2+ hours at GC today looking for an amp...

Top Jimmy

Top Jimmy

New member
After getting suggestions in this thread...
https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=171687

I spent 2+ hours at GC and tried about 15 amps. I'm far from a tone expert, I can just try to explain the best I can what I heard.

Tested: Mesa Stiletto Ace, used Mesa F-50, used Mesa Rectoverb, Bogner Alchemist 2x12, Brugera 1990, Brugera 6262, used Peavey 5150, Egnater Tourmaster 2x12, Egnater Rebel 20, Blackstar HT-5, Marshall Haze 40, Vox Night Train, and a Vox AC-something, EVH 5150 III, and the Line6 SpiderValve.

I basically went to try the Alchemist on a forum members suggestion and right next to it was the Stiletto.

(Excluding the 5150 III) The Mesa Stiletto might be the single best amp I've ever played or at least head and shoulders above any that I tried above. The Stiletto is very clear and I guess has more punch that the Alchemist, for some reason the Alchemist seemed like it has a towel over it or something and I couldn't get the definition I would wanted (I tried all it's switches, punch brightness, mid-shift, got much better but not as good.)

Editors Note: Does anyone else feel like Marshall's look and feel cheap. The control panels looks so cheap and flimsy.

Surprise of the day: Marshall Haze 40 - Not a bad price point for an amp that doesn't sound too bad. Like 600-700 bucks for a rock voiced combo amp.

Practice low watt amps:
1. Blackstar HT-5, can play at lower volume and still sound good, can cover rock to hard rock/metal fairly well. (Top Jimmy Best Buy!)
2. Egnater Rebel 20 - Probably a better "sound" than the HT-5 but it is very loud even on 1 watt setting.
10. Vox Night Train - The Night Train was a trainwreck, it can't compete with those other two in my opinion. Too fizzy at low volumes, too loud to get rid of fizzyness.

Rock Amp:
1. Mesa Stiletto - I have yet to find a new Marshall that sounds as good as this. (Never played any old ones except a JCM800 so no reference.)
2. Egnater Tourmaster Combo - 4 Channels and reverb. Nice sound but lacks the top end gain of the Alchemist and Stiletto.
3. Bogner Alchemist - Good hard rock amp, though I hate the built in effects because I amp too stupid to figure out how to run the delay section. Lacking the clarity of the Mesa and Tourmaster.

Metal Amps:
1. Mesa Rectoverb - You know what sound you are going for when you buy a Recto and it sounds good to me.
2. Used Peavey 5150 (original) - $599 and sounds **** good. (Top Jimmy Best Buy!)
3. SpiderValve - Does the metal tones petty well plus a bunch of other good tones. (Not for me though, too many buttons.)

Brugera really crapped the bed in my opinion. They might as well be copies of the B-52 amp line. Seemed very fizzy and who the hell needs 120 watt amps anyway?

So now I need help:
Stiletto is what I want sound wise. Can the Carvin Legacy get close to that sound? I have no place to try a Legacy unless a store gets one in used. Price comes into play now too, $1700 for a Stiletto or a Legacy for $600-700 used, $1000 new.

Misc: Zakk Wylde OD/Dist sucks. EVH Phaser sounds better than block letter Phaser. They need to hire a 16 year old kid to run around GC all day and tune guitars so i don't have to tune each and every one.
 
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Re: 2+ hours at GC today looking for an amp...

But does what you wrote mean that the 5150 III was the best amp you tried?
 
Re: 2+ hours at GC today looking for an amp...

GoDrex said:
But does what you wrote mean that the 5150 III was the best amp you tried?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I love the rhythm channel on that thing but the Stiletto more or less is equal. The 5150 III wins because it also has more gain in that third channel so it's almost like having 3 amps in one, clean, rock, metal.
 
Re: 2+ hours at GC today looking for an amp...

If you like the Stiletto, buy the Stiletto. It's an awesome amp, and well worth the money.
 
Re: 2+ hours at GC today looking for an amp...

Don't get G.A.S. (gear acquisition syndrome). Keep trying amps out any and everywhere you can, because just as sure as you purchase what you think is "THE" amp, Murphy's Law says that most likely you'll run across something better. You'll be kicking yourself for not taking advantage of time and money had you searched more. I'm a purist in that I only like/own single channel vintage Marshall and Fender amps (and some excellent high quality clones thereof), PLUS resale value for vintage Marshall and Fender amps are excellent when compared to all the other brand amps that you mention above (not overlooking the fact that repair bills for modern (3) channel amps may require more tech time, and parts than your standard vintage one channel amp. If the economy gets any worse (than it already is) and you need to sell your amp, resale value becomes an issue to be seriously considered.
 
Re: 2+ hours at GC today looking for an amp...

I've heard nothing but great reviews on the stiletto ace... haven't tried one myself yet though. The demo video on the mesa site for the Electra Dyne looks great, that looks like a solid amp that would be worth a test drive.

Nice hands-on review of a good selection of amps, thanks for posting that.
 
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Re: 2+ hours at GC today looking for an amp...

Sounds like a cool time!

-the alchemist has a certain amount of that 'bogner compression'. It makes for an easy-to-play amp but none of the bogners are particularly immediate in their response compared to an old marshall.

Sounds like you're on to a winner with the stiletto if you can save up or get a s/h deal. The electradyne is also prob worth a look...
 
Re: 2+ hours at GC today looking for an amp...

I was looking for an amp just to get some of those older great Marshall style tones, but I didn't want to dig around for vintage Marshalls, boost pedals, etc. I too bought the Stiletto after going through just as many amps.

I thought the 5150 III wasn't bad, but the I like the tones from the Stiletto a little more and it is a couple hundred less and made in the US.

The Stiletto is one mean amp all around.
 
Re: 2+ hours at GC today looking for an amp...

For most of us there are things you think you can improve on after time with a piece of gear. At that point there is always a better. This is one of the advantages of a head. You can revoice dramatically with a different speaker and cab.
 
Re: 2+ hours at GC today looking for an amp...

RLee said:
Speaking of Mesa amps, I just watched this very cool video of Andy Timmons demonstrating his live setup of both a Mesa Lonestar and Stiletto.
http://www.mesaboogie.com/gallery_artist/video/AndyTimmons-hi.html

He plays a lot of great clips of his material, very entertaining and informative to see how he gets his tones.
Click to expand...

Saw Andy at a Mesa clinic last year. Awesome player with awesome tone, and a nice guy too. I can highly recommend those videos.

Top Jimmy, the Stiletto Ace is a really nice amp, and certainly one I'd like to add to my collection of Mesa amps. I'm wondering what you thought of the F-50.

I spent about five minutes yesterday with a new Electradyne 112 combo, and walked away very impressed and wishing I had more time. I loved the clean tones--didn't really have enough time to get into the distortion settings. It is loud, and has a lot of punch for a 112. I was using the store's satin ES-335; and I easily got sweet jazzy tones, broad acoustic-like rhythm tones and stinging B.B. King single notes--all in a matter of seconds. I was also pleasantly surprised at the depth of the lush reverb.

I think if you're the kind of player who wants a Mesa-quality amp and can use a single channel amp that still has a ton of versatility (and you like getting your distortion tones from a pedal), this might be the amp you've been dreaming for.

The Electradyne is heavy and built like a tank. And like most Mesas, you won't have to worry about resale--these amps hold their value very well. Five year transferable warranty, too.

Your reviews of the other amps is pretty much spot on, in my experience. I like the Egnater TourMaster, but it is certainly not a metal amp. Great for the guy that does classic rock and blues, though. The Spidervalve is very interesting, but I too had trouble finding patches--yep, too many knobs for me--and I have a Mark IV Mesa!

Thanks for your report.

Bill
 
Re: 2+ hours at GC today looking for an amp...

If I was a home player under volume restriction the Spider Valve would be top of my list of amps to get. Really great practice and low volume recording amp, and so much more practical than any other amp discussed here sofar.
 
Re: 2+ hours at GC today looking for an amp...

Boogie Bill said:
Saw Andy at a Mesa clinic last year. Awesome player with awesome tone, and a nice guy too. I can highly recommend those videos.

Top Jimmy, the Stiletto Ace is a really nice amp, and certainly one I'd like to add to my collection of Mesa amps. I'm wondering what you thought of the F-50.

I spent about five minutes yesterday with a new Electradyne 112 combo, and walked away very impressed and wishing I had more time. I loved the clean tones--didn't really have enough time to get into the distortion settings. It is loud, and has a lot of punch for a 112. I was using the store's satin ES-335; and I easily got sweet jazzy tones, broad acoustic-like rhythm tones and stinging B.B. King single notes--all in a matter of seconds. I was also pleasantly surprised at the depth of the lush reverb.

I think if you're the kind of player who wants a Mesa-quality amp and can use a single channel amp that still has a ton of versatility (and you like getting your distortion tones from a pedal), this might be the amp you've been dreaming for.

The Electradyne is heavy and built like a tank. And like most Mesas, you won't have to worry about resale--these amps hold their value very well. Five year transferable warranty, too.

Your reviews of the other amps is pretty much spot on, in my experience. I like the Egnater TourMaster, but it is certainly not a metal amp. Great for the guy that does classic rock and blues, though. The Spidervalve is very interesting, but I too had trouble finding patches--yep, too many knobs for me--and I have a Mark IV Mesa!

Thanks for your report.

Bill
Click to expand...

I love the F-series amps, I like them much more than the Express series for what kind of sound I like, Express seem more blues geared. The problem with the F-series, they are soooooo fricken loud, go from 1-2 and a pretty large volume jump, go to 4 and the neighbors are pissed.

I forgot to mention this about the Stiletto: Great, incredible, fantastic volume controls, this thing is a bedroom amp if you want, it has that good of controls on it. You got your standard master volume controls but then it has a Output control that works very well.

The more I talk about this thing, the more I want it. It's hard to justify $1700 bucks for a basement guitar wanker but I'll have to save I guess.

Talk about a great demo of the amp showing the clean, crunch, high gain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXkXnHeSwRM
 
Re: 2+ hours at GC today looking for an amp...

Hot _Grits said:
If I was a home player under volume restriction the Spider Valve would be top of my list of amps to get. Really great practice and low volume recording amp, and so much more practical than any other amp discussed here sofar.
Click to expand...

Really? I thought they were pretty loud myself unless I didn't monkey with knobs enough.

I still say the best two bedrooms amps I've tried are the new Vox VT series and the Blackstar.
 
Re: 2+ hours at GC today looking for an amp...

Top Jimmy said:
Really? I thought they were pretty loud myself unless I didn't monkey with knobs enough.

I still say the best two bedrooms amps I've tried are the new Vox VT series and the Blackstar.
Click to expand...

The spider valve I tried was cranked down to conversation level. I thought it was really cool, really good general amp sounds and some awesome presets. But I've always been fairly happy with line 6 modeling in a low volume practice/writing context.
 
Re: 2+ hours at GC today looking for an amp...

Top Jimmy said:
I love the F-series amps, I like them much more than the Express series for what kind of sound I like, Express seem more blues geared. The problem with the F-series, they are soooooo fricken loud, go from 1-2 and a pretty large volume jump, go to 4 and the neighbors are pissed.

I forgot to mention this about the Stiletto: Great, incredible, fantastic volume controls, this thing is a bedroom amp if you want, it has that good of controls on it. You got your standard master volume controls but then it has a Output control that works very well.

The more I talk about this thing, the more I want it. It's hard to justify $1700 bucks for a basement guitar wanker but I'll have to save I guess.

Talk about a great demo of the amp showing the clean, crunch, high gain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXkXnHeSwRM
Click to expand...

I wouldn't go as far as saying the Stiletto is a bedroom amp (unless your bedroom is in a bomb shelter or out in the country). Like most tube amps, it really loses a ton of girth with the volume down low. If you can turn it up a bit though ... wow.

That's the reason I own both a Stiletto Ace and a Valvetronix VT30. With those two amps I've got everything covered. The Valvetronix is my home practice and small gig amp, and the Stiletto is my rehearsal and medium/large gig amp.

If you get a Stiletto, it just means you'll have to start gigging :). It's too good of an amp to stay in your basement all the time.
 
Re: 2+ hours at GC today looking for an amp...

I was probably overexagerating, but you must admit the volume controls on that thing are very good.

We have identical tastes. Love the VT (best hybrid) and obviously the Stiletto and blondes with big knockers.
 
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