Amps Beginners Should Avoid!
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- čas přidán 4. 08. 2024
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Robert Baker is the Blackstar id core good for beginners?
Rob, what do you think of the Peavy Modeling amps?
Robert Baker Are you familiar with Blackstar Amps, especially the Core 10 which is a practice amp? It seems to have the features that you recommend for a practice or beginners amp.
Alexander Torrealba I would say the IDCore10 is a great beginner amp
I've got a Mustang V2 and a Peavy Vyper. The Peavy is much cleaner sounding. Even my non-playing friends noticed. And it's loud as hell too. I can barely turn it to .5 in the house.
Started on : Marshall MG10 CD
Then : Marshall MG80R CD
Then : Line6 Pod Xt Live
Now : Marshall JCM2000 DSL50 + 1936 2x12 Cab
One day I'll learn to play the guitar properly as well.
I'm considering saving up for a JCM 2000 and a 2x12, what do you think of it?
@@minigungaming5915 i have a 2018 dsl 100 coverted to 50w with a 1960 cab. Kicks ass. And the 50w conversion makes the amp sound so much better
Nice andy... I got a JCM2000 DSL40 (England), The English ones are much better sounding. I like your joke because of its truth in my case. I sound great but cant play shit. I hope i can find a good backup for it one day, and id like to get a 2/12 vertical to put my combo on top of. @minigun its a great idea, however it does depend on what you plug into it so test YOUR guitar in it first.
@@minigungaming5915 If you have the right guitar for that you will love it. The right guitar? I know you are like wtf....yeah dont plug a cheap ibanez into that rig... yikes! i know. Plug a true usa gibson into it and yeah....you might have an orgasm
@@s4lroachclip 2008 les paul into a dsl100. My dream rig = my actual rig :D
A good alternative to a headphone jack is a windowless basement.
Gage Amonette or the air guitar that's ultra quiet!
Double doored
that's also a good alternative to child care
Gage Amonette instructions unclear. I smashed all my basement windows so I could play without headphones
@@nickblanchard9526 My neighbours smashed my window to hear my playing better!
Love this series! Great stuff 👍
Darrell Braun Guitar HEY it’s darrell!
Hi Darrel!!
Bonjour mister Darrell
Hey,, found my favorite bro... Hi Darrell
Not only does Darrell have a great guitar channel, but he's also sells some wonderful paper towels ... Brawny, haha 😄
Anyone who started on a tube amp I want to be that person’s friend
Ashda Sheppp not only did I start on a tube amp, I built it myself, a Metropolous JTM45 kit.
rockhopper01 also my first amp was a tube amp. And i built it by myself. It’s Uraltone Jr tube amp kit with my diy 1x12 cab. Kinda nice having 6l6 and el34 in the poweramp section at the same time producing 15watts class a.
I started on a little 70s Fender Champ in the late 70s, wish I had never sold it. It was awesome.
@@ric9759 My champ wasn't my first amp, but I sold it to pay rent! I built a tweed Princeton clone a few years ago and that's my default amp now to practice ANY genre. With a Weber alnico speaker it even chugs!
i started on a peavey rage 158 trans tube
Buy used to start. That way if you quit, you can get back what you put into it.
Dont quit
Especially if you have someone who can go with you to shop, so you don't wind up buying something you don't want. I went with my cousin when he wanted to start, we picked up a used gretsch electromatic for a steal. After a cleaning and a set up, he had a killer guitar to learn on.
Or if you get a better amp. Or if you just don't have the space. Or a variety of other reasons. Quitting doesn't have to be the one reason you sell an amp.
Nah. Used is a lucky dip which requires smarts noobs don't have yet or luck. New is assured known condition thus reliable, with warranty if there is a problem. New solid state amps for home use are so cheap today. Pick anything name brand around 40W and it'll give years of useful service. All in the box types are typically 10 to 15W, so choosing above that power ordinarily excludes those.
I'll second that comment, you can buy a mid ranged amp used at the same price you can get a new beginner rig.
The 100 watt non master volume plexi head is a great beginner amp.
Some ppl just want to watch the world burn :)
if you´re into demolition
Through an 8x12 cabinet.
with a TS-9 full drive and a ton of reverb and delay in the front of the amp, perfect for beginners
The neighborhood would also think it's great
Me, who has started playing guitar less than 2 months ago, using bias fx: "let's see if I made a good choice"
Video: "#1"
Me: "noice"
Ive been playing for 36 years. What the hell is bias fx and why do you know about it before me?
@@danyarger I've started playing guitar only recently but been on the internet for way more ahah it's an amp (and effects) sim software. I would say it is a nice one also. The nice thing for a complete beginner is that it has a demo which is free and having a lot of amps and effects allows to get to know and experiment with different effects without spending lots of money for many different pedals
@@danyarger 36 years playing guitar and you didn't even heard of Bias FX the last years? Where have you been? Mars?
I recently started playing guitar using Neural DSP but I already owned an audio interface and Monitors and DT1990 pro and I also have neighbours so it's way more logical to go the amp sim way for me than to buy any amp. Also I am convinced that to get the same sound quality as I have with the Neural DSP plugins I would have to play on a very expensive amp, which is kind of stupid for a beginner...
@@EliseoCaporale To be fair I've been playing for a while now and have never heard of Bias FX. I started on a Fender Mustang, I still have it.
"So which amps do you recommend?"
"I really recommend these two that aren't made and aren't available any more."
-.-
Don’t think just because the badging says “Marshall” on it that you’re getting something good.
D Shack had a Kerry King signature JCM 800 a few years back. IMO probably the worst sounding Marshall I ever heard.
I agree, avoid the MG series
Dsl series is the best cheap marshalls you can buy personally for me
Rock N' Roll Junkie I’ve seen U.K. JCM 2000 dsl heads go for about $450 on craiglist. I wouldn’t pay more that.
Barano I'm talking about the regular dsl amps, like the dsl100. Not the jcm2000s
Bought a Marshall 100 watt valve amp in the first 6 month's.
Bought an Attenuator 5 years later so I could use the thing 😂
Marty Pello Literally me with my 6505+
Same and a custom made metro jtm 45 +full stack
I was going for orange rockerverb 100^^
Just bought a 51510iii el34 and the torpedo captor, sounds amazing
tl;dw: just get a combo amp
Nut hole
Nut hole
Nut
Nu
When I started learning I wanted something to 'grow into'. So I got a Peavey tube combo a valve king 1x12 1st generation. Variable 20 to 50 watt amp. An amp that at first sounds muddy and fizzy due in part to it's poor stock speaker and some electronic mis-design in one of the circuits and really bad stock tubes. Luckily I'm also into electronics so I delved into the Peavey valve king community and fixes for everything abound from after market speaker choices to modding the electronics to suit what you want. Due to all the work I put into it I now have a Valve King that is a killer blues machine. Crystal clear cleans to dirty gritty blues. The most simple fixes were cutting out one cap in the pre-amp section and replacing the stock speaker and tubes. Those 3 fixes alone make for a great amp. I paid 250 (they were 450 new at the time) for it used not long after they came out. For Messing around with or without the amp I have an Ipad with all the programs you'd suspect and a line6 interface that has a headphone jack and an output so I can plug it into the Peavey.
Any of the smaller Boss Katanas are great amps for beginners; great tone and loads of built in effects that don't take much fiddling about unless you choose to.
Got my 12 yr old a Katana mini for Christmas. He loves it and plays constantly. For a little amp, I think 7 watts, it puts out killer tone. Only effect it has is delay, but I showed him if you put time at zero and level maxed, voila! Reverb lol
Malcolm Reynolds if by outgrow you mean needing a bigger amp to play shows with, then i agree. But soundwise, the mini katana is good enough to last a lifetime. I’ve been playing for 6 years and is still impressed with the sound that lil guy makes, and with not much fiddling at all
Tried one in my local store. Looking to buy an amp for my kid.
Even the cleanest of clean setting saturated when I plugged in some humbuckers.
I didn’t like it too much and bought a small valve amplifier instead.
Very simple design, built in distortion, that’s it.
Let them learn how to play before introducing all those fancy effects.
Malcolm Reynolds here’s the thing - a beginner doesnt need a 4x12
Malcolm Reynolds the point is, it’s alright for a beginner to not start with a 4x12. Simple
My first amp was a Fender Frontman 25R. I thought it sounded great. and I spent a good 4 years practicing and learning how to play on that amp. I am so grateful that I started on that amp and took the time and effort to build up my skill and learn the nuances of being a guitarist/musician, to eventually owning the gear I have today.
My advice for beginners: 100% stick with simple and small practice amps, not that you don’t deserve to or shouldn’t play on them, but it’s more of a journey of discovering exactly what tones and style(s) of music you like playing. When you finally acquire your JCM/Orange/Fender Twin/Whatever you want, after years of building your skill and devoting enough time to the craft, you get an unparalleled sense of accomplishment that you would never get if you just went and bought an expensive tube amp after a month of playing. You will be so thankful for that.
I'm getting a Fender Mustang along with a Fender Squier Vintage Modified '70s strat. Very excited!
Tal Rodriguez
: Several years ago, I started with a Fender MIM Stratocaster and a Fender Mustang III. Both sound great and, in my remaining years, I'll probably not outgrow the amp's features. It appears that we both made some good choices.
Tal Rodriguez you simply cannot go wrong there man.
Tal Rodriguez I have the 60’s Strat...just got it. How’s yours working out? I love mine!
How you liking the guitar, I got the same guitar and have had it for 2 years now and play great
I'm loving the guitar and the amp! The guitar is easy to play. I don't see me getting anything else. I did buy a Boss ME-80. Love that, too. I couldn't be happier with my rig!
The little guitar bits in between are just to remind us that this dude is amazing at guitar and know what he’s talking about
No they're there to stretch the video to 10:02 lol
Beginners should also take a look at the Roland Cube series amps .. absolutely superb for the money
Paul Stutt definitely, i have a micro cube that’s tiny and sounds great for what it is. And it’s great for its portability
I was going to mention the Roland cube series also. Still have my 20, which will get handed down to the kids. Pretty much everything a beginner needs (tuner, headphone jack, effects, line in) in one lightweight cab. You can fight your way out of a bar with it too. Yamaha TH10 too. Both are exceptional.
Maybe even try the nux mighty lite
Very ture. My friend even use Cube for small show. It is very easy to set and carry.
I got a Street Cube EX. It’s awesome!
If anybody is a beginner looking for a great amp, please buy a Boss Katana. Seriously, the 50 watt one is only $220 and it does everything you could ask an amp to do.
Matt does things they’re are great amps
Matt does things Does it Fly?
Absolutely agree.
I’ve been playing for years, and the katanas aren’t just great beginner amps, they’re great amps period
XBOYS yes but you have to switch it to 'brown' first
Logged in to say thanks for getting this info out there - it can be overwhelming for new players and this video should really help! Also want to give a shout-out to the Fender G-DEC. I still have mine here in June 2019. It's the G-DEC 15, and it even still has the cardboard roadmap of settings attached to the top. It was a great starter amp! Totally fun, simple and effective. It has two inputs to jam along with a teacher or friend, 15 second loop, control over all keys, basslines and tempos in all 50+ preset sounds/styles and it's infinitely customizable within each, too... total bang for the buck, especially at the time. You mentioned the Boss Katana too, and that's what I got next after years of rocking the G-DEC. In fact, the 50W Katana is still my main amp. It's a beast. Cheers Robert.
Been playing 25 years. I used a Pignose for three and a Roland Cube as a home practice amp for 22. I just now upgraded to a Blackstar HT-5r and it’s on our new record! The home stuff is getting REALLY good! Plug and play options have never been better! Great video.
Yamaha THR10, very nice beginner/practice amp
Came here to say this...awesome practice amp!
@@hank987 or boss katana mini
They are pretty good at getting tones at low volumes but the speakers are definitely lacking in kids and low end but for its battery powered travel capabilities it's (insert Italian hands here) awesome
Mids*
@WaurufEx yea definetly agree I have both and tbh the boss katana has been the best peice of gear ive bought in a long time
The only amp a beginner should get: Boss Katana 50
AeroPR plus even pros like these for home practice
I’ve been playing for 11 years, got a Marshall JVM410H and an EVH 5150III, and I’m taking my katana head to gigs because it absolutely sounds good enough, is so much lighter and I don’t have to worry about tube problems.
@@DominicAirola Plus, pro's use the 100watt versions [112, 212, head] for live use..
Tech 21 30watts is the answer to all your problems.
+1 for Katana ! Or Roland cube 40XL !
Beginners should avoid all amps, trust me you don't want to hear what you're doing...lmao just kidding a lil...
I disagree...everyone, including the player, should hear the mistakes.
for years I thought I needed a more expensive amp and was trying to get the sound I wanted from high gain but later I realized it was the drive pedal I was wanting. You would be surprised what you can do with a cheap peavey amp and a tube screamer.
I don't think that you're the only person to trip over this one? lol I wish I would have found that out cause I would've stuck with the learning how to play instead of giving it up & selling what I had. I was about 12 years old back then & would have close to 50 years of experience now.
I usually recommend a small modelling amp as a first amp, sure there's lots of options in them but it's super easy to get a decent tone using a preset. Cheers!!
I know a bunch of guys who started on Roland Cubes. Great amps, simple to use and you can dabble in effects a bit too. I have a microcube that sits in my living room for when the mood strikes me and I don't want to go to my music room to fire up the big amp. It sounds great and doesn't take up any space.
awesome I've got two micro cubes one stays at home and one stays in a backpack when I go out on the road easy to practice battery powered all the electronics in a semi don't have to worry about it with the battery out of the way to get all kinds of feedback in noise from CDs and electronic engines love the micro cube have six years now..it's awesome at the end of the day I Trucking pull out the old Ibanez and crank up the micro cube and practice away as loud as a nice little ghetto blaster and just as portable and convenient
Good advice. The big problem for beginners is that they tend to want something that ticks all their boxes, but doesn't cost a fortune. You have to explain that they aren't going to get an amp that is small, portable, suitable for home recording and practice - but also powerful enough for gigs, works well with and without pedals, similar to what their idol uses, and sounds exactly like their favorite recordings (and can also be bought for lunch money, while retaining its value in case you need to resell).
I would advise exactly what you do: a small combo amp - preferably with a 10" or 12" speaker - from a name manufacturer. An amp like this will also retain as much value as is possible for when it comes time to sell or trade in. I would definitely advise against trying to cheap out. Where the lower end of the market is concerned, if you pay less you are definitely giving up something important: usually tone. It's hard to beat the big manufacturers here for a combination of value, functionality and durability.
Examples: Fender Champion 40; Boss Katana 50; Peavey Vypyr VIP2; Laney LG35R; Vox Valvetronix VT40X; Blackstar ID Core 40 Version 2; Marshall MG30GFX; Marshall Code 25. If you can do without the bigger speaker and need to go smaller/cheaper, stick with these brands, plus Yamaha.
If Apple made guitar AMP.
In this day and age it would be without headphone jack. And you would have to use a dongle to plug the guitar and headphones in at the same time.
Matt Kaňuch
: And for only $11,000. Such a deal!!
@@Jerry-rf8bn and for $20.000 you get an appleformed guitar with it....
Clean and distortion effects sold separately
Why! does the WiFi/Bluetooth dongle cost to much?
Probably wouldn't work with anything besides an apple guitar and if a little switch gets broken they wouldn't fix it instead they would tell you to buy a new one
My current and first amp is a Fender Mustang and I can say its a good amp to start on. Decent effects and it sounds pretty good at high volume. And if you want to dial in a specific tone you can get Fender's FUSE app to put on cab sims and other effects the amp doesn't come stock with.
The USB also be used to record straight to your PC which is amazing! I have the 100w Fender Mustang III and I absolutely love it! You can do almost anything with it even without Fuse as it has a screen and controls for changing the amp settings and choosing pedals and adjusting those to your liking and has 99 slots for presets.
I bought a 62 re-issue strat in 91 (my first electric) and when I asked my friends what amp they thought I should by and they all said 100W Marshall. The good old days.
Two highly recommended amps with headphone jacks (and line inputs so you can play along with mp3's or youtube videos) are the Bugera G5 Infinium and G20 Infinium amps. These are 5w and 20w amps, which are also totally adequate for playing live with as well (it takes 10 times the wattage to double the volume, so a 5w amp is half as loud as a 50w amp, and a 20w amp is half as loud as a 200w amp)
These are heads only, so you'd need to get a separate cab (you can get a 1 x 12" cab for about $150 or so, like the Harley Benton G112) to play live. They are a great way to go.
My only suggestion with these amps would be to upgrade the 12AX7 tubes they come with from the stock Bugera tube, to something else, like a JJ ECC803 (long plate 12AX7), as the stock Bugera 12AX7's sound rather stiff and dull, and upgrading the preamp tube is a very simple process and makes the amps really come alive.
The Bugera G5 Infinium has an three position "attenuator switch" on the back of the amp to make the output go as low as 0.5w, which allows you to play at bedroom volume (a little above whisper level), and both amps offer speaker cabinet emulation to change between the sound of a 1x12 and a 4x12 cabinet when playing through the headphone output (which takes a 1/4" plug. So, you'd need to get a 3.5mm to 1/4" adapter to use headphones with a mini plug on them with these amps).
The G20 Infinium has a Master Volume control to set the output level at the speaker as low or as loud as you'd like, rather than the attenuator switch of the G5, and also has a 2 stage (2 12AX7 tubes) preamp, to allow for a bit more saturation and output from the overdrive on Channel 2 than the single stage (single 12AX7) preamp on the G5 Infinium.
But both of these make great first amps, practice amps, or even live amps for the more experienced player.
I have both of them (one upstairs and one downstairs, as well as owning other amps, as well), and highly recommend them both, depending on how quiet or loud you need your amp to be. Both can be found in the $200 - $250 price range, and are great choices if that's within your budget for a basic "all-tube" amp.
While both amps do have built in (digital) spring reverb, I add a little room reverb through the use of a Mooer Shimverb before the amp when playing clean (Ch 1) and find the sound is nearly addicting whenever I'm playing through them.
Being gainfully employed when I started, I researched what was making those sounds I loved before buying my first rig. Fender HM strat....good call. JCM800 with crate 4x12.... aw HELL NAW!! LMAO, it was terrifying! But man was I good at feedback! Eventually traded for a Randall rg80 and a Takamine classical, which of course saved the entire situation. Figured out the nowhere to hide thing quickly, forced me to get it right or put it down. Plus the ballbat neck and dwarf frets made an electric seem ridiculously easy to play....thanx Takamine, you saved the day....jeez, wtf was I thinking?
BTW, somebody poured a dark sugary liquid on the Marshall, and the repair tab wasn't pretty, so I didn't take a soaking. With that in mix the trade was actually really fair. Guitar rookie, horse trading pro...
For a beginner, actually the VOX Valvetronix series is a great starter. Yes, it is a modeling amp, but the settings are super easy to set up and you can get a nice sound early on. Plus, it allows you to choose from preset sounds and you can also store several tones ranging from clean to crunch. Lastly, as you improve, this amp will grow with you, with maybe the exception of wattage output. You can land a good sounding amp with variety for under $200.
I can agree with that combo kit thing. My friend had a combo kit for a squire and it came with a tiny fender amp and it sounded really bad. Maybe he didn’t know how to dial in his settings but I recommend a black star v2 for beginners. It’s 100 dollars
Always enjoy your videos and opinions so thanx for such GREAT content!
I have low center vision from an eye disease so I wasn’t sure where to start which lead me to buy the Epiphone LP special 2 starter bundle.
The Guitar was beautiful but had an issue and the amp was so bad haha so thankfully I was able to exchange it and I decided to go for the Squire Strat pack that comes with the Fender Frontman amp which is so much better and I personally love my Guitar. I only want to buy a stronger lead cable possibly wireless if it’s as good but for now that is the only thing I really am not happy with is the cable but it works well for being a free cable.
So, if you have made it this far I congratulate you and if I may trouble you with a question of helping me out with some options for which lead cables I should look into and are the wireless options worth looking at or do they have delay issues?
I feel that a strong lead cable that comes with a warranty will be my best bet. I play a lot with distortion and also with a more clean sound.
Thanx for taking time reading this, be well Brother!
Beginner here. My amp is a Marshall Code 50. I tried a lot of the beginner amps and this is the one I landed on. It does have a bunch of presets (I think 100), but luckily I have built up the habit of learning the riff first, and finding the tone secondly. I think it is a great option for beginners. As your videos say, find your purpose of playing and have fun; Jimmy Page was my inspiration so I spent a little bit more money on the Marshall Code 50.
Roland Cubes are decent ones with onboard effects and amp models as well.
They are good. However, it is more geared to professionals. It also unlike many amps requires a decent amount of control to really use properly.
Roland Cube, Vox valvetronix, and those little fenders that do allot of the same stuff, amp modeling/on board effects. You'll never get bored and start off sounding good and learning about effects basics. But watch out with those Roland...min cubes? I want to call 'em? If you have a guitar with high output pickups it'll cut out (like TURN OFF) at "high volume" (It's not THAT high when it does it) I hooked up this warbeast to one of those here and there because me and my girlfriend had two guitars (my gretcsh, and her B.C Rich) and two amps, one being that tiny Roland, and if we wanted to jam that was it, anyway, THAT we found out quick.
Everybody, not just beginners NEEDS a headphone jack. Unless you live out in the woods by yourself working on your manifesto.
It always seems like the urge to play hits at 2 AM... yet I'm still married. Love headphones!
I started back playing after a 35 year "life" break when I randomly won a Dean Vendetta starter pack. I was so disappointed with the amp and it was discouraging.
I stumbled upon Guitar Rig online and downloaded it. I took a 1/4"-1/8" adapter and just plugged it in to my PC and was jamming with good tones right away.
No interface at all just choose a style and go! It was the most inspiring thing that kept me on path and motivated! I have since upgraded it to Bias Amp and Bias FX and have 8 "Real" amps as well and 30 guitars. lol The guitar needed work too and I have since become a Luthier and started a business out of it. I can just imagine where i would be without the inspiration of the good tones i found with a free downloaded app..... and little to no investment!
PS - I like how in both of these videos you avoided brand shaming!
I started out with a Line 6 Spider IV which my dad got when he tried learning guitar and his old Hamer Duotone (that his teacher gave to him for free for some reason). A year and a bit later I moved onto a Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister 36 combo which I got on sale
The ROLAND CUBE series is one of my go to recommendations for beginnerplayers.
JCM800 with a Marshall 1960 cab and a super fuzz pedal is a wonderful starter setup
I'm using a blackstar ID core 20. Love it, no interface needed to add chorus, delay, etc. Can also download premade patches to replicate a certain artists sound. 250 cad is what I payed
Awesome vid. Thanks. Fir someone new to amps and electric guitar.... having a hard time finding speaker cable compared to instrument/guitar cable. How can i tell the difference?
Thanks
Robb
For all beginners who really want a kemper/axefxish setup I highly suggest looking into the avid eleven rack. They're really cheap at Sweetwater and they give you a bunch of options. They're made by the company who makes protools and they're built incredibly solid.
But the 11rack is a ten year old modeller.
@@monstercadaver it's still more capable than a lot of amps in it's price range. They use a lot of the same models in the newer headrush series. It was really ahead of it's time. It's got really solid models and most of the effects that you could ever want. I think they were 200 bucks with a 2 year warranty. Pretty hard to beat
I use a blackstar fly 3 its only a 3w amp but it sounds great with headphones and it actuallly sounds good without....it does have distortion but when i want effects and drums i just patch in my old boss micro br portable studio....i have alot of fun playing on that combo and everytjing fits into my gig bag when im done.....does anyone else like the Blackstar fly 3?
I have a Peavey 5150 60w combo amp upstairs...which I almost never use because it's too loud. I use my Blackstar Fly3 amp 99.99% of the time. I plug my pedalboard in, and use headphones, and it sounds pretty darn good. I also plug my phone it to play along with tracks/CZcams/whatever. Great amp!
I got a 6505+ with cab at 17 as a present. I drove my parents insane, I couldn't get a good tone. and I spent more time fiddling with the knobs than playing, it was so loud my ears would be ringing and I just couldn't figure out how to get the "Gojira" tone I was after. 12 years later l bought a les paul special 2 at a pawn and a Blackstar fly 3. I could not believe how much technology has advanced that I could get a chugging distortion sound and guitar for less than $200.
Love all your lessons keep em coming .I am practicing more than ever.
My first amp was a Crate GX15. Came with eq and 2 channels clean and overdrive that was switched with a button on the front. Had headphone jack and speaker output. Decent sounds at least I thought it was 25 years ago.
Screw headphones, make the people you are annoying appreciate how good you become so they know not to complain when your playing actually sounds good
Ritchie Blackmore said it better when asked about parents buying Strats and Marshalls to their kids or something like that: "Learning to play with a big amplifier is like trying to control an elephant.
"
Great vid as usual man!!!
Yeah. Beginners are just gonna fuck up their hearing with a big amp
@@mikeimmonen6619 Same with using head phones. Nothing wrong with a Yamaha THR10. Loud enough to embarrass myself without being too loud to be cringe worthy.
I have recently come back to electric guitar. Have only been playing on an acoustic for years. I tried a ton of different amps out for my setup. I ended up with the Orange Crush 12. It's a tiny amp, simple to use, and has a beautiful range of tones that can be coaxed from it. Plus headphone jack! I highly recommend it.
Great advice, as always Robert. The Katana's are great. I have also been impressed with the low-end Blackstars. In fact, I got a Blackstar Fly (1 Watt!) to travel with and most true beginners could get by just fine with that or a Boss Mini.
I remember when I first started playing guitar, when I bought my first electric guitar, I didn’t have an amp for 3 years. When I did finally get an amp, it was a Peavey 5150 half stack. A few years later, the amp was stolen and I didn’t get another tube amp until 2013, which died last year and was replaced by my first Marshall tube amp. This is almost 30 years of guitar playing. Pretty sad, I know.
Fender Mustang amp. 30 settings, tuner, headphone jack, and lightweight. 10/10 would recommend.
I really enjoy a LOT of the practice amps with effects I've tried! Really great sounds and fun effects. The Peavey Vyper 1 VIP 20 has AMAZING univibe!! And I love the chorus in it too... seems to use a little longer delay time which gives a BIG lush sound! I also have a Fender Cyber Champ with is super sweet!!
I started on one of those digital line6 modelling amps, at the beginning of this year I decided to graduate to a tube amp with a few distortion pedals... and while I absolutely love the sounds I'm getting out of it, I have two thoughts on the process--
One, I'm overall still glad I started on the spider. Because if I'd started with a setup like I'm using now I wouldn't have been able to play anything. With the analog amp I hear every tiny noise my instrument makes -- with distortions turned on, even moreso -- and if I hadn't already learned over the past four years to control my playing, the only thing I'd be able to sound like is a sonic disaster area. Coming to this setup now, after those four years, has helped me improve by leaps and bounds after I set it up -- it's been a great way to improve my technique in general because of how it rewards me for getting it right. But if I was coming at it with no practice and no technique, I'd just be frustrated.
Two, and kind of the opposite perspective -- I never realized exactly how much my playing had improved over the last four years until I stopped using the spider. The types of sounds I was getting from it were certainly fun to play, but the quality of the sound and the effects wasn't good enough to really hear myself. So I kinda tricked myself into thinking I was playing at a much lower level than I actually was. And the other part of the reason I've improved so much more this year is that with the new setup I can get a much better gauge of what I'm really capable of, and I'm more able to challenge myself because of that.
So, while I think it definitely is a good idea for a beginner to start on an amp that can kinda do everything, it's probably not a bad idea to "graduate" yourself to something else sooner rather than later. I think this is where computer-based stuff really shines, because it's cheap -- I spent about six months using Neural DSP plugins in my DAW in between the spider and getting my current setup, and that was what showed me how far I'd come in a way the old setup couldn't, and convinced me it was time to invest in a better one. Especially if you're learning without a teacher, while the most important thing at the start is having fun, eventually it does become equally important to accurately hear what you sound like.
And I missed out on that part for the longest time...
What do you think about the fender champion 20 amp?
A really good starter amp is the Roland Cube 20 or 40GX. They sound as good as anything out there, loads of great effects and tough as nails.
True. My friend owns a guitar store so I could by amps for cheap,but Im sticking with my Cube 20x. Great for living room player:)
But they are discontinued, to make way for the katana.
@@monstercadaver Yes but's there's plenty on the used market so far.
True that. I have a Cube 30
I've played for 10 years and currently own a Boss Katana 50. I smiled when you mentioned it. Good job on the video and helping beginners!
My first guitar gear that I bought in 1991 was a Carvin DC200C, an ADA Microtube 100, A Rocktron mAXE, an ART DR-X for effects, and two ADA Split Stack cabinets loaded with two 50 Watt Celestions each. I was in the army and no bills and cash burning a hole in my pocket. It was all about the rack units back then. Now I have a PRS MT15 and a board with about 12 pedals on it. I take a Roland Cube Lite with me when I travel. That is a great little practice amp. I tried a Katana Air, but I sent it back because it sounded like a transistor radio. I dream of buying a Landry LS100G3. The new Marshall Studio Classic, which is basically a 20 watt JCM800, looks awesome too. No matter how much gear you get, or how good it is, you’re always dreaming of the next purchase. It was great to see you again at NAMM, Robert.
Been using a peavey vypyr tube 60 since the beginning. Love the hell out of the amp, just wish the built-in noise gate was better.
Gotta say, that p-90 les paul in the beginning sounded damn good
Loved this vid and your one on guitars for beginners to avoid. I appreciate your balanced and positive take. Subscribed!
For a practice amp, I use a little Blackstar ID Core 10 watt. I was blown away by how good the thing sounded for the size. Perfect bedroom amp.
I was thinking that "computer amps/effects" would be best for beginners, because they can have metronomes and beats built into whatever program they are using, also, most people have at least a laptop, and a cheap plug & play will get you up and running... but then again, most likely beginners won't need all the other stuff till they get the basics...
And you can just torrent everything
@@olala398 you don't need to torrent, go to splice, and rent to own... or look up free vst's
I have to say that the extra steps involved even though they seem minimal can just make me want to play unplugged. Also even though it's not exactly the same thing, I have seen that only having a midi keyboard instead of an actual one makes me never play the piano. Simplicity always makes practicing easier imo
Also a lot of practice amps have aux inputs nowadays which you could just play a back track or metronome through
@@MaDshowonhere I'd say it's still the best option for people who are tech savvy
I started with a second hand rolan cube, 40 quid from cash converters, honestly one of the best starter amps imo, still bust it out ever now and again
Lol cash converters you from n.l ?
@@andrewdenine1685 england
My first and only amp is a Fender Champion 100. I bought it when I visited the States for the first time and I had money from my relatives. It was massive so getting it on the airplane was actually shocking how it went by simply. It's still the thing I keep using because it is loaded with effects and different voicings but it was extremely overwhelming when I first had it.
Love the bugera v5 Is a tube combo amp. Can be set to 5 watts, 1 w, or 0.1w. With headphone jack and can be used as a head unit and plugged into a cabinet. Super versatile, sound great and for $200 can’t beat it.
I've had AXE FX, Kemper, Friedman, ect...
I play my Yamaha THR10X
More than anything.
I got myself a no thrills Marshall MG15r just a basic two channel 15w practice amp with reverb. Works well for this 56 year old beginner.
Beginner or experienced, you're gonna want to have reverb, if you don't have an analog delay pedal or multi effect. Dry amp doesn't sound "alive."
@@pekkatervala8476 It helps to fully read the comment before commenting...................It Has Reverb.!!
@@UncleTerry I emphasized it's importance. I got it and I also have a MG15R.
Love the video as a begginner I love nu metal like saliva which Im really getting into and I also live Albert King and his blues licks. Good all rounder would you suggest the katana and whats a good middle range guitar to go for?
Great video!! What amp model are you playing through in the intro? Sick, sick tone!
(in the #1 part, not actually intro))
My favorite starter/practice amp is the Blackstar ID:Core 10. 10 watts, stereo speakers, 6 voices and like 10 or so effects. But there’s no screen or no need to hook it to a computer to get your sound. Everything is easy to access from the dials on the panel. It sounds great and the stereo speakers give it a big sound at lower volumes. Like $119 new. I have no reason to buy another one, but I’m always tempted.
I have the Core 20 my only complain is that there is a lot of hiss and it can't to High gain very well, planning to get a boss katana 50 in the future
I had the 10. It’s a great sounding little amp
I have the 20 watt version and I love it. The amp sounds are great and so are the effects.
@@_vez I have that amp too and I don't have either of those issues. I don't have a lot of hiss and I get great high gain sounds out of it. I wonder if you just might have a bad amp.
Tell me if Im wrong but I have a Blackstar ID Core Stereo 10 V2 and I still think its an amazing bigginer / practice amp.
it is one of the best imho
Thanks! this video is still useful in 2022, I'm just starting my guitar journey, shopping for an amp is a nightmare, guitar shopping was fun in comparison got a Jackson JS32 on the way! Thinking a Orange Crush 20RT is my best bet, it's a good price and everyone seems to like it.
I like your relaxed, experienced opinions. I have a Vox Valvetronix 20 and I think it has been a fantastic starting amp for me. It has no ground, so there is a little hiss and buzz, but otherwise at $179 it has a lot of fun options to learn with.
I agree 100 percent on staying away from Amp Simulator software as a beginner. I feel like on Amp Sims, your always searching for the "real" tone. You spend more time messing with the software then playing. At least with my experience. 3 knob amp FTW. Plug and play baby.
A great little amp I had for years that was brilliant for practice and finding my sound, was the Vox VT30.
It had 22 different amp models, 3 modes for each up them, song presents, effected tones and standard tones.
But you could also use each amp manually.
You could save 2 banks of 4 presents, and switch them with a footswitch...
16 fx, attenuation from 30 watts to 0.5watts, and a 10 inch speaker I think... and it had a 12ax7 in power section to puah the speaker in a valve like fashion...
As complicated as that seems, it meant I could look for what I liked, I found out that I always enjoyed the AC15 presets, not even the AC30 ones, I liked the 15 overdriven... and clean qise I loved the bright tweed twangy sounds as well as the deep, rich Marshall ones..... but I didn't like lots of gain, the high gain I didn't bother with, th3y were fun sometimes but it could very easily turn to mush and didn't get heard when jamming along to a song unless I cranked it to too loud....
Great amp, loved it, they go for stupid low prices now and really should be worthy of higher reverence as practice amps....
I have the VT40+, same set up but 40w version. Packed with features, as you say the Tweed setting (Cali Clean) is good, and likewise I prefer the AC15 to the AC30 setting. I explored every amp model and preset (99), created 8 user programs, but ended up just using it in Manual, a bit of reverb, delay, compression to taste. Aux in, phones out, tap tempo, power attenuator, optional foot switch to select user programs, pedal effect, reverb, delay, tap tempo. I now prefer the simpler 15W Fender Super Champ XD.
I remember the GDEC! Just new to me recently, the NUX Mighty Lite BT. I would recommend that one to beginners. Has built in drums tracks and a metronome
One of the first amps i started using and still use to this day. Is my dads Orange Crush 12 combo amp. I dont have an amp when i play at home. But when i visit my dad i use it a bit and it sounds great with my Stratocaster knock off, and my dads Hohner G3T headless which is what i usually play when i visit. Its a really great small, affordable amp. And the distortion and gain sounds 👌. Its only about 1ft high and long. But its stupidly loud. But its a little heavy, Bout 6kg. Great for beginners. It has a Headphone jack, Low, Mid, And High volume/distortion/gain boosters. It has a overdrive knob, a volume knob, and gain knob. Then theres the input, duh. Overall its a great amp that doesnt need pedals to sound good.
My parents had to hear every bad note I played. Lmao 😂
Young players / beginners have so much choice these days at all price points ! Great advice 👍
My two favourites are the Epiphone Valve Junior and Valve Special. My daughter started with the Valve Junior and still has it 15 years later. The Valve Special is still doing service daily. Cheap and cheerful.
Hey Robert whats your thought on the Orange micro terra and micro dark as they have a tube preamp and hybrid if your on a budget and when you upgrade they make a great spare that fits into your gig bag and has fx loop and headphone jack to get more adjustments you can run a 7 band EQ through the fx loop i have a micro dark its a cheap 20w head and very small runs 8 or 16 ohm so can run into a 4 x 12 or 2 x 12 miked also a boss mini katana
Before I picked up bass and dropped guitar I started with a squire strat and fender frontman 10g
Frontman 10g is a great little combo amp with overdrive and a headphone jack
Kango Roo my fender frontman 15g is coming on Monday as well as my epiphone les paul I switched from acoustic to electric and I’m so desperate to play it!
A good combo amp I recommend is a Marshall MG15 or MG10. The 10 is $50 and the 15 is $100. They’re smaller amps, but are simple to use. I own a MG15 and love it.
That point about the tube head is so true. A friend of mine started with an old self build tube head. When he got it, nearly all tubes were busted. The guy who build it, took massively oversized transformers and you could mount a whole lot of different tubes. The old ones were very low wattage and replacements were extremely expensive. So he went for cheap and powerful sovtecs. The old four speakers were damaged and would have needed a recone, so he opted for new highly efficent neo-dym speakers. He went from around 50W for the head and 60W for the speakers, to 300W for the head and 600W for the speakers. That monstrosity was loud as hell and ultra clean until you reached deafenings volumes of sound. The guy who helped us, was radio amateur. He knew a lot of tubes but nothing about guitar amps and he was quite proud about how clean and high-fidelity the amp was, after he helped us with bias and such things. Nowadays one would say: What a nice plattform for pedals. But the pedals, he could get his hands on, did not made the sound he wanted.
I'm a big fan of the Vox Valvetronix. You can get a VT20+ for like $100, probably less now days. It's a hybrid with a tube main power section, 30 watts, 8" speaker... Cleans up nice but still gets plenty loud if you need it to. Plus you can add a 4 button footswitch to control the various effects, or you can assign presets to them.
When I really started practicing in earnest, I was using a Vox amplug. So much better than plugging into an amp because you can actually walk around and pretend you're on the stage. Haha!
You are totally right about starter amps. I had a fender frontman 15 watts and it was awfull because the clean wasn't very good but the distortion was even worse because when you turned it on, it sounded like there were thousands of bees in the amp. And the distortion was very cheap and thinn sounding.
Ben Hackett im an intermediate guitar player and i sill have my frontman 15 and you are correct they can get decent tones if you tweak the eq
@Ben Hackett well, that's how you can sound if you're a great player like Johan
i’m an intermediate as well, i started on the 15 watt and moved up to the 212r because i loved the sound so much. the 15 watt has a very nice clean tone for the price and size of the amp, while the distortion of ran up to 5 sounds amazing.
@@dumbdickler670 Any amp can be made to sound good. A good player can make anything sound great.
I have an optimus mps45 amp. The distortion kills me but still worth it (:
Fender Mustang V2 what I started out with, was gifted it by my older brother :,) Good starter amp imho
It may be a little too powerful for many beginners, but I just got a 100-watt Fender Mustang III v2, (not the newer GT series which hasn't received stellar reviews), and I'm loving it. Great tones AND editable from its on-amp display- very convenient. Lots of functionality. Can find them used for less than a new katana 50.
Please make a video on best amp combos\head+cabs for around 1000$ + - for intermediate players please? Thanks!
תנסה את הבוס קאטנה הוא מעולה.
גם המרשל dsl.
@@user-rp7fx6gt3m ניסיתי את שניהם, נשמעו טוב ביוטיוב אבל לא כל כך טוב כשניסיתי אותם בחנות. רגע, איך ידעת שאני ישראלי? חחח
גם מגברים של אורנג' ;-)
Get a joyo bantamp if you want something small and portable with whatever cab with speakers you like
@@yonikup2865 קודם כל קוראים לך יוני.
וראיתי בערוץ שלך תגובות בעברית
Get a cheap crate combo like the rest of us knuckle draggers had to. 150$ max
Haha that's funny when I got my first crate 212 I thought I was a god lol
I had a crate half stack! Long live crate!!
@@williambutler3335 a cr-212? I had one of those, it was awesome. I loved kicking it real hard and hearing the reverb make a huge racket. Lol.
The Crate 212 combo oh yeah heavy and loud but solid and cheap.
If you dial back on the distortion and use a tube screamer you can achieve a pretty good tone! People would ask me if I was using a tube amp. I just told them it's that cheap Crate over there LOL
Robert, I have a Fender Bassbreaker 15 combo. I’m interested in buying a 2x12 extension cab for it and don’t know what to look for exactly. I know you have to know what ohm cab to get, other than that I don’t want to buy the bassbreaker Cab because of cost. Any good cabs you can recommend that are reasonable and the speakers aren’t going to sound worse than just the 1x12. I have a Katana 50. I’d like to sell it and upgrade to the head and the 2x12 cab made for it. I think they make good speakers but don’t know about using it as an extension cab for a tube amp. I’d like to be able to use 2x12 for both amps and any it would work with in the future.
I love my pocket pod from line-6. It has just enough effects to keep things interesting. With headphone or in front of a crummy combo pack amp, it sounds great. I have thousands of dollars worth of gear but for plucking the strings in my bedroom I love that little red bean.
The worst amp for beginner guitarists is a car stereo amp.
daniel castle but dude you can get that burzum tone man!
Volkswagen did it in the mid 2000s
Roland Jazz Chorus for a good death metal sound.
But it has no distortion
@@trollystudios243 r/whoosh
Light and portable too!
That's why the next investment is gonna be the metal zone
I just found your channel and subscribed. Seems like you're going to have a lot of good info, plus you're a hell of a musician. I'm just starting out, so I bypassed the starter kit. I bought a Rogue Rocketeer 100, and a Joyo Jam Buddy. Am I going to regret this? Thanks 🤘