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….I know that it often comes down to taste and sound ...and price of course, but …
Getting old and just returning to guitaring, got an old Fender twin in the corner gathering dust but it's too heavy to carry around anymore so it will remain as a beautiful ornament ! Looking for a not too heavy (say 20kg max) amp 40/50/60W, preferably 12" speaker but 10", will do to use at home and small gigging - it would be nice to have a second-hand bit battered one good all rounder as it will get kicked a bit and bounce about in the car.
Started to focus in on a Vox Valvetronix VT40+ or a Boss Katana 50, seeing a few 2nd hand, from some youtube comparisons and elsewhere but as soon as I warm to something then bang, some rubbish reviews appear - same with anything I want to buy these days !
I know I'm asking the same question as many before here but maybe a few comments on the above or any other suitable alternative would be much appreciated, and I will make a decision within 24 hours !!!! Not looking for the purest sound, but something rugged and maybe under £200 (maybe even under £100) second-hand, with street cred too ! Many thanks
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Not too heavy, good variety of tones.
I'd say Katana every time though for that budget.
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Just because you're paranoid, don't mean they're not after youAlso, what about the Orange Crush Pro CR60C? Well built and a used one would be about the right price.
If you like Fender type sounds then the Champion does pretty decent modelling of those sparkly Fendery cleans and is cheap as chips.
It's odd with gear reviews though - if you're like me you'll read a hundred good reviews and then be put off by one or two bad ones (which, if you think about it, is ridiculous). There will always be someone with an axe to grind or whose expectations aren't the same as yours. (It's even worse with TripAdvisor hotel and restaurant reviews!) Go and try a few and see what you like.
There is such an opportunity to pick up fairly priced used gear on here that you can often pick up something to try and if it's not for you lob it back out at minimal loss. I used to analyse reviews and demo vids of gear, now I get something used on here and give it a proper test myself.
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
Really appreciate all the great comments and advice - absolutely right that even when 100+ reviews you get a bit unbalanced by the odd one or two Mr Grumpeys ! My local scruffy fish'n'chip shop seems to have a (home made ???) trip advisor 5 star commendation ...somehow ! I think I will pop into my local guitar store (with my favourite guitar, not saying so no comments on that !) and plug into a few amps starting with the Boss Katana 50/100 and Fender Mustang III, and see if they have any Peaveys/Oranges for comparison too, and to try hard to stay within budget. Also feel now, I must dust the valves in my ten ton weight Fender Twin before firing that up for first time in 20(!) years, wait until the neighbours are out, and remind myself what that sounds like. It doesn't have a headphone socket, and when I said that to someone many years ago they rightfully replied 'bonkers, why the hell have you got an amp like that to be even thinking of putting head cans on'. I've not ever got involved with interfacing amps with computers before, but must get used to this new world as it seems has to be now ….
Anyway, many thanks all - great to be part of this supportive community ! Happy twanging ….
This process however can take a very long time before I'm sure. Much to the annoyance to some of the builders I've spoken to in the past
If you don't fancy carrying it anywhere, see if you can find a tech or someone who knows what they're doing who owns a Variac and can come around and power it up for you under controlled conditions - that will very often save filter caps which might otherwise have failed on the initial power-up, as well as being able to spot any other problems before they cause damage. It will then be safe to use regularly.
But it is worth getting it going again, they sound fabulous at low volume as well.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein