Small Valve Amp or Big Modelling Amp? Which is Better?? 

Ok, now let's try Bad guitarist with great gear vs. Great guitarist with crap gear. Go ahead and send me a ton of expensive gear and I'll do the bad guitarist part...

Loved it when Rob just looked at the camera after his $4000 guitar comment that the Captain didn't notice.

Given that it's now 3 years later and frankly a lot has changed in amplifier-land, can we get a revisit of this concept?

I would recommend doing this: when comparing two amps, play the same two guitars, when comparing two guitar, use the same two amps It does a lot difference

I love how the conversation devolved into dating advice.

Suggestion for video, which is some sort of a full rig challenge. Draw each of them every video 1) budget, 2) type of music(blues, rock, jazz, metal...), 3) usage(bedroom for lower volume / gig-able for higher volume) Then we can watch different sort of rig challenge every month, with some sort of gear review. (Sorry english is not my first language)

honestly for beginners get a modeling amp. It takes forever to dial in tones but once you find what you like you can move forward with getting a tube amp once you know what your sound is. Also they work great as practice and backup amps with the ridiculous amount of features they offer. lots of fun for tinkering. I still record with mine.

THIS is why we watch. Very entertaining. You guys are still making hands down the best, most interesting guitar videos on the RU-vid. That little vox IS a pretty kick ass amp.

You guys are great at jamming together. You should start a 'Jam' series Where you just sit and jam, i would love it if that happens!!! In the mean time keep up the good content. I thoroughly enjoy every video!

Cheers for watching everyone! I totally accept that we could have picked any number of different amps to compare, but I felt that the AC10 was the best we could get for the money & I didn't want the budget to go any higher. As for the Fender, on the day we shot this video, Mustang GT had only been out for 2-3 days & we thought it would be great to try it. Obviously there are a load of different amps that we could have compared, but we can't re shoot this video 50 times just to compare them all! If you've got a preference for a small valve amp and/or a larger modelling amp, then I guess you should just go to your nearest music store & compare them yourself & then post your findings in the comments section of this video. Cheers!

Team D vs. Team V. Ain’t it always that way? ;)

just bought an amp evh lunchbox from you and the service was awesome! total professional and such a cool shop. very friendly

The captain has been practicing - great playing man

The crash at 8:35 actually got me

That Vox, especially at the beginning during the little jam, was MAGICAL!

Congrats on some of the most informative posts ever. Look forward to every one. Keep up the good work.

Fun video guys. I'd take that Vox in a heartbeat. As an aside i noticed that you now carry Gordon Smith guitars. You need to do a video on them! Hand made in England, loads of options, left or right handed. More people need to know about the longest running British guitar company. They've been under the radar for so long.

Idk how anyone could say anything bad about these guys cuz their just cool dudes playing guitars

Cap't Anderton, IMHO you have perfectly summed up the pros and cons of tube vs. digital amps. That there isn't a clear 'best choice' for everyone is no reason to apologize. This video is exactly what to watch for folks needing guidance on what kind of amp to buy. P.S. These videos are uniformly excellent. Great job done by all, on both ends of the camera and in editing. Thank you!

I love the editing on these videos. Specifically the "*More Expensive" subtitle that appears not once, but twice, when Lee says "dearer."

I think you should use the same guitar for an amp testing, or at least switch them around. How can we as viewer heard the difference with 2 completely different guitars....

It’s like coming into the lodge on a cold snowy winter night and sitting on a leather couch in front of a crackling fire to warm up or finding a 55” TV with a fire reproduction on.

It’s been five years since this video was made and today I took delivery of a Bugera V5 for $200 shipped and I absolutely could not be happier with it. Looks good, feels solid, sounds very good.

For someone like me who currently knows nothing about the current amp market this was VERY informative Lee. Thanks for doing it!

For the last 4 years I have been gigging most weekends with a Fender Mustang 3. It is great value for money, the sound is good, the features are useable and it's reliable. Above all the amp is very light. No-one has ever said to me "a valve amp would give you a better sound". I can only conclude that the Fender Mustang 3 is good enough for the gigs I do (pub & club gigs). Having owned a silverface Fender Twin and carted it around for gigging, I can honestly say that the Mustang is a MUCH better option for me :) ... isn't that what counts?

This shows what a great amp the Boss Katana 100 is. Almost half the price of the Mustang and on the Clean channel with the Blues Driver on sounds brilliant without any messing. Exchanged a DSL5 for one and haven't regretted it for a minute.

Loving the captains playing on this video! Lovely vibrato!

You guys crack me up... please keep making awesome videos!!!

Chapman gets older. Captain gets younger.

damn havent watched yall in a few months and i have to say damn cap your playing is like exponentially grown

Dearly love these guys. I plan to investigate cost,and process to order and ship needed gear to the U.S. (other than my "Anderton's" t-shirt. These guys are a wealth of real knowledge,and good honest advise.

Hi guys I watch a few of your videos over the week and your store is amazing and have great gear and am away great to watch videos on here

114 dB with no hearing prottection on. Ouch.

"Good from afar, far from good". 😂 Reminds me of the term 'Low-resolution fox' - A lady who looks smoking hot at a distance but turns out to be all pixelated up close.

Thanks for the video, guys. I love this type of video where you compare different things you could get for your budget. I'd be interested in seeing a multi effects unit vs equal value in individual pedals. I currently have a pretty old Boss ME-70 with a few other pedals, but the ME-70's on its way out and I'll have to replace it soon, so it'd be nice to see the difference. Keep being awesome!

I just wanted to say thank you for your videos. I am new to guitar and am learning a lot. So just.... thanks.

Should have used the Blackstar ID260TVP as the "digital choice". It's quick and easy to use, very loud, and sounds outstanding in the world of digital amps and can hold its own against a tube amp due to the TVP section. It's a real trouser flapper and still sounds great at volume ( in my humble opinion) 💁🏼

Vox AC10 = 108 decibels. Fender = smells like electronics on fire. Captain and Chappers trying to make it seem like there isn't that big a gap between the two = priceless. Good video guys. Digital may get super close but I just don't see it replacing tube amps. Then again, reverb seems like a totally analog, organic thing and the digital units are great.

I have stumbled onto this channel a while back, thought it was cool. Now that I have recently started playing guitar again I have been watching more and more, love the content guys! And huge props to whomever does the editing!! Love the little jokes and funny inserts! keep it up fellas, learning a lot!!

I also love that your videos don’t have ads in the middle of them. I’m sure you could and make more money but you don’t!

I managed to pick up an Ibanez TSA 15H for 150 GBP (converted from South African Rands). Even if you added the speaker cab it was only 212 GBP. The tone is amazing. It made me lament all the years I've spent playing through a solid state Hughes and Kettner. I'm a believer in having an amazing primary tone vs having a million options. I like the fact that it only has 6 knobs and I understand what every single one of them does. I had a multi effects unit back in the day. It was rubbish and uninspiring. I plug straight into this thing and it makes me want to play all day. To me my gear must make me want to play; otherwise its not doing its primary job.

Where can I buy tickets for your video recording session? I can imagine myself just standing near by and enjoy you guys talk about amps and guitars :-) Once I'm thinking about it, you could make a live show and name it "TOP GAIN". I bet you'd have many viewers :-)

Thanks for all of these vids guys. I find them very helpful... and fun. Cheers.

Love the English practice of saying 'dear' for 'expensive'... Great vid, guys!

excellent idea for a video guys! I had this same dilemma recently and went valve.

6:30 well played sir, well played

i could watch these all day!

I thoroughly enjoy these videos! Lol entertaining as well as informative!

analog pedal vs digital multifx unit

why talk shit on Facebook when you could do it here?!

you guys rock thx for the shows

The editing in this video is fantastic

At least this video really made me want to buy a Vox AC10

Lee, two things; One, the reason the valve/tube amplifier sounded better at max than the solid state amp is the differences in the way they hit their limit or go passed it, which is called clipping. In valve amps, their clipping and distortion is harmonic, which is why a valve amp with a high distortion rating often sounds better than a solid state amp with low distortion. That also means that (as long as the speaker(s) don't hit their limit) it is not damaging to the speakers. With solid state amplifiers, distortion and clipping is a-harmonic. So the distortion doesn't sound as good (unless it isn't *really* distortion from the pre-amp, which I believe to be the case) a tube amp. And then, when the amplifier clips, it sends square waves to the speaker. If you've ever seen a sine wave, you'd see that (in a perfect world) it is a single line going up and down in smooth, unbroken swoops. Now it's a little more complicated, because of distortion and harmonics, but I won't get into that here. Anyway, when transistor/solid state amplifiers hit their limit, the tops of the sine wave are effectively cut off, meaning the speaker is held in one place by DC power for that amount of time. Often a massive contributor to speaker power ratings is the fact that the voice coils (the electromagnets suspended inside the permanent magnet and attached to the cone) are moving back and forth stupid fast, which cools them. When they are held in one place, they overheat and cook. What you smelled was burning voice coil. If you were to cut open that driver, you would see browned coils, as opposed to the original shiny copper. If you had kept it up, they would continue to get darker until they melted and shorted. I forgot what the second thing was 😎😂 If anyone notices anything wrong with this feel free to let me know, I would appreciate it, as I don't want to accidentally spread false information. :)

That's a great combover you are sporting there Rob!

Nice playing Captain! We all love your playing Rob, so no worries there, but, Very good tone, finger vibrato, pick attack, note choice and palm muting Captain! Beautiful! The two of you together truly do make a great team! Love your vids! Been watching more and more everyday, and yes, i do have a life, a wife and a day job... cheers!

Those both sound great! I agree that if you are a beginner, you should get a modeling amp to learn what sound you want, then you save up and buy the right amp for you.

That blue Petrucci in the background mmmmmm!!!

I feel so geeky watching these vids. Thanks!

Great job as always! Thanks!!

Love my little Fender Mustang GT 40 watt amp.. As a home practice amp it's perfect. Sound quality is good, gets super loud and has tons of amp choices (which I can tweak on the fly with my phone). Not to mention it moonlights as great little Bluetooth home stereo and was super affordable.

I feel like the older v2 mustang amps were the best. The GTs sound rather flat in comparison, I tried a vox ac30 recently and I've probably spent 4 hours in total playing fender mustang iii v2. Honestly I'd pick the Mustang, the only things I didnt like were the high gain amp sims, but the others were awesome. just my two cents 😊

Damn Capt. I'm impressed with your playing . Very nice opening lick ... Chappers killer as usual ...

I can fully agree with the E type Jag response fellas! ;) Feel that way with my 1987 GMC R1500 pickup truck and my 1974 Peavey Classic 100 hybrid tube amp! Keep rocking guys, I always have very much loved your videos! ;)

Oh God I love these videos...

I bought a Marshall CODE 50 from your fantastic emporium of musical instrumentation and I am very impressed with it (I previously had a TSL 122 (also from your store) the only drawback is it's a bit loud to play at home so i have had to bust out the headphones most of the time.

great discussion, thanks for doing this!

Lee's gotten so much better since the old videos man! He's sounding sick!

17:56 Rob instinctively reaches for the tuning pegs as if he's playing a Chapman guitar. Good to know he plays his own guitars!

Please do a review of the st vincent musicman guitars behind you at the beginning of the video! They are such great guitars but they're slipping under the radar. You will honestly love them!

brilliant video ,love the banter between you two .I have to say its the vox for me there is just something about the sound I cant explain why but its just warmer .....will be buying one myself now

Good for you guys standing your ground! Let me just start by saying that I enjoy and appreciate you guys and your videos. I’ve seen some of the derogatory and negativity you are referring to and it is uncalled for. If for any reason any of you folks at Andertons reads this, know that the amount of people who enjoy your videos goes WAY beyond the amount of likes and positive feedback that RU-vid shows. It seems like in all things in life there is always a small minority of folks who are negative; they are toxic and if you feed into those types of people they will ruin it for you and everyone else. That said, please don’t give any time or pay any mind to those negative people and keep posting great videos as you have been. Cheers from the USA gentlemen!!

Totally team valve here. That Mustang sounded like mush in every setting.

I bought a gt40 from Andertons to throw on my desk purely for clean tones to practice at low volume. Does the job perfectly. I have three valve amps and an analogue amp so I'm pretty familiar with all types. I'd always prefer any of the valve amps over the analogue or digital amps. I also owned the previous version of the mustang, I found it no better than the gt40. Can't say I've tried the gt200 though, which seems to be the one that gets slated the most.

You guys are great. Priceless.

I'm in the camp that wants nothing to do with a valve amp. Yes, they sound great, but tubes are just too much trouble with biasing and replacing them when they get burnt out. I like things to be simple, and programming the new digital amps to get the sound I want takes very little time for me. Thanks for this video, you guys are always so much fun.

Where is the chappers and the captain awards ?

I couldn't stop staring at Rob's legs.

You guys are the best. Wonderful personalities

Such a nice jam in the middle))

Cap'n and Chappers! You missed the opportunity to do Headrush (or Helix) vs. equivalent-cash-spent on a tube head + pedals (within the total budget of the Headrush). Maybe next time?

The JCM800 2203 and 2204 do not have solid-state elements in the preamp section. The JCM800 2210 and 2205, on the other hand, do.

Man, I was euphoric when you picked out that Vox AC10. I had seen it over your shoulders in a previous shot and was yelling at you to look at the Voxes.

Your car analogy was great.

Do cheap haircut vs expensive haircut

Is loudness as important as it used to be? It seems to me most gigs the amps are miced and run through the PA. An over driven small amp can sound awesome and balanced volume-wise with the band.

Had the Vox some years ago. This is a great sounding amp that was even loud enough playing small venues with my rockin band👍🏼

I'm hooked on these vids. And it's helping me become a better player. THANKS from across the pond! The Editors are the real star here... right? Who is making these videos, actually? Who's on camera?

To make the Mustang sound the best and most like a tube amp turn the SAG all the way to the left and the BIAS all the way to the right

Rory! you bloody bugger! you made me pause! 😁

The editor of these videos has way too much fun

"Let me see how loud this goes and still sounds nice" haha the answer is with it off. That vox sounded awesome though!

I think the Katana would have been a better choice. The Jaguar line has always been near the bottom of the list when it comes to their digital amps. From what I hear, the new Boss amps are supposed to be quite good, so perhaps it might be a better comparison when it comes to cranking up the volume.

Cheapest Light bulb vs most expensive Light bulb.

as someone coming to this 3 years later and as an owner of a refreshed GTX Mustang - I don't play anywhere but my home at the moment, just a pure hobbyist, and a modelling amp allows me to get a ton of value over an extended period without absolutely needing to invest in a panoply of extra (and wonderful) equipment. If one day I'm gigging I would cutover to any head/amp and a pedalboard in a heartbeat.... but until then, it's great to have a kinda futzy tool that lets me explore a lot for one known cost. It's a known tradeoff, but I think most of us falling into the modelling amp category know what we're trading even if we aren't always proud about it ;)

I instantly loved the Vox over the Mustang. It’s just an instantly inspiring tone

Great videos l like this channel F the haters. Can you do acoustic amp challenge? I just a very fine Taylor😎 and like to hear some amp.

love the joke at 6:30

I've been watching youtube videos since 1903, and this is my very first comment (i think). You two make the best review videos of anything. I watch car reviews, movie reviews, taco reviews, pajama reviews, dirt reviews, and on and on. and nobody does it like you two. top notch. I usually don't even care what you're reviewing. This one for example, I already know what my preference is (valves), and i don't need anybody to reinforce it, yet I sat here and watched it all the way through.

You guys are legends!