High Gain amp shootout from Brasil

[SBlue]

Hi there!
Did a small amp shootout re-amping a friend song.
There are a few high gain amps. Some done with more than one of their channels.
Hope you guys like it!!

-Cameron modified Bassman 50
-Diezel VH-4 (channel 3 & 4)
-EVH 5153 100w (channel 2 & 3)
-Friedman Marsha (BE & HBE)
-Marshall 1979 2203 modded SIR #34
-Mesa Dual Rectifier Rev C (channel orange & red)
-Mesa Dual Rectifier Rev E (channel orange & red)
-Mesa Mark 2b
-Mesa Mark 2c+
-Soldano SLO 100w
-Steavens Poundcake 100 MK1 (channel 3 & 4)
-Wizard 1993 Metal 100w

https://soundcloud.com/tiago-castro-52/ ... p-shootout

 

[guitarplayer]

all I wanted to hear was the amp not the drums pounding

 

[SBlue]

most sounded so similar. I liked the Mesa 2c+ and the Wizard over all the others.

This c+ in particular is one of my favorite amps ever.

 

[SBlue]

all I wanted to hear was the amp not the drums pounding

It's hard to make everyone 100% happy.
But I'll let you know if I make one with just the amps and no background music.

 

[TX6Strings]

Yeah C+ definitely won for that style of music. The SLO did well but the bottom end was full or tight enough for the chugs. I'd like to hear this with more open chords and single note riffs.

 

[SBlue]

Yeah C+ definitely won for that style of music. The SLO did well but the bottom end was full or tight enough for the chugs. I'd like to hear this with more open chords and single note riffs.

The initial idea was to have guests bringing their amps to re-amp them too.
Besides, I had in mind at least three soudn files... a hard rock(more like 80's hard rock), a more traditional metal and a heavy, modern sounding one. This way we can cover more styles of music, playing and tone.
Problem was that it's insanely hard to convince people to use their songs around here.
I've even asked James Lugo and Ola Englund about the possibility of using some of the shootout files that James done, but didn't even got a reply from them.
There a very good classic rock band I'm producing right now here in Brasil that agreed to lend me one of their songs and to do a DI track for the guitars for the next shootout.
I hope by the next one I can also bring in some people with their own amps too, so we can make the list of amps grow a bit.
In the end, just being guitarded and passionate about gear.
I'll still get there!!!

 

[FourT6and2]

They all sound quite similar. That's not a bad thing. And I expected it. Because I've owned many many high-gain amps and I've found that they all really do sound basically the same. People put too much stock into amp shopping. In the end, high-gain is high gain. And a few tweaks of the EQ knobs and you can get any amp to sound good enough. Look at bands like Killswitch Engage. They've used pretty much every high-gain amp out there and they always manage to sound the same. The only amps I have that actually sound unique enough to pick out of a line up are Peters. Sure, every amp has it's unique voice—like Bogner being chewy, and SLO being grainy and clear at the same time, and Diezel being compressed and polished, et.—but in the end, they're still all very small, minute differences that you'd be hard pressed to pick out in a mix.

These days, I can plug into any high-gain amp and be happy.

 

[Fuego]

Sound about the same in this context. I like the evh

 

[slash57]

Thanks for the shootout! Lots of good tones! I'm actually surprised how good the evh sounds, I mean it's quite cheaper than a lot of the other amps.

 

[thefyn]

Great test. IMO the 2nd channel of the 5150 III was my fav. It was the channel I used to use when I had one.

 

[thefyn]

all I wanted to hear was the amp not the drums pounding

A true test is a band environment.

 

[Fuego]

all I wanted to hear was the amp not the drums pounding

A true test is a band environment.

Yup

 

[Fuego]

I realize now,much too late,this whole shootout is your effort to make the Deizel look less than unobtainiam. Which of course it is. Propaganda ,I tell you!!

 

[SBlue]

I realize now,much too late,this whole shootout is your effort to make the Deizel look less than unobtainiam. Which of course it is. Propaganda ,I tell you!!

Yep, Fuego... I could not understand the reason for the "douchery" and to doubt about the shootout on the other post.
Some kids just think they know it all, and that the rest of the world must bend over in front of them.
Nobody said anything bad about the Diezel or any other amps on this topic, but he still insisted to offend me, calling the shootout suspicious, and telling you to get "the real thing", as if you had never owned an expensive or good amp, and as if I had used something other than "The real thing" for this shootout.
I freaking love every single amp in this shootout. If I didn't, I would not have spent the money to buy it.
Specialy the VH-4! If you already have a few high gain amps, why would you buy a $4,500.00 amp if you don't love it?
Each one has it's particular, and they all contribute for a studio. Each one on it's own way.
And I agree with you about how good the 5153 is. Like it's predecessors, it's a monster and amazing sounding amp!!!
As all the other ones that made the shootout.
By the way, here is a picture of the "highly suspect" amps used, plus the rest of the collection.
But this is not a "real picture", it's a room simulator with a POD plugged into a projector, so you can get the amps image!
But "he" knows this better than me, you or anyone else!

 

[Fuego]

Wow! That's impressive

 

[SBlue]

Wow! That's impressive

Thanks Fuego!
That was a lot of hard work and savings in order to be able to get them.
But worth every minute I've worked for it!

 

[skoora]

That just saved me a ton of gas and wondering. Got to admit I'm not a recto guy per se but kind of dug the Rev E. The 2C+ and Wizard were good but mainly because they sounded a little different. The rest were all too similar. With mic techniques and guitar/pickup changes any one of those amps would work for pretty much any high gain scenario. I found in general on the open power chords ringing out they all lacked a good upper mid, top end roar or edge. All too safe sounding for me.

 

[SBlue]

That just saved me a ton of gas and wondering. Got to admit I'm not a recto guy per se but kind of dug the Rev E. The 2C+ and Wizard were good but mainly because they sounded a little different. The rest were all too similar. With mic techniques and guitar/pickup changes any one of those amps would work for pretty much any high gain scenario. I found in general on the open power chords ringing out they all lacked a good upper mid, top end roar or edge. All too safe sounding for me.

Yep... once you start maximizing the amps potential they start to move far apart from each other.
But since it was used the same guitar signal for re-amping(RR-5 with EMG 81/85), same cabinet(HJ 4x12 with V30s), same mic(sm57), same mic pre(BAE 1066D without EQ), no post EQ or compression, and you set the amps to sound best within the song style, they will sound very similar.
It would be good to have at least five different tracks(going from hard rock to death metal), using at least one more cabinet(with greenbacks) and to set the mic position and post EQ to better fit each one of them.
This way you could extract the best out of each one of them.
I'll find the time some day to do it.
Thanks for checking it out skoora!!!

 

[Fuego]

Wow! That's impressive

Thanks Fuego!
That was a lot of hard work and savings in order to be able to get them.
But worth every minute I've worked for it!

Very humble if you. But u don't have to be, you work for your money,spend it as u wish. I have a ton of gear myself and use it all on the road. Got a newer Vette, new WOZ pinball machine,and a Harley too. I don't have kids and my wife and I both work. Screw it, you only live once!

 

[SBlue]

Wow! That's impressive

Thanks Fuego!
That was a lot of hard work and savings in order to be able to get them.
But worth every minute I've worked for it!

Very humble if you. But u don't have to be, you work for your money,spend it as u wish. I have a ton of gear myself and use it all on the road. Got a newer Vette, new WOZ pinball machine,and a Harley too. I don't have kids and my wife and I both work. Screw it, you only live once!

That's exactly the way I think.
I've always wanted to have a studio that would excell at something, and decided that guitar would be the instrument of choice.
So, everybody who track their music here are very happy with the way the drums, bass and vocals sound... but they are amazed when the guitars are done!!!
Got to spend on what you like, or you'll just pass your life away.