Good clean amp

[Kilby]

I was also going to suggest a nanohead, though it would mean having a cab of some sort (I tend to run mine through the speaker of my Blues Jr combo). I picked up a mint Nano (custom colour) for £210

It can certainly do Vox & Fender cleans @ (loud) TV volumes (and above through a 1x12). Turning it up gives you a plexi. You can also run it through an attenuator (I seem to remember that you have / had one) to keep the volume down (yes they can be that loud)

I still havn't tried the Champ 600, but from most accounts theyre pretty damned good for the price, though others seem to expect an awful lot from them.

As you are tired of digital I won't suggest anything in that vein.

I would suggest looking at http://www.ampmaker.com/index.asp (though they are closed due to illness ATM) as their SE-5a looks pretty close to what you are interested in. Though please remember that 5 watts can be pretty bloody loud.

I would also say that since you are in halls and using a laptop that something alongs the lines of a Kensington security lock as a bloody good idea. The first thing I did with my Nanohead was to cut a slot in the casing so I could use a notebook lock on it.

[Henk]

but where do you buy this blackhearts

I have to pick one up in germany if i want to test it first, but its not far, same with the fender champ im afraid. However if you dont mind ordering stuff, any crate dealer can order it for you. At 110-120 pounds it cant be that risky since it is new and comes with guarantee.

[MDV]

Sponge, warm water and mild detergent?

Sorry, couldnt resist

[_tom_]

They sell Blackheart in Sound Control, well theres one in the Leicester one anyway. Might have a go some time but most of the clips of them that I've heard arent amazing (though that youtube one wasnt bad).. I wanted a Zvex nano as I've heard loads of good stuff about them but theyre so expensive most of the time.

I was gonna get an ampmaker se5 to have a go at building over the summer but am not amazing with electronics (can wire up a guitar or a pcb fine but thats as far as I've got) and will either end up with a broken amp, or dead :lol:

edit - the orange micro crush sounds allright and it looks cool :P http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=GIfOSAil5Bs

Speaking of which, are the Orange Crush amps any good?

Sponge, warm water and mild detergent?

Sorry, couldnt resist

:lol: :lol:

[Henk]

I am in halls, my room isnt actually bad as I'm on the ground floor, next to another guitarist anyway and on the room at the end next to the kitchen, so I havent got too many people to annoy if I play a bit too loud. I'm using either my V-Amp 2 or Amplitube 2 at the minute but right now I'm sick of modelling, its so boring and has a horrible feel compared to a proper amp.

Yea was looking at the Valvetronix series. I'm still trying to find some people to play with, most people want to play modern metal stuff but I'd rather play rock :(

If you hate modelling you should never go with the Valvetronix or the DSP modelling fenders, maybe it will be an improvement over playing trough a PC but it wont be like what youre thinking off.

After many year of trying and testing loads of gear i now only use a good and versatile tube amp and ditto drive pedal. Actually the simpeler it gets the better it sounds, to my ears at least.

If i were you i would definately save up for one of those 'legends' like the Twin, Pro reverb, Bluesbreaker, Plexi or JCM800 or whatever and just never look back again. If in doubt just take you guitar and noodle a bit on one in a shop to generate some preferences but stick to a plan.

If your really, desperately in need, discuss it with your parents, i did and i managed to get some basic band stuff together(actually the peavey combo i bought with the loan was the best amp i ever heard back then :oops: , i played it VERY much for 10 years and if it didnt fell apart i would probably still have it) and payed back the small loan i got from my parents bit by bit. Actually my father did encourage the idea of buying something good and in this way being able to grow as a musician rather then buying a huge collection of mediocer/cr@p stuff that didnt keep me at it anyway. Trading in the Laney will get you started anyway so it wont be that horrible i think.

Hope youll think about this, every amp i play now just fades in the shadow of my main amp, but i learned back then to save up and i could buy it when it smacked me in the face, i rocked with my head in the clouds for allmost a year after i got my JCM800 with late 60's Marshall cab i can tell ya 8)

[_tom_]

hm yeah good point. I remember playing a Fender Stage 1600 which has the same modelling as the XD series (I think?) and I didnt really think it was that bad.

I dont really want to get rid of the Laney, theres nothing wrong with it when I can use it at home but those volumes are just tolerated by my family, at uni itd probably just piss everyone off because it sounds cr@p at tv volumes :P

[LazyNinja]

How about getting your GH50L power scaled? Should cost around £150 and it'll make your gigging volume sound better as well won't it?

[DeanS]

How about getting your GH50L power scaled? Should cost around £150 and it'll make your gigging volume sound better as well won't it?

Now thats a good idea!

[Henk]

...... and I didnt really think it was that bad.

No it doesnt sound too bad, at least not totally offputting....

But thats not what im talking about, im talking about plugging in and forgetting everything because your in tone friggin heaven......

I play my JCM at TV volume at which i can get a good clean (thinner than at high volume settings but still has all its tone) and a pretty good bluesy/dirty drive sound. For a better gain saturation i use a drive pedal or booster or compressor/sutainer depending on what i need.

Actually the pedals dont matter that much, most comes from the guitar i use and the amp itself, eliminating all that is redundant i end up with needing a good guitar, a very well voiced cab(a cab can sound good, but still cant speak your language musically) and THE amp head, not thinking about all its properties but only about its clean

               TONE!!!!

The tone color should fit your personality IMO. Just listen to what the damn rig is telling you and youll be able to let it sing for you with a quick setup.

Anyway, this is how i think about it, i do think the Laney can be made to sound much better then a small practice amp for your playing offcourse. Still, i would be very interested to hear how stoner rock trough the little champ would sound :lol:

[_tom_]

haha yeah I was just thinking that, itd definitely not put out enough bass. I would just go with a Pod XT or something but theres no feel to the things, its horrible to play imo.

I guess I could get the Laney power scaled and then get a 1x12 of some kind to have at uni, though when I had a hotplate with the Laney it wasnt amazing, not sure how much better power scaling is meant to be? Havent actually tried running the Laney clean for ages, maybe that with a booster/valve od pedal will be allright. I'll try that when I go back home next anyway to see how it does, if not something lower wattage would be required.

[Henk]

It will be allright, just different, and it will take some time to predict the amps response to your setting it up, just dont give up.

And anyway, youll need to be able to crack it for that band your going to form, at least it would be a shame if you wouldnt get a band together i think.

[_tom_]

Yeah I really want to find some people into the same stuff, I probably would allready be in a band if I was into the whole modern technical metal thing, but I'm really not :?

To be honest, I would love a good JCM800 or even a good 900 but it seems to be hard to get the "good" ones and they're really expensive. Nothing wrong with the Laney tone but it doesnt quite have that Marshall upper-mid bite that I love.

[Henk]

Yeah I really want to find some people into the same stuff, I probably would allready be in a band if I was into the whole modern technical metal thing, but I'm really not :?

To be honest, I would love a good JCM800 or even a good 900 but it seems to be hard to get the "good" ones and they're really expensive. Nothing wrong with the Laney tone but it doesnt quite have that Marshall upper-mid bite that I love.

Actually, allmost all good band i played in ended up playing totally different stuff then agreed upon in the beginning, if you think the prog metal is not your thing, just start out playing the rythm section, i always enjoyed the artistic freedom of that position in a band (if you get my drift :twisted: )

I literally bumped in to my JCM with the old marshall cab when it had just been traded in at the store, managed to check it out again within the hour which got me a nice deal since it didnt have to go trough the books.

Just keep looking and it will pop up soon enough, or just ask a couple of bigger stores, they usually have contacts with musicians who have tons of everything needing a new owner sooner or later anyway. Kind of anoying to know there are musicians who just buy multiple amps just to pick the best one and keep one as backup anyway......

Some JCM800 heads are quite expensive, but not more then a new marshall at least. The combos are dirt cheap usually though and are usually stock which is not the case with heads. Ill bet youll be able to get your hands on a good one for the trade of your laney head and a couple of hundred quid. If you dont like it as a combo, you can buy a replacement cabinet to put the amp in and your done

Or well, just thinking out loud i guess....

[Twinfan]

Buy a clone, buy a clone, buy a clone........

[_tom_]

The pre-built Ceriatone '800 2203 clone is only about £425 + postage and any customs charges, and the 2204 £345 + postage and customs. Whats the difference between 2204 and 2203? Theres also the JTM45s, Plexis and 18ws to choose from.