New Amp

curtains · 09-10-2005 12:33pm #1

Comntemplating getting an amp in the not too distant future, around the 100 watt range, originally I was thinking of a marshall avt

http://www.thomann.de/thoiw6_marshall_avt100x_gitarrencombo_prodinfo.html

but then I saw these two behringers: the v-ampire http://www.thomann.de/thoiw6_behringer_vampire_lx1112_modeling_gitarrenverstaerker_prodinfo.html

and the v-tone
http://www.thomann.de/thoiw6_behringer_gmx212_vtone_gitarrencombo_prodinfo.html

I'd love a nice tube amp but I have to be practical and well the behringers are a third of the price. From what I've seen and the reviews I've read they seem quite excellent.

Anyone have any comments? Which of the behringers is better? The V-tone seems bigger but the V-amp has more features and can be connected to a cabinet (by the way when they say 2x50 watts do is it essentially mean 100 watts?).

LundiMardi · 09-10-2005 12:41pm

what are you looking for in an amp? what kind of music?

Voodu Child · 09-10-2005 12:46pm

Just FYI, the AVT is not a valve amp. Theres nothing wrong with them or anything (except the price..

), but I just thought id let you know, cos one of your comments suggested you thought it was

sei046 · 09-10-2005 12:52pm

i hate avts with such a passiion. worst tone i have heard from an amp of its class. Dunno what it is. If you can rustle up the cash buy a hughes and kettner. They are the bees knees. I have the zenamp and its unreal. about 500euros

Karl Hungus · 09-10-2005 1:08pm

If funds permit, you might want to see if you can stretch to this. Not a tube amp, but the Hughes & Kettner amps are supposed to be extremely good.

The Marshall AVTs aren't too shabby either tbh, you just have to know how to get a good tone out of them.

sei046 · 09-10-2005 1:30pm

i would recomend the zenamp over the matrix. I have the vortex head aswell. I LOVE h&k as you can see. The matrix is great value for money though. the versatility of the zenamp is out of this world

Eoin Madsen · 09-10-2005 5:26pm

Karl Hungus wrote:

The Marshall AVTs aren't too shabby either tbh, you just have to know how to get a good tone out of them.

I don't think so. You really can't polish a turd, no matter how hard you try. Mucking about with the EQ will not improve a fundamentally unmusical sounding preamp... imo.

But, of course, tone is in the ear of the audient. Or something like that. :cool:

curtains · 09-10-2005 5:58pm

The AVts are not full tube-amps but they're not fully solid-state either, they're hybrids and do ahve a tube. Funny everyone I've spoken to think that AVTs are excellent, but I don't fancy forking out E600 too much. Will check out the Hughes and Ketvchner.

I play mostly Hendrix kind of stuff, rock, funk, punk and progressive rock.

I'd really love to get people's opinions on the Begringers, if they're good (which is waht i've read on the harmony central forums) then at that privce I'll be well on the way to my new guitar, which looks about a year and a half off otherwise.

Karl Hungus · 09-10-2005 6:18pm

Eoin Madsen wrote:

I don't think so. You really can't polish a turd, no matter how hard you try. Mucking about with the EQ will not improve a fundamentally unmusical sounding preamp... imo.

But, of course, tone is in the ear of the audient. Or something like that. :cool:

Well, Chuck Schuldiner used an AVT-150 both live, and in the studio, somehow he managed to get quite an astonishing tone from it.

Eoin Madsen · 09-10-2005 6:20pm

They have a single valve that operates in a low voltage configuration, and not even in the first gain stage. At best it's a solidstate amp with a hybrid preamp, but frankly, it barely qualifies for that. Sorry, no offence to any of the people you've spoken to, but the AVT is not a highly regarded amp. It's a starter series aimed at attracting people with more money than knowledge that have seen the Marshall logo in music videos on MTV. I honestly can't think of a more overpriced amp. If you want to waste money, buy a Line6 Spider and gold-plate it.

If you want to get what you've paid for in a budget amp, just get a Line 6 Spider and leave out the gold plating.

The behringers I can't speak for, I've never heard them and I haven't read much about them. In general, Behringer make pretty budget-y stuff. I think you'd be better off with Line 6 if that's what you're looking for.

What kind of money do you have at your disposal? You might get lucky with a good valve amp on Ebay.

John · 09-10-2005 6:23pm

Any Behringer stuff I've used hasn't been the best. You get what you pay for.

Eoin Madsen · 09-10-2005 6:25pm

Karl Hungus wrote:

Well, Chuck Schuldiner used an AVT-150 both live, and in the studio, somehow he managed to get quite an astonishing tone from it.

Well, I'm not familiar with him or his tone.

Karl Hungus · 09-10-2005 6:27pm

Eoin Madsen wrote:

Well, I'm not familiar with him or his tone.

Chuck was the lead guitarist/singer of Death, quite honestly an astounding musician in every sense. We must get the Doc's help here at indoctrinating you.

Doctor J · 09-10-2005 6:29pm

Not sure if Chuck's music would be Eoin's cup of tea (open minded and all as he is

)

Voodu Child · 09-10-2005 6:29pm

Eoin Madsen wrote:

Sorry, no offence to any of the people you've spoken to, but the AVT is not a highly regarded amp.

Im with KH on this one. Frankly, i wouldnt recommend the AVT series any more strongly than any other budget amps, and I wouldnt buy one myself, but I very strongly disagree with that comment, based on experience with the amps rather than what ive heard people say. It certainly IS possible to get a good tone out of them, in my opinion.

Karl Hungus · 09-10-2005 6:32pm

Doctor J wrote:

Not sure if Chuck's music would be Eoin's cup of tea (open minded and all as he is )

Cup of tea? This isn't some such poncey crap. Surely, shot of whiskey would be the more accurate terminology when discussing music of this calibre.

Eoin Madsen · 09-10-2005 6:34pm

Doctor J wrote:

Not sure if Chuck's music would be Eoin's cup of tea (open minded and all as he is )

Unless that's an admission that the music is entirely vacuous, pretentious, or otherwise meaningless, I think you'd be surprised.

John · 09-10-2005 6:35pm

Karl Hungus wrote:

Cup of tea? This isn't some such poncey crap. Surely, shot of whiskey would be the more accurate terminology when discussing music of this calibre.

No bad mouthing tea whilst I'm about please. It's the rock out drink of champions.

Voodu Child · 09-10-2005 6:38pm

John2 wrote:

No bad mouthing tea whilst I'm about please. It's the rock out drink of champions.

Its what powers Angus Young, I do believe

Eoin Madsen · 09-10-2005 6:43pm

voodoo_child wrote:

but I very strongly disagree with that comment, based on experience with the amps rather than what ive heard people say. It certainly IS possible to get a good tone out of them, in my opinion.

It might be better if didn't try to take that comment out of context. I have used an AVT. I'd as soon plug a guitar into a stereo, personally. But my point (given that tone is a matter of opinion) is that they are generally held in low regard - presumably because they don't produce a tone that is close to what most people are looking for, as compared to other amps. Putting subjectives aside: If you want to sound like Hendrix, even vaguely, an AVT won't do it.

Voodu Child · 09-10-2005 6:50pm

I cant disagree with your comment about you not liking them, of course taste is subjective, but I disagree with the comment ive quoted. Generally held in low regard? Says who?
Anyway, it doesnt matter, I dont care, I just thought id offer an alternative opinion, because when someones money is on the line, I think its important to offer as many opinions as possible.

Eoin Madsen · 09-10-2005 7:54pm

voodoo_child wrote:

I cant disagree with your comment about you not liking them, of course taste is subjective, but I disagree with the comment ive quoted. Generally held in low regard? Says who?

Me, obviously. Based on my experience and the reasonably large number of guitarists and other sound engineers I've encountered. Unfortunately, the Central Statistics Office has yet to compile scientifically accurate information in this respect.

sei046 · 09-10-2005 8:52pm

look i personally dont like the AVT. far too muddy. but what we can all agree on is he should look into H&K! They meine freunde are the king of amps. Behringer make low range equipment. Good value for money in the amp maybe for a beginner but in a while you will be upgrading i assure you

It wasn't me! · 09-10-2005 9:03pm

Have heard numerous good things about the H&K's. Played freakonaleashx's Engl Thunder and it has gorgeous cleans and an overdrive to leave bruises, so might be a worthy contender as well. Personally I think you can get a good tone out of an AVT, but it's more effort than it justifies. My own next buy is an old JCM800.

Eoin Madsen · 10-10-2005 1:05am

It wasn't me! wrote:

My own next buy is an old JCM800.

Now that's a guitar amp.

Karl Hungus · 10-10-2005 8:07am

sei046 wrote:

but what we can all agree on is he should look into H&K! They meine freunde are the king of amps.

Aye, H&K are fairly ****ing swish altogether.

Speaking of which, Alex Lifeson Signiature Amp!

ferdi · 10-10-2005 10:18am

hear an sg thru one of these the other day http://www.thomann.de/thoiw6_laney_tfx3_gitarrencombo_prodinfo.html

fuppin beautiful sound.

Rustar · 10-10-2005 12:18pm

Karl Hungus wrote:

Speaking of which, Alex Lifeson Signiature Amp!

Looks nice, though I can't help but think that an important part of amplifier sales would be mentioning the output wattage, no matter who's name is on it. What were they thinking?

It does have that "exclusive Finish in Black Crocodile Look", though, major selling point.

Karl Hungus · 10-10-2005 12:55pm

Rustar wrote:

Looks nice, though I can't help but think that an important part of amplifier sales would be mentioning the output wattage, no matter who's name is on it. What were they thinking?

It does have that "exclusive Finish in Black Crocodile Look", though, major selling point.

In fairness, that's thomann's doing, not H&K. It's 100 watts, just so you know.

jcoote · 10-10-2005 1:07pm

yeah as kh says its thomann..h&k give the power output info on their site..

i presume thomann presume that u would research your product before u buy and not just buy an item on the description they give on their site

Rustar · 10-10-2005 1:19pm

Yes, I know, I was picking on Thomann and no one else....

I hold Karl and H&K blameless in this fiasco.

Paladin · 10-10-2005 4:26pm

Great value amp: Fender 212 (2x12" speakers) 100W, E275
http://www.thomann.de/thoiw6_fender_fm212r_egitarrencombo_prodinfo.html

I have a Marshall AVT275 I got for E500 (about half the price of a new one on thomann at the time, its E833 now).

For E800 there are better amps. For E500 its a great amp imo. Love it. Dont really know or care how its regarded. People are still under the impression that tube amps are better than solid state amps simply because they use tubes, so when it comes to muso's opinions on amps I have a giant sack of salt from which to take pinches.

My advice is go for the fender if you want value for money. No doubt at all in my mind that Marshalls are majorly overpriced so **** em, unless you get a deal like I got 2nd hand

feylya · 10-10-2005 4:48pm

The only problem with that Fender is that you need to push a distortion pedal through it if you want a good sound other than clean. The distortion on it is ok if you're not after a lot of gain or if you don't mind a lot of hum.

It wasn't me! · 10-10-2005 8:21pm

Eoin Madsen wrote:

Now that's a guitar amp.

Indeed.

Eoin Madsen · 10-10-2005 8:28pm

Paladin wrote:

People are still under the impression that tube amps are better than solid state amps simply because they use tubes, so when it comes to muso's opinions on amps I have a giant sack of salt from which to take pinches.

Indeed. But that's pretty much the psychology that they've tried to sell the AVTs on. "Look, it's got a valve in it, for that warm valve sound". :rolleyes:

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