My tube amps impressions

[Lux84]

Well, i have write here before about speakers and my Ceriatone JCM 800 2204 tube amp. I have had problems with my speakers in a 1960 A cab sound to harsh with that JCM. the speakers were even not broken in, they were quite new. well, later i just found out the problem is that the 800 is too loud when not tweaking it in a band situation.

Then i have tried to buy something with much better sound at low volumes and better low end.. i have had Blackstar HT-5 but i was tired of it, and i wanted something new. so i bought Randall Diavlo RD 45 head for awesome price and it's amazing. at low volumes with Orange 1x12 cab it really sounds awesome at low volumes. it is way better to me than Blackstar HT-5. Has anyone check this new Randall amps out ? the fact that it has stock chinese tubes is telling me that the whole RD 45 should even sound better when put in some JJ-s or Tund Sols.

My music taste is somewhere between hard classic rock and thrash metal. when i want to play more classic rock i just dimed the JCM and i haven't heard better crunchy tones than on JCM. i really like low output for stuff like Led Zeppelin, Cream, Hendrix. really amazing tones when dimed. when i got into high output i got this Black Sabbath tone quickly, but as i open the master more and more the things get louder and louder, more likely loud as in band situation or nearly the stage. i can get Metallica Kill Em All sound easily, or maybe eather Ride The Lightening. but that is incredible loud. that's just a nature of that beast, if you want higher gain stuff you must put it louder and louder, until you cannot hear, or it's too much to handle it, so you got to put ear protection in

There is where Randall Diavlo starts to shine.. there are much more than usable hi gain sound in lower volumes, if you're running it through 1x12 cab you can use it
as a bedroom amp easily, and it is 45 watt amp. it can easily nail some good modern thrash tones. when open it more through 1960 A cabinet it is usable for band situations than i am currently not in.

My conclusions are that i am lovin Diavlo 45 watt amp at low volume much more than Blackstar HT-5 at higher volumes in terms of bedroom playing. sounds just better to me. it has a beautiful clean channel and enough gain to play hi gain with strat single coils.

But i think that at higher volumes the JCM 800 is definately the winner for all kinds of stuff. but that higher volumes would be near stage volumes, so before i can't wait to get myself in some band live situations to finnaly crank that monster up. i have got myself an attenuator so next week i'll be playing JCM through it, to see how it works.

I am running two cabs, one is Marshall 1960 A cab with V30/G12T75 in x pattern, and the other is Orange PPC 112 with V30 or G12T75 in it. i cannot decide which one of these two speakers to choose to be, so i am running the combos of them for now. i am trying to get some good 2x12 cab to put two V30 in it, and then let the 1960 cab with all 4 G12T75's in it. that would be the answer, but i haven't got any money now to buy one.

I got another tube amp, that it's called Blackheart Handsome Devil, it's 15/7 watt tube amp. but i need to retube that one.

That's just my tube amp impressions for now, for pickups i am using SH5 Custom and EMG 81 a lot, those re just 2 pickups that i love with those amps. i tried SH6 Distortion but i didn't like it. now my SG guitar is waiting for Dimarzio Super Distortion, i hope that one will work well with JCM 800. Duncan Distortion was just terrible with that amp.

I am also thinking of selling Blackstar HT-5, and buy Randall TH2 head, or RD5 head. i have just got tired of 4 years usage of HT5, that amp just don't impress me any more.

That's just my impressions at that time, dudes. i hope anyone is having a good time.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: My tube amps impressions

I have seven amps and would probably have more if my budget and space would allow it. I'm a Mesa guy, and that's all I use, but I have them in several different sizes and configurations so I can handle any gig. They go from a 35-watt DC-3 112 combo, the 212 35-watt Class A Maverick combo to the 112 Mark III, IV and V combos. The Big Daddy is a 200 watt Mark III Coliseum head and 412 Halfback cabs. It is of course, EXTREMELY loud, but the joy is in how punchy the dynamics are. Fortunately, it has a 75 watt half-power option that helps tame it and the Mark V will go down to 10 watts if I need to.

Some guys, like me, are more comfortable with bigger, more dynamic amps; yet there are many who prefer the pushed tone of a smaller amp. Neither is right or wrong, but they are different. Some guys prefer solid state, some like tubes; some like single channel NMV amps and a bunch of dirt boxes, and I prefer my channel switching amps. There are lots of different ways to get the job done.

So depending on your needs, it is wise to have a variety of amps in your stable, and it is always good to have a backup to your main amp. If your main focus is Metal, you might need that 100 watt half-stack for the dynamics and if nothing else--the kick-ass attitude and aesthetics. But a 5-watt practice amp might be the only thing you can use if you live in an apartment. A medium power (25-50 watts) 112 combo is great for taking to blues jams, and a 5-15-20 watt Tweed or BF Fender can sound ENORMOUS on a recording.

For me, the Mesas are versatile enough that I can do any kind of music at any gig I do--be it jazz, country, rock or blues. (And the Mark Series amp can handle the Metal, too!)

Take a good look at your needs and your budget, and start building a stable of good, quality amps that fit your needs. There's really no point in buying a bunch of crappy amps that are unreliable, buzzy/noisy, have poor tone and won't cut it on stage. It sounds like you're getting a good handle on your needs and how it all goes together, and that's always a great feeling!

Good luck!

Bill

 

[Hank-]

Re: My tube amps impressions

Hey Bill, why do you still have the Mark IV if you have a Mark V, isn't the V better at most things than the IV? I can see why you'd want the III around but man thats alot of mesa goodness there.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: My tube amps impressions

I don't think I'll ever sell the Mark IV. I used it for a low volume New Year's Eve gig and it was just delightful. The FAT mode on the Mark V's Clean Channel is a better tone for me than the Mark IV, but the IV has some features in the power amp options and tones that the V doesn't have. My IV is a standard black-on-black, "A" Version, 112 EVM combo with the matching 112 EVM Thiele cab. It's a great rig with a nice, small stage footprint. The V is the bigger widebody cab, so for jams and things, the IV will still get used.

The Mark IIIs I have are also good for jam sessions, if you don't mind hauling around a 75 lbs. amp! But compared to the IV and V, they are pretty much plug and play; they have fewer switching options and are easier to adjust on the fly. I can use the Class A setting for 15 watts, if I want pushed, small amp tone--but if a young gunslinger wants to get into a pissing match with his half-stack, he's going to get a lesson in how big a small amp can sound. I have two Mark III combos that are "fully loaded": Reverb, EQ, Simul-Class; one is a red-stripe in a blond cab with EVM and a matching Thiele, the other is a blue-stripe in a black cab with a Celestion G-100. I definitely prefer the EVM. Of all the amps I have, it is the Mark III with the Celestion that I would sell. The Blond is a very rare cab for a Mark III--there are fewer of these sets than the deluxe natural wood cabs.

My big amp is the Mesa Mark III 200-watt Coliseum head. This is the first Mesa amp I bought, got it back around 1995. Pretty rare, too. I have two Mesa Half-back 412 cabs to use with it. One has C90s in the open top and EVMs in the closed bottom. The other cab is all EVM, and weighs roughly 3,817 lbs. Glorious sounding amp, and it has worked well for every guitar I've ever plugged into it. Lot of amps can be finicky, but not this one. It is a LOUD amp, but if I can get the Master Volume up to about 2.75-3--it's a PARTY!!!!

I actually have two Maverick 212 V30 combos. I was going to use them for a stereo rig, but that band didn't work out. So one of those is for sale. The Mavs are just really cool amps they are 4xEL84 in Class A (like a AC-30), yet WAY more versatile. There are Twin, AC-30 and Plexi tones in this amp, and it's really easy to dial in. Terrific for blues, country, jazz, roots rock and classic rock, but they are not a metal amp. Less gain than the Marks. I did some summer outdoor festivals a few years ago and used a Maverick on top of a Mesa Horizontal Recto V30 212. Got to crank it up a bit and it was really fun; the recto cab adds a lot of low-end punch. A very different feel than the 6L6/EL34 Marks. I can't recall doing a gig where I've got so many compliments on my tone.

The baby of the family is my 35-watt DC-3 112 V30 combo. This is probably my best option for a jam or band practice amp, since it is so much lighter than the Mark Series amps. Still no lightweight, though. Terrific lead tones from this amp--it is very warm and round. A great amp to use with the 112 EVM Thiele cabs for smaller gigs, and again, that Thiele cab adds a lot of punch and projection to the bottom end. It is definitely a rock amp. Blows away Peavey Classic 30s. Yeah, it was more expensive; but it sounds better, is more versatile, is more reliable, and is better made. Different feel to this amp than the Maverick; even though it is a 4xEL84 power section, it is Mesa's Class AB Dyna-Watt design and seems to have more headroom than other amps in this class. I've also used this amp cranked up at an outdoor festival with the Thiele cab, and it was a blast. A couple of my friends think this is the best amp I own.

And then there is the V. I've had it two years, and I'm still finding great new tones! It's not really complicated at all--it's just that there are so many great tones, it's hard to choose and say, "Well, this tone is better than that one." Definitely a keeper. It is a great amp and one of the reasons that it is so great is that I can plug any guitar into it (and I might have as many as four electrics at some of my gigs) and simply not have to worry about my tone. As long as I have my gains set right and the volume ratios set between the three channels, I can just go out and play with complete confidence. It's gonna sound good, period. Nice feeling. When you factor in all the different channels, and each with three modes, and then the power amp options AND THEN the Graphic EQ--all I can say is, I spent $2000 on an amp--and I feel like a got a bargain. It is that good.

But I have to laugh at a lot of guys who think Mesas are too complex...these being guys who write software code all day, an auto mechanic that builds racing engines, a gun guy that can field strip an M-16 or a 1911 blindfolded, program cell phones and VCRs, hot-rod computers with the latest over-clocked chips and sky-dive. Seriously? They're intimidated by a few knob and switches? Really? LOL!

So that's my stable of Mesa amps, and they are all thoroughbreds. I had a bunch of vintage Fenders, a JCM 800--and sold them all when I found my tone with the Mesa amps I used a SS SUNN 212 combo for more than 20 years--paid the rent with it, but when I got the Mesa--that was the tone I'd been looking for.

I'm really lucky to have found my tone in these amps, and very blessed to have so many nice amps. Not planning on selling any of them anytime soon, except for the extra Maverick and the one Mark III combo--but man, there is going to be one HELL of an estate sale when I die!

Bill