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Photo: William Baeck
With the rise of good-sounding, low-priced digital modeling amps, those of us with GAS have a unique opportunity and challenges in buying. Modeling technology is improving rapidly, so do you buy new or used?
Unfortunately, the same paralysis that affects us when it comes to choosing a new computer or smartphone can take over when choosing among the current crop of modeling amps. It’s always a choice of buying the current model, waiting for the one just over the horizon, or getting a used model.
Everybody has his or her own sweet spot. Because the sound and range of options in these amps is constantly improving, it’s tempting to wait for that elusive next model that will be perfect—until it’s replaced by the model after that.
It does seem like there is a different purchasing approach operating here, one following that of computers and cell phones. Instead of buying a tube amp and staying with it for years, it’s more like a 3-year cycle of upgrading to the newest version. There don’t seem to be “classic” modeling amps the way there were classic tube amps in the past. And perhaps we need to get over that.
However, I’m also cheap at heart. And for folks like me on a budget, there are incredible bargains to be had on the back of this purchasing paradigm. Digital modeling amps can see big price drops as each new version is released and buyers rush to get the latest version.
So today I’m going to talk about my latest sweet spot, the used modeling amp.
The trick is to find one that sounds good and works dependably. And that trick is getting easier to perform every day.
Let me compare:
In 1984, I bought a three-year old Fender Princeton Reverb