Yet another "amp suggestions" thread

zippy

zippy

New member
Alright, so I've pretty much come to the conclusion that the 5150 era has ended for me and I want to move on to new and different things. I'm looking for a new head in the general $1000 dollar range in the used market. I want something more versatile than the 5150, and with less buzz and fizz in the high gain area. My favorite tones are Sabbath on Master of Reality, Metallica's Ride the Lightning, and Anthrax on Among the Living (the tone on I am the Law is ***ing KILLER!)

Contendors so far:

Marshall JCM800 2205
Marshall JMP/2203/similar w/ pedal boost
Mesa Rectoverb
Mesa Single Rectifier
Soldano Hot Rod 50+

Anything else I should look into?
 
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Re: Yet another "amp suggestions" thread

dude, you should check out the peavey 6505 stack. you can walk off with a 6505 head and 4x12 cab brand new from GC for about $1250-1300. the cleans are superb, the distortion is killer. in fact, the distortion is so good, you might NEVER want to use a pedal on it. suprisingly enough, it sounds great at low gain settings too. check it out.

if you're looking into marshall, you can pick up a DSL head around 1,000 new retail because they're being discontinued. the DSL has an ultra gain channel that pumps out plenty of gain. that's what i bought and have never been happier with an amp.

another head that i tried was the mesa triple rect and double rect. the double rect may be just cheap enough for you to afford and it sounds almost as good as the triple rect. but oh man oh man, the triple rect is so friggin awesome.
 
Re: Yet another "amp suggestions" thread

He already has a 5150 II, which is the same thing as the 6505+.

I just took home a bunch of amps, and came to the conclusion that soldano is the best. I had a mesa dual rec originally. Liked the tone actually, but too much sloppy low end, and bad note articulation. Too much chunk, but no real crunch. The cleans were good though. Tried the marshall jvm, which was killer, but too pricey for a marshall. Very versatile, but the channel I liked most on that one was the 800 voiced channel. Real nice crunch, but it has that british vintage tone, and I was looking for something more modern sounding. Took home the 6505+ didn't like the cleans, but liked the insane OD type distortion crunch, but didn't like the fizz, but the worst part is the tone sounded like plastic or tin to me. Tried a rivera reverb, which had a killer almost fender like clean channel, was insanely tweakable, versatile, the distortion voicing just didn't have that extra oumf I was looking for. Almost a bit fizzy sounding too. Went with the soldano avenger, which had the amazing aggressive crunch of the 6505+, but much more articulate with no real fizz, and a liquid non colored tone. Best distortion i've heard. Too bad I don't have the money for the SLO because I would love to have a clean channel as well. It has that british crunch without that british wood like tone instead it has an american liquid tone. Perfect.

I know you said you like sabbath tones so you should definitely check out Laney VH100R, used mesa stiletto trident, used splawn. Splawn supposedly are the real deal marshall on steroids. Sounds like a sweet title to me.

It only has one channel, which cuts your versatility factor, but personally I would save up an extra $200 bucks from your 1g expense, and buy a used soldano avenger.
 
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Re: Yet another "amp suggestions" thread

BlueSky said:
He already has a 5150 II, which is the same thing as the 6505+.

I just took home a bunch of amps, and came to the conclusion that soldano is the best. I had a mesa dual rec originally. Liked the tone actually, but too much sloppy low end, and bad note articulation. Too much chunk, but no real crunch. The cleans were good though. Tried the marshall jvm, which was killer, but too pricey for a marshall. Very versatile, but the channel I liked most on that one was the 800 voiced channel. Real nice crunch, but it has that british vintage tone, and I was looking for something more modern sounding. Took home the 6505+ didn't like the cleans, but liked the insane OD type distortion crunch, but didn't like the fizz, but the worst part is the tone sounded like plastic or tin to me. Tried a rivera reverb, which had a killer almost fender like clean channel, was insanely tweakable, versatile, the distortion voicing just didn't have that extra oumf I was looking for. Almost a bit fizzy sounding too. Went with the soldano avenger, which had the amazing aggressive crunch of the 6505+, but much more articulate with no real fizz, and a liquid non colored tone. Best distortion i've heard. Too bad I don't have the money for the SLO because I would love to have a clean channel as well. It has that british crunch without that british wood like tone instead it has an american liquid tone. Perfect.

I know you said you like sabbath tones so you should definitely check out Laney VH100R, used mesa stiletto trident, used splawn. Splawn supposedly are the real deal marshall on steroids. Sounds like a sweet title to me.

It only has one channel, which cuts your versatility factor, but personally I would save up an extra $200 bucks from your 1g expense, and buy a used soldano avenger.
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Thanks for the suggestions! Which Splawn model would you recommend, and would you suggest goosing it with an OD? Also, what's the difference between the Hot Rod's lead channel and the Avenger? Is the Avenger significantly better? I heard it is basically just the SLO's lead channel in a box.
 
Re: Yet another "amp suggestions" thread

zippy said:
Thanks for the suggestions! Which Splawn model would you recommend, and would you suggest goosing it with an OD? Also, what's the difference between the Hot Rod's lead channel and the Avenger? Is the Avenger significantly better? I heard it is basically just the SLO's lead channel in a box.
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Actually the laney, and the splawn are the only two that I didn't get a chance to play. They've gotten great reviews, the samples sound amazing, and the bands that use em sound great. They sound just like what you're looking for. You mentioned sabbath and Iommi actually plays a laney. As for which splawn both the pro, and the hot rod seem to be the same head besides the 20 watt difference, and different tubes. The Avenger on the other hand is very similar to the SLO except it's a little less bright, and is a bit darker sounding, a little less compressed than the SLO plus it comes with a depth knob that is only in the modded SLO versions. For my money distortion doesn't get any better than this.
 
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Re: Yet another "amp suggestions" thread

With Laney, The VH will need a good OD pedal such as a mxr zakk wylde pedal to keep it tight and clear under high gain for rhythm, unless you use emg pickups or the like. This is the amp I am trying to acquire... keep in mind i currently own the 6505+ and am equally disappointed in the fizzyness of the high gain channel and tinny sound. Plus a crap clean channel, and mediocre leads from the peavey.
 
Re: Yet another "amp suggestions" thread

Hey Zippy! What happened to the old avatar? :)

Anyhow, you say you like the Sabs Master of Reality tone. It is a godly tone to me as well! This tone does not rely of lots of gain. For years, I used a low "gain" amp (the seriously thumpy Sunn model T) with a tame Boss SD-1, until needed to revamp my tone.

Ride the Lightning is my favorite early Metallica album.This is a much higher gain tone, obviously.

Mesa/Boogie is the most versatile, large scale, all-tube amp brand out there...IMO.

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Zippy, speakers play a tremendous part of overall tone! People often think of speakers as just a set of mudflaps on fancy truck, but musical instrument speakers are a seriously integral part of the total tone! You may find a speaker change to be what was needed all along! What speakers/cab-combo are you using? A different set of speakers might be the missing element.
 
Re: Yet another "amp suggestions" thread

Sludgenutz said:
Hey Zippy! What happened to the old avatar? :)

Anyhow, you say you like the Sabs Master of Reality tone. It is a godly tone to me as well! This tone does not rely of lots of gain. For years, I used a low "gain" amp (the seriously thumpy Sunn model T) with a tame Boss SD-1, until needed to revamp my tone.

Ride the Lightning is my favorite early Metallica album.This is a much higher gain tone, obviously.

Mesa/Boogie is the most versatile, large scale, all-tube amp brand out there...IMO.

----------------------------------

Zippy, speakers play a tremendous part of overall tone! People often think of speakers as just a set of mudflaps on fancy truck, but musical instrument speakers are a seriously integral part of the total tone! You may find a speaker change to be what was needed all along! What speakers/cab-combo are you using? A different set of speakers might be the missing element.
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The avatar will probably change again after football season...haha.

But yeah, that's why I was thinking Rectoverb.. seems like it would do everything I'm looking for. I seem to only be able to find really high gain examples of it though, how does it do for lower gain older rock stuff?
 
Re: Yet another "amp suggestions" thread

I don't know what the availability or price of Cornford amps are out there, but try an MK50 and a Hellcat if you can, both awesome amps.
 
Re: Yet another "amp suggestions" thread

Actually I would definitely get the hot rod 50+ you mentioned. I just switched the avenger for that. It has two channels, a crunch, and the same distortion channel, and a loop for 100 more. Plus it's all the watts you'll need and more.
 
Re: Yet another "amp suggestions" thread

zippy said:
The avatar will probably change again after football season...haha.

But yeah, that's why I was thinking Rectoverb.. seems like it would do everything I'm looking for. I seem to only be able to find really high gain examples of it though, how does it do for lower gain older rock stuff?
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The guys at The Boogie Board should have some good info.
 
Re: Yet another "amp suggestions" thread

If you like black sabbath I would look into a laney and add an eq pedal and overdrive for the higher gain stuff. Maybe try an AOR or Supergroup if you can find one otherwise have a look at the tony iommi signature!
 
Re: Yet another "amp suggestions" thread

I love my rectoverb... hard to go wrong with mesa. Bluesky- you probably should've tried your dual with a ts before giving up on it... ouch. All those amps are great though. jcm800 isn't what you're after though- fairly low gain til its cranked or boosted.
 
Re: Yet another "amp suggestions" thread

AmirH said:
I love my rectoverb... hard to go wrong with mesa. Bluesky- you probably should've tried your dual with a ts before giving up on it... ouch. All those amps are great though. jcm800 isn't what you're after though- fairly low gain til its cranked or boosted.
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Not ouch, I got a good trade in for it, and this soldano slaughters the dual no competition
 
Re: Yet another "amp suggestions" thread

Just curious if you've tried a BBE422 or 422A with your 5150. I tossed one in the loop of my 5150 and it made a ridiculous difference in the quality of the sound. If you haven't tried it yet, try picking up a used one for $50 or so and give your 5150 a second chance. If you don't like it significantly better, then look elsewhere. Just my $.02.
 
Re: Yet another "amp suggestions" thread

BlueSky said:
Actually I would definitely get the hot rod 50+ you mentioned. I just switched the avenger for that. It has two channels, a crunch, and the same distortion channel, and a loop for 100 more.
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Based on my experience owning a HR50 and a Decatone (in addition to a Yamaha T100), Mike Soldano designs a heckuva amp but the other thing they all have in common is crappy FX loops.

Soldano overdrive is yummy and the cleans aren't bad for high gain amps.
 
Re: Yet another "amp suggestions" thread

BlueSky said:
Not ouch, I got a good trade in for it, and this soldano slaughters the dual no competition
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Soldano's are sort of a different beast though to be fair. Anyways, was just saying- the difference between a recto with and without a ts type pedal in front is pretty huge.
 
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