Alright, I need a tube head

Lee_L

Lee_L

New member
So I'm getting into a band that has a heavy, "machine metal" sound. I'll be playing distorted probably 90% of the time, if not more. We share a practice room with the drummer's other band and there is a Mesa Rectifier halfstack (I think it's the Dual Rec, not sure though) but the guy doesn't want anyone to use it (understandably) and there is a Marshall MG fullstack that I had/have to play through, that sounds like...well, something I flushed down the toilet this morning. So I'm thinking of getting a tube head and using the Mesa cab until we start playing shows, then I'll get my own cab as well. I'll probably be looking at used heads, and I don't want to spend much. I'm willing to spend up to a grand, but I'd rather not spend that much. Ideally, I'd like to spend a grand on the entire halfstack. (As a disclaimer, I have a 2x12" tube combo but I don't want to leave it there because then I won't have an amp at home, and I usually don't like halfstacks, I would rather do a 2x12" cab, but these guys play LOUD so I might as well go ahead and get the halfstack.) I play a Brian Moore i2 and a Charvel from the 80s, I also pla to get an Agile Les Paul copy for possible down-tuning. These are the amps I'm considering, if you know of any deals on them, or if you have any other suggestions, please let me know.

Peavey XXX
Probably used. I've played it before and I like it quite a bit.

Peavey 5150/6505
Definitely used. I've played through one once and the distortion was tent-pitchingly nice! However, with no "real" clean channel, I refuse to buy one new or spend more than $600 shipped for one.

Peavey ValveKing
New, obviously. I haven't played through one but it's got a few things going for it. It's all tube, it's affordable, and it's a Peavey--a name I trust. I've heard clips of the combos and they sound decent enough, I've got some pedals I can run through it if I can't get the right sound.

B-52 AT-100
Probably new. Now, I've heard some good things about this amp on this forum and on the HC forum. Normally I wouldn't touch a brand like this but I *might* be willing to give a shot...maybe.

Engl
I was looking at the two smaller heads and hoping maybe I could snag one on eBay if the planets aligned the right way. Not sure if this is considered boutique or not, but compared to all the other amps in my area, it damn well would be!

Laney
I've seen some used Laneys that are supposedly Marshall copies on eBay for around $300. I figure it's worth looking at, but I'd like some info from you guys.

Ampeg
I know Ampeg made some tube guitar heads and you can find them on eBay dirt cheap, but I need some more info...anyone?
 
Re: Alright, I need a tube head

Engl :headbang:
I'm not sure what you mean by smaller heads but the screamer head and the fireball head should be possible to get used in your price range and both sound great. The sreamer has less gain than the fireball(powerball's smaller brother) and both have great tone. The Powerball is 60w compared to the 50w of the screamer and looks better imo(not really important,just wanted to tell you ;) ). There's still the thunder out there but i think it's abit too minimalistic for my tastes(have i ever mentioned that i love my powerball :) )
 
Re: Alright, I need a tube head

ENGL, I'd say, if you can swing something like a Powerball. I'm not fond of the Fireball or Screamer for metal.


A 5150 or XXX will work perfectly for your situation, an sound abso-****ing-lutely crushing through the Mesa cabinet (and equally crushing, but tighter, through a Marshall styled cab).

I'd grab a 5150 and take it to a tech to get the Bias mod done - it'll improve the cleans 10x, and make the distortion more dynamic.

That said, I'm still thinking about ditching the 5150 for a JSX, as I've been playing with cleans a ton more (and even moreso when my G-Major comes tomorrow), and I want a more crunchy, less saturated tone inbetween. Then again, I'm also thinking about getting a rack setup so I can play with cleans and distortion at the same time, so take my advice with a grain of salt ;).


Also, how low will you be tuning? Agile has a new 7 string on the way for the New Year... 400 bucks and it has stock DiMarzio's. Insane deal!
 
Re: Alright, I need a tube head

Laney, as you suggested yourself, is an excellent choice (I think). There is the GH100L/GH50L/GH100TI for rock and metal. And some of the older models, that I do not know very much about, but from what I've heard, some of them are killer. (There's also the VH100R but it's more expensive).

The GH50L/GH100L is one channel amps, and the GH100TI is a one channel amp. The GH100TI is Tony Iommi's signature amp, and as you can guess, it must be a perfect metal amp when he's playing it live and in the studio. That doesn't mean the GH100L/GH50L are any less awesome, because they aren't, but they are capable of playing with less gain than the GH100TI. All 3 models can switch between EL34/6L6 output tubes. These amps are really cheap both new and used, and good quality. Ýou can check the Laney website for more information, www.laney.co.uk

Here are some clips for inspiration, maybe they'd make you want to try it out yourself somewhere:

If you wanna hear how the lead sounds on the GH100TI take a look at this little video; this is Black Sabbath's "N.I.B" http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=60771767085539876&q=black+sabbath

It's not that loud though, so you have to turn your speakers up a bit.

Here's a live version of "Dirty Women" by Sabbath, when they were in Prague, sometime this year, again, this is not the best quality but just turn your speakers up and you'll be fine, this is an audience recorded track;
http://s52.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2...U2MZT70LDV9NXG

"Into The Void" from the same show:
http://d54.yousendit.com/D/02V48O1V0CX4J194OLUDB9Y97U/10 - Into The Void.mp3

"Iron Man" again from the same show:
http://s54.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=38FOL3V1EUVCJ2XJTQEMCSW4BC

As you probably can hear, the Laney GH100TI can nail Tony's old tone spot on, without problems, I simply LOVE these tones.

I especially like the "Dirty Women" live track since you really can hear the awesome lead tones.

But this is only the Sabbath part, it can do other stuff as well, this is a track from Tony's newest solo record, the track is called "What You're Living For", and it's a bit more straight rock 'n roll:
http://s41.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0...202YZR78O2I3D4

A little "doomier" riff accompanied by some keyboards here, also from Tony's solo record: http://s53.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=21XPELAXTZQRB1ITXVM7UGFKV8

Another more "regular" rock song from the solo album, it's called "Wasted Again":
http://s53.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3805F9JUNKL1H05X72PSBWBM2C

But still, I think these tracks all in all is only a small dosis of what this ONE CHANNEL amp can do, and this is only with the EL34's, but You can talk to some other owners of this amp if you're interested in it. Both Screamingdaisy and matt_transition also owns one.


Edit: A live video to "War Pigs" can be watched here, it is from the upcoming Ozzfest 10th anniversary DVD: http://www.98rock.com/cc-common/inconcert/ozzfest/

Here's a video with Ozzy, Tony, and Phil collins on drums, they're performing "Paranoid" at the Queens golden jubilee: http://s41.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=3...13A4ZM4UNLVNY7

I think you listen to the tracks first though.
 
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Re: Alright, I need a tube head

DeadSkinSlayer3 said:
A 5150 or XXX will work perfectly for your situation, an sound abso-****ing-lutely crushing through the Mesa cabinet (and equally crushing, but tighter, through a Marshall styled cab).
Click to expand...
I A/Bed a 1960 (GT75s) and a Recto Std cab some times ago and found the mesa tighter and fatter sounding + it has sweeter highs... on the mesa i could raise the bass much more without getting muddy
My experience maybe I am wrong
 
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Re: Alright, I need a tube head

My vote goes to ENGL, but possibly a less expensive route would be a used 5150. Youcan't go wrong in a metal band with a 5150.
 
Re: Alright, I need a tube head

Marcel said:
I A/Bed a 1960 (GT75s) and a Recto Std cab some times ago and found the mesa tighter and fatter sounding + it has sweeter highs... on the mesa i could raise the bass much more without getting muddy
My experience maybe I am wrong
Click to expand...


Recto standard? That cabinet is disgusting! What head were you using? It might have been fatter, but the highs would have been more icepicky, for sure. I've never met someone who said that Mesa cabinets aren't easy to make sound shrill (in the extreme metal genre).

I've always prefered Marshall styled cabinets to Mesa, though. If you're going to use a Recto cabinet, make sure it's the Traditional sized one. I hate that oversized BS.
 
Re: Alright, I need a tube head

Okay guys thanks for all the responses, I haven't read everything yet but I will when I get home tonight. DeadSkinSlayer3, so are you going to be selling your 5150? How much?
 
Re: Alright, I need a tube head

those B-52 heads actually aren't bad. one of my buddies has one, and it can get you into the same ballpark as all those peavey amps, and it still sounds good. i would advise you to definitely not overlook them, as they are probably one of the most underrated amps out there.
 
Re: Alright, I need a tube head

Lee_L said:
DeadSkinSlayer3, so are you going to be selling your 5150? How much?
Click to expand...


It really depends... I have to sort out some things with my band and getting a PA, as well as try out some other heads and setups (JSX, JMP-1, Triaxis, etc). When I do sell it, the FJA modded ones tend to go for around 850, so with the condition mine is in, I'd let it go for 750-800, or trade for a JSX or something.
 
Re: Alright, I need a tube head

DeadSkinSlayer3 said:
Recto standard? That cabinet is disgusting! What head were you using? It might have been fatter, but the highs would have been more icepicky, for sure. I've never met someone who said that Mesa cabinets aren't easy to make sound shrill (in the extreme metal genre).

I've always prefered Marshall styled cabinets to Mesa, though. If you're going to use a Recto cabinet, make sure it's the Traditional sized one. I hate that oversized BS.
Click to expand...

I use a Marshall 1960 at home and for gigs and a Mesa oversized for rehearsal and I like the Mesa better because it's fuller, smoother and has a bigger and tighter low end.
That's my experience.

btw. the Marshall sounded very icepicky before I modded it, now it's a killer cab! If you're looking for a great cab that doesn't cost too much the Marshall is the way to go IMHO but don't expect it to sound clear or to have a big bottom end stock.

Maybe you can get a 2nd hand 5150 and have it modded by Voodoo amps, they will make it less buzzy and the cleans workable. The soundclips sound great on their site!
 
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Re: Alright, I need a tube head

With all this talk about cabs, I might as well say that I'll probably get an Avatar cab.
 
Re: Alright, I need a tube head

Avatar cabs still kick the most ass for cheapest, new, for sure. My buddy up the street has a 2x12 with V30's that completely smokes!


Nightburst said:
Maybe you can get a 2nd hand 5150 and have it modded by Voodoo amps, they will make it less buzzy and the cleans workable. The soundclips sound great on their site!
Click to expand...


No offense, but please, please do NOT send any amps to Voodoo... they basically rip the preamp out and build in their own circuit, and most amps they mod end up sound very very similar.
 
Re: Alright, I need a tube head

If you just want to kick the **** out of anybody in your path, I do suggest those older Ampeg tube heads. My guitar at my school had one that he brought in for a few kids to test out, and man.. that thing was amazing! I'm not sure if he still has it though, he seems to go through gear faster than Clinton went through women.
 
Re: Alright, I need a tube head

V-Spot said:
If you just want to kick the **** out of anybody in your path, I do suggest those older Ampeg tube heads. My guitar at my school had one that he brought in for a few kids to test out, and man.. that thing was amazing! I'm not sure if he still has it though, he seems to go through gear faster than Clinton went through women.
Click to expand...
I need some model numbers, information, something!
 
Re: Alright, I need a tube head

What about the Rivera Knucklehead? I thought they were out of my price range but I'm seeing them on eBay for under a grand.
 
Re: Alright, I need a tube head

While Rivera makes amazing cabints, I can't say I'm a big fan of their heads. For this genre, I really advise people to stick to Mesa, Peavey, ENGL, and Krank.
 
Re: Alright, I need a tube head

Lee_L said:
With all this talk about cabs, I might as well say that I'll probably get an Avatar cab.
Click to expand...

I recommend it. I have an Avatar slant 4x12 with a metal grill. Looks killer and sounds awesome. I got it with Eminence V12s on bottom and Celestion 70/80s on top. Plus, Avatar cabs are relatively cheap and the man who runs the company is the nicest guy.
 
Re: Alright, I need a tube head

Lee_L said:
I need some model numbers, information, something!
Click to expand...

The V Series. A V-2 or a V-4 should get you on your way. Overdrive is just awesome, too.
 
Re: Alright, I need a tube head

There's an ENGL Screamer with an 800 BIN right now; snag it! ;)
 
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