I have a Squier Stratocaster and a Fender Frontman 15 W amp, and was thinking about getting a new amp. I play rock, hard rock, alternative, classic rock, and I guess some metal. I started a thread about distortion/over drive pedals, and everyone said to get a tube amp, so I started looking and they are very expensive. Someone said that Craig's List was the way to go. I came across this Epiphone Valve Standard, http://stlouis.craigslist.org/msg/727924848.html , and saw nothing but good reviews and praise, and everyone said I should get it. The Crate V16 Palomino 112 Combo class A tube, seen here http://stlouis.craigslist.org/msg/734580771.html , also looks pretty good. I also want an amp that takes pedals well, meaning that pedals sound good on it. My price range is $200-$250, possibly $300 if it's a really good amp and a really good deal. The amps on this page are in my price range: http://stlouis.craigslist.org/searc...&maxAsk=325

The amp also needs to be loud enough to gig in a small theater, club, auditorium or a gym. Everyone said that a 15 Watt tube amp is plenty loud. To give you another idea of what kind of music I play, here are a few of the songs my band will cover is our next gig. I also do not want an amp that's too bluesy. I want an amp that can do everything from The White Stripes to Priestess or Ozzy.

1. Pork and Beans-Weezer
2. Blue Orchid-The White Stripes
3. Hate to Say I Told You So-The Hives
4. Crazy Train-Ozzy Osbourne
5. Either Love Train or Joker and the Thief-Wolf Mother
6.Lay Down-Priestess

A Crate Palomino will do you just fine!

eBay isn't a bad place to look either. My ideal head at the moment is a Carvin MTS 3200 and I'm seeing them go regularly for a third of their price new.

peavey xxl or, maybe a transtube. they may be solidstate, but are more reliable than tube amps and sound damn fine.

nocojack wrote:A Crate Palomino will do you just fine!

+1 Jack ..... thats a great choice that wont break the bank account.

peavey classic 30!!!! cheap used!!! around 300 - 400

another good inexpensive amp !

Even though it has mixed reviews, I'd recommend the Peavey Valveking. It's very nicely priced. It's 100 watts of all tube tone, and if you know what you're doing you can achieve a multitude of tones. And if you want more gain, you can always put a OD pedal in front of the drive channel. People say it doesn't take pedals well, but I've never had any problems. With any amp, if you have the opportunity, you have to invest time in listening to amps and comparing them. You also have to invest time in tweaking all your settings to achieve the tone you're looking for. Check around on e-bay or craigslist, you're bound to find a good deal on a nice tube-amp.

i dont understand it when people say an amp " dosent take pedals well " ... perhaps they are just using the wrong pedal , or dont really understand how to set both the pedal and the amp to get a good tone.

and this is coming from a guy who does not care for pedals ... i prefer to use the right amp for me

I think when people say that an amp "doesn't take pedals" well, they are possibly referring to the relationship between the existing gain, the pedal pushing the tubes even harder in a quest to produce more gain (e.g. an Ibanez Tube Screamer), and the final product between that relationship.

But yeah, I agree with you, chuck. I think a lot of people do not use the proper pedals for their tone goals, or understand how to set the amp/pedals up properly for a good tone.

I also don't really care for pedals, maybe with a couple exceptions. I want my amplifier to be able provide all of my tone. But that's just me, and well, apparently chuck =]

;D what kills me are the people who spend BIG bucks on a Mesa , Marshall , or whatever ... THEN use a crappy pedal to make it sound good !

excuse me , but i dont think an amp costing thousands of dollars should need a crappy little transistor box to make it have the tone you want.

but , thats just me ;D

once again, i agree chuck

i bet there are many many more of us out there .... but too many are afraid to stand up and tell the Emperor that he is naked

Haha. We could stand up, and start a revolution!

yes ... an " No Pedal " revolution !!!

pure amp tone is the key to guitar happiness ;D