Haven't played seriously since high school (7+ yrs!). Probably been a year or two since I touched a guitar.  Had a sudden uncontrollable urge to take it up again.  Picked up a fender mim strat off of Craigslist for $250 on Saturday. I've been playing it nonstop since (without an amp lol).  

I'm seriously mediocre so I'm trying to start over by building a foundation in blues. I've been learning 12 bar blues over the past few days and have even started doing some very bad but very fun lead improv.

This is way more fun than playing the same cliche Metallica riffs over and over like I used to. No wonder I lost interest!

I forgot how relaxing it is to just sit there forever playing without a care in the world.

Not really sure why I'm posting this thread other than to say I got a guitar and I'm having fun!  I guess I need an amp too. I've been looking at the Vox AC4TV. Thoughts on that?

My guitar to usb cable should be here today though so I can use my guitar with Garage Band.

Nice looking strat...
I've been very impressed with the MIM Fender's I've noodled around on. In fact, a lefty Tele may be in my future if I can sneak it past the wife.

I don't have much experience with the little VOX, but all their combos I've listened to seemed GTG - and the AC4TV has a lot of good reviews over at Sweetwater.


Oh, and Happy New Guitar Day!

Welcome to the dark side bro

I think assuming you like classic rock and blues you picked well on the guitar.  When looking at gear for entry level low cost I think that money spent on the amp is sometimes more crucial. Not sure how much you have to spend or how open to used amps you might be.  IMO since you don't want to drop gazillions but probably want some effects and stuff you are likely not buying a tube amp.  

And I believe there are some nice SS amps today.  The Fender Mustang II seems like it sounds OK and has lots of features for the money.  I'm sure someone with a closet full of amps will say it sounds like ass but it depends on what you have to spend and if you are only playing it in your home.  

I am an amp junkie with lots of classic amps.  Probably most no good for you as they are loud and don't have effects.  

Love to hear what you decide

That little AC4TV is a sweet little amp, it captures that Vox tone nicely... I was seriously pondering one but ended up with a used, damn near new AC15C1 instead for right about the same price.

You might check out the Orange Micro Terror head/cab... very neat (and toneful) little amp as well.  I've seen used head/cab for under 200$ several times... brand new they're 250$ish (149$ for the head, 99$ for the 1x8" cab)... or just grab the head and any cab you like.  I have the 1x8" cab sitting pretty much idle... I run the head mainly through my Twin Reverb's 2x12" speakers (made a male to female extension cable to make it work easily... Male end into head, female to the male end off the speakers on the amp... TaaDaa!) or an Ampeg 2x10" micro bass cab.  It has plenty of ooommph and control for bedroom playing through the 1x8" and it can drive a 4x12" with good authority as well.  I plug headphones into it and use it as a silent practice amp for both guitar and bass.  Great little head for the price.

Also consider the Fender Super Champ XD (not the X2... the XD is discontinued, but tone is much better IMHO than the X2 which replaced it)... I bought one used a year or so ago and have been thoroughly enjoying it.  It is a "tube hybrid' modelling amp.  It models the Fender amps the best, but does a decent impression of a Vox and a Marshall and a few other higher gain sounds as well.  Very versatile.  I bought it for my kid to learn on figuring it would save wear and tear on my vintage tube stuff.... i found I quite enjoy playing it as well.  It gets a ton of use and I have been pretty impressed with it for a bedroom / practice amp.

I own (well... other than the AC4TV) the above three and love em. Below are a few that I've dicked around with and liked... but haven't bought at this point, any of the below 3 might join my collection at some point.

Bugera V5... a 1x8" 5w tube combo with reverb... great tone.  Like it a lot.  Almost as much as the AC4TV.  If I ever find myself needing another 5w tube combo beyond my vintage Champs... it'll be on the short list.
Blackstar HT1... 1x8" 1w tube combo... neat sound, nice breakup at useable at home volume.  Neat idea.  Not loud enough for anything beyond a bedroom though.  Believe they make one with Reverb as well.  Think they make it as a head only as well.
I'm also a huge fan of vintage Traynor stuff from the 60's and very early 70's... played a new combo that sounded great in the shop... YCS50.  50w tube 1x12'.  I've seen em used near 400$... they sell closer to 1k new.

Obviously the above is just my opinion... they are all amps that my ear approves of in a pretty 'budget' range that have pretty universally good reviews elsewhere.  Go to a shop, plug in and find the one that speaks to you.

Kinda in the same boat started back playing after an 8 or 9 year break.  Been more interested in blues and clasic rock stuff now.  When I quit I was playing metal also.  Keep your eyes open in craigs list.  Saw an AC 4 for sale in Abilene Tx for $160.

Craigslist was invented for used entry level guitar gear.  Heck, I need nothing and I still can't stop checking it regularly

It is also a font of 'B' list branded vintage gear...  I've gotten some great deals on 'off brand' gear of great quality via C/L.
Found my Fender Superchamp XD there as well for a steal with cover, foot switch, spare tubes....

I sold some medium range PRS as well.  Not Modern Eagles or Private Stock but just below that.

I am very careful who I deal with though.  Meet in places where I have friends watching.

Pawn Shops can be good source sometimes.  Both my Mexican strats came from Pawn shops.  Paid 120 for the red one with no case.  Traded a guitar I paid $270 for for the white one with case.  I've changed the pickgaurds and nuts on both.  Put Texas specials in the red one and got it a tweed case.

Thanks all for the excellent advice and encouragement!

So I stopped at the guitar store after work to try out some amps.  

Started with the Vox AC4TV.  That tone!  I loved the sound.  Unfortunately, even at 1/4 W you have to drive it louder than I want to play at in an apt to get that sweet distortion.  Oh well, maybe when I get a house.  

Then tried a Blackstar HT-1.  It sounded pretty good and had good distortion at even very low volumes.  It also had a headphone jack which was nice.  The tone just wasn't doing it for me.  The clean was so-so with not too much headroom and the distortion, while very nice, was more of a metal sound, which isn't what I really want to focus on now.

They had me try a Blackstar Core ID 40W.  All solid state with two speakers.  It wasn't too bad but the HT-1 definitely had the better tone and was more fun to play.

I pointed out the Orange Micro Terror but the folks at the store thought I would have to crank way louder than I wanted to get good distortion.  Oh well.  It's lonely little tube in there looked pretty sad anyways.

Then I asked to try the Fender Mustang II.  I was pretty impressed with this amp.  The tone was pretty decent.  Seemed like it had a lot of bass.

Then they brought out the Fender Super Champ X2.  This has two channels, one that is straight tube, the other that has the extra digital voices/effects.  I really liked the sound of a lot of the different voices.  The clean channel sounded really cool too.  I'm not well versed enough to explain it right, but it was kind of punchy and full, I really liked it.  I was ready to impulse buy it but they only had the beat up floor model in stock.    Their price was pretty good though so I think I'll drop by tomorrow and have them order one for me.  

The Mustang is probably the better bang for buck, but the Super Champ was pretty sweet, and dammit, I want tubes because 'merica.  

Welcome aboard.  You can check out any time you like.  But you can't never leave.  

Good on you to pick a tube amp. Want sweet sounds? Replace the cheap tubes with NOS tubes. Not only they sound better they last for years. I have two used OS tubes (Westinghouse 12ax7) tested good and a matched set of Sylvania (Baldwin Organ) 6bq5s tested new in my Blackheart Handsome Devil half stack.

Once you go NOS you'll never look back.

I just picked up Fender Mustang III v2 and this amp blows me away. 90+ presets plus downloadable presets from users via the Fender Fuse software or tweak anc customize to create your own settings and D/L them to a preset. On board tuner, A/B footswitch, it is awesome.

Fender Mustang III
Fender Fuse

Big Mustang III thread on tdpri.com

Well I wasn't trying to steer him on the path of GAS.  But if he found it all o his own

My preference is old Fender amps.  Blackface mostly.  My two favorites to play through are a 66 Deluxe Reverb and a 64 Vibroverb.  But they might be too loud for his use.  I'd hate to live in a condo and have a neighbor fire one of them up.  And you have to take them to at least 2-3 to begin to get into the better tone.  

I just bought the 4. Needed a new amp since I started playing again a couple months ago and all I had was a shitty line 6 that I could never get the right tone out of. I love it, but I gotta wait till the house is empty so I can finally use all 150 watts when I turn it up to 11.

When you get a chance try an AC15.  You can turn the channel volume upto get that tube distortion and keep the master down at a respectable level.

Well, before I could order the Super Champ X2, an XD showed up on Craigslist.  Just picked this puppy up for $165.  It sounds awesome!  I'm totally loving it!  Sooo much better than that awful Dean practice amp and Digitech effects I spent years on.  Soo much better! Thanks all for your help!  

Thanks OiRogers for recommending the Super Champ XD!



This amp is like new.  Still has this cardboard info tag on it.



The tubes...they glow! So cool!



ETA:  I think I've turned in to a Fender fanboy in the space of a week.  

Cool man.  Some folks suggested buying better tubes.  Might be worth it.  They don't have to be NOS (new old stock) just higher end tubes.  

Party on Garth.  

Nice score!
I was looking for a practice amp recommendation here a year or so ago to teach my daughter with,  The XD was the suggestion I got here as well.   Great amp for the price. Best modeling amp I've ever plugged into.

Did it come with the foot switch?  If not the foot switch is under 30$... One button switches between the basic clean channel and the voice channel. The second turns the effects on and off.  I find it very useful.

Let me know if you need the part number.

A super champ XD is my main electric guitar amp. When I need more power I just mic it through

Didn't come with the foot switch, but they have it on Amazon for $16 with prime.  

For those suggesting NOS tubes, what difference in sound would that make?

Different tubes give a different warmth to the sound.  Think chrome flat wound strings vs regular nickel strings.

Boy, you is heading down the rabbit hole of "seeking tone".  Trust me - there is no bottom to the hole.  Only more holes to explore.



Fortunately if one buys and sells wisely it isn't throwing money away.  There is always residual value in the gear.

Most arfcommers have an ammo fort, you have an amp fort.

Oh, I has a ammo fort too.  

Makes my amp fort look small.






More reason to grab a used '59 Bassman 4x10 hand-wired reissue used soon.
Wonder if I have enough amps that the wife won't notice a 4x10 tweed combo bent added?

Nice job. MiM strat is where it's at.

Think creamy or brown sound. The new stock tubes are pretty good and I liked the Mullard RI and Tung-Sol tubes but I've been replacing them practically every year. They just don't last. I got my NOS tubes years ago and now they sound like they're getting mellower, better in fact.

I got mine at TC Tubes so check him out, he's got some good prices on 'em and you'll have to check periodically for stock. They come and go.

Also the old stock tubes dating back to 50s-70s are made differently than today's tubes. Some kind of manufacturing process had been outlawed because of toxicity.

One area of upgrade that mighty be simpler and is permanent  is the pickups in the MIM strat.  I agree some of them are fine instruments if you get one with a decent neck and fret job.  But to my ears they always use harsh sounding pickups.  

I have a strat that I replaced the Texas Special pups it came with.  I put in some 69 Custom Shop pickups and hit tone nirvana.  Any time I struggle for tone all I need do is plug that guitar into any blackface amp I have and I'm home.  The custom shop 69s are about $200 for the set and easy to install.  Funny thing about tone.  The guitar is a Fender Custom Shop and the Texas Specials are also Custom Shop.  They were just too harsh and aggressive to my ears.  I like the chime you can get fro a perfect clean amp and neck pup.

Other pup makers with excellent reputations are like Fralin and Lollar.  

BTW, I've been a net junkie a long time.  ARFcom is one of the most trafficked and largest sites on the web.  A site near it's equal that specializes in guitars is called "The Gear Page" at tgp.com.  You will of course be obligated to spend your children's college funds on boot eek pedals for your guitar rig to enter.  

Thanks for the feedback on the tubes, nessus.  I'll have to add those to "the list."

jimmybcool, I was just thinking "I should put some TexMex pickups in my strat" and you go and start talking about pickups that cost 3x as much.  Dangit.  

Sorry.  GAS is a terrible thing man and I've been down the rabbit hole for a while now.  Pretty much done with it and play mostly acoustic now anyway.  Which is why I am slowly reducing the massive quantity of electric gear I have.  I could have stopped with my strat, a Fender Deluxe Reverb (either blackface original or recent high end boutique like Vintage Sounds), and a few pedals like chorus and distortion.  But then, the journey was as much fun as the destination.