Help me build a rig.

[dave_mc]

traynor ycv50b on thomann, maybe? that's about the only thing around the £400 mark that i can really think of.

and yeah, stacks are cool and all, but not so much when your budget is £400, you run the risk of getting a mediocre (at best) stack over a decent to good tube combo.

[Telerocker]

Played recently the Laboga Caiman-combo. It sells for 599 euro and it sounds great. Maybe I get one myself.

[Mr.Coneman]

Cheers for all the replies guys!

To the guys saying beware of 100 wattage stacks ... :lol:

I really do appreciate that buying this is completely impractical, but you know what? I've worked hard in my job for just under a year, and I haven't really bought anything luxurious at all, I'm justifying this by saying 1. I deserve it and 2. It's an investment, if I do this right I will either never have to buy another guitar rig in my life, or will sell this one on for a reasonable price to help towards something amazing in the future. I don't want to faff around and buy combos now (I actually already have a half decent 30 watt combo, don't need another) and waste time and money by buying a half stack/stack later, this amp will definitely be gigged at some point also.  Besides, I promise I won't play it any louder than the master volume on 2...maybe 3  :lol:

I'm pretty much 90% set sure on the Blackstar HT 100 now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29esAeMCiCE
It's reasonably priced, and sounds great to my ears, and gets rave reviews. It's out of my original price range, but I've saved up more money since last week, another week or two, and I could get the head used, then a week or two after that I can grab a decent 2x12 cab.

Thanks for helping me, I feel I understand the lingo better, if anyone can top this amp, for it's price, I'm more than open to suggestions.

[Transcend]

You dont have to justify anything.

you're a guitarist + you want it = buy it

that is unless theres some major issues such as mountains of debt or you have to live off bread and water for a year to afford it

[Mr.Coneman]

Haha, well said, Toe-Knee!  :D
Very true though, I earn my money, and I'm not struggling too hard financially at the minute!

[Transcend]

Also i find the only time a 100w rig is really an issue is if its something that is power amp dependent.

most modern amps the majority of the tone comes from the preamp.

And an attenuator to bring it down a touch if neccesary wont harm the tone unless you attenuate loads

[JacksonRR]

Bah. If you're in love, you're in love. It looks great, sounds great and seems to get your wheels spinning. Just buy the Blackstar. Well, buy it after trying it in person with a cab that is reasonably similar to the one you intend to purchase and with your pedals, cables and your guitar. Less variables, better prediction. Good luck, man. Big purchases are exciting!  :D

edit: What about those Jet City amps? They seem to be able to do what you're after and aren't priced too high.

[metale]

Besides, I promise I won't play it any louder than the master volume on 2...maybe 3  :lol:

Many (not all) high wattage tube amps do not sound good at 2-3 master volume settings. 100w is not usually needed even for gigging. I'm not saying YOU don't need it, that's up to you. But one should get a power level that suits the "needs", more than the "wants".

Cheers

[Dmoney]

some high wattage amps sound fine at lower volumes. like metale says. try it out. don't worry

[Mr.Coneman]

Man how cool is this. I went on gumtree to find a used Blackstar for a little cheaper, and it turns out, a guy who lives across the street for me has one and is selling it
This was clearly meant to be!

Going over tomorrow to check it out. 8)

[JacksonRR]

[Mr.Coneman]

 :lol:
I thought so too!

Now that the circle is almost complete I've been looking at cabs for a few hours...
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/fender-fm-412-4x12-100-watt-4-ohm-cabinet

How is this cab? I mean, it's selling for dirt cheap, and is a 4x12 made by Fender...it almost seems like something is amiss, like it should be a lot dearer, but all of the reviews for it say it's really solid. Should this be the one  :o

[jpfamps]

I would NOT advise getting the Fender cab.

Not because it is not well build, but because it is 4 ohm.

You should try to use the highest impedance taps on the transformer, ie 16 ohms.

You could rewire the cab for 16 ohms, but your best bet is a 2nd hand Marshall 4x12. You should be able to pick one up for £200 or less if you shop around.

[Mr.Coneman]

Thanks for the tip! I'm not too bright when it comes to the ohms and the rules with wattage and all that. So it's really good to be able to talk to you more knowledgeable guys. I'll shop around!

Oh, and I just bought the Blackstar HT 100 head  :D. The guy wanted £500, and I was more than willing to pay it in a week when I got my next pay, but he told me he'd go to £450 if I bought it today, so I pulled the trigger and I'm now the owner of a Blackstar  8). I tried it out in his house with my guitar and it sounds lush! Couldn't believe the od channels!

I wanted to ask you guys about the emulator out, since I don't have a cab at the minute, am I able to run the head into headphones through the emulated out, without causing any damage? Pretty desperate to play it as you might imagine  :lol:

[Transcend]

Nah you can't do that you need to have a speaker or a load box connected in order to use it.

If you search around on ebay you should be able to find some decent cabs at reasonable prices or maybe even get something nice and personalised from MJW?