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Post by ux4484 on Jul 12, 2007 13:07:30 GMT -5
The Mrs gave me a gift certificate from MF. My practice amp (Fender Dyna-Touch 15 DSP) clean channel bit the dust, so I'm looking for a practice amp with a decent array of effects. I've been eying the Vox for a while now, but I stopped at GC today and also played the Roland, then a Line 6 Spider III 75 (combo). While the Cabinet selections are outstanding on the Vox, the effects sound better to me on the Roland. The Line 6 doesn't have the tone of either amp, but has oodles and oodles of sounds.
Then I went in the complete opposite direction and played a Fender FM 100H head. Two channel, Solid state with spring reverb and two drive selections, the thing that bit me in the butt was the clean channel, using the Clean channel and my Digitech, I could be very happy, but at 100W, I think the neighbors would be kicking down my door with torches in hand.
The Line 6 offers almost the same sound at any volume, so it's a safer choice, and both the Roland and the Vox offer a way to reduce the volume while maintaining the same Tone. Neither the Vox or the Roland offer a speaker out, so I'd be voiding the warranty putting one in which makes me worry about the Vox, as many Vox owners at Harmony Central claim that service in the US is dismal.
I could pop an extra $100 over the certificate and get the Vox AD100VT head, but then I'd lose portability.
Decisions, decisions....any input would be appreciated.
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Post by sumgai on Jul 12, 2007 13:40:00 GMT -5
ux, Oodles of sounds? Isn't that what the Digitech is for? That would eliminate the Line 6. Clean, with Digitech? At any volume bearable by humans? Sounds like a good plan to me. That would eliminate the Vox and the Line 6 both. The Vox is OK, but my GF has the 30watt version, and as far as I'm concerned, it's a one-trick pony. Turning up or down the final output level (wattage) on a solid-state amp is not what I'd call a valid feature, that'd be like using a buggy whip to make a car go faster.   Nutshell lesson of the day: starting with a clean tone, you can stay clean up to a point, before things get dirty. Starting with a dirty tone, you can't ever make it clean, not at any volume level. Moral of the story: if you want/need clean, you have to start out that way. Presumably, your Digitech is for making dirt (and other sounds), so use it, and keep the volume down at the amp. After all, the Digitech doesn't know what volume level your playing at, eh?  What you're left with at this point is Roland or Fender. Roland makes some good stuff, nice and clean, and they're the pioneers when it comes effects, but they can be pricey, and often they're heavy, for their size. (But they're built to withstand touring.) Of course, Fender doesn't need to be discussed, it's the bellwether against which all other amps are measured. Portability is another story altogether. If you want/need/must have that, then there's only one real amp for you, the Fender Blues Jr. Although I'd spring for a Fender Deluxe Reverb, myownself. HTH sumgai |
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Post by warmstrat on Jul 12, 2007 14:05:05 GMT -5
I've got a thread running on the AD30VT right here, funnily enough, and i'm pondering it OVER the cube for this one reason. The other guitarist (i.e. not me) in our little band effort thingy has a cube 30 (not the 30x, i understand there have been minor changes between the two, but anyway) AND, sorry, roland, but to me it really doesn't sound fantastic. Admittedly, i am a fan of a) rich warm clean tones or b) super super saturated, smooth, gain-at-11 lead sounds... but nevertheless, it just "sounds digital". There's nothing else to describe it. It's great if you're after fizzy nu-metal distortions, but so far, i am afraid, it has failed my test.
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Post by ux4484 on Jul 12, 2007 14:33:38 GMT -5
Thanks sumgai, I don't NEED portability, but it would be nice. While I like my Digitech, I don't drag it out for practice every day, it's nice to have some selections on the amp to play with on the fly (which kind of leaves Vox out as it is fairly high maintenance to tweak for effects, but sweet for amp emulation). The clean channel on the Roland was good, but couldn't touch the Fender head, neither could it's digital reverb contend with the Fender's spring reverb. IMO, the amp emulations on the Roland were much better than my Digitech (especially the Mesa ones). I'm thinking if I put a speaker out jack on the Roland, it would be my best compromise. On the Fender$, I'd love a deluxe, but it's a bit beyond my budget, even the Blues Jr. is about $100 over what I'm willing to spend. Which brings me back to the Fender Head: I realized what it reminds me of, the Wilder Amp I played back in H.S. that my band director owned. and another thing... you made me look up bellwether ;D warmstrat, I've been on the fence over a AD30VT for over a year now, having money in hand now, and reading about some service nightmares for the AD series is causing my lust for one to fade. Since I've already go the 2x12 cab (Jensen Special Design '50's vintage), I think sumgai has pushed me in the direction I was tipping towards... the FM100H Fender head. I'm going to wait a day or two before I order, so PLEASE feel free to chime in....it's not too late. |
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Post by GuitarTechCraig on Jul 13, 2007 8:42:08 GMT -5
It's tough for me to say this.
For the price, you get a lot of stuff with the Vox and the Roland.
Like a whole toy box full of stuff to play with.
If you want a really good basic sound, it's debatable whether either one will make you happy over the long term (new stuff usually makes us happy for a while, cause it's a new toy).
I've played through all this stuff and know people who own similar models. None of these amps has stood the test of time with them. And Line6 Spyders...well, every one I've tried in music stores has had something wrong with them (salesman scratches head...).
My recommendation, based on spending lots of time with lots of gear, would be to save a little extra money and buy a Peavey ValveKing 112. I urge you to try one out and tell me I'm wrong. Light years better tone than modeling amps (which you'll end up just setting to one model anyway).
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Post by ux4484 on Jul 16, 2007 10:08:55 GMT -5
I did make it back to GC and tried the Peavey, very nice, but it's also $130 over my gift certificate/budget. Had a very similar clean sound to my "regular" amp which is a '50's Tube P.A. system (Allied Electronics Knight Kit). I'm not a Peavey 'hater" (as has been discussed here before, back in my band days, my Bass amp was a Peavey), but I have to say the amp did not tickle my fancy, I don't know why (probably the $$$ and my cheapskate ways).
A couple of other amps did garner my interest though. The Pignose G40V (minimalist fun) and the Crate Palomino 15V. The Crate was amazingly similar to Sumgai's nod of the Fender Blues Jr (and more reasonable). At this point the Salesdrones at GC weren't too happy with me as I made it clear I was testing to buy at MF (well....that and my sub-par skills).
I popped back over to the Fender FM100H again last of all... There is just something about it (beyond the low price tag) that has me hooked. The drive/overdrive channels are a bit dirty for me (though they can be tweaked), but the clean channel just knocks my socks off. One other little thing, the second time I went to GC to look at amps, I noticed the salesdrones plugging in and playing into the Fender while I was on the way out. It's like they found a little gem they didn't know they had. I may be putting my order in today.
ux
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Post by warmstrat on Jul 17, 2007 2:57:42 GMT -5
(which kind of leaves Vox out as it is fairly high maintenance to tweak for effects, but sweet for amp emulation). "sweet" as in, it sounds believable... or "sweet" as in, many options? reading about some service nightmares for the AD series is causing my lust for one to fade. Surely if it's decently made you shouldn't need it serviced at all? BTW i live in South Africa so nothing is easy to get serviced anyway - one just assumes it'll be a nightmare and deals with that. |
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Post by ux4484 on Jul 17, 2007 9:41:54 GMT -5
"sweet" as in sounds believable.
If I buy something from locally, I'm less concerned, but when I mail order something from Musicians Friend, I don't really want to be bothered with shipping/waiting for lemon replacements (and then get another one that's bad). I'm not worried about something breaking down the line (after the warranty), I've been fixing my own equipment for decades. It's the "bad out of the box"or going belly up after a week (as many AD30 owners have indicated on Harmony central and elsewhere) that worries me.
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Post by warmstrat on Jul 19, 2007 11:52:46 GMT -5
Hmmm...
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Post by benitosuave on Jul 28, 2007 0:06:35 GMT -5
I have my own Line 6 Spider, and it is fun, but its not pro. Very versatile and PERFECT to practice with, but I wouldnt use it seriously unless I had to.
I haven't played the Vox or the Roland, but based on my stereotypes the Vox would probably sound very nice due to the tubes but I imagine that the Roland would have better onboard FX.
Bottom line, I would just play them a bunch and consider how big of a role convenience plays. The Roland will probably be most convenient.
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Post by warmstrat on Aug 3, 2007 17:27:49 GMT -5
I imagine that the Roland would have better onboard FX. Hmmm. I don't know about quality of FX, but the vox has more options, can set more than one at once, and can do presets... i'm tending to disagree with you there...  |
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Post by ux4484 on Aug 19, 2007 17:32:05 GMT -5
And the WINNER is....none of the above! ....the Fender FM 212R, which is basically the FM100H in a cab with 2x12's. Simple, clean and a lot less clutter in the bedroom. Happily the new one in the box sounds as good as the one in the store, but it sounded even better when I outboarded it to my 50's cab with the Jensens. I think the Jensen's are going in the Fender cab. The reverb was a tad lackluster on the one I brought home, it's a box on the floor of the amp, and it was a bit tight, I rocked the mountings back and forth a bit to free it up, and it came alive quite nicely. Good thing the Mrs wasn't home when I hammered it for the first time, I think I need to re-caulk the windows in our room. And Sumgai, you were right on the effects, the clean channel sounds great with my Digitech. I have deleted the reverb from most of my Digi's custom settings because the Fender's sounds so much better. This lets me keep my tube P.A. matched up with my old 2x12 cab for my bass (I made a Latch-on panel (with toolbox latches) for the old bottom to make it a closed back enclosure). If I could get one of the girls to play drums, I'd be set . |
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Post by warmstrat on Aug 21, 2007 15:44:32 GMT -5
well done for choosing! hope you have many happy days with your new rig...
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blueswaite
Meter Reader 1st Class
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Post by blueswaite on Feb 2, 2008 17:12:42 GMT -5
Have you thought of getting a used Fender ect. That should make you get a good amp within your budget. At GC go to there site click on used inst. and do a search on amps. You can also get the performance guareentee pretty cheap.
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Post by ux4484 on Feb 2, 2008 19:57:54 GMT -5
Have you thought of getting a used Fender ect. That should make you get a good amp within your budget. At GC go to there site click on used inst. and do a search on amps. You can also get the performance guareentee pretty cheap. Well, the decision is long over now blueswaite, I've been using the FM212R for months now, and it suits my needs fine. |
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Post by warmstrat on Feb 12, 2008 11:24:06 GMT -5
The VoxAD30VT has yet to fail me...
I'm now looking for a second guitar to complement the new amp tones...
*facepalm*
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