I need help and opinions on picking an amp. I have had the good fortune to play on a few different tube amps here lately and really like the sound of them. The price on the other hand....Not so much. So I've been considering a hybrid amp. I have a budget of $200-$300. I play most often thru headphones or at very low volume and often have more than one guitar playing thru the same amp (via a cable splitter). Any suggestions on amps along those lines? I've been considering a VOX VT30

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"I started out with nothing, and still have most of it"

I picked up a Super Champ XD recently for under 300 and its a great amp, Its my play at home amp and at 15W its more than load enough and sounds great. It would be hard to find a better amp for the money.

The Vox is a nice choice, or with 200-300, you might want to check out an Epiphone Valve Jr. combo or stack. I believe you can get the stack for about $250, and although it's only a 5w tube amp, I've heard it can get quite loud. It's very basic for contols, one volume. People seem to love them, and I understand that they're easy to mod. I've been looking into getting one.

I currently use a Line 6 Spyder III 120, and it's great. It's a bit limited here and there, but does exactly what I need it to do. Funny enough it says "for best results use a humbucker-equiped guitar" but my strat sounds incredible on it.

You're best bet, go to GC, etc, find an axe like yours and try out what you can.
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epiphone-Valve-Jr-HalfStack?sku=481475

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-Classic 50's Strat.
-Std. Telecaster.
-Mike Dirnt P-bass.
-Custody of SE Strat.
-Peavey Predator/Dean Evo/Epiphone DR150/Gibson Slide (much older than me).

Rellik Productions Inc.

I assume this is the 15W version? I'm considering it also, although I would rather have the 30w version which is slightly over my budget range.

I just sold a Line 6 15w spiderIII, and must say I abhored that amp. everything sounded phony thru it, and the effects are pretty bad.

I've taken my main guitar with me to several shops to play it thru their amps. This is how I narrowed my choices to the VOX and vibro champ.

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"I started out with nothing, and still have most of it"

I've heard that about the smaller ones, that's why I got the 210 stereo.

The Vox is a good choice though.

If you're lucky, you may be able to find a used Fender Roc Pro pretty cheap.

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-Classic 50's Strat.
-Std. Telecaster.
-Mike Dirnt P-bass.
-Custody of SE Strat.
-Peavey Predator/Dean Evo/Epiphone DR150/Gibson Slide (much older than me).

Rellik Productions Inc.

Scanning ebay at this very moment.

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"I started out with nothing, and still have most of it"

Nice! It'd be sweet to get a hybrid 100w 112 for the price of a practice amp.

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-Classic 50's Strat.
-Std. Telecaster.
-Mike Dirnt P-bass.
-Custody of SE Strat.
-Peavey Predator/Dean Evo/Epiphone DR150/Gibson Slide (much older than me).

Rellik Productions Inc.

Like this? http://cgi.ebay.com/Fender-Roc-Pro-1000 ... 7C294%3A50 $108 for shipping tho

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"I started out with nothing, and still have most of it"

Yea, that's a bit much. Craigslist?

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-Classic 50's Strat.
-Std. Telecaster.
-Mike Dirnt P-bass.
-Custody of SE Strat.
-Peavey Predator/Dean Evo/Epiphone DR150/Gibson Slide (much older than me).

Rellik Productions Inc.

A hybrid can mean either of 2 things. Tube pre/SS output, or SS pre/tube output. The former is no more a tube amp than any SS amp. You need a tube output section at the very least if you want a tube amp. The other will be a SS amp for all intents and purposes. Look at it from this point of view...when is the last time you saw a pro like say Eric Johnson using a amp with a SS output section? Now ask yourself how many of them will use a SS pedal as thier source of distortion but into a map with a tube output section. Theres a reason you only see that one scenario with world class players. the output section is where all the tube magic happens, trust me on that. You may not realize it right away, but you eventually wiil. If you can somehow swing it, look for a used blues deville reissue. I'm in a place where i can play dozens of fender tube amps from the lower end stuff to vibro kings and all those high end ones. The Blues deville reissue is easily the best i have played. Seriously and surprisingly good. The original was the predecessor to the hot rod series, but this sounds world better than those. They're around $700 new, but you may be able to find a used one for say $400. more than you wanna spend, but if you can swing it you'll have a killer amp. And by the way, reissue or not, from what i can tell they sound much better than the original ones which i have also tried. been a while so i could be wrong, but it seemed much sweeter.

Yes, there is that going around concerning the lower watt Spider IIIs ... that they don't sound as good as their higher wattage brethren. I have never played with the lower watt amps, so I don't know either way. For me, though, my Spider III head also drives a non-L6 cab with EVM 12L speakers. The EVMs work well with the Spider head, sounding more smooth and rounded compared to the L6 cab w/ normal Celestions. The Spider III stuff works pretty well, being able to dial in some real sweet spots with a serious amount of flexibility. Anyway ... I was just chiming in on the earlier Spider III comments. Good luck with your amp quest.

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

The vibrochamp is a crackin amp but only 5 watts. The superchamp is 15 watts and seems to have more control with its switching options. You are kind of limited in the middle frequencies on both types. I find myself turning the gain to 1 or 2 and picking the middle level by amp tone then trying to adjust treble and bass to suit. The vibrochamp needs a better speaker, if the superchamp has the same speaker as the blues jr that needs replacing too.

Amp picking is something i spend stupid amounts of time deliberating over. It took me 2 years to decide between a marshall jcm900 or 800, i spent my time trying various ones out whilst i was using a valvestate at home. I've never looked back since i made my decision. I advise you do the same, pick carefully mate. Infact if your in a rush i'd buy a small amp like a champ600 to use whilst you make your mind up, unless you have a amp your half happy with. You'll find it less expensive than buying a big amp discovering you dont like it 6months later and then losing a load of money trading it in.

This is a good read i advise anyone to heed this advice
http://www.guitarnuts.com/amps/myths.php

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No no and no

I was not attempting to imply that line 6 amps as a whole are not good amps. I was just speaking in terms of the 15w That i have experience with.

Niki,

I'm trying my very best not to get into a rush, but will be totally ampless as of this afternoon. This isnt a huge deal as I practice without the amp most of the time (via a VOX headphone adapter). So going a week or two without isnt the end of the world. And obviously I want the most amp for my $.

Tube amps sound great, but the investment is rather high for a recreational player (I must admit, this still hasnt stopped me from looking for used blues jr's). I was hoping that a hybrid would be a good compromise, and it is to some extent. The Vox VT30 sounds good and the effects are much better than my old line 6. But, where as it is an improvement from the solid state amps I have experience with, it by no means sounds like a tube amp (at least not when I'm playing thru it.) It seems as though the more I research the subject and try different amps, the more confused I become.

Amp shopping is aggrevating business indeed!

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"I started out with nothing, and still have most of it"

Oczad: Let me be clear on this, I agree with you on everything you said. But there is an issue of money for "us", that the "world class players" don't have to deal with. Guys like Eric Johnson don't pay for any of their gear. They get it all free, paid with only a "thanks to ..." on the album liner notes, an interview blurb, or a formal endorsement deal. But for those of us who have to actually pay for our gear with our day job, solid-state becomes a very viable option. SS amps has come a LONNNNNNG way since the '80s, and you can get some real nice tones out of it along with some amazing flexibility ... at more affordable prices.

Eddie Van Halen: "It is such an irony. Now that I can afford to go buy anything I want, I have everyone giving me gear for free. Where were all these guys when I was broke and really could have used it?"

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Laughing out loud with fear and hope, I have a desperate plan ...

I've considered this option (I have a connection that can get crate amps at dealer cost) I have to say tho, I've never been a huge fan of crate amps. Do I have any sound reason for this judgement? Not at all! I played on a crate half stack last week and it sounded great. Still dont like em tho. So where as I have yet to eliminate crate as an option, it is nowhere near the top of the list either. Blackhearts on the other hand rate a little higher on the list (yes I know they are crate amps) but cost prevents me from seriously considering them.

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"I started out with nothing, and still have most of it"