I'm unsure whether to get a new Marshall stack AVT, which is 150 watt tube amp for ~$2100 or get a solid state MG100DFX ($1100) and a good Jackson guitar ($1000) for the same price.

I obviously like the sound of the tube amp more but as far as guitars go, the only reasonable one I've got is a J&D Luthier 7-string, which is good but not great.

I've got a few weeks to decide so I'm not going to rush into making a shit decision. What are your opinions?

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Dont get the AVT, its not a tube amp, its a hybrid with a tube in the preamp and solid state in the power amp. It sucks.

MG100DFX sucks too, its solid state all through though.

Go buy used stuff man! You can get a good tube amp for fucking half the price of that shitty AVT. What jackson are you thinking about?

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the AVT is not a tube amp. it has one tube, which makes barely any difference. Both amps suck. Instead of spending $2100 on a shitty full stack, spend around $1500 or less on a good half stack (higher class Marshalls, Crate BV, 6505 when it hits the used market) The choices become quite wide when willing to spend $1500. And hell.. if you want to spend $2100... you can get some ridiculous gear. Buying used kicks ass.

Yes, don't fucking buy the AVT150, it is seriously like the shittiest amp Marshall has ever built, the AVT50 is even better. I suggest you get a nice Jackson first (cuz I think the guitar is more important than an amp ) and you can use the rest of the money for something like a Crate Blue Voodoo (Cuz I love 'em so much). If you really don't need to get a half-stack, then don't cuz you can just get a good combo, I don't know about you, but when I was more inexperienced I used to just think that half-stacks were the only good thing. And don't just go for Marshalls cuz "everyone uses it, so it must be good" or whatever, search around for more stuff, cuz with the money you have, you can get waaay better stuff then those two shit amps.

with the prices hes quoting, im quite sure he's talking about buying a full stack. trust me, you dont need a full stack

Id get a GOOD tube half stack

then buy a guitar

maybe an XXX peavey head

no, he's just in austrailia.. and their dollar is worth a great deal less than our all mighty u.s. dollars.

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i dunno wat the prices are like where u come from for gear, but my suggestion would be to get a laney half stack, perhaps the gh100ti head, tis very good and cheap, and then perhaps a second hand guitar like a japanese made ibanez rg, american bc rich, aria pro ii mac, etc

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ohhh, nice observation sir. i concede

Everyone else said what needed to be said, this is supplementary:

E B A Y

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Have a look at the Ashton tube amps. VP50H and VP100H. Along with the GQ100 cabs. Very cheap, and I've read that they're very good for the price.

http://www.ashtonmusic.com.au/produ...p?productID=106 - $695/$895
http://www.ashtonmusic.com.au/produ...sp?productID=47 - $595

Your music shop could probably whack a few hundred off the price.

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Like everyone said. Full stacks aren't worth it. You really don't need it. I own a full stack. But It's a little too much for just home use. And even if you play in a band a half stack is loud enough.

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you must not have read the thread entirely

Check ebay dude, there's bound to be tons of good shit there.
I suggest a half stack, with a good (but cheap) head. If you have them over there, you should check out the Ashdown "Fallen Angel" series, Vader used the 180 for "The Beast". Another good series of amps to check out are the Crate "Blue Voodoo's". As for the cab, I recommend a used 1960 cab.

Yeah, I would get the half-stack first, and then buy a good guitar. A decent half-stack set up will make a mediocre guitar sound reasonable, but an excellent guitar won't make a shit amplifier sound good.

are ashdown a british company?

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Yep

says who?
i own 3 4x12's.... sometimes i run one, sometimes i run two, sometimes i run 3
most of the time my slant cab is a stand alone cab with my main triamp rig.

then the two peavey vtm's are just the biggest fucking wall of sound. but they stay in my basement mostly because they're a bitch to move. and when you use them it just looks funny if you don't take both.

technically a 1x12 can be loud enough depending on the head.... but you just don't get the same sound.. not to mention projection.

i mean, you show up to a decent size gig with a fullstack, alot of it is for looks because the soundguy is going to shit if you fuck up his stage volume, he'll just mic you. but it would still sound different if you only had a half stack.

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Yeah, sometimes half-stacks are needed at some gigs. How would a 2x12 combo amp hooked up to a 2x12 cab compare to the same amp but the head version, and hooked up to a 4x12?

well, it all depends on the situations. i've jammed with a drummer on a dimed out 5w(class A) tube 1x10 combo before.. but then again it was kind of a "soft" band. my competition was a light handed drummer with a well dampend drumset, a bassist with a small combo, a small PA for a "SINGER"(not screams or anything) and an acoustic electric(also through the small PA.

but for a full on metal band like most of the guys i jam with, drummers that use ride cymbals as crashes... 8x10 bass stack, larger PA with a sreamer style vocalist, and another guitarist sporting a half or fullstack... that 5w class A combo all of a sudden becomes useless.

as for the 2x12 combo with 2x12 extension cab... vs. head and 4x12 cab.. it'll sound different. most combos are open back, making them a bit more... well... open sounding. plus you get the isolated sound of two cabs.

as far as volume and projection though, it'll be about equal.

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