I'm now like an expert guitar player since I started playing way back on December 2020. I know 10 chords now....

As it is.... y'all all play guitar backwards.

ruddyduck said:

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right now just a spark 40 but currently looking...any recommendations?

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Depends on what you're playing, what your budget is, and how loud you can play.

mostly blues and rock. would like to stay around $800-$1,000 to start off with. i mostly play by myself so i don't need it to go to 11...yet.

Hey Ruddy, do you want like a wide range of options/tones out of the amp (i.e. built-in effects) and all that, or do you basically just want a good sounding amp that will cover your basic clean/crunch/overdrive sounds for rock/blues? Your budget will afford you a very nice amp but there are different paths you can take depending on what you want. Let us know and I feel confident we can steer you in the right direction.

the spark 40 has a ton of different tones and options through the app that connects to it so i feel like i have that covered with the practice amp so looking for this:

Quote:

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or do you basically just want a good sounding amp that will cover your basic clean/crunch/overdrive sounds for rock/blues?

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OK so based on that, there are a couple of options I can throw out, but by NO means are these the only ones. But they're versatile and have good tube bases and some great tones available:

-Marshall DSL40CR Combo (Great clean tone w/ headroom, vintage/modern gain, loud, very versatile, switchable between 20 and 40 watts)

-Orange Rocker 15 (Different sound, but if you like Orange, this is an excellent entry point to their sound/tone)

-Vox AC15C1 (or C2) (Classic Vox tones, but might be too "specific" of a sound if you're wanting any more modern/gainy tones. Great amp though for a lot of 60s/70s type stuff.)

-Used Mesa Boogie 1x12 Combo, like this one (or a DC-3, etc.):
https://reverb.com/item/38312303-mesa-boogie-f-30-1x12-guitar-combo-amp

*Excellent* clean and blues/rock/hard rock tones out of this little guy, great pedal platform too*

If there's more specifics you can give on what sorts of tones you're looking for, I can expand, this was just a start. Good luck!

Amp tone is so personal. I have not heard a modern Vox AC15 I like the sound of. I find them to be shrill.

I have also never been an Orange tone fan.

The Marshall DSL40CR is WAY too much amp for you. Unless you are playing on stage to 1k people, stay below 20w. Even a 15w tube amp will be more balls than you need. You'll probably play it between 2-4 on the volume knob.

I HIGHLY recommend a Bassbreaker 15 for your needs. It can do decent cleans, and does the blues slight overdrive and classic rock crunch FANTASTICALLY. I had a Bassbreaker 15 and 30R recently and loved them. I only traded them away because I bought a Dr. Z Maz 18.

The Bassbreaker 15 and 30r are fairly similar. The 30r has more clean headroom and is footswitchable between the channels. The 15 requires you to adjust the channel knob. You can pick up one of these for a great price on Reverb. If you were to go 30r, I would recommend a good attenuator so you can hit that sweet spot without blowing out your eardrums.

When in doubt, go to the Anderton's guys. Great product demos. This is a great comparison between the Blues Jr. and Bassbreaker 15. Both are GREAT blues amps that I have personally owned. I recommend the Bassbreaker.



Also, That Pedal Show guys are the best if you really want a deep dive.

Also, I blame all of you for my most recent Reverb purchases.

Just bought a PRS S2 Semi-hollow and a '94 Gibson LP Special in TV Yellow. Couldn't let it pass and worked both sellers down to good prices.

Edited for the rules. The PRS I just picked up:

https://reverb.com/item/24309530-2019-prs-s2-custom-22-semi-hollow-electric-guitar-moss-green-gigbag-ex-iss4746

Well... I need to GTFO of Reverb.

Ended up deciding against the LP Special because I found the exact Custom Shop Strat I have been looking for. If I can talk them down into a good deal, I'm gonna have to pick up that Strat.

No more taking my lunch breaks to browse Reverb...

Nice pickup on the S2. Reverb is a very dangerous place.

I don't really have anywhere that I'm playing other than my house and my only amp is a 23 year old Fender Frontman. For now I just got the iRig HD2 with their blue board and bought a bundle of amp/effects that had Mesa Boogie, Orange, their Slash stuff, and Hendrix stuff. I haven't noticed much latency on it and I can kick off songs to play along with. I'll probably invest in an actual amp at some point but at the moment I just don't have much use for it or space for that matter. I'm looking at putting up a Warmoth Tele I never ended up finishing so I might use money from that.

great info. very much appreciate the feedback, gents.

Yeah I don't disagree at all on amp tone being extremely subjective. I also somewhat agree on the modern Vox's, but for a lot of people they have that certain tone that no Fender or Marshall will give you.

It completely depends on what you're wanting to play. The amps I listed (besides the Vox) will give you everything from clean tones to (degrees of) metal. I personally play anything from Dwight Yoakam to Neil Young to Pink Floyd all the way to Pantera and Megadeth. So again for *me* I like versatility but yet a fundamental base of great tone, not multi-FX and 10 channels or anything like that. I understand tons of people don't care anything about higher gain and simply want great cleans and some breakup, and that's awesome. Completely subjective for sure.

Anyway, like I say ruddy best of luck and let us know if you have questions at all. Cheers.

Have you tried playing on a Bassbreaker's high gain channel? It's very ballsy and cuts a lot of bass from the signal. Gives you that JCM 800 vibe. I actually never played on the hi gain channel, or, if I did, I would bring the gain down to 2. The medium gain at around 6-7 is great classic rock tones.

As for the Vox's, I have heard some vintage Vox's on YouTube that sound absolutely fantastic. Hell, I believe my Maz18 Jr is modeled off the AC15, though it has it's own personality, as well.

Here's a great comparison between the 30r and the DSL40

That's pretty damned impressive from the Bassbreaker! I have not played one, but that is far and away the best overdrive sound I've heard from a Fender amp (outside of a cranked Champ or something). Listened to another vid on it and it's got a nice clean tone as well. Very sweet, I am quite impressed by that offering from Fender.

Truth be told I don't play many modern amps outside of a new Reeves Custom 50 (that is basically a Hiwatt) that I bought last year. My other amps are a 1968 Twin Reverb (monster and back breaker) and a '90's Mesa Boogie F50 head. But I have owned Marshall DSL's, Hughes & Kettners, Laneys, etc. I always come back to my Boogie though for just amazing base tone and versatility w/ the 2 channels. Huge clean sound and you can push it to breakup that way, and the gain channel has loads of gain if you need it.

Anyway, really depends on how you're going to use it. If it will never leave your bedroom (or small gigs without loud drummers) then you're good to go w/ a 15-20 Watt amp. One good thing about the Marshall is that it is switchable to 20 watts so you can get more gain at lower volumes. But DallasTeleAg is completely correct in that 20 watts can be crazy loud. But watts can be deceptive in terms of things like headroom, if you want a decent amount of headroom, 40 watts might not be too much for you. Again this is kinda like telling someone what car to buy, so take anything I say with the largest grain of salt! Just trying to help if at all possible.

keep it coming. love the back and forth discussion. i'm sure others that are learning as i am will agree.

I use a Tech 21 RK5 pedal that I plug straight into the board to play live. It's about the size of a 1 foot ruler. I did amps (fender and Marshall) in my younger days, but I decided I'm not Slash or SRV, and my back was telling me to stop acting like a 25 year old 80s rocker. When I go play or practice, the thing fits in my guitar case. Easy in and out and I love it.

If I was playing alone and learning, I wouldn't recommend this. You need a small amp for that.

Yep; definitely the best gain I have heard out of a modern Fender. Of course, I am an EL84 fan.

They are also starting to do the same kind of special edition thing with the Bassbreaker that they always do with the Blues Jr. There's a really cool Greenback version with green tolex, a wheat grille, and a Greenback 12" speaker, instead of the V-type that comes in the standard 15. Also have something similar with a Creamback in there.

Ruddy: If you are going to buy an amp, definitely buy off Reverb unless you just cannnot find the one you want on there.

1. Musical equipment holds its value very well, if you buy used. You can literally sell it for the same amount or more, in a year.
2. The speaker will be broken in better, if bought used.

So, someone else snatched the CS Strat I was GASing for. Looks like I may go ahead and purchase the LP Special. Gonna think about it.

a strat or an lp special...either way sounds like a good day.

Scattered on stands, all over the place. Of course, I'm single, so I can get away with it.

DallasTeleAg said:

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Scattered on stands, all over the place. Of course, I'm single, so I can get away with it.

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I was wondering how you got away with buying new guitars like that.

Ranger #007 said:

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DallasTeleAg said:

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Scattered on stands, all over the place. Of course, I'm single, so I can get away with it.

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I was wondering how you got away with buying new guitars like that.

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Lol... yep.

Not only that, but that PRS is the least expensive guitar I have bought in the last 6 guitars.

Again, I don't mind spending money on a good used guitar. After a year, if I decide I don't need to keep it, I just resell it for the same price. I'm only out the taxes and Reverb fee for basically enjoying a guitar for a year or longer.

I had my green ES-330 for nearly a year. Bought it for $2,700 then sold it for $2,800. That puts me out of pocket $370 when it's all said and done. That's worth scratching that itch for a year, in my opinion.

I do not buy new guitars unless it is a MUST have, like my Custom Shop Tele. And that one, I got for a killer deal as far as Fender CS goes.

1st and last new guitar I bought was a '96 Fender American std strat back when I was still in school at A&M. Been a long while but I think it was around $600 or so back then.

Ranger #007 said:

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DallasTeleAg said:

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Scattered on stands, all over the place. Of course, I'm single, so I can get away with it.

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I was wondering how you got away with buying new guitars like that.

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no kidding. my three g's spending (guitars, guns, golf) has fallen off significantly. and i didn't pick the guitar back up until it was too late, otherwise i would have already made 2-3 more new guitar contributions to this thread. trying to explain why someone needs two (ha!) electric guitars was about the same conversation of why someone needs (x) amount of guns every time a new one snuck in the safe or how much further exactly does a $500 driver fly than the one currently in your bag.

i'm jealous.

Ranger #007 said:

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So, out of curiosity, how do you guys have your guitars hung? Or do you keep them in the cases?

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I need to clean this space up a bit.. one day I'll drywall it, but for now, at least they are all in one place!
I need to take a clearer picture too. Not sure why this one is kinda blurry.

Very nice! I see it looks like you home brew also? Very nice array of instruments you go there.

Echoes97 said:

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Very nice! I see it looks like you home brew also? Very nice array of instruments you go there.

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yeh behind me is the homebrew wall.. except for the random hoses there lol. Just out of picture on the left is my Roland Keyboard, and peeking in on the right is my Tama kit.

My boys are just a few years away from having some real jamming down there! They both hop on the drums and play keyboards now and again which is fun. I need to get them in some sort of lessons soon.

Is that a project in the works in the back in the left?

y'all keep the pics like these coming. they will be serving as evidence in my defense in my next "why do you need another guitar? you can only play one at a time." argument.

Because I know everyone cares, I ended up passing on the LP Special. Unfortunately, it came with P-100s and I'm not a fan of those pickups. I wanted some vintage P-90s

It was a 1994 Les Paul special in TV yellow. Had fantastic visible grain and a nice dark rosewood. Would have loved a 26-year-old guitar with P-90s that have had that long to break in a bit.

Back to hunting for the perfect Special...

DallasTeleAg said:

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Because I know everyone cares, I ended up passing on the LP Special. Unfortunately, it came with P-100s and I'm not a fan of those pickups. I wanted some vintage P-90s

It was a 1994 Les Paul special in TV yellow. Had fantastic visible grain and a nice dark rosewood. Would have loved a 26-year-old guitar with P-90s that have had that long to break in a bit.

Back to hunting for the perfect Special...

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Pretty sure in this thread everyone definitely is interested.

nice! and welcome to the thread.

and tele...i'll second ranger. of course we're interested.