Which Modeling Amp

apc

Hi I want to get my son a new amp for Dec 25th. He has a Roland Micro Cube which will go to his sister.

He doesnt gig yet ,but may do some very small scale in the near future.

I was thinking along the lines of Line 6 Spider Jam http://www.thomann.de/ie/line6_spider_jam.htm

Vox VT40+ http://www.thomann.de/ie/vox_vt40.htm

Or Roland Cube 80XL http://www.thomann.de/ie/roland_cube_80xl.htm

Or if anyone has any other ideas I would appreciate your opinions or if you have experience of the above please let me know what you think.

Money wise about 300 euro:D

Gaspode

Cant speak for the others, but the Roland cubes are the business. The model you linked has a line out port which is great when gigging, and the one thing I' would really liked to have had on my Cube 30.

kingofpain

Fender Super Champ XD by far the best I've heard.

Haven't tried Line6 and Vox since 2007 models though, so ready to be surprised.

And if I may: Please support local business, is it really worth the maybe 30-40€ less to spend those money out of the country?

-Chris-

Does it have to be an amp? You could buy a lovely modelling pedal for that money and then he could use that for gigging, running into one of the other band's amps. He already has the Cube at home for practicing.

Sandvich

The best modeler for the price currently is the Fender Mustang II, it's like the Super Champ XD except slightly louder and cheaper. It even comes with a 12" speaker. However if you're looking for variety and more controls on the amp itself the VT40+ might be a better bet.

nialldabass

Haha! I'm gonna say for what he wants I'd go with the Spider Jam, the jam looper part of it sells for about£270, and its great for him to learn with plus the 75watts is more than enough to get him out gigging

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIMszN0-B90

Its all about needs i suppose and at each stage of our life we have different needs. At the moment I 'Need' The Jm4 looper( which is the jam part of this amp) I dont need the amp part, Oh well Ill just keep gassing (Guitar/Gear Aquisition Syndrome)

Hope i have not muddied the water any further

Sandvich

If the Spider Jam is anything like a Spider III it'll be a bit ****, to be honest.

nialldabass

Yeah sorry I've never played through a spider, played through another line6 twin 12 once, and thought it was good, can't remember the model, But the jm4 looper really is a great bit of kit, great learning tool, just thought its worth keeping in mind,
But I bow to your superior Knowledge:D

It was a Flextone2 I think, weighed a tonne

Sandvich

The Flextones were Line 6's "serious" amps, along with the Vettas.

An old Flextone III would be a great choice too actually.

apc

Thanks for the replys lads, having looked around the net for reviews the Vox 40+ is looking good. Its a just released model with good features plus I can get e 5 switch pedal box and still come in around 300.

although the cube looks good too:D

stephenshields2

apc wrote: »

Thanks for the replys lads, having looked around the net for reviews the Vox 40+ is looking good. Its a just released model with good features plus I can get e 5 switch pedal box and still come in around 300.

although the cube looks good too:D

If there is any goodness left in this world, you'll buy your son the Cube.

I have the x60 Cube and it is the best solid state practice amp I've ever used. Easy to use, great COSM effects, sounds class through a 4x12 cab...

I could go on all day, but you get the picture!!

Sandvich

apc wrote: »

Thanks for the replys lads, having looked around the net for reviews the Vox 40+ is looking good. Its a just released model with good features plus I can get e 5 switch pedal box and still come in around 300.

although the cube looks good too:D

Seriously, consider the Mustang II. It's 200 quid and probably the best modeler out there right now. Great Fender sounds, great Metal sounds.

I do want to hear the Valvetronix though, since it has a crazy amount of amp models. Sadly most of them are very predictable, no Orange or Ampeg or Sunn in there.

BumbleB

Like cars ,even cheap guitar amps are really really good nowadays the bar has been raised for manufacturers to give bang for the buck and I honestly believe (in any decent music store) there is no such thing as a horrible sounding amp these days.They all have their strengths and weaknesses ,also every player is different ,and has different expectations for gear depending on their ability ,experience and what gear they have been using to date . I personally have played Fender twins, Vox ac 30's and Marshall of all descriptions. High end amps don't really do it for me but thats my preference .


I bought the Peavey Vypyr 2 weeks ago I thought it was going to be a piece of junk but TBH I love it, as a practice amp its a million times times better than the one I learnt guitar on.

I'm also going to be getting a Fender G Dec 3 in a few weeks time purely because it will work very well for practising songs on my own.

Also I would recommend you to buy a smaller amp for practicising at home while he's young , Cumulative tinnitus and ear damage is no joke , 40 w is excessive power for a small room , if he needs to gig make sure to buy an smaller amp with a line out so he can patch to the board.

People nowadays are going for smaller amps to get their sounds, Marshall have a 5 watt valve amp out ! ,Stairway was recorded with a fender champ which is a tiny amp.

BTW 300 euro is a nice amount of cash for an amp !.

apc

Thanks for the Advice BumbleB, he has decide to wait another while before before moving up. He says hes happy with the micro cube for now.

Thanks everyone for the help:D

lukeeman

I got the mustang II for my son in a local shop for xmas,it was between marshall 15fx for 145 or mustang II for 180, i hope i made right choice, i could still change it

Owen

If you could stretch to it, and it's not a huge stretch, go for the Boss-GT10. I have it's rackmounted older brother the GT-Pro, and it's awesome. It has a loop station, handy for one man band stuff, or for writing songs, got a Harmonist, Octave Pedal, every effect you can think of, and most amps and cabinets from the last 50 years. Plus, if he gets into a bigger band, he can gig with it directly into the desk no problem.

You can download sounds directly to it over USB too. If I was him, I'd much rather have a pedal board that does everything rather than an amp that does a few things.

Sandvich

lukeeman wrote: »

I got the mustang II for my son in a local shop for xmas,it was between marshall 15fx for 145 or mustang II for 180, i hope i made right choice, i could still change it

Uh.... don't worry you did. The MGs are generally very lowly regarded and the mustangs very highly regarded(for Modelers). The Mustang has a ton more sounds too obviously. And you can probably gig with it too. Man the MGs are such a rip off.