Best all in 1 head

[* velcro-fly *]

I would agree there is no 1 head do it all, I just wanted some ideas. I dont know why I cant be satisfied whit what I have but I just feel I'm missing something. I guess I should just be happy with what I have. Would still love to hear a Herbert in person in the Portland area, I'l bring my XTC over and we can compare the 2, who knows, if we both like what we hear we can make a trade.

Dude, don't change a thing. Your XTC rig is killer and with the stuff you have at your disposal you've got more than enough low end. I would also say that re: the AxeFx, having been there and done that, and realizing I'm one of the few dissenters - I just wouldn't go there as a primary source of guitar tones.

 

[SFW]

Does any tone that I ask it to do. With authority.

 

[guitarnate2000]

Joel does have great tone coming out of the H&K but.....

my Bogner XTC 101b kills...

amps i have had in the last four years

two splawn quickrods (still have one)
splawn nitro.. nice amp but i still loved the QR
Diezel Herbert- one killer metal amp
CA od100SE+ cool amp but not for me
Krank Rev... neh...
cameron modded JMP... nice amp...
bogner uberschall.. this is one KILLER amp
out of all those i just dont see me getting rid of the bogner xtc

 

[TrentBizzle]

Egnater Mod 50 or Egnater M4 with Power Amp

 

[stephen sawall]

Would still love to hear a Herbert in person in the Portland area,

American Music on Fremont in Seattle had one last week when I was there. They have it in the loud room .... so you can play at band volume or louder. It is good size room .... not a closet and there is a few other cool amps in there. They have many good guitars .... but recommend bringing your own.

 

[kannibul]

The JVM410H...at least, that's teh most "all in one head" I've owned that has done that for me.

 

[glassjaw7]

It just doesn't exist, at least not yet There is ALWAYS a weak point. Diezels and Engl's sound amazing, but tend to get lost in a live mix(not always, but if going against a mesa or marshall, then yep)

Bogners are my favorite, but like you said, the XTC doesn't do the huge low end metal, and the Ubers, Shiva lack in other areas

Mesa's, Peavey's can be harsh(recto, 5150)

Marshalls can be too gritty and thin. (Although I feel that a Marshall may be the best in a band mix. All the right frequencies come through)

Axe-fx...I haven't played one yet.

I think at least two heads are needed for a well-rounded rig. Just my opinion. Sorry I'm repeating what's already been said, but I share the same frustration

 

[Death by Uberschall]

You really should take a test drive with an Uberschall. Way more versatile than people think. You just need to know how to dial it in. Of all the amps I own, it's my go to amp for gigs.

 

[nbarts]

See my avatar.

 

[BIGKAHUNA]

Joel does have great tone coming out of the H&K but.....

my Bogner XTC 101b kills...

amps i have had in the last four years

two splawn quickrods (still have one)
splawn nitro.. nice amp but i still loved the QR
Diezel Herbert- one killer metal amp
CA od100SE+ cool amp but not for me
Krank Rev... neh...
cameron modded JMP... nice amp...
bogner uberschall.. this is one KILLER amp
out of all those i just dont see me getting rid of the bogner xtc

That's a damn strong endorsment.

 

[glpg80]

+1

those are some of the most praised and expensive amplifiers money can buy. alot of the amazing members here sware by each of them too, so to say the xtc is the only one thats stapled to you is quite a statement. that really jumps out in a shocking way.

i still feel that alot of the stuff people use here i havent liked 100% enough to get it. gotta love tone - its such a subjective topic.

 

[Death by Uberschall]

You really should take a test drive with an Uberschall. Way more versatile than people think. You just need to know how to dial it in. Of all the amps I own, it's my go to amp for gigs.

Here's some excellent sound clips from Tone Merchants showing the versatility of the new Uberschall Twin Jet.
You really should take a listen. You really like your XTC, this would be a "Bogner" shift in the right direction for what you are after.

Part 3 has some really cool things going on.

 

[nbarts]

Did anyone mention the Soldano SLO with Depth mod?

 

[Death by Uberschall]

Did anyone mention the Soldano SLO with Depth mod?

I have one, great amp, still like the Uberschall better.

The SLO is very tight and focused, the Uberschall has that Bogner feel and tone.

 

[stratotone]

My XTC shit all over my roadster... roadster is long gone, XTC is here to stay.

pete

But you still have your Rackmount Recto (even though it's like the 23498573498573th one you've owned).

Only my 4th rackmount, it actually was THE rackmount I heard back in '93 or so that made me want one. A friend owned it, he sold it to me. It's the best sounding mesa recto amp I've ever heard. The other Rackmounts I owned all sounded good, but this one is stellar.

The Roadster was a decent amp, but you gave up a killer tone for a few good ones... the four channels are a great idea, but I think it had so many bells and whistles that it killed the tone.

Pete

 

[Shiny_Surface]

My XTC shit all over my roadster... roadster is long gone, XTC is here to stay.

pete

My Roadster can easily keep up, compare them almost on a daily basis.

 

[Shiny_Surface]

There is no such thing. They all have weak spots.

I agree

No holy grail for me, it's all about having a group of amps that cover a range of tones that make me happy.

If one does have to settle on one amp, whatever it's weak spot is I would make sure that it's not the feature/aspect of the amp I would use most often.

 

[se7en]

20th Anniversary XTC (EL34 version) - addresses issues I had with the 101b (looseness, compression, too smooth, clean channel)...Red Channel can do metal fine now and is plenty tight. The CAA PT100 is another great amp from what I hear in the best 'All in 1 head' category.

 

[stratotone]

+1 on the XTC - my 101B is going to be the last amp I would sell of everything I have right now... current list of amps I have that would be contenders:

1) '95 SLO with depth mod
2) Mesa Mk III Coliseum
3) Mesa early dual recto rackmount
4) Marshall plexi clone w/PP IV volume and sozos
5) Jackpot wad of Randall RM heads
6) Bogner Uberschall (in transit, but have played them before)
7) Trainwreck clones (I have a Liverpool and an Express)

For my needs, the XTC stands tall over all of them IMHO... mine has a great clean, the blue channel is great, and the lead channel is perfect for solos. Keep in mind I play classic rock to metal, a few Drop D stuff that's 1/2 step downtuned, but no 7 string stuff and nothing super down tuned.

Pete

 

[stratotone]

My XTC shit all over my roadster... roadster is long gone, XTC is here to stay.

pete

My Roadster can easily keep up, compare them almost on a daily basis.

I lost a lot of enjoyment with my Roadster after my rackmount pretty much pulverized it tone-wise. The roadster did have a much better clean tone, and was a hell of a lot more versatile... but for high gain mayhem the rackmount was better to my ears. I'm looking forward to seeing how the Uber does vs the Rackto - it's been awhile since I compared them. : )

All the above is just my opinion, as is yours. Whatever you like is what you should use!

Pete