Total newbie - which amp if I buy a Boss me-80 multifx?

Ungulate

As it says above, looking at a Boss ME-80 to access loads of fx cheaply. What kind of practice amp would you guys recommend?

Was looking at Yamaha THR but this seems unnecessary as the Boss would handle fx and all the modelling stuff on the Yamaha would be duplicating things?

Got maybe £300 to use on the amp, help me guys? Just getting into rock/indie on electric guitar after a few years of acoustic.....or maybe no Boss at all, start collecting pedals? Looks a bit daunting.

bencowling81

Maybe consider a Boss Katana 100 which is then compatible with the GAFC foot switch. Total outlay <£400. More than enough effects for indie/rock built in to the amp so might not need the ME80. You can also add an expression pedal. 

ICBM

I’d get the ME-80 - you get far more for your money than with individual pedals, and zero hassle with cabling and power supplies etc.

For an amp, I think you’re right to avoid a modelling amp as it duplicates some of that unnecessarily - I would go for a good quality, simple analogue amp, probably solid state since most valve amps in that price range are a bit on the small and boxy-sounding side, which is not what you need for a multi-FX really - but I wouldn’t rule it out, there are some reasonable ones in the 5W range. Hard to recommend a specific one without knowing how big, loud etc you need, or what basic type of sounds you like - there’s quite a big difference between (eg) Fender and Orange sounds.

Ungulate

Cheers, looking at 20-30 Watts, could go higher, definitely thinking quality analogue amp with an ME 80

Ungulate

Right a mate has leant me an old Marshall valvestate, I've bought the ME-80, looking very tempting that Katana 100 Mk2, pity  the 50 doesn't take the GAFC footswitch.

ICBM

Ungulate said:

Right a mate has leant me an old Marshall valvestate, I've bought the ME-80, looking very tempting that Katana 100 Mk2, pity  the 50 doesn't take the GAFC footswitch.

The Marshall will sound *miles* better.

TTony

I've had a similar journey, although not via the same points.

My main learning is that a clean amp is much better at showing what a pedal is doing than an amp which has a particular character, or a load of in-built effects.  Unless, of course, the tone you're trying to achieve is reliant on that particular character!

Until I'd made that realisation - the clean amp - I'd dismissed many pedals  as "not doing very much".  With hindsight because the impact of the pedal was being suffocated by the amp.

I've ended up with an ME-80, and a very few other pedals, and a (re-cabbed) FBJ3.  The amp is way too loud for what I need, but it works as a great contrast to, and platform for, the pedal sounds.    It amplifies the sound of the guitar/pedal combination, rather than changing that sound into something else.  You can always add effect to clean and create the sound you want.  It's hard to achieve that same sound if you've got to start by removing effect from the amp.

Ungulate

The valvestate is very tatty, looking at Blackstar HT5R Mk2, Laney supercub (prob too loud, according to my other half ) or even Vox  AC4C 1-12, decided it's valves, and probably 5W max 

ICBM

The Laney has a volume control .

The AC4C1-12 is nice - the VX12 speaker isn’t brilliant, but the choice of much better 12” speakers is very wide compared to 10”s.

Ungulate

ICBM said:

The Laney has a volume control  

Ungulate

Have nabbed a virtually brand new Blackstar HT5R mk2 for £310 off eBay, sorted!

Voxman

I was going to add that if you want just fx the ME80 is perfect. But if you want amp modelling, then it's not the ME80s strong point.