-
This is my first post here so, hello everybody!
I'm getting back to playing guitar after a long hiatus (about six years). Before the break, I had an ambient/folk solo project for some time, but it was mainly using acoustic instruments and tape loops. After that, I sold all my equipment to fund some other projects. I just bought an archtop guitar (Godin Kingpin with one P90) and I'm practicing with it unplugged to get my fingers dexterity back but I soon will buy an amp and some pedals.
What amp should I get? For now I will be playing only at my apartment, so it must sound good at low volume. I'm also looking for a nice clean headroom. I don't care for high gain, I will eventually use only an overdrive and some pedal effects.
Some guitarists I like and have a big influence on my style: Loren Connors, Bill Orcutt, Sir Richard Bishop, Mary Halvorson, John Fahey, Derek Bailey, Roy Montgomery, Steven R. Smith, Sonny Sharrock, Ed Bickert, Robbie Basho, Ali Farka Touré, Marc Ribot, Noël Akchoté, Grouper (Liz Harris), Omar Khorshid...
My budget is 200 euros, but I can go to 300 if it's really necessary.
-
12-25-2018 01:31 PM
-
Welcome to the Forum!
Search around: plenty of "amp" posts here, including a recent one.
Enjoy!
Marc
-
Welcome!
i have the same guitar and love it. I gig and record with it all the time.
i like lots of those guitarist esp. Grouper!!
i play lots of ambient/ drone type stuff- if i’m Playing live, i’ll Bring my ‘80s orange Roland cube.
playing what you play, I don’t think the amp matters too much- just a clean and good sounding platform.
lots of options.
good luck
-
Thanks for the reply!
Originally Posted by consumerduck
Is there a big sound difference between the 80s Cubes and the new ones?
-
Fender SuperChampXD (used, they're discontinued) or SCX2.
-
Honestly, I don’t have too much experience with the New Roland cubes in relation to my old one. The modern ones i’ve Played sounded good but my old orange one was cheaper!!!
Last time I saw The Cure, Robert Smith was playing through about 4-5 new Cubes! Again, a nice clean clear and loud platform is what they provide- old or new.
-
hey vonnegut!..check out the boss katana 50...50 watts thru a 12" speaker...the big speaker is key to headroom..and can always be replaced down the line...if you need to fine tune more...thomann has the katanas for 199 euros
welcome aboard
cheers
-
I have the Kingpin and it sounds very good through my Katana 100. I find myself rolling off the lowend a bit since it can get a bit boomy in my small square room.
-
The Katana 100 is a great option with the variable power feature, but I second the Fender Super Champ XD. The clean channel is excellent, and channel 2 provides good non-clean tones as well as an acoustic simulator and a Fender Jazz King simulator. It’s plenty loud for gigging, it’s light at 24 pounds, and it sounds great at low volumes.
-
No opinion on the amp but it’s nice to see more people with your musical taste and interests around here. Welcome!
-
Personally, I love how an archtop and P90s sound with an amp based on small Fender tweed amps. The VHT Special 6 should be well within your budget used or maybe even new, and does the 50s tweed thing well. It’s not crystal clean, but thick clean.
-
I have slowly learned my way around my Fender Superchamp X2 head through the Quilter 12" cabinet and I'm enjoying it very much. I like playing with the more blackface tone of Channel 1, but I've also had fun with the Princeton and Twin sims on channel 2. I don't know how much the solid state/digital aspect of the amp affects the signal chain, but I am liking the sound I'm getting.
I also have a Monoprice "Stage Right" 5w tube amp coming next week that is a very straight-ahead 12AX7 preamp tube and 6V6 power amp with an 8" speaker, no frills. Volume and tone, high and low power inputs. I am looking forward to playing with that little beast, and I only paid $85 shipped for it!
Sadly, I have nothing with a P90 in it to test against.
-
Is the 50 enough for home practice or the 100w version worth the price difference? Originally Posted by neatomic
-
I have an Epiphone Casino Coupe with the stock P90s. I play mostly through a Super Champ X2 combo around the house. It's a cool versatile little amp and very quiet. I changed out the speaker to a vintage alnico type, but I wouldn't say that is absolutely necessary though. I am too much of a gear freak to leave well enough alone sometimes. Anyway, the amp has a lot of modeling voices and a channel that bypasses the modeling circuitry. I usually have mine set to the Jazzmaster modeling setting. I have been messing around with recording with the line out and there is one thing to note if you plan to do the same. That being that the speaker doesn't cut out with a cable plugged into the line out. I actually prefer that because I want to play at volume without headphones and record that way. Some people don't like it and have to figure out a way to disconnect the speaker and dummy load the speaker taps because you can't really run the amp without a speaker load.
BTW, the Epi P90s are decent but wound too hot. Your Godins are probably a better fit for a more classic jazz tone. Good luck with your search.
-
I had the 100 watt and thought that the 0.5 watt setting was too loud for home when cranked. Originally Posted by mrkilgoretrout
-
welcome Trout fishing in america
-
Thanks! Just watched some of your videos. Wonderful work! Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
-
Thank you all for the replies.
For now, I'm researching these amps:
- Fender Super Champ X2
- Katana 50
- Yamaha THR10 or THR5
I was looking into the VT+ series from Vox (Loren Connors uses a VT20+) but I've been reading a lot of comments about some annoying hiss sounds.
-
yeah 50 watts is more than plenty for apt playing...as wz.. wrote ^..you'll probably wind up using the built in power cut Originally Posted by mrkilgoretrout
what makes katana 50 leading contender is that it fits your budget..(the fender is way more money)...and it's higher powered 50 watts compared to 15!!...and with a big 12" speaker...which as i wrote ^ - is key for clean big sound with clean headroom..good value for the money..and roland/boss stuff is built to last...some of the newer vox stuff is not as solid
cheers
-
I'm turning into a broken record on this subject ... if you can find an old Polytone MiniBrute II, do give it a listen.
I play mostly P-90 type hollowbodies through my 80s MB II. Actually, one P90 (Epiphone casino), one a Guild "Franz" type P90 ('61 Guild X-50), and one a P13 equipped archtop (50s Silvertone 1427). My Polytone has the concentric mid control, which really helps with the very different tones from these not too similar P-90 guitars. They all sound so fine through the MB II.
100 watts, light, quite cheap if you can find a good one.
-
Anything.
P90's are the best arch top pickups ever made.
-
There is also the VHT special ultra. Hand wired. I have never found one to try out so I can’t add anything more though.
-
Can anyone compare the Fender Champion 40 with the Katana 50? Both have 12" speakers.
-
I have a Special 6. It's not terribly loud, but it has decent headroom for such a small-wattage amp and great, Blackface-style cleans which edge into breakup when the amp is dimed. With the gain-stage engaged, it'll throw down some rough-and-ready dirt. When I play through it, I'll base on the clean sound, and either engage the amp's boost or use a Tube Screamer clone (or sometimes both) for solo boost. Originally Posted by lammie200
These are very impressive amps for the money, but I'd go with the Special 12/20 if I were playing out or with a drummer. A bit more headroom and overall more volume.
Got my Spec6 head with an accompanying 1x12 cab for $240. My ears and wallet agree, it was a great purchase.
-
Around the house I use a VHT ultra 6, an Orange micro terror and a Yamaha THR10. Actually I've always been surprised how good the clean tone on the Orange sounds through a 1x12 cab, the VHT is way more fun but I play through the Yamaha 99% of the time now - it sounds the best of all of them through headphones and I have presets for each of my different guitars. I have tele's with both single coils and Bardens, a semi with HB-sized P-90s and a couple jazzboxes with HBs.
I think its hard to beat the yamaha for a practice solution, you have to dig into the programming app though.
Reply With Quote
Recommandations for Hollowbodies for $600 and under?
Today, 05:20 AM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos