I sold my mesa and my wallet is $1450 bucks fatter what to get?

[Gearjoneser]

Re: I sold my mesa and my wallet is $1450 bucks fatter what to get?

I agree with XSSIVE. A few weeks ago, I was in a store that had the Randall modular amps. If I had $1450 to spend, and wanted a really versatile home rig that would work great live, I'd buy that Randall head and a 2-12 cab. Then, with all the leftover money, buy as many of the modules as you can for $200 each. At first, I was sceptical, but it's a pretty neat idea......almost like Neve modules in an expensive mixing board........you just design your amp to be the same amps you'd use, if you had that luxury.

I'm happy with my home rig...the Vox Valvetronix AD60 head on a Bogner 2-12, but I have to admit, I've thought of selling it and getting into those Randall modular amps. The only reason I don't is because I can cover everything with the amps I currently have.

 

[B Bent]

Re: I sold my mesa and my wallet is $1450 bucks fatter what to get?

get a used VHT.
i have one and it sounds great even at bedroom volumes.

Yep!! There is not a badder gain machine on Earth IMO!!! VHTs rule!!!

 

[metal]

Re: I sold my mesa and my wallet is $1450 bucks fatter what to get?

my tastes been changing lately, i want some dirty (raw) type of tone , what amp can give me that raw tone form lenny kravitz american woman? and i can tweak a little and give me higher gain?

 

[ErikH]

Re: I sold my mesa and my wallet is $1450 bucks fatter what to get?

Killer tone in the bedroom, meaning bedroom volume, but not a practice amp?

Get a modeller, like the Vox ToneLab SE, one of the Valvetronix amps, Line 6 stuff. Big amps need big volume for killer tone. The only other option is a practice amp.

Sure, big burly amps and cabs look great up against the wall but they're about as effective as using an 18-wheeler to commute to and from an office job.

 

[Jeff Dunne]

Re: I sold my mesa and my wallet is $1450 bucks fatter what to get?

I'm still convince that you had/have something set up horribly wrong.

You haven't liked a 5150 or a Recto so far.

We had a guy on the Sneap forum in your situation before, so we had him post some clips. Turns out that it was his playing that made both sound like **** - no control, no feel. Maybe you have the same problem? That's the only thing I can think of - you've gone through my two favorite amps, amps that have been on more great sounding metal records than almost any other amp.

 

[Skarekrough]

Re: I sold my mesa and my wallet is $1450 bucks fatter what to get?

I'm still convince that you had/have something set up horribly wrong.

You haven't liked a 5150 or a Recto so far.

We had a guy on the Sneap forum in your situation before, so we had him post some clips. Turns out that it was his playing that made both sound like **** - no control, no feel. Maybe you have the same problem? That's the only thing I can think of - you've gone through my two favorite amps, amps that have been on more great sounding metal records than almost any other amp.

...my thought was that he's using too much amp for the room and really isn't getting a good idea of what the amp really actually sounds like.

 

[Loserchief]

Re: I sold my mesa and my wallet is $1450 bucks fatter what to get?

my tastes been changing lately, i want some dirty (raw) type of tone , what amp can give me that raw tone form lenny kravitz american woman? and i can tweak a little and give me higher gain?

I'd say get an Engl Screamer 50. This little combo can do pretty much anything from funk to death metal. Very easy to use, lots of tone and top notch quality. Maybe get an extension cab with the leftover money so you can adjust the number of speakers to the room you're playing in.

edit: nearly forgot that the screamer is available as a head version so you could get that and buy a cab according to your likings.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: I sold my mesa and my wallet is $1450 bucks fatter what to get?

I'd get a Mission Aurora. The 18 watt version. You can play it loud or quiet and use the built in pedal and overdrive boost to get killer natural blues and rock overdrive. It'll do anything except maybe supersaturated "bagful of angry bumble bees" metal tones...for that you'd need an overdrive pedal. Lew

 

[Rainmaker]

Re: I sold my mesa and my wallet is $1450 bucks fatter what to get?

I'd get a Mission Aurora. The 18 watt version. You can play it loud or quiet and use the built in pedal and overdrive boost to get killer natural overdrive. It'll do anything except maybe supersaturated "bagful of bumble bees" heavy metal tones...for that you'd need an overdrive pedal. Lew

Bruce have any dealers in Australia, Lew?

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: I sold my mesa and my wallet is $1450 bucks fatter what to get?

Bruce have any dealers in Australia, Lew?

Nope...but he ships all over the world.

 

[ErikH]

Re: I sold my mesa and my wallet is $1450 bucks fatter what to get?

The 18 Watt is SWEEEEEEET!!! I played through it at the Dallas Guitar Show. Damn good thing I didn't have any cash on me.....LOL. I would've walked out with that one. But I'm saving my pennies for the 30 Watter with reverb. But the 18 Watter is a great low wattage amp, if an amp is a must have over the modelers I recommended.

 

[Jeff Dunne]

Re: I sold my mesa and my wallet is $1450 bucks fatter what to get?

...my thought was that he's using too much amp for the room and really isn't getting a good idea of what the amp really actually sounds like.

Ah yes, being in a small room will seriously **** with the tone.

As always, SK = god.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: I sold my mesa and my wallet is $1450 bucks fatter what to get?

The 18 Watt is SWEEEEEEET!!! I played through it at the Dallas Guitar Show. Damn good thing I didn't have any cash on me.....LOL. I would've walked out with that one. But I'm saving my pennies for the 30 Watter with reverb. But the 18 Watter is a great low wattage amp, if an amp is a must have over the modelers I recommended.

Thaks Erik! The Line 6 stuff is nice if a player is into the amp modeler thing.

Even Seymour uses a Line 6 and when I saw Adrien Belew a while back he was using Line 6 stuff. It's not as organic a tone as from a great tube amp, but you sure can get lots of nice tones...very versatile amps.

Me? I just don't hear that in my head and I'd never be 100% satisfied with an amp modeling amp. Just don't have the same "feel".

But for players who are a little more open minded than me and not so settled in thier ways the amp modeling amps are very cool...especially for a bedroom amp.

Lew

 

[ErikH]

Re: I sold my mesa and my wallet is $1450 bucks fatter what to get?

Thaks Erik! The Line 6 stuff is nice if a player is into the amp modeler thing.

Even Seymour uses a Line 6 and when I saw Adrien Belew a while back he was using Line 6 stuff. It's not as organic a tone as from a great tube amp, but you sure can get lots of nice tones...very versatile amps.

Me? I just don't hear that in my head and I'd never be 100% satisfied with an amp modeling amp. Just don't have the same "feel".

But for players who are a little more open minded than me and not so settled in thier ways the amp modeling amps are very cool...especially for a bedroom amp.

Lew

Oh yeah. For bedroom levels they're perfect. The Vox AD50VT is an incredible value. When it turned out to be cheaper to get a new amp than fix the Marshall, I had to get something pretty quick that would keep up with the band better than the Lead 12 was doing and be more diverse. So I did some homework and JeffB pointed me towards the Vox. The wattage selector has me spoiled. Great tone at any volume, from .5 watts to 50 watts. And they've got everyone beat in that market when it comes to the "feel", IMO. Even the little DA5 he has is killer.

But when it comes to a real analog amp circuit, it's hard to beat a good tube amp, especially the way Bruce builds 'em.

 

[metal]

Re: I sold my mesa and my wallet is $1450 bucks fatter what to get?

Thaks Erik! The Line 6 stuff is nice if a player is into the amp modeler thing.

Even Seymour uses a Line 6 and when I saw Adrien Belew a while back he was using Line 6 stuff. It's not as organic a tone as from a great tube amp, but you sure can get lots of nice tones...very versatile amps.

Me? I just don't hear that in my head and I'd never be 100% satisfied with an amp modeling amp. Just don't have the same "feel".

But for players who are a little more open minded than me and not so settled in thier ways the amp modeling amps are very cool...especially for a bedroom amp.

Lew

lew how much are those 18 watters? also i been thinkin about getting a flextone III 2x12 !

jeff its not that they sound that bad , but i was never satisfied! would a modeller sound better at bedroom levels than a tube amp at bedroom levels?

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: I sold my mesa and my wallet is $1450 bucks fatter what to get?

But when it comes to a real analog amp circuit, it's hard to beat a good tube amp, especially the way Bruce builds 'em.

Yep. I'd rather have one totally satisfying tone...one that's exactly what I'm wanting to hear, then a jillion good modeled tones. I dunno, the modeling amps and solid state amps lack a certain three dimensional quality that I just have to have. BB King doesn't use a modeling amp...he uses those solid state Norlin Lab Series Amps...but his tone sounds a little to even and compressed now. I liked his tone better when he played Fender Twin Reverbs and had to work a little harder to shape the tone with his hands.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: I sold my mesa and my wallet is $1450 bucks fatter what to get?

I would get a Fender Pro Junior or Blues Junior and a few good pedals. I tried a Blues Junior with a DS-1 in front of it and it sounded very fat and Marshall-y. I also tried the same amp with an old Mesa V-Twin, and that was a VERY big tone! Seriously, those little Fenders will do almost anything.

Although, for bedroom practice, I can't say enough good things about the Pod XT.

 

[Jeff Dunne]

Re: I sold my mesa and my wallet is $1450 bucks fatter what to get?

jeff its not that they sound that bad , but i was never satisfied! would a modeller sound better at bedroom levels than a tube amp at bedroom levels?

Possibly, but my 5150 sounds better than my XT at any level, so I dunno what your issue with it was.

 

[Nightburst]

Re: I sold my mesa and my wallet is $1450 bucks fatter what to get?

Mesa Stiletto!! Seriously check it out, it's like a recto but more raw and less buzzy and within your price range.
Sometimes the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...

 

[Nightburst]

Re: I sold my mesa and my wallet is $1450 bucks fatter what to get?

I've also heard good things about the Line 6 HD147