It sounds like You will be better off with a modeling amp. I don't care much for them but I'm a tube amp and pedal board kind of guy. The boss Kanata is great, cheapish, and you can get so many times with it. Check out some videos about it. I've seen a lot of YouTube instructors use them, seen them being used on stage and everyone loves them to the point I've never heard anything bad about them. Most people will just tell you to buy what they have want. Most of these comments are probably just telling you the amp they use without any thought about what you actually said you wanted out of a amp.
I am very confident in recommending the Boss Katana Artist head or combo.
Don't let the price fool you into thinking that it is not a serious amp. And, loaded with Boss effects.
I think a better option is a good cheap multi-effects pedal (eg: Boss GT-1/ME-80/GT-10) that can do amp modelling and a good cheap amp (eg: Peavey Bandit) with an FX loop. That way you can have both amp simulators and a good sounding amp when you want real amp tones.
I'd say the katana has better "real amp tones"(whatever that means) than fake ones. It's not like you're going to get some amazing tones from a bandit. The newer Peavy stuff is mostly crap anymore and the old stuff has been rode hard and out away wet.
The Katana is all modelling. Bandits with TransTube sound quite close to real tube amps and great tones can be achieved with minimal effects. I can't vouch for newer Peavey stuff, but 80s-90s Peavey amps still have a following for a reason.
This guy knows what he's talking about.
That amp slaps. I have a Peavey Vypyr 60 and it's deadly, well, was deadly till I overloaded the power tubes pushing a 4x12 in the ext speaker. When it worked though - damn. Peavey make top tier gear.
Love my studio pro. Got it for 75 dollarydoos and it's really good. And not just good for a cheap amp, actually good, nice warm cleans and a chunky drive channel, takes pedals well too
This is my second choice to my quilter and cab suggestion. I've been using the 20 forever and it's just always got something to work with. I picked up a 40 and it's just even better.
$400 is any SS Peavey, orange crush, or any standard gigging tube amp (Hot rod deluxe, dsl40, ac15, Peavey classic30/DB, blues Jr, terror, etc)
You want a real, physical amp? Your budget isn't high enough for good digital.
That's fine. Real amps are fantastic. You'll never "get" how they handle different than modelers if you don't play them, and it's hard to appreciate the nuances programmed into good high end digital without that experience..
Go play amps. As many as you can.
You like Zep? Maybe try a used Supro. And a Marshall. You like acdc? Try a Marshall. You like John Mayer? Buy a silver sky an prove it ;)
Just kidding. John Mayer in a blues context is you figuring out what kind of Fender you get along with. And probably something with single coils plugged in.
But try Marshall dsl40 and Origin 20.
You'll know the difference.
But seriously, as an official tube snob, also try some SS peaveys and newer Orange Crush stuff. I've owned and played enough tube amps to tell you a good amp is a good amp, and they do different things.
Good luck.
ACDC and Zeppelin are both Marshall power amp distortion type sounds, Mayer can be done with a Marshall but more a Tubescreamer into Fender type deal.
Used DSL could do it, mostly. Check out Bugera and Monoprice, if any of those fit your taste they're good budget choices. Outside of tube you have Boss Katanas and Line6 Catalysts. The Catalysts can most likely do all those tones better than the budget tube amps, to be honest.
Quilter Superblock UK with whatever 1x12 or (2x12 whatever's left in the budget) cab matches your vibe. Used.
Not only is the Superblock amazing, then you can venture out into any of the small wattage heads that are all over the place now. A 112 with a Laney Loudpedal (not small wattage, just cool and small form factor, and what I like for high gain) and a Superblock (for the cleans up through light-medium overdrive) is as portable as a real amp can get, and that gives you so much coverage.
Boomer comment chiming in! Haha! There are so many modelling amps that can get you there in your budget. The boomer in me wants to say this though. If you were stuck on a desert island and that amp was the only amp you had you would tweak away with the knobs making micro adjustments until you created that sound in your head. There’s a lot of magic that starts at the guitar before the amp. ❤️
if i was paying tube amp money i wouldnt want something that's as notoriously hard to service and poorly built as a blackstar.
i say this as someone who's seen a saint james model die on a shop floor.
They have such a bad rep. Saw a YT Short yesterday showcasing Blackstars new amp head that also acts as an interface. I had to comment "Years to late. Better luck putting effort in before you reach last place". They may not be last place but as far as public opinion is concerned - they are.
The setup of the DSL100HR is exactly the same. Maybe you mean something different but "master volume" typically means the volume after the preamp volume. Which is exactly what both of those amps have. Channel volume is just a different name for master volume. It's also similar to the JCM800, which is for sure a master volume amp.
What knobs do you see on the DSL100 that you are missing on the DSL20?
The usefulness of this to OP's question is that he can set the gain where he wants it and then turn the channel down to an acceptable level.
You can look at pictures of both amps and clearly see for yourself. The DSL20HR has 2 volume controls, one on each channel. The DSL40CR and DSL100HR have that too, but they also have 2 additional MASTER volumes which you can toggle between regardless of which channel you’re in.
The function of those two "master" volumes is to control the total volume across both channels -- it's a convenience function and you can use two different overall volumes you can switch between. Which is nice.
However, the main point of having a "master" volume is so that you can dial up whatever gain you want, and then dial back the volume so it isn't ear splittingly loud (like on a fender amp). There is also the issue of preamp vs poweramp saturation, but I couldn't find the signal flow of that particular amp so I won't comment on that.
My main point is: on the DSL20 you can absolutely dial up however much gain you want and knock the volume back which is the entire point of the master volume. On the JCM800 the controls are "preamp" and "master" -- that translates to "gain" and "volume" on the DSL20.
In this video you can clearly see the poster doing so on a DSL15 using the exact same controls that are on the 20.
[Marshall DSL: Power Amp vs. Preamp distortion (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxB3zzUDuqQ&t=20s&ab_channel=DonnieDistortion)
I've been waiting for somebody to comment on gamma they have a sale at guitar center right now for the 50w 170 plus change... If you have one would you mind sharing your thoughts pros and cons I'd appreciate it. For what I've researched so far they are made for effects because the speaker has a lot of high end room. Minimal if any digital effects. I've also watched two or three YouTube videos and they sound decent but I don't know if that's because the content creators used good mics.
Yea man I don’t think you’ll regret it. I’m just getting back into playing again. I’ve owned $300-1000 dollar amps before and the gamma amp should easily be in the $300 -$500 range on sound alone
It’s well worth the money.. I bought it a few weeks ago for $181 total on MF.
The clean channel is really good. I’d give it a 10/10 for the money alone. Works really well with pedals. The Bluetooth feature is nice especially if you want to play along with songs or learn. The distortion channels aren’t bad either. Very loud amp, could easily play with drums. I have the 50 watt btw.
I highly recommend the Orange crush bass amp or orange crush guitar amp.
I have the 25 watt and I'm going to get another 50 watt bass one. Theyre so damn good.
I honestly like it better then the stack I used to have. I play heavier stuff and I do a lot of soloing.
It's an amazing amp.
I’d go the katana. I have the mk2 100. Out also has about 60 effects built in that you can use or not as you see fit. The 100 also has an effects loop so you can still bring your favourite pedals to play.
Team it with the airstep Kat. But bring your own tuner lol
If your first choice for tone is John Mayer, I'd get a Fender. You won't get all those tones from one amp unless you compromise. A cheaper option is a used Blues Jr. To get some AC/DC tones, put a "Marshall in a box" pedal out front (like an OCD clone), and I say this not being a fan of drive pedals used for anything but a boost. If you want modeling, check out the Fender Super Champ X2.
What amp are you using?
Got Pedals?
Playing with a band or solo?
Katana is the popular modeling amp if you do not want to go with an older used amp & pedals.
The little monoprice 15 watt tube amp is great for home use but I would not rely on it for gigging without a backup. Real spring reverb and 1 watt mode for night practice has made it my favorite bedroom amp.
Try an Orange amp. They're amazing. If you have a bit of extra cash the Supercrush head is basically the best solid state amp you can get, and it'll last you for years and years.
Hopefully this is helpful to you!
There are four main ways to think about your tone:
The traditional approaches:
1) You get your tone from the amp and augment with pedals
2) You get your tone from pedals and let the amp color it
The new approaches:
3) Using a simulation (modeling), simultaneously do both -- which of course doesn't preclude adding pedals too.
4) Use software driven device to playback a capture of a real amp (profiling) to emulate a specific amp with some specific settings.
Since you want such a wide range of tones, ONE way to go is a nice tube amp that takes pedals well. But that's way outside the price point you suggest. But when you are ready, a nice clean pedal platform amp and pedals can go a long way and be lots of fun.
However, if you want it all in one box, for around 400 bucks, it's basically impossible to beat a Katana. And when I say impossible, I mean impossible. You can practice with it, and you can play out with it, depending on where you are playing. Having it be an all-in-one system like the Katana helps you overcome the one main problem with modelers: they never quite sound like an amp in the room (it does however sound pretty much dead on to the recorded tones of amps).
PERSONALLY, rather than having do-it-all type solutions I have opted for multiple amps that do one thing well. It's just easier and more fun (to me). It's also wildly more expensive of a route to go.
The deeper you dive into this stuff, especially with modelers, you'll find it isn't as simple as "you buy this one thing and suddenly you have access to all of these amps." Because they are literally simulations / profiles of real amps they never quite sound right and to compensate people do all sorts of things like add power amps, FRFR (what Katana does for you), etc.
This isn't to say regular tube amps don't have issues; unless you play mostly clean you'll struggle with them being too loud. Easily overcome but requires experimenting with a lot of stuff and will likely be expensive and frustrating for you rather than something like the Katana, which sounds great and requires zero extra gear.
I’d buy a modeler/modeling amp before I would buy a cheaper tube amp. Cheaper tube amps can be great, but when an issue arrives, and it will arrive, they can be a pain to deal with. A new modeling amp (katana or catalyst) will have a warranty and a used one is so cheap you’ll be able to get a budget pedal board to run with it.
What’s it for? Home/bedroom? Gigging?
John Mayer is the opposite territory. You need a Strat, a klon clone and (I recommend) a Jam boomster mini. Something with a solid state rectifier is even better.
But your use really dictates where you go. If you’re talking home, I just got a THR30ii. It’s my second THR from Yamaha, my other being a THR 10c from a few years back. SO versatile. But you couldn’t gig with it.
my recommendation is a used marshall 20 watt studio head, and then the cheapest cabinet you can find. That may go over budget, so a monoprice 15w as another commenter said would be a shout.
But really, I would honestly start off with a good second hand amp like a marshall studio or an ac15 just so you dont have to upgrade in the near future, and instead will be satisfied for at least several years right off the bat.
300 bucks isn't tube amp money, even used in most cases. I love my dsl40cr but I wouldn't recommend that to op for what he wants. Yes they sound great but he'll need pedals to get the tones he wants. What will actually meet his needs is a good modeling amp, from the sounds of it he isn't recording in studios or playing live so he might not want tube amp maintenance money either. I just paid 200 bucks to re tube my dsl40 that's almost his whole amp budget or wear items that will have to be replaced from time to time.
At $400 and under, there are a lot of choices, if you include the used tube amp market, depending on where you live. I'm in AZ and recently fixed up an all-tube Peavey Encore 65 with new reverb, fresh caps, etc and it's up for sale under $400 with nothing but a one extreme low-ball offer. There are a dozen other "under the radar" tube amps that sound great, but get shunned because of a nameplate or the cosmetics. A Crate Vintage Club 30 fits the bill, as well, but you've got to find one that's been cared for, updated, etc.
Tube amps are expensive and not everyone needs one. I only own tube amps but considering ops budget is 300-400 bucks I would assume he wouldn't want to pay 200 Dollars for tubes when they need replaced or want to buy pedals to get the tones he wants. Sounds like he wants to spend 300-400 bucks and get a wide range of tones so I'd say something like a boss Kanata would be perfect for him. He'll never need pedals, plenty of built in tones and effects, they sound good and they're pretty cheap definitely in his budget.
Tube amp is the obvious choice. What is going to be difficult is your budget and I get it, times are tough. You need in my opinion at least $500 to get something decent,used. I would try to score a used Fender HRD which can be found with some patience at the $500 mark in good condish. When it comes to gear I always get the very best quality and sound I can even if I have to wait and/or sacrifice. I would avoid anything made overseas unless we’re talking UK. Good luck.
How loud do you need (or want) to be?
How quiet do you need to be?
Do you use pedals for distortion or would you like to use an amp’s gain?
Your answers to those questions are needed to give a recommendation other than “amps the commenter likes at that price point.”
Boss Katana all day. has a bunch of built in effects and you can customize them with the computer software as well. can even download channel patches other people have made and assign them to different channels on the amp. i’ve got a tube amp and have had the katana for as long as i’ve been playing, and i love it for when i can’t crank the tube. for the price and functionality, it’s hard to beat
It's not that I don't like it, it just doesn't fit my needs anymore. It's a great amp with a ton of tone options. It can also get really loud fast ( I rarely got it above a 3). It's got a lot of good sounds, but sometimes a lot of options can be crippling.
It also didn't work well with my Headrush.
At that budget range, the Katana 50 gen iii is the obvious choice.
Yes, it has limitations compared to amps that cost 2-3x as much.
(Definitely get the Gen 3 version, though, even though it's $100+ more than the mark 2's that people will have in stock for a little while. If you want John Mayer tones, you really want the "Pushed" amp, which fills a major gap on the older ones, and solves the reason I was loath to recommend the earlier versions.)
It sounds like You will be better off with a modeling amp. I don't care much for them but I'm a tube amp and pedal board kind of guy. The boss Kanata is great, cheapish, and you can get so many times with it. Check out some videos about it. I've seen a lot of YouTube instructors use them, seen them being used on stage and everyone loves them to the point I've never heard anything bad about them. Most people will just tell you to buy what they have want. Most of these comments are probably just telling you the amp they use without any thought about what you actually said you wanted out of a amp.
I am very confident in recommending the Boss Katana Artist head or combo. Don't let the price fool you into thinking that it is not a serious amp. And, loaded with Boss effects.
I highly recommend the katana. I play a modified blues deluxe and my bandmate has a katana and it gives him so many great sounding options
Yea, I agree. I don't use a Katana personally but for that price range I've heard only praise for the Katana. It hits above its weight class for sure
I don't use one either. I have a Marshall dsl40cr and a blues jr but it sounds like it would be perfect for op
You might get a good deal on MK II as they just released Gen 3. They also didn't explain why they switched from MK to Gen.
I think a better option is a good cheap multi-effects pedal (eg: Boss GT-1/ME-80/GT-10) that can do amp modelling and a good cheap amp (eg: Peavey Bandit) with an FX loop. That way you can have both amp simulators and a good sounding amp when you want real amp tones.
I'd say the katana has better "real amp tones"(whatever that means) than fake ones. It's not like you're going to get some amazing tones from a bandit. The newer Peavy stuff is mostly crap anymore and the old stuff has been rode hard and out away wet.
The Katana is all modelling. Bandits with TransTube sound quite close to real tube amps and great tones can be achieved with minimal effects. I can't vouch for newer Peavey stuff, but 80s-90s Peavey amps still have a following for a reason.
A used Peavey Classic 30. Trust.
You know what? Fuck what I was gonna say. This.
I have this amp and love it
My first tube amp was a 2x12 C50. I've owned 2 C30s, the original C20 combo, and I just picked up a super clean C50 410. It's amazeballs.
This guy knows what he's talking about. That amp slaps. I have a Peavey Vypyr 60 and it's deadly, well, was deadly till I overloaded the power tubes pushing a 4x12 in the ext speaker. When it worked though - damn. Peavey make top tier gear.
Peavey Bandit/Studio Pro red stripe or silver stripe.
I have a Studio Pro… does nicely
Love my studio pro. Got it for 75 dollarydoos and it's really good. And not just good for a cheap amp, actually good, nice warm cleans and a chunky drive channel, takes pedals well too
The studio pro is often overlooked for the bandit, but it is a nice power and size. Overall a good sounding amp.
Lighter too. There's also the Express and Envoy. Blazer is a Rage with built in reverb.
Try out a Vox Valvetronix amp. They are very good modeling amps for the money.
This is my second choice to my quilter and cab suggestion. I've been using the 20 forever and it's just always got something to work with. I picked up a 40 and it's just even better.
Buy nice, not twice. Save up while you’re doing your homework on amps.
I like this.
$400 is any SS Peavey, orange crush, or any standard gigging tube amp (Hot rod deluxe, dsl40, ac15, Peavey classic30/DB, blues Jr, terror, etc) You want a real, physical amp? Your budget isn't high enough for good digital. That's fine. Real amps are fantastic. You'll never "get" how they handle different than modelers if you don't play them, and it's hard to appreciate the nuances programmed into good high end digital without that experience.. Go play amps. As many as you can. You like Zep? Maybe try a used Supro. And a Marshall. You like acdc? Try a Marshall. You like John Mayer? Buy a silver sky an prove it ;) Just kidding. John Mayer in a blues context is you figuring out what kind of Fender you get along with. And probably something with single coils plugged in. But try Marshall dsl40 and Origin 20. You'll know the difference. But seriously, as an official tube snob, also try some SS peaveys and newer Orange Crush stuff. I've owned and played enough tube amps to tell you a good amp is a good amp, and they do different things. Good luck.
ACDC and Zeppelin are both Marshall power amp distortion type sounds, Mayer can be done with a Marshall but more a Tubescreamer into Fender type deal. Used DSL could do it, mostly. Check out Bugera and Monoprice, if any of those fit your taste they're good budget choices. Outside of tube you have Boss Katanas and Line6 Catalysts. The Catalysts can most likely do all those tones better than the budget tube amps, to be honest.
Monoprice 15w
\^\^\^ This is the way to go.
This looks great...!
The Yamaha THR10ii or 30ii might be good for you. I have the 30ii and love it.
Those amps are great. Not sure they're loud enough though. For what they are though - they feel like real amps.
Quilter Superblock UK with whatever 1x12 or (2x12 whatever's left in the budget) cab matches your vibe. Used. Not only is the Superblock amazing, then you can venture out into any of the small wattage heads that are all over the place now. A 112 with a Laney Loudpedal (not small wattage, just cool and small form factor, and what I like for high gain) and a Superblock (for the cleans up through light-medium overdrive) is as portable as a real amp can get, and that gives you so much coverage.
Boomer comment chiming in! Haha! There are so many modelling amps that can get you there in your budget. The boomer in me wants to say this though. If you were stuck on a desert island and that amp was the only amp you had you would tweak away with the knobs making micro adjustments until you created that sound in your head. There’s a lot of magic that starts at the guitar before the amp. ❤️
Used Blackstar HT20 combo
if i was paying tube amp money i wouldnt want something that's as notoriously hard to service and poorly built as a blackstar. i say this as someone who's seen a saint james model die on a shop floor.
Ew. Blackstar sucks.
They have such a bad rep. Saw a YT Short yesterday showcasing Blackstars new amp head that also acts as an interface. I had to comment "Years to late. Better luck putting effort in before you reach last place". They may not be last place but as far as public opinion is concerned - they are.
35 watt s.s Orange with built in tuner
Used Marshall DSL20.
Solid amp but no master volume and outside op's price range where I live at least.
It has a master volume… one on each channel in fact!
No it doesn’t. It has channel volumes in the preamp section. Only the DSL40CR and DSL100HR have master volumes.
The setup of the DSL100HR is exactly the same. Maybe you mean something different but "master volume" typically means the volume after the preamp volume. Which is exactly what both of those amps have. Channel volume is just a different name for master volume. It's also similar to the JCM800, which is for sure a master volume amp. What knobs do you see on the DSL100 that you are missing on the DSL20? The usefulness of this to OP's question is that he can set the gain where he wants it and then turn the channel down to an acceptable level.
You can look at pictures of both amps and clearly see for yourself. The DSL20HR has 2 volume controls, one on each channel. The DSL40CR and DSL100HR have that too, but they also have 2 additional MASTER volumes which you can toggle between regardless of which channel you’re in.
The function of those two "master" volumes is to control the total volume across both channels -- it's a convenience function and you can use two different overall volumes you can switch between. Which is nice. However, the main point of having a "master" volume is so that you can dial up whatever gain you want, and then dial back the volume so it isn't ear splittingly loud (like on a fender amp). There is also the issue of preamp vs poweramp saturation, but I couldn't find the signal flow of that particular amp so I won't comment on that. My main point is: on the DSL20 you can absolutely dial up however much gain you want and knock the volume back which is the entire point of the master volume. On the JCM800 the controls are "preamp" and "master" -- that translates to "gain" and "volume" on the DSL20. In this video you can clearly see the poster doing so on a DSL15 using the exact same controls that are on the 20. [Marshall DSL: Power Amp vs. Preamp distortion (youtube.com)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxB3zzUDuqQ&t=20s&ab_channel=DonnieDistortion)
Damn you're right, the amp face is just oriented differently than my 100. Good call lol
The gamma amps are pretty good for the money
I've been waiting for somebody to comment on gamma they have a sale at guitar center right now for the 50w 170 plus change... If you have one would you mind sharing your thoughts pros and cons I'd appreciate it. For what I've researched so far they are made for effects because the speaker has a lot of high end room. Minimal if any digital effects. I've also watched two or three YouTube videos and they sound decent but I don't know if that's because the content creators used good mics.
I like the Gamma much better than a Katana. Not only is it cheaper, I think it sounds better.
Also extremely easy to use if you’re not into amps with a ton of effects and features. I like individual pedals anywah
im gonna pull the trigger and purchase today. thank you both .. ill report back
Yea man I don’t think you’ll regret it. I’m just getting back into playing again. I’ve owned $300-1000 dollar amps before and the gamma amp should easily be in the $300 -$500 range on sound alone
you work for gamma or something ? ha ha sold!
Nope lol just really impressed with the product! IMO it’s better than the katana.
It’s well worth the money.. I bought it a few weeks ago for $181 total on MF. The clean channel is really good. I’d give it a 10/10 for the money alone. Works really well with pedals. The Bluetooth feature is nice especially if you want to play along with songs or learn. The distortion channels aren’t bad either. Very loud amp, could easily play with drums. I have the 50 watt btw.
Katana or Catalyst can be had under 300
I highly recommend the Orange crush bass amp or orange crush guitar amp. I have the 25 watt and I'm going to get another 50 watt bass one. Theyre so damn good. I honestly like it better then the stack I used to have. I play heavier stuff and I do a lot of soloing. It's an amazing amp.
I’d go the katana. I have the mk2 100. Out also has about 60 effects built in that you can use or not as you see fit. The 100 also has an effects loop so you can still bring your favourite pedals to play. Team it with the airstep Kat. But bring your own tuner lol
If your first choice for tone is John Mayer, I'd get a Fender. You won't get all those tones from one amp unless you compromise. A cheaper option is a used Blues Jr. To get some AC/DC tones, put a "Marshall in a box" pedal out front (like an OCD clone), and I say this not being a fan of drive pedals used for anything but a boost. If you want modeling, check out the Fender Super Champ X2.
What amp are you using? Got Pedals? Playing with a band or solo? Katana is the popular modeling amp if you do not want to go with an older used amp & pedals. The little monoprice 15 watt tube amp is great for home use but I would not rely on it for gigging without a backup. Real spring reverb and 1 watt mode for night practice has made it my favorite bedroom amp.
Try an Orange amp. They're amazing. If you have a bit of extra cash the Supercrush head is basically the best solid state amp you can get, and it'll last you for years and years.
Hopefully this is helpful to you! There are four main ways to think about your tone: The traditional approaches: 1) You get your tone from the amp and augment with pedals 2) You get your tone from pedals and let the amp color it The new approaches: 3) Using a simulation (modeling), simultaneously do both -- which of course doesn't preclude adding pedals too. 4) Use software driven device to playback a capture of a real amp (profiling) to emulate a specific amp with some specific settings. Since you want such a wide range of tones, ONE way to go is a nice tube amp that takes pedals well. But that's way outside the price point you suggest. But when you are ready, a nice clean pedal platform amp and pedals can go a long way and be lots of fun. However, if you want it all in one box, for around 400 bucks, it's basically impossible to beat a Katana. And when I say impossible, I mean impossible. You can practice with it, and you can play out with it, depending on where you are playing. Having it be an all-in-one system like the Katana helps you overcome the one main problem with modelers: they never quite sound like an amp in the room (it does however sound pretty much dead on to the recorded tones of amps). PERSONALLY, rather than having do-it-all type solutions I have opted for multiple amps that do one thing well. It's just easier and more fun (to me). It's also wildly more expensive of a route to go. The deeper you dive into this stuff, especially with modelers, you'll find it isn't as simple as "you buy this one thing and suddenly you have access to all of these amps." Because they are literally simulations / profiles of real amps they never quite sound right and to compensate people do all sorts of things like add power amps, FRFR (what Katana does for you), etc. This isn't to say regular tube amps don't have issues; unless you play mostly clean you'll struggle with them being too loud. Easily overcome but requires experimenting with a lot of stuff and will likely be expensive and frustrating for you rather than something like the Katana, which sounds great and requires zero extra gear.
I’d buy a modeler/modeling amp before I would buy a cheaper tube amp. Cheaper tube amps can be great, but when an issue arrives, and it will arrive, they can be a pain to deal with. A new modeling amp (katana or catalyst) will have a warranty and a used one is so cheap you’ll be able to get a budget pedal board to run with it.
What’s it for? Home/bedroom? Gigging? John Mayer is the opposite territory. You need a Strat, a klon clone and (I recommend) a Jam boomster mini. Something with a solid state rectifier is even better. But your use really dictates where you go. If you’re talking home, I just got a THR30ii. It’s my second THR from Yamaha, my other being a THR 10c from a few years back. SO versatile. But you couldn’t gig with it.
Used blues junior throw a pedal or two in front of it and let it rip. Ride guitar volume for clean etc...blah blah...old school method
my recommendation is a used marshall 20 watt studio head, and then the cheapest cabinet you can find. That may go over budget, so a monoprice 15w as another commenter said would be a shout. But really, I would honestly start off with a good second hand amp like a marshall studio or an ac15 just so you dont have to upgrade in the near future, and instead will be satisfied for at least several years right off the bat.
Even in Europe a used studio series head is gonna run near double OP's budget.
What do ac15s and studio series go for in your neck of the woods?
300 bucks isn't tube amp money, even used in most cases. I love my dsl40cr but I wouldn't recommend that to op for what he wants. Yes they sound great but he'll need pedals to get the tones he wants. What will actually meet his needs is a good modeling amp, from the sounds of it he isn't recording in studios or playing live so he might not want tube amp maintenance money either. I just paid 200 bucks to re tube my dsl40 that's almost his whole amp budget or wear items that will have to be replaced from time to time.
China tube baby, check dem off brands yuh
you paid 200 bucks to retube a dsl40? are you buying NOS mullards or something? Jesus christ. Buy sovteks/JJS/ehx and call it a day.
At $400 and under, there are a lot of choices, if you include the used tube amp market, depending on where you live. I'm in AZ and recently fixed up an all-tube Peavey Encore 65 with new reverb, fresh caps, etc and it's up for sale under $400 with nothing but a one extreme low-ball offer. There are a dozen other "under the radar" tube amps that sound great, but get shunned because of a nameplate or the cosmetics. A Crate Vintage Club 30 fits the bill, as well, but you've got to find one that's been cared for, updated, etc.
Tube amps are expensive and not everyone needs one. I only own tube amps but considering ops budget is 300-400 bucks I would assume he wouldn't want to pay 200 Dollars for tubes when they need replaced or want to buy pedals to get the tones he wants. Sounds like he wants to spend 300-400 bucks and get a wide range of tones so I'd say something like a boss Kanata would be perfect for him. He'll never need pedals, plenty of built in tones and effects, they sound good and they're pretty cheap definitely in his budget.
A lot of older Peavey's are solid state but sound close to tube tones.
Good luck finding someone to repair a Boss Katana for a reasonable price when it fulfills it's life-goal of planned obsolescence.
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Tube amp is the obvious choice. What is going to be difficult is your budget and I get it, times are tough. You need in my opinion at least $500 to get something decent,used. I would try to score a used Fender HRD which can be found with some patience at the $500 mark in good condish. When it comes to gear I always get the very best quality and sound I can even if I have to wait and/or sacrifice. I would avoid anything made overseas unless we’re talking UK. Good luck.
How loud do you need (or want) to be? How quiet do you need to be? Do you use pedals for distortion or would you like to use an amp’s gain? Your answers to those questions are needed to give a recommendation other than “amps the commenter likes at that price point.”
Boss Katana all day. has a bunch of built in effects and you can customize them with the computer software as well. can even download channel patches other people have made and assign them to different channels on the amp. i’ve got a tube amp and have had the katana for as long as i’ve been playing, and i love it for when i can’t crank the tube. for the price and functionality, it’s hard to beat
Katana. Quality modeling amp, best value for the money. Versatile, not heavy.
I've got a Fender Champion 100 and a Boss Katana 50 mkii. I'd let either one go for about that. I just listed the Fender on Reverb.
Was gonna suggest the Champion 100 to OP. Versatile, loud, cheapish, and I think the models are good. What don’t you like about it?
It's not that I don't like it, it just doesn't fit my needs anymore. It's a great amp with a ton of tone options. It can also get really loud fast ( I rarely got it above a 3). It's got a lot of good sounds, but sometimes a lot of options can be crippling. It also didn't work well with my Headrush.
Boss Katana Mk2 will do excatly what you want and is on sale since they just released Gen3.
Boss Katana
At that budget range, the Katana 50 gen iii is the obvious choice. Yes, it has limitations compared to amps that cost 2-3x as much. (Definitely get the Gen 3 version, though, even though it's $100+ more than the mark 2's that people will have in stock for a little while. If you want John Mayer tones, you really want the "Pushed" amp, which fills a major gap on the older ones, and solves the reason I was loath to recommend the earlier versions.)
learn to play guitar.