Best Hi Gain Amps for Under $1000

Re: Best Hi Gain Amps for Under $1000

ToneScavenger said:
I agree with you about the Triamp and that's why I'm very happy with the Knucklehead so far. I don't know if the MKII has improved those issues either... I would like to check it out. I'm very curious about the ENGL Powerball 2 because so many people think like you about it. I've had played thru just about every Rivera model, H&K Triamp MKI, Bogner Uberschall, Diezel VH4, Soldano (SLO, Hot Rod) and thru a VHT Deliverance, but never thru any ENGL... I can't find anyone who has one of them here in Kansas City area :no: so I can check 'em out.
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Wow... that's surprizing. I live in the gear wasteland of MTand we've got an Engl dealer! Now... a big reason for that is that my buddy runs one of the two shops in town and because he's a gear head (owns Bogners, Elmwood, Splawn, etc) he tries to get some cool stuff in the store. If not for that, we'd surely still be stuck with the same old selection since the dawn of time up here (Marshall, Fender, Peavey, Gibson and a few others). Which is fine... but it's just SO nice to be able to get something besides chocolate and vanilla.
 
Re: Best Hi Gain Amps for Under $1000

Yeah, there's something that Bruce Egnater hasn't completely grasped yet. It's called keeping the signal path pure. Really good amp designers know how to add features without compromising the sound. Just about all the Egnaters have a few useless features that suck tone. On the Vengeance and Armageddon, it's all of the mid switches, which don't improve anything.

I was still able to get a good sound out the Vengeance.....not exactly MY sound, but pretty brutal. I actually use my Ecstasy to emulate vintage amps, rather than dialing it in as heavy as it'll go.
 
Re: Best Hi Gain Amps for Under $1000

ENGL hands down FTW! I use a full stack of ENGL with the powerball head and it is beyond brutal! it is funny when i hear guys ask abut the best high gain amp then the very next thing they ask is hows the cleans???:laugh2::laugh2::laugh2:
If you are using a amp like a ENGL or PV clean tones are usually not even needed due to the style they were aimed at.
I have a seperate amp for my cleans if i ever need em,but 98% of the time it is full on distortion. I am getting the SAVAGE 120 soon:banana::headbang: thats where my moniker is from:fingersx: best amp for high gain ever!
 
Re: Best Hi Gain Amps for Under $1000

SAVAGE DISTORTION said:
ENGL hands down FTW! I use a full stack of ENGL with the powerball head and it is beyond brutal! it is funny when i hear guys ask abut the best high gain amp then the very next thing they ask is hows the cleans???:laugh2::laugh2::laugh2:
If you are using a amp like a ENGL or PV clean tones are usually not even needed due to the style they were aimed at.
I have a seperate amp for my cleans if i ever need em,but 98% of the time it is full on distortion. I am getting the SAVAGE 120 soon:banana::headbang: thats where my moniker is from:fingersx: best amp for high gain ever!
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Being a fellow Engl fan, I would tend to agree. But there aren't too many sub-$1K Engls for sale out there. At least not new. Maybe the Gigmasters. I played the 15 a while back and it seemed pretty cool. But I didn't really play with heavy, scooped tones on it.

At any rate... I do like the cleans on my Powerball II. They're pretty spanky and snappy. Not quite as pristine like the cleans on my H&K Triamp, Bogner Shiva and XTC were. But a lot better than the cleans on my old VHT UL.
 
Re: Best Hi Gain Amps for Under $1000

Gearjoneser said:
Yeah, there's something that Bruce Egnater hasn't completely grasped yet. It's called keeping the signal path pure. Really good amp designers know how to add features without compromising the sound. Just about all the Egnaters have a few useless features that suck tone. On the Vengeance and Armageddon, it's all of the mid switches, which don't improve anything.

I was still able to get a good sound out the Vengeance.....not exactly MY sound, but pretty brutal. I actually use my Ecstasy to emulate vintage amps, rather than dialing it in as heavy as it'll go.
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Agreed. I like Egnater's amps (for what they are). But despite the love out there for the MOD50, I don't think that Bruce's amps are in the same league as the Bogners, Engls, VHTs, H&Ks, or even Mesas. On the other hand... they're generally a LOT cheaper! :laugh2:
 
Re: Best Hi Gain Amps for Under $1000

Speaking of sub $1000 amps, there's a lot of bargains in early 90's rack gear, where you can take advantage of the high quality for low dollars.

All of the Mesa, Marshall JMP-1, Soldano, VHT, ENGL that cost SO much new is now a fraction of the price on Craigslist. If you wanted a killer rack setup for $1000, it can be done. Then, you'll have 100 channels, not just 2 or 3.
 
Re: Best Hi Gain Amps for Under $1000

Gearjoneser said:
Speaking of sub $1000 amps, there's a lot of bargains in early 90's rack gear, where you can take advantage of the high quality for low dollars.

All of the Mesa, Marshall JMP-1, Soldano, VHT, ENGL that cost SO much new is now a fraction of the price on Craigslist. If you wanted a killer rack setup for $1000, it can be done. Then, you'll have 100 channels, not just 2 or 3.
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I'm flat-out amazed at the prices the JMP-1 still commands. I've got a buddy who's had once since they came out. Tried to trade him out of it a while back (for my Eleven Rack), but he wouldn't go for it, even though he only plays through his Splawn Quickrod, XTC 101B, and Elmwood M60 anymore. Ended-up trading for a DSL50 head. But I'd still love to have the JMP-1. I gigged an ADA MP-1 all through the 90s and it was a great unit. But I think that if I was going to start flirting with the rack gear again... I'd like to give the JMP a go. The guys from Maiden still use 'em.
 
Re: Best Hi Gain Amps for Under $1000

Yeah, I'm pretty surprised on the used prices of the JMP-1 myself. It's really holding its value well.

Another option, if you can find one, is an early 90's Marshall JCM 900 MkIII Hi Gain Master Volume or even the SL-X. Not as high gain as some of the ones mentioned but can hold their own pretty well. I personally own a MkIII 2100 and prefer it over anything else out there today, except for a Soldano SLO-100 (which is way above the $1000 threshold).

The Hughes and Kettner TubeMeister amps are getting rave reviews right now. I need to try those out.
 
Re: Best Hi Gain Amps for Under $1000

Talk to Randy at Phaez amps.
Several of his models do that hi gain SLO thing.
All but one of his designs are under $1000.
Basically, you tell him what you want and he builds it for you.
 
Re: Best Hi Gain Amps for Under $1000

Those BlackStar HT amps are freaking sick. I'm going to pick up the 50 watt head once I have the money for it.
 
Re: Best Hi Gain Amps for Under $1000

ErikH said:
The Hughes and Kettner TubeMeister amps are getting rave reviews right now. I need to try those out.
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As much as I like the H&K Tube Meister 18, I'm waiting till I can try the 36, since it's loaded with features. The variable wattage and silent Red Box recording is a huge selling point. My next amp will be one of those two.

 
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Re: Best Hi Gain Amps for Under $1000

Gearjoneser said:
As much as I like the H&K Tube Meister 18, I'm waiting till I can try the 36, since it's loaded with features. The variable wattage and silent Red Box recording is a huge selling point. My next amp will be one of those two.

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The 36 is the one I want to try out too. With my 2x12 I could gig with it anywhere.
 
Re: Best Hi Gain Amps for Under $1000

MojoMonster said:
Talk to Randy at Phaez amps.
Several of his models do that hi gain SLO thing.
All but one of his designs are under $1000.
Basically, you tell him what you want and he builds it for you.
Click to expand...

+1000 I have had a Phaez amp for years and Randy really stands behind his product. It amazes me that people so willingly pay fairly big bucks for mass-produced PC board crap when they could have a hand-built, true point-to-point tone monster built to their specs for a really reasonable price. Different strokes, I guess...

http://www.youtube.com/v/Ge7gzniSkl8&fs=1&source=uds&autoplay=1
 
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Re: Best Hi Gain Amps for Under $1000

Tell me more about these Phaez amps!!!!! Which ones do you guys like?
 
Re: Best Hi Gain Amps for Under $1000

RealtyViking said:
If a decent clean is required I would go with the EVH 5150 50w as shown above.
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One problem, the 5150 III is made in China. I would look elsewhere. You can find great American made high gain amps under $1000 on the used market.
Also, those Tube Meister heads by H&K are harsh sounding. I would say to avoid.
 
Re: Best Hi Gain Amps for Under $1000

MojoMonster said:
Talk to Randy at Phaez amps.
Several of his models do that hi gain SLO thing.
All but one of his designs are under $1000.
Basically, you tell him what you want and he builds it for you.
Click to expand...


Randy is a bit of a legend over at MyLesPaulForum !

Well respected, and his build quality is out of this world !
 
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