# Do you live in an Apartment? What amp do you use?



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Just like the title says - Do you live in an Apartment? What amp to you use?

Ever had any complaints? Do you use headphones? etc...


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

After years of apartment dwelling, I am finally in a house so volume isn't quite the problem it was (yet a baby now presents similar problems). Even low att amps are loud when cranked so I would recommend either using pedals into a clean amp (a Timmy and A Fairfield Barbershop are an amazing combo) or just buying a modeler. The new Pod HD series offers incredible sound and value and is most likely the ideal solution for very low noise environments.

TG


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## warplanegrey (Jan 3, 2007)

I currently have my Bogner 4x12 at my apartment. I'm running my Marshall MG250 through it lol.


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## Guest (Apr 20, 2011)

12 years in Toronto. 12 years of figuring out how to keep my playing from enraging neighbours.

In the end the best solution, for me, was a Palmer PGA-04 running in to my computer. On the computer I'd usually run the unfiltered output from the Palmer into GuitarRig with just a cabinet block loaded. Worked very well.

But that was all before the AxeFx existed. Now, my recommendation is to just get an AxeFx. 

But if you *really* want to keep working with your existing amps and pedal board, the Palmer PGA-04 or PDI-03 are solid units and when used with cabinet modeling that can load cabinet IRs it is a solution to silent practicing and recording that is exceptionally good sounding.


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## Jims (May 29, 2007)

I just moved in to a new apartment, but in some of my previous residences I never got complaints with my YCV80 - it does have a master volume after all. Low volume might not be an ideal tone, but it was serviceable, and it didn't require additional gear. I'm also prejudiced against modeling rigs though. 

By contrast one of my roomates in the same house got many complaints from his 5.1 surround system. If I really wanted to be near-silent, I would simply play my strat unplugged. Loud enough for me to hear, but won't bother anyone else.

Of course the time of day in which you're playing is also a factor; that sound system was probably on while the neighbors were trying to sleep, whereas my amp was likely to be cranked when they were at least conscious, if not at work/class etc.


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## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

Been 5 years with my little Fender Champ and still no complain but I'm using pedals...no crancking around here!


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

we've lived here for several years, and in this one aspect i am lucky. no one complains about noise because this is how it is here: http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s180/cheezyridr/STUFF.jpg
3 guitar players, a bass player and 2 singers on this floor. however, i currently use a roland cube 30. of all the s.s. amps i've tried, this is the only one i actually like. it has beautiful cleans. in fact, although i am looking at some tube amps (the gem 2G, vox ac4tvh) i plan on keeping the cube because the cleans are just....golden sunshine. it does the modeling thing with better tone than any of the other comparable amps, imo. (gedc 30, mg30fx)
the modeled amps are not so bad, really. of course each amp setting requires you to set the eq knobs to suit, just like you would with the real thing. you can get alot of good sounds out of this amp. but it's a s.s. amp, probably the best of the reasonably priced ones. go play one, and just groove on the clean channel for starters.


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## Jean GODBOUT (Oct 31, 2009)

*Amp for appartment*

Yes, I live in a appartment, this is real problem for me to build guitars and play guitars without disturbing my nabers with my JTM45, my Dumble or my Vibroverb amps. So recently I build a ''baby'' Trainwreck the 4-4-0 design by AX84 guys with small 6SN7 tride as power tubes for a 2 Watts amp with one double triode or 4 Watts with two tubes. That still to loud since the Trainwreck start his nice distortion with the volume set at 5 or more.
http://www.jeangodbout.com/trainwreck/express-4-4-0.html
From the first startup, the small Hammond transformer have been very noisy and worked for about 5 days than the fuses started to blow, the Hammond TX is now back to Hammond for a replacement (I hope).
The distortion wass very nice but it's not the big tone I can get with my other amplifiers so I order a set of ''real'' transformers from Magnetic Components for a full size Trainwreck with EL34 tubes.

My next project is a Airbrake attenuator !


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## Kenmac (Jan 24, 2007)

I'm in an apartment and the amp that I use the most is what has been called "the perfect apartment amp", a Fender Champ. (Mine's circa 1970.) I also use the Rockman XP100 quite a bit and sometimes my Roland Mobile Cube.


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## Jocko (May 17, 2010)

I use a Vox AD30VT. I can run the front end as hard as I want but then turn the output down to managable levels (power level control on back panel) so as not to upset the neighbours. It works, because I have an ongoing dispute with the woman through the wall but she has never complained about my guitar playing!
Being on the top floor I never worry about the guy downstairs. It is a lot harder to bang on the ceiling than it is to jump up and down on the floor !!!!!!!


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

When we had an apartment, for silent practice I used powered headphones, either from my guitar or from whatever FX I was using. For amps I had very low power solid state amps (my favourite for years was a Piggy, but small Fenders came and went too) and used a pedal for gain/distortion. Practicing when the neighbours were away, the significant other was out, during the daylight hours when fols were at work, and isolated as much as possible in an interior room sometimes. Plus I simply used an acoustic a lot.

Cultivating a friendly relationship with neighbours is vital, forgiveness comes easier when people like each other, so even though neighbours knew I could make lots of noise, they also knew I tried not to.

We've lived in the current house for 18 years, so there are no neighbour and noise issues, though the elderly woman next door has told me that it sometimes sounds like Martians landing here...I must be in full bore ambient music mode when she hears that. Another time she thought I had the Beverley Hillbillies over to visit...I gather she doesn't dig my banjo playing.

Peace, Mooh.


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## Thornton Davis (Jul 25, 2008)

I use a Boss ME-50B Multi-Effects unit in the house. I plug my bass into it along with my MP3 player and headphones. I can either play by myself or along to any song on my MP3 player and know one can hear me. When I want to take it to a gig, I simply connect it to my amp and use its many features while leaving the headphones and MP3 player at home.










You can buy one of these new or used. 

TD


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

I live in a basement apartment and play a JTM45 

I have two solutions to noise issues - one is using my UA to bring the levels down. The second is to live underneath my drummer! We only tell the other to shut up once in a blue moon and most of the time I'm pleased to hear him practice. Of course, the two of us together drive our landlady nuts, but none of our neighbours mind because we're not really all that loud.


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## pattste (Dec 30, 2007)

I run my pedalboard into a Line 6 Pocket Pod Express (the cheapest model they make, less than $100) set on the Twang amp model and with some reverb. I have very nice Sennheiser headphones. I can play at any time of the day or night without disturbing anyone, which comes in handy because I have two small kids. As much as I don't like modelers, I have to say the Pocket Pod Express is one of my best gear purchase. I find practicing / playing with it so much fun that I often use it even when I could use a regular amp.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

I lived in a 4-bedroom townhouse for 2 and a half years, and spent one and a half of those years next to a baby's room next door. I ran my old Peavey JSX halfstack and sold it part-way to get a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Roadster. I briefly owned a boss GT-8, but sold it because I kept plugging into the JSX at the time. I recieved three or four requests to turn it down; no formal noise complaints. I could get my Mesa up to 3 on the master at pretty much any time, and no one complained 95% of the time I put it up to gigging levels.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

I use a Roland Microcube, and I absolutely love it. I am always shocked by how good it sounds. So are people who come over. 

If I want to practice while my girlfriend is asleep, I can plug headphones into it. And I love playing along with my iPod plugged into it.

I can get away with playing my Princeton Reverb in our apartment as well, but the Microcube just really shines at low volume playing and I use it by choice.


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## psychotik (Aug 29, 2006)

I moved to Toronto fairly recently so I'm also dealing with this.

I've got a SuperChamp XD that seems to work reasonably well at volume ~2. I really miss opening up my Egnater MOD50 though....perhaps I'll try an AXE Fx when I find a used one floating around.


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## Guest (Apr 22, 2011)

psychotik said:


> I moved to Toronto fairly recently so I'm also dealing with this.
> 
> I've got a SuperChamp XD that seems to work reasonably well at volume ~2. I really miss opening up my Egnater MOD50 though....perhaps I'll try an AXE Fx when I find a used one floating around.


Hook it up to a Palmer and let that Egnater SCREAM!


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## bobb (Jan 4, 2007)

My guitars are rarely plugged in at home. I'm more concerned about the notes and technique than the amplified sound.


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## amphead (Jan 9, 2007)

http://www.mackamps.com/gem-head-combo/

Don Mackrill
www.MackAmps.com


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## bcjek (Oct 29, 2010)

I live in a 100-year-old apartment in Vancouver. I did have a few complaints a few years ago, from the downstairs neighbour. I play quietly, but he last complaint was before 8:00 AM - the image of me with my strat, and Darren from downstairs in his PJ's, I couldn't have won the argument in any court of law. I built a "buffer" out of plywood and closed cell foam, much like an Auralex Gramma [URL="http://www.auralex.com/sound_isolation_gramma/sound_isolation_gramma.asp"/URL]. It decouples the amp or cab from the floor. Not a single complaint since - and the new downstairs girl has complained about our walking!

I play a large collection of vintage Traynors


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## Schectertastic (Jul 12, 2010)

I used my line 6 Toneport for playing with a set of headphones in my old apartment rather than my 100 watt Peavey XXL w/4x12 cab...I think that might have resulted in eviction notices. Seriously just get a good modeling amp/pedal with headphone out and you're solid. Also getting some good headphones helps too.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

bcjek said:


> I live in a 100-year-old apartment in Vancouver. I did have a few complaints a few years ago, from the downstairs neighbour. I play quietly, but he last complaint was before 8:00 AM - the image of me with my strat, and Darren from downstairs in his PJ's, I couldn't have won the argument in any court of law. I built a "buffer" out of plywood and closed cell foam, much like an Auralex Gramma [URL="http://www.auralex.com/sound_isolation_gramma/sound_isolation_gramma.asp"/URL]. It decouples the amp or cab from the floor. Not a single complaint since - and the new downstairs girl has complained about our walking!
> 
> I play a large collection of vintage Traynors


i do a ghetto version of that. i put my combo amp on a chair, and put a pillow under it. they hear me playing at the other end of the hall, but not downstairs. in fact, that neighbor told me the only thing she has heard from us are the doggies' nails on the wood


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