the most "compressed" high gain tube head?

[sebby123]

Maybe a cheaper suggestion, but have you tried upgrading your pickups too? Or maybe just your bridge one? To something like a high output Bareknuckle. Nailbomb, Painkiller, Ceramic Warpig etc etc. Might help you in that quest for 'that' tone!

+100000000000000

 

[jessexxx]

I wanna start by thanking everyone for the comments and suggestions,..keep um comming!!,..i was actualy hesitant to post this for fear of the typical on-line bitch slapping that all to often happens on any type of forum,..thanx again!

so it appears the herbert is a must try for me,..after making several calls i have 2 lined up,..one is new,..one is used,..

-RAYNEMAN- since you own both the uber & herbie,.i have a couple questions for ya,..
#1-which has the better bottom end in your opinion (bass u can feel, tight and clear)
#2-better effects loop?
#3-which has the better note seperation with alot of gain?

the uber has this amazing dynamic quality to it's tone,...does the herbert have "it" as well?
which one would u pick if ya could only have one?

-SMDB-does the vh-4 have a "herbert-esque" channel?

-jb-mako dorado-well i have enjoyed the clips i have seen,..not one of the 6 music stores i am going to has one thou.

-FEARHK13-it wouldnt hurt my feelings at all to go back to a marshall...or something marshall-esque! (cameron,jose, or anything splawn related)...i tried out a 900 last week,..and i think that amp has some potantial!..i wonder what some sort of bass boost mode would do to it?

-GLPG80-yes,.i have tried the jsx,..and i will say it's a step in the right direction...i may do a tube change on my xxx to el34's or kt88's,..i am just looking for a different voice right now.

-JAPETUS-the last solid state i tried was a mode 4,..the tone had too many sharp edges for me,..but i am open to suggestions!

-D-ROCK-the engl's are a must try on my journey!

-MRP5150-funny thing is,.."too compressed" is a user complaint on the reviews of the powerball,..and thats what actualy drew me to it!..ha!

-MAILMAN1971-yes,..framus cobra is something i have lined up!,..whats the difference between the cobra and dragon?..i keep getting conflicting description of the 2.

-FIXXER-If i go back to a mesa it will definatley be a mark series amp.

-SEBBY-from all the mesa mark series amps i have tried,..they all had that same core tone to them,..i am sitting here trying to rember if i have played a mark iv,.i am sure i have,..but it's not jumping out at me,...i have seen the posts of people who have been disapointed in the mark v,..when i actualy realy liked it!,..i dialed in a tone realy fast!!,..instantly sounded like iommi on the sabbotage album where he used mesa's,.,....theres a mark iv locally,..i will try it out..it's quite possible i was drunk or something.

-ADAMB-right now i have a dimarzio drop sonic in the bridge position and the stock gibson in the neck position of my sg,...everytime i get a new amp i fill in the holes of the tone as i see fit,..you know the deal,..depends on where my sound seems to be lacking i will throw something at it,..be it pick ups,..speakers, cabinet,..tubes,...effects,..etc.

thanx again

 

[glpg80]

seems like you understand the tone in whole, from the speaker cabinet to your pickup. that will help you drastically.

as for the herbert, if it were me, i would own a herbert before a cameron anyday

i can understand wanting something different from the peavey line of amplifiers. the herbert is like an online bitch slap compared to anything peavey has to offer, so i think you know which amplifiers stand out the most from this forum recommendation. go gett'em tiger

 

[sebby123]

The thing about Mark IV's is there not like another amp you have to dial them in very differently, If your going to try one out, PM me before hand and ill send you some settings to try as going in there blind you will fer shure not like it, there very sensitive amps, I think the best representation of the mark series tone is the LTE CD's , Anywas From every review ive heard from the Mark V people like it who havent played prevouis mark series amps, And those who come from previous mark series amps well it lacked the whole reason you buy a mark the feel and tone of the lead channel also the senstive knobs, There not easy to dial in but once you get it dialed in you will love it

Also as AdamB reccomended buy some ceramic bareknuckle's and you will have that compressed tight low end!
Cold sweats, Painkillers, Mircale man or C-bomb.

 

[IHateRap]

Herbert

 

[jabps]

My experience with everything I've owned or used alot in terms of compression, gain and low end. Quickie...

Affordable:

JSX. With 6L6's it's a really nice amp for the money. Very Compressed. Good tight lows with the 6L6's. Great Master Volume amp for the home or bedroom. Good for live use as well. I may buy another just to have around the house. I actually like the JSX better than the XXX. Obviously it's modeled on the XXX but I liked it alot more. Amp is much more dynamic IMO to the XXX.

Expensive to Boutique:

Engl Powerball. Really nice high gain, compressed sounding amp. Lots of low end, very tight. Qiality of the gain is good as well. Good features. Not cheap but not out of the ballpark either for what you get. Good all around rock-to-metal amp. Much like the JSX, very easy to play.

Framus Cobra. Compressed. More low end that anybody needs. Not the most dynamic amp I've every owned. Almost stiff sounding but I can see why alot of metal players like this amp. Didn't like the gain as much as the Powerball or JSX but it's got alot of it. But compression and low end...has tons.

Marshall JVM. Love it. Has more gain that anybody would ever need. Red channel is very compressed to my ears and feel I mainly stick with the OD1 Orange. Which is not as compressed as for live use I like a more open sounding amp. Regardless this amp has stupid levels of gain. Lacks low end but for live use...I've gotten some of the best tone ever in all my years of playing live. Again lacks the low end girth of say the Engl but hey add an eq. I can't recommend this amp enough but that's just me.

EVHIII: Really suprising amp. Better to me than the 5150's. Much more refined sounding. Lots of gain, compression and low end. I've used the amp some in the studio and got great results through it's own cab. My friend owns one so I jam on it all the time. I like the clean and channel 3 the most. Lots of gain there. Very punchy sounding amp as well. Wouldn't mind owning one for sure. My band and his have shared the stage many times and We're always diggin on each others tone. Really good amp for home use as well.

Herbert. The Herbert is an amazing amp. Liquid quality sustain. Compression and more than enough low end for anybody. Quality is out of the roof. However what I hear very little of from the Deizel owners is the tonality of the gain...it's very complex. On one hand it's very familiar yet on the other...like nothing I've ever heard before. Lots of note seperation. Alot of gain but almost always pleasing. The Einstein...obviously lots like it but for me ehh. The Herbert yes. May own one someday. Had the pleasure of using one in the studio with the JVM...great blend.

I've owned an SLO, VHT SigX and VHT UL. And though those are without a doubt worth checking out...to me, my opinion only, they really don't fall into that compressed area that you want. All have plenty of gain though and all shine live. I've actually kinda been going back and forth on either buying the PT100 or giving the SLO another go, possibly getting the EVHIII. But I'm very content with the JVM and cannot see myself not owning it regardless if I buy another amp.

Also...everyone on here seems to be raving about the Fortin stuff. So obviously that's worth checking out.

Good luck.

Good luck with your search.

 

[fearhk213]

-RAYNEMAN- since you own both the uber & herbie,.i have a couple questions for ya,..
#1-which has the better bottom end in your opinion (bass u can feel, tight and clear)
#2-better effects loop?
#3-which has the better note seperation with alot of gain?

the uber has this amazing dynamic quality to it's tone,...does the herbert have "it" as well?
which one would u pick if ya could only have one?

I'm not Rayneman, but I've owned both and still have the Uber so I'll throw in my $.02
#1 - Both have excellent bass you can feel. The Herbert is the tighter amp, no question at all. Both amps have a clear low end, but very different. The Uber is wider and the Herbert is more focused. That said, I found the Uber more sensitive to your guitar and pickups. The Uber's clarity is going to suffer more with a boomy, unruly axe than the Herbert. I imagine the overall compression and more refined character of the Herbert plays a role here as well.
#2 - For a basic loop I have no problems with the Uber fx loop. The Herbert definitely has a more flexible setup of loops. Depends on your needs.
#3 - I think they both do this well, but I have to say Uber on this one and mainly because it's not as compressed as the Herbert. Notes pop out a little better when doing big chords under gain.

I didn't find the Herbert as dynamic. It had a squash to the feel that reminded me of when you have a compressor on a clean tone. It has a spit-polished studio guitar tone vibe. The Uber doesn't have the squash to its feel and is more responsive, open, and raw IMO.

I chose an Uber over the Herbert for a couple of reasons. I preferred the voicing for one. I never got along with the mid structure of the Herbert. Also, something about the squash in the feel and overall compression just didn't work for me. It was cool in that it's one of those amps that plays itself and you can really get away with murder on it, but I always felt detached from what was coming out of the cab. With the Uber I feel more connected and in control of what comes out of the cab. Don't know if that makes sense.

 

[boof]

-RAYNEMAN- since you own both the uber & herbie,.i have a couple questions for ya,..
#1-which has the better bottom end in your opinion (bass u can feel, tight and clear)
#2-better effects loop?
#3-which has the better note seperation with alot of gain?

the uber has this amazing dynamic quality to it's tone,...does the herbert have "it" as well?
which one would u pick if ya could only have one?

I'm not Rayneman, but I've owned both and still have the Uber so I'll throw in my $.02
#1 - Both have excellent bass you can feel. The Herbert is the tighter amp, no question at all. Both amps have a clear low end, but very different. The Uber is wider and the Herbert is more focused. That said, I found the Uber more sensitive to your guitar and pickups. The Uber's clarity is going to suffer more with a boomy, unruly axe than the Herbert. I imagine the overall compression and more refined character of the Herbert plays a role here as well.
#2 - For a basic loop I have no problems with the Uber fx loop. The Herbert definitely has a more flexible setup of loops. Depends on your needs.
#3 - I think they both do this well, but I have to say Uber on this one and mainly because it's not as compressed as the Herbert. Notes pop out a little better when doing big chords under gain.

I didn't find the Herbert as dynamic. It had a squash to the feel that reminded me of when you have a compressor on a clean tone. It has a spit-polished studio guitar tone vibe. The Uber doesn't have the squash to its feel and is more responsive, open, and raw IMO.

I chose an Uber over the Herbert for a couple of reasons. I preferred the voicing for one. I never got along with the mid structure of the Herbert. Also, something about the squash in the feel and overall compression just didn't work for me. It was cool in that it's one of those amps that plays itself and you can really get away with murder on it, but I always felt detached from what was coming out of the cab. With the Uber I feel more connected and in control of what comes out of the cab. Don't know if that makes sense.

Ill take the opposite approach to fearhk213. I have never owned an uber or a herbert but have played both just messing around at guitar stores and a first knee jerk reaction impression for me was that I liked the Herbert allot better. I say that and also agree with with the descriptions given by fearhk213 as well. It might jut be to each his own but I did like the compressed feel of the herbert and the fact that indeed you can get away with murder on it. I did walk away from the herbert thinking that it was about the best sounding high gain amp for a compressed tight feel if that is what you are looking for. Again, that was from a first impression with only having 10 minutes or so on each amp.

 

[AdamB]

The thing about Mark IV's is there not like another amp you have to dial them in very differently, If your going to try one out, PM me before hand and ill send you some settings to try as going in there blind you will fer shure not like it, there very sensitive amps, I think the best representation of the mark series tone is the LTE CD's , Anywas From every review ive heard from the Mark V people like it who havent played prevouis mark series amps, And those who come from previous mark series amps well it lacked the whole reason you buy a mark the feel and tone of the lead channel also the senstive knobs, There not easy to dial in but once you get it dialed in you will love it

Also as AdamB reccomended buy some ceramic bareknuckle's and you will have that compressed tight low end!
Cold sweats, Painkillers, Mircale man or C-bomb.

I think he'll want the Painkiller!

I'm really want one at the moment, but i don't want to take the rebel yell, or Cold sweat out of either guitar. New guitar maybe? Haha!

 

[Code001]

Ill take the opposite approach to fearhk213. I have never owned an uber or a herbert but have played both just messing around at guitar stores and a first knee jerk reaction impression for me was that I liked the Herbert allot better. I say that and also agree with with the descriptions given by fearhk213 as well. It might jut be to each his own but I did like the compressed feel of the herbert and the fact that indeed you can get away with murder on it. I did walk away from the herbert thinking that it was about the best sounding high gain amp for a compressed tight feel if that is what you are looking for. Again, that was from a first impression with only having 10 minutes or so on each amp.

Where'd you play the Uber and Herbert amps? I think Ishibashi in Shibuya had 'em, but I can't remember.

 

[boof]

Ill take the opposite approach to fearhk213. I have never owned an uber or a herbert but have played both just messing around at guitar stores and a first knee jerk reaction impression for me was that I liked the Herbert allot better. I say that and also agree with with the descriptions given by fearhk213 as well. It might jut be to each his own but I did like the compressed feel of the herbert and the fact that indeed you can get away with murder on it. I did walk away from the herbert thinking that it was about the best sounding high gain amp for a compressed tight feel if that is what you are looking for. Again, that was from a first impression with only having 10 minutes or so on each amp.

Where'd you play the Uber and Herbert amps? I think Ishibashi in Shibuya had 'em, but I can't remember.

it was ikebe near akihabara a several months back. (ikebe amp station has a twin jet in stock right now might have to go check that out soon...

 

[sebby123]

The thing about Mark IV's is there not like another amp you have to dial them in very differently, If your going to try one out, PM me before hand and ill send you some settings to try as going in there blind you will fer shure not like it, there very sensitive amps, I think the best representation of the mark series tone is the LTE CD's , Anywas From every review ive heard from the Mark V people like it who havent played prevouis mark series amps, And those who come from previous mark series amps well it lacked the whole reason you buy a mark the feel and tone of the lead channel also the senstive knobs, There not easy to dial in but once you get it dialed in you will love it

Also as AdamB reccomended buy some ceramic bareknuckle's and you will have that compressed tight low end!
Cold sweats, Painkillers, Mircale man or C-bomb.

I think he'll want the Painkiller!

I'm really want one at the moment, but i don't want to take the rebel yell, or Cold sweat out of either guitar. New guitar maybe? Haha!

Yea painkiller sounds like what he wants! Im getting a JP6 soon and im still debating PK or NB hm...
Anyways I love my cold sweats in my paul

 

[GtarLover]

Well, I can't comment on the Peavey's, Framus or Uberschall. I have Mark IV, Mark V, Splawn QuickRod, and Herbert. It is extremely difficult to compare because each offers something special. I guess that's why I own a few of them

Herbert is the most compressed sounding to me. I actually just got the Herbert and I am really enjoying it!! It is a whole new feel for me. I love the cleans in channel 1 and the tones available from channel 2. Honestly, I haven't even spent much time with channel 3 yet. Very tight and I love the mids!! Very versatile because of volume, loop, mute, midi, mid cut options!! Can't wait to get the midi section up and running. I am having some challenges there right now Overall, I am really diggin' Herbert!

I also recently got my Mark V. I had it on order and got it in early July. I have been using it lately as my main rig, with an Axe-FX from Fractal Audio in the loop and a Liquid Foot Pro doing the switching. That has worked well and I am enjoying the Mark V a lot!! I have Mark IV's as well and the Mark V is just a different animal all together. If you think of them as separate amps, rather than the Mark V trying to replace the Mark IV, then I think you will come from a better place for comparison. Someone else was mentioning some of the differences. Some things I like about the Mark V, it has the cleans tones that the Mark IV doesn't (never was truly satisfied with the Mark IV cleans), the 2nd channel has wonderful tone variety-I mean awesome! I love the fact that the Mark V has the solo feature for volume increase with no tonal shift, "it's just one louder" The Mark IV's never incorporated that feature. I honestly haven't spent enough time with the Mark V's channel 3 to do a decent review. Bottom line for me, I haven't sold my Mark IV's, I can't bring myself to do that. I have been using a Mark IV forever...however, the Mark V offers some wonderful new options that I am liking.

The QuickRod is more of the classic Marshally kind of amp. The sounds that it can get are awesome, it has the solo feature, 3 gears/modes of gain. Really open and full, like a cranked up Marshall. I actually sold my '72 Marshall to buy the QuickRod and I am happy!! You can pretty easily dial in AC/DC to Van Halen to heavier Rock tones in a few seconds. However, this is a more limited amp. If you need the versatility of a Mark V or Herbert, the QuickRod can't compete. I have been playing the QuickRod and Herbert together, WOW!!! That is one powerful combo!

I hope this helps a bit. Good luck in with your quest for TONE!!!

 

[JTyson]

The JVM is pretty compressed on certain channels, and its a lot less cash than some. I dont know if it is the most compressed, I havent played everything out there, and it has a good clean, good switching capability and is pretty versatile. been happy enough to keep it

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

Hennesey on a Herbert? Maybe on a DJ turntable....that is sad!