Boogie Bill
New member
Re: Unhappy with high gain amp choices...
Where in Washington are you? I'm a Seattle-ite, now living in the Portland area.
I like the Mesa Mark III and Mark IV--these are pretty good all around amps for both live and studio. Mesa amps don't really REQUIRE a lot of tweaking, contrary to what many people think, but the power to radically alter pre-amp and power amp setting is very handy. I think they sound a lot better than the Dual/Triple Rectifiers.
If you dig tones from the Marshall side, the Splawns are pretty cool; at least the few I've heard. And you know, everyone disses Marshall lately, but they have made some pretty darn good amps over the years. Ditto for Peavey. If all you are doing is rock, a couple of pedals plugged into an old JCM 800 or a VTM 120 head and a really GOOD speaker cabinet are all you need. Hey, get a JSX head and a VOX Satchurator, and you can sound just like that bald guy--old what's-his-name!
If you don't really need a channel-switching amp and can get your lead tones from a pedal, that opens you up to all kinds of amp goodness--from JTM 45s, Plexis and JCM 800s to Showmans, ToneMasters and SUNN Model Ts.
I had a PV Rockmaster head in the early 90's, and once I got it hooked up with the right tubes into the RIGHT cab it was a MONSTER. Ran it clean, with a Real Tube 901 overdrive for dirt. I ran it hard for a number of years and it was bulletproof, with a solid and fat in-your-face-tone.
Have you considered running a two-amp set-up? Andy Timmons is another one of my favorite players. He uses a Mesa Lonestar, and a Stiletto Deuce, AND a bunch of pedals to get his tone. His live tone cops his recorded tones to a tee. The Lonestar has great clean and singing lead tones; the Deuce has that Marshall crunch and more. Running two amps can be a pain, but it can be a problem solver.
Channel switching pops. Yep, they sound horrible, but...they are probably not noticeable unless you are playing live at whisper quiet levels. In the studio, it's never an issue, because you never channel switch when recording--you punch in and overdub your lead part(s).
If you want Rivera, go see the guys at A Sharp Music Co. in Renton. They also carry Mesa.
If you are concerned about clumsy roadies, then you MUST do what the pros do--get a GOOD, PRO-QUALITY ATA flight case. And a back-up amp, ain't a bad idea, either. At the very least, invest in Tuki or D2F covers for your amp.
And I agree with everyone else, you have to hear them--with your guitar, your cables, your pedals, and preferably at the gig. I'm a firm believer that the acid test for an amp is on the bandstand; so I'd suggest buying from someone with a liberal return policy.
Good luck!
Bill
Where in Washington are you? I'm a Seattle-ite, now living in the Portland area.
I like the Mesa Mark III and Mark IV--these are pretty good all around amps for both live and studio. Mesa amps don't really REQUIRE a lot of tweaking, contrary to what many people think, but the power to radically alter pre-amp and power amp setting is very handy. I think they sound a lot better than the Dual/Triple Rectifiers.
If you dig tones from the Marshall side, the Splawns are pretty cool; at least the few I've heard. And you know, everyone disses Marshall lately, but they have made some pretty darn good amps over the years. Ditto for Peavey. If all you are doing is rock, a couple of pedals plugged into an old JCM 800 or a VTM 120 head and a really GOOD speaker cabinet are all you need. Hey, get a JSX head and a VOX Satchurator, and you can sound just like that bald guy--old what's-his-name!
If you don't really need a channel-switching amp and can get your lead tones from a pedal, that opens you up to all kinds of amp goodness--from JTM 45s, Plexis and JCM 800s to Showmans, ToneMasters and SUNN Model Ts.
I had a PV Rockmaster head in the early 90's, and once I got it hooked up with the right tubes into the RIGHT cab it was a MONSTER. Ran it clean, with a Real Tube 901 overdrive for dirt. I ran it hard for a number of years and it was bulletproof, with a solid and fat in-your-face-tone.
Have you considered running a two-amp set-up? Andy Timmons is another one of my favorite players. He uses a Mesa Lonestar, and a Stiletto Deuce, AND a bunch of pedals to get his tone. His live tone cops his recorded tones to a tee. The Lonestar has great clean and singing lead tones; the Deuce has that Marshall crunch and more. Running two amps can be a pain, but it can be a problem solver.
Channel switching pops. Yep, they sound horrible, but...they are probably not noticeable unless you are playing live at whisper quiet levels. In the studio, it's never an issue, because you never channel switch when recording--you punch in and overdub your lead part(s).
If you want Rivera, go see the guys at A Sharp Music Co. in Renton. They also carry Mesa.
If you are concerned about clumsy roadies, then you MUST do what the pros do--get a GOOD, PRO-QUALITY ATA flight case. And a back-up amp, ain't a bad idea, either. At the very least, invest in Tuki or D2F covers for your amp.
And I agree with everyone else, you have to hear them--with your guitar, your cables, your pedals, and preferably at the gig. I'm a firm believer that the acid test for an amp is on the bandstand; so I'd suggest buying from someone with a liberal return policy.
Good luck!
Bill
