New Wizard Model: Hell Razor

mhenson42 said:
Ok... The iphone doesn't do it justice. I think I do need to figure out how to do proper mic'd recordings at some point. lol But anyway, here are some classic death metal riffs through my Hell Razor 120w KT66. Straight in, no boost. Still have more boosts on the amp I'm not using as well. through 2 Wizard 412s with celestion redbacks.

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Sounds pretty badass to me. I have some thinking to do! 😁 But I think I’m still leaning more towards the MCII.

On another note, how do you like the Redbacks in comparison to the Fanes? I’ve had both on my radar for quite some time. Sorry if I’ve already asked you that before I don’t remember.
 
PurityS.L.G said:
Sounds pretty badass to me. I have some thinking to do! 😁 But I think I’m still leaning more towards the MCII.

On another note, how do you like the Redbacks in comparison to the Fanes? I’ve had both on my radar for quite some time. Sorry if I’ve already asked you that before I don’t remember.
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Thanks man! You can't go wrong with any Wizard. Really the biggest differences between the models are the level of gain and saturation and where the mids sit. The MTLs and HR have more low end as well.

The Fryette/Fane cab was my favorite for the longest time. I've recently grown to prefer the Wizard cab with the redbacks. They just have warmer more organic tone with more body. I was worried they'd be too dark for my tastes but I find them to be about right. They blend will with v30s too. The Fanes in the FB cab are tighter and more direct and in your face. That's probably due in part to the front loading.
 
Samples sound good so far. Seem to be a bit scooped for my taste though. Was it more or less scooped than the MTL?
 
godgrinder said:
Samples sound good so far. Seem to be a bit scooped for my taste though. Was it more or less scooped than the MTL?
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It’s a little bit more scooped than the MTL. I have the mid shift pulled… which is how I like it. If you push it in, it’s not scooped.
 
mhenson42 said:
Sold that last month. I like the HR, but it’s not my favorite.
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I've been wanting a Wizard and have been holding off to see how the Hell Razor stacks up. It sounds awesome in the clips. My gut tells me to get the MTL as my first Wizard. Is the upcharge for KT88s over the EL34 MTL worth it?
 
BlackMetal said:
I've been wanting a Wizard and have been holding off to see how the Hell Razor stacks up. It sounds awesome in the clips. My gut tells me to get the MTL as my first Wizard. Is the upcharge for KT88s over the EL34 MTL worth it?
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Yes. Definitely worth it to me. My KT150 MTL Mk2 is probably my favorite all around amp.

Though for the $, it'd be tough to beat the one @Apex1Rg7X is selling in the classifieds right now.
 
mhenson42 said:
Basically slight difference in the character of the mids, but you really feel the bottom end punch and girth of the KT88 model.

You aren't too far away, come on down to SA and check them all out!
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You live in San Antonio? I live n New Braunfels
 
mhenson42 said:
Basically slight difference in the character of the mids, but you really feel the bottom end punch and girth of the KT88 model.

You aren't too far away, come on down to SA and check them all out!
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I think you can feel the bottom end punch of any Wizard, they're all obscenely loud amps. Not the greatest sounding, but loud as hell for sure.
 
Greazygeo said:
That is where these amps shine. When you want to be heard over a drummer, any amp will do that if its loud enough.
When you want to be heard with the drummer, not as many. That is where the Wizard lives.
Either cut thru the band or fit in the mix. I always try to fit in, with my Wizard it is easy.
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I think most amps can fit in the mix. I hear people always complain about Mesa Marks not cutting great... well what speakers are you running it through? what are your settings? There are many variables to not cutting live. I've used Marks in bands and never had a problem cutting through the mix, I always found a sonic space to fit in, even against guys with Marshall's, which are supposedly impossible to cut against with a Mark series, and no I didn't need to raise the 750h slider up to honky levels... there is a perfect spot for that 750hz slider though.

When i'm in a band with a guy that uses a Marshall I usually suggest that he scoops his tone a bit, not like extreme levels here, just a bit, and then I basically fill out the space in the middle with the Mark III or IV, otherwise you gotta dial in a really bright tone and then you're just clashing for sonic space with the Marshall, cause that's where Marshall's live, in the upper registers and there's no real changing that.
 
Vader99 said:
IMHO videos of amp recordings are of barely any value. Comparing videos of amp A vs B are also nonsensical. I get that people wanna hear something to draw a line in the sand, but none of these sound like my hell razor in the room, and I’m sure the people uploading the videos would agree too. That’s just my opinion, take it with a grain of salt.
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Ya, but it's all you're gonna get cause you don't live in canada where his shop is to try one, right? So you gotta settle for clips. Besides, what the audience hears is a mic'd up amp almost every gig. There are not many gigs anymore where the amp isn't mic'd. Personally I think the recorded tone of an amp is probably the most important part of it unless you're just a bedroom player. These amps are meant to be played on stages, not bedrooms, and they're for recording as well.

I think a 3 mic setup gives you a pretty good idea of what an amp sounds like in the room. Like a e609 or md421 + sm57 and a room mic like 10 or 20 feet away. That's generally a good representation of an amps character.
 
anomaly said:
Ya, but it's all you're gonna get cause you don't live in canada where his shop is to try one, right? So you gotta settle for clips. Besides, what the audience hears is a mic'd up amp almost every gig. There are not many gigs anymore where the amp isn't mic'd. Personally I think the recorded tone of an amp is probably the most important part of it unless you're just a bedroom player. These amps are meant to be played on stages, not bedrooms, and they're for recording as well.

I think a 3 mic setup gives you a pretty good idea of what an amp sounds like in the room. Like a e609 or md421 + sm57 and a room mic like 10 or 20 feet away. That's generally a good representation of an amps character.
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It is indeed all you’re going to get, but don’t make all your judgements about an amp just based on recordings, some of which make wizards sound like a boss katana. Unless you’re in a room with one, you won’t know for sure what it’s like, it’s just the nature of these things. Agree or disagree as you please, like I said, just my 2C
 
Vader99 said:
It is indeed all you’re going to get, but don’t make all your judgements about an amp just based on recordings, some of which make wizards sound like a boss katana. Unless you’re in a room with one, you won’t know for sure what it’s like, it’s just the nature of these things. Agree or disagree as you please, like I said, just my 2C
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No one is basing all their judgements on recordings, or disputing that being in the room is the ideal. At least I don't think anyone is because that's just crazy talk.

In practice, settling for the 'next best thing' is very often all we have. There's no universal agreement on what that next best thing actually is, but it's a whole lot better than nothing. Even then I seriously doubt anyone is relying solely on this to form all their opinions, it's just one factor.

Also I agree with @anomaly - a quality recording is a good representation of an amp's character. But you're also correct... a bad recording can turn anything into a Katana!
 
mhenson42 said:
Yes. Definitely worth it to me. My KT150 MTL Mk2 is probably my favorite all around amp.

Though for the $, it'd be tough to beat the one @Apex1Rg7X is selling in the classifieds right now.
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That is a great deal and honestly probably should have just gone the used route but I ended up springing for a new build. MTL MK II KT150 with white tolex and black piping. Rick said 4-6 weeks but might be sooner as he has the parts already.
 
BlackMetal said:
That is a great deal and honestly probably should have just gone the used route but I ended up springing for a new build. MTL MK II KT150 with white tolex and black piping. Rick said 4-6 weeks but might be sooner as he has the parts already.
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Nice. Congrats on the new purchase. you'll love it! Rick will have it built quick, sometimes the holdup is getting the non-standard colored headshell since he doesn't make those.
 
BlackMetal said:
That is a great deal and honestly probably should have just gone the used route but I ended up springing for a new build. MTL MK II KT150 with white tolex and black piping. Rick said 4-6 weeks but might be sooner as he has the parts already.
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You did the right thing. That other amp sounds as good as the 150, but the 150 can crush your enemies. If not, it definitely punches like nothing else you have played
 
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