Advice please! :D Small Valve Practice Amp - Vox ? Fender ? Laney ?

mtmattan

Hey guys,

I'm looking to spend 2-3k for a little valve practice amp.
So far it seems the contenders are:

Vox Ac4tv:

http://www.amazon.com/Vox-AC4TV-All-tube-remarkable-self-control/dp/B001V5FYAE/ref=pd_cp_MI_4

Fender Champion 600:

http://www.amazon.com/Fender-Champion-Electric-Guitar-Amplifier/dp/B0030LIRDS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316011147&sr=8-1

Laney Cub8

I had a chance to test out the Fender and Laney in the shop today and fell in love with the Fender's tone.
The amp's go for around 2-2.5k.

I would especially appreciate any input as to choosing the Vox or Fender, or even whether the Laney is still worth considering?

I'm not into heavy distortion and the natural bluesy overdrives of these valve amps are a new requirement in my life. ?

Kind regards,
Matt.

VellaJ

If you fell in love with the Fender's sound... Why are you asking us? ?

Both Fender and Vox are respected amps. I don't see many Laneys around, which surprises me. I'm not familiar with their valve amps, but I have the LX35R transistor amp, and it's such a rugged little beast... Loud too...

If they're still available, TI Distribution had a Fender Super Champ XD up for R3,500, and a Marshall valvestate for R1,700: http://www.guitarforum.co.za/classifieds/demo-gear-for-sale/ . That's if you're willing to go the extra R500 for the Fender ?

Let us know what you decide to get at the end of the day ?

IceCreamMan

both guitar world and tuerk music had an AC4 for like 1300 which is an awesome deal. not sure if they still have em but at that price grab em

mtmattan

Wow, thanks for the tip! For R1300, it'd be an absolute bargain!

I'll give Andy McGibbon's a call tomorrow.
In regards to Tuerk Music, one can't buy directly from them?

Thanks so much! ?

mtmattan

Omw was reading up on the Super Champ - it's awesome!

What do they go for new?
R3500 is a good price?

VellaJ

mtmattan wrote: Omw was reading up on the Super Champ - it's awesome!

What do they go for new?
R3500 is a good price?

If I'm not mistaken, retail is around R6,500

TI-Distribution

I have sent you a mail about the Fender SuperChamp XD we are selling!

Welcome to come try it out if you in JHB.

IceCreamMan

mtmattan wrote: Wow, thanks for the tip! For R1300, it'd be an absolute bargain!

I'll give Andy McGibbon's a call tomorrow.
In regards to Tuerk Music, one can't buy directly from them?

Thanks so much! ?

Sorry , meant Turnkey music and u can buy from em , i know they share premises ...
Not sure if either store still has em though

Jack-Flash-Jr

The Super Champ is not only a good practice amp but it's lifts enough weight to gig with... would seriously recommend...

mtmattan

That Super Champ is very tempting!
It still has that good ol' tube sound?

It's just the onboard effects that put me off a bit,
Got a pedalboard to do that for me ?

VellaJ

You don't need to use the onboard effects if you don't want to ? And yes, good ol' tube sound indeed ?

Jack-Flash-Jr

VellaJ wrote: You don't need to use the onboard effects if you don't want to ? And yes, good ol' tube sound indeed ?

+1 the clean channel is all-tubey goodness, the second one is fun to mess around with (leslie!) but not practical.

domhatch

i have the ac4 (head and cab) and can heartily recommend it. best part - you can switch down all the way to 1/4 watt output, so you get either 4, 1, or 1/4 w - your choice - and you still retain that nice, thick, warm tube sound. fiddle with the output and volume, and voice is virtually unlimited. i'd definitely recommend you keep it in the mix.

good luck
dh