Semi-Portable High Gain Amp (Modern Hard Rock/ Metal)

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Hi all!

I am looking for something between 20w and 50w that has a good gain sound for metal (i.e. Rectifier, 5150, etc), as well as a clean channel, but don't want something extremely heavy or huge. I've been searching for a few weeks now, and haven't found much, so I'm turning to others for advice at this point. Also, I am looking for something in the form of an amp HEAD, as I have two 4x12s and go between them for practice at home and at my friend's place.

Thanks everyone!
 
Re: Semi-Portable High Gain Amp (Modern Hard Rock/ Metal)

You say a good metal sound like a Rectifier or a 5150... Both are available in smaller, lower watt head versions. The Rectifier mini is 25w, as is the Rectoverb 25, and the Mark V 25 if that's your thing. The 5150III has been available as a smallbox 50w head and now they have the lunchbox head that's even smaller. Have you ruled those out?

Do you have a budget? I can think of many heads that fit your needs from Jet City, Orange, Blackstar, Engl, Peavey, and others.
 
Re: Semi-Portable High Gain Amp (Modern Hard Rock/ Metal)

Peavey Mini Head 6505, 20W of crazy gain, great sound. Really small & lightweight
 
Re: Semi-Portable High Gain Amp (Modern Hard Rock/ Metal)

ENGL Ironball 20, probably the best 20 watt high gain amp made :)
 
Re: Semi-Portable High Gain Amp (Modern Hard Rock/ Metal)

I have a 5150iiii 1x12 and it's badass, the only thing I dislike about it is the shared eq on the Blue and Green channels. Other than that nitpicking it's the perfect hi gain combo amp.
I'm strictly a bedroom player so the power scaling was very important to me.
It thumps for a combo to, it hits hard and on 50 Watts it peels paint.
 
Re: Semi-Portable High Gain Amp (Modern Hard Rock/ Metal)

Marshall DSL series. i think that there is a 15 watt head option available and if its got the mid scoop button it will be awesome. I think the mid scoop button is called the tone shift
 
Re: Semi-Portable High Gain Amp (Modern Hard Rock/ Metal)

Not 20-50 watts but if you want a portable high gain amp then maybe take a look at the Gallien-Kruger 250ML
 
Re: Semi-Portable High Gain Amp (Modern Hard Rock/ Metal)

Are those still in production?

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk
 
Re: Semi-Portable High Gain Amp (Modern Hard Rock/ Metal)

Carvin V3m or Legacy Lunchbox head

50 watts switchable to 7 watts

Carvins have great cleans and excellent driven Gain sounds

If I were in the market for another amp
I would consider both of those first
 
Re: Semi-Portable High Gain Amp (Modern Hard Rock/ Metal)

AMT Stonehead 50?

Doesn't get more portable than that and it's 50 watts and 4 channels of crushing analog awesomeness.
Check Ola Englund's demo of it. It ****ing kills.
 
Re: Semi-Portable High Gain Amp (Modern Hard Rock/ Metal)

Single Rectifier series2 (34LBS, and real big-bottle tone w/switchable bias)
Not too big or heavy and plenty of room under the hood for easy tube rolling.
 
Re: Semi-Portable High Gain Amp (Modern Hard Rock/ Metal)

Are those still in production?

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk

Unfortunately they are not...but a few pop up for sale on eBay and Reverb from time to time. Incredible amp!
 
Re: Semi-Portable High Gain Amp (Modern Hard Rock/ Metal)

That's what I thought.

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Re: Semi-Portable High Gain Amp (Modern Hard Rock/ Metal)

Hughes & Kettner Grandmeister 36.

+1!!

I just picked one of these up used a few weeks back.
Easily will do everything from 60's Beatles to 80's Metallica and more. Plus, it has some built in effects, noise gate and a attenuator to drop the 36w all the way down to 1w for bedroom playing. The 36w is plenty loud enough for practicing with the band.

dLsTcoy.jpg
 
Re: Semi-Portable High Gain Amp (Modern Hard Rock/ Metal)

Sorry I didn't get back to you guys, I never got any notification I got responses, so I didn't think I got anything...

But wow, I have a ton of stuff to look through! A few of the ones you guys mentioned I've already looked into, but I guess I forgot to mention my budget. I would like to go for something under $700, and preferably around the $500 mark if it's available used. I would obviously like something new, especially if it comes with a warranty, but if I can get a phenomenal amp for a good chunk less, I would gladly take it.

That being said, I'll take a look through what you guys posted and report back.

EDIT: I know it's not a direct correlation, but if there is something that uses 6l6s or EL34s I would prefer that to an EL84 based system just because of tube life, as I'm in my college years and replacing tubes seems expensive to me. Thanks!
 
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Re: Semi-Portable High Gain Amp (Modern Hard Rock/ Metal)

Okay, so I've taken some time to evaluate what you guys have listed for me, and here's my thoughts on (most of) them:

Nacho:
The Mini-rec is expensive to start with (though I didn't mention a budget to start with, my bad), and is a solid amp, no doubt. Same with the 5150III 50w, and I actually got to try that one out and it's a beast. I usually wouldn't mind them being expensive, since I can find used equipment, but when I looked for the used ones, there really aren't that many that are much cheaper than new honestly. And with the mini rec, as someone else brought up, I could get a Single Rec for the same price.

6p5p:
I haven't been able to try one of the 6505MH's in store anywhere, but it sounds great on youtube. If nothing else, this will be my fallback plan.

NjuiMusic:
Unfortunately, to put it bluntly, it's way out of my budget. Sorry for throwing out a solid suggestion :/

Shooter:
Refer to my response to Nacho. Great amp though.

Warner:
I actually have the DSL40C, and though it nails the Marshall tone, it's ultra gain setting just doesn't click with me when it comes to high gain. I love it for some Gn'R, and classic rock, but that's about where it stops.

ehdwuld:
The V3m seems to be solid, but maybe a bit fizzy, from what I've heard. Clarification on this? (No pun intended) The Legacy seems good, but I haven't seen anyone really dig into that high gain sound it could have, so I have no basis to judge on this one.

Diego:
Unless I'm seeing it wrong, that's solid state, which isn't bad, just maybe not what I'm looking for. Doesn't sound bad and is in a compact size though, which is pretty neat.

Dave:
I'm really starting to look into these, though they are at the top of my budget. Looooove the Rectifier sound. Plus, they are 6l6 vs the EL84 in the mini rec, and are similarly priced to a used mini rec.

Synapsys:
I didn't look into them too much before, but now I see they are solid amps. It's a shame the Tubemeister and Grandmeister 36's are out of my budget, because they sound great. Cleans are great, and the lead with boost is solid, but I wasn't sure if it was exactly the sound in my head. Not bad, just maybe not my sound?



So all in all, a Single Rectifier used is my current target, if I can find something. I've always wanted a Dual or Triple Rec (though the wattage is ridiculous on both), and this might be my ticket. My second pick would be the Peavey 6505MH, cause it's awesome from what I've seen, and no one has had anything bad to say about it thus far. I noticed nobody mentioned the Orange Dark Terror or Jim Root Terror, is there a reason for this? I understand they are single channel, but I've heard they are very responsive to the guitar volume being lowered, which wouldn't be a bad way to go at all.

Sooo, thoughts on my thoughts anyone?
 
Re: Semi-Portable High Gain Amp (Modern Hard Rock/ Metal)

Sooo, thoughts on my thoughts anyone?

Yes, I will just add few information about the Peavey 6505MH as you're considering to buy it:

It has an excellent built-in attenuator where you can switch it down to 5W or only 1W, which is amazing for practicing. The amp sounds great also on 20% volume on 1W. That is great feature, as using 1W on 100% volume is already pretty loud for practicing at home or in the hotel.

Mind that the only thing that Peavey hasn't designed optimally with all their mini heads is the cooling. The size of this amplifier is really minimized and it has many components which are getting warm, like the transformers, five tubes etc. At the same time, the amp has a built-in overheating protection which is by default set quite conservative. This can anger a bit, particularly by using 6505 MH for some hours, as it gets a bit hotter than it's two MH fellows.
The way around is quite easy, already a little USB ventilator fan that you can buy on eBay for $1 can resolve the problem. On my 6505MH I haven't removed the plywood front of the amp cabinet but I left its grille face panel so I think it looks even better now and it has fantastic cooling.

Another really great feature of this amplifier that's nobody ever mentions is that one can crank the clean channel also to a crazy high gain, but it sounds a little bit clearer than the lead channel although it has a lot more gain then a classic Marshall there.
 
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Re: Semi-Portable High Gain Amp (Modern Hard Rock/ Metal)

Okay, so I actually made a decision and bought the 6505MH yesterday.

I went into the Sweetwater showroom and talked with some of the workers there (one of which is a family friend) and tried some of the amps, and quickly decided against the boosted Egnater, as it just couldn't get into metal territory. At this point I took a break and just walked around, and the family friend working there comes over and starts helping me run through some amps for the budget I mentioned. I then singled it down to the Tubemeister 18 and 6505MH for the price range, and tried the Grandmeister 36, and though it sounded pretty good, it wasn't the kind of gain I was looking for. I then tried a 6505MH, and it was actually a dud, which was a bit worrying, but I then tried another one and it's the one with me today. I decided on it because its Lead channel is just crushing (I underestimated the reviews and what people have said... just WOW), and the cleans actually are pretty usable. The footswitch included definitely adds a bonus for performances and ease of use during practice too, so that was a plus.

All in all I'm more than satisfied with my purchase, and am looking forwards to getting home and plugging this thing into a 4x12 and just chuggin' along.

Thanks to everyone that put in ideas, I really appreciate it. That Single Rec is still on my wishlist... Someday! Case Closed.
 
Re: Semi-Portable High Gain Amp (Modern Hard Rock/ Metal)

Being that you're that close to sweetwater's store is sure a positive. If it ever fizzles-out you have little hassle in returning.
Those are cool amps as also were the smaller krankensteins from a few years back.
 
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