Amp opinions...

GBX

Hey guys, wondering what your thoughts are on this: Im in 2 minds about what to get ... Been looking at a new amp and am torn between the Thomann GA15 or a Vox AD15 ... I wanna move onto "tube" but am not sure which to get. I know the vox comes with effects, which is cool. But the "amp models" it produces offers good scope for variety. Whilst the GA15 is plain tube combo ... ... any of you guys have either and wish to share your thoughts...

CianRyan

Personaly I'd go for the vox, but idk, i just like vox... alot!

Voodu Child

Well, the Vox isn't a valve amp, so the two mentioned are completely different beasts altogether.

The Vox will give you lots of different sounds at low volumes, they're digital models, but they will sound great for bedroom jamming.

The Thomann is a simple tube combo, its not going to give you much variety and will be much, much louder than you imagine. MUCH :pac:
And it weighs 16kg, so it really is a different beast to the Vox.

But, depending on the sound you're after, and the volume you're playing at, you may find yourself thinking it has a warmer sound and all that other tube stuff (responsive etc).

I havent played the thomann, so I cant say if its actually a good amp or rubbish.

They really are different beasts though, definitely decide what kind of features you're looking for.

GBX

Yeah realise there 2 diff beasts, but for my price range I figured these 2 to be the best options. Might even go for smaller Thomann GA5. I have a multi effect pedal so thats not my main concern.

MattKid

Blackheart Little Giant is a nice cheap single ended tube amp, my Fender HR Deville is gathering dust because of this.

Zangetsu

I've heard alot of great things about those blackheart amps! I got myself a little gretsch amp a while back, sounds great. Those ADx amp are good craic but if you have a multi effects pedal your happy with a tube would be the smarter choice imo...

Alanstrainor

I have a modified Fender Champion 600 that i've often mentioned on this forum, and it's fantastic. I've replaced the speaker and valves which makes a good amp into a great amp. If it were me, i'd go with the valve.

Quattroste

I'd go for the best Tube amp you can afford. You have an effects board so the Vox will give you nothing extra. As everyone else had said Tube amps are loud and need to be played loud to get the best from them. Even the little 5 watters are loud.

I just checked eBay and Blackheart have a little >1 watt version head. I'm very tempted

johnboy8

i had the vox ad50 and although it is a good amp,i could never stop fiddeling with it.too many knobs and whistles and bells,it suited me as it was my first amp and i did not have any experience with effects.i used to spend at least 15minutes messing with it every time i turned it on.as someone said above those blackheart amps are getting rave reviews at the moment(get the 1 watt head and a 1*12 cabinet)and your laughing............and if you want to change the head at a later stage you can.also go to utube and listen to a few sound clips of it,there are load to choose from with different cabinets and guitars.

Eoin Madsen

Try not to be taken in too much by the whole valve mythology.

Don't get me wrong, the best sounding amps are all valve amps imo, but there are lots of valve amps that are utter junk. On a budget, you might actually be better off with a modeller.

GBX

Those BlackHearts look great and have good reviews, but just outside my range... Maybe in the future. Thanks

Paolo_M

GBX wrote: »

Those BlackHearts look great and have good reviews, but just outside my range... Maybe in the future. Thanks

Personally I think the Thomann (Harley Benton I presume) GA15 is great value for money for a solid valve amp. With a few tweaks you can really knock some great tones out of it.
As Johnboy pointed out, and I agree from personal experience, you tend to spend more time fiddling around with different settings on modeler amps than actually playing. Dont get me wrong some of them (Vox included) sound great but personally I would prefer an amp with great tone that's simple to set up and then use footswitchable effects when I need them. With your Multi-FX board you'll be covered for most effects anyway.
I put a vid of my GA5 (the GA15s baby brother) up on my uTube page (link below) if you wanna hear some tone samples. The last sample shows it with the MT-2 selected on a Boss ME-50 unit so you can hear how it takes pedals.
The GA5/15 circuit is very similar to the Blackheart/Epi Valve Junior etc. and is certainly better value for money in Europe. Blackheart and Epi are American owned (even though the amps are probably made in China) and so tend to be more expensive in Europe.
Hope this helps,
Paolo.

www.youtube.com/paolojm

8k2q1gfcz9s5d4

i have a vox ad100, and have played through the ad15, they have great tone and the 15 is pretty small and light, which is good if you want to move it around a lot (unlike the ad100 which nearly breaks my back!!). ive never played through the thomann one, but as said it will have to be played pretty loud to get the best out of it, unlike the vox. That might be a consideration if you are playing in a housing estate