & noise-free w/a lotta options. for practice + giggability i might go with a Fender Pro Jr..

 

what i'm playing around with now is the E-H .22 Cal amp-in-a-stomp pedal. just got a separate cab & speaker for it. very impressive sound for <$100.

 

ZTamps Lunchbox is a kick, too.

 

[212Mavguy]

Well Well Well...am into my cups a bit toooooo much, it's Friday night, but I made my own practice amp, took a 70's silverface Champ and made my own turret board, replaced both trannys, used the stock speaker for a frisbee (damn crappy glide ratio btw) right into the trash can. Kathunk, thump thump rattle rattle... Now I use that Weber MASS attenuator of mine between the power section and the speaker (CTS squaremag,) and a Keith Hilton volume pedal, when I took the ground away from resistor coming from the bass pot to the chassis (snip!) the gain went way off the scale, so pushing that active pedal down for a bit of clean boost can go from clean to invoking Satan pretty easily, can turn the attenuator all the way down to no noize coming out and even disconnect the speaker, now it's a MASS-ive dummy load for the dummy playin' that guitar, (oh yeah! ) for using the headphone out from the attenuator if I want...and then take that same attenuator to the gig the next night, hook it up the amp de jour and save the audience and who I happen to be playin with from me...

[yoslate]

Well Well Well...am into my cups a bit toooooo much, it's Friday night, but I made my own practice amp, took a 70's silverface Champ and made my own turret board, replaced both trannys, used the stock speaker for a frisbee (damn crappy glide ratio btw) right into the trash can. Kathunk, thump thump rattle rattle... Now I use that Weber MASS attenuator of mine between the power section and the speaker (CTS squaremag,) and a Keith Hilton volume pedal, when I took the ground away from resistor coming from the bass pot to the chassis (snip!) the gain went way off the scale, so pushing that active pedal down for a bit of clean boost can go from clean to invoking Satan pretty easily, can turn the attenuator all the way down to no noize coming out and even disconnect the speaker, now it's a MASS-ive dummy load for the dummy playin' that guitar, (oh yeah! ) for using the headphone out from the attenuator if I want...and then take that same attenuator to the gig the next night, hook it up the amp de jour and save the audience and who I happen to be playin with from me...

 

 

Dr. Funkenstein lives! Great post, Mav! I can almost smell the burning flux! I love alcohol fueled DIY!

[pegleg32]

In re reading my mention of the Bugera amp. I think I sounded a little too promotional. It is not a great all around amp. It does what I want, but I might call it a one trick pony. Not for everyone.

[212Mavguy]

Dr. Funkenstein lives! Great post, Mav! I can almost smell the burning flux! I love alcohol fueled DIY!

 

Hi Yoslate,

 

Actually you give me waaaay too much credit, it took well over a year bit by bit for the Frank-en-Champ to morph into it's present state of wonderful mutant stangeness, I was into my cups when I wrote the post!

 

And thanks again for the inspiration to name my newest Heritage guitar, your "Gretchen" suggestion became "Retchin' Gretschen!" You are one of my HOC heroes! She makes the most interesting (and quite often not exactly ladylike) noises, but they are always exciting to listen to!

[blueox]

Has anybody ever used these practice amps that are out now?

G-DEC and Line 6 Spider Jam types. Can they help a lame player

like me? How user friendly are they?

Thanks

 

Did you get your amp yet? I just noticed this thread, so I may be a little late to the party. I enjoy improvising guitar leads in styles ranging from rockabilly to classic rock to blues. Like many, I am not able to call up a bass player, a drummer, and maybe a piano player to jam for an hour or so at the drop of a hat. In May of 2008, I bought a Fender G-DEC and was so impressed with it that in July 2008, I bought a G-DEC30. For my money, these amps are incredible. If you want to improve your lead playing in a variety of keys and tempos, using a great variety of lead tones, these amps are for you. They also feature the best visual tuner that I have used. They have so many options that I would not hog the space here to list them all. But just in amp types, Tweed, Blackface, Dyna-Touch, British, Modern, and Acoustic are offered. Then within each type, a setting of 1, 2, or 3 gets you to another level of distortion. But then for each amp type, options include: Gain, Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, Compressor, Timbre (Full Body, Full Stack, Razors Edge, Bright Lite, Bass Boost, Nu Metal, Super Bright, Acoustic), plus a Noise Gate. Then there is a room full of effects to doctor the sound further. I have never been into pedals much and only own a Maestro Fuzz Tone, an Ibanez Tube Screamer and an Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail, but the 29 effects with the G-DEC make for a lot of tonal variety. Then there are ten Reverb types, with 1-10 adjustment for each. There are 49 preset rhythm tracks, which can be modified to your settings. I've never cared for the sound of an electric guitar alone, so these amps provide a backing with which to play, until you can get with your band. My present setup is the G-DEC connected to the G-DEC30 with a cable to an Electro-Harmonix Switch Blade with a cable to a Kustom single 12" cab and another cable to a Carvin 2-12" cab, allowing switching between one or the other. The G-DEC30 is the only one that allows for an extension speaker. Yes, I have all-tube amps which I enjoy, but the sounds from these G-DECs are very much contenders--almost an "idealized tube sound". I've heard that these are now discontinued, so you may or may not be able to find them now, but it sounds like Fender may be coming out with a new version.

[mark555]

I have one of the small ss Marshall 15 watt amps and it only reinforces my view that, only valves, or as the Americans here will say "tubes", are the only way for me. I will say that a Fender Blues Junior is a great amp, terrific tone, couple it up to a pedal if you want low volume overdrive. You can also use it for a small gig when loud volume is not the issue.

 

Valves just give you something that a solid state amp never will. When you go to the trouble of getting a guitar the quality of a Heritage, at least give it a valve amp to play through...

[lensman]

I see lots of good stuff mentioned by others here. Check out some of the reviews on Harmony Central. I had a Peavey Classic 30 that was nice. Right now I've got a Vox Pathfinder 15R which is one of the best small solid state amps I've used. I also like playing around with the Vox Amplug headphone amp I have, the AC30 model. Also, there are many demos on YouTube that might help you decide on something. Sometimes what's good for someone else has a drawback for you. I like the Pathfinder for low volume playing, plus it has a headphone jack and line out. Cheap too--got mine for $120. The cheapest worthwhile tube amp IMHO is probably the Super Champ XD.

[peteraltongreen]

Has anybody ever used these practice amps that are out now?

G-DEC and Line 6 Spider Jam types. Can they help a lame player

like me? How user friendly are they?

Thanks

 

The G-Dec & Line 6 are both great home amps,as they have lots of features to encourage you to play different styles.I,myself use a 20 + year old Peavey 'Decade',that I call my Deaf Aid !

I replaced the 6" Peavey speaker with a Jenson.The improvement was amazing.I now even use it to lightly amplify bass guitar at home practise with other musicians. At gigs,I hook it up to my main amp,facing me,to use as a monitor,hence the 'Deaf Aid' !

Peter Alton Green.

[skydog52]

Thanks to all of you for your responses. I still have not made up my mind.

I've been too busy to get anywhere to try. Had a nice visit with Steiner today

and he showed me a nice little Vox amp that might work. I'm more excited with

the cables he made for me, nice quiet cables. I haven't been to Elderly in awhile.

Might be a good road trip this weekend.

[Steiner]

The one aspect of the HOC that absolutely floors me is the depth and breadth of great people. As SkyDog52 mentioned, I got to meet Another fine human from the collective and a gentleman with exquisite tastes in cables I might add

 

Skydog52 - if you do make the trek to Lansing, see if you can take time to plug their Super Kenny Burrell into the Bad Cat, Black Cat and have Mrs. Skydog52 get a picture of your face when you get it dialed in

[Duffy]

Totally recommend the Fender Super Champ XD. This is an amp that you will grow into over quite a long period of time, but be able to get great tones out of immediately. This is a highly acclaimed amp, all tube design with digital modeling section injected into the signal. Replace the speaker with a sixty five dollar from MF for instance, Eminence Ragin' Cajun ten inch direct replacement speaker for about twice the perceived volume due to increased sensitivity and super great tone.

 

Fender SCXD will cost slightly more but will proove to be far superior to many of the amps mentioned. Several control knobs on the amp and two distinct channels, as opposed to one to three knobs on many of the other amps mentioned.

 

I got, however, a Peavey Valve King Royal 8 for 99 dollars from MF or somewhere just a few weeks ago. Being closed out. This three knob all tube amp has an incredible sound and a huge variability of tones just by playing with the three knobs, all nonsense aside. Great inexpensive tube amp at five watts. The SCXD is fifteen tube watts. One tube watt equals approx. three solid state watts, as the sound is perceived at the ear. Therefore a fifteen watt tube amp will sound as loud as a fourty five watt to fifty watt solid state amp. This is very loud but can be turned down, in the case of the SCXD, to very satisfying low night time bedroom volumes.

 

My SCXD is way more versitile than my new Peavey JSX Mini Colossal five watt super great practice amp. The SCXD just has a lot of options you might like, like a great clean channel, Fender clean.

[number1armadillo]

Cripes, your playing awsome guitars, at least play it through a decent amp, it will inspire YOU to play better>

VIBRA-CHAMP! (though I hear the Blues JR is great)

[Duffy]

Yeah. Right. Why not skip the inferior quality amps and go for something collectable or at least keepable and inspiring; such as the Fender Super Champ XD 299 new, Peavey Bandit 112 solid state if you want solid state - but why, Epiphone Valve Senior 350, Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Blues Jr, Kustom '36 Coupe all tube, Fender Supersonic all tube, etc. Just turn them down and turn them up to your heart's content when you can. Some of these mentioned have power reduction knobs or switches. A great amp will be a great thing to have, way better than a toy super computerized highly complicated unreliable unrepairable low quality amp.

 

I would get an amp with a built in reverb. My new old stock Crate Palomino V32 212 has a great reverb.

 

I have tried many super screaming zonking digital modeling amps and side by side tested a Peavey Vypyr 15, played for about 45 minutes, and then I played a Marshal little MG15cdr new old stock with a real mini reverb tank and closed back that I had sitting right next to the Vypyr to quickly compare while the sound was still ringing in my brain. Plugged into the Marshal and with one chord knew that it was by far the better amp, the sound was sweet and like a real amp. A real sweet one trick pony that was designed to sound good and it has two channels plus reverb. All you need if you don't have any money and want to practice. Put your pedals in front of it if you want a Vypyr, Line 6 sound; but still have a real good sounding cheap amp to just play straight into.

 

Or spend some bucks and get a real good amp like a Hot Rod Deluxe, a Vox AC15 or AC30, or a Marshall tube amp in one of the smaller combos. The Fender Supersonic is light enough and is probably one of the best amps ever built, portable, incredible. Sound you will not be able to replicate is available in really good amps.

 

You could spend way more money buying cheap amps over the years than by getting a decent amp to begin with that will totally blow your mind. Play them, you will find out. Try a Kustom '36 Coupe combo tube amp sometime. That will get your attention and do you justice too.