Best amp for cleans and older stuff on a budget?

[Tawlks]

Laney Gh50L? TT100h? Marshall DSL?

I'm looking at a head format, my 5150 II isn't cutting it for every style I play though I love it still for hard rock and metal, and bluesy tones actually.

I'm kinda on a budget and I won't be buying straight away. I'm playing so much clean stuff like jazz and older rock aswell as modern hard rock with clean interludes like Alter Bridge. Since buying a 5150 I'm playing LESS metal.

Any suggestions would be apreciated. Or any suggestions to get the most of my amp for my needs would be great.

 

[Tawlks]

Bump.

 

[glpg80]

ive said this a few times, and im guessing a few people just want me to STFU - but i cant get over the laney GH100TI model i played through.

yes its a single channel - but the cleans were very silky and great for classical/fusion/rock/blues.

get a switchable volume pedal if you need to turn it into a 2 channel (not the footpedal kind) if you cant buy one they are easy to make, easier than a guitar to wire actually.

i played one back to back with my 5150 II and it was a great match, its actually the head i am saving for for cleans and diversity - it responds great with the volume knob of your guitar - a very underrated amplifier for the area you mention.

and yes -the 5150 does blues really well lol, i use mine every other friday with blues jams and it has no problem at all with it - but the laney i just cant shake off of my mind when i played one side by side.

overall i still liked the 5150 II, so they dont sound as good as they do for the higher gain stuff, but it did sound great.

 

[Tawlks]

ive said this a few times, and im guessing a few people just want me to STFU - but i cant get over the laney GH100TI model i played through.

yes its a single channel - but the cleans were very silky and great for classical/fusion/rock/blues.

get a switchable volume pedal if you need to turn it into a 2 channel (not the footpedal kind) if you cant buy one they are easy to make, easier than a guitar to wire actually.

i played one back to back with my 5150 II and it was a great match, its actually the head i am saving for for cleans and diversity - it responds great with the volume knob of your guitar - a very underrated amplifier for the area you mention.

and yes -the 5150 does blues really well lol, i use mine every other friday with blues jams and it has no problem at all with it - but the laney i just cant shake off of my mind when i played one side by side.

overall i still liked the 5150 II, so they dont sound as good as they do for the higher gain stuff, but it did sound great.

Hmm, yeah. I actually really like it for blues, there's some videos on my facebook of me jamming to backing tracks at a private party I played at, I really liked the tones I got out of that, I did pink floyd and some 80s hard rock kinda tones, all pretty much with the volume knob.

It's important for me to get alot out of my guitar's volume knob so I'm glad you mentioned that. I know Opeth use the GH50Ls and I quite like their tones. From your description it was kinda what I imagined from the amp I'm looking for, i just don't know what it is yet.

It does sound really cool, how much do they go for used? (I'm in the UK by the way) My only problem with it really is that it's a 1 channel amp.... I'd really like to find a stompbox for volume (Not an EQ or a clean boost, just a volume pedal) I'm not really a fan of the foot pedal format. So thanks for the suggestion, if it's easy to do I might make one myself. I guess I could have it with a reasonable gain setting, roll back the volume on the guitar for cleans and boost for solos/rock rhythms.

I gotta ask the really annoying question.... Can it do Bro00tz? Oh don't worry about you raving about it being annoying, I rave about my 5150 II all the time. Thanks alot for the advice.

 

[sg guy]

PEAVEY VTM,...one of the true sleeper amps of all time!!!,..and ya can get them for dirt cheap!...like $300!!!....or a peavey ultra!!!,..same price range!!!,...awesome amps,..try it before ya scuf it

 

[glassjaw7]

Egnater Renegade. Killer clean and drive sounds. Probably have to boost to get all the gain of Alter Bridge or similar, but the tone from this thing is phenomenal considering the price. Lots of switches to shape your tone also. A classic rock machine and able to nail some of the newer stuff too.

Not sure how much "on a budget" means, so if a G is too much, there are lots of great amps you could buy used for much less.
Boogie Mark III-These things are a steal! Great used prices.

Carvin MTS- for a couple hundred bucks (+plus the price of some better tubes) you get a great clean channel, bell like with tons of headroom and GREAT tube driven reverb. And the dirty channel can actually get quite aggressive with huge low end and a great modern rock/alternative metal sound.

 

[Tawlks]

PEAVEY VTM,...one of the true sleeper amps of all time!!!,..and ya can get them for dirt cheap!...like $300!!!....or a peavey ultra!!!,..same price range!!!,...awesome amps,..try it before ya scuf it

I was actually seriously considering picking up an Ultra Plus as a backup/2nd amp to my 5150 II. I love Peavey's ballsyness and their hardcore build quality I can trust, I've never played an Ultra series but they sound sick in sound clips.

I think they're alot harder to find in England though.

 

[sg guy]

sorry about that,..i didnt notice you were across the pond,...if ya dont mind me asking,..what did ya pay for the 5150 11...(just give me an idea on what the mark up is for peaveys)

 

[Sixtonoize]

PEAVEY VTM,...one of the true sleeper amps of all time!!!,..and ya can get them for dirt cheap!...like $300!!!....or a peavey ultra!!!,..same price range!!!,...awesome amps,..try it before ya scuf it

Lots of truth right here.

Also, the Peavey Classic 50 head is one of the top amps (IMO) at any price.
The heads are a little hard to find, but if you can get one, DO IT.

 

[glpg80]

yeah the ultra 120+ is a great second amplifier, it would cover more of the mesa type clean/lead area.

i still think the laney had the 120+ beat though, the one that i jammed through at least. i didnt play through a 120+ head, i played through a 120+ combo.

brutal?

it can do high gain black sabbath type material because it is indeed tony iommi's signature model - so around that area. it definately does better at silky volume rolled back stuff. i like it alot better than the GH50L/100L models paul gilbert played through in Mr Big and his solo albums up until around 2005.

alot of the cameras on youtube dont pick up the silky character im talking about, but its one hell of an experience, and since laney is based in the UK im betting you can find one used at much better price than i can in the US

 

[grunge782]

I went through the same thing. The egnater renegade is a good call and there are some other good ones like Frenzel and possibly the bugera v55

I personally went with a Traynor YCS50 and have been very happy. You can get one for around 500 used, and around 650 new from proaudiostar if you email/call them to take down the price a bit. Real Accutronics reverb and I think the clean channel is pretty damn good. It actually can get fendery and if you hit the british switch it gets some excellent vintage dirt. The drive channel is pretty sweet too, somewhat of a more grainy Marshall. You can get some nice leads and chords out of it. If you use the built in boost it can also get pretty heavy too.

Other than that maybe an old carvin x100b would do you well, though some people don't like the overdrive.

Edit: Just read you are in the UK, I would recommend a laney too. I had a GH100l and its clean channel was great and big sounding. Drive sounds real good but it does need to be cranked.

 

[Tawlks]

I went through the same thing. The egnater renegade is a good call and there are some other good ones like Frenzel and possibly the bugera v55

I personally went with a Traynor YCS50 and have been very happy. You can get one for around 500 used, and around 650 new from proaudiostar if you email/call them to take down the price a bit. Real Accutronics reverb and I think the clean channel is pretty damn good. It actually can get fendery and if you hit the british switch it gets some excellent vintage dirt. The drive channel is pretty sweet too, somewhat of a more grainy Marshall. You can get some nice leads and chords out of it. If you use the built in boost it can also get pretty heavy too.

Other than that maybe an old carvin x100b would do you well, though some people don't like the overdrive.

Edit: Just read you are in the UK, I would recommend a laney too. I had a GH100l and its clean channel was great and big sounding. Drive sounds real good but it does need to be cranked.

Acutally.. an ex HCAF guy, FastRedPonyCar did a clip with an Engater that I LOVE. I've listened to it recreationally.


http://www.netmusicians.org/?search=fastredponycar <--- Fourth one down 'Renegade BlueBacking.. ' How does the Laney TI compare to that kinda tone for leads? I love the lead tones, I'd also like quite a chunky rhythm if possible. I'm not sure if I'd dig having to crank an amp to be honest. I'm a 5150 guy, sounds good at 1 haha. Can I not get that kinda tone with preamp dist?


Yeah the Tony Iomi head is £449 new here at DV247.

 

[Tawlks]

yeah the ultra 120+ is a great second amplifier, it would cover more of the mesa type clean/lead area.

i still think the laney had the 120+ beat though, the one that i jammed through at least. i didnt play through a 120+ head, i played through a 120+ combo.

brutal?

it can do high gain black sabbath type material because it is indeed tony iommi's signature model - so around that area. it definately does better at silky volume rolled back stuff. i like it alot better than the GH50L/100L models paul gilbert played through in Mr Big and his solo albums up until around 2005.

alot of the cameras on youtube dont pick up the silky character im talking about, but its one hell of an experience, and since laney is based in the UK im betting you can find one used at much better price than i can in the US

I'm not really looking for br00tz but I thought I'd ask, how does it take pedals though? I was hoping to get an old thrashy tone boosted like a Marshall. I'm watching Youtube clips and I do like it.

Hmm, I've never got to play a Mesa so I'm not so sure about what you mean by that, though I'd like to pick up another Peavey head, I know the Ultra/Ultra plus is more versetile? and I'ts more based on preamp distortion which I'd probably prefer. I like cranked amps but It's not really practical for me. Would I have to crank the laneys to get the great tones?

 

[glpg80]

the laney wouldnt NEED to be cranked to get high gain tones like an old marshall persay, but the laney would need to be cranked to get it to where it sounds great. the one i played was definately loud as hell and i didnt drop the volume on the amplifier lower than 5 or 6 the entire time i had it on, so i cant really say to be honest how the low volume noodling and preamp tone itself is, but cranked it was an experience i will never forget.

never played a mesa?

TBH you arent missing anything

im just joking, mesa jokes aside i think the ultra 120+ could do heavier preamp-type tones pretty great. but the only reason i want a TI model is for volume knob control and that silky character im talking about. anything more than that and you would be better off looking at a VH100R or the cheaper ultra 120+ which for the price is the best bang for the buck in this whole topic

 

[grunge782]

I went through the same thing. The egnater renegade is a good call and there are some other good ones like Frenzel and possibly the bugera v55

I personally went with a Traynor YCS50 and have been very happy. You can get one for around 500 used, and around 650 new from proaudiostar if you email/call them to take down the price a bit. Real Accutronics reverb and I think the clean channel is pretty damn good. It actually can get fendery and if you hit the british switch it gets some excellent vintage dirt. The drive channel is pretty sweet too, somewhat of a more grainy Marshall. You can get some nice leads and chords out of it. If you use the built in boost it can also get pretty heavy too.

Other than that maybe an old carvin x100b would do you well, though some people don't like the overdrive.

Edit: Just read you are in the UK, I would recommend a laney too. I had a GH100l and its clean channel was great and big sounding. Drive sounds real good but it does need to be cranked.

Acutally.. an ex HCAF guy, FastRedPonyCar did a clip with an Engater that I LOVE. I've listened to it recreationally.


http://www.netmusicians.org/?search=fastredponycar <--- Fourth one down 'Renegade BlueBacking.. ' How does the Laney TI compare to that kinda tone for leads? I love the lead tones, I'd also like quite a chunky rhythm if possible. I'm not sure if I'd dig having to crank an amp to be honest. I'm a 5150 guy, sounds good at 1 haha. Can I not get that kinda tone with preamp dist?


Yeah the Tony Iomi head is £449 new here at DV247.

Yeah FRPC does a bunch of great demoes. He makes everything sound great

My suggestion then would to be to go to a guitar shop and try out these different amps. Honestly the GH50, GH100 and VH100r are all good and should be able to get close that renegade clip with some tweaking. Even give the bugera a shot, I think they have them over there for a decent price too.

In terms of volume I'm not sure what you did but the 5150 I don't think sounded good at low volumes Therefore I'm not sure how you would perceive the laney at low volumes as compared to me.