I just bought an electric, and I'd love to get a lot of varied sounds out of it, which I can't currently do with my little Roland AC-60 acoustic amp. My question is this: does it make more sense to invest in an amp with multiple built-in effects or to add something like an effects box to my Roland?

Hi Dennis, what kind of electric guitar did you get? Do you to play some different music style ? Can< t help the the amp as I only have a line 6 GX to create all kinds effect on the guitar but iy works only with head phone. Mind you they have more advanced model that you record directly from, but it does not beat an amp, that is for sure. They also have some digital amplifier that are very versatile and you have all kinds of pedal sound that are integrated. I am told that they are not as warm as with an amp amplifier, but I could not hear the difference when it was demonstrated to me.
Marc

I have a few amps. I love the sound of the basic fender tube amp, but the new Fender Dec-3 out in April should be a great all purpose amp. I have the older Dec and it is very good, and has a built in tuner as an added feature.

Denny, I saw your tag on this thread and thought you might have given up your street corner panhandling and went high tech. How much do you need?

dennisg wrote:
I just bought an electric, and I'd love to get a lot of varied sounds out of it, which I can't currently do with my little Roland AC-60 acoustic amp. My question is this: does it make more sense to invest in an amp with multiple built-in effects or to add something like an effects box to my Roland?




Another loaded question:

What kind of Electric did you purchase?
What style of music do you want out of the guitar/amp?
Budget?
Power? IE: 5/15/30/100/up to 200 watts (way too much for any human being)

I have a Fender frontman 25/reverb
and a small Bugera Vintage 5 tube combo w/reverb

The Bugera is nice, as it has power adjustments .1/1/5 watt output, plus a headphone jack. It also has the capability to be plugged into a cab for more volumn if wanted.

Either of these can be purchased for well under $200.00

The G-dec / Vox valvetronix types are nice, lots of tweaking and effects to play with.

Personally, just my honest opinion, a little reverb, a good tone, (and lots of practice)will sound pretty darn close to whatever you like to imitate.

Good questions by all. Some more info on how you'd like to use it or what you expect out of it might help. I remember when I was buying my first amp, I didn't know exactly what I wanted out of it yet, it was all new to me. So I understand if you can't necessarily answer these questions yet.

As for using an acoustic amp as your electric amp, I wouldn't advise it. Acoustic amps are tuned differently, meaning they have different frequency capabilities and different tonal ranges. My Marshall acoustic amp actually has a tweeter in it with a crossover, something that most guitar amps do not have. It's possible, though I'm not certain about this, that you could damage your acoustic amp by playing too loudly with an electric and all the distortion that you may want to use. Seek additional information about that though, I may be wrong... At low volumes there would be no problem at all, but you'll certainly get a different sound out of that type of amp than you would from a electric amp.

I have a Roland Cube 30x. Fantastic small 30 watt solid state practice amp. It has a plethora of built-in effects as well as a host of different amp models. And a headphone jack to boot, really practical and useful practice amp. One of my favorite features is what they call the power squeezer. When you turn this on, it knocks the power output of the amp down to like 5 watts, this gives you all the gain and sustain at low volumes that are usually only possible at higher volumes. Great for practicing at home and with headphones.
Here is the link: www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails...822&ParentId=416
I suggest you plug in to one next time you're at Guitar Center.
Maybe try one of the similarly sized/priced VOX amps too, they have some nice features.
Again, this is all assuming you are looking for a practice amp and not a larger gig amp with some big volume.

I think ultimately, for the "best" sound, if there is such a thing, and the most versatility, a pedal board and or separate stomp boxes is a good way to go, but this is quite a bit more involved and I'd still suggest a new amp for this route. This also takes up a bit more room and requires more $$$.

Man my posts have been long lately, I gotta get to playin'

Good luck! So fun buying new gear!

Dennis:

I am also curious about what you bought, and what you want to do with it. If you are anything like me, you probably want something that allows a broad range of sounds so you can play whatever strikes you. I currently own three electric amps.

1. Crate GX-15R - little practice amp with reverb. First amp I ever bought.

2. Line 6 - Spider III - great practice amp with built in effects and an input for my MP3 play - I use my MicroBR as the input so I can learn songs. Here is a link to it: line6.com/spideriii75/

3. Mesa Boogie - Express 5:50 - switchable from 5 watts to 50 watts depending on your needs - I can tell you that 5 watts can get louder than I had ever expected. Here is a link as well: www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/Express/Express.htm

Now, if I had about $3,000 that I could plop down right now, I would shoot down to The Amp Shop in Sherman Oaks, CA and by a Bogner Shiva or Duende. Reinhold Bogner is an amazing amp designer and has made some great equipment. The Shiva has some sparkling cleans like those to be found in the Fender Twin series with the ability to crank up the power to get that crunch when you need it. He also partnered with Line 6 to create the Spider Valve Amp. This one has many effects, but gives you the tube pre-amp for that more classic sound. Messed with this one for a while but settled on the SPider III because it had a headphone jack. Here is a link to some of his stuff: www.bogneramplification.com/customshop/AmplifiersInfo.php - make sure to click on the models and then check out the MP3 samples that they have of various settings and guitars.

Keep us posted on your research, as there are tons of great amps out there. Buying an amp is like buying a guitar. You need to go plug in to as many as possible and see what YOU like. Everyone has their opinion, but YOU are the one that needs pleasing.....

Jason

Dennis- of course the big question is what are you going to play on it? If it's smooth jazz or pop, your Roland 60 would still be my choice. But if you want that great British power compression crunch I found an amazing amp while doing my research on this same subject.

If you don't want to spend the money for a old time Fender Twin Reverb after you just plunked down on that Taylor 814 check out Blackheart amps, especially the Little Giant stack. Unbelieveable rock sound with all the drive and distortion you'd want for under $400. FUlly tube amp. Check out this link:

www.blackhearteng.com/

If I ever get serious again about hard rock this will be my next amp!

Happy hunting!

Okay, here's the Taylor electric I bought:


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I completely understand why you good folks would ask what I intend to play, but I can answer that with only one word: everything. Or, more accurately, I don't know yet. I'm completely inexperienced using an electric guitar, but I'm attracted to specific songs I hear on the radio, and I'd like to try duplicating the sound. That's impossible to do with my current setup. So I'd like to just dabble with a variety of effects just to see what sounds good. I even think that knowing I can get a certain sound will inspire me to learn songs that employ that sound.

Not sure about budget. I could probably go as high as about $800, but I'd like to pay less, if possible.

I knew when I made my first post that you would have a bunch of follow-up questions. I just don't know enough about electrics to anticipate them.

Keep the answers coming. I'm loving what I've gotten so far and I appreciate all your responses.

Congratulations on your purchase BTW! Awesome axe!
I agree with Music Junkies points about the Line 6 Spider III, I've heard really good things, many many different sound possible.

Hey Dennis.

Congratulations on your new axe!

Do you need a headphone output for practice? If so, that may limit you.

My opinion on the electric-guitar amp issue is to go simple but good, tube if you can afford it. Leave the effects to external pedals. Something with a normal and drive channels and an effects return loop. I'm not a fan of DSP amps.

You should definitely play your guitar through a selection of amps at the store and get a feel for the different tones.

See how easy it is for me to spend your money?

David

dennisg wrote:
Okay, here's the Taylor electric I bought:


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I completely understand why you good folks would ask what I intend to play, but I can answer that with only one word: everything. Or, more accurately, I don't know yet. I'm completely inexperienced using an electric guitar, but I'm attracted to specific songs I hear on the radio, and I'd like to try duplicating the sound. That's impossible to do with my current setup. So I'd like to just dabble with a variety of effects just to see what sounds good. I even think that knowing I can get a certain sound will inspire me to learn songs that employ that sound.

Not sure about budget. I could probably go as high as about $800, but I'd like to pay less, if possible.

I knew when I made my first post that you would have a bunch of follow-up questions. I just don't know enough about electrics to anticipate them.

Keep the answers coming. I'm loving what I've gotten so far and I appreciate all your responses.

Hi Dennis , the guitar looks beautiful. Is it a hollow guitar or full body as I am not sure if the J drawings are actual drawings or holes?

Marc

Catman wrote:
My opinion on the electric-guitar amp issue is to go simple but good, tube if you can afford it. Leave the effects to external pedals. Something with a normal and drive channels and an effects return loop.

I would tend to agree with this. My personal "Opinion" is that a quality all-tube amp with some reverb will give a fairly wide range of tone. From there, you can get a few pedals. Delay, chorus and overdrive are all good pedals. I have one that is an acoustic simulator. Although it is not very acoustic-like in my opinion, it sounds pretty cool. Most all-tube amps probably will not have a headphone jack though. The solid state amps usually do. Something to be aware of.

That is a beautiful guitar Dennis! If you are not afraid to take it with you, I would recommend taking it to a few stores and plugging it in. The Guitar Center here where I live encourages this, as do the local small dealers. Although it can be kind of intimidating, like playing acoustics while shopping, it is the best way to get a feel for the options.

Once you make your choice, I really think you will have a lot of fun. It is very cool to go electric sometimes. Especially now that we have Steve on board. I look forward to your Hotel California Lead video now.....

Have fun with this!

Jason

Dennis,
Gorgeous guitar; congratulations on the new member of the family!
Tom

tom18 wrote:
Dennis,
Gorgeous guitar; congratulations on the new member of the family!
Tom

Damn man, that is beautiful! Treat her with loving care. In fact, if I were you, I'd build a kind of museum display case and keep my finger prints off her. (at this point I would normally use an emoticon, but I know you don't like 'em)

Funny, the more light that's shed on this subject, the more questions I seem to have. For example:

mzuko mentioned that his Fender amp has a built-in tuner. What does a tuner do in relation to an amp?

Damian mentioned pedal boards and stomp boxes. Given that I have limited storage space in my house, is there a single product any of you might recommend that delivers a huge amount of effects?

David mentioned a headphone jack. I don't particularly need one, but I'd like a line output so I can hook it up to my camera when I make videos. Some people have mentioned specific amps with built-in effects. And some people think external devices are better. So why is it better to get effects from a pedal board or stomp box than to have the effects built in to the amp? And what is an effects return loop?

Marc asked about the Taylor's holes. It's a semi-hollowbody.

I would urge anyone to feel free to address any of these issues.

Well Dennis certainly bought a beauty. My teasing Scott about playing an electric was deliberate as I knew I would be joining him very soon. On Saturday (just a few days after my mate Dennis and on the same day as the very talented Michele), I bought this:






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Dennis was somewhat involved with this purchase by helping me to settle on a finish (In the end I went Heritage Sunburst) which is why I'm posting it here, that and the fact that I need a new amp as well.

Chas gave me some early help on the model I should be looking at. The 335 was a bit pricey so I settled for a bit more of an all-rounder. (It's a Gibson Les Paul Traditional)

Thanks guys. Should arrive this week.

For those who mentioned the Line 6 Spider III, that amp appears to have been replaced by the Spider IV. Tell me what you think of it: www.guitarcenter.com/Line-6-Spider-IV-75...05482855-i1470460.gc

Hello Dennis, Im not a pro at this stuff by I trusted my very experieced band members on my choice. I went with a Randall 75RG-d. It is the best of both worlds half tube half solid state. The pre amp / input side is tube powered then runs thru a digital processor that has 17 different effects built in, just turn a knob to choose the efect you want. It also has three channels, clean, distotion and a high gain channel. The distorted side has voicing and sweep control along with bass, treble and mid eq. The amp came with a line out to record from or plug into a pa system also two outputs to plug into extra speaker cainets if wanted. If you plug into the 4 ohm side it kills the speaker and runs thru my head phones. This thing will rattle the pictures off your walls and wake up your neighbors if you let it. I play a Les Paul standard thru mine and I can get almost endless different tones out of it the trick is figuring out how to do it but that makes it fun until the wife starts screaming turn it down. I have friends with the line 6 spider amps, three of them anyway and there amps tend to be getting fixed more than making music for some reason. By the way beautiful guitar Im jealous !

Mark

Congrats on your new guitar, Dennis. It is Bee-you-tee-ful !! Wish I could help you on the amp. I am currently struggling with what amp to buy for my acoustic guitars so I understand the questions, and the dilemma. I will never be on stage so just want a little practice-type amp (little cube-type thing - I am currently borrowing a GREAT BIG Fender amp that is super nice and fun, but total overkill - for my playing, my husband and my music room) and of course something for my TG videos. So I am reading your thread closely to see if anyone drops any names. It was an exciting guitar purchase week for several people, I see. Will delve in more closely on all the news tomorrow.
Love ya... Izzy