Guitar advice for a teenager who likes 70/80's Rock

hyperfish

VX1 demo, cracking tones at £75 delivered. The VX2 is only £115.

Philly112

I'd be wary of You Tube demos. The tones might sound great, but you need to check the amps out in a room, and see what they sound in a real environment. Even tiny amps sound great if tone is important. But they don't have that 'punch' which hits you and is hard to describe. Even at low volume. I have a Yamaha THR10. It's fantastic for what it is. But it's limited, it distorts at a fairly low volume, and I would only recommend it as a practice or recording amp.
We're also listening to two good guitarists here who will make anything sound good.

Goooner

And it's worth noting, something that doesn't sound too loud in a shop, might be a lot louder than you think when you get it home

Toasty

Yes, I find all amps have a 'threshold' where they sound pants at a certain low volume. This is related to what was being said earlier about valve amps, as that threshold is at a higher volume than most amps, but it applies for all amps. TBH, if you need a real low volume, I'd prefer to use headphones..

hyperfish

If two guitarists say it sounds good, it probably will be despite YouTube limitations.


..and the fact that one of them is a salesman.

Toasty

I've successfully used youtube to help decide on pick up configurations and they're good for telling you what each product supports and the general quality of the build, etc..

Philly112

You Tube is fantastic for showing what amps (and guitars) can do. I'm not convinced that's it's a great medium for showing how things 'sound'.

The analogy is, go to any live concert. Acoustic, electric, whatever. The sound just 'hits you', even at low volume. It's the dynamics. You Tube, presented over your PC, even with good speakers, just can't replicate that. Even great recorded CD's can't. But a good guitar amp in your living room can. Good tone is great, but I believe we listen and respond to dynamics more than tone.

hyperfish

Fair enough but you'll need a "bellowing mob of p***heads" backing track in your living room to replicate the ambiance of a live audience.

YT has it's uses but trying for oneself with your own guitar model is the definitive.

Christian 71

Yep take Youtube with a pinch of salt for amps. Everything is mic'd which can make the amp sound vastly different to how it does in the room.

Heard a load of amps and an online demo gives you no idea how loud the amp is being played, if the bass distorts or is lacking at the volume plan to use it at. Really no substitute for sitting in somewhere like PMT in a demo room and playing yourself for 10-20 minutes yourself.

Hawklan

Thanks guys

As always, really helpfull advice. We can use YouTube and online reviews etc as guides regarding features. But a demo is a must prior to buying

Many thanks

Ron