Combo Guitar Amplifier
What is better an amp with built in effects or a multi effects unit?
I'm fairly new to guitar, (just note i'm not going to buy any of this stuff until i get enough money) and i'm just wondering what is better... an amp with built in effects or a multi effects unit...
these are what i'm saving up for: http://www.allansmusic.com.au/Roland/ProductDetails.aspx?rp=894&p=125242
or this:
http://www.allansmusic.com.au/prod/148115/Marshall_MG30FX_30_Watt_Combo_Guitar_Amplifier.aspx
I only want one of them so yea...
I gave Obam... a thumbs up cause i generally agree with him but I would qualify his advice a bit further.
First off, if you have no amp, then get an amp.
If you have a decent amp then get the fx unit. Personally I like the ME 20 - I don't have one but have heard them demo'ed and liked them (try googling for the videos of Rob Marcello demoing the ME-20. He.. is... awesome! And they really do sound that good live through just about any decent amp. Also check out the ME-50 and I think they have an ME-70 too.)
I'm not familiar with the particular zoom box that O mentioned, but I do recall liking the sound of a zoom box that I saw at namm a couple years ago, so I don't think they are necessarily a bad choice.
Ultimately, you need to TRY before you buy. Don't just buy based on some picture on a website. Ever. Go listen to as many local bands as you can, too. See what they're using and what it sounds like. You might find yourself interested in something you hadn't even known about before.
I personally have owned several different multifx units, and can say that I really like some of the DigiTech boxes. Combine one of those with a good tube amp and you can get some very sweet, pro-sounding output. That's another area in which O and I agree... if you have a good multifx unit, you're not going to want or need any efx from the amp. Typically i don't even use reverb when using the multfx. I use a little of my amp's reverb when I play a clean jazz tone without using the multifx at all. When I use fx unit, I turn off reverb at the amp with a footswitch and get all my reverb from the digital reverb in the multifx unit.
O is also right about tubes generally being superior in audio quality to a solidstate or modeling amp. In a side-by-side comparison the tube amp always sounds best. However, tubes wear out (you need to retube once a year or so) and they are more delicate than solid state components. So if you have a tube amp, expect to spend $100 a year to re-tube it, and always carry spare tubes with you.
Whatever you buy, be prepared for six months of "new gear hell" while you try to get what you really want out of it. Be prepared for a lot of experimentation and frustration. Do not buy a new piece of gear and expect to use it at a gig that night or even that week... unless you are prepared to look and sound foolish when your rig does not act right or sound right. That said, you can have a lot of fun with new gear ... exploring it and checking out all the things it does is part of the fun of getting new gear. Just don't set yourself up for stress and frustration by taking it out in public before you really know what it can do and can't do, and how to get YOUR sound out of it. Hint: most of the built-in patches designed to demo a multfx unit are too over-effected for live use. For live use, cut back on virtually every effect, especially reverb, chorus, etc-- these make your sound too muddy to be clearly present in a live playing situation. You'll find that less is more, especially at the high volume levels in a live playing situation.
Finally... I have a friend that swears by the mini-marshalls. He stacks them and gigs with that as his primary rig. Myself, I am willing to haul around tube amps, as I just can't seem to tear myself away from that sound, so even my littlest 30 watt tube amp kind of weighs a ton... but i'm willing to make that tradeoff cuz I love the warmth and smoothness of a GOOD tube amp. (not all amps are great just cuz they are tubes and not all solidstate amps are bad, btw. over the years, I've just settled on some tube amps I really like.)
good luck and have fun...
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