marshall mg10 guitar amp

[dern]

I have a big old park amp which is great but doesn't have a headphone socket which is a bit of a pain as I only get to practice when the kids are in bed. So I've been taking the output from my effects box thing (zoom gfx707) and sticking it in the back of the pc and playing through that with the software I'm using to learn to play. This sounds pretty dire though and I was thinking of picking up a marshall mg10 as they're cheap, chunky and it has an 'emulated' line out. Then I could take the output from that and stick it in the pc as before. Will this sound better (if anyone happens to know) then my current setup. I guess the basic question is does the 'emulated' headphone/line-out malarky sound better than the tinny headphone out of the zoom. I guess I kind of want it anyway because it means I can play places in the house other than where the park monolith is lurking but if it'll sound worse than the zoom through the headphones or just plain crap just as is then it's not worth it.

Ta,

Mark

PS. Guitar is a peavey predator (plus)... I don't know what you get for the (plus) but I like it and it's better than the chair leg I had before

Edited by dern on Sunday 10th February 21:52

[Bob Loblaw]

Marshalls emulated line out tries to simulate the sound of a speaker by 'sagging' the sound a little.. but to be honest it doesn't really sound any better than any other line out (to my ears anyway). A guitar amp through headphones will always sound dire.

If you're just playing through headphones, I'd say you're much better off getting software like Guitar Rig or something similar, it can sound surprisingly good, and it gives you a lot of options tone wise.

Or maybe a Line6 POD?

ETA: I've got it! If you're serious about tone, get an ISO cabinet. It's a soundproof box with a speaker and microphone in it. Plug your park into the speaker, run the microphone into your pc, and rock out

Edited by Bob Loblaw on Tuesday 12th February 16:36

[dern]

Thanks for the reply. I asked on 'ultimate guitar' and was told about a headphone amp called the vox amplug. My local guitar shop is getting some in this week so I'll wander down and have a play. They're only 20-30 quid but looking at this clip suggests they would be worth a look...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzhp5HU4yn8

...skip past the intro (unless you speak french).

[bigbadbikercats]

I'll second the recommendation for a Line 6 Pod or possibly the Behringer V-Amp clone if you're strapped for cash.

My own preferred solution is a Mesa Express 5:25 in 5 Watt mode and a tolerant family but the Pod is absolutely ace for when I'm working away from home and living in a Hotel, B&B, rented room or whatever - it's also a very handy recording tool and the Line 6 "Guitar Port on-line" service is a great resource for self-help tuition, practice, and Jamming tracks.

--
JG