Most Underrated Amp you've played?

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blackie13 said:
Randall T2 + V2
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I’ve owned briefly a T2 before returning it to my GC and have tried the V2 a few times. I thought they sounded good until AB’ing them with some of my good full tube high gain amps and in comparison they honestly came off a lot worse. For that price I’d recommend instead an old RG100ES, Mesa Caliber or Sovtek MIG
 
Meeotch said:
My opinion is that most people who find the Marks unappealing are running the 240hz too high. I've always been surprised by the classic "V" as it sounds too bloated to me.
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Agreed. I tend to keep that slider low too and have the upper mid one in the 2000’s high to give cut and grind to the sound
 
braintheory said:
Agreed. I tend to keep that slider low too and have the upper mid one in the 2000’s high to give cut and grind to the sound
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Yes, exactly, if your 750 slider is low then most of your cut has to come from that 2200 slider. Those are the upper mids that stand out in a mix. Things can get muddy if the 240 slider is too high too, I keep it kinda neutral, right on the middle line, a bit below sometimes depending on the room and guitar.
 
anomaly said:
Yes, exactly, if your 750 slider is low then most of your cut has to come from that 2200 slider. Those are the upper mids that stand out in a mix. Things can get muddy if the 240 slider is too high too, I keep it kinda neutral, right on the middle line, a bit below sometimes, depending on the room and guitar.
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I keep the 240 slider below the middle, sometimes as low as 25%, but usually I wanna say around 35-40% and the 2200 I think I had around 3/4 of the way up (I like my upper mids). I have the deep pulled out, bass usually 2-2.5/10, mid knob at 7/10 and I use beefy sounding guitars and speakers, so no shortage of low mids for me unless of course I AB it next to my Rev F/C Triple Rec, but all my amps lack low mids compared to that beast. Might be my fattest sounding amp
 
Meeotch said:
My opinion is that most people who find the Marks unappealing are running the 240hz too high. I've always been surprised by the classic "V" as it sounds too bloated to me.
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I appreciate the spirit in which you have proffered the advice, but I can't help but be amused that every time I admit i don't get along with Boogies on a gear forum, 3000 boogie users jump in to explain that I don't know how the EQ works, and I just didn't dial in (any of the many boogie amps I've owned) correctly, or had the wrong revisions of every boogie I've ever tried ??

"It's a different 240hz bro, come on just try it, that's what gave you a case of the honks

You had the wrong strain of Mesa Boogie bro

You needed to try the Recto rev Indica, not that Mark IV sativa, that's what gave you anxiety and loose low end

Please bro there are different strains/revisions"
 
The Peavey VTM would have been my answer 5 years ago when they were still going for $200ish on the used market. I regret selling my VTM-60.

The Fender M-80 head... the first amp I had with gig-worthy volume... was actually not bad as I remember. Tight, solid state metal tones in there. I think that amp could have been great for death metal or something. Unfortunately, at the time, I was more into Weezer and Nirvana.

My next amp was a JCM900 4501. Honestly... I think the High Gain Dual Reverb 900s get a bad knock but they're good amps if you use them in the right context and know how to dial them in. I enjoyed mine plenty but ended up selling it to buy a Lee Jackson XLS-500... which was another great budget amp (for the time).

Carvin X100B wasn't bad. I had the grey carpet EL34 version that people say is the "bad" one.

I actually used to use a Metal Zone with the gain all the way down as a boost on the X100B clean channel and it ROARED. The Metal Zone with gain at 0 is still pretty high gain, it turns out.


My buddy used to have a Classic 30. Great, GREAT amp!

The Crate Vintage Club 50 was also not a bad amp as I recall, very much in the same vein as the Classic 30, but the Crate was way less reliable.

Speaking of Crate, they had this amp, the G40CXL that my cousin had that I really liked. To my 15 year old ears, the onboard chorus felt like instant Alice in Chains (thinking of their clean tones, like Down in a Hole), and the lead channel was really percussive and saturated. Coupled with the chorus, that amp did passable Alice in Chains Dirt style tones and Pink Floyd Wall tones depending on the guitar. Of course, the amp being 15+ years old at the time, and being a Crate... it fried pretty soon after it ended up in my hands. My cousin was not upset lol.
 
Rivera Knucklehead
Mesa Stiletto
Line 6 Spider Valve

Really, the Line 6 Spider series was all hot garbage, but the Bogner designed circuits were decent. For $300-$400, you won't find a better practice amp for bedroom volumes.
 
DanTravis62 said:
I appreciate the spirit in which you have proffered the advice, but I can't help but be amused that every time I admit i don't get along with Boogies on a gear forum, 3000 boogie users jump in to explain that I don't know how the EQ works, and I just didn't dial in (any of the many boogie amps I've owned) correctly, or had the wrong revisions of every boogie I've ever tried ??

"It's a different 240hz bro, come on just try it, that's what gave you a case of the honks

You had the wrong strain of Mesa Boogie bro

You needed to try the Recto rev Indica, not that Mark IV sativa, that's what gave you anxiety and loose low end

Please bro there are different strains/revisions"
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The Boogie Mark and Recto amps are very specific, unique flavors. I’ve had plenty of friends come over who just didn’t gel with any of mine when they tried them (and I had them dialed in well, right speakers, etc), yet some would love my ccv, Wizard or Marshall stuff. So yeah maybe they’re just not the flavors for you, but the comments about the right revisions and settings are still valid and can possibly make or break the Boogie experiences. IMO the Boogies you mentioned having aren’t the best versions, but I think probably still good enough to know whether they’re for you or not. Might still wanna try a iic+ or iii++ before fully crossing them off your list, although it’s also very possible your Larry would smoke them all anyway. That’s one amp I still haven’t tried yet
 
DanTravis62 said:
I appreciate the spirit in which you have proffered the advice, but I can't help but be amused that every time I admit i don't get along with Boogies on a gear forum, 3000 boogie users jump in to explain that I don't know how the EQ works, and I just didn't dial in (any of the many boogie amps I've owned) correctly, or had the wrong revisions of every boogie I've ever tried ??

"It's a different 240hz bro, come on just try it, that's what gave you a case of the honks

You had the wrong strain of Mesa Boogie bro

You needed to try the Recto rev Indica, not that Mark IV sativa, that's what gave you anxiety and loose low end

Please bro there are different strains/revisions"
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Well they aren't Marshall's, so if that kinda guitar tone is what you like then a Boogie Mark series is not for you.

BTW the different revisions and stripes do have different sounds, not huge differences but differences that can make or break a tone for you.
 
anomaly said:
Agree 100%, those amps kill, and not just for the Dimebag tone, you can get a good modded marshall type of tone out of one with a overdrive set as a boost.
Find the Alice In Chains "we die young" demo, that's a boosted rg80es. Sounds great, even meaner sounding than the album version IMO.

Other underrated amps are the Peavey VTM's, fricken loud amps, but great sounding, also the Mesa/Boogie .50 caliber +, not so powerful but they have great tone. Think COC "deliverance", that was recorded with a .50 caliber +, like "albatross" and "clean my wounds" both .50 cal + straight in with a LP and SG.
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I honestly have thought this many times from the rg series.
 
DanTravis62 said:
I appreciate the spirit in which you have proffered the advice, but I can't help but be amused that every time I admit i don't get along with Boogies on a gear forum, 3000 boogie users jump in to explain that I don't know how the EQ works, and I just didn't dial in (any of the many boogie amps I've owned) correctly, or had the wrong revisions of every boogie I've ever tried ??

"It's a different 240hz bro, come on just try it, that's what gave you a case of the honks

You had the wrong strain of Mesa Boogie bro

You needed to try the Recto rev Indica, not that Mark IV sativa, that's what gave you anxiety and loose low end

Please bro there are different strains/revisions"
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Haha I get it, trying to talk you into it. But, I felt almost exactly like you with Mesas...I mean IDENTICAL until I gave a G Triple a chance. It was HUGE. And way tighter with no flub. Of course I returned it for another Marshall haha. Then I tried a Mark III...yuck sterile city...tried another stripe, red, same result. About to give up on them then I found a 2C combo for cheap..figured I'd make it a + and flip it for a nice profit. Man, that amp was UNREAL as a 2C...I was sold on the differences then between some Mesas. Like night and day. I have a Triple F that sounds like the BEST modded Marshall I've owned, with huge low end. Sounds so good I sold the Cameron Jose which was a beast...but the Triple honestly made the Cameron sound almost flat, and the Cam was maybe the best one I've owned out of 7.
All I'm saying is, if you ever get a chance to try a 2C/C+ or an earlier rev Recto you might like them much more than your previous experiences. They probably won't chase your Larry away but they might surprise you.
 
anomaly said:
Really, it's suprising that they would choose a Bassman over a Bogner modifier Marshall for rhythm tones, but it sounds good. I knew they used Greenbacks, it sure sounds like it. I thought I read an interview with Cantrell where he stated that Facelift was just the modified Marshall, but I guess i'm wrong??
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I was surprised too; there was a thread a few yrs ago with Ronnie Champagne who was the engineer on Facelift and explained what was used. He mentioned using both the Fender and Bog Marshall for the rhythm parts...if you've ever played a boosted Bassman you can tell the low mid growl they have, but they can sound bloated. But, Jack(New World Man here) messaged Mr C about this debate and confirmed that most of the rhythm was the Fender, with some of the 'Snorkler' Bogner Marshall mixed in. But mostly Fender(boosted with a Chandler Tube Driver) through GBs.
 
braintheory said:
The Boogie Mark and Recto amps are very specific, unique flavors. I’ve had plenty of friends come over who just didn’t gel with any of mine when they tried them (and I had them dialed in well, right speakers, etc), yet some would love my ccv, Wizard or Marshall stuff. So yeah maybe they’re just not the flavors for you, but the comments about the right revisions and settings are still valid and can possibly make or break the Boogie experiences. IMO the Boogies you mentioned having aren’t the best versions, but I think probably still good enough to know whether they’re for you or not. Might still wanna try a iic+ or iii++ before fully crossing them off your list, although it’s also very possible your Larry would smoke them all anyway. That’s one amp I still haven’t tried yet
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anomaly said:
Well they aren't Marshall's, so if that kinda guitar tone is what you like then a Boogie Mark series is not for you.

BTW the different revisions and stripes do have different sounds, not huge differences but differences that can make or break a tone for you.
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Racerxrated said:
Haha I get it, trying to talk you into it. But, I felt almost exactly like you with Mesas...I mean IDENTICAL until I gave a G Triple a chance. It was HUGE. And way tighter with no flub. Of course I returned it for another Marshall haha. Then I tried a Mark III...yuck sterile city...tried another stripe, red, same result. About to give up on them then I found a 2C combo for cheap..figured I'd make it a + and flip it for a nice profit. Man, that amp was UNREAL as a 2C...I was sold on the differences then between some Mesas. Like night and day. I have a Triple F that sounds like the BEST modded Marshall I've owned, with huge low end. Sounds so good I sold the Cameron Jose which was a beast...but the Triple honestly made the Cameron sound almost flat, and the Cam was maybe the best one I've owned out of 7.
All I'm saying is, if you ever get a chance to try a 2C/C+ or an earlier rev Recto you might like them much more than your previous experiences. They probably won't chase your Larry away but they might surprise you.
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I know where you guys are coming from, I just think it's funny that it always brings on the same reaction.

I (now) KNOW I am just not a boogie guy, and that boogies just aren't for me in general - even if I haven't owned a "holy grail" 2c++++lmnop revision cerulean. Other players can make them sound awesome - it just isn't for me, like at ALL.

And no, I don't think anything on earth will chase my Larry away - that thing feels like it was designed specifically for my (mostly heavy rhythm) needs as a guitar player, and feels like an actual extension of the instrument.

I just had to accept that boogies weren't designed with my idiosyncrasies in mind.

Although, the badlander does look tempting.
 
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Blackstar Studio10 6L6.
Insane.
I'll take on John Mayer & his Two Rocks anytime he so chooses.
The winner gets to keep his Dumbles.
No matter what, he ain't getting my Blackstar though man.
 
Smashedguitarist said:
I am honestly just happy that there is such a thing as severe as the boogie cult following. Because I hate memes and this one is great
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Although, my desert Island amp is my 72 Tremolo. And, our Boogie fandom doesn't approach the 'Friedman Fanbois' or the weird midz Splawners.......
 
Racerxrated said:
Randall RG 100/80es. For the price (or what they used to cost) really nice tone.
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First thing I thought of.
I played mine for like 3 weeks straight and go so use to the fast tracking that when I pulled out a tube amp my playing sucked for a day or two. I think the RG80 and 100 can sound as good as any $3-4k amp made today.
 
psychodave said:
First thing I thought of.
I played mine for like 3 weeks straight and go so use to the fast tracking that when I pulled out a tube amp my playing sucked for a day or two. I think the RG80 and 100 can sound as good as any $3-4k amp made today.
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It's that SS 'easy to play' feel/tracking..that's one advantage to owning a SS amp or AXE/Kemper modeler..things aren't as hard as you think. Lol
 
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