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 Please help me Decide on a budget minded stereo practice amp 
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Post Please help me Decide on a budget minded stereo practice amp
This is a Time Constrained Post!
Hi!
I'm new here, lurked, posted once, now I need your help toot sweet!

I bought a beautiful rosewood 12 string grand stick. Now I will be poor for some time. It's all good though, I love this thing!

Been playing it for a month and I'm slowly learning the proper finger contortions for stick as opposed to those for a keyboard player...

Last month I made what I think is a terrible mistake. I bought a Spider IV 15W Guitar Combo Amp

It sounded okay, it's loud, it has lots of effects I never intended to use. I bought it because it touts a "clean" sound. Well it's not a very clean sound.

I removed every effect and still hear noise. I am five days past the 30 day money back policy at Guitar Center in LIC New York. However

The nice man there said if I bring it in TOMORROW, JUNE 11TH He will take it back. From these threads I'm drawn to the Roland Mobile Cube (stereo, battery, portable, use both mic and guitar inputs, etc.)

Again, please bear in mind that I'm poor and must make a hasty choice. I don't need lots of volume, just a clean even tone and maybe a little delay to impress the wife.

Any suggestions about what I should pick up when I drop off the Spider IV?
Very Many Thanks in Advance

Lminor7


Tue Jun 10, 2014 6:05 pm
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Post Re: Please help me Decide on a budget minded stereo practice
Definitely get rid of the Spider IV 30. I know exactly what you're talking about (I finally got rid of my Spider IV 75 two weeks ago -- an OK guitar amp, but absolutely lousy for Stick).

For the price, I don't think you'll find better than the Roland Mobile Cube. But, that's not to say it will sound great. In that price range, nothing really sounds 'great', but I would think the Roland Mobile Cube is as good as any other $200 amp, and probably better.

If you could manage $400-ish, then I'd recommend the Roland KC-60 keyboard amp. And once you're in the $600 plus category, you can find stuff that begins to sound pretty good (ie. the Roland BA330 which I have and love).

But, having just spent $1000 on a new QSC K12, I am now convinced more than ever that you get what you pay for (at least in the case of the QSC). The K12 opens a whole new acoustic world -- no kidding.

Cheers,
Marty

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Tue Jun 10, 2014 8:21 pm
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Post Re: Please help me Decide on a budget minded stereo practice
+1 on Marty's post. For it's price the Street Cube seems like your best bet.
If it's practical, take your Stick along and try out any other models they have.
Congrats on getting your Rosewood 12 string grand, any chance of some pics?

Cheers,
Eric

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Tue Jun 10, 2014 8:56 pm
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Post Re: Please help me Decide on a budget minded stereo practice
Hey thanks for the replies.

It looks like I will be picking up the Mobile Cube. @Eric: Bringing the stick is a good idea and I would do so if I were able to play it well enough to distinguish whether the poor tone or buzzing was coming from the amp or my fingers :oops: Also, it's sad to say that at one of the large Guitar Centers here in NY, none of the four guitar department guys I spoke to knew what a Chapman Stick was.

Quote:
I know exactly what you're talking about

@Marty: thank goodness! I was at the point of letting myself be fooled into thinking that was just a "harsh" tone setting I was using...

Quote:
Congrats on getting your Rosewood 12 string grand, any chance of some pics?

Thank you for the congrats and here are some pics.
One of them isn't mine, I found it on Tony Levin's web page. His stick, bass, and funk fingers! Here's the URL to the page:http://www.papabear.com/tours/crim14/crim14_2.htm
Not yet among these shots are the ones inspired by a post I saw in which an extra piece of wood attached to a mono-pod (1/3 of a tripod) was fitted into the belt hook so the instrument could be played like a cello, sitting or standing. And if you don't want to mar the hook in any way so as to affect its resale value, I found the perfect items to secure the leather sheath over the hook and the top of the oak stand; two small flat steel-string capos placed very low on the belt hook. Looks classy, takes 30 seconds, and there's no way it's gonna budge after placement.


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Tue Jun 10, 2014 11:01 pm
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Post Re: Please help me Decide on a budget minded stereo practice
Hello! If you don't need a battery amp,you can try
any used bass amp . i also made a really acoustic
Amply with an old bass head and a recycled
stereo 3 way speaker it sounds really great!
Bye(i love the black cat very much)

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Tue Jun 10, 2014 11:25 pm
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Post Re: Please help me Decide on a budget minded stereo practice
Marty has lots of good advice here - you get what you pay for.

I see that you have a PASV-4, Remember that a passive pickup might not get you the quality of sound you are looking for in a keyboard amp. You are sending an instrument level input to an amp that is expecting a line level signal.

I use a Behringer K900x keyboard amp, but I use the ACTV-2s. There are some nicely priced powered amps in both 10" and 12" sizes, generally in and around $200. Hopefully, you can take the amp back today and get the credit and apply it later. Best of luck with the purchase, keep us posted on what you find!

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Wed Jun 11, 2014 5:55 am
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Post Re: Please help me Decide on a budget minded stereo practice
Just me, but I wouldn't consider a battery powered amp as a first choice as a practice amp. A lot of that cost is paying for the battery power, where with a plug-in amp the cost is mostly going toward the audio capability of the amp. Obviously if you need the battery power for playing out it's worth considering.

However you might consider what the same amount of money could get you in, say, an acoustic guitar amp, or even a bass amp (though having only one channel might turn you off to that option).

Just a thought.

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Wed Jun 11, 2014 7:02 am
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Post Re: Please help me Decide on a budget minded stereo practice
earthgene wrote:
I use a Behringer K900x keyboard amp, but I use the ACTV-2s. There are some nicely priced powered amps in both 10" and 12" sizes, generally in and around $200. Hopefully, you can take the amp back today and get the credit and apply it later. Best of luck with the purchase, keep us posted on what you find!


I'd like to +1 the idea of a keyboard amp. They aren't hard to find for sale locally either from private sellers, so it's easy to snag a deal.

My main practice amp is an old Roland Keyboard cube from the 80's, I got it for free and it's probably been one of the most useful pieces of gear I've owned for so many different reasons

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Wed Jun 11, 2014 7:31 am
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Post Re: Please help me Decide on a budget minded stereo practice
Thanks Andy - agreed on that for a practice amp. I got my amp on craigslist for something like $120 and it was a good investment. I use the Behringer in the garage for practice and the EV's for gigs.

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Wed Jun 11, 2014 8:38 am
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Post Re: Please help me Decide on a budget minded stereo practice
This is all great stuff and I appreciate your advice and suggestions!

Thankfully, the owner of my place of business is out so I have time to sit in my office and scan these posts, scan CL, learn more about what I need.

Anyone familiar with the Acoustic AG 30 or the Polytone Mine Brute?
I am leaning toward a cash refund now rather than one of only two possible choices at GC. (Mobile Cube and Acoustic AG30)
I'm also seeing Behringer ULTRATONE KT108 and it seems to fit the bill, any thoughts?

Thanks again and if you can, keep on posting because I will keep on reading them as I find 'em :-)

Just wait till I get the amp and then start complaining about fat strings, fingerings, lap stands, truss rods.....Nah, just kidding :D


Last edited by lminor7 on Wed Jun 11, 2014 9:13 am, edited 1 time in total.

Wed Jun 11, 2014 8:57 am
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