a metal amp that isn't flat?

[colimofsmoke]

hey guys, looking for suggestions on an amp. fancy that, right?

I play mostly full bore metal. not shredder or tech metal, just heavy and hard riffs. mostly, but when I sit at home and play around, I tend to play more psych crunch, even chimey, just starting to break up cleans. what amp do you guys suggest?

gonna skip over my early searches to theDual Rec Road King I picked up out of frustration. I liked it, and it had a lot of versatility compared to my previous amps. A formidable metal tone, pretty good crunch channels, but...I dunno. I never really jelled with it. It was like the high gain was too....granular. If that makes any sense. on the fizzy end, I guess. I know dual recs are de rigeur metal amps, but it just didnt work for me.

Then I traded the Road King for a VHT Deliverance 60, which I loved. The tone was way more cutting than I was looking for, but I ended up loving it. I thought I wanted a minimum of two channels, but the single channel of the VHT was so responsive to pick attack and volume knob settings, I loved just playing through that one channel for hours. The gain was never granular or fizzy, it always maintained clarity and tube harmonics and crunch, even at metal rippage levels of gain. set clean, it was gloriously chimey. the crunch was great. My only real problem with the amp was a lack of effects loop, and that it had to be so g.d. loud to sound good.

Then life happened and I sold my gear and didnt play for a while. boo.

I recently picked up a new setup. not wanting to plunk down for 5153 when I didnt know how serious I was, I kept trying to convince myself that I liked the 6505+. I didn't. a first version Peavey 5150 2x12 combo came in to the local GC, so I picked it up. I ended up really hating it and returning it this evening. For doing tight, chuggy metal, it was great. really great. for anything else at all, in my opinion, it was very very flat. the clean channel is garbage. the crunch tone is...barely acceptable. dialed in for a lacerating metal tone, it's freaking terrific, but I could not get a single other sound out of it that I liked. and it doesnt seem to handle low tunings well.

So what amp should I check out? I want face melting, non-fizzy high gain that retains tube crunch character and harmonics, one or 2 channels, a great crunch sound, and an effects loop. Reverb is nice, but not mandatory. I'm saving up for a trip abroad, so I don't have boutique amp money right now.

suggestions appreciated.

Cheers

 

[Racerxrated]

Maybe a used VHT/Fryette Pittbull or other? I'm with you on the Deliverance...one of my favorite amps. I'd bet one of their other offerings would work for you...

 

[Badronald]

6505+

 

[godgrinder]

Engl Blackmore or Powerball, depending on how low you tune. If you tune below A the Powerball is great, higher than that Blackmore would work better.

 

[glip22]

Really cannot go wring with a Mesa Mark III. You can find them when they come up for good prices.

 

[nevusofota]

Used 5153 50watters go for about $750 used. You won't miss that it's not 100 watts.

 

[blackie13]

You have already given an answer...
Vht/fryette d60 with a fryette power station...
Attenuator+loop+second master if not mistaken...

 

[Speeddemon]

What wattage range are you looking into?

I mean, for home noodlin', the 20W Engl Ironball never gets fizzy. Very smooth and chunky gain, and can do the in-between stuff well too. It has reverb and an fx-loop.

For more wattage, the VHT/Fryette Sig:X is great. I've heard it being described as less raw than the Pitbulls and more versatile than the Deliverance. Never played the Deliverance, but I once played a Pitbull (long ago, can't remember the type...maybe a 100 CLX) and couldn't gel with its very stiff character.
The Sig:X is clear and direct, but not that stiff and can do a lot of sounds very well.

 

[Browns Fan]

Friedman JJ amp!!

 

[thenine]

JVM - there's one here in the classifieds (not mine).

 

[colimofsmoke]

Engl Blackmore or Powerball, depending on how low you tune. If you tune below A the Powerball is great, higher than that Blackmore would work better.

good god, I think A is probably low enough.

What wattage range are you looking into?

I mean, for home noodlin', the 20W Engl Ironball never gets fizzy. Very smooth and chunky gain, and can do the in-between stuff well too. It has reverb and an fx-loop.

For more wattage, the VHT/Fryette Sig:X is great. I've heard it being described as less raw than the Pitbulls and more versatile than the Deliverance. Never played the Deliverance, but I once played a Pitbull (long ago, can't remember the type...maybe a 100 CLX) and couldn't gel with its very stiff character.
The Sig:X is clear and direct, but not that stiff and can do a lot of sounds very well.

right now I'm just playing at home. I used to play shows and tour a lot, maybe I'll get there again, I'm not sure, but it'll be a while if I do. I had forgotten about the Sig:X, thanks for the reminder.

 

[cardinal]

You dislike some nice amps.

If any amount of "fizz" drives you nuts, try a Diezel or Friedman. You'd have to really try to get fizz from their amps.

 

[HilltopExplosion]

What cab do you have? Or are you looking for a combo? I have a 5150 iii, 6505+, BE100 head. v30 and evh cab, I could make a dry clip If you'd like. Just say which head, speaker. I have heil pr30, sm57, 58, e609, sennheiser mk4 mics. If interested tell me what, where, n ill give it a shot.

 

[colimofsmoke]

You dislike some nice amps.

If any amount of "fizz" drives you nuts, try a Diezel or Friedman. You'd have to really try to get fizz from their amps.

I don't dislike any of them, per se. I def see all of their strengths, and can def appreciate where other people like them. All of them had at least one sound that I loved. except the 6505+. at least with the guitar I tried it with. If I played absolutely nothing but tight metal, I would have kept the 5150 forever. If I was richer than I am, I would have kept all of them.

 

[colimofsmoke]

What cab do you have? Or are you looking for a combo? I have a 5150 iii, 6505+, BE100 head. v30 and evh cab, I could make a dry clip If you'd like. Just say which head, speaker. I have heil pr30, sm57, 58, e609, sennheiser mk4 mics. If interested tell me what, where, n ill give it a shot.

I don't have a cab right now. My last cab was a Mills Acoustics straight 4x12, which I will forever kick myself for getting rid of. The 5150 was a combo.

 

[HilltopExplosion]

What cab do you have? Or are you looking for a combo? I have a 5150 iii, 6505+, BE100 head. v30 and evh cab, I could make a dry clip If you'd like. Just say which head, speaker. I have heil pr30, sm57, 58, e609, sennheiser mk4 mics. If interested tell me what, where, n ill give it a shot.

I don't have a cab right now. My last cab was a Mills Acoustics straight 4x12, which I will forever kick myself for getting rid of. The 5150 was a combo.

That sucks, I know where you are coming from, coal industry here is dried up, laid off at the miute, but I think I'd sell somethin' else before my equipment... right now... give me another month or two and I might change my mind,

 

[colimofsmoke]

yeah, it's alright, shit happens. I didn't really have a choice at the time.

 

[Mesa\Kramer]

Used D60
(Then Sent to Fryette to add the loop)

 

[dirtyfunkg]

Sup Colin, I'm the dude who traded Mesa for VHT and bought your Mills. I ended up getting a Sig:X after a long spurt of trading (including trading away your old Roadster). The Sig has close to Deliverance gains, and the clean channel is super versatile. They're harder to find but totally worth it. I think you'd like it a lot based on hearing you play and what you're describing here. They can be had for $1100-1500, so expensive but not standard boutique expensive.

Hope you're doing well

 

[colimofsmoke]

oh yeah, roadster, not road king. whoops. hey man! thanks for recommendation, I'll see if I can track one down. doing well, much better these days. Hope that Chicago cold isn't too bad yet.