Im just curious as what anyone would suggest looking into for playing at home.
I know with how much I have to spend Im not going to end up with something thats incredible. but in about $200 for playing in an apartment, just that sounds decent what should I give a shot?
Of course Ill make my own opinion in the end, but just want to know what to take a look for first.
Any help i aappreciated.

Tech 21 Trademark 10:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Tech-21-Tradema...QcmdZViewIt em
http://cgi.ebay.com/TECH-21-TRADEMA...QcmdZViewIt em

They go for around that much used. About 230-250$ new. Awesome awesome amps, assloads of versatility, true spring reverb, 10W, and they sound really good. Don't let the vintage look fool you, hey'll get pretty brutal with the right settings. They're all analog, not digital modeling, so they will sound quite a bit better than the modeling amps in that price range(Vox, Cubes, Line 6's).

Plus they have balanced XLR outs which are extremely useful for direct recording, hooking up to a PA, or to the Powerengine 60 in case you need to get louder with it. I had the Trademark 30 and it was the best combo amp I've ever played through.

Maybe some of the old little Randall combo amps are worth checking out too but I can't say which model. Again I highly suggest the Tech 21 TM-10, I don't think you'll find anything better in that price range.

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there is another thread almost exactly the same right below this one, and probably countless others if you use search.

MODS: it might be a good idea to create "the ONLY practice amp thread"

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Sorry, my bad, I usually only stick to lurking in the guitar thread


and thanks for the hint on the trademark, Ill have a look around town and see if anywhere carries them to give them a shot

You're welcome. Be prepared to spend up to 20 minutes to find a nice brutal sound out of it, the combinations and variety of sounds you could get out of the thing were amazing, you can change the sound of the amp drastically with a flick of a switch.

Tip: Try the "British" amp setting, on either the "Hot" "High Gain" setting with the UK speaker emulation, and add plenty of bass and mids there. Or try the "Calif" model with the UK speaker, less bass, adding more highs and mids, and if possible an OD boost in front of the amp(yes it actually sounds good with boosts too! Tightens like a motherfucker.)

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Well, I have all day tomorrow to tinker with amps, ill have to set my floyd back up tonight though, I have it blocked.
I also have an EMG afterburner in my guitar so a boost isnt an issue, Im looking for something that can handle the drive from the afterburner, as I usually leave it on, though it usually makes a lot of excess noise, it encourages me to play a lot cleaner and mute anything Im not actually meaning to play. That and I enjoy the added drive especially with high gain tube amps, though I cant quite afford one at the moment.

Also anyone use a Roland Cube? I just know they are a little less the the trademark, (trademarks TM-10 is going for $279 here)

Avoid the Cube at all costs.

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i like the cube... it was interesting when i played my friend's les paul classic through it, sounded pretty good, i'd say go play one and get it if you like it, its not like you're guna be gigging so who cares if it sounds amazing or not?
The tech 21 however, sounds alot more lively, even if its strangely complicated to use.

As for cheapies, i'd consider looking for a Ventura SS amp... theyre green tolex with beige cloth cover. Their cleans are cleaner than anything i've ever heard, but its built in overdrive isnt special. Upside is that it takes pedals better than any amp i've heard before.

Personally, i'd say go to a shop, play everything within your price range, and pick your fav.

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I just got in from the shop, the Tech 21 TM-10 was what i got, played through everything there, even a few stacks for kiks, to see what a full amp sounded like compared to the little guy and well...


The Tech 21 amp kicks some serious ass... it made some rather expensive heads look terrible... though the cabnets were less then great... still the amps seriously lacked.
The Tech 21 sounded killer through a marshall 4x12 as well, sounded huge. It only took a few seconds to dial in a decent tone from the little amp and it only got better for there.

Haha I knew you would love it man, those little Trademarks are amazing. Have fun with it.

I really miss my TM-30... I think I might end up getting one again if I get a jobbinz again soon, instead of buying a Peavey Bravo tube combo from overseas cuz paying 1/3 of the amp's price in shipping blows. They're fuckin 350 euros(450$ USD+ )here though, which makes the Peavey Bravo far more appealing. :/

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see, I may not have looked into the trademark 10 without a hint to look, Ive never looked into tech 21 at all before and tend to stick to old faves.
but I would definatly look into a larger version of it for playing in a band situation as well.

sadly, no matter how good those Tech 21s might sound, they are ugly and uninspiring looking (at least for metal). i bet they would sell loads more of those if they just made one in black. they must be stubborn or something.

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But really, what matters more, what you look like, or what you sound like?

that and i kinda like the vintage look

My God, please stop...

Oh, then go and buy a Line 6 head, it sure lookz mor3 m3tal!!!11One!!11

Fuck image, it's a goddamned amp, who gives a shit what it looks like? If you're that worried about your amp's image you can just hide it behind a 4x12.

And the TM-300(300W head) looks pretty mean if you value its appearance over its sound.

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i like a black amp. fucking relax, it's just my opinion. i doubt anyone on here can say that the look did not influence their purchase of their guitar. as for amps, i'm not saying the look is more important, it's just nice to have something that sounds mean and looks (at the very least) neutral.. and when i look at those Techs i think of like creedence clearwater or something like that. if it were the only choice, i would play one, but since there are other choices, i won't. i don't like amps that are designed with a certain look, much the way i avoid extreme shaped guitars. and to the waste of sperm who said i should get a Line6, those are almost as ugly as they sound.
i think it's funny how people on here are saying "fuck image" ..first of all, it's not about image, it's just that i don't like the color of those amps. and second, there are plenty of people on here who are brand-name whores. so relax.

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We're talking about amps here, stay on topic. You're prioritizing the color of an amp over its sound, which defeats the whole purpose of spending money on an amp.

I bought my TM-30 not giving a fuck about it's look. It's still a billion times better than a Roland Cube, which looked far more attractive.

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you're not listening. if the holy grail of amps was piss yellow, i would still gladly play it. nevermind.

EDIT: i made a simple comment on how i wished the amp were a different color, and the tone-snob patrol had to jump down my throat. please, you misunderstood. end of story.

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You have no arguement. Give it up.

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Soeru, have any settings i should try out that you have used on the trademark amps? ive just dialed in a very flat setting to play so far, basically everything at 12 oclock so far, any fun setting you have used? I usually keep my mids up really high my treble igher and the bass I drop down, some reason having the bass up with my guitar makes the sound really muddy.

Well the TM30 and 10 will sound a little different due to the size of the speaker, but some of the settings I used if I remember correctly

Brit amp model > Hi gain or Hot setting > Bass 3 o clock mids 12 o clock highs 1 o clock. Always using the UK speaker sim, not the Flat or US one(but the US one sounded good in this amp model).

Or the Calif model > Hot setting > Bass 9 o clock, mids 1 o clock treble 3 o clock with the UK speaker. Yeah you have to cut some bass on this one, it will get pretty muddy if you don't.

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alright, awesome, ill give em a shot.

I have my bass set at 11 oclock, mids at 1 oclock and treble at 2-3 oclock and I use the cali, hot and us or uk speaker sim.

i was looking for the same thing, a small amp for home use.

but instead of an amp, i got the POD XT and used it through my hi-fi system.
the pod xt smokes alot of the smaller amps and even some bigger and tube amps.

definately check it out.

The Podxt is great for recording, but I'd personally get a real amp in the same situation if I had the money for a good one like the Trademarks, VH-140C's, or small tube combos I suggested, then it'll sound way better than any modeler into a hi fi system. Hi fi's aint for guitars.

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yet my set up kicks the shit out of a lot of people's in terms of tone.
but i have to admit, my hi-fi is pretty sick. its got the most amazing sound and it has a mini eq so you can shape the tone aswell.

but i still think you should consider the pod xt. if you, get the model packs aswell!

Lol, hi-fi stereo and tone in the same sentence. I'm pretty certain no hi fi + podxt is going to sound better than an authentic Ampeg of d3ath though, not if he really wants the authentic Suffo sound or anything similar.

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You don't really realize what you're missing with a digital modeler until you go out and play a couple of real amps, solid-state and tube. Now my PODxtLive feels like I'm playing through a computer.

Yes, alot of people these days use their PODxt's through a flat-response system like a P.A., a keyboard amp, or a home stereo. Sadly this was the way that Line 6 *ultimately* designed it for use, which is weird because I used to play it through a stereo system before I got a Carvin poweramp to hook it up to my cab, and the sound (after some tweaking) was much better this way, that's what I think.

For me the best Line 6 amp model for brutal high gain distortion will always be the Lunatic, which comes standard on all PODxt/PODxtLive's. I have the Metal Shop model pack add-on (cost fifty bucks) and I don't think it's very usable at all, though I've messed around on it for hours. The Uberschall model they have on there is just terrible and is a joke compared to the real thing.

Still, I do think a digital modeler is pretty cool concept and especially great if you're just starting out, but personally I've seen what I've been missing with them. Especially when you can totally get something as decimating as a VH-140c for under 500 bucks. I'm fucking sold.

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Yeah, I think modelers should be far cheaper as they're way more useful for beginner guitarists that just want an array of tones, even if they're not so great, as they're ear for good tone is still not developed so they don't know what sounds they like. I think the Behringer V-amp 2 for a 100 bucks plugged into anything will do better than most combo amps in the 100-200$ range, but if you have more to spend I wouldn't blow it all on a little digital device that will require a good poweramp, cab, loads of tweaking, etc to sound good.

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