Lets talk about the 20th Anniversary Shiva

[nevusofota]

I don't change amps often. In fact, my 5153's have been my amps for the past 9 years. I know them extremely well but am looking for something new. The 20th Shiva seems like the perfect amp. I heard it get great Plexi tones from channel one and modern tight Diezel type high gain on channel two. Cleans sound amazing also. I've always dug Bogner clips, especially Rafael Moreira's tone. His Shiva hits just about all genres well.

Give me the good and the bad.

 

[Rdodson]

KT88s are incredible. Loved it, records very well. Ultimately more modern that what I was after.

 

[nevusofota]

KT88s are incredible. Loved it, records very well. Ultimately more modern that what I was after.

Did you feel channel 1 was voiced too modern also? From what I've heard it seems to be more vintage sounding, similar to he original Shiva. I like the mids of EL34's and am considering going this route but I like the versatility of going more modern if needed.

 

[Alex_S]

To my ears the modernes comes a lot from the KT88s. I switched to EL34 which I like better, but also lost a bit of that modernes. Still channel 2 sounds modern but the power tubes do make a difference. So it is good to think about what's more important to you.

Btw, I wouldn't call the ch1 plexi like. You have to get really loud for a small amount of overdrive (if your pickups aren't super Hot) and even then it has more of a fender clean than a plexi to me. Ch2 unboosted and without the modern switch etc. can be dialed in plexiish but more of an fat, warm, dark plexi kind. Very nice tone actually, but not 100% Marshall bite. It has its own (amazing) voice imho.

So after all I would recommend you to check one out before you buy. shivas are amazing amps and I love mine, but coming from an 5150 and reading your requirements it might not be your amp or exactly the "different thing" you might search. But for sure it is very different from the 5150...

 

[LP Freak]

I wouldn't really call it tight either.

 

[the4thlast1]

I have one , what a killer amp. As far as channel two goes for high gain tones it does have a "modern" vibe but it's a bit more of a modern rock type of tone than modern metal although it can cover that too , it would be great for Alice in Chains , it reminds me of that type of sound.

The 20th can also do tight metal riffing Its tight enough , I wouldnt call it a loose amp, experimenting with tubes will shape the lowend. I have also had the 5153 , was my main amp for a long time, the Shiva has a more raw and open in your face type of tone. So if you were to have both amps its not redundant they do things in a different way. I found the XTC to be much more like the 5153.

One more thing worth mentioning is I ended up liking KT77s and EL34s more in mine than KT88s.

 

[nevusofota]

Thanks for all the info. Since I'm keeping my 5153's and also occasionally will continue to use my 2204 and DSL, this amp may be the way to go in the case of variety.

Also, is switching to el34's as simple as swapping tubes and biasing?

 

[nevusofota]

To my ears the modernes comes a lot from the KT88s. I switched to EL34 which I like better, but also lost a bit of that modernes. Still channel 2 sounds modern but the power tubes do make a difference. So it is good to think about what's more important to you.

Btw, I wouldn't call the ch1 plexi like. You have to get really loud for a small amount of overdrive (if your pickups aren't super Hot) and even then it has more of a fender clean than a plexi to me. Ch2 unboosted and without the modern switch etc. can be dialed in plexiish but more of an fat, warm, dark plexi kind. Very nice tone actually, but not 100% Marshall bite. It has its own (amazing) voice imho.

So after all I would recommend you to check one out before you buy. shivas are amazing amps and I love mine, but coming from an 5150 and reading your requirements it might not be your amp or exactly the "different thing" you might search. But for sure it is very different from the 5150...

Would love to play one first but there isn't any in this area. Also, the potential will have to be in just two days.

 

[hatrick00]

i own the 20th shiva, what an amazing and versatile amp. the clean channel is very chimey and clean, pretty much good as it gets for me... the gain channel will go all out for sure. very raw and in your face gain like stated before. and no it is not the tightest amp but plenty tight to play rock-metal for me. tighter than a rectifier for sure. and the gain will get very high. another bonus is the headshell is smaller, and not a very heavy amp (like 40lbs). one of my favorite amps. still wanting to throw some new chinese 12ax7bs in there, as i am still running the pres that the previous owner was using (a random combo), but still sounds pretty killer. pretty much everyone says these amps like the chinese pres the best. as far as the power tubes go i think it just depends what you are going for and personal pref. i like the kt88s because it keeps the clean channel very clean with more headroom, and keeps the gain more on the modern side of things. i can imagine kt77s would be badass also, and im sure el34s would be cool too. found mine on evilbay with a roadcase for a crazy low price, just FYI keep your eyes open.

 

[nevusofota]

i own the 20th shiva, what an amazing and versatile amp. the clean channel is very chimey and clean, pretty much good as it gets for me... the gain channel will go all out for sure. very raw and in your face gain like stated before. and no it is not the tightest amp but plenty tight to play rock-metal for me. tighter than a rectifier for sure. and the gain will get very high. another bonus is the headshell is smaller, and not a very heavy amp (like 40lbs). one of my favorite amps. still wanting to throw some new chinese 12ax7bs in there, as i am still running the pres that the previous owner was using (a random combo), but still sounds pretty killer. pretty much everyone says these amps like the chinese pres the best. as far as the power tubes go i think it just depends what you are going for and personal pref. i like the kt88s because it keeps the clean channel very clean with more headroom, and keeps the gain more on the modern side of things. i can imagine kt77s would be badass also, and im sure el34s would be cool too. found mine on evilbay with a roadcase for a crazy low price, just FYI keep your eyes open.

Thanks for the input. Looks like I'll be doing a straight up trade fo my JP6 BFR.

 

[hatrick00]

i own the 20th shiva, what an amazing and versatile amp. the clean channel is very chimey and clean, pretty much good as it gets for me... the gain channel will go all out for sure. very raw and in your face gain like stated before. and no it is not the tightest amp but plenty tight to play rock-metal for me. tighter than a rectifier for sure. and the gain will get very high. another bonus is the headshell is smaller, and not a very heavy amp (like 40lbs). one of my favorite amps. still wanting to throw some new chinese 12ax7bs in there, as i am still running the pres that the previous owner was using (a random combo), but still sounds pretty killer. pretty much everyone says these amps like the chinese pres the best. as far as the power tubes go i think it just depends what you are going for and personal pref. i like the kt88s because it keeps the clean channel very clean with more headroom, and keeps the gain more on the modern side of things. i can imagine kt77s would be badass also, and im sure el34s would be cool too. found mine on evilbay with a roadcase for a crazy low price, just FYI keep your eyes open.

Thanks for the input. Looks like I'll be doing a straight up trade fo my JP6 BFR.

nice, i think you will be happy. i have flipped many amps, and this one is a keeper for me. plus not a whole bunch on the used market if you ever decide to sell.

 

[Little B]

The 20th Shiva and for that matter the 20th xtc amps have been mainstays in my collection while other boutiques have came and went.While Im a shredder at heart, I use the shiva for all my modern country gigs;it gets a killer modern crunch that cleans up extremely well.Love the tones from it-all channels..I wish the push buttons were switchable from the pedal though.I have the KT88 version.

 

[supersonic]

I've got a 20th Shiva with el 34s', it's a really sweet full tone, not as hard and heavy as the XTC (which I also own) but real quality tones for sure.

 

[hatrick00]

I wish the push buttons were switchable from the pedal though.

that would be sweet, those buttons can really change the tones it can make.

 

[nevusofota]

The 20th Shiva and for that matter the 20th xtc amps have been mainstays in my collection while other boutiques have came and went.While Im a shredder at heart, I use the shiva for all my modern country gigs;it gets a killer modern crunch that cleans up extremely well.Love the tones from it-all channels..I wish the push buttons were switchable from the pedal though.I have the KT88 version.

It's very similar to what I would be using the Shiva for. Can it get into "shred" territory with a boost?

 

[MrSticky]

Had 2 of the KT88 20th Anniversary Shivas. One head, one combo. Awesome amps- played hard rock with them & they really hit the spot. Could be strecthed out for other genres no doubt. Can't afford a large stable of amps so I moved on when the fickle bug hit but it's one of those amps I'd get again without hesitation when I can expand the stable. Zero disappointment amp for me.

 

[Little B]

The 20th Shiva and for that matter the 20th xtc amps have been mainstays in my collection while other boutiques have came and went.While Im a shredder at heart, I use the shiva for all my modern country gigs;it gets a killer modern crunch that cleans up extremely well.Love the tones from it-all channels..I wish the push buttons were switchable from the pedal though.I have the KT88 version.

It's very similar to what I would be using the Shiva for. Can it get into "shred" territory with a boost?

..If youre asking bout the shiva getting into shred territory w/ a boost pedal?..My gosh yes..even without any boost pedal.At least my KT88 version will..Just hit the gain push button and throwdown.I can get shred out it with my tele runnin fralin blues specials( and those aren't high gain pickups).I cant even imagine putting a boost pedal in front of a shiva..Maybe for some, but for me that's like boosting a Herbert or vh4 with a pedal$@^$&&^$$^?..not needed imo...Id say the only thing the shiva may not be able to handle is the cookie munster chugga chugga thing...don't forget the shiva has a killer reverb unit in it too. Biasing is also very important. I periodically have all my amps professionally biased.This is key to killer tone.Also to the o.p.- the Helios 100 is a barn burner too.

 

[hatrick00]

The 20th Shiva and for that matter the 20th xtc amps have been mainstays in my collection while other boutiques have came and went.While Im a shredder at heart, I use the shiva for all my modern country gigs;it gets a killer modern crunch that cleans up extremely well.Love the tones from it-all channels..I wish the push buttons were switchable from the pedal though.I have the KT88 version.

It's very similar to what I would be using the Shiva for. Can it get into "shred" territory with a boost?

..If youre asking bout the shiva getting into shred territory w/ a boost pedal?..My gosh yes..even without any boost pedal.At least my KT88 version will..Just hit the gain push button and throwdown.I can get shred out it with my tele runnin fralin blues specials( and those aren't high gain pickups).I cant even imagine putting a boost pedal in front of a shiva..Maybe for some, but for me that's like boosting a Herbert or vh4 with a pedal$@^$&&^$$^?..not needed imo...Id say the only thing the shiva may not be able to handle is the cookie munster chugga chugga thing...don't forget the shiva has a killer reverb unit in it too. Biasing is also very important. I periodically have all my amps professionally biased.This is key to killer tone.Also to the o.p.- the Helios 100 is a barn burner too.

+1... if i am going for really heavy gain i might be at like 70% and it still stays tight enough for me.. tons of gain.

 

[SavageRiffer]

You should know the 20th Shiva isn't exactly "tight" though I think it's capable of doing any musical style convincingly, including metal. Honestly though, I can't see a long-time 5153 player staying for a long ride on the Shiva train because of how the 5153 puts out low end and feels in the hands in comparison. You might consider the XTC 20th with 6L6's instead, and I can see that being a more fitting transition. By the way, I have heard much debate regarding EL34 and 6L6 tubes in the XTC 20th, but I'd advise 6L6 because it just sounds and feels better in my opinion. If you decide to go the Shiva route, I'd also advise KT88s. They give it a wider sweeping range across the EQ spectrum and have a 3D kind of character, and definitely the low end fits heavier styles too. That's my 2 cents.

 

[nevusofota]

You should know the 20th Shiva isn't exactly "tight" though I think it's capable of doing any musical style convincingly, including metal. Honestly though, I can't see a long-time 5153 player staying for a long ride on the Shiva train because of how the 5153 puts out low end and feels in the hands in comparison. You might consider the XTC 20th with 6L6's instead, and I can see that being a more fitting transition. By the way, I have heard much debate regarding EL34 and 6L6 tubes in the XTC 20th, but I'd advise 6L6 because it just sounds and feels better in my opinion. If you decide to go the Shiva route, I'd also advise KT88s. They give it a wider sweeping range across the EQ spectrum and have a 3D kind of character, and definitely the low end fits heavier styles too. That's my 2 cents.

I understand where youre coming from but I'm not your typical 5153 user. I rarely touch channel 3 as its too compressed. I keep tbe second channel's gain well below noon and boost with an Xotic EP. I keep my mids at about 3 o'clock. I like the less saturated more urgent tones with not much sag. I like to stand out in a band mix. The 20th Shiva I'm going for does have the KT88's. I want something tonally different.