I am looking for a good loud amp for a guitarist. He uses lots of effects, and I notice that some amps have tons of FX, and that reflects in their price. I need to get a 15-100w guitar amp, minimal FX options (he uses tons of pedals), in a price range between $100-300. Also, headroom is a MUST. He has a very nice distortion pedal (Sparkle Drive) and I think the best option would be to have a ton of headroom. Also, portability would be nice, but not a must. It's just that occasionally we will be gigging, and would be good to have a somewhat lightweight amp 30-50lb. I heard that Peavey, Marshall, Bugerra, and Vox are good amps, but some of the better ones are out of the price range. If anyone can suggest an amp of these companies within the price range, thank you.
Tube or solid state? 15w to 100w looks too wide range. Do you play with a drummer?
Under those restrictions, try to find an used amp. I was in the market recently and the most basic tubes amp starts around $400.
My bad for not being so specific. 15w as bare minimum, and 100w as Maximum. Solid state, no drummer, but I think it would be good to have more than enough loudness so he won't complain about being too quiet. He's against a bass, piano, guitar, and light percussion (tambourines, shakers etc).
You'll have to go along way to find something better than the Fender Blues Junior in that range.
Great tone and volume for 15 watt tube amp with some usefull upgrades available and comes with reverb. Lightweight and portable, ideal for small to medium gigs. You should be able to pick one up for around £300 or $250 second hand in good condition.
Be excellent to each other & party on dudes!
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=686668
My bad for not being so specific. 15w as bare minimum, and 100w as Maximum. Solid state, no drummer, but I think it would be good to have more than enough loudness so he won't complain about being too quiet. He's against a bass, piano, guitar, and light percussion (tambourines, shakers etc).
Does the rest of the band know what dynamics are?
99% of my gigs and ALL of my practices are done with a 15 watt amp - either a Blues Jr. or a Vox Pathfinder if the stage is really tight. Practices are done with the amp unmiked, at moderate volume, and if the rest of the band can't hear me, I tell 'em to turn down.
Shows are done with amp miked into the PA, with stage volume remaining at moderate levels.
The only time I'll use a larger amp is if we're on a HUGE stage, or outdoors. Then I'll usually opt for a 40 watt '59 Bassman.
Playing guitar and never playing for others is like studying medicine and never working in a clinic.
I don't normally use "ss" amps, I like my Vox ac30, but I did want a backup amp just in case, so I went out and got a Fender Frontman 212R, they are really great amps! 100w of ss power for $330! This should fit your needs.
