Suggestions?

I

Iwasneverhere35

New member
Hello,

I feel kinda weird asking questions all the time, haha.

I dont feel very satisfied with the sound coming from the amp, even after tweaking the EQ and effects.So i was wondering if you experts could help recommend a decent upgrade for me.I read that i should be upgrading my amp before the pickups, is that true?

Oh yah, im using a 20 watt Timbre amp and an old Boss ME-30 for effects.
I play mostly Dream Theater/Petrucci stuff but i also want it to be versatile.
My budget is below $500, though im willing to spend a little more.

Ive read Subversions review on the Randall Ninja V2XM combo, is that a good option?

Thanks
 
Ibanez toneblaster TBX65R
Line 6 spider 4 the 75watt
your Boss ME no need already, just go buy footswitch to switch bettween the diff chanels
 
In my opinion, the best way is to get a modelling amplifier, like a Line 6 Spider or a Roland Cube. You just plug your guitar into the amplifier and you're ready to go. But make sure you like the tones it provides, first, of course.

Even then, if you don't like the tones, you could use the modelling amplifier's onboard effects, and plug in a separate distortion pedal for your distorted tones.
 
But here is another solution you could turn to. Continue using the Boss ME. Change the amp. Just like your original plan.

When you test amplifiers, bring your Boss ME along and test them to see how they sound together. Get the one that sounds the best to your ears. An amplifier sounding good on its own does not mean it'll sound good with a digital processor.

From my experience, my old Sound Drive SG-10 that I bought from Standard Value years back actually takes pedals and digital processors very well. My Line 6 Floor POD sounds excellent through it. And the Sound Drive SG-10 costs below $100. I'm very, very impressed with this amplifier. And on its own, it has superb onboard cleans and slight distortion tones, too.
 
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hi sir my suggestion to you is to get a better quality pickup first before changing your amp, the reason is because using a better quality amp will amplify the weakness on your guitar because of its attention to smaller details .So changing your pickup to a better one would probably be a good idea.......this is just what i think would be best:D
 
amp consideraitons should come first before pickups swap; a super $700 pickup set won't improve your tone if you still plug your guitar into a practice amp. on the other hand, even starter guitars sound superb with a fantastic amp. if your amp & guitar work well in tandem, effects are unnecessary; they only supplement your tone.

when a guitar is conceived back at the factory, the manufacturer made it ideal (even the starter models), it only sounds awful because it's coupled with other equipment which are not meant for it.

so, what is a fantastic amp? it's the one you like hearing regardless of the guitars it's amplifying.
star-wars-smiley-5493.gif
 
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yeah remember its 60% amp 40% guitar, an amp that sounds good to you would be very important, are you looking for good onboard cleans or etc etc? Solid or tube amps? Home usage only or..? :D
 
Iwasneverhere35 said:
Yeah, im looking for good onboard cleans...most of the distortion and delay etc will be handled by the ME 30.Yup, for home usage.
Click to expand...

hmmm good on board cleans...u can try the sound drive tube7 (7watt tube stack and slightly over ur budget) or the vox ac4tv, which can be way within ur budget or just abt there depending on the size u get. both got good on board cleans that are definitely pedal friendly :D
 
Get the vox valvetronix series. I got the ad30vt and its pretty beast. Good distortion tones.

And dont bother getting the ninja amp, i searched everywhere for it and could not find it. hahas
But it does sound good (from the review)
 
combo should be $700 the last time i checked with them. but that was b4 cny. not sure bout now. should still be cheaper than the half stack though :)
 
bf0502tr said:
combo should be $700 the last time i checked with them. but that was b4 cny. not sure bout now. should still be cheaper than the half stack though :)
Click to expand...

I was pretty sure it was $699 last year, price increase by $1? To TS, wait for the sales which always holds once every month. (Seems to be every month so far!)
 
If you're on a tight budget, I recommend a Marshall MG10, has been reviewed by Sub recently, check it out in the review section, it retails for only $115 at Davis, only thing is it's missing reverb~
 
If you want something hassle-free for home-usage, I'd recommend a solid-state amp like the Marshall MG10 theGroovyMusic recommended. Many of them have decent or above-decent cleans, since you stated you're going to get your distorted tones from your Boss ME. It's usually only with distorted tones that solid-state amplifiers become too nasty...

Tube amplifiers sound better, granted, but any multi-effects unit going into it will change the sound, so that kind of defeats the purpose in my opinion...

I personally prefer solid-state amps myself, so perhaps I'm a little biased there.
 
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