Your next amp

[Hink]

I like the idea of your own pedals, placed on the list for sure. Like I said, I never cared for DOD or Digitech but this one is different. I do not like fuzz, I like overdrive in the amp and hitting the pre-amp tubes with enough boost to excite the tubes, in the past I have used both an mxr 6 band noisEQ and an Ibanez EQ pedal. The Digitech is nice when the level is cranked but the gain is very low (or zero), the two channel tone controls help give it that overall clear, crisp overdrive...now, will it last?

[davidka]

Opinions about the Fender Frontman 212R?

[robogone]

Not sure my next 'amp' will actually be an amp. I've been thinking of getting hold of a couple of Sansamp boxes, one for guitar and one for bass.

I haven't played one, but I've heard the results of playing through one and they sound pretty good - not sure it's easy to tell it isn't an amp, particularly for bass.

Mostly thinking of that because it will be easier for recording.

[Hink]

Opinions about the Fender Frontman 212R?

solidstate

[bluelife]

Opinions about the Fender Frontman 212R?

solidstate

Yep, solid state, but bloody brilliant for the money, and even the distorted channel sounds fine. But I have a tonelab anyway.

I use it with the band, during rehearsals I can't turn it up higher than 2, otherwise I drown the drums.

This really is a very good amp for the money. Only the knobs are a bit cheap (he said knob)

richard

[robogone]

I have a tonelab anyway.

What do you think of it? I've only ever listened to demos online and that gives you no idea of what it really sounds like.

It's on my "if I had the money right now" list, as I like the idea of it - I've heard a few of those non-valve amps with a valve somewhere in them and they're variable quality. I much preferred the Vox ones to the Line6 ones that I heard.

[bluelife]

I have a tonelab anyway.

What do you think of it? I've only ever listened to demos online and that gives you no idea of what it really sounds like.

It's on my "if I had the money right now" list, as I like the idea of it - I've heard a few of those non-valve amps with a valve somewhere in them and they're variable quality. I much preferred the Vox ones to the Line6 ones that I heard.

I like it, although I haven't had it too long. It's the ST for €179.

I have set it up with pairs of sounds clean / distorted.
It's pretty small, but the amp sounds I find are really good, give it a try, you can always return it.
A friend of mine in Vienna has one too, and he's a fussy old sod - and he loves it:)

cheers

Richard

[robogone]

What do you play it through? My problem with the online demos is that I just can't hear what it would sound like through a large cab as that doesn't really come over in the compressed demos that I've heard.

I think it sounds pretty good, but it's hard to do a mental comparison to a real amp when listening to it.

[bluelife]

The Fender Frontman 212R, as mentioned above:) It has 2x12" 100W transistor.

It sounds pretty crap over my AKG270s though.

[bluelife]

What do you play it through? My problem with the online demos is that I just can't hear what it would sound like through a large cab as that doesn't really come over in the compressed demos that I've heard.

I think it sounds pretty good, but it's hard to do a mental comparison to a real amp when listening to it.

I found this demo ok, the sound is not bad:

[Hink]

Opinions about the Fender Frontman 212R?

solidstate

Yep, solid state, but bloody brilliant for the money, and even the distorted channel sounds fine. But I have a tonelab anyway.

I use it with the band, during rehearsals I can't turn it up higher than 2, otherwise I drown the drums.

This really is a very good amp for the money. Only the knobs are a bit cheap (he said knob)

richard

please forgive me for this because I do not mean to come off as a snob, 'bloody brilliant for the money' and ''even the distortion channel sounds fine' are not very encouraging to me. Being loud is not a factor imo and usually a cry of desperation. If I'm in a band situation and I want loud I'm not going with a 300 dollar 2x12 and all one has to do is to try and compete with a decent tube halfstack to understand the difference between 'loud' and 'volume'.

Saying "on two it drowns out the drums" to me can be a negative point, not positive. Now I'm all for sims, I never put them down and have quite a few tbh...they have their place and I would not trade or sell any of them. But there are very few solidstate amps that I find useful for my style (leaving out modeling amps as that's kinda apples/oranges) and the Frontman series just like any other solidstate amps do not have the character I want from a physical amp. Like you said, you have a tonelab, I have an xt live and a pod 2.0, both can be hooked up to my 400 watt power amp into my 4x12 and they will be plenty loud and sound good. The Frontman (which I use to sell the smaller ones as well as peavey and all the rest) sounds like a manufactured sound (actually it is a manufactured sound), not a produced tone and trust me there is a huge difference. Personally I find solidstate to sound plastic and artificial while tube amps interact with my playing and volume. IMO tube amps fill the room with tone, solidstate just plays to whatever volume it can reach.

100 watt 2x12 vs a lower powered tube amp pushing a 2x12 both are likely to be capable of drowning out the drums (why I think just saying it's loud can be a negative thing as it's a fairly moot point). The difference is how much air it moves, how it interacts with the rest of the band...not how loud it is. Watts are about power, not volume. Another key feature is tubes are microphonic which is part of the tone I personally seek, like I said the tone is produced...not manufactured.

We live in a world where bigger is better and with music this has always been so with many, but I have sat in with musicians using 18 watt Marshalls and no one was complaining about the volume...but I myself have drooled over the tone. A nice big 2x12 combo amp with a black face and the name Fender on it looks great, might impress your friends some and sure is a lot of bang for short money. Just as is a cap pistol with a lot of rolls of caps, a lot of bang for short money.

But I don't just want to hear it, I want to feel it, I want it to feel me. The Frontman 2x12 is imo (and remember this is just my opinion based on my desires and yours and that of others could and should vary) is a bigger toy than the frontman amps that come with the squire packs, it's a good first amp, but in no way a substitute for a decent tube amp even if that tube amp is rated at 1/4 the power...at least not if I plan on working that amp and getting my tones

Note, there are some very good solidstate amps that are meant for clean playing and acoustic guitars but this is not what I'm talking about nor do I feel it is what the intended purpose of the Frontman amps are. The 2x12 has a lot of features, all of which it does okay or as you put it 'sounds fine'. When I plug into my amp I am not hoping for 'okay' or 'sounds fine'...I'm looking for 'outstanding'...otherwise I will go with my PODs, my sims or better still VANDAL. VANDAL is going to feel like an amp, the PODs and sims are going to have all the sounds the Frontman has to offer and then some.

Again just my opinion and as susiwong says YMMV

[davidka]

Then please suggest a nice non-valve amp under $350. Overpowering drums is not a requirement, but it'd pose a great plus. I'd use it with my Ibanez TS7. It should be versatile enough to practice anything which a beginner guitarist would want to learn. I'd need an amp to detach my guitar from PC. I think that LePou's amps with a Recabinet demo would sound better than a Line6 or Peavey modeler amp's high-gain preset.

ps.: Opinions about Carlsbro amps?

[Hink]

Then please suggest a nice non-valve amp under $350. Overpowering drums is not a requirement, but it'd pose a great plus. I'd use it with my Ibanez TS7. It should be versatile enough to practice anything which a beginner guitarist would want to learn. I'd need an amp to detach my guitar from PC. I think that LePou's amps with a Recabinet demo would sound better than a Line6 or Peavey modeler amp's high-gain preset.

ps.: Opinions about Carlsbro amps?

well if a non valve (or non tube as we say in the land of twisted english) is what you are after then probaly the Frontman 212R is a good choice. YMMV but I just do not care for solidstate amps and I honestly think that sims respond in a more realistic manner than most solidstate amps I have tried. One solidstae I liked was GKs, but now for me it's a dated sound...the same holds true for polytone amps, I had one for years but couldn't go back now.

I think it's important to mention that as far as distortion goes I do not like fuzz at all and much prefer overdriven tube circuits. I think this wiki link gives a good explanation why and the differences, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_amplifier remember in the end it's all about perception.

Please do not allow my preferences that are constantly evolving sway you from what you like and want...I'm not you and have no place judging your choice. I'm just giving you a piece of what I have picked up over the years. Sorry for just saying 'solidstate', that was a bit shallow and deserved a better explanation

[davidka]

Oh, d@mn Hink! Sorry but I mistook valve for solid-state. My bad, rare mistakes in rush. :S

I wanted to mean non-solidstate. So here's my post then

Then please suggest a nice non-solidstate amp under $350. Overpowering drums is not a requirement, but it'd pose a great plus. I'd use it with my Ibanez TS7. It should be versatile enough to practice anything which a beginner guitarist would want to learn. I'd need an amp to detach my guitar from PC. I think that LePou's amps with a Recabinet demo would sound better than a Line6 or Peavey modeler amp's high-gain preset.
ps.: Opinions about Carlsbro amps?

When dealing with ultra-high gain for metal, personally I prefer a warmer, dirtier distorted sound versus the wellknown fuzzy rectifier one I always find when watching demos of Mesa amps.

[Hink]

Oh, d@mn Hink! Sorry but I mistook valve for solid-state. My bad, rare mistakes in rush. :S

I wanted to mean non-solidstate. So here's my post then

Then please suggest a nice non-solidstate amp under $350. Overpowering drums is not a requirement, but it'd pose a great plus. I'd use it with my Ibanez TS7. It should be versatile enough to practice anything which a beginner guitarist would want to learn. I'd need an amp to detach my guitar from PC. I think that LePou's amps with a Recabinet demo would sound better than a Line6 or Peavey modeler amp's high-gain preset.
ps.: Opinions about Carlsbro amps?

When dealing with ultra-high gain for metal, personally I prefer a warmer, dirtier distorted sound versus the wellknown fuzzy rectifier one I always find when watching demos of Mesa amps.

according to Eric (Uncle E) at JRR the Jet City stuff is very nice, he has a 20 watt head at 249usd, a halfstack (with a single 12 cab at 349usd and a 1x12 combo at 299usd. On top of that he and others like the Eganter Tweaker for hi-gain which is about 399 I think, I have the Egnater Rebel that goes for 550 and I love it. Others really like the small 5 watt Blackstar

I don't know much about the carlsbro amps