Need suggestions: Light weight amp, for praise band

[Pearly Gator]

My main amp for worship has been a Fender M80, 1X12 combo. For 13 years it has faithfully served me with it's great clean tone, volume and reliability. I use external effects. The amp is run thru the PA via an SM57 and I play a Les Paul studio, SG Special and Ibanez AS73 with Golden Age humbuckers.

This last weekend, I noticed I'm getting old. Though the amp has wheels, with a guitar and a sack of pedals, this stuff is getting too heavy to tote. So, I've decided to get a new amp. I need something that is loud enough for moderate stage levels. Ideally a 1X12 and ~30 watts but I'm considering these;

Orange Crush 30
Vox Pathfinder 15R
Fender Frontman 25R
Marshall MG30DFX
Roland Cube 30

Anyone have experience with these in a worship setting? Will they 'cut' it?

PG

[reverbbb]

If you are entertaining the thought of a Frontman, you owe it to yourself to check out the Stage 1000. Kewlpack got one. Until I played his, I never even had heard of them and probably would have never given any thought to testing one out.

I was surprised at the faithful reproduction of the clean Fender punch and the ability to shape the tones into other amps genres like the Vox and Marshalls.

Not necessarily an "only amp that I'll ever own" type amp, but it is certainly a good little solid state amp at a good price.

[kewlpack]

Ditto Reverbbb. Fender Stage 1000 - 42lbs of Celestion/Fender SS bliss... well mostly!

Throw a GT-8 in front of it and wow your pals! ;)

Heheheh :mrgreen:

[stephen]

I have played thru the Marshall MG30dfx, and I like it! If I was to get a second amp, that would be the one, and I'm a tube snob too! Course it sounds best when you have (I believe) the fss button on all the time, but I didnt have a problem with that. Not bad for $250.00 bucks.

[Pearly Gator]

Don't get me wrong, The Fender Stage 1000 in a nice amp. But picture me with a guitar gig bag across my shoulder, a sports bag of pedals and cords in one hand and a Stage 1000 in the other hand, trying to open the door to the church....

ROADIES!! WHERE'S MY ROADIES?!! :lol:

PG

[Wally]

I have heard good things about all the amps you mentioned but don't have any personal experience with them. If you are really looking into small Vox amps I would look at the new Vox modelling amps w/ a tube in the preamp - the 30 watt version is only $240 or so, light, 30 watts w/ a 12 and getting rave reviews.

I do have experience w/ the Fender Dynatouch series - I have a Deluxe 90 DSP (now known as 900). The 1000 is prety big, but some of the smaller amps in that series might do you well.

[stephen]

Another one I tried, but only briefly, was the Fender 300DSP (there modeling version of the Champ)

30 watts, I think a 12" speaker, lightweight, and about $240.00 .

Sounded decent enough, but i only had about 5-10 minutes with it.

[Brad]

Don't forget the Roland Blues Cube series. I use a BC-60 ( single 12 ) with our P&W team and it does a very good job. Likes all sorts of pedals also.

[Pearly Gator]

Brad,

I see the Blues Cubes get great reviews. How much does your BC-60 weigh? I'm hoping for something that's 25 lbs or less.

Tonight, I may take my guitar to GC and road test a few. Crate has 3 - 1X10 amps out bu,t no reviews on HC yet. (GLX30, XT30R, FXT30) The Vox Pathfinder 15R gets high marks but, I wonder if an 8" speaker and 15 watts RMS will cut it.

PG

[tom grossheider]

I keep a Vox Pathfinder in the back of the truck to take to rehearsals at church, then on Sunday bring a "real" amp. With a mic in front of the Pathfinder, the tone blows away the sound people, they just cannot believe it is coming from that little cheap amp. I don't know why I don't use it more often, but it really has fabulous tone. It was cheaper than a stompbox and works great. Why I spend time building and fixing tube amps I'll never know...... :lol:

[Pearly Gator]

I keep a Vox Pathfinder in the back of the truck to take to rehearsals at church, then on Sunday bring a "real" amp. With a mic in front of the Pathfinder, the tone blows away the sound people, they just cannot believe it is coming from that little cheap amp. I don't know why I don't use it more often, but it really has fabulous tone. It was cheaper than a stopmbox and works great. Why I spend time building and fixing tube amps I'll never know...... :lol:

Is it loud enough to hear on the stage with a drummer, et al?

[Teleguy]

...The Vox Pathfinder 15R gets high marks but, I wonder if an 8" speaker and 15 watts RMS will cut it.

PG


I often use the Vox Valvetronix 15w. Usually plenty loud enough, even with a drummer, unless we're talkin' a LOUD band.
Especially on the Vox emulation settings, it really cuts through with a Tele. I think having a sealed up cabinet helps the 8" speaker, but of course there's no back splash, so it is a bit directional. The bass is prominent, I always wind up turning it down.
I lean it back too.

A 15w amp can be plenty loud. 30w is just slightly louder, 60w just slightly louder than that.
My 50w Valvetronix gives me more clean headroom and slightly more oomph, but sounds almost the same as the 15w.

[Pearly Gator]

Went to test drive at GC last night. I tried every 30 watt amp in the store and a few others.

Losers/horrible amps: Fender Frontman 25 (noisy/boxy), Crate GLX30 (dull), Behringer 30 modeling amp (DOA! )

Okay/acceptable: Crate FTX30, Vox AD30VT

Good: Crate XT30R, Vox Pathfinder15R, Marshall MG30DFX

So, I bought the Pathfinder. it also won in the looks category. I took it home, plugged it in and noticed that it hums! Grrr! Something I could not tell in the store. :mad: For a 1X8 15W amp, it's a lot louder than my Marshall MG15DFX with identical speaker. On the Pathfinder, if you turn up the treble control, the hum gets worse! It will go back to GC for a refund this weekend.

The search continues.....

PG

[Crunchyriff]

ROADIES!! WHERE'S MY ROADIES?!!

Boy, I hear that. I miss mine very much.

Fotunately we have band members who help immensely. :mrgreen:

[tom grossheider]

I keep a Vox Pathfinder in the back of the truck to take to rehearsals at church, then on Sunday bring a "real" amp. With a mic in front of the Pathfinder, the tone blows away the sound people, they just cannot believe it is coming from that little cheap amp. I don't know why I don't use it more often, but it really has fabulous tone. It was cheaper than a stopmbox and works great. Why I spend time building and fixing tube amps I'll never know...... :lol:

Is it loud enough to hear on the stage with a drummer, et al?

Our drummer is a bit isolated, and the amp is miced and thru the monitors so stage volume is very manageable. Plenty loud, and lots on tap. I'll probably use it this Sunday with a Tele or Strat.

[kewlpack]

PG -

Maybe the hum is due to electrical grounding interference or something (?). I noticed this in some of the amps I've gone through lately... I dunno, but I'm thinking it is some problem with my power outlets in my office.

Try another pathfinder amp if you can - in a sound room - crank it up and listen for the hum at the store. Don't play necessarily... just try to get the hum.

Hope that helps.

[Pearly Gator]

PG -

Maybe the hum is due to electrical grounding interference or something (?). I noticed this in some of the amps I've gone through lately... I dunno, but I'm thinking it is some problem with my power outlets in my office.

Try another pathfinder amp if you can - in a sound room - crank it up and listen for the hum at the store. Don't play necessarily... just try to get the hum.

Hope that helps.

The grounding at home is fine and none of my other amps do it. :dunno With no instrument plugged in, The Pathfinders hums. It's so bad that with an SM57 it would be most unacceptable for church.

At least Monday will bring the Presidents Day sale to GC. Perhaps they'll havae a great sale on other amps.

PG

[jazzrat]

I'm coming late to the party but I was in the same situation. My Fender HRDx is a tank. After lookining at a lot of the amps you mentioned I bought Carvin SX100. It has onboard effects which are just OK. The clean sound however is really good and it likes effects in front of it.
It's 32 lbs. The SX50 is 28 lbs.
I also like the fact that at 100 watts it can back up my Fender if something
happens.
A guitarist in the P.M. team uses a Frontman 25....a little boxy sounding.
But nice and light