Poll - Looking for an amp for 80's Metal / Rock

  • Thread starter Thread starter Slaytallica
  • Start date Start date

Which amp for 80's Metal

  • Splawn - QuickRod

    Votes: 27 84.4%

  • Marshall - Vintage Modern

    Votes: 5 15.6%
  • Total voters
    32
S

Slaytallica

Active member
Ok So lately I've been on a 80's Metal/Rock kick. I unpacked a box of all my old Video's Dokken, Kiss, Stryper, Ratt, Twisted Sister, Loudness ect. So I'm looking for an amp just for srtickly 80's Tone.

So I'm thinking Marshall Vintage Modern or Splawn Quick Rod. What do you guys think?
 
ADA MP-1 preamp and ADA microtube 200 !!! Long live George Lynch and Warren DeMartini!!!!
 
megadethian":b8d1c said:
ADA MP-1 preamp and ADA microtube 200 !!! Long live George Lynch and Warren DeMartini!!!!
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OK kids lets try to stick with the 2 amps I'm deciding on. :gethim: Alrighty then :doh: :confused: :rock:
 
I'll play the contrarian and suggest that you forego either of the two choices that you have listed and instead look into pre-'86 JCM 800's. 2204 if you want a really raw, compressed sound, or a 2203 for better headroom and bass response. Also consider getting a channelswitcher like a 2205. --To really get that 80's sound though, you need the correct speakers, as the amp alone won't exactly produce the sound your looking for. I would suggest a cab loaded with G12-65's. -- The reason why I say this is not only were those the amps that many people were using back then, but also because I live in an area with a shit selection of music stores, and haven't tried either of the two amps that you've mentioned, as nobody has had one in, to my knowlege.
 
I had a Splawn Competition. It was just to damn bright for my ears. The VM will need a boost but does kick ass IMHO.
 
I had a Splawn Competition. It was just to damn bright for my ears. The VM will need a boost but does kick ass IMHO.
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I agree. The other guitarist in my old band had a Splawn. Bright as the Sun. I had a jcm 800 head back in the late 80's early 90's and had to put a boost pedal in front of it. Hope this helps.................
 
No comparison at all, the Splawn QR kills the Vintage Modern for 80's rock.

Anyone who says the Splawn is too bright is setting the controls with their eyes instead of their ears. Turn the Treble OFF on 1st Gear and back the mids down around 11 o'clock and use the Presence for highs. The amp will not be overly bright. Also, avoid V30's with Splawns.
 
Agree that the VM is not targeted towards the 80's LA sound. The Splawn is more appropriate. But if you want to stay with Marshall, get a JVM and a noise gate. It literaly kicks the kid snot out of almost any stock amp for the 80's tone - no pedals needed.
 
i haven't tried the QR, but i wouldn't pick a VM for 80's rock... in my opinion, anyway. :thumbsup:
 
I would go for a JCM800 if I were you, QuickRods, to me, sound way too compressed and distorted, When I think of 80's tone I think of a hot Plexi, and quickrods to me sound way over distorted and saturated for that. They dont breathe, they are just %100 all the time. Nothing is more badass then pluging in to a Marshall full stack and cranking it up beyond belief.
 
dylannelson":fe4de said:
I would go for a JCM800 if I were you, QuickRods, to me, sound way too compressed and distorted, When I think of 80's tone I think of a hot Plexi, and quickrods to me sound way over distorted and saturated for that. They dont breathe, they are just %100 all the time. Nothing is more badass then pluging in to a Marshall full stack and cranking it up beyond belief.
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I gotta wonder if you've ever played a Quick Rod, because your description of the QR tone is the exact opposite of what mine sounds like.

The gain control on my Quick Rod can take Gear 1 from a clean plexi Marshall sound to an 80's metal sound, the gain control is useful 100% of the way through. Try that with a JVM where the gain control stops being useful after about 10 o'clock and it's all overdistorted after that.

The Gear 1 can do plexi-ish to "hot plexi" all day long and never get compressed. Gear 1 / OD1 stays articulate and open even with the gain wide open. I run Gear 1 OD 1 with the gain between 10-12 o'clock with a PRS and it's pure 80's tone on the lesser distorted end of the 80's.

If you want the more distorted 80's stuff you'll need to switch over to Gear 2 or Gear 3.

Over distorted is the one thing I've never heard a Quick Rod called, most people think it doesn't have enough "br3w7alz gain" compared to their Marshall JVM or Diezel or Engl or whatever.

I would advise the OP to try a Quick Rod if possible, I can't think of any amplifier made that is more suited to the 80's rock/metal thing than a Quick Rod.
 
Of the 2 you are considering the Quickrod would be my choice.

However I think a marshall silver jubilee or boosted JCM800 would also be perfect. I have no trouble getting 80's metal sounds out of my Marshall 2553 Silver Jubilee, too bad the prices have gone higher than they should have though, and I love my 2553....
 
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