well, for a start i go to shops etc during the week (absence of other customers), good time to try anything you fancy.
It really depends on what you want from your amp. In the case of the 'rat' i wanted that valve crunch at low levels, but i didn't want to be listening to the buzz and humm of badly placed, cheap components.
a boutique amp was out of the question for home practice(££££)
I had heard of , and researched rat amps, my prob was hearing one, which eventually i did...sold!!
The peavey serves a different purpose, extremely loud, keeps up with the drummer, no fragile valves so its more suited to lugging around and bumping about. real spring reverb which sounds ok..the 'crunch' channel (like most electronic amps is a bit poo..but its not an issue it's just for practice and you can always stick a pedal on the clean channel..which is highly detailed and superb!
never seen an amp that does it all, and all cheap amps have 'issues' some can be easily sorted just by ripping out the (usually) crappy speaker and putting in something bettr...if i was gigging i'd be using a valve driven amp, and you can be sure i will want to know what its built like, what components are used, and which factory produced it.. before i even turn it on!!.
you cant rely on a brand name these days.
1 14-10-10 12:27:09
Re: it seems like low watt amps are getting a lot of advertising these day (13 replies, posted in Amplifiers)
2 12-10-10 19:12:27
Re: it seems like low watt amps are getting a lot of advertising these day (13 replies, posted in Amplifiers)
This is my 'in house' amp. as well as the hand wiring and other mods by 'rat' i have fitted a 15w jensen alnico speaker.
not a cheap option,(although in no way the most expensive) but it is pure quality!!
not a great deal of 'clean' headroom, up to about half volume, but thats not what it's designed for. I believe the output is actually 7-8w post mods..
looks lovely too!! (imo)
I would very much like one of andys 15w plexi clones, (when i get flush).
I should also add that if your pick ups aren't of a reasonable standard, the amp will certainly let you hear it!!
i have a 1992 samick, fine with my peavey, loves the fender princetown..(both electronic,pcb's etc)
sounds awfull through the rat.
My 1950's audition with a single, toaster style pick up sounded like a £1000 axe when plugged in, and the strats really get the best out of it.
I use an old 80's peavey special 130 1x12, for band practice.
3 12-10-10 09:39:12
Re: hi (16 replies, posted in Introduce yourself)
wurzel wrote:hell, i aint no spring chicken, 44 and a grandad, if i dont do it now.......
Two words - SUSAN and BOYLE!!! That could be you Wurzel!
pmsl 
4 11-10-10 22:24:23
Re: it seems like low watt amps are getting a lot of advertising these day (13 replies, posted in Amplifiers)
i can help here 
i'm a bit of a purist
the blackheart is a well built piece of kit, that does it 's thing ok, but it does buzz n humm a bit, and it gets too hot.
a guy called andy doken ( rat amps) does a modded version, obviously a little more dosh but well worth it.
I have one of his 5w harley benton mods, which has a power scaling feature, you get the sound you want
with the pre amp valve and power valve..then you can 'scale down the power' to achieve that sound at a very low level..with the valves still being fully driven.
no operating noises whatsoever..you dont know its on till you touch a string, even with everything on full
his blackheart ant 1w is actually about 1.5w and around 170 quid
the original blackheart output is about 0 .7w i believe.
5 11-10-10 20:57:54
Re: hi (16 replies, posted in Introduce yourself)
i hear ya.. i still have a ten yr old daughter at home and im a working single parent, so lots of my evening time was spent learning solo.
i think that because time as a 'band' is limited, when we get together we are set up and banging out a tune within quarter of an hour, making the most of our two hours.
it was easy to arrange and costs about 16 quid a month, bargain!
6 11-10-10 20:30:48
Re: hi (16 replies, posted in Introduce yourself)
Wow that sounds great! And great stuff with the jamming at the community centre. I can only imagine that playing with others is a really great experience.
The other guys are good at their stuff, and have had a couple of bands before...played pubs and clubs etc.
..and i' ve known them for years, which helps.
The ssr thing was all down to helping a mate get through his degree 
....got another mate doing the same thing, so you can be sure i'll be offering a helping hand again.
Do you not get the opportunity to jam olly?
7 11-10-10 19:35:28
Re: hi (16 replies, posted in Introduce yourself)
It sounds like you're taking your guitar playing pretty seriously, renting out a community center and stuff. Whereabouts in the northwest are you?
i live on the outskirts of blackburn, i guess i do take it quite seriously, i'd rather use the word dedicated though 
hell, i aint no spring chicken, 44 and a grandad, if i dont do it now....... 
8 11-10-10 08:09:46
Re: hi (16 replies, posted in Introduce yourself)
aah...now i feel in good company....
my musical tastes are quite varied, but i've stayed with blues/rock stuff mostly.i do try to work on my finger picking too. Have just rented out a community centre for one night a week and join another guitarist and drummer for practice sessions....soooo different to practicing solo!!
Fortunately (olly) i dont have a recording of myself playing two years ago..i was, however, lucky enough to secure some free time at ssr studios (manchester), and recorded
'wish you were here'..i played 6 and 12 string guitar . i was very pleased with the outcome and it boosted my confidence no end!
(watermelon john) writing songs!!! i'm finding hard enough to sing and play covers at the same time!!..
Thanks for the welcomes!
9 04-10-10 14:24:01
Topic: hi (16 replies, posted in Introduce yourself)
hi,
i've been battling with my guitar for a couple of years, i've owned a few over the years, but never got round to actually playing untill 2008.
hit a bit of a wall at the mo, so thought the forums might provide some wisdom.
mainly playing blues/rock.
My main issue with my playing is that after 2 years, i'm still crap
