Best Amp for the Buck

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Joseph777

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Hi
well here´s the deal:
I want to get an amp head with some cash that I´ll get soon
I want to spend 2.5K at much so here are the options.
a. Splawn Quick Rod
b. Soldano Hot Rod 100+
c. Engl Savage 120
d. Engl Powerball
e. Mesa Dual Recto or Roadster
f. Bogner Shiva
g. Fryette Deliverance
h. Fryette Sig X
i. Hughes & Kettner Duotone

The fact is that where I live there´s no place to try any of this amps so I plan to get the amp based on demos (mp3s, vids) and opinions owners and those who tried these amps before. :-)
From my research based on vids mainly
I really like the Splawn for its Modded Marshall tone also the soldano but I really like the extra punch and power maybe the soldano is my favourite for now.
The Engl savage sound Really massive too the powerball too. but a friend told me that considering the applications that I want it to use for the Savage is my best bet.
The Fryettes Sounds Cool but a bit dry for my tastes but this just based on the vids and mp3´s :-$
BTW I want to use it for live gigs mainly.
I play Many Genres stuff like Mana, Bad English (Relly like Neal Schon Tone Live :)); Bon Jovi, Dream Theater (Petrucci´s tone is also one of my favourites really dig his rythm and lead tone, that´s why I really liked the Soldano vids)
I want to have Good Cleans but mainly Nice OD tones POwerful Crunchs massive OD and Singing Lead and Nice Cutting through the mix.
The equipment that I Use as a reference:
- Gibson Les Paul Traditional
- Fender Strat American Deluxe
- Ibaneg RG 1570
- Music Man Petrucci BFR (coming)
- Anderson Cobra s
- Suhr Modern (coming)
- TC Electronics G Major want to get a G force and sell it.
- Eventide Timefactor
- Eventide Modfactor

Here are some vids that I liked :-)


:rock:


:thumbsup:


Love the Crunchness

:D






:rock:



So please your suggestions will be highly appreciated. ;)
 
Joseph777":12wcsy9f said:
Don´t know what happened with the Splawn vids

You just have to get rid of "&feature=related" within both links.
 
seriously? 2500 to spend?! I thought I was going to read that someone only has like 700 bucks....you could buy any head you want for $2500!!! Get a Blackface Fender and some pedals...
 
Id say the SigX. That thing can almost do anything if you spend some time with it. The roadster would be cool if you find a nice used one but theyre a little $$$ IMO new.
 
Get a ceriatone chupacabre, U will have enough left over to get a nice stack of cabs and some pedals!!!
 
$2500. Get a Friedman mod. Or a Mark V. Way too many amps to choose from at that level. That's a good thing though :thumbsup:
 
:) I give no advise ..... other than do not waste your time checking out gear with video clips. They really have very little to do with what a amp is like in person. Judging gear from videos is a joke at best in my view. I see it as effective as figuring out what kind of cheese the moon is made from photo's of the moon. Some would say a video is better than nothing .... I strongly disagree with this.

My favorite channel changing amp is the Sig X ..... but we all have different taste.
 
The only answer...................play them. Anything else is a shot in the dark.
 
If you've got that $$$ to spend, keep your eyes out or a nice used Diezel VH4 and don't look back.
 
Thanks for your suggestions Guys I really Appreciate it.
I had the chance to try a Splawn QR and I loved it
Also I´ve tried a Soldano HR100+ Amazing OD channel too :-)
 
I loved my Shiva A LOT. However it's true that you won't get a tight sound like metallica or even maiden style, it's too low mids and loose.


For the kind of versatility you seek, and in your budget, I'd go for an Egnater Mod50, get some good modules to start with (e.g. T/D and SL2) and take it from there.
 
For $2500 I would recommend getting a either a used CAA PT100 or used Bogner Ecstasy 101b.

Chuck
 
For Dream Theater sounds, I'd say look into a Mesa Mark V. That amp can do way, way more than that, it's very versatile. For hot rodded Marshall tone, go with the Soldano Hot rod+. A classsic and very good amp for hard rock. Make sure to get one with the depth mod. I didn't like it that much for high gain metal. Both brands have very good build quality and retain resale value. I had a powerball once, but I think that is not the one you want (looking at your choice of music). Fryette is a good option too (also very good build quality). I don;t have experience with other amps.
 
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