[metalfiend666]

Originally Posted by Leon

ahh yes, shipping. shitty

Indeed. Don't forget the dreaded Customs duty either. I'd dearly love a pair of Ear Candy 2x12's, but by the time they get here they'll be in excess of £500 (around $900) each. No way in hell am I paying that much for a cab when I can get a Randall or Marshall 2x12 in the £220 to £250 range.

I'm also considering building my own cabs to as close as I can get to Ear Candy's specs, if I can ever find a place that sells quality birch ply.

[rogue]

have you tried jewsons they sell all sorts of diferent grade woods around here.

im thinking i might pair the cab with ...
http://www.music123.com/Randall-RH150G3-i307416.music

i could go the next one up but its like 100 watts for £100 quid and at my level im not sure i need it because theres plenty of better half stacks out there. im looking for somehting i can get idealy 1st hand without big import costs that will last me a few years at a max of £550

[metalfiend666]

Well, for some UK prices look at http://www.andertonsonline.co.uk/aca..._Amps_204.html or http://www.proaudiostore.co.uk/gatew...=51&branid=216

For a full UK dealer list look here: http://www.randallamplifiers.com/dealers/ukdealers.asp

If you've got a £550 budget you may have to reign your ideas in a bit and go for a combo or a head & 2x12, especially as that rather cool 2x12/1x15 cab is £450!

[rogue]

no its $450 which fits about right. i have a gt-8 so hopefully with that and some new pups in my 7 i should be able to get the noise i need

im only 15 so i cant afford expensive gear i just need something versatile, but this forum is ledgendary iv learnt so much

[metalfiend666]

Originally Posted by rogue

no its $450 which fits about right.

Unfortunately that's the US price. By the time shipping to the UK is added on, and a bit of a bump to make the manufacturer's more money, we generally end up paying around the same price in £'s as our US cousins do in $'s. Check the link's I posted previously.

It's not so much of a problem with guitar's, as we can usually by them from the US and ship them for less than we can get them here. Unfortunately when it come's to things as big and heavy as amps and speaker cabs the saving's get eaten up by the shipping costs.

Originally Posted by rogue

im only 15 so i cant afford expensive gear i just need something versatile, but this forum is ledgendary iv learnt so much

I'd seriously suggest looking for well looked after 2nd hand gear. I'm 25 and have a good job but half my rig and most of my guitars are 2nd hand, and some things have been through many owners before me.

You say you've got a GT-8. Are you using that just for effects, or are you using it as a preamp? If you're running it as a preamp there's no point in having a head. Get a used power amp from Ebay or the ads in the back of guitar mags. My Rocktron Velocity came from Ebay and was only £140. It's solid state, 120W and built like a tank.

Find something like that in the £150 to £200 range, a used Marshall or similar stereo 2x12 for a similar price and you'll have enough left from your budget to get the pickups for your guitar.

[rogue]

hey thanks its a big help, im getting the pups separately and im planning on installing them myself for the 1st time so that will cut costs too.

i guess im not using it as a preamp i just have guitat > gt-8 > line 6 amp. how would i adjust this to use it as a preamp, is it as good as a head for that. also you said shipping costs suck which they do but if i get it through a shop as something they have in stock then would it be cheaper?

iv been looking on ebay but its often a long way to go to get amps but still iv got a month or so before im in a position to buy so i'll keep looking around and getting costs.

also are you happy with your velocity whats it sounds like, what music do you play?

[metalfiend666]

Originally Posted by rogue

hey thanks its a big help, im getting the pups separately and im planning on installing them myself for the 1st time so that will cut costs too.

As long as you're good with a soldering iron you shouldn't have any problems there. I reccomend doing it yourself anyway as it gives you a better knowledge of how your guitar works and how to fix it when things go wrong.

Originally Posted by rogue

i guess im not using it as a preamp i just have guitat > gt-8 > line 6 amp. how would i adjust this to use it as a preamp, is it as good as a head for that

That depends on the settings. Are you using just the effects on the GT-8 with your tone generated by the amp, or is the GT-8 creating your tone too? I've had no experience with the GT-8, but it should work like my GNX4 or a POD as it has modelling technology onboard. Modellers are better than traditional amp heads in that they give you access to many different amps within one unit. Some people find the models to be too digital for their liking, so you just have to try it and see.

Originally Posted by rogue

also you said shipping costs suck which they do but if i get it through a shop as something they have in stock then would it be cheaper?

I was actually refering to the costs of the manufacturer shipping to UK dealers. You will still pay more from a UK dealer than a US regardless of it being in stock or not.

Originally Posted by rogue

also are you happy with your velocity whats it sounds like, what music do you play?

The Velocity doesn't really "sound" like anything. It's job is purely to amplify, which it does superbly.

I play Machine Head/Chamira/KSE type metal.

[rogue]

good taste in music btw, yeah iv been experienting with everything it can do i havnt had it that long. mostly iv been using my amp on clean as the other effects on my amp arnt that fantastic and then iv been using all sorts of combinations on my pedal.

my dads an electronics technician so we have everything we could need to solder them but the only thing im warey of is i sold everything to get this guitar and i dont want to damage it lol, i but i also don't want to shell out £70 odd quid to get it done for me so i'll let you guys know how it goes. im thinking blaze and air norton. i thought abotu EMG but the routing requiered is a bit much for me.

iv looked around some UK websites and yes randall is more expensive here (thanks for bringing it to my attention) so i can either wait and just get the cab to start with. downgrade to get a lesser half stack or i did notice i can get the AVT150H + CAB for exactly £500.

i appreciate you guys advised me against it but in price comparison is it worth a look or does it just sound terrible.

thanks for your input and let me know if you get round to making that cab

rogue

[metalfiend666]

Originally Posted by rogue

good taste in music

Cheers!

Honestly, as you already have the GT-8 and seem to be using it as your preamp (and will definitely be able to with tweaking), I'd say sell your Line 6 and buy a good, used, poweramp and cab. You'll be able to get some nice stuff for your money used. Marshall 50/50's seem to be going for about £250 on Ebay right now, and that's 100W of stereo tube power. That gives you enough to bag a nice 4x12 too.

Go for it on the pickups. If you follow the pickup manufactures wiring diagrams (which can be found on their websites) and make good solder joints it's very hard to mess up.

[rogue]

hi one more question about my pickups. the blaze, evo and air norton all seem pretty popular so im not sure how to choose, quite a lot of 6stringers like EMG but because of routing problems and the fact barely anyone here likes them i have ruled them out.

i have a floyde rose and a mahogony body and play mainly rhythem, i need to be able to solo but thats secondary. i play metal style, god forbid, KsE and all that. which would you guys say are best, i'v looked in the pickup guide but they all sound pretty good. any chance of someone setting up a poll for me giving the different options so i can see what you guys think

thanks again