Back at it again, what amp to buy?

[Lution]

Blades Firebolt or go home

 

[guitarobert]

+1 on the Hydra in the classifieds. That's what I would buy.

 

[maddnotez]

Soldano Decatone?

Sounded really cool from the clips I heard. Not sure if it was the clip or the amp but it honestley seemed a bit too tame for me. Not enough gain/agression for what I like.

I've got an Ubershall Rev Blue for sale. I agree that the rev 2 may be slightly better out of the box, but I put an MXR 10 band EQ in the effects loop and Holy fucken shit it frighten Destroys
Amp is in fantastic shape. $1,350$ shipped and pal'd

This sounds very tempting.

+1 on the Hydra in the classifieds. That's what I would buy.

This I am unsure about. I checked out a few clips. Most of them I did not like, were all way too harsh and "Mesa-ish" if you will.

However there was one clip with a mix of V30 and p50 that I really liked, it sounded really really good. But for that much money meh. I would rather hold out on a Rev. 2 over that for the price without being able to try first hand.

I have really found a liking to the clips I have heard from Splawn amps. Have been reading up on those. Might be a contender.

So far here is my list in order of preference:

Rev. 2 (maybe that guys Rev. blue?)
Splawn (not sure which one, maybe an older Nitro?)
D120
EVH 5153
PRS Archon

If I could find a way to sell myself on spending a little extra for something I was not 100% sure about I would put the Peter's and a Lickliter on the list.

 

[HRC51]

I have an Orthos -- it's fantastic.

There is a VHT Ultralead and a Fortin modified Marshall over in the classifieds.

 

[maddnotez]

I have an Orthos -- it's fantastic.

There is a VHT Ultralead and a Fortin modified Marshall over in the classifieds.

Envious I am.

How long did it take to arrive? Any clips?

From the low grade couple of clips that are out there, something tells me it is an amazing amp.

 

[1meanplexi]

Diezel Vh4, best high gain amp ever made IMO. There are a couple posted int he classifieds on the board.

This^^^^^or the lil' Fokker just listed in the classifieds !

 

[mr11]

I recently picked up a Mako Mak 4 I'm really happy with. Certainly hits in the high gain department with great cleans to boot. But the crunch is one of my favorite channels on that thing which I was not expecting. Anyway, with a $2000 budget you have plenty of room from a great tube power-amp to go with it.

 

[JustinG60]

i don't know if it is a concern of yours but it was a giant influence on what i ended up with ...does it need to work with a switching system? if so it pretty much automatically rules out the 5153 100w. there seems to be some issues switching from CH3 to CH1 even with a custom cable.

 

[maddnotez]

i don't know if it is a concern of yours but it was a giant influence on what i ended up with ...does it need to work with a switching system? if so it pretty much automatically rules out the 5153 100w. there seems to be some issues switching from CH3 to CH1 even with a custom cable.

That kind of does concern me.

Even though I wouldn't use it much, seriously? An amp that can't switch channels via Footswitch?

What did you end up with anyway?


The Mako is an interesting suggestion, sounds brutal from what I've heard.

Seems entirely too large though, and with a VHT 2/90/2 that would completely max the budget.

I'm not wanting to spend 2k but that's probably the max If I saw something I couldn't pass up.

I'd much rather spend $1,500 on a Rev. 2 or $1k on some other amps and not break the bank.

 

[mr11]

I picked up my Mako with a VHT 2/50/2 for $1700 so it is certainly doable if you're so inclined. Theres a Mako in the classifieds now for $800.

 

[cardinal]

If you don't mind a single channel, hard to go wrong with the D120. Great amp. Marshall 2203 or 2204 would be another great choice; plays very well with pedals to you give different high gain flavors. I'd also look into a 2-channel Triple Recto. Way under your budget and, to me, it's been the best metal amp I've ever heard. Triple Recto + OD808 is ridiculously metal. Workable cleans and, to me, nice leads as long as you dig the vintage mode. Only problem with the Rectos is that the parallel loop is terrible, but the D120 and the JCMs don't have loops at all, so I'm use to not having a loop anyway.

 

[311boogieman]

How about this bad boy. Koch Multitone?
http://stlouis.craigslist.org/msg/4554445965.html

I also see a Rockerverb, Mark IV, Trans Atlantic, Powerball, Armageddon, JVM, Single, Dual and Triple Recs, 6505+ stack


Any Splawn can do metal it is just down to taste. Most would agree that for modern metal you want a Nitro or a Pro Mod but I've been happy with the metal tones from my Quick Rod and there are lots of Quick Rods out there in the $1,000 - $1,300 range.

 

[JustinG60]

i don't know if it is a concern of yours but it was a giant influence on what i ended up with ...does it need to work with a switching system? if so it pretty much automatically rules out the 5153 100w. there seems to be some issues switching from CH3 to CH1 even with a custom cable.

That kind of does concern me.

Even though I wouldn't use it much, seriously? An amp that can't switch channels via Footswitch?

What did you end up with anyway?

(the Egnater cab is just my at home practice cab... it looks ridiculous with the Orange haha)

Orange Rockerverb 100 MK2. Orange gets no love for modern stuff but this Rockerverb hangs with my other guitar player's ENGL SE with no problems and we play 7 strings in A# ...I digress though, the key to the sound I use is to run a BBE Sonic Maximizer through the loop (doesn't sound as good on the front end) i add a decent amount of compression with it and a touch of low end.

amps fascinate me so i usually buy something new every 6-12 months... it's seeming to be about time. trying to lose my ass on it now over on sevenstring.org haha been itching to try out a Diezel for a while now

 

[maddnotez]

i don't know if it is a concern of yours but it was a giant influence on what i ended up with ...does it need to work with a switching system? if so it pretty much automatically rules out the 5153 100w. there seems to be some issues switching from CH3 to CH1 even with a custom cable.

That kind of does concern me.

Even though I wouldn't use it much, seriously? An amp that can't switch channels via Footswitch?

What did you end up with anyway?

(the Egnater cab is just my at home practice cab... it looks ridiculous with the Orange haha)

Orange Rockerverb 100 MK2. Orange gets no love for modern stuff but this Rockerverb hangs with my other guitar player's ENGL SE with no problems and we play 7 strings in A# ...I digress though, the key to the sound I use is to run a BBE Sonic Maximizer through the loop (doesn't sound as good on the front end) i add a decent amount of compression with it and a touch of low end.

amps fascinate me so i usually buy something new every 6-12 months... it's seeming to be about time. trying to lose my ass on it now over on sevenstring.org haha been itching to try out a Diezel for a while now

Nice, I played the Mk1 for quit a bit with allthe stock tubes. I really did like it. Very organic and probably the best clean channel I have ever heard on a metal amp. Not the one for me but a great amp!!

I have only tried a sonic maximizer in a 6505+ but I learned to hate that thing. At first it sounded huge, I was like omg but after a while my ears missed the normal frequencies and it just sounded sterile. But I guess in a different amp that could change things.


Also to 311 splawn thanks man, I did not see any of those. I neevr look for mesa although I likee the single recto.

Interested in that Egnater but cant find many clips.

I appreciate all of the feedback and suggestions. Definitely a few amps I discovered or things I have not ever considered to open my eyes.

Ill have the check I need in 2-3 weeks and decided on what to get if it is still available. Will update the thread.

 

[rabies]

I'm pretty happy with Diezel Einstein for metal/hard-rock/blues/cleans with series/parallel efx loop. damn loud at 100watts with EL34's, seems way louder than that...

just wish it had an efx loop button on footswitch (only has channel and master selectors) and i could switch b/n the modes in channel1. There is some de-kompression mod that does this.

 

[JustinG60]

I have only tried a sonic maximizer in a 6505+ but I learned to hate that thing. At first it sounded huge, I was like omg but after a while my ears missed the normal frequencies and it just sounded sterile. But I guess in a different amp that could change things.

i completely agree, it is not for all amps! my JCM2000 TSL100 hates it. hated it before and after the Voodoo metal mod. actually it sounds even worse after being modded than before but it just fills the Orange up the perfect amount. my settings are rather reserved though

...if you're gonna look at Egnater, i doubt it's an option, the Tourmaster is pretty low on gain. as was the ENGL Steve Morse signature. i ended up selling both of those due to a shortage of gain. the ENGL Morse was close but not quite enough. i had to roll the presence up to get a little fizz out of it just to tolerate it with a 7 string in A#.

 

[JimmyBlind]

I'm pretty happy with Diezel Einstein for metal/hard-rock/blues/cleans with series/parallel efx loop. damn loud at 100watts with EL34's, seems way louder than that...

just wish it had an efx loop button on footswitch (only has channel and master selectors) and i could switch b/n the modes in channel1. There is some de-kompression mod that does this.

You looked around for a true bypass footswitch for bringing the FX in & out of the loop? You'll need a few more leads & whatnot, but there will be a few pedals out there that solve that for you.

 

[311boogieman]

Also to 311 splawn thanks man, I did not see any of those. I neevr look for mesa although I likee the single recto.

Well, I think I offered before but you are more than welcome to come over some time and play the Splawn, drink some beers and shoot the shit. Just send me a PM to discuss. I also now have a Single Rec