Best SS amp for Van halen/George lynch etc

vejiita

New member
what is the best solid state amp that gets a nice
george lynch/van halen/john petrucci type sound?

no line 6
need other suggestions.
 
Re: Best SS amp for Van halen/George lynch etc

There is no solid state that can 'do' tones as good as the real thing. You might chack out the Vox hybrid stuff, but even that, sitting next a to cranked tube amp is going to be a real poor imitation. I would chase a tube amp down if you really want those sounds... The new Traynor stuff kicks some serious azz. The Blue 50 is a great rock amp. The new PV Windsor ( I believe that is the name) is a strong British voice. Have not plugged into one yet, but did give the Valve King a run. It was pretty solid.
 
Re: Best SS amp for Van halen/George lynch etc

vejiita said:
what is the best solid state amp that gets a nice
george lynch/van halen/john petrucci type sound?

no line 6
need other suggestions.

Honestly?

None, including Line 6 ... plexi marshall is where it´s at for the first 2, bro, and JP is Mesa all the way ;)
 
Re: Best SS amp for Van halen/George lynch etc

The Tech 21 Trademark 60 has a sample setting for Van Halen I. Soundclips here: http://www.tech21nyc.com/tm60.html

It's a great versatile little amp.

And no, it doesn't sound exactly like a cranked tube amp, but the question is "george lynch/van halen/john petrucci type sound" from a solid state amp. ;)
 
Re: Best SS amp for Van halen/George lynch etc

Simon_F said:
The Tech 21 Trademark 60 has a sample setting for Van Halen I. Soundclips here: http://www.tech21nyc.com/tm60.html

It's a great versatile little amp.

And no, it doesn't sound exactly like a cranked tube amp, but the question is "george lynch/van halen/john petrucci type sound" from a solid state amp. ;)

+1 if you've got to go with SS, but not really for Petrucci. Maybe with the right guitar and hot pickups.
 
Re: Best SS amp for Van halen/George lynch etc

I forgot - the Vox moedling stuff is great. It should cover all those players you mentioned. It's different from Line 6, not necessarily better. Kind of like Burger King versus McDonald's.
 
Re: Best SS amp for Van halen/George lynch etc

A solid state amp will not do the job. Save your money for an all Tube Marshall.
 
Re: Best SS amp for Van halen/George lynch etc

agreed, a solid state won't do that "exactly". To the original poster, are you just playing at home? The Vox or Tech 21 will get close enough for home use. I got the Vox simply because I wanted the effects, which aren't perfect, but for jamming at home sufficient. Believe me I tried tube amps at home, they won't work for those tones. Maybe I should be, but I'm not, ashamed to admit I play at home only, too old for anything else and I'm doing this playing thing for my pure enjoyment, not for a living. Those are two really good amps for my siutation, if I was playing out like most of you guys (yes I'm a little jealous of you guys:bowdown:) it would be tubes.
 
Re: Best SS amp for Van halen/George lynch etc

I can get really close to duplicating any of those tones, using a Valvetronix AD60 head on a closed back 2-12 or 4-12. Don't buy SS combos for those tones, make sure you get a head/cab w/Celestions. There's an art to tweaking modeling amps to get good tones out of them. If you demo it in the store by turning the rotary knob, you won't even scrape the surface of what it'll do.
The most important trick is that you always have an OD model on at the same time, no matter what amp model you're using. Use the OD gain and the amp gain in tandem to dial in exact sounds........even on the clean amp models.
 
Re: Best SS amp for Van halen/George lynch etc

Zerberus said:
Honestly?

None, including Line 6 ... plexi marshall is where it´s at for the first 2, bro, and JP is Mesa all the way ;)

I agree. Go for a Line 6. Good enough for Seymour...that's what he plays through. Adrien Belew too! Lew
 
Re: Best SS amp for Van halen/George lynch etc

Simon_F said:
The Tech 21 Trademark 60 has a sample setting for Van Halen I. Soundclips here: http://www.tech21nyc.com/tm60.html

It's a great versatile little amp.

And no, it doesn't sound exactly like a cranked tube amp, but the question is "george lynch/van halen/john petrucci type sound" from a solid state amp. ;)
Yeah, that TECH21 patch for VH 1 is pretty cool.....if you're into any type of rack gear, the SansAmp PSA-1 has a screaming Plexi patch. There's a Michael Schenker patch & if I recall correctly, a VH patch that are also very good.
 
Re: Best SS amp for Van halen/George lynch etc

Rocktron Voodu Valve, Rocktron Prophesy, or the out-of-production Rocktron Pirahna.

Play any of those thru a solid state power amp, or preferably a tube power amp such as a Mesa 20/20, and I'll bet you can hit those tones and then some.
 
Re: Best SS amp for Van halen/George lynch etc

i say Crate as well. the ones with the flexwave preamp. GTX212. reall good SS amps.
 
Re: Best SS amp for Van halen/George lynch etc

I'd honestly just A/B the Line 6 and Vox modeling amps in your price range and pick the one you like best.
 
Re: Best SS amp for Van halen/George lynch etc

I love my vox. There is a Lynch setting and VH settings. I love the lynch setting. The VH are cool too but you can dial in even better VH tones messing with the amp.
 
Re: Best SS amp for Van halen/George lynch etc

I have a few SS amps for quiet practice but none of them really sound like VH or the like..... My main practice amps for 18 years now have been the Fender Princton Chorus amps.... kind of fuzzy but turn the gain back and play with the EQ and it is quite fun at a whisper of a volume.... i even use this amp for practice when people are sleeping in the house.....

I have a few others i use..... a small NON Modeling Berhinger that has a kind of ACDC 4x12 boom to it in a quiet bedroom... And for fun i have a small Marshall MG amp i got for $15.....

I have a great wish for a Vox Tonelab soon......

I own the real stacks and tube amps, a JCM 800, 5150, Blackface Deluxe, Classic 50, Classic 30...... (and a Fender 100 Watt SS head that is junk, but it is too loud for the bedroom)....... I use these tube amps from time to time but 70% of my playing is thru small solid state combos....

WhoFan
 
Re: Best SS amp for Van halen/George lynch etc

Then again if your budget is high enough, newer Boutique amps can get killer tones at lower levels.
My VHT Pitbull sounds amazing at bedroom levels and gets a great Halen Lynch sound. It did cost me 2000 euros of course but i wanted to get something that sounded awesome even for the bedroom. and it does!

I am so glad i got it and i have no regrets whatsoever. i know that i spent 2 grand on an amp for me to goof around, but i have been playing for over 18 years and i play pretty darn good, so it was waaay worth it.

Like i have said in the past. if i got this a long time ago i would have saved money and hassle by not buying a bunch of stuff that wasnt useful for me.

Not to mention getting great tone from the get go.
 
Re: Best SS amp for Van halen/George lynch etc

If I were you, I'd get Carvin's solid state head. It's hella cheap, you could get rid of it pretty easily on ebay if you didn't like it, and it appears to have a cool 80's gain going on.

If it's noisy, just get a Hush pedal. Most high gain applications need one anyway.
 
Re: Best SS amp for Van halen/George lynch etc

I'm not a fan of the newer Marshall MG line... but in the mid-late 90's i liked some of the tones that could come out of a Valvestate.... I always wanted a 2x12 stereo chorus Valvestate.....
 
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