bang for buck amp

[jillybooty]

I'm a 14 yr old nd looking for an amp. I like to play metal guitar with gritty but not excessive distortion. The most I can spend is around 400 but it would be a lot better if I could spend less. I'm looking for around 30-50 watts of tube. Also I don't mind used (actually I prefer it cuz its cheaper).
what amp should I get?

[Chuck H]

Mr. Booty... Or can I call you Jilly...he he.

$400. isn't alot to spend on metal tone. Little combo jobies are a dime a dozen at used prices. But a sealed back cab with at least 2 x 12's in it is a must for the tone you want. If you're handy, or know someone who is, you could build a speaker cab for cheap and load it with a pair of off the shelf Celestions. Or you might pick up a used 2 x 12 Celestion cab for about the same price. Probably around $250. That only leaves $150 for an amp

One thing I can say is DON"T buy some mediocre transistor head or a "combo" amp. You will just be replacing it as soon as you can afford to and end up spending money on two rigs instead of one.

The way I see it the min you can spend to get usable metal tone is about $700. You need a cab (2x12 is OK) a tube head that is reliable and a pedal to overdrive it. I suggest a used 2 x 12 Celestion cab of any brand name (around $250), a used Traynor Bassmaster head with good tubes in it (can still be found around $400), and your distortion pedal of choice (I like the mid 80's to early 90's ProCo RAT) about $50 used. This rig would be about as cheap as you could go and to get really good tone, long lasting value and performance. It will honestly save you $$$ in the long run. If you can do it for less than my guestimate then great. If you go cheap I don't think you'll be pleased and inspired...As every young player should be. Make a deal with your parents, get a job after school. Do whatever it takes. You'll be glad you did.

What gear are you using now? Maybe something can be recycled or traded.

Chuck

[NorCalTuna]

Tubes are sick, no doubt, but for metal not entirely essential. Just ask Dimebag, or is that not metal enough? Solid state has Huge bass on the cheap, and excellent response; it's also more reliable and lighter, which is a real benefit for younger players who should be spending their time practicing and their cash on strings!

Ty Tabor (Kings X) used to play through a gibson L5, a cheap SS combo amp kept out of sight at the side of the stage, for that matter.

I'd think about a randall warhead combo! They're all used (discontinued) and prolly pretty cheap . It's powerful and Dime certified!

If you can reach a little deeper, two things spring to mind:
5150 Combo (SICK) or a Mesa mk1 reissue, both about 600-700

or a tube preamp or pedal, like a Mesa vtwin, a good solid state power amp and a used cab- that would get you rockin on the cheap too!

Sealed, tube, mid power, high gain, low dollar combos are extremely rare birds!