So the wife surprised me with an Ibanez Artcore AS93 for my birthday.
I haven't played an electric guitar for over 20 years (I've played plenty of acoustic guitars) and have no idea about amps and stuff. I'm not going to play gigs or anything. I'll play for fun and usually play alone.
I thought about getting an Apogee Jam http://www.amazon.com/Apogee-JAM-96k-Professional-Quality/dp/B00H02C9TG/ , and play through my Mac and headphones.
I was told by a guitar salesman at Sam Ash not to do this, as there's a delay. I don't want to break the bank and I don't want an amp that I have to crank up really loud for it to sound good.
Any recommendations?
Look for a used Fender Blues Jr....Not the greatest amp in the world but they have plenty of power for Bedroom use....a lot of guys will gig with them in smaller clubs....you can find them used for about 300 - 350
They're a nice little tube amp 15watts 12" speaker
Hey, I love my Blues Junior! 15 watts with reverb - under (or around) $500.00!
If your not a purist (tube snob) and just looking for a good practice amp, you might consider one of the Roland Cube models or even a Pignose.
I've used one of the Roland Cubes (forget which - they make several models) and found that they were pretty danged alright for pickin' around the house. The one I tried even had some modeling features (over drive, phase etc).
I had a recent model Pignose for a while, but the one I had crapped out and was suckin' the batteries dead in no time. I spoke with the folks at Pignose and they assured me that this was most certainly a bad specimen. I might seek one out again someday.
I also have a 15 watt solid state Marshall (forget the model). No reverb is the main drawback. It has a Hendrix button (overdrive - I call it a Hendrix button), but the "crunch" is a little too distorted for my taste. I think the clean setting is great - I use it as an acoustic amp. Got it on sale for right around $100.00.
Little bedroom amp with lots of different tones that can be tweaked through the software.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Mustang1V2
I'm very pleased with the 2 very affordable but excellent amps:
Roland micro cube
Orange Crush
You won't be unhappy.While it doesn't have the big name like Fender or Marshall these are versatile and have great sound.
Good luck!
Thanks!!!
I have had Blues Juniors in the past and have nothing against them, but I think I would agree to go with the Fender Mustang. They are cheaper, have a variety of sounds, and sound pretty darn good for what they are.
My two cents.
I wish you luck and congrats on having a great wife. Maybe she could Skype with my girlfriend before my next birthday...just a fleeting thought.
Blooby
I jokingly put the guitar on my Amazon wishlist (only because there were no PRS on amazon) and kidding around with her.
She got it for my 40th.
I don't deserve either, but I'm glad I got both.
I have a Peavey Solo, which is a small solid state 15 watt awp with an eight inch speaker. Has a nice warm clean sound. Has no modeling or effects other than distortion. It sounds good with my humbuckers and P90 pickup SG's. You can find one new for $75.00.
[Edited on 6/9/2015 by njpaulc]
