Looking for direction....

[some_dude]

I'm at a bit of a crossroads....

I've decided that I really need another amp. After having rocked both Oranges (AD30 and Rocker 30) for awhile now I've decided that I prefer the AD30, and truthfully I'm not that into having two 30w amps... I really want something with more headroom. The AD30 is a perfect unmic'ed volume match for my drummer, but it leaves me no room for boosting solos and it doesn't have the headroom to get much in the way of clean tones (even if the drummer lightens up)... just less overdriven ones.

The amps I'm thinking about are a RoadKing, some sort of Orange/Matamp/Electric 120w, or an Ampeg of some sort.

The RoadKing would give me two channels of LoneStar cleans and two channels of Rectifier dirty, is selectable from 30w upto 120w, and will let me jump between open back and closed back cabs.

Both the Orange and Electrics will amplify my sound and not much more, but they will do a damn good job of it.

The Ampeg is just some idea I have in my head. It's basically the same as the last idea, only using a bass head.

The one thing I've determined that I need is headroom. 30w is cool, but I can't get it to stay clean enough at louder volumes.

The other thing I need is gain.... Although sheer volume and overdrive is a suitable substitute for gain, sometimes I need to pile on the distortion to make things work right. On this note, I've never found anything that can do a better heavy distortion than a Rectifier.

Basically, everything is pushing me towards the RoadKing, but I'm still thinking I could pull off what I want with a loud ass master volume amp and the right distortion pedal. Hence my being at a crossroads.... do I jump back into using a Mesa knowing it'll likely do what I'm after on the distortion end, or do I take another risk and attempt a higher headroom version of what I already have and hope like hell to find the right dirt box?


Thoughts?

 

[34029324079]

Re: Looking for direction....

ampeg v4 with a hotplate is my no1 suggestion. tons of headroom. I want one cause of QOTSA/kyuss and cause they are super cheap.

those things have tons of headroom. but if you want a 2 channel gain monster you will have to settle for the newer designed amps. if you want the swiss army knife then go roadking.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Looking for direction....

I just got off the phone with the music store...

Unless something changes my mind between now and tomorrow I'll be trading in my AD30 and Rocker 30 on an AD140.

What's life if you don't take chances? Eh?

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Looking for direction....

I think you should buy exactly what you want, and avoid stepping stones as much as possible. You might just get taken on the trade deal. Music stores are like car dealerships in that respect.

I'd suggest selling some stuff first, or using credit and recouping later......but, shop for the amp that really does what you want, out of the box.
From Mesa, I'd consider the Stiletto II, Roadking, and Roadster. If finances allow, go for Bogner or Diezel. The main thing is to play all the amps you're considering, and then it'll hit you. You'll plug into something that you MUST OWN NOW! When you get that feeling, that's the one to buy.

 

[34029324079]

Re: Looking for direction....

I just got off the phone with the music store...

Unless something changes my mind between now and tomorrow I'll be trading in my AD30 and Rocker 30 on an AD140.

What's life if you don't take chances? Eh?

i havent played one but kinda like their classic rock marshally sound:

http://www.blacklambrocks.com/MP3/what_is_this.mp3

its a sacrifice though. a clean channel for less of the proper orange heavy sound. it'll look good with the 4x12 cab though. or you could hold out for the OR120 and be the stoner/doom god that you wanna be, and forget about that clean! play before you buy brotha!

 

[some_dude]

Re: Looking for direction....

I think you should buy exactly what you want, and avoid stepping stones as much as possible. You might just get taken on the trade deal. Music stores are like car dealerships in that respect.

The problem is that I'm not exactly sure what I want.... I'm kinda going in two different directions at the same time musically, which is making this decision more difficult than usual.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Looking for direction....

The problem is that I'm not exactly sure what I want.... I'm kinda going in two different directions at the same time musically, which is making this decision more difficult than usual.

I'm the same way. One side of my playing is blues/roots/country, where it's mostly clean. The other side is all gain like Jeff Beck/Timmons/VH. My solution was to have a 'do it all amp' as my main amp, but also have the luxury of owning other amps more specific for clean/single coils. The Bogner Ecstasy covers all I need, but I still like having other flavors around....mostly in the clean dept.

I think you should keep the AD30 as your cleanish amp, and sell off everything else to build up a new Mesa rig.....since the core of your playing is centered around that thick and heavy tone.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Looking for direction....

I'm the same way. One side of my playing is blues/roots/country, where it's mostly clean. The other side is all gain like Jeff Beck/Timmons/VH. My solution was to have a 'do it all amp' as my main amp, but also have the luxury of owning other amps more specific for clean/single coils. The Bogner Ecstasy covers all I need, but I still like having other flavors around....mostly in the clean dept.

I think you should keep the AD30 as your cleanish amp, and sell off everything else to build up a new Mesa rig.....since the core of your playing is centered around that thick and heavy tone.

I was thinking pretty much the same thing, only I want something with a similar tone yet more headroom than the AD30.

I'll probably look at getting the AD140 first as I need something to gig with more or less immediately and I'll start saving to get a Road King after that.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Looking for direction....

My rig is now;

Les Paul -> AD140 -> Orange 4x12

While the root tone isn't all that different from the AD30 the AD140 is significantly cleaner and my attack now has alot more punch than before.

Despite my initial nervousness about owning another high wattage head I feel that tonally this was a move in the right direction. I'm happy.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Looking for direction....

I was gonna offer to trade the Rocker 30 for my Bassman straight-up, but I'll swap for the AD140 too.

 

[EveryMn]

Re: Looking for direction....

I'm at a bit of a crossroads....

Easy. Sell your soul to Satan and in return you shall receive the best amplifier ever created, capable of everything every amp can do today andthensome.

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Looking for direction....

My rig is now;

Les Paul -> AD140 -> Orange 4x12

While the root tone isn't all that different from the AD30 the AD140 is significantly cleaner and my attack now has alot more punch than before.

Despite my initial nervousness about owning another high wattage head I feel that tonally this was a move in the right direction. I'm happy.

Cool. I'm glad it worked out. I've played through one of those at rehearsals and it's a cool amp in the Brit direction.

 

[Loserchief]

Re: Looking for direction....

If we are talking about the price level of a roadking i'll also toss the Engl SE head in there.
Great cleans with lots of headroom plus great distortion tones. Just a different flavor than the mesa. But since you are open for things you might want to try something new.

 

[34029324079]

Re: Looking for direction....

cool!

 

[some_dude]

Re: Looking for direction....

If we are talking about the price level of a roadking i'll also toss the Engl SE head in there.
Great cleans with lots of headroom plus great distortion tones. Just a different flavor than the mesa. But since you are open for things you might want to try something new.

I will if I can ever find one to try. I've never seen an ENGL in Canada.

 

[34029324079]

Re: Looking for direction....

haha

congrats on the AD140 score. step 2 is posting some clips for yo' homies

 

[some_dude]

Re: Looking for direction....

Some friends have some short cell phone movie type things. The problem is they were drunk when the took them (ie, crappy) and I have no idea how to get them off their phone.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Looking for direction....

I'd just like to say that this amp is ****ing awesome. The headroom is killer. My wife says it sounds better quiet than my AD30 did and when cranked even the woman who lives down my street felt the need to tell me that for some reason I sounded better than normal.

 

[mediumpimpin]

Re: Looking for direction....

That's awesome, at least your neighbors are cool, mine never appreciated the loud guitar. Did you try a thunderverb by chance? I hear that thing is a real beast, I'd imagine so at 200watts. If I were i the market for a head, I think the thunderverb would be my first choice.

 

[rainsong86]

Re: Looking for direction....

I'm rather confused by you.. at one standpoint you seem to prefer british el-34 tones with the orange amps.. then you say you want some american 6L6 tones with the lone star/rectifier stuff.. then you say you want max headroom.. well as far as headroom el-34's distort at lower power settings than 6L6's.. but I'm sure there isn't a problem with your ad140.. that's crazy power

anyways I think you should try out the road king at some point.. it seems right up your alley.. I use a roadster because I just don't care for brit tone.. if I had a roadking the el-34's would never be used because I use my roadster for a blackface clean, tweed overdrive, vintage boogie, and modern boogie.. the open back/ closed back cab thing would have been grand though