Most underrated metal amp

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Most underrated metal amp

Simply saying that some internet choads have been making accusations of (and he even did quotes) "butchering" old Marshalls does not equal perpetuating rumors. Jerry just answered the question to the best of his knowledge. Get off his back.

I'm sure he'll do or say something dumb in the near future that will justify a beatdown, if you've just got a hard on for him.

Honestly when I said I wasnt turning it into a pissing match I was done. I said my peace. I will stand by my opinion that its not cool to present that sort of info as even having a shred of truth, especially when that person isnt here to defend themselves. Truth be told the response had nothing to do with it coming from jerry would have been the same if anyone else.

And I have no idea why everyone seems to think I have a problem with Jerry, even Jerry seems to think that. I cant remember even barely ever replying to him in the last 2 years. During his heavy troll days sure I swung the bat a few... dozen... times.

Anyways onward with the underdogs...

I just thought of a great metal amp the Fener Roc Pro's from the mid 90's They had a killer metal tone but metal guys wouldnt buy them with the classic fender looks and the fender snobs hated that it was a hybrid. But had great high gain tones.

 

[Securb]

Re: Most underrated metal amp

On the Fender note I may as well throw the solid state M80s Pro in the ring. Ugliest amp Fender ever made with the woolly grey carpet covering everything. However, one thing they do great is 80's - 90's era gain just right. Whoever voiced those amps knew what people were cranking out back then. They have a tight, compressed tone with real spring reverb.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Most underrated metal amp

Said Lee Jackson? : popworm:

Or Grover Jackson*

My old Laney ghost build Jackson 50watt had the rotary mid position switch. You had your choice of suck @$$ tone with 3 different midrange peaks.


* Yes, I know Grover was gone by this time

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Most underrated metal amp

Or Grover Jackson*

My old Laney ghost build Jackson 50watt had the rotary mid position switch. You had your choice of suck @$$ tone with 3 different midrange peaks.


* Yes, I know Grover was gone by this time

Was that from the series that the cabs came with red speaker cones? Never played on just remember seeing them around.

I did have a Jackson Reference 50 half stack that came later... It sounded like hammered pewp too. Most people have never heard of it, for good reason.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Most underrated metal amp

Was that from the series that the cabs came with red speaker cones? Never played on just remember seeing them around.

I did have a Jackson Reference 50 half stack that came later... It sounded like hammered pewp too. Most people have never heard of it, for good reason.

Thats the one. I had my own Marshall and later Laney cabs, but the red cones on the Jackson were cool looking.Absolutely horrid sounding amp. I ended up buying the original Marshall 9000 series tube pre-amp and slaving it into the loop. Big improvement.

 

[Ascension]

Re: Most underrated metal amp

On the Fender note I may as well throw the solid state M80s Pro in the ring. Ugliest amp Fender ever made with the woolly grey carpet covering everything. However, one thing they do great is 80's - 90's era gain just right. Whoever voiced those amps knew what people were cranking out back then. They have a tight, compressed tone with real spring reverb.

Agree with that one big time. Just bad azz sounding rigs and yep ugly as heck!

 

[Ascension]

Re: Most underrated metal amp

Here is another head for the list Peavey Ultra +. It's the Rockmaster pre amp that many metal guys ran in the late 80's -mid 90's with teh mono 120 watt tube power amp.

 

[Ascension]

Re: Most underrated metal amp

A Peavy Rockmaster preamp and the matching 120/12o or 60/60 tube power amp was one of the metal staple rigs in my circles back in the mid 90's.
I remember Rex Carrol with White Cross running one of those rigs early 90's. Here he is using a Rockmaster 120/120 at Cornerstone and I played that pink Vandenburg through that rig when he was setting up at a clinic one night.

 

[omg81]

Re: Most underrated metal amp

Marshall, everything from JCM800 to JVM. May sound silly, but they're often looked down upon as dinosaurs, bought by people who don't have much of a clue and just buy them because you see that logo on stage everywhere. They say, get Mesa Boogie or Engl or Hughes & Kettner or Randall or whatever. I've tried most of those several times, and more (Laney, Peavey etc.) and I still think Marshall kills them all.

 

[vinta9e]

Re: Most underrated metal amp

Marshall underrated? Does not compute. No way.

If this thread ends when we find the most underrated metal amp, now is the time.
That is the amp that never made it into any rating whatsoever:

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Most underrated metal amp

Or Grover Jackson*

My old Laney ghost build Jackson 50watt had the rotary mid position switch. You had your choice of suck @$$ tone with 3 different midrange peaks.


* Yes, I know Grover was gone by this time

My Laney AOR 50 always sounded like a bag of wet farts. A lot of push/pull knobs to boost frequencies frequencies nobody uses. Trying to dial that thing in was like pushing a bicycle uphill by its handlebars backwards.

 

[9unslin9er]

Re: Most underrated metal amp

Line 6 Pod

Tons of studios use it. Nobody likes to admit they do.

 

[Diego]

Re: Most underrated metal amp

Marshall, everything from JCM800 to JVM. May sound silly, but they're often looked down upon as dinosaurs, bought by people who don't have much of a clue and just buy them because you see that logo on stage everywhere. They say, get Mesa Boogie or Engl or Hughes & Kettner or Randall or whatever. I've tried most of those several times, and more (Laney, Peavey etc.) and I still think Marshall kills them all.

I saw Mastodon live a few weeks ago and Brett Hinds was playing into a JCM800 full stack.
Didn't think for a second it didn't sound heavy enough or something. He had a goddamn perfect tone that night, fat and middy but very clear and defined, to the point where I'm thinking a Marshall with a Les Paul/PRS of sorts and clear sounding medium-output pickups could be my thing.

With that said, saying Marshall is underrated is quite the stretch IMO. Kinda like saying Jacksons are underrated for metal because everyone's using Ibanez/ESP/Schecter these days. It might be, but come on...

 

[omg81]

Re: Most underrated metal amp

I know it's a bit provocative, but there are so many people who say for metal you need Randall or Engl or whatever and Marshall just doesn't cut it... that's why I said that. Slayer produces one of the most brutal sounds I know of, and what do they use? JCM800.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Most underrated metal amp

I know it's a bit provocative, but there are so many people who say for metal you need Randall or Engl or whatever and Marshall just doesn't cut it... that's why I said that. Slayer produces one of the most brutal sounds I know of, and what do they use? JCM800.

You hang out with far different crowd than I do. The only maligned marshalls are the JCM900's and TSL's. The 800's have been legendary forever. They are THE 80's Metal amp. The DSL's have solid reps and the JVM's are very well regarded with the high gain crowd. If this isnt what you are hearing you're traveling in the wrong circles.

 

[allbutromeo]

Re: Most underrated metal amp

You hang out with far different crowd than I do. The only maligned marshalls are the JCM900's and TSL's. The 800's have been legendary forever. They are THE 80's Metal amp. The DSL's have solid reps and the JVM's are very well regarded with the high gain crowd. If this isnt what you are hearing you're traveling in the wrong circles.

It's kind of ironic, considering the 900 and TSL were designed to be their "Metal" amps. Personally I think my 900 can do a great metal tone. But I can get behind the opinion of Marshall being underrated for modern metal. It does seem like nowadays you "need" a 6505, or Engle, or Bogner to get a good metal tone, but it was the same in the late 90's to mid 00's when you "needed" a Triple Recto to sound metal. It's not that Marshalls can't do metal well, it just that they're not the trendy amp right now

 

[Diego]

Re: Most underrated metal amp

I fully agree with that specific idea though. Every guitarist, big or small, that I've seen live with a 5150/6505/Dual or Triple Rec has sounded like a bag of bees next to the guys using Marshalls or other "UK" flavored amps.
Almost no exceptions in this one. I'd choose a JCM800 and drag it kicking and screaming into a modern Metal tone rather than choose a Rectifier.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Most underrated metal amp

It's kind of ironic, considering the 900 and TSL were designed to be their "Metal" amps. Personally I think my 900 can do a great metal tone. But I can get behind the opinion of Marshall being underrated for modern metal. It does seem like nowadays you "need" a 6505, or Engle, or Bogner to get a good metal tone, but it was the same in the late 90's to mid 00's when you "needed" a Triple Recto to sound metal. It's not that Marshalls can't do metal well, it just that they're not the trendy amp right now

I think you are a bit off course though...the original question in the thread is the "most underrated" not the over rated 6505's not what isnt trendy.

Many amps arent the latest trend but are still highly regarded. Think like Soldanos' they have their fans but arent particularly trendy anymore. The MarkII C+ would be another. They arent the trend right now but they are highly regarded and rate very well.

If something is underrated its something that people say isnt good at something but in reality is good at it.

900's are this way, said to be bad at everything but in reality pretty good at most things... though they were never designed as metal amps they were designed to offer more gain than the 800's were able to deliver while addressing the tube quality issues that were plaguing marshall at the time


But OMG was contending that all modern marshalls are this way and its just not true. In certain circles its well known that the JVM is one of the highest gain amps on the market right now bar none.

 

[omg81]

Re: Most underrated metal amp

Right, I was specifically talking about the death metal nuts who think Marshall is something that belongs in the 80s. I'm into extreme metal, and many in this area think Marshall is some old hard rock amp.

 

[rotting casket]

Re: Most underrated metal amp

Ampeg VL-1002
Ampeg VH140C
SansAmp PSA 1.1 (preamp - I mate mine with a Crown ss power amp and 2 Marshall 1960B cabs)
Peavey VTM 120
Carvin X100B
Crate GX-130C
Randall RG100ES
Marshall 8100
Marshall JCM900 SL-X
Laney AOR100

I own all of these...they each have their own hot character and roar.