what pickups?

[matteo]

hi all!

i know theres a million posts on here about which pickups work best for which guitars but ive only been playing a year so allot of the technical jargon means nothing to me!! i play a yamaha rgx420 (2 humbuckers and locking trem) thru a peavey bandit. im looking for something versatile as i play a wide range (well try and play anyway!!) from ac/dc to guns n roses to van halen! im not looking for a shred monster but id like it to be able to handle it if i ever get good enough! ive been looking on the site and at the moment the vhIIs seem to be the ones that would suit me? any info or advice is greatly appreciated!!

thanx 8)

[indysmith]

i think ur right to be going for the VHIIs bro, but i have to say that through your peavey, there's not going to be that much difference in tone - you won't instantly start to sound like your heros. Before replacing ur pickups, i'd reccommend a small valve amp...

[matteo]

yeah my bandit is well beat up and i dont have the footswitch :( what are the advantages of a valve amp? iv been looking at the new laney hc30s i think. but i dont think they are valve amps?

ill need more than a new amp and p ups to sound like my heroes! about 10 years practice!

[WITH FULL DISTORTION]

I agree with Indysmith BUT.. i also want to add that you MUST get rid of that peavey amp, itīs one of the most bad sound amps out there.
iīm not bashing your amp, but if you wanna get a really good tone, get another amp.

you can also get a hybrid or a SS 40 watts amp like a marshall, crate, or the likes...only if you donīt have enough $$$ to go all tube amp.
if you have the $$$then get a marshall.
EVH is using a custom marshall i guess.
with a charvel signature now
I own a 5150.
but i canīt coment on itīs sound enough yet

[Searcher]

what are the advantages of a valve amp?

They sound better.  :)  That's about the only advantage, coz they weigh more, cost more to buy and maintain, and are usually a bit more fragile.

for pickup recommendation, i reckon you ought to email Tim and ask him what you should go for.  He's good with suggestions.  My suggestion would probably be for the VHIIs or Riff Raffs.

[_tom_]

I prefer the feel of a valve amp to a solid state, sounds weird till you play one, but they feel so much more alive. I'd say for a budget valve amp go for a Laney of some sort, although I've not played one everyone seems to love them. LC-15 or LC-30 should be great. Dont go over 40-50w on a valve amp though, it'll blow your head off with the volume  :lol:

[indysmith]

+1 on Todge's claim that valve amps 'feel' better - they REALLY do, the feel yu get from a driven poweramp is worth any money :P

[matteo]

thanx for the input guys :D

how much more do they cost? ive set a limit to 300 for an amp but ive got a feeling thats not even close!! why are they more fragile and what sort of maintenance is required? something to do with the valve?

[WITH FULL DISTORTION]

the tube amps i donīt know, but the Solid state ones run about 100, 150 usd.
the crate one i refferred.

[Kilby]

What wattage are you after ?

Valve amps are louder (or atleast appear to be) than the equivalent solid state amp.

Rob...

[matteo]

bout 30 watts wll be fine.its only for jammin in my room!!

ive just read on another page bout the guy whos just got an lc30 i think? im goin to look into it a bit more. dont know if i can handle valves yet!

[sambo]

i got my lc30 for Ģ180 off ebay.....

[matteo]

theyre over 300 new! theres one close to me on ebay for 200 its got marshall valves in tho????

i like the look of the line 6 spider its got loadsa built in effects i think i would break a valve amp!!

[sambo]

dude im 15 and always mash up my gear and abuse it terribly and i havent damaged my laney (yet)- so if i can manage it- anyone can..!

[booboo_bass]

jammin' in your room you say...a 30watt valve is loud. very, very loud. You probably dont need a valve for bedroom use (sound cr@p quiet anyway). Get a half decent solid state and your sorted.