# Good, Low-Range Amps?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-low-range-amps/675990>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [December 10, 2013, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-low-range-amps/675990 "2013-12-10T16:13:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-low-range-amps/675990/21 "2015-03-27T22:45:57Z")

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I’m guessing low cost amps don’t go to 11…

Brian

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**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2015, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-low-range-amps/675990/22 "2015-03-27T23:09:38Z")

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I have a [Vox DA 5](http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vox-DA5-5-watt-Guitar-Amp-/231508944256?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35e7022580). I run it with six C cell batteries, if you keep it on the .5 watt setting they last a long time. Even at that setting it is loud enough to annoy the neighbors. It has different settings from crispy clean to high gain metal. I only ever use the “Clean 2” and the "Blues 1,2 and 3 " settings. Plenty of crunch available.  
It’s a discontinued model but there are lots of them out there.

Just saw this is kind of a zombie thread but my recommendation stands.

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**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-low-range-amps/675990/23 "2015-03-28T03:21:20Z")

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Since this is a zombie, asking this probably isn’t going to hurt anything:

The OP says he was playing a Strat and was focusing on heavy metal. Now, I haven’t had an electric guitar for a long time and am totally out of touch with the HM scene, but will a Strat do for HM? I thought dual-coil Humbuckers were _de rigueur_. EVH has dual-coil pups in his Frankenstein Strat, right?

I know Peavey had a really nice guitar amp (“Modeling” amp?), last time I checked (5 years ago). I could go research a bit.

I can’t really say much about bass amps, but (and I’m probably wrong) you really need a big speaker (no smaller than 12" and preferably 15") to get decent bass even at low volume. **Acoustic** had good bass amps back in the day–clean and powerful.

I am fully expecting at least one person, if not several, to facepalm and say **Give it up, Gramps, that was then, this is now.** 😉 Just trying to help. Quash my ignorance (but keep it short, it’s already way past my bedtime 😃 ).

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