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I am an intermediate player and want to upgrade from my frontman 25r. My budget is less than 500, new or used. I am looking for a warm and fat, jazzy tone to a rock and roll type sound. I don't care if it is a tube or solid but it is home use and for gigs. I am wondering if I should purchase a used Roland cube 60 that is less than 200, a peavey classic 30 that is 350, or an HRD. Even maybe a used Marshall dsl40?
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11-04-2018 10:01 PM
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I like the DV Mark Little Jazz and Jazz 12 amps. You'll need help from pedals to get a rock sound, though.
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Boss Katana 50. About $200 new. 50, 25 or 0.5 watt bedroom mode selectable. 5 amp models including a respectable clean and every pedal Boss makes built in.
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I heard that the Boss Katana does not have a clean sound compared to tube amps?
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All three are a big improvement from the frontman one, are great for what you need, and if bought used you can easily resell them when you feel like it without losing money. I'd go Hot Rod Deluxe first, it can do any type of gig, then Peavey 30, then Roland. If you only have one amp, let it be a tube one.
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Yes! HRD.
Or a Blues Jr. Either way, go with a Fender tube amp.
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I've owned a mint Polytone MB II for awhile now, and remain surprised at how much I like this amp. I have some really good tube amps here, but play the Polytone the most. Going to look at a used MB IV tonight, so I can pass along my MB II to a good buddy who is a also studying jazz.
Not expensive at all, and not hard to find good ones.
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This. I could not be happier with my Little Jazz (if interested, you can search my posts, I’ve written quite a lot about it). It really is an amazing amp at any price that just happens to be very affordable.
Originally Posted by sgosnell
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HRD or the George Benson version if you can add a little to the $.
Another idea is getting a Fender Super Champ X2 head (used $175-230, new $300) and adding a warm high efficiency cab (C rex or Lil Buddy etc Ear Candy sells nice ones).
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Fender Mustang III v. 2.0 or Mustang GT100 firmware 2.0.
Both will do exactly what you ask for well within your budget.
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Another vote for the HRD. I have it's big brother (the DeVille) and with a couple of tube swaps it sounds fantastic, is very versatile, and is a perfect clean pedal platform. Do a search on this forum for some small tweaks that will take the HRD from good to great.
I've also had the Cube and you will never hear me breathe a bad word about it. But once you go tube...
These are all quite common amps, so you should probably just hit your local music shop and try them out.
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It'll cost you next to nothing - early/mid 1980s Peavey Bandit 65
You'll need an overdrive pedal for dirt
but the cleans are really good , plus it's extremely loud. Has a great spring reverb too.
Old school made in USA stuff, back when things were built to last.
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I heard that the HRD is just TOO LOUD and it will be hard to practice at home
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oh and I dont want to do mods and all that stuff. I just want a solid amp right out of the box
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You asked advice here, got it from actual owners and players, but heard something.....from somewhere....
No better used buy in a used tube amp than an HRD for under $500.
Originally Posted by Ryo17
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The HRD is pretty loud. Had one, sold it right away.
I used a Roland Cube 60 for quite a while until I got other strictly jazz oriented amps. I never really cared about the rock sounds, but I know you can dial them in. I got a solid jazz tone from the both the JC and blackface settings. Really well built amp, but the weakness is the plastic input jack. Just don't trip over your cord while it's plugged in like I did. That being said, the jack loosened up, but the amp still worked.
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I think I will go with the Katana 100. I think it has a good clean.
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The Katana 100 is a very good choice, but you will be messing with knobs and controls a bit more than it seems you want to, but still an excellent amp. The built in attenuator is a great feature. The Boss Katana replaced the Roland Cube (same company). I had a Cube 80GX, and it was/is a fantastic amp as well, and they are extremely durable and reliable, and very simple and intuitive to operate. I personally like the jazz tones on the Roland Cube better, but the Katana has nice cleans as well. Another option not previously mentioned is a Fender Pro Jr. 15 tube watts, and in the Hot Rod family of amps. It only has a volume and tone knob, but is super warm, and at louder volumes will break up nicely (roughly 5 and above if I remember correctly). Great for any genre you choose, takes pedals well, is super portable, and can be used at home to practice without waking up people sleeping in the next room (assuming the doors are shut).
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I have a Peavey Bandit (redstripe) that I used for a long time with an archtop in a big band. Has very nice cleans, and they can be had used for not very much money. They're heavy, though.
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Cube 60. Does everthing well.
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DV Mark Litte Jazz .Fills a well packed bar and fights drummers all at 1/3 volume through Gibsons ,Teles and anthing else and soft enough for the Mrs not to complain while watching TV downstairs .Takes pedals like a dream .light and gig friendly
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Of your 3 choices, I like the Roland Cube series and the Peavey Classic 30.
I owned a HRD and never liked it -- bigger and heavier than I like and I never did manage to dial in a sound I wanted.
But I'm older and a quiet player and I'm super happy with my little Fender Pro Junior.
You're playin' jazz, you're playin' rock, are you also going to be practicing quiet at home?
How loud is the rock? Roland cube won't cut it if the other guitar in the band is playing thru a marshall 1/2 stack.
I love tube amps, but the loud one isn't often a good for practice at home. (Though ironically, I play at home through a 130 watt Musicman HD 130 210 that sounds great at quiet practice volume and I'm sure it gets louder than I'll ever want to find out)
One amp that is popular among the semi-pro players around here is the Fender Deluxe Reverb.
Big enough to be loud but not insanely big. Great Fender tone -- more refined than the HRD I think.
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Good amps are for performance. For playing at home, you can be fine with a minimal amp.
If you are intermediate, you should be playing out at jams and open mics. This is a perfect opportunity to play through the host's amp and the amps of others there. You can't evaluate an amp by reading about it, talking about it, listening to it on a video, or even playing it in a shop; its qualities are revealed on stage playing with others.
In the long run your tastes and needs will develop and change; your "next" amp is unlikely to be your "last" amp.
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OK, I read that as Clean and Crunch.
Roland Blues Cube Stage or better yet, BC Artist. You can find them used for under $500. I would also recommend the Boss 80GX or the one before it.
Katana 100 has its fans but there is something about it I don't like. It could use a better speaker, I suppose. That adds another $100 to $150 or so.
The Ibanez TSA30 is a nice 30W 6L6 tube amp with a built Tube Screamer. Something to consider at your price point. The Fender Mustang 3 V2 is a good buy used for under $200. Put in a nice Eminence Wheelhouse Neo or Hempdog Ceramic, both hemp cones, and you are set. The Fender GT100 has new firmware that apparently cures its ills. Fender Champ 40 is another amp to check out.
These are all worth looking at for $500 and below. The weakest link is the speaker driver installed in these amps. Most of them could use a better driver when you can.
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Hey jabs, the Boss 80GX you refer to is actually a Roland Cube 80GX.
Great amp! Boss/Roland...same company, just a minor clarification. Just keeping you in line! 
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