Best Home practice Amp

[dentalcusp]

I currently have 2 guitars and want to get back into playing after a very long layoff.. I currently have my original 1967 Fender telecaster which I purchased when I was a kid and just recently picked-up a 2016 Les Paul Standard.

My question is this.... I want a home practice amp appropriate for these two guitars not having to play very loud (trying to keep my close neighbors happy) but want to get the best full sound effects from the guitars as well as the amp controls at a lower volume. I am partial to the 70's type music (led Zepplin-Jimi-Cream-..etc.)

I was considering the Marshall DSL15C. I am opened to other options.

Any input would be much appreciated

Thanks

[ric]

I currently have 2 guitars and want to get back into playing after a very long layoff.. I currently have my original 1967 Fender telecaster which I purchased when I was a kid and just recently picked-up a 2016 Les Paul Standard.

My question is this.... I want a home practice amp appropriate for these two guitars not having to play very loud (trying to keep my close neighbors happy) but want to get the best full sound effects from the guitars as well as the amp controls at a lower volume. I am partial to the 70's type music (led Zepplin-Jimi-Cream-..etc.)

I was considering the Marshall DSL15C. I am opened to other options.

Any input would be much appreciated

Thanks

I'm playing thru a single ended amp and I think that's a great way to get more character at low volume. This is a 6V6 amp and it has the 6X4 dinky rectifier which may help with compression.

If that doesn't sound like the ticket, maybe a "master volume" version of something.

[Wittgenstein]

You can't go wrong with a Fender Champ.

[Steve A.]

I've had a DSL15C for about a year and have been pleased as punch with the Classic Gain channel (I use pedals for dirt and other FX.) The DSL15 is not as versatile as the DSL40/100 amps which have two selectable modes per channel (Clean/Crunch for the Classic Gain channel, and Lead 1/Lead 2 for the Ultra Gain channel). With the DSL15 you get the Clean mode but also the Lead 2 mode which has way too much gain for me. (After looking at the schematics it shouldn't be too hard to convert it to the Lead 1 mode.) I leave digital reverb control set to 10 but still wish I had more at times.

http://www.guitarworld.com/review-ma...40c-combo-amps

There are two other modern (2015) amps I would recommend:

#1. Bugera V22 Infinium. Great clean and OD channels, decent digital reverb plus FX loop for different reverb options. OD channel can get Robben Ford/Zendrive tones. Street price $400

http://www.guitarworld.com/amplifier...video/%0925580

#2. Orange Crush 35RT (solid state). Great Clean and OD channels but digital reverb not top notch (reverb tails can get a bit cluttered) but it has FX loop so that you can roll your own. Although listed as a practise amp with 10" speaker it can handle small gigs as well. At least for now comes with choice of black or orange tolex. Street prce $260

http://www.guitarworld.com/magazine-...video/%0923400

Both of these amps are built in China but they definitely deliver the goods with great clean and OD sounds.

Steve Ahola

[Enzo]

And remember that watts are not loudness. A 40 watt amp can be darn loud, but so can a 15 watt amp. Hell car radios for years were 4 watts, and they got pretty loud. You turn down the volume knob.

Asking for full sound like Led Zep at low volume is asking a lot. Like wanting my Moped to ride and accelerate like a big Harley. Your ears do not hear the same at low volumes as they do at loud. That is why they put the "loudness" button on stereo receivers, you turn it on for low volume listening. it compensates for your ears.

[Steve A.]

And remember that watts are not loudness.* A 40 watt amp can be darn loud, but so can a 15 watt amp.* Hell car radios for years were 4 watts, and they got pretty loud.* You turn down the volume knob.

Good point! The amps I just mentioned sound pretty good at low volumes although of course they aren't moving as much air as they do when cranked up. That was one problem I found with the old BF/SF amps: they usually didn't sound that good until you cranked them up a little bit.

One of the local jams used to enforce a policy regarding loudness. I forget what* the decible limit was but they had two Epiphone Valve Juniors set up for the guitarists. The 5 watt amps filled the place quite well...

Steve Ahola