Buying decisions

You're all over the map! You say you want to explore vulgar sonic adventures, yet you're looking at an Ibanez Artcore. I guess you just play at home, alone?

Consider getting a real tube amp, instead. There is nothing like them. They have the 'organic' sound you're looking for. Some good choices are:

Traynor Custom Valve 20WR - 15 watts, Celestion Greenback, 12AX7, 6L6 Traynor Custom Valve 40WR - 40 watts, Celestion Vintage 30, 12AX7, 6L6 Traynor Custom Valve 50Blue - 50 watts, Celestion Vintage 30, 12AX7, EL34 Fender Blues Junior - 15 watts, Eminence speaker, 12AX7, 6L6 Fender Hot Rod Deluxe - 40 watts, Eminence speaker, 12AX7, 6L6 Peavey Classic 30 - 30 watts, Blue Marvel speaker, 12AX7, EL34 Peavey Classic 50 - 50 watts, Blue Marvel speakers, 12AX7, EL34 Crate V1512 - 15 watts, 12AX7, EL34

Once you experience the warmth and organic sound of a tube amp, you'll throw that digital stuff away. I have the Traynor Custom Valve 40WR, and I love it. I paid $575US for it, and it was a steal. I'm considering maybe getting the Custom Valve 50Blue next year. I don't know how much any of these things cost in Euros. Take a look at them, find ones that are in your price range, play on them, and find out for yourself.

I would avoid the Ibanez artcore like the plague. It's not a terrible guitar, so much...it just doesn't feel great to play on, the tone i got with it was never anything special, and I find that I use it almost exclusively as a backup guitar for gigs...and it's a depressing backup. I can't do some nifty things on it that I can do on other guitars, and one of my main features as a guitarist is the weird things i do - i'm not absurdly excellent and technical, but I have good ideas for sounds...

Anyway, my experience with an artcore has been entirely negative, but again I must say that it might just be the style of music I play...this guitar just seems too exact in what it does, allows for no playroom.

SNIPT SNIPT

Most have bias pots - Mesa has fixed bias - Traynor have auto-biasing? - where can I get a schematic to add that into my amps circuit?