Can anyone reccomend me a good practice amp?

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mark_atdimark_atdi Frets: 11
Looking for a new amp to practice with and I wondered if anyone had any suggestions. At the moment I use a Laney hcm65 but recently it has started to have a few reliability problems. Never really been blown away by the way it sounds either. So I'm wondering if I can get something smaller which sounds better. 

I won’t be using it for gigging so was thinking something around the 15-20w range would be suitable. Maybe one in the Orange Crush range? That’s my only idea so far. I know very little about amps…

Some background which may be relevant – I use a Michael Kelly Patriot Custom guitar and like to play music by The Queens of the Stone Age, Mastodon, and The Mars Volta to name a few bands. In terms of budget preferably I’d like something under £100.

Biyang & Caline pedals plus other inexpensive gear:

SpartanMusic.co.uk

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Comments

  • The Blackstar ID Core range is pretty good. 

    If you've got the budget, or go used, you might even get a Blackstar TVP.  These do sound bigger and better, but the ID Core is still really good, I was very impressed - ask @monquixote for a comparison to THR amps. 


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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16328
    For the rock end of things Blackstar would be the obvious call.
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • Thanks, I'll take a look at them! Would there actually be any difference between the 10w and 20w Blackstar in terms of sound if I was playing them at the same volume? As I mentioned, I don't need that much volume, but would the 10w sound as good as the 20w? Or does the different speaker size matter?

    Biyang & Caline pedals plus other inexpensive gear:

    SpartanMusic.co.uk

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  • Another thumbs up for the ID core range. I've had the 10 and the 20. Both excellent. Great as practice amps. Amazing sound that makes you want to practice :)


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  • Awesome thanks guys, I'll probably get the 10 or 20 ID core :)

    Biyang & Caline pedals plus other inexpensive gear:

    SpartanMusic.co.uk

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  • Col_DeckerCol_Decker Frets: 2188
    I was about to start this very same thread!!! Whats the current wisdom regarding valve practise amps? Are they still too loud to be neighbour / kids asleep upstarirs friendly? 

    Ed Conway & The Unlawful Men - Alt Prog Folk: The FaceBook and The SoundCloud

     'Rope Or A Ladder', 'Don't Sing Love Songs', and 'Poke The Frog'  albums available now - see FaceBook page for details

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  • nickpnickp Frets: 183
    The Blackstar ID Core range is pretty good. 

    If you've got the budget, or go used, you might even get a Blackstar TVP.  These do sound bigger and better, but the ID Core is still really good, I was very impressed - ask @monquixote for a comparison to THR amps. 


    +1.  got ID core 20 for a shade over £100.  presets are OK for practice, sound is OK, mp3 playback is good.  headphone out.  what else could you want?  i can't be arsed to feck about programming it so just use the preset cleans and od channels
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  • nickpnickp Frets: 183
    edited January 2015
    nickp said:
    The Blackstar ID Core range is pretty good. 

    If you've got the budget, or go used, you might even get a Blackstar TVP.  These do sound bigger and better, but the ID Core is still really good, I was very impressed - ask @monquixote for a comparison to THR amps. 


    +1.  got ID core 20 for a shade over £100.  presets are OK for practice, sound is OK, mp3 playback is good.  headphone out.  what else could you want?  i can't be arsed to feck about programming it so just use the preset cleans and od channels

    I tried the yamaha thr as well - didn't see what I got for an extra £100 other than a small lunchbox that would look better on the sideboard.

    I wish they would incorporate a simple drum machine and metronome app on the amp

    I found the sound on the ID20 significantly better than the 10 probably coz of the speaker size which justified the extra £20 expense 

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  • chrisj1602chrisj1602 Frets: 4055
    Orange have just announced an upgraded Crush range so might be worth checking those out.

    There is also the Micro Terror.  Sounds great on this demo...


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  • monquixotemonquixote Frets: 17852
    tFB Trader
    The ID Core is a very good amp for the money. I think it's worth the extra £20 for the 20 watter

    I wrote quite a long review here:
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