Cheap inexpensive amps live debate

[Chad]

Good info. As much as I love gear, the older I get, I have to agree for the most part that.......and I hate this saying....."tone is in the fingers". Get the basic sound you want with pretty much anything and let your playing take care of the rest. Of course, if you have the time/money and love playing around with different gear, then have at it. I love the MTS stuff by the way.

[Frigo89]

I love Peavey stuff. If I had to follow a strict budget, I could live very happily with a $500 setup of Peavey gear, and did for a long time.

I have played happily with cheap Crates, Fenders, etc. I can usually get just about anything to sound good to my ears. I just get something close, and my hands do the rest.

I am by no means a great guitar player. But I sound like me pretty much regardless of what I'm playing through, be it Line 6 or Soldano.


When I was gigging, we would typically always do a co-headliner gig with another band (they did country, and classic 50s and 60s stuff, with the odd Jimmy Buffet tune), and we always played heavier stuff (Sabbath, Van Halen, Montrose, RHCP, Stevie Wonder [crunchy superstitious]), and the guitar player from the other band, who uses an OLD Fender Super reverb or something like that, without fail, would always come talk to me for like 20 minutes about what gear I was using (bit of a Gear whore lol). The best was the 20 Space Rack, looks like a Fridge onstage, all sorts of flickering lights. I didn't even know how to describe it, so it wound up being known as "the fridge of doom"


Sorry for the random story

But yes, cheap stuff can get you good tone live. also remember 95% of people in the crowd don't give a shit. If you can get past those couple of "musicians" in the crowd, you're golden with whatever you like.

[jgcable]

you are 100% right, jg. Heres a pic from last years summer jam we played... Looks like ive got 3 full stacks, LOL... look over the monitor. Thats a second gen flextone 2 micd up. Ths side fills were ridiculously huge, so i just ran guitar thru those, and we were first on the bill, usually meaning zero stage space, although not in this case. Worked perfectly for our 40m set, and had several people say "what amp were you using, it sounded great". This was an outdoor gig for 5000 people.

similar story. I gigged for almost an entire year using a Galien Krueger ML250 plugged into a Sound City 4 x 12 cab loaded with some unknown speakers. I got many compliments on my tone.
For years I played live through an old Peavey Renown 2 x 12 with Scorpion speakers in it with an MXR Distortion + out in front. I think that rig cost me $150.00 total.
One of the local guys in a popular band plays through a Bogner Ubershall and a Bogner 4 x 12 cab. He plays $2000.00+ guitars, has the best effects money can buy and he is an incredible guitar player. One time at a gig I got a ton of compliments from people that have heard his live guitar tone and mine. They thought mine was just as good if not a little better. I was using a Tech 21 Trademark 300 head and a stock old Marshall 4 x 12 cab. My entire rig was purchased used and it cost me about $600.00 total. I was playing through a beat to crap Washburn N2 totally stock that cost me about $200.00 used.
Even the sound guys thought my guitar tone was incredible. I didn't have the cabinet mic'd. I just ran a cord from the direct line out on the amp to the console.
Again.. just goes to show you. $6000.00 rig including guitar vs $800.00 rig including guitar and the $800.00 rig sounded just as good to most people.

[jgcable]

This thread is a great idea. I've been enjoying your amp review series quite a bit jgcable..



^^ Not much truer could a statement get!!

Thanks bro. Appreciate it.

[Chief_CrazyTalk]

The best cheap "real" amp I've ever used was a Sovtek 100.

Most live local bands I've heard sound like ass. It could be a Crate or a Soldan...all sounds the same.

What gives?

The last time I heard a GREAT live sound was in 1983...QR, believe it or not. I can understand not wanting to lug uberexpensive and precious gear around to $50/night gigs...but then what's the point of it all, LOL!

[clifffclaven]

LOL, jg, i gigged with a gk 250 ml and an rl thru a basketweave marshall for 8 years! I know what you mean, that is a great amp.

Played a jet city 20w head today at the store i teach at. My tech picked one up for $160, modded it a little, and we put one of his modded sd1s in front... Tone straight off back for the attack, no lie. Kinda one trick pony, no clean sound to speak of really, but Im thinking of grabbing that and an a/b box with a pod or micro cube for cleans. Thats a $250 rig, plus a cabinet, $5-600 total if i picked up a used 412. hmmmmmm.....

[Twitch]

The best cheap "real" amp I've ever used was a Sovtek 100.

Most live local bands I've heard sound like ass. It could be a Crate or a Soldan...all sounds the same.

What gives?

The last time I heard a GREAT live sound was in 1983...QR, believe it or not. I can understand not wanting to lug uberexpensive and precious gear around to $50/night gigs...but then what's the point of it all, LOL!

Your gear will sound like ass no matter what if 1. You dont know how to use it. 2. If the sound guy doesnt know how to use his shit.

[clifffclaven]

Your gear will sound like ass no matter what if 1. You dont know how to use it. 2. If the sound guy doesnt know how to use his shit.

+1000 So true.

[Twitch]

+1000 So true.

Im suddenly reminded of a joke. How do you break a sound guys thumb? Kick him in the ass.

[jgcable]

another cheap amp head I just picked up. Hartke GT60
Darn fine sounding amp. Nice features. Tube preamp. Nicely made.
Technology is really allowing companies to come out with great sounding amps that are affordable.

[beachjammer]

I always like the first generation Marshall MG amps as far as SS goes. I've also had good luck using a Flextone II as well as a AX2. I prefer to use 1x12 combos and push a 1x12 extension cab run to the opposite side of the stage. This works great for smaller places and I don't have to worry about micing anything up. I think the best bang for the buck is a used Mesa Rectoverb combo. I've had two of those. The last one I got for $600 shipped. They have a parallel effects loop that sucks but it can easily be changed to series with a simple mod.

[beachjammer]

Has anyone here tried a Marshall Haze in a live situation?

[clifffclaven]

Has anyone here tried a Marshall Haze in a live situation?

havent tried one live, but i have played one. less than impressed, lets just say i would be more comfortable playing the dave mustaine "megastack" live than a haze. lol.

[Outlander]

Great thread JG. Im getting ready to work with a new band doing variety covers in a small town environment where clubs (bars) are lucky to hold 75 to 100 people. Getting tired of hauling larger rigs that now I cant even run properly because I can't turn them up over 2 !!!! if I'm lucky. Have you heard a dual Rec on 1&1/2 ...it's not nice!...any how, I recently got 2002 Fender Hot Rod Deluxe for $ 350.00. 40 watts all tube 1x12 Solid state rectifier. 45 pounds. 18" tall x 22" wide A few pedals and I'm good. This thing has great tone and loves my 74 strat. I can get SRV and clapton by just adjusting the guitar controls. The clean channel is simply awesome and loves pedals. The important thing is I can just grab this and plunk it down on the stage and be just about done. The funny thing is the band at rehearsal made me turn down from 3 to 2 because they said I was too loud ...... but the tone didn't suffer.

Anyhow there really are some great less expensive options out there. I wish I had figured this out or had the info in this thread about 40 years and thousands of $$$$$$$$ ago!!!!!!!

[zeegler]

I'm with you John. Although I still like the idea of having tubes, I would definitely gig with a SS head if it did the job well enough. I'm no snob. I'm also not afraid to take a risk on buying something despite the worthless opinion of bandwagon jumpers. In general, it seems that several of the most popular music forums are full of imbeciles who are unable to form an original thought of their own and take every opportunity to bash the latest pariah of amplifiers whether they have ever actually played one or not. I suspect that in the majority of cases they have not, and are simply parroting remarks made by other members of their forum gang. On the other hand, I'm sure that there are cases where these miscreants have actually tried playing through an amp. However, I'll wager that the vast majority of them NEVER play live, or even with other musicians. How can I take the opinion of a bedroom musician seriously when we're talking about a 100 watt head? I have owned a good many amps myself over the years (not nearly as many as you John), and I can honestly say that even the ones I didn't really like, I managed to get a decent, usable tone out of them. In fact, some of my cheaper purchases ended up being my favourites.

Some people listen with their wallet. I listen with my ears.