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Guitar practice amps, about £100. Opinions and views. Ta


Marvin
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When I was looking I asked in my local shop- they recomended the Fender Mustang 1 as the best option - I can see why.
I thought about it and picked up a line6 wee thing from gumtree and would spend my cash on something with valves if I ever learn to play enough to warrant it

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Peavey Vypyr 15 is what I'm inevitably going to go for when I get back into guitar. The Line 6 spider combos are really great too though. Both the guitarists in my band use one on gigs and they perform brilliantly and easily give my Markbass rig a run for its money!

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I'd spend the extra fifty quid and get a Peavey Envoy. Just my opinion, but tiny practice amps generally sound pretty rough on the distortion channel unless they're the modelling type, at which point you seem to be paying a fair bit for something that won't take you much past your bedroom. I'd always favour a 'proper' amp that will play quietly at home but also cover rehearsals, jam sessions, gigs etc.

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I'd go for a secondhand Laney LC15 or LC15R (the same but with reverb). Fantastic little valve combo.
There's a nice one on Ebay at the moment for £129.00:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Laney-LC15R-Valve-Tube-Combo-Great-Christmas-Present-Marshall-Fender-FREE-P-P-UK-/251197758980?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item3a7c8d9e04

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By all accounts the small Mustangs are very good, though I've never tried one myself. I'd recommend a Vox Pathfinder 15 if you can find one. All analogue, great tone and capable of a reasonable volume for when you move up a little. And they look much better than the majority of small amps.

I found a faulty one and gutted it, building a single ended valve amp (6V6 to 6550 for 6W to 22W) and fitting a 10" speaker with a few tweaks to the cab. Voxy Baby was my main amp for several years.

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I quite like the looks of the Fender Mustang. It'll only be for home practice, I've no intention of joining a band as a guitarist. I just want to be able to learn and noodle at home, and maybe come up with ideas for the bands I'm in (once I've learnt to play :) ).

Thank you everyone.

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[quote name='Ancient Mariner' timestamp='1355163694' post='1894889']
By all accounts the small Mustangs are very good, though I've never tried one myself. I'd recommend a Vox Pathfinder 15 if you can find one. All analogue, great tone and capable of a reasonable volume for when you move up a little. And they look much better than the majority of small amps.

I found a faulty one and gutted it, building a single ended valve amp (6V6 to 6550 for 6W to 22W) and fitting a 10" speaker with a few tweaks to the cab. Voxy Baby was my main amp for several years.
[/quote]

Heard nothing but good things about the Pathfinder although I've never tried one myself. Try a Harley Benton GA5 if you're handy with a soldering iron, it's the same amp as the Epiphone Valve Junior (but cheaper) so can be modded pretty heavily. Minus points are that it needs a little modding initially due to issues with hum and noise.

Edited by GarethFlatlands
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I use and highly rate the Fender Champ 600 reissue. Secondhand about 70-80 quid. Speaker is only 6" but the tone does [u][i]not[/i][/u] suffer, mic'd up you'd never know the difference. I've done entire gigs with this amp, telecaster, and a delay pedal, everything from rock to ambience playing.

HOWEVER! if you don't like the Fender sound you're a bit stuck! There is also Blackstar HT1R and the like, but they lack the simple 1 knob charm of the Champ.

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[quote name='Ancient Mariner' timestamp='1355696713' post='1901596']
TBH the Epi VJ & similar aren't really practice amps, and if you crank one loud enough for overdrive it will be too loud for most households.
[/quote]

Fair point, I've never tried mine at home but those 5 watts are loud on a normal 2 by 12 cab. Depends on your cab and speaker choice but it's probably too much for home use.

(Edit - mine was modded for high gain before I bought it so I couldn't really comment on volume anyway.)

Edited by GarethFlatlands
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[quote name='Ancient Mariner' timestamp='1355696713' post='1901596']
TBH the Epi VJ & similar aren't really practice amps, and if you crank one loud enough for overdrive it will be too loud for most households.
[/quote]

I sold a WEM Power Musette a while ago, for exactly that reason. Lovely sound, but to get any amount of break-up it had to be driven far too loud for home practice.

Replaced it with a Peavey Valve King Royal 8. It's not up there with the WEM tone-wise, but it does sound remarkably good for what it is (and what I paid for it) and as a home practice amp it's much more usable.

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[quote name='Ancient Mariner' timestamp='1355696713' post='1901596']
TBH the Epi VJ & similar aren't really practice amps, and if you crank one loud enough for overdrive it will be too loud for most households.
[/quote]

Yep, definitely - admittedly I was running mine through a 4x12, but it was IMPOSSIBLE to get any drive out of it without rattling windows.

However, by all accounts the Blackstar HT1 is a bit special; going to be looking at one of those myself when I can afford to.

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  • 4 weeks later...

In the end I bought Fender Mustang I. I was in a music shop, they had one I bought it.

I can see why they are recommended as a home practice amp. It's an impressive little bit of kit and quite loud. As I don't intend to take my guitar playing any further than the living room it's perfect.

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In my experience of guitarists and their gear, I'm quite sure the Mustang 1 would be more than loud enough if you ever [i]did [/i]decide to venture beyond the living room. Our guitarist uses a Marshal 40W valve combo at half-power and it's stupid loud. :)

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Glad you like it.

discreet - it's very hard to compare wattage against perceived volume between valve and solid state amps (and SS amps also usually have cheaper, less efficient speakers too). That 40 Marshall would probably comfortably keep up with a Line 6 HD150, and my 18watt clone is much louder than my Tech 21 Trademark 60 (a quality SS amp). But if the amp is mic'ed then sure it would be fine.

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