good metal amp?

cschneider154

New member
i own a BC Rich Bich NJ from 1984 and im about to upgrade the pickups. I plan on getting blackouts so i need an amp that will handle it good. I currently was planning on using a VOX VALVETRONIX AD30VT 30 WATT GUITAR AMPLIFIER but was told that i should upgrade that. I posted on here earlier and decided to upgrade my price range. The amps i was offered were a peavey vypr tube 60 and a blackstar id core 40. I like the blackstar a lot more. I would like to know what would be an upgrade from the id core 40 but still $600 or under? The core40 is $200
 
Re: good metal amp?

Try your Vox first with the new pickups. You should only upgrade your amp if you have a specific need.. IE, you need something larger/louder, or if it doesn't give you the tones you want.
 
Re: good metal amp?

I'd go with the Blackstar. I own a HT40 and if the ID series had been out at the time I bought mine I would of went with the ID 2x12 most likely.
 
Re: good metal amp?

Well a buddy of mine from MI in LA just moved back to town and i told him i wanted to play metal with him and he told me he wanted to play songs from the band War from a harlots mouth. So i guess thats the general metal im looking to play. I also like to play korn, pantera, system of a down, slipknot, drowning pool also more heavier stuff like Napalm Death.
 
Re: good metal amp?

Get a used peavey 5150 or 6505 combo used, it will do the tones you want and then some and will fit into your budget no problem.....
 
Re: good metal amp?

it may be an idea to look for a pedal or other processor better suited to that style, before changing pickups and/or amp.
what pickups does your NJ have in it now?
 
Re: good metal amp?

Good metal amp? There's only one way to find out. Play lots of them. Even if you don't have the money to lash out on a sure thing. I've been playing metal half my life and I didn't have the best hi gain amps the whole time. Making use of what's available to you is part of the journey, the experience, half the fun and will provide you the opportunity to create sounds you can call your own. You will happily reflect on these times.

I have early 90s fuzzy carpet solid state head that is incredibly rare, scarce and it's possible I'm the only one on the forum who has one. I won it auctioned for about $300 and among my Dual Rectifier, JVM, Twin Reverb and a bunch of other tube amps and preamp gear, it has the coolest, most brutal distortion I've ever heard right out the box.
 
Re: good metal amp?

it may be an idea to look for a pedal or other processor better suited to that style, before changing pickups and/or amp.
what pickups does your NJ have in it now?



I literally have no idea. I bought it from a guy who said he bought it brand new in 1986 and that he hasent changed anything on it except the strings. Its impossible to find any info on these guitars and i even sent an email to bc rich and i havent heard back from them yet. I havent taken it in or anything to find out what kind of pickups they are and im afraid to open in myself since im kinda a noob when it comes to guitars. all i got right now is a silvertone 10 watt and an acoustic 30 watt and when i played on the silvertone it sounded pretty alright but you could tell something was off.
 
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Re: good metal amp?

I literally have no idea. I bought it from a guy who said he bought it brand new in 1986 and that he hasent changed anything on it except the strings. Its impossible to find any info on these guitars and i even sent an email to bc rich and i havent heard back from them yet. I havent taken it in or anything to find out what kind of pickups they are and im afraid to open in myself since im kinda a noob when it comes to guitars. all i got right now is a silvertone 10 watt and an acoustic 30 watt and when i played on the silvertone it sounded pretty alright but you could tell something was off.

It's fairly easy to ID pickups. Loosen the strings as much as you can, unscrew the four corner screws holding the rings and lift it straight up and then look on the bottom for any markings.

OR, take off the back electronics cover, and check the wires. If the wires coming from the pickup cavities are any color other than black (or braided wire), IE blue, red, or yellow, they're stock OEM and probably junk.
 
Re: good metal amp?

It's fairly easy to ID pickups. Loosen the strings as much as you can, unscrew the four corner screws holding the rings and lift it straight up and then look on the bottom for any markings.

OR, take off the back electronics cover, and check the wires. If the wires coming from the pickup cavities are any color other than black (or braided wire), IE blue, red, or yellow, they're stock OEM and probably junk.



took it to Sam Ash. They thought the wood is Alder and the pickups are Dimarzio Designed.
 
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