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Post subject: Fender 25 Watt Frontman 25R Guitar Amp
Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 6:55 pm
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I would like to get your thoughts on this amp, currently I have SP-10 so this certainly would be a nice upgrade. It's for my own personal use (practice amp).

I would also like to know if you can use effects pedals with this amp, it does have a foot switch jack.

My knowledge on amps and effects pedals is limited so you input is appreciated.


Thanks,
Glen


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Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 10:46 pm
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You can use pedals with just about any amp. Plug the guitar into the pedal's input jack. Use another cord and plug it into the out jack, then plug into the amp. The foot switch jack is usually for a foot switch to change from clean to dirty on the amp itselt or operate built in effects on the amp.

If you want to upgrade your amp, what is your price range? Do you want a tube amp or solid state? Are you trying to keep up with a band, or personal practice?

I have a Cube 30X for personal practice. It can get pretty loud, but not enough to keep up with a band. It does sound really good though.

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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 11:52 am
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Hi rkreisher,
Thanks for getting back to me with some info, I want to upgrade from my Fender SP-10 (which came from my Starcaster) for personal practice. And in time add some effects pedals as my playing improves.

My price range I would like to keep it at $100, not a lot but I just purchased my new guitar. I should mention that I have a Behringer Vamp2, it gives me a nice range of sounds for a beginner.

Thanks for your time,
Glen


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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 7:46 pm
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glen5700 wrote:
Hi rkreisher,
Thanks for getting back to me with some info, I want to upgrade from my Fender SP-10 (which came from my Starcaster) for personal practice. And in time add some effects pedals as my playing improves.

My price range I would like to keep it at $100, not a lot but I just purchased my new guitar. I should mention that I have a Behringer Vamp2, it gives me a nice range of sounds for a beginner.

Thanks for your time,
Glen


Look at these. If you have access to a guitar shop, I really recommend playing them as well to see if you really like them.

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/prod ... sku=487030

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/prod ... sku=480669

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/prod ... sku=481055

http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/prod ... sku=620208

I think the Roland is the best of this bunch. Also check to see which ones have the Headphone jack. I know the Roland and the Line 6 does.

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Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 9:46 pm
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Thanks for the links and your input!!

Glen


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Posted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 12:17 pm
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Ok...I'm gonna toss my $.02 worth in here...please don't spend it all at one place!

I won't bother reiterating what rk said in regards to effects pedals...he pretty much hit it on the nose for ya. In regards to amps however, please know this...if you're looking to buy "new" then for $100 you're not really going to get anything that's significantly better than what you already have with the SP-10. Ordinarily I don't have a problem with "inexpensive" gear but the truth is that with the new amps out there today, a $100 amp is a $100 amp is a $100 amp. The Fender Frontman 25R you originally mentioned for example...yea...it's going to be a bit louder but it's not really going to sound any better at all.

So with that I have 2 suggestions for you...either buy something that's a bit more decent -used- or save your bread and wait till you can get something better new. If you're really just learning this stuff, don't worry about the whole tube vs. solid state thing right now...in fact solid state is usually better for beginners in my book because they require less maintenance. Personally I'd be watching Craigslist and the local classifieds and such and see if I could pickup an old Peavey or even something like an older Fender Princeton reverb or something...those can usually be had for under $100 and they're pretty reliable. If you can find a used Roland Cube, those are usually pretty sweet too.

Not too disagree with rk but personally I would avoid the Line 6 "Spiders"...if you look through these forums, you'll see quite a few people griping about them. I would also avoid the newer Peavey's and the Raven's as well...those Raven's just sound awful for anything other than "thrash". If you're already using a V-Amp, then also avoid anything with "built in effects" (such as that Line 6) as all you're really doing is adding cheap digital effects to the cheap digital effects you already have. Although if you can get something with real spring reverb, that's always nice and sounds way better than digital 'verb (at least IMHO).

Anyways, again it's just my $.02 worth here,
Jim


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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 4:48 pm
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Well I think your $ .02 worth is some pretty good advice, I will probably keep what I have and wait till I can invest more into a new amp.

I appreciate the feedback and thanks guys!


Glen


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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 8:02 pm
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I tend to agree that $100 isn't going to get you much better But for $100 bucks you can pick up a Fender G-Dec Jr. It is a great practice tool with some built in effects No they are not the greatest but will give you a taste before you go plunk down money on a pedal that ends up gathering dust. It is a simple amp with a few backing tracks that are good for practice. They don't have the data wheels that have caused problems with most g-dec's. and with a speaker upgrade and a few bucks worth of insulation, it sounds pretty darn good. 8)


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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2010 8:42 pm
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I totally agree that there is not a decent $100 amp that you can buy that would be considered a true upgrade. Save your money for a better amp.

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Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 6:41 pm
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I've had the Frontman 25R Series II for about 3 months now and it sounds great. In my opinion, it's just about the best amp you can get new for $100. I'm sure you could find something used for less (my friend got a 120 watt Crate off of Craigslist for $130). The Micro Cubes are OK, but I would definitely stay away from Ravens, Peaveys, the MG series (Marshall), and the smaller Crates. A $100 amp is $100 amp, but if you look hard enough you can get way more.

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Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2010 2:56 pm
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Personally though I'm with lomitus. I really wouldn't recommend buying a bunch of interim amps, unless you get them second hand, that way if you resell it you won't take too much of a hit on it.

If you're really set on getting another amp though definitely check around on craigslist and what not. I've seen Frontman 25Rs advertised as low as $50 in my area.

By the way I have a Frontman 25R (it was gifted to me by my brother in law who wanted a Roland Cube) and its not bad for what it is. I've got to admit the gain button doesn't sound all that great to me, but it is pretty decent on the clean channels.

Check out youtube as well, just search for amps or pedals you are interested in and there's usually decent demos to give you an idea of what the equipment is capable of. Stick with the ones retailers put up as the sound quality for the recordings is usually a lot better.


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Posted: Fri Mar 26, 2010 9:25 pm
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JLafc3s wrote:
Check out youtube as well, just search for amps or pedals you are interested in and there's usually decent demos to give you an idea of what the equipment is capable of. Stick with the ones retailers put up as the sound quality for the recordings is usually a lot better.


This is just an extra $.02 worth on my part...and definitely my own opinion here, but I would be....errrr...."cautious" about Youtube references on guitar amps. Ok...I'm sure I'm being a bit anal here but many folks (especially those rather new to guitars/amp as the OP seems to be) don't usually have a good set of "reference speakers" hooked up to their computer. Yea...I got a set of Event 20/20's down in the studio because I do my own recording but most folks who listen to Youtube type of stuff tend to do so on average computer speakers and honestly, you're not really going to be able to judge the difference between something like a Frontman 25 and even a vintage Twin or a top shelf boutique amp that way. Also, there's not usually any mention of what kind of equipment was used to record those samples...different mics alone will make an amp sound different as will the environment the amp is in when it's recorded (record an amp in a bedroom with lots of furniture versus a basement with bare cinder block walls...again sounds like two different amps. In other words, depending on how it was recorded and even how that recording was processed afterward, the amp may actually sound nothing like that when you hear it in person.

Youtube may be fine for getting a reference on specific amp features (does it have channel switching or how it works, what kind of effects to expect, etc) but in my opinion, listening to an amp...-any- amp with your own ears in person is really the only way to get any kind of accurate reference. In the case of the new Bugera V22 I got for the holidays, I -never- would have purchased this amp online or from a catalog. It's not that I have anything against Behringer but in my mind I really would have wondered just how good a $350 tube amp would really sound. But then I played one at Guitar Center...ended up bringing it home a week later because the sound really just blew me away.

Seriously...I love Youtube for a lot of stuff...I really love some of the guitar lessons and such up there but I would be very cautious about making any decisions in regards to how any given amp sounds based on a Youtube clip.

Anyways, just wanted to toss that in there for reference.

Jim


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