Stack Amps

[meTalmessiah]

I need a good stack amp and I'm going to try and buy one this December with money I made over the summer plus anything I may get for Christmas. Right now I'm looking at this (http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Kustom-QUAD-JR.-100W-Half-Stack-Guitar-Amplifier?sku=481275&src=3WFRWXX&ZYXSEM=0&CAWELAID=26039901) but it's quite pricey. That's as high as I'm willing to pay on one of these. Until now, I've only ever rented them for shows or used the ones provided by the venues at which I've played, so I don't know a whole lot about them.

Can anyone suggest a good one? Or even better, does anyone own one a Kustom Quad Jr.? What's it like?

[drunkchuck]

https://www.carvinguitars.com/products/single.php?product=V3412

This. I've been converted to Carvin for a while now, everything they make is amazing.

EDIT - Whoa never mind. Didn't read it all that's a little out of your price range. Still what I recommend, though.

[meTalmessiah]

Yeah, I'm a bit pressed for cash. I don't want to overspend but I also don't want to get a totally shitty stack.

[BassBastard]

Haunt craig's list for a Marshall JCM 900 DSL and a HiWATT, Orange or Krank cab to go with it. Never pay retail, use some extra cash to have Sovtek tubes put in and properly biased.

I am quoting both my guitarists here.

[Commodity]

Why does it have to be a stack? If it's just aesthetic (which I can understand because they look so much more awesome than combos), you're investing money into image. I guess in music that's kinda important though.
Back on topic.
If you're making a long-term investment in an amp, you should seriously consider going tube. However appealing those Celestions are, the Kustom is solid state and there's a 99% chance it will give an inferior tone (I know tone is subjective, but just go with me on this). Therefore, I recommend trying to snag one of these (http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Peavey-ValveKing-Half-Stack?sku=485058) off of eBay or craigslist or what have you. It's a little bit out of your price range, but really thats the best amp thats relatively close. I personally would swap the speakers and tubes to something a bit better. That might cost you though.
You could just get the combo version (http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Peavey-ValveKing-212-Combo-Amp?sku=481443) of the above amp and still have a bit leftover for upgrades and such. Okay I'm done.

[InTransit]

I'm gonna go with the "why do you want a stack" answer.

Kustom make alright cabs but their heads are shit, and like Commodity said that's a SS so you'll regret paying that kind of money. If you go for something valve, even a lot smaller, you'll get more sound and a better tone out of it. The Peavey Valveking is nice, or maybe try looking for a Vox AC30 combo. I love Vox sounds, and they should be within your price range.

If you really like the Kustom cab, I have a friend playing one with a Mesa Boogie head and they do sound pretty good together, so if you can get an extremely cheap 2nd hand Mesa head that could be a good idea (though if you find one that cheap you are extremely lucky).

[drunkchuck]

Haunt craig's list for a Marshall JCM 900 DSL and a HiWATT, Orange or Krank cab to go with it. Never pay retail, use some extra cash to have Sovtek tubes put in and properly biased.

I am quoting both my guitarists here.

These are all good choices. I'd also say look for a Peavey 5150 (or 6505) amp those give out great distortion. No matter what way you go I'd pick tube over solid state.

[meTalmessiah]

I have an excellent Boss distortion pedal so that's not really an issue. As I said, I don't know much about amps, seeing as the practice amp I own is just a Line6 Spyder III 30 watt wimp. What is solid state and why is it bad?

Although I don't know a lot, I do know tube amps are much better but I've heard good things about Celestions.

[BassBastard]

Clestions are good, but it also depends on the wattage of your head. 100+ watts and Texas Heats are better.

Solid state tends to thin out your sound before it properly breaks up with the drive and the speakers. Something like a Krank 4X12 cab loaded in an "X" pattern with Vintage 30's and Emminence Swamp Things running stereo. Hook that to the Marshal JCM at 8 ohms, a Mesa Triple Rec at 16 ohms or a Krank Chadwick at 8 Ohms. (All set ups we used in studio at one point or other)

Now, I just rattled off several thousand dollars of gear if you pay retail, and we are hooked up with Krank. (The lead tech at Krank works on our gear and Krank has already given us 4 stomp boxes and 2 heads)

As for pedals, The Krank Shaft is good. (On of the freebies we got.) I use a Boss ODB3 distortion for my bass. The guitar version is nice. Digitech, IMO, is crap. Boss, Krank and Electro Harmonix pedals are really nice because they have true bypass circuits. Multi Effects boards do not, and tend to attenuate your signal to garbage by the time it gets to your amp. The less you have between your pick ups and your head, the better. That is one of the reasons I modified my bass to have passive pick ups instead of active.

I use a solid state bass head, because after testing 20 heads of all varieties, while at Krank, they received a Kustom HD650. They were testing prototype bass cabs and Kustom sent them a head to test. It is awesome, so not all solid state is bad. I bought one and never looked back.

The benefit of staying away from combo amps is simple.
Swapping speakers and changing Ohms by way of wiring is easier. You can also test several heads without testing new everything. You love the speakers and cabinets? With a combo, you have to give up the cabinet to get a head you are happier with. With a stack, you can mix and match. That is especially handy in studio.

Ok, that is way more info than you wanted.