Amps with the most saturated gain structure

[Mudder]

I had an Engl Thunder that could go from classic crunch to super thick saturation, really a good amp. Another one that comes to mind is the JSX.

 

[Devilinside]

where's the pittbull ultralead stand? I've never played an engl or a diezel.

Not a saturated sound.
It can get to super high gain, but it has a clarity that none of the above mentioned amps have.
Even in the highest gain settings you will clearly hear every note in a chord.
Most "saturated" amps mush that clarity all together, which creates the saturation in my opinion.

Agreed! I think you have to consider usable gain, which means some amps have a shit pile of gain but lose clarity in the process. I love gain as much as the next guy but you have to consider many things.

 

[Ancient Alien]

Engl Fireball
JVM OD2 Red

The JVM is definitely off the charts with the OD2 red.
More gain than any music could call for, and tight.

 

[diagrammatiks]

where's the pittbull ultralead stand? I've never played an engl or a diezel.

Not a saturated sound.
It can get to super high gain, but it has a clarity that none of the above mentioned amps have.
Even in the highest gain settings you will clearly hear every note in a chord.
Most "saturated" amps mush that clarity all together, which creates the saturation in my opinion.

Agreed! I think you have to consider usable gain, which means some amps have a shit pile of gain but lose clarity in the process. I love gain as much as the next guy but you have to consider many things.

what do you use really saturated amps for then?

 

[Ancient Alien]

where's the pittbull ultralead stand? I've never played an engl or a diezel.

Not a saturated sound.
It can get to super high gain, but it has a clarity that none of the above mentioned amps have.
Even in the highest gain settings you will clearly hear every note in a chord.
Most "saturated" amps mush that clarity all together, which creates the saturation in my opinion.

Agreed! I think you have to consider usable gain, which means some amps have a shit pile of gain but lose clarity in the process. I love gain as much as the next guy but you have to consider many things.

what do you use really saturated amps for then?

Most people I have seen use them to cover up their sloppy playing

 

[smucarolina]

where's the pittbull ultralead stand? I've never played an engl or a diezel.

Not a saturated sound.
It can get to super high gain, but it has a clarity that none of the above mentioned amps have.
Even in the highest gain settings you will clearly hear every note in a chord.
Most "saturated" amps mush that clarity all together, which creates the saturation in my opinion.

Agreed! I think you have to consider usable gain, which means some amps have a shit pile of gain but lose clarity in the process. I love gain as much as the next guy but you have to consider many things.

what do you use really saturated amps for then?

Most people I have seen use them to cover up their sloppy playing

well...I need one then bahahaha.

 

[diagrammatiks]

Well I dunno. Like people always say that the Fryettes are really dry and they don't like them.
So would saturated in this case by something that's less dry? more wet?
When I got my UL, I plugged in my hollowbody and played some open chords and fingerpicking on the lead channel and I knew I found my amp. What would you do to test a saturated amp?

 

[Ancient Alien]

Well I dunno. Like people always say that the Fryettes are really dry and they don't like them.
So would saturated in this case by something that's less dry? more wet?
When I got my UL, I plugged in my hollowbody and played some open chords and fingerpicking on the lead channel and I knew I found my amp. What would you do to test a saturated amp?

My go to amp is always one of my UL's
Most people don't like the honesty that comes out of the speakers.
To me, the UL simply makes you play better.
A saturated amp is way more wet sounding in terms of overdrive/distortion.
To me, a saturated amp is more for lead work and that liquid violin like tones you hear out of dimed Mark 3's 4's etc.
But when it comes down to a studio recording, using super high gain/saturation is a big no no in my book.
If you are gonna check out a saturated amp, then a hot humbucker with some chugga chugga rhythm playing and some lead/legato playing will work.

 

[Rob Tahan]

JVM hands down..
then 5153
I wouldnt consider the diezel amps to be super saturated at all. A LOT more dry than the above amps mentioned.

 

[Spaceboy]

Crate solid states if you're talking about the super-fizz high gain kind of saturation.

 

[nighttrain69]

A saturated amp is way more wet sounding in terms of overdrive/distortion.
To me, a saturated amp is more for lead work and that liquid violin like tones you hear out of dimed Mark 3's 4's etc.
But when it comes down to a studio recording, using super high gain/saturation is a big no no in my book.
If you are gonna check out a saturated amp, then a hot humbucker with some chugga chugga rhythm playing and some lead/legato playing will work.

+100

 

[tituba]

BOGNER UBERSCHALL

this

 

[rottingcorpse]

noob alert. be gentile....

is it so wrong i like that compressed sound? i loves me some useable gain, and lots of it. but i wanna hear all the articulate picking patterns and note progressions. of course, as the amps get louder, the gain has to come back down a little....

i am in no way a sloppy thrash rhythm player. i'm not world class, but for a truck driver i am probably one of the better, more accurate players i know. i love the engl powerball/peavey 6505+/marshall kerry king sound i got going now, and it stays tight and accurate no mater how fast i pedal or shuffle pick. both quick note progressions and fast chord movements never seem to get lost in the mud. (be advised, i am plugging straight into these with no boost up front except a hot pickup)

don't get me wrong, i love the sounds of the amps i have been told are drier style amps. i'd love to spend a few hours with a vht or other amp of that caliber. and when i finally add one to the collection my tastes may change dramatically, and i may understand what you guys are talking about. i want a herbert so bad i can't stand it. and the fortin stuff has me jonesing hard. but it's outta my price range right now.

i probably became used to the compressed sound from years of banging older style pre-high gain amps with something to get to the "heavy" tone. i may have just not had the chance to really enjoy the less compressed amps in a setting where i could put them though their paces for hours on end, or a/b/c them with the amps i have now.

maybe i am just a tone deaf moron who destroyed his hearing over the years standing too close to his rig.

 

[gibson08]

No mention of a Dual Recto yet,,did I miss something??

 

[JakeAC5253]

No mention of a Dual Recto yet,,did I miss something??

The Dual Recto has plenty of gain, but as far as what I would consider to be 'saturation' it is a bit short on it.

 

[gibson08]

I dunno, guess I define the term saturation differently, I would assume that if you have enough pre-amp distortion to overtake the amp out of clarity that would be saturation, no? If not then explain it to me like I'm a 5 year old..

 

[JakeAC5253]

I dunno, guess I define the term saturation differently, I would assume that if you have enough pre-amp distortion to overtake the amp out of clarity that would be saturation, no? If not then explain it to me like I'm a 5 year old..

According to my library (that cobweb filled thing between my ears) saturation means that output level is independent or very close to independent of input level. i.e. pick light or hard it won't make too much of a difference tonally. IMO, a Marshall amp. I called the Recto unsaturated because it seems to have that strange gainy, but unsaturated tonality where if you pick lightly it is quieter and less gainy, but if you pick hard it woofs much more powerfully. It has more 'dynamic range' and for that reason I would dub it less saturated than other comparable high gain amps. The Mark series amps are like this as well, very dynamic, but they have a shit ton of gain.

 

[emperor_black]

Add a TS-9 with level and gain boosted in front of any Tube amp and instant saturation!

But saturation = loss of definition IMO. Lately, I've been using as little gain as possible and messing with EQualization to sound brutal.

 

[Mr. Willy]

Mesa MKIII/IV
5150/6505
Cobra

The king of saturation imho is the older Ubershalls.

 

[gibson5413]

My old Engl Powerball & SE EL34 were the most saturated (preamp) amps I ever played. The Cali can get really saturated but it doesn't sound and feel as sterile as the Engl amps.