Ebay Amps

[satchboogie]

But yeah. Im after a basic head, and i play metal, and classic rock. I did see a Jansen Bassman 50 on trademe but i dunno if its suitable for metal..

You could always get a marshall valvestate head. they pop up on trade me.
Can be used for rock and metal

[rocklander]

I did see a Jansen Bassman 50 on trademe but i dunno if its suitable for metal..

Yes it is

there ya go. denden would know...
and the bassman can certainly hold it's own in a live gig situation too (I gig with mine in pub gigs and it never gets past 2 on the dial into a duo, barely 1.5 into my quad).

build that pedal, buy the head, get a cab.. rock the world! (build the thor too cos it will just scream metal)

[k1w1]

For what you have to spend it is not worth it, I have 2 vintage amps I got from eBay, but I had mates in the US who bid for them and then sent them on or waited for me to get there to pick up. But then these are a vintage 1953 5 watt



And a 60s Lafayette



But these are little, unusual amps, the Lafayette arrived with a broken board courtesy of the postal service, so all in all if its not super rare it is probably not worth it at the moment, and I bought back a Blues Junior this year from my trip. Although the BJ was less than half price (but then the $ was 84 cents american, plus mates rates from a dealer in Nashville). My 2 cents

The step down transformer isn't a big deal, I think I got mine from DS for about $85,

Edit: Oops forgot, the BJ cost US$200 to ship back from Nashville, so if it wasn't for the strong dollar thats a big cost to cover.

[hippy01]

I did see a Jansen Bassman 50 on trademe but i dunno if its suitable for metal..

Yes it is

there ya go. denden would know...
and the bassman can certainly hold it's own in a live gig situation too (I gig with mine in pub gigs and it never gets past 2 on the dial into a duo, barely 1.5 into my quad).

build that pedal, buy the head, get a cab.. rock the world! (build the thor too cos it will just scream metal)

Sounds like a plan right there
Now i just gotta make sure none of you buggers bid on the auction lol!! Ive convinced my parents for the head, and its all good. But i have to ask my all mighty guru or my tutor what he thinks first.. Hopefully he's into Jansen as much as my Dad surprisingly is..??
(Im only turning 16, so yes i live with my parents.. OMG!)


And also, Rocklander, Where did you buy all of your parts for the pedals?

Oh and i already have a Quad like a said in an earlier post (Ashton with 50w Celestions)

[rocklander]

oh yeh, forgot about the asthon.. nice
as for parts.. it's in the POD thread
http://www.nzguitars.com/forum/viewtopi ... 2&#p189052

but since you're in auckland you should be able to get most of them from jaycar... the 3pdt switches are the hardest part to source locally

[rickenbackerkid]

The Jansen Bassman is a fantastic, loud, clean amp. You will need a Distortion pedal to do rock/metal. I recomend a RAT.
If you're interested, I can do you my custom version of a RAT with True Bypass and lo-gain mode for $160.

[rocklander]

The Jansen Bassman is a fantastic, loud, clean amp. You will need a Distortion pedal to do rock/metal. I recomend a RAT.
If you're interested, I can do you my custom version of a RAT with True Bypass and lo-gain mode for $160.

I struggled to get a decent sound out of my RAT into my bassman personally. YMMV

[ash]

Unless you have several years of high volume band playing under your belt, I think you'll be disappointed and frustrated with the Bassman or any vintage style valve amp. Yeah, they sound great when played to their strengths, but from my own experience and observations of other young players, there are far better options for emerging metallers.
Not to mention you have to actually get a working and properly setup one with decent valves in the first place. Otherwise its a money pit of restorative maintenance and re-tubing

For $400 you should either go straight to a solidstate head and get on with playing music or save and double your budget. I say do what you need to do to play music first and foremost.

[raz]

If you are looking for a head do you already have a speaker cab?

If not then you're going to be looking at maybe the same amount of $$ again for a half decent cab and speakers.

Don't bother importing - it will cause you nothing but strife if you don't know exactly what you're looking for. And the freight cost and the cost of a transformer is going to offset any savings you might make.

I'm worried that you'll end up in the same trap as Phildo - a megawatt amp in the bedroom that really only starts to perform at stage volumes that cost a small fortune. Playing on the same gear as your fave band is not going to make you sound like them.

Ash's advice is good, start smaller and in your price bracket. My son is a metaller and has a peavey 112 transtube solid state combo that cost him round $400 - bang for buck, it's a good reliable amp and he hasn't needed to upgrade it (YET - I'm sure he will)

My 2c worth anyway. Treat your equipment like shoes, grow into them and replace them when they're too small.

[rocklander]

If you are looking for a head do you already have a speaker cab?

If not then you're going to be looking at maybe the same amount of $$ again for a half decent cab and speakers.

Don't bother importing - it will cause you nothing but strife if you don't know exactly what you're looking for. And the freight cost and the cost of a transformer is going to offset any savings you might make.

I'm worried that you'll end up in the same trap as Phildo - a megawatt amp in the bedroom that really only starts to perform at stage volumes that cost a small fortune. Playing on the same gear as your fave band is not going to make you sound like them.

Ash's advice is good, start smaller and in your price bracket. My son is a metaller and has a peavey 112 transtube solid state combo that cost him round $400 - bang for buck, it's a good reliable amp and he hasn't needed to upgrade it (YET - I'm sure he will)

My 2c worth anyway. Treat your equipment like shoes, grow into them and replace them when they're too small.

he has an ashton quad with celestions in it (not sure the type).

good call on the peavey. I have an express112 and used to gig with it.. very loud, but nicely linear in its ability to get consistent sounds throughout the volume range.. kinda what solid state excels at I guess.

[hippy01]

Im not a fan of that Peavy.. Our school has it and its hard to get a decent tone from.. It always sounds not to great.

And yeah. You are right about the Shoes idea.. And i do realise im not gonna sound like my favourite band.. But its all good.. I just want a wayy Bigger amp, that can actually stand up to my drummer.. Since so far, he blows me out completely. And i picked up the quad for only $300 and thats why im looking for a head..?

And i was thinking that the Bassman prolly wouldnt suit me right now, but hearing all of the rave reviews, i figured why not? But theres no point in buying something that to you is half ass at the time, im better off just to wait for the right deal to come along.

[Bg]

You won't go far wrong with a Bassman, they're generally very good but you'll need to drive it with pedals....

[hippy01]

Kinda doubt it.. Considering my 10w practice amp kept up with my drummer... Only just.. But considering im hooking this up to a cabinet with the 4 celestions, i should be fine? Vut can a 5w Jr, actually decently/properely power this cabinet?

[hamo]

That Tophat's changed from a $2000 start=reserve price to a $1000 start, doesn't equal reserve. Wonder what the reserve is now?

[Bg]

Kinda doubt it.. Considering my 10w practice amp kept up with my drummer... Only just.. But considering im hooking this up to a cabinet with the 4 celestions, i should be fine? Vut can a 5w Jr, actually decently/properely power this cabinet?

Yes no doubt about it, I run mine through a quad at times but I don't think your drummer isn't hitting hard enough if your practice amp is loud enough

Honestly you are better off with a Bassman which will give you many years of service without you having to upgrade when you start gigging. They're a great clean amp that just need to be coloured with pedals. The valve junior needs the same, don't expect to plug it and play metal without some extreme pedals in front