Amp recommendations ~$500

B

BrammyH

Grandpa Whine
So, I'll know tomorrow if my Egnater is completely toast. My gut feeling is, yes, it is.

So, it's time to replace it. I play hard rock/light metal (don't need anything doom and gloom gain). It needs to take pedals well. I also need to be able to (likely) walk into a GC and try it out. I think I'd prefer tubes.

The first question is: my assumption is that Line 6 amps are pieces are shit. Is this a valid assumption?

There's a guy on CL selling a Marshall DSL40 for 450. I played through one and I liked it. I guess that's my first choice.

The second choice is there are two used Marshall DSL15 heads near me

The third-ish choice is a Backstar HT, either the 20w or 40w.

Anything else I should consider?
 
If one of your main criterion is to walk into GC to try one out, unless you have one of their large stores nearby, you may be quite disappointed in the relative lack of selection, unless you get lucky with a used one on store. If you decide to pull the trigger by tomorrow, though, you should be able to get 20% off regular price of whatever they have.

One idea, though, is to try the Orange Crush Pro amps - either the 35RT ($259 regular price) or the 60C ($499 regular price). These are SS amps, but sound HUGE and quite tubey - especially if in your case you don't need a ton of gain. Both have built-in digital reverb and an effects loop.

Tube-wise, not a lot to meet your price criteria in new amps. Maybe the Vox AC-10, but not sure if that packs enough volume for you, and as nice as it sounds, I just don't trust the build quality of any Vox AC below the 15 - they seem flimsy and troublesome. The AC-10 has a strange chassis that does not allow for upgrading the speaker if that's something you would want to do in the future. FWIW, I have had a couple of AC4s that were not very consistent; YMMV.

Some GCs have amps on clearance that may be in your ballpark: Maybe a Blackstar HT20, or the newer Peavey ValveKing MKII 20 or 50-watters. ALso, Peavey have the new Mini series of heads (6505/Classic 20/VK) that are all 20 watts, under $500 and the Classic 20s are getting great reviews.

Lastly, the Marshall DSL40c is a nice amp. If you like that, and can get a good used one for $450 or less, go for it. It is probably the best bang-for-buck you are going to find for your style.

Continued good luck. Maybe the Egnater survives and you can get a few bucks out of it...OR, get a tube head, and use the Egnater for the cab :idea:
 
Hey, also to dovetail onto my last point above, another idea is to get this:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...rDCJlKlyCRURfo1bi5i7aWWJIW15I4uLTkaAs8X8P8HAQ

750-TSA15H_detail1.jpg



15 watts for $299.99 brand new (less any online discounts...). This amp is one of the little darlings of the cheap tube head world. Has an effects loop, is switchable from 15/5 watts, a 6dB boost, and has a built-in TubeScreamer circuit. EQ is very simple but responsive. May not get as quite as loud as the Egnater, but has great clean headroom near all the way up (unless you kick in the TS circuit), and sounds great. I had one for awhile, and I think @jelloman still has one. You will probably have to order it online, but hey, return policies being as generous as they are, may be worth the shot. Again, pair this up with the Egnater speaker and there you go (and save $200 in the process :wink: ).
 
Thanks,

A few other things on the radar screen.

I tried out an Acoustic 12ow Lead. It's a solid state amp, but sounded ok. The distortion was actually passable. I get most of my gain from my pedals, anyway.

There's a used Tech 21 60w amp on CL near me, also.
 
CBHScott said:
Hey, also to dovetail onto my last point above, another idea is to get this:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...rDCJlKlyCRURfo1bi5i7aWWJIW15I4uLTkaAs8X8P8HAQ

750-TSA15H_detail1.jpg



15 watts for $299.99 brand new (less any online discounts...). This amp is one of the little darlings of the cheap tube head world. Has an effects loop, is switchable from 15/5 watts, a 6dB boost, and has a built-in TubeScreamer circuit. EQ is very simple but responsive. May not get as quite as loud as the Egnater, but has great clean headroom near all the way up (unless you kick in the TS circuit), and sounds great. I had one for awhile, and I think @jelloman still has one. You will probably have to order it online, but hey, return policies being as generous as they are, may be worth the shot. Again, pair this up with the Egnater speaker and there you go (and save $200 in the process :wink: ).
Click to expand...

Actually, my cab is a Mesa Black Shadow (or widow. whichever it is)
 
The Tech-21 60 would not be a bad choice.

The Acoustic is a cheap option; don't know how reliable they are, though. Maybe check some of the reviews at MF.
 
I had a DSL 50 years ago and it was a great hard rock amp. If the 15 or 40 are close you will be happy with it. The only thing I didn't like was the shared EQ. I just meant getting a great clean on channel 1 and great dirty on channel 2 was impossible, it was one or the other. I ended up just using the dirty side and a different amp for cleans.
 
el diablo said:
Maybe look at Jet City amps. Soldano designed, tubed, and reasonably priced. I have an original Soldano Atomic 16 and it is nails on tone. They play WAAAY louder than their stated output.
Click to expand...

I agree with el diablo. I own two JCA20H's and from what I have seen, you can find them used for about $200 just for the head.

BrammyH said:
Actually, my cab is a Mesa Black Shadow (or widow. whichever it is)
Click to expand...

The amp takes pedals well and my JCA is usually paired up with my MB cab for smaller gigs - great combo!
 
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