How does one "really" test an amp when looking to purchase

21Fretter

I've been wanting to look into getting a new amp for a while now and I've gone to give some of the Cape Town stores a look (Marshall Music in town and Music Mate). My main focus has been on tube amps and from what I've read, the consensus seems to be to get the full "feel" and potential of a tube amp, you have to crank it. The issue it seems is that none of the shops I've gone to allow you really do much volume wise, i guess it does make sense considering there are other shops nearby and there are other customers in the shop. How does one know what they are getting in this case, do you simply watch a few youtube videos, read up and hope what people are describing is what you are going to get? Are there any shops that do allow to really give an amp a work over? If I remember correctly, Paul Bothner's in Claremont have a closed off room of sorts but I'm still not sure if they really let you crank it. I do intend to perform live, I imagine knowing what the amp sounds like cranked is pretty important :\

AlanRatcliffe

The only true test is at a gig.

Most (if not all) the pro stores will allow you to bring an item back for exchange if you find it doesn't work for you in a playing situation (and it's obviously still in mint condition) - especially if you are a regular (once again, it boils down to building a relationship with your store). If you want to be sure, speak to the salesperson before you lay your money down. You should also check what the return policy is - cash or exchange and any conditions that apply.

21Fretter

At least the stores are willing to work with us on the issue, I wonder if this is something musicians world wide have to deal with.

I thought instead of creating another topic I could pop it into this one as well. I'm also looking for some advice as to which amps I could give a look. I currently play in a gigging cover band covering bands such as Green Day, Blink 182, Sum 41 (a lot of pop-punk). A lot of it is fairly high gain and from a bit of research it seems a lot of the bands use JCM 800's, 900's, Dual Rec's etc. Unfortunately those are a fair amount out of my price range. I'm looking for something R8k'ish with some solid gain on tap, 2 channel (clean + distortion, I don't use clean THAT much but if it possible to find something in that price range with 2 channels it would be pretty coolio). The venues I have gigged at vary in regards to mic'ing of amps so it would probably be safe for there to be enough power wise to be hearable unmic'ed in a gigging situation. I thought it was best to ask you guys because we don't have all the amps that an international forum might suggest available to us, thought it would be best to see what is available locally first.

P.S. I'm currently playing a RGA32-MOL through a Cube 30. Active PU's on the RGA, not the greatest but gets the job done for now but the Cube doesn't cut it. You really hear the digital'ness of the amp when I play it at gigging volumes. I played a Cube 60 the other day and I actually liked the tone and it was cleaned up a lot more at my usual playing volume. I guess I could simply go with a bigger Cube but at this point I feel like I "deserve" a tube amp ?

singemonkey

Yes it's worth getting a tube amp to really get the sound you're after. They make a very big difference - especially from the player's perspective. Just bear in mind the different situation that those big stadium bands that you're covering are in. They have enough space on stage - typically outdoors - to make even extremely powerful amps useable (not too loud for the house, far enough from the players not to cause permanent hearing damage). This is not going to be the case for you.

The perfect blend of power to be heard without miking and ability to push the amp a little in a small venue is a 30W amp (bear in mind that tube amps are a lot louder at a given power rating than transistor amps). Bigger and you'll never crank it. Smaller and you might be caught short in those outdoor situations (although I've never played a venue like that that wouldn't mic up amps, and 18W is my preference).

My recommendation for a modern 2 channel amp in your price range and at that power would be the Laney LC30. These Laney LCs are good amps, and with a speaker upgrade could be truly special. My mate had the LC50 which was a good amp but (surprise surprise) way too loud to push beyond about 3 on stage. He replaced it with an LC15R which also sounds great but is much more useful for the venues he's been playing. I think the 30Watts would perhaps split the difference nicely in your case.

VellaJ

21Fretter wrote: I'm also looking for some advice as to which amps I could give a look. I currently play in a gigging cover band covering bands such as Green Day, Blink 182, Sum 41 (a lot of pop-punk). A lot of it is fairly high gain and from a bit of research it seems a lot of the bands use JCM 800's, 900's, Dual Rec's etc. Unfortunately those are a fair amount out of my price range. I'm looking for something R8k'ish with some solid gain on tap, 2 channel (clean + distortion, I don't use clean THAT much but if it possible to find something in that price range with 2 channels it would be pretty coolio). The venues I have gigged at vary in regards to mic'ing of amps so it would probably be safe for there to be enough power wise to be hearable unmic'ed in a gigging situation.

I have been so impressed with my Peavey ValveKing 112. It's 50W RMS all-tube amp going through a single 12-inch speaker, so yeah it can be freaking loud. As singe points out, being over 30W I don't often crank it, but even at half-way volume, this thing kills... Check it out on YouTube, there are a couple of reviews. It's also got the "gain boost" option if you want to seriously shred.

A nice touch is the switch at the back which changes the sound from the vintage A-class to the modern A/B-class sound, and everywhere in between...

I picked mine up, second hand but in mint condition, for R4,500. I've seen one advertised fairly recently on the forum, maybe check out if it's still out there?

And my RGA32 through this amp sounds absolutely wicked 8)

ezietsman

+1 on not getting something above 30Watts. Also, make sure you don't fall in the trap of getting an amp that sounds nice on its own, but doesn't have enough presence(brightness) for playing with a noisy band. Those warm sounding things without mids can easily get lost in a mix. I've never had an issue with cranking amps in shops. I usually ask and they say yeah go ahead. (You may feel a bit self-conscious, but what the hell, its not like getting on a stage).

Besides that, I usually take along my own guitar and amp, then play the one amp and then the other. Also get the salesman/someone else to play the guitar through the amp while you twiddle the knobs, that way your attention is on the amp and not on playing nor on what the other people in the shop is thinking of YOU.

21Fretter

ez wrote:
. Also get the salesman/someone else to play the guitar through the amp while you twiddle the knobs, that way your attention is on the amp and not on playing nor on what the other people in the shop is thinking of YOU.

I really like that idea, makes a lot of sense.

@Vella. Thanks for the tip, I'll give it a look. I've read that some models of the Valveking need a bit of modding to reach their full potential but the mods are apparently a lot simpler than other amps, have you ever done any mods?

VellaJ

No mods, completely stock. Only thing I can find is wrong with the amp is that if you play it without the "Bright" button selected, it can be a bit muddy. But I keep that on, and it's perfect for any style I throw at it. (I haven't tried jazz, but I don't see why not...)