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darkwolf291 « Decent Beginner and Practice Amp »
Published on 03/30/11 at 19:51 This is a solid state, digital, modeling amp, but not the best. It has 15w of power, but when you crank it, the effects all seem to trigger subtly. It has one input, a Headphones amp/Line Out, and an Input for a CD Player, MP3, or other music device for playing along with music.
It has 8 knobs, An LED for Tap Tempo for the Delay, and it also serves as a Gain Boost and Noise Gate.
The EQ knobs are..Drive (which is the Gain control), Bass, Mid, Treble, and Channel Volume.
The Effects Knob lets you choose which effect you want (Chorus/Flange, Phaser, and Tremolo) and how much of the effect you choose. You can only use one effect at a time. Around halfway on the Chorus/Flange side of the knob, it turns from chorus to flange. The Other knob is your delay/Reverb. You can choose between Sweep Echo, Tape Echo (Both are Tap Tempo) and Reverb.
Holding the Tap Tempo Button while turning the DRIVE knob up past 12 o'clock activates the Gain Boost, giving you more gain, and boosting the volume. Holding the Tap Tempo button while turning the DRIVE Knob down past 12 o'clock turns it off. Holding the tap tempo button and turning the Delay/Reverb knob up past 12 o'clock activates the Noise Gate. Holding Tap Tempo and turning the Delay/Reverb knob down turns it off.
UTILIZATION
A good sound CAN be achieved, but it takes some tweaking. It's not that hard to find a usable tone, but it is hard to find a GOOD one. I don't think there's any truly great tones in the amp.
It is very easy to use and adjust. Everything is labeled clearly, and you know what you're setting and where you're setting it to.
The manual is very clear, and offers a all of the "Hidden Features of the Tap Tempo Button". The manual is written very clearly and provides enough information to help you learn how to use it.
SOUNDS
This is where this amp fails someone with an ear for tone. For a beginner, this is an awesome amp. Lets you dabble in effects, learn how much, and what kind, of gain you like. For someone with an ear for tone, this is a bad amp at best. The distortion is digital, harsh, fizzy, and lifeless. It is VERY digital sounding. It is also VERY muddy. Anything over normal bedroom levels and it gets unbearably harsh and fizzy. The only decent channel on it is the Clean channel.
At gigging or Band Practice volumes, the bass feeds back VERY VERY quickly. This amp is only decent for low volume practicing. Think bedroom practice. If you're looking for a decent sounding amp for a beginner, it is a decent amp.
OVERALL OPINION
This is a decent amp for a beginner. Anyone with an ear for tone will find this amp too harsh, fizzy, and lifeless. This amp's big downfall is it's tone. It's digital, and you can tell the second you turn on any kind of distortion. But, because it's marketed for beginners, I am rating it accordingly. It lets you experiment with effects and gain voicings, which is a great option for a beginner amp.
This amp retails for $100. I feel that's a good price for it.
All in all, this is a decent beginner amp, and low volume practice amp
It has 8 knobs, An LED for Tap Tempo for the Delay, and it also serves as a Gain Boost and Noise Gate.
The EQ knobs are..Drive (which is the Gain control), Bass, Mid, Treble, and Channel Volume.
The Effects Knob lets you choose which effect you want (Chorus/Flange, Phaser, and Tremolo) and how much of the effect you choose. You can only use one effect at a time. Around halfway on the Chorus/Flange side of the knob, it turns from chorus to flange. The Other knob is your delay/Reverb. You can choose between Sweep Echo, Tape Echo (Both are Tap Tempo) and Reverb.
Holding the Tap Tempo Button while turning the DRIVE knob up past 12 o'clock activates the Gain Boost, giving you more gain, and boosting the volume. Holding the Tap Tempo button while turning the DRIVE Knob down past 12 o'clock turns it off. Holding the tap tempo button and turning the Delay/Reverb knob up past 12 o'clock activates the Noise Gate. Holding Tap Tempo and turning the Delay/Reverb knob down turns it off.
UTILIZATION
A good sound CAN be achieved, but it takes some tweaking. It's not that hard to find a usable tone, but it is hard to find a GOOD one. I don't think there's any truly great tones in the amp.
It is very easy to use and adjust. Everything is labeled clearly, and you know what you're setting and where you're setting it to.
The manual is very clear, and offers a all of the "Hidden Features of the Tap Tempo Button". The manual is written very clearly and provides enough information to help you learn how to use it.
SOUNDS
This is where this amp fails someone with an ear for tone. For a beginner, this is an awesome amp. Lets you dabble in effects, learn how much, and what kind, of gain you like. For someone with an ear for tone, this is a bad amp at best. The distortion is digital, harsh, fizzy, and lifeless. It is VERY digital sounding. It is also VERY muddy. Anything over normal bedroom levels and it gets unbearably harsh and fizzy. The only decent channel on it is the Clean channel.
At gigging or Band Practice volumes, the bass feeds back VERY VERY quickly. This amp is only decent for low volume practicing. Think bedroom practice. If you're looking for a decent sounding amp for a beginner, it is a decent amp.
OVERALL OPINION
This is a decent amp for a beginner. Anyone with an ear for tone will find this amp too harsh, fizzy, and lifeless. This amp's big downfall is it's tone. It's digital, and you can tell the second you turn on any kind of distortion. But, because it's marketed for beginners, I am rating it accordingly. It lets you experiment with effects and gain voicings, which is a great option for a beginner amp.
This amp retails for $100. I feel that's a good price for it.
All in all, this is a decent beginner amp, and low volume practice amp