The 1st contender: SX GA-1065 10A amp
10 Watts of power through a specially design 5.5" speaker. Master Volume Control. Two Band EQ with Bass and Treble controls. Weight of amp: 6.5lbs. Overall dimentions: 9 3/4" wide x 10 5/8" high x 5" deep bla bla bla bla~
COMMENT:
With the price of RM240 or less, some call this amp a must for every beginner. I say, this amp is a nightmare for any newbies who try to explore more. when i first bought this one, i was like "OMG, built-in distortion = no need to buy pedal!" & "OMG, only 3 knobs = easy to config (even at that time, i dunno what suppose that means)". since it was much cheaper compared to other amps, i was convinced by the shop owner to buy wah2 pedal which cost me extra RM1++ for delay effect which this amp doesn't have.
My 1st point: The speaker itself. Yes it can go loud, but when it does, it sounds quite awful.
2nd point: The distortion. This amp provide ready-to-go button which u can easily turn on distortion by pushing the button. Sadly, the distortion sound effect is not that good which mean you shouldn't expect to play a7x or bfmv songs with this amp.
3rd point: When the speaker, and the distortion doesn't seems to work as expected, i tried to adjust the bass & treble controls... and the result: only slight different changes on sound.
The 2nd contender: ROLAND 5A Micro Cube
Ultra-compact DSP guitar amp with 5-inch/2-watt low magnetic leakage speaker Runs on battery or AC power (adapter supplied) and includes carry strap 7 COSM guitar amp models including JC-120 and a special mic preamp model 6 DSP effects: chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo and separate Delay/Reverb New Digital Tuning Fork with support for flat tunings up to 2 semitones Recording/Headphones output and stereo Auxiliary input for CD players, etc
- Input Jack – This is where you connect your instrument or microphone to the battery amp.
- Type Switch – You can select from the following seven amp types with killer BOSS effects which are included on this Roland battery amp.
- ACOUSTIC – The original amplifier model gives you a dynamic acoustic sound when an electric guitar is plugged into this battery amp.
- JC CLEAN – This is a model of Roland’s famous JC-120 Jazz Chorus guitar amplifier. The ultra-clean, ultra-flat sound offers a smooth clean electric guitar tone – This becomes more effective when used in combination with external effects which can be easily plugged into the Roland Micro Cube battery amp.
- BLACK PANEL – This is modelled on the classic Fender Tin Reverb amplifier, used in a wide variety of musical styles, from country to blues, jazz and rock. Exhibiting rich lows and bright high end, once again a standard feature on the Roland Micro Cube battery amp.
- BRIT COMBO – This is modelled on the Vox AC-30TB, the rock amplifier that created the Liverpool sound of the 60’s. In this battery amp it can produce a broad range of sounds, from clean to overdrive, with increased distortion and greater power in the low-mid range when the amplifier gain is boosted. The Roland Micro Cube battery amp offers these features whether plugged into the mains or used as a pure battery amp.
- CLASSIC STACK – This is modelled on the sound and response of a Marshall JMP1987. The legendary JMP1987 is renowned for its smooth tone and presence-perfect for classic and hard rock.
- R-FIER STACK – This is modelled on the MESA/Boogie Rectifier. This super high gain amp is capable of producing slash metal, grunge, and a whole wide rage of other lead sounds. Giggle inside as the crowds watch with amazement how such sounds are possibly achieved from a battery amp that is so small and obviously made for busking.
- MIC – This position is selected when a microphone is connected, whether attached to the mains or as purely a battery amp.
- GAIN Knob – Adjusts the sensitivity of the input jacks.
- Volume Knob – To adjust the volume.
- Power Indicator – Indicates when power is on but when operating on battery power only, the unit’s indicator will become dim during playing when battery power gets too low.
- TUNING FORK Switch – This switch plays the modelled tuning fork sound to use as a reference pitch when tuning. We don't believe we have seen this before in a battery amp.
- KEY Switch – This selects the tuning fork pitch which can be dropped in ½ steps (semi tones) i.e. A, Ab, or Abb, A = 440 Hz
- Tone Knob – Dependant upon which direction this control is turned you get a brighter or milder toner.
- EFX (Effects) Knob – Use this knob to select either chorus, flanger, phaser or or tremolo.
- CHORUS – In this effect a slightly detuned sound is added to the original sound giving the sound greater breadth and fullness.
- FLANGER – This creates a flanging effect that creates a sort of spinning sensation with the sound.
- PHASER This effect adds a variable phase-shifted signal to the direct sound, giving sound a swirling character
- TREMOLO – is an effect that creates a cyclic change in volume.
- DELAY/REVERB Knob – Adjusts between Delay and Reverb.
COMMENT:
This amp can easily be bought around KL with the price range of RM400 or less. High quality sound, superb delay & efx, and lots of gain. I must say this is the best all-in-one, with affordable price amp. With this thing, you can play from jazz to rock only by switching the knobs!
CONCLUSION:
Okay lets say that you are totally a new guitarist wannabe, i have 2 tips for u guys:
- Go for guitar package. Usually it will cost u around RM590 or less (guitar+cheapshot amp(SX amps for example)+cable+tuner+picks etc.), and never ever bought specific pedal (distortion/delay etc.) unless u are planning to get better amp thats has no those specific build-in effect.
- For those who can afford more, do some research on guitar price. Google, and compare the price. You can try to get the cheapest desired 2nd hand electric guitar from this 2 sites: mudah.my & lelong.my if u can. Else if u prefer, u can always find guitars in most music stores. For newbies, any guitar will do as long as u got proper amps(micro cube will be the best choice), 2 set of cables (1 for amps, 1 for tuner if necessary), an electronic tuner, & few different size of picks. That will do for a kick-start.
Hope this helps, good luck and happy strumming =)
