Home practice rig - Amp or FX?

[HarryPotter]

OK, so I'm going to start playing again after more than a decade away, I am starting from scratch gear wise.

I have no intention of gigging, just playing at home for my own amusement.

I've currently been considering 3 options:

1 - Boss Katana running at 0.5W

2 - Spark or THR or similar

3 - Some kind of Amp Modeller / FX unit (Hotone, GE-250 HX Stomp etc)

I'll probably be on headphones most of the time for noise reasons.

In terms of what I want out of it is nice tones, with maybe the odd effect here and there, musically I'm a blues / rock and metal guy so I'd like it to cover those bases if possible.

At the moment going and trying any of these is out of the question.

What are peoples thoughts / pros / cons on any of these options please?

Should I consider something else?

 

TIA

[ezbass]

Any of those would work nicely. However, it it were me, I’d go for the Katana as it offers all the modelling and effects you might want, has the headphones out you’ll be using most of the time, but will also give the option of going fully amplified (at different levels) if you want to ‘feel’ what you’re playing or if suddenly you want to jam with others.

[Skinnyman]

So many choices these days! I have a 15w Fender Mustang which - for me - is the perfect practice amp. Looper, SD card slot to play songs to jam with, change pitch and speed. Loads of amp models and effects built in. Mine is one of the early models with their Fuse software (which I’ve never bothered using) but if the current crop are as versatile then they’re well worth it. Or buy a used older model.

The Spark looks interesting but you’re reliant on the app and I don’t think it would work for me. So of your choices, I’d probably go with the Katana but that’s only if my Fender Mustang wasn’t available.

 

PS I did have one of the little Yamaha TH amps (the acoustic version) which I moved on quickly. Even at low volumes it couldn’t handle any sort of bass frequency and it hated anything above whisper quiet. The electric guitar versions may be better but I would check before you buy....

Edited January 22, 2021 by Skinnyman

[BleuFrançais]

Hello there,

Found what you all wrote informative.  I have a marshal 50 amp, can't get the thing to give me the sound I want and have been lookin myself for something to use, just indoors for my own pleasure, but would love  to be able to play a more meatier sound, just can't get it right on the marshal.  Ive had a look at the spark thats newly advertised, but am useless with computer tech stuff, so want something I can mess with buttons or nobs and just make it sound great.  I love playing a meaty sound like sabbath, iron maiden, accept type sound and will have a look at what you have mentioned on here.

I have tried looking on u tube to get advice on how to use my small amp, but still cant get it to sound right...

...Thanks....

Kaz

[HarryPotter]

That reminds me, I should probably add that I am tech savvy, despite being nearly 47

 

I actually enjoy tinkering with the software. 

[Matt P]

i would probably go for some kind of pedal/desktop FX/modelling unit, if you are going to be using headphones then the speaker and power amp is a bit of a waste of space, I have a couple of very nice amps (all valve) but 99% of the time I use headphones and a desktop modelling unit, (i went for a Vox Unit, the tale of which is Here)

As you are tech savvy then one of the clever modern modelling units would be a great place to start, and if you find yourself needing to play live then it can either be run straigh into the PA or you can pick up something like a powered speaker to run it into (which is getting very popular at the moment. look at units from Boss, Line6 etc, the modern Zoom units are pretty good as well at the moment, much better than when i first used them back in the late 90's and really quite affordable, most of these units work great running into amps as well and some have USB outputs for recording.

 

Matt

[leftybassman392]

Lots of great kit out there at sensible prices. I guess it boils down to how important the sound is to you (and of course what your budget is).

Being a recidivistic old fart, I would politely suggest that nothing beats a good valve amp for sound; no amount of electronic toys quite manages to recreate that valve magic IMHO. The downside is that they tend to be more expensive than solid state units. After a long and fascinating thread on the subject, followed by a series of instore try-outs (not really an option right now of course) I shelled out a little over £550 on a Fender Blues Junior IV.

One other point; don't be tempted by power ratings: the 15w rating on the BJ IV is actually a bit more than I needed for home use (and more than enough for the recording projects I have in the pipeline). 10w will be plenty, and there are some very good valve amps out there with 5w - and lower - ratings too.

If that nth degree of sound quality (not to mention hearing the sound coming out of an actual amp cabinet)  is not such a big deal then plenty of good options have already been mentioned above.

As always, just my opinion.

Edited January 24, 2021 by leftybassman392

[Skinnyman]

In addition to the little Mustang (which I use as a practice tool because of the aforementioned play-along capabilities), I also have a little Bugera T5 Infinium which is perfect for home use. It has three power settings (0.5w, 1w and 5w) and does that valve breakup thing really nicely. I’d love a blues junior but to get them to sound “good” they’re just too loud for my needs

[NickD]

23 hours ago, HarryPotter said:

That reminds me, I should probably add that I am tech savvy, despite being nearly 47

 

I actually enjoy tinkering with the software. 

Then I'd go with the Helix. Decades of sound chasing (although even the presets are quality). Its great having an approximation on the valve response at headphone volumes, the effects are great and it doubles as an interface (although I use it through a separate interface). Being able to do it all in Helix Edit, rather than on the unit is great.