Ok ive got a roland micro cube right now and want to get the best out of my strat, so what can people suggest? im told to get a valve amp and crank it up for true perfection... However that is one persons opinion i want a group of opinions!

So once again i must ask for your knowledge people

I love tube amps...they give back what you put in to them, the way they react, they scream when you push them and purr when you lighten up.

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The mind is like a parachute; it doesn't work unless its open-FZ

As a tube amp owner I'll tell you that the "cranked-amp power tube overdrive" that everyone raves about is actually _slightly_ over-hyped for high gain playing because, for that, the base of the tone comes from the preamp tubes.
Of course, if you can crank your amp up to 7 or 8 to get the power tubes distorting it DOES add a beautiful crunch, but the speakers are adding crunch too, because of the sheer volume.

I have a 20 watt Soldano astroverb and I can actually get to that volume in my bedroom, wearing my 15db reduction musician's earplugs.
I can get there without earplugs, but I'd wish I hadn't!

The reason I don't use anything but a tube amp is for the preamp section mostly. My first amp was a Fender Princeton Chorus solid state that I bought in '97... the clean is that nice Fender sound, but I can't run an overdrive pedal into it to get more sustain and gain because overdrive pedals are designed to slam a tube preamp section, but an SS amp just gets louder, distorted in a terrible sounding SS way and crappier sounding.

The overdrive on this particular amp may be the worst overdrive on any amp ever. I'm pleasantly surprised by the newer SS amps though because you actually CAN get a lead tone with a bunch of gain and sustain without it sounding all fuzzy and gritty, like my 11 year old Fender SS does.

I doubt a SS will ever react like a tube preamp to an overdrive pedal and delay and give you the sweet feedback. But I also avoid SS amps like the plague so I haven't really tried any out recently.

If you want medium to high gain on a budjet check out the little Peavey Valve King series, they have one tube preamp and I think they are pretty good.

If you are going for dead clean sounds without any overdrive even a SS Fender would probably be fine, but tube amps are warmer and less harsh in most cases. There is a reason that there is still a demand for old tube technology in amps!

For example, Stevie Ray Vaughan was running overdrive pedals into Fender tube amps.

The affordable Fender tube amps like the Blues Junior and Hot Rod Deluxe have beautiful clean sounds but Fender overdirve has always sounded over distorted and muddy, while lacking gain- which is basically as bad as it could be.
That's why people who want nice Fender-y clean PLUS a decent amount of gain have bought the Peavey Classic series instead of Fenders.

Fender has finally addressed this issue with the Fender Super Sonic which has tons of great sounding gain and the wonderful Fender clean channel, but costs $1,200. Which is not to say it is overpriced. My Soldano Astroverb now sells for $1,200 and it only has one channel (meaning, no Fender clean sound), while the Fender has two.

How would you describe the sound you're going for?
What's a band you'd like to have the sound of?

I want to sound like John Mayer,
I play Blues and Rock.

John Mayer probably = Fender Tube amps.

But since you say "rock" I'll warn you to be very careful to evaluate the overdrive channel of any Fender you check out because, while I have only tried a few, I know the Hot Rod Deluxe sounds crappy- even though it might work great for blues.

Generally (and historically) speaking, Rock= Marshall.
How the used Marshall market over there in the UK?

What is your budget?

You could also run overdrive pedals into a Fender to make the rock sound.
You might want to search for an amps forum somewhere online and ask there. I would recommend the amps forum at harmonycentral.com, but half the people there are a bunch of idiots who just attack people and post off topic nonsense.
BUT, there are good people there too so maybe you should head over there and ask "what is a good Fender for rock"?

Actually, the answer to that question on that forum would be " Buy a Peavey Classic 30 (or 50)"!

I love tube amps! But I bought a SS Marshall because I didnt want to have to buy effects pedals for all the different stuff I play. I will eventually get a tuber (likely this next winter) but for now I'm really enjoying my solid state.

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

Tube amp, Get a Fender and a Marshall and you can play any music you want.

Budda Superdrive or Vox AC30

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

Champ 600, would be a nice place to start.

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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 bought a little champ 600 reissue for playing in the living room, and not getting evicted.

it sounds great. they might not be real consistent with the tubes they use(made in China,) because a friend got one, and had to change out the tubes, and it still doesn't sound quite as good as mine did out of the box.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

I'm sorry.......

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Chet Feathers

Authorized TonePros Dealer
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I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

Best advice I can give you is to go try the amps in your price range and find the one that sounds good to you and has the tone you are after.

Personally I have a Blues Jr and a Roland Cube 60.

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Chet Feathers

Authorized TonePros Dealer
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F/A Official Southpaw Compliance Certification Tester http://faamps.com/

http://www.facebook.com/cafeathers


I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

I own a Fender Pro Junior, which I bought for ease of transport and pedal-less sound after years of lugging giant solid state monsters around. I'd always thought, having never played a valve amp, that tubes were overrated. Boy was I wrong.

The Pro Junior is a good little amp because it's simple, and because it is easy to move, and most importantly because it sounds wonderful. You can get clean or slightly gritty tones at more than enough volume to play with another guitarist or two (My band, minus a drummer, played a house party last weekend and I didn't use the Pro J's volume past 4). On the other hand, if you turn it way up, it gets nice rock and blues tones that can disintegrate into Neil Young-type madness when you dime it. It's a good amp for the money.

On the other hand, I played a Peavey Bandit 65 for a long time and it was a great amp. They are eminently available, virtually indestructible, and can provide enough tone and volume for any reasonable gig. On the downside, they're heavy and cumbersome. I would certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a solid, inexpensive performer.

Tubes, tubes, tubes, and more tubes.

A good tube amp is all one ever needs.

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