Getting the right amp for the job...

[siggy14]

GAS= Guitar (or gear) Aquiring Syndrome

so 12 year olds get GAS too... i think it comes with the territory. there is a lot of great stuff out there and unfortunately it sometimes takes a lot of buying and selling before you find the right fit. Many of us here have been through almost every amp in the mesa line at least once. I've learned that spending the extra $$ on pieces that retain their value is the best way to go. So a Mark IV would fit into that frame of thinking. You can pick one up between 1200-1500 depending on condition and that amp will pretty much hold its value especially since they're discontinued. The only thing that might reduce the value for a certian amount of time is when mesa releases the Mark V (if they ever do even though petrucci is rumored to be using a prototype of it) because alot of Mark IV uses will be selling their amp to fund a Mark V. You may wnat to wait until then so you'll get a good deal (but that may not happen any time soon). And i have a feeling after the Mark V comes out and everyones gone through their honeymoons the value of the mark IV will rise again. Just speculation at this point but its something to consider.

Uh what is GAS? Sounds nasty lol

He's not actually the one wanting stuff, I'm the one who likes to spend for him... He's lucky I can sort of afford all this

Marc

 

[JW123]

I know this is a Mesa forum. But at his age you might still want to go with something smaller. When he gets older he can buy his own stuff. A friend of mine bought one of those little Peavey Joe Satriani amps. I plugged into it the other day and its a killer. I didnt get to play it long. For bedroom playing I have a Mesa Subway Rocket. Its great but may lean more towards a classic rock feel than what he is after. Tube amps are all about the gain structure anyway. Your son or you or me for that matter are not going to sound like DT no matter what we do. Its all in the hands of the player. Try to get him to take all the great parts of various players and develop his own style. An amp is just a tool on the road to finding your tone.

 

[Core9]

The POD XTLive is a great unit, especially with the added amp packs installed. Have you tried setting up his sounds using a pc or laptop with the GearBox software installed? Makes it much easier to get great sounds. You can also go to the Line6 website and download user generated settings that duplicate most of the guitar hero tones by name and sometimes by song.

I would get a good used Mesa 20/20 (or 50/50) power amp and an Avatar 2x12 cab wired for stereo with some nice speakers in it. Use the Pod for the tones and effects. This would be a great bedroom/small gig set-up that won't break the bank.

 

[siggy14]

Even better solution goto radio shack and buy some adaptors and j ust plug the Pod through home stereo, all the tones at your finger tips.

The POD XTLive is a great unit, especially with the added amp packs installed. Have you tried setting up his sounds using a pc or laptop with the GearBox software installed? Makes it much easier to get great sounds. You can also go to the Line6 website and download user generated settings that duplicate most of the guitar hero tones by name and sometimes by song.

I would get a good used Mesa 20/20 (or 50/50) power amp and an Avatar 2x12 cab wired for stereo with some nice speakers in it. Use the Pod for the tones and effects. This would be a great bedroom/small gig set-up that won't break the bank.

 

[Core9]

DUDE!! I'm trying to give a real world solution to help him get some nice tones at a reasonable price. 8)

Even better solution goto radio shack and buy some adaptors and j ust plug the Pod through home stereo, all the tones at your finger tips.

The POD XTLive is a great unit, especially with the added amp packs installed. Have you tried setting up his sounds using a pc or laptop with the GearBox software installed? Makes it much easier to get great sounds. You can also go to the Line6 website and download user generated settings that duplicate most of the guitar hero tones by name and sometimes by song.

I would get a good used Mesa 20/20 (or 50/50) power amp and an Avatar 2x12 cab wired for stereo with some nice speakers in it. Use the Pod for the tones and effects. This would be a great bedroom/small gig set-up that won't break the bank.

 

[siggy14]

That is a real word solution, for home practicing it is the best, with the POD going through a home stereo system you got 100 or 200 or however many watt's your s ystem is if he wants to blast it. But most important he gets alot better sounding system this way and can get almost any tone until he gets serious enough to get a professional rig.

Honestly when i first read this post my first thought was ditch the cube and hook that pod up to a home stereo system, that is what I use most of the time at home for practice, built in effects, cranked amp sound at practice level.

Then if he gets into a band he should worry about getting a real amp!

DUDE!! I'm trying to give a real world solution to help him get some nice tones at a reasonable price. 8)

Even better solution goto radio shack and buy some adaptors and j ust plug the Pod through home stereo, all the tones at your finger tips.

The POD XTLive is a great unit, especially with the added amp packs installed. Have you tried setting up his sounds using a pc or laptop with the GearBox software installed? Makes it much easier to get great sounds. You can also go to the Line6 website and download user generated settings that duplicate most of the guitar hero tones by name and sometimes by song.

I would get a good used Mesa 20/20 (or 50/50) power amp and an Avatar 2x12 cab wired for stereo with some nice speakers in it. Use the Pod for the tones and effects. This would be a great bedroom/small gig set-up that won't break the bank.

 

[Animeka]

The POD XTLive is a great unit, especially with the added amp packs installed. Have you tried setting up his sounds using a pc or laptop with the GearBox software installed? Makes it much easier to get great sounds. You can also go to the Line6 website and download user generated settings that duplicate most of the guitar hero tones by name and sometimes by song.

I would get a good used Mesa 20/20 (or 50/50) power amp and an Avatar 2x12 cab wired for stereo with some nice speakers in it. Use the Pod for the tones and effects. This would be a great bedroom/small gig set-up that won't break the bank.

I liked the POD at first, but could never get a tone I really liked. Most of what I read about the POD is to hook it up to regular speakers not amps or into a console to get good sound. We've been playing with Gearbox and it's nice, I have all the packs for it except bass.

 

[Animeka]

I know this is a Mesa forum. But at his age you might still want to go with something smaller. When he gets older he can buy his own stuff. A friend of mine bought one of those little Peavey Joe Satriani amps. I plugged into it the other day and its a killer. I didnt get to play it long. For bedroom playing I have a Mesa Subway Rocket. Its great but may lean more towards a classic rock feel than what he is after. Tube amps are all about the gain structure anyway. Your son or you or me for that matter are not going to sound like DT no matter what we do. Its all in the hands of the player. Try to get him to take all the great parts of various players and develop his own style. An amp is just a tool on the road to finding your tone.

Oh I know that... He's NOT JP or Satriani or whomever, but if you like the tone of a player, getting similar gear should please you as well...

Marc

 

[siggy14]

Honestly the POD 2.0's were the best sounding in my opinion, I plug them right up to my home stereo or even computer speakers and you have a great practice that sounds like real tube amps.

The POD XTLive is a great unit, especially with the added amp packs installed. Have you tried setting up his sounds using a pc or laptop with the GearBox software installed? Makes it much easier to get great sounds. You can also go to the Line6 website and download user generated settings that duplicate most of the guitar hero tones by name and sometimes by song.

I would get a good used Mesa 20/20 (or 50/50) power amp and an Avatar 2x12 cab wired for stereo with some nice speakers in it. Use the Pod for the tones and effects. This would be a great bedroom/small gig set-up that won't break the bank.

I liked the POD at first, but could never get a tone I really liked. Most of what I read about the POD is to hook it up to regular speakers not amps or into a console to get good sound. We've been playing with Gearbox and it's nice, I have all the packs for it except bass.

 

[JW123]

Im probably a lot older than most of you guys, but when I was in college I had one of the old Sholz Rockman units. I had an adapter and plugged it into my old Fisher tube stereo amp. It sounded great. In fact in those days I would plug that Rockman into the frontend of any amp I was using and get great tone everytime I played at any volume level. If the club owners said turn it down I could. I may think about the POD unit myself. I could use headphones for the bedroom, it records great and for live Ive got an old CS 800 power amp and some 4x12s. Thanks for adding that, I mean why spend $1000 of dollars for a big tube amp thats a one trick pony anyway.

That is a real word solution, for home practicing it is the best, with the POD going through a home stereo system you got 100 or 200 or however many watt's your s ystem is if he wants to blast it. But most important he gets alot better sounding system this way and can get almost any tone until he gets serious enough to get a professional rig.

Honestly when i first read this post my first thought was ditch the cube and hook that pod up to a home stereo system, that is what I use most of the time at home for practice, built in effects, cranked amp sound at practice level.

Then if he gets into a band he should worry about getting a real amp!

DUDE!! I'm trying to give a real world solution to help him get some nice tones at a reasonable price. 8)

Even better solution goto radio shack and buy some adaptors and j ust plug the Pod through home stereo, all the tones at your finger tips.

 

[Animeka]

Hi guys,

a Mark IV head for 1100$, is that a fair price? What should I be looking for to make sure it's 100% functionnal, with no issues?

Thanks!

Marc

 

[JW123]

Marc for the head that would be a god price. They range on e-bay from 900-1300. A nice combo will fetch around 1500 on there. Make sure you play it and all the functions work. You might want to download a manual to take with you. Mesa manuals are great for finding tones. Ive found with my Rectos that the way I think an amp should be set up is sometimes backwards to what really works.

Most people that own Mesas are proud of their amp. If the owner has all the covers, manuals and really explains how the amp works to you then its a really good deal. If the amp is beat all to hell be careful. If it was used by a pro gigging player it will have a lot more hours than the typical bedroom player.

Good Luck

I wish I had a dad like you when I was growing up, of course I wanted 4 Marshall stacks. That would have been cool.

 

[JW123]

Marc for the head that would be a god price. They range on e-bay from 900-1300. A nice combo will fetch around 1500 on there. Make sure you play it and all the functions work. You might want to download a manual to take with you. Mesa manuals are great for finding tones. Ive found with my Rectos that the way I think an amp should be set up is sometimes backwards to what really works.

Most people that own Mesas are proud of their amp. If the owner has all the covers, manuals and really explains how the amp works to you then its a really good deal. If the amp is beat all to hell be careful. If it was used by a pro gigging player it will have a lot more hours than the typical bedroom player.

Good Luck

I wish I had a dad like you when I was growing up, of course I wanted 4 Marshall stacks. That would have been cool.