Practice Amp Recommendations?

[stevelawsn]

I bought my first electric just to play around with. Does anybody have any recommendations for a practice amp that is in the 10-20 amp range? I have been looking at Pignose, Vox, and Fender but I really don't know what is good and what to avoid. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.... :)  

[dbirchett]

Steve,

A Fender Vibro-Champ is a great sounding little tube amp and there are a jillion of them out there. It was also called a Bronco for a couple of years in the mid-70s but there is a solid state Bronco which is nowhere near the same amp. (Mine is a Bronco)

If you want one you can play out a little with, look into a Princeton Chorus (not the DSP model). It sounds better than a solid state amp has a right to, has a decent reverb and a very good chorus. Use a pedal for distortion. It also has a headphone output which cuts off the speakers.

It also doubles as a nice little acoustic amp.

Don

[Brad166]

Iv got a fender Prinston 65 Im wanting to sell that would make a good practice amp.

[HangFire]

Iv got a fender Prinston 65 Im wanting to sell that would make a good practice amp.

Pics?

[guitaradoptions]

I have a new Randall 25 Watt with Reverb available at a close-out price of $99.00. Very very nice little amp.

[Jim S]

What about a Dumble? They make great practice amps if you have $10,000.
;)

(Hey, I've been up all night working and it's not pretty.)

[Zach]

Behringer GM110.  I know what you're probably thinking, but just go try one.

[johnlg]

I have 2 of the Marshall MG's.  I use a 10 watt with 1 -8" speaker for recording and a 50 watt with 1 -12" celestion for practice.  (My actual "amp" is a larger Carvin).  The 10 watt unit is $69.00 USD.  They make a 15 watt without digital effects for about $115 and with digital effects for $170 or so.

The dealer that I bought both of my Marshalls from said that the tiny MG has the same overdrive electronics as any MG series.  It's a nice tiny amp.  Freinds have assumed that the tiny Marshall was my big Carvin on recordings.

I have played acoustic guitars through the 50 watt marshall and the sound is really pretty good.  I think the closed back cabinet makes for very tight punchy low end. The 50 watt 1-12 with digital effects (I rarely use them) is $350.

I have played the tiny Vox amps and they are very nice, the Marshalls sound better clean.  I owned a small newer pignose I I thought that it sounded like a Peavy amp from the early 80's.  Very transistor-ish.


10 watt
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=04...ase_pid/482798/

15 watt
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=04...ase_pid/482799/

15 watt DFX
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=04...ase_pid/483187/

50 watt (my "practice" amp)
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=04...ase_pid/483189/

They have a 30 watt but it has an open back - I thought that it lost the punchy bottom.

I would avoid the pig shnoz.  If you want a battery amp look at the Fender amp-can.

Have fun shopping!

John

[Jim S]

BTW, what tones are you looking for? Clean, crunch, bluesy, metal?

[slim]

I have a Vox Pathfinder 15R.  It is a very good practice amp and the price is extremely reasonable.  It has a very good clean sound and can be cranked up fairly loud if that is what you want (my 12 year old son borrows it to jam with his band), but it doesn't do that blues thing.

Hope this helps.   :D  

[rockstar_not]

Here is a piece of advice totally out of the ordinary with the others....


Bypass the practice amp line of thinking and go for an amp simulator with a pair of headphones.

Several models available that are lightweight, sound way better than practice amps, and allow you to do some nice recording with tons of effects and tube/solidstate/etc. amp and cabinet simulations.

I use a Behringer V-amp 2.  You can get them for $140 just about anywhere online.

Also checkout Johnson J-stations and used Line 6 PODs in that price range.  Over 200, Vox tonelab, some of the Digitech and Yamaha simulators are great.

-Scott

[AUGuy21]

I would also like some advice on a practice amp.

I play a Fender Hot Rod Deville 2x12 and would like a similar sound for max $250.

Should I be looking at only tube practice amps? If so, what do you recommend?

If solid state, what would you all recommend?

What about Vox Valetronix or Vox Amps in general?

[drmlabs]

Hey I dont play electric much anymore, and besides I have another amp anyway, but I have a used Gallien-Krueger ML250 small practice amp.  It's great, i just dont use it anymore.  150 bucks & I'll pay shipping.

http://www.harmony-central.com/Guitar/Data...9_250ML-01.html

Cheers

Dan