So I was shopping around for a nice amp..

[Skybox]

I auditioned a bunch of different amps the past 3 weekends. I decided to visit the major retailers in the Metro to get to play the amps myself instead of just reading reviews or watching Youtube demos.

I like to play blues/rock and I used to be one of those "Feeling shredder" teens (Facepalm) but now I play in a PnW band so naturally I got into the ambient (feeling keyboardist) stuff lately as well.

I currently own an Orange Micro Terror going into 2 PPC108 cabs.
I'm really happy with the toanz I'm getting given the price I paid for this amp.
I get great cleans, awesome dirt and best of all, its modular and veeery portable.

I am looking for an upgrade of course and I am looking for an amp that does both clean and dirty tones well.



1) Orange Tiny Terror Combo - JB Music Glorietta - Second Most Expensive

Guitar used was my buddy's PRS SE 7 string

Cleans - 7/10 (I get better cleans with my Micro Terror)
Dirt - 10/10 (if you like the Orange sound)
Blues? - Yes
Rock? - Yes


2) Laney Tony Iommi Signature Combo - JB Music Glorietta - Least Expensive

Guitar used was my buddy's PRS SE 7 string

Cleans - 5/10 (single channel. no decent cleans, you can force it but it's.. meh.)
Dirt - 10/10 (nails the Sabbath sound)
Blues? - Yes (crunchy)
Rock? - Yes


3) Marshall DSL40 Combo - JB Music Glorietta - Mid priced

Guitar used was my buddy's PRS SE 7 string

Cleans - 8/10 (typical Marshall cleans)
Dirt - 10/10 (Marshall toanz all day)
Blues? - Yes
Rock? - Yes


4) Blackstar HT20 - Lyric Glorietta - second least expensive

Guitar used was my buddy's PRS SE 7 string

Cleans - 9/10 (Boutique clean daw. I dig it)
Dirt - 10/10 (US and UK dirt all day every day)
Blues? - Yes
Rock? - Yes


5) Fender '65 Princeton Reverb - Yupanco - Most Expensive

Guitar used was a Fender USA strat

Cleans - 10/10 (Fender cleans = best cleans ever. Period.)
Dirt - 5/10 (not a chance)
Blues? - Yes
Rock? - No


6) Vox AC30 - Audiophile Boni - same price as the Blackstar

Guitar used was an Ibanez Kiko Loureiro sig

Cleans - 8/10 (disappointing. Maybe its the guitar that let it down vs the Fender)
Dirt - 9/10 (classic Vox top boost toanz)
Blues? - Yes
Rock? - Yes


In the end. FOR ME.. In terms of toanz, price and heck even portability (i think this is the lightest of the bunch)...

Blackstar wins.

(Your Milage May Vary)

[Skybox]

I was thinking of posting the actual prices but.. I can't remember if that's allowed 'round these parts..

[Master At Arms]

Wow Skybox, thanks for that great feedback !  I'm sure it'll help a lot of guys here who are on the fence about certain amps.

I like the HT20 too out of all those, followed by the DSL40.

Gracias for sharing 

MA

[marcus_gloom]

Gassing for the DSL.

[chernandez1]

Gassing for that Blackstar. ) Thanks for this!

[jeff-55]

Sir skybox tanong lang about the ac30, bakit dissapointing yung cleans niya para sayo?

[Skybox]

Happy to be of service guys. I apologize as I used 3 different guitars to test these amps. That made it not so scientific but I guess that would do for now.

It was my first time to use a Vox AC30 and I brought with me a lot of preconceptions about it being one of the legendary combos used by legendary guitarists.

I actually just tested it yesterday and I realized that I didnt give it a fair chance as I didnt set the controls for it to be at its optinum volume.

I actually set it louder than my usuall stage volume but last night I thought maybe it needed to be even louder for it to really shine.

The Fender Princeton blew my socks off. I played some John Mayer songs through it and somehow gathered a crowd of salesmen and even security guards. The sound was just stellar. Mind you, I set the volume on that amp in Yupanco at the same level as I set the Vox in the Audiophile Pioneer store but see they differ in both wattage and speaker setup. The 15-watt Princeton with its 10inch Jensen speaker just shined at that volume level. The Vox with its two Celestion V30's sounded generic. I didnt percieve the legendary chime and the rich heritage that everyone has been talking abot for ages.

Still, it would be a better comparison if I would get another chance at testing the Vox but this time with a proper Strat and maybe have it cranked louder.

I didnt connect with that Ibanez Kiko sig either so I guess it also took away from the experience.

Anyone else get to audition these amps at the stores? Care to share your experiences?

[Ralph_Petrucci]

Happy to be of service guys. I apologize as I used 3 different guitars to test these amps. That made it not so scientific but I guess that would do for now.

It was my first time to use a Vox AC30 and I brought with me a lot of preconceptions about it being one of the legendary combos used by legendary guitarists.

I actually just tested it yesterday and I realized that I didnt give it a fair chance as I didnt set the controls for it to be at its optinum volume.

I actually set it louder than my usuall stage volume but last night I thought maybe it needed to be even louder for it to really shine.

The Fender Princeton blew my socks off. I played some John Mayer songs through it and somehow gathered a crowd of salesmen and even security guards. The sound was just stellar. Mind you, I set the volume on that amp in Yupanco at the same level as I set the Vox in the Audiophile Pioneer store but see they differ in both wattage and speaker setup. The 15-watt Princeton with its 10inch Jensen speaker just shined at that volume level. The Vox with its two Celestion V30's sounded generic. I didnt percieve the legendary chime and the rich heritage that everyone has been talking abot for ages.

Still, it would be a better comparison if I would get another chance at testing the Vox but this time with a proper Strat and maybe have it cranked louder.

I didnt connect with that Ibanez Kiko sig either so I guess it also took away from the experience.

Anyone else get to audition these amps at the stores? Care to share your experiences?

i think the vox didnt sound as good as expected dahil sa gutiar no offense to ibby users, hindi lang talaga siya pang clean.

anyway, just a side question, anychance na may naspattan kang IDcore sa lyric glorietta?

[Skybox]

i think the vox didnt sound as good as expected dahil sa gutiar no offense to ibby users, hindi lang talaga siya pang clean.

anyway, just a side question, anychance na may naspattan kang IDcore sa lyric glorietta?

Meron sir nasa may entrance lang I think its an ID core Stereo 20.

[Ralph_Petrucci]

Meron sir nasa may entrance lang I think its an ID core Stereo 20.

yan mismo gusto ko huhuhuhu sana abutan ko pa

[aglozada]

Napadaan ako sa lyric glorietta kagabi. Tried the blackstar ID 260 TVP and the HT studio 20. Ansaklap, lumala ang amp gas ko. Haha

yan mismo gusto ko huhuhuhu sana abutan ko pa

Aww. Wala nang mga ID core. ID 30 TVP yung nasa may entrance 

[Ralph_Petrucci]

Napadaan ako sa lyric glorietta kagabi. Tried the blackstar ID 260 TVP and the HT studio 20. Ansaklap, lumala ang amp gas ko. Haha


Aww. Wala nang mga ID core. ID 30 TVP yung nasa may entrance 

meron pa sa lyric rockwell <3

[Astral Voyager]

Selling my Blackstar TVP 30 with FS-10 footswitch for 21k nego

Trade for: BOSS ME-80 and an amp

*kung one item lang ang trade just add extra cash


It's my first time posting in philmusic btw, and I'm not so sure how to
Do stuff here yet. Hehe

[cayle]

Selling my Blackstar TVP 30 with FS-10 footswitch for 21k nego

Trade for: BOSS ME-80 and an amp

*kung one item lang ang trade just add extra cash


It's my first time posting in philmusic btw, and I'm not so sure how to
Do stuff here yet. Hehe

First thing to do is to read the rules. This is not the classified ads section. Post your item here:

http://talk.philmusic.com/index.php?board=168.0

[Ralph_Petrucci]

Selling my Blackstar TVP 30 with FS-10 footswitch for 21k nego

Trade for: BOSS ME-80 and an amp

*kung one item lang ang trade just add extra cash


It's my first time posting in philmusic btw, and I'm not so sure how to
Do stuff here yet. Hehe

welcome to PhilMusic Bro! please refer to the link in Cayle's post

[firemodel55]

Happy to be of service guys. I apologize as I used 3 different guitars to test these amps. That made it not so scientific but I guess that would do for now.

It was my first time to use a Vox AC30 and I brought with me a lot of preconceptions about it being one of the legendary combos used by legendary guitarists.

I actually just tested it yesterday and I realized that I didnt give it a fair chance as I didnt set the controls for it to be at its optinum volume.

I actually set it louder than my usuall stage volume but last night I thought maybe it needed to be even louder for it to really shine.

The Fender Princeton blew my socks off. I played some John Mayer songs through it and somehow gathered a crowd of salesmen and even security guards. The sound was just stellar. Mind you, I set the volume on that amp in Yupanco at the same level as I set the Vox in the Audiophile Pioneer store but see they differ in both wattage and speaker setup. The 15-watt Princeton with its 10inch Jensen speaker just shined at that volume level. The Vox with its two Celestion V30's sounded generic. I didnt percieve the legendary chime and the rich heritage that everyone has been talking abot for ages.

Still, it would be a better comparison if I would get another chance at testing the Vox but this time with a proper Strat and maybe have it cranked louder.

I didnt connect with that Ibanez Kiko sig either so I guess it also took away from the experience.

Anyone else get to audition these amps at the stores? Care to share your experiences?

Vox AC30 cleans beat fender cleans in my opinion.  Why do you think Joe Walsh uses it for cleans and not Fender during Eagles' concerts?  In my opinion, the amps you tried are crap and both the Vox and Fender are not the real deal in terms of what they really sounded.
Nothing in the stores in Manila are above passable.

[Skybox]

Vox AC30 cleans beat fender cleans in my opinion.  Why do you think Joe Walsh uses it for cleans and not Fender during Eagles' concerts?  In my opinion, the amps you tried are crap and both the Vox and Fender are not the real deal in terms of what they really sounded.
Nothing in the stores in Manila are above passable.

I auditioned the same AC30 this time with a Strat and at stage volume and I got the legendary chimey cleans and crunch.

I still like the cleans I got with the Princeton though.

[Ben Tsing Co]

Vox AC30 cleans beat fender cleans in my opinion.  Why do you think Joe Walsh uses it for cleans and not Fender during Eagles' concerts?  In my opinion, the amps you tried are crap and both the Vox and Fender are not the real deal in terms of what they really sounded.
Nothing in the stores in Manila are above passable.

 

[firemodel55]

I auditioned the same AC30 this time with a Strat and at stage volume and I got the legendary chimey cleans and crunch.

I still like the cleans I got with the Princeton though.

And this is the problem with trying out stuff locally, since it looks like an AC30;we ASSUME it will sound like an AC30.  So, which circuit of the AC30?  Did it have Celestion Blues (the Made in England speakers)?  Did it have NOS Tubes?
What was the cabinet made of?  Is it made in China or somewhere in the Western hemisphere?

I can tell you the early 70s Princeton that I got to try, both of them at that, at Matt Umanov sounded killer compared to today's made in somewhere copies.   

[Ralph_Petrucci]

but... preferences...?

[firemodel55]

but... preferences...?

I understand.  I am just trying to qualify that preferences whether you like it or not are driven by limitations.  In this case, when one says he prefers this or that, know that there was NO definitive AC30 NOR definitive Princeton present.

But I commend Skybox for going beyond the Internet and Youtube.  Its a great first step for him.

[Skybox]

I understand.  I am just trying to qualify that preferences whether you like it or not are driven by limitations.  In this case, when one says he prefers this or that, know that there was NO definitive AC30 NOR definitive Princeton present.

But I commend Skybox for going beyond the Internet and Youtube.  Its a great first step for him.

I compared the AC30 at AP vs the Princeton in Yupancs.