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dlwalke
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Joined: 02/02/19
Posts: 240
dlwalke
Full Access
Joined: 02/02/19
Posts: 240
04/19/2019 2:51 pm

Hi. I'm thinking about my first amp purchase and how to go about it in a rational way. All I know for sure is that I don’t need a big amp (just needs to be loud enough that I am not distracted by the sound of the unamplified strings), and I’m pretty sure that I want headphones out and aux in. So I’m currently thinking along the lines of a MicroCube, Blackstar Fly 3, Yamaha THR, maybe a Katana 50 (used on the lower wattage settings), Fender Champ or Mustang. But how do I narrow it down from there?[br] [br]The most obvious answer would be how does it sound, but with all the different tones available from modeling amps, should tone even be a consideration? This is the heart of my question. The promotional hype for most of these amps would leave you to believe that any one of them can re-create any tone on the planet. User reviews haven’t been terribly helpful as they seem pretty inconsistent. One reviewer highly recommends X over Y so I’m thinking I’ll eliminate Y, but then another persons says just the opposite. I will play some of these in the store in the hopes that I will really like one or more, and others not as much, but I worry that each of these modeling amps has so much to fiddle with to dial in different sounds that it would take me longer than is feasible to even find the tone I like to compare it with another amp. I’m imagining that I would need at least a day or two with each to really get a sense of what it offers and how to discover the best settings for my particular taste.

Or is it easier than I am making it out to be? With modeling amps that seem to offer such a broad range of sounds, is tone still a distinguishing factor between amps or are things like build quality, features, and price more important?[br] [br]Oh, and I want to also compare with a small tube amp to see if I have a preference there (solid state vs tube) although I am doubtful that a tube amp is right for me at this point. Conceivably though, that could send me in a very different direction and eliminate a bunch of the current contenders.

Thanks