hmmm. my first amp was a 15 watt fender something and it lasted for like three months and then i had a 30 watt champion that pooped out in like one month. they just both died due to input jack related things, and a twelve year old is probably pretty rough on stuff so a weak jack would be bad. it could just be a coincidence, but i have had like three other people that said the same type of thing to their fender amps.

they all had smaller fender amps as well. bigger fender amps might be built better, but i don't know. maybe they just build beginner amps poorly because they know the player is going to buy a bigger one eventually anyway.

like i said it might be just a coincidence, but i dont think so. i just dont think its worth the risk

o crap sorry about the doublepost haha

rolland microcubes are nice also if you want a really small amp. they have a pretty full sound and cool effects and stuff

I was trying out my '66 BF Pro before I bought it,playing a '70s Strat they had a tag of about $3,000 on,and the cords they gave me to try wouldn't work...I went through 3 before I got a good one,and they were taking them new off the wall.

Peavey might be wise. I have had my Back Stage since I was 12 and I will be 39 this year. The reverb wire did short, and I blew the speaker years ago and never really realized it. I just thought it had a real bad clean channel. With the gain turned all the way up most of the time, it just sounded ok. Even now with a new Celestion speaker and fixed reverb wire with larger reverb tank, plugging straight in is just ok, but way better than what I grew up with. But when I make it super clean and run my multi channel/voice tube preamps, I get many great tones and good dynamics.

A decent solid state power section will faithfully reproduce the tone, dynamics and even order hamonics of a quality tube preamp. It just will not add any of it's own. For practice/bedroom/apartment levels, I can cascade the too preamp tubes. By lowering the gain in the first section and upping it in the second, you can remove most of the preamp buzz and get real natural sounding tube distortion. You are essentially using two stages of gain into one circuit and cascading another similar circuit with two stages of gain. Basically very close to the same thing you would do with a tube amp by cranking it, just on a smaller level. The 12ax7 is two tubes in one. All the solid state power section needs to do is recreate what is happening in the preamp.

Unfortunately, this only sounds great at practice levels, and aggresive eq. When I play loud, I lower overall gain in my preamps, flatten eq response more and turn up the power section and let it do its magic. But since I can't do this often with a stereo 50/50 6l6 power section and a Marshall Vintage 1960A, I have to find a satisfying tone at low levels. Actually I have only cranked my 50/50 through the Marshall a few times for a few minutes, and my ears were not hearing clearly for a few hours after. It has a warning about hearing loss on it. Its a bit much for me, but I like its tone so much.

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Guitars:
1. mid 70's Ventura MIJ Gibson l6-s clone (Pre-lawsuit) in Black with Rosewood FB and EMG 81 BR/ 85 Neck
2. ESP KH2 Neck Thru
3. 2008 Am Std Strat in 3 tone sunburst

I like Fender amps myself but, just throwing another idea out there, and not sure of pricing in the US etc. but for a small solid state that is pretty tough, light enough for a kid and sounds decent what about a Tech21 Trademark 30?

http://www.tech21nyc.com/products/amps/guitar/trademark30.html

We ended up choosing a Peavey Vypr 15. It is a modeling amp, but it uses analog distortions and TransTube technology for its modeling, and the digital is dedicated to the effects.

I was shocked when we plugged into it. I really thought it sounded better than either the Super or Vibro Champ. It was only half the price of the Vibro Champ to boot. My boy is one happy camper and has been practicing almost constantly since getting the amp.

I am a tube guy all the way, but the analog distortions on the Peavey just sounded better and more realistic than the digital voices on the Champs to my ears. The only thing the champs may have had, was a more dynamic clean. But the cleans on the Peavey are not bad on the Twin Model. Overall the Peavey has more features and flexibility along with better sound. I have even been enjoying playing with the thing. It has some killer sounds for such a small amp. I had no idea you could get this sound quality out of a $95 amp. I wish I would have had something like this available when I was a kid.

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Guitars:
1. mid 70's Ventura MIJ Gibson l6-s clone (Pre-lawsuit) in Black with Rosewood FB and EMG 81 BR/ 85 Neck
2. ESP KH2 Neck Thru
3. 2008 Am Std Strat in 3 tone sunburst

I have a vyper 30,I like it alot especially for under 200.00. It can get pretty loud.

congrats now you just gotta let him play the sh** out of it! untill we have another famous musician on our hands

+1 on a blues junior or pro junior.

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www.GuitarLingerie.com

Fender amplifiers are there among the top
but the best must be a made in UK Marshall

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http://www.youtube.com/user/eddytanhh

I recently went through a similar situation with my 12 year old Granddaughter. If the amp was for you, then yeah...a nice low wattage tube amp, but kids today need some glitz, effects and lots of knobs to help fuel their interest. If your boy stays with it believe me whatever amp you buy him now won't be his last. But for his first you might not want to invest too much...just in case. BTW you'll appreciate a headphone jack which don't usually come in tube amps. I bought her a Peavey Vypyr 15 Combo which for a measly 100 bucks comes with alot of "Bells & Whistles" including a pretty cool light show whenever it's first powered up. She's had it now for a few months...so far so good!
http://www.zzounds.com/item--PEVVYPYR15

P.S. If your dead set on a tube amp that he can grow into then here's a very highly regarded Marshall tube amp that has a headphone jack...
and BTW don't be fooled into thinking a 5 watt tube amp won't crank out the decibles. When "dimed" (volume knob at 10) you'll soon have the neighbors knocking on your door. lol
http://www.zzounds.com/item--MSHCLASS5
http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showth ... p?t=712672

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An object at rest tends to stay at rest...
and an object in motion tends to stay in motion

I have owned a blues jr. for 5 yeARS...PLAYED IT ALOT! Its a great practice amp...good band rehearsal tool...and In a larger setting, miced it...its never even blinked...15 watts, all the chickenheads, all the way,except the reverb...control volume with guitar...clean to screamin' blues...cant be beat...and after 47 years of playin', the best amp.

I've had my superchamp XD for two years now. All stock and running strong. You have to remember, floor models are abused to no end. People leaving them on overnight, unplugging guitars while still cranked, etc.... If you are buying your kid an amp, you might want to consider one with headphone jacks. At 12, I wouldn't think he's ready to tour, so a new G-DEC III might be the ticket since it offers so much in learning and practice.... Just my thoughts....

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"Epitaph on a blues musician’s tombstone: “I didn’t wake up this morning”" Davy Knowles


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I purchased a new Les Paul Sudio in Satin Ebony last year. Real bare knuckle guitar. Took it back after a few weeks and bought a Lonestar Strat. They put the tags back on it and sold it as new. I beat on it (not really) for that whole time and they sold it new!

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"Epitaph on a blues musician’s tombstone: “I didn’t wake up this morning”" Davy Knowles


facebook.com/313DBC