Trying to decide between splawn and EvH

  • Thread starter Thread starter BrentSSL
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Had 2 5153s, wanted to like them. Not bad, just OK..played a nitro at a GC, it was better but still just OK. Finally heard a QR in person...much more to my liking. But I dig Marshalls. Can't you take a TS or some other mid flavored boost in front of your recto? I've heard some killer clips with that combo..but I like to boost everything lol..
 
Not a fan of boosting I think it mucks up the tone plus when using EMGS it is like a boost imho
 
BrentSSL":2krpou47 said:
So I have had a 51503 stealth not super impressive through a Mesa cab.
The Blue should sound at least decent :confused:

Any chance you have a friend with a guitar that is not EMGs and maybe some decent passives?
That could change your world yo :yes:
 
BrentSSL":1txxj7se said:
Not a fan of boosting I think it mucks up the tone plus when using EMGS it is like a boost imho
Some amps don't take boosts as well. Deliverances and some modded marshalls come to mind. I guess I'd go for the Splawn. But I've also never liked EMGs....flat sounding to me. I agree...try passive pickups. Cheap and effective way to change up your tone. Also, V30s are great with the right amp. Rectos for sure. But EVH/Splawn would jive better with a Greenback flavored cab. IMO.
 
crankyrayhanky":25kqvg9r said:
BrentSSL":25kqvg9r said:
So I have had a 51503 stealth not super impressive through a Mesa cab.
The Blue should sound at least decent :confused:

Any chance you have a friend with a guitar that is not EMGs and maybe some decent passives?
That could change your world yo :yes:
That was with an x2n in the bridge of a gibson explorer
 
Long time Nitro owner here. I have had ione since 2008. I went from a Dual Rec to a Nitro because I wanted all the low end and the Nitro has pronounced lower mids in spades. Very articulate amp but does not have as much gain as you would think. A Splawn dominates a mix like no other amp I have ever played. Qrs and Nitros are just beasts. Ive never gotten along with either QR I owned. If you are buying used search out the old 3 preamp QR from 2005-2006. I played one of those and was floored. My 2009 QR and 2012 QR could not deliver those tones.

The EVH is a gain monster if you are talking about the Stealth. Blue channel is fantastic on the 50 watter and Stealth. The regular 100watt blue was not to my liking. I have been playing Splawns for years are they are super articulate machines. What you play is what comes out. I was so used to my Nitro that when I got my first 5153 I was in heaven because it was much more forgiving. The Stealth is a lot more versatile than people give it credit for. For hi gain shred fun I live my Stealth. It does it fantastically.

My answer to this dilemma is that I have a Stealth and a Nitro. Which do I prefer ? Depends on the situation. The Nitro or any Splawn needs volume. If you are gigging in places where you can push a Splawn than it will amaze you. ( If I were to buy a new one it would be a 50 watt QR with the old circuit. Scott is offering that now. I bet it smokes. ) The Stealth is a lot more fun to play but that does not mean I think it sounds better than my Nitro. Lord Tone King lives near you. He has the Stealth and the old 3pre QR. i have the Stealth and a newer Nitro. You would be best served to try these amps out for yourself. Ill be glad to help any way I can.
 
-before you do anything try a GREENBACK loaded cab with the STEALTH,... your not comparing apple's to apple's-

-if you don't have access to one, drag your STEALTH to a music store that has a GREENBACK cab-
 
SFW":12aldh4t said:
I own a 5153 100 watter and a Splawn Quick Rod. The 5153 is collecting dust at the moment. IMHO, the Splawn is just a more musical sounding amp.

I own a Quick Rod and 5153 100 watters also and agree. Love both amps and the EVH is a great amp too, but the Splawn is on stage for every gig and the EVH is in the car as a backup....
 
sg guy":ucaou388 said:
-before you do anything try a GREENBACK loaded cab with the STEALTH,... your not comparing apple's to apple's-

-if you don't have access to one, drag your STEALTH to a music store that has a GREENBACK cab-

I also played it through a cab with greenbacks without the Emgs it still sounded like I was playing through solid-state Randall like I said I don't like the evh stealth I like 100 Wat version
 
I own a 50w B+ Quick Rod and a 5153 1x12 combo.
I do enjoy both amps for different reasons.

They each give you a little something different. It really depends on what you're looking for.
For build quality... I hands down give it to Splawn. No question.
I think the Splawn works better in a live setting too. Just cuts through the mix.

Both are fun amps to play.
 
Don't get me wrong. The 5153 has been my main amp for the past four years. And it has served me very well in that time. My QR has just opened up a whole new world for me personally. It just sings. It will go from Black Crows style crunch to screaming metal with just the gear mode you select. Not to mention that it will actually clean up very nicely- something that the EVH red channel doesn't really do. A fully loaded Splawn QR goes for around $2200 new. The EVH is $1800 last time I checked. I paid $1k for my QR used. My Splawn is a 2005 model. The build quality is top notch.

You really need to decide what core tones you're chasing. The Splawn is modded Marshall land. The EVH is more SLO/Mesa flavored. I do find that the EVH has more fizz to the tone. And for the life of me, I can't seem to find these "weird" mids that everyone talks about. lol. The EVH has more compression to the feel of the amp. I've heard people say that the Splawn is dry and hard to play. I haven't found this to the the case. I guess different amps feel different to different people. I will say that if you get the 5153, do yourself a favor and get the matching 412. My 53 was ok sounding with a Mesa Recto cab, but it came alive with the EVH cab.
 
BrentSSL":10xdi9n8 said:
Not a fan of boosting I think it mucks up the tone plus when using EMGS it is like a boost imho

Then you are using the wrong boosts.
 
Spawn Competition is one too consider resently got a 50 watt small head shell... Great amp single channel covers just about any venue important to order with the new/old switch! The old setting is fantastic
 
Gadzz":1bqfau1i said:
Spawn Competition is one too consider resently got a 50 watt small head shell... Great amp single channel covers just about any venue important to order with the new/old switch! The old setting is fantastic

The small headbox is great! I love mine. VERY COMPACT.
 
I played a Stealth head and a Quick Rod in an amp room in a GC. I liked the Splawn much more. It sounded like what I would consider a good Marshall. The Stealth sounded like a distortion box to me. Lot's of guys like the EVH 5153 amps but I'm not one of them.
 
the QR and nitro are different beasts, as are the Stealth blue channel vs reg 5150iii blue channel... to me the stealth blue channel has a very modded marshall sound going on. i only use the blue channel on the stealth and with the gain at like 30-35%. i agree the EVHs have wayy too much gain. i am curious about the new QR, seems like scott added some nice features. i loved my nitro for a long time but after awhile the compression got to me along with the extreme commanding bass. the bass is cool in room with it, but with a band wasn't my thing. also did not like how it sounded mic'd up, hard to capture that amp because of all the bass. and for the people saying to just turn the knob down, for me my sound got thin. seemed to be kinda all of nothing with it. i will re-visit the QR one day i think though. just get a new BE-100 and be done with it.. that is my current gas ender... :thumbsup:
 
Hard decision especially if you are considering the Stealth version. I was told by the shop employee that the Stealth had more gain, but it just seemed to have a different kind of compression or something going on as far as I could tell when I played it, and I liked it a lot too. Either version though is great. Splawns are very straightforward modded Marshall tone pretty much with kind of a vintage feel to me. The 5153 seems to have kind of a processed feel and lead tone that makes it kind of sound more exciting. It's hard to explain but you can hit a note and bend it around, sqeal harmonics, do legato and picked runs, and somehow this processed quality (for lack of a better word) seems to give it some kind of cool elasticity. Man I would have a hard time deciding too because both amps are totally cool. I don't think Splawns get many nods for the cleans but I really like the cleans they put out. Even on the supposedly greatest clean amps, everyone seems to add reverb, delay or something anyway, and you get a fine clean sound with a touch of ambient effects through Splawns so I like both Splawn channels. By the way I used to own a Nitro EL34 version and a 2013 Quickrod. Good luck choosing, can't go wrong eiher way.
 
crwnedblasphemy":c4xrh55j said:
BrentSSL":c4xrh55j said:
Not a fan of boosting I think it mucks up the tone plus when using EMGS it is like a boost imho

Then you are using the wrong boosts.
Currently I'm using an OD808
 
BrentSSL":1fi8o83p said:
Lol you guys aren't making this any easier
I'm in Cuyahoga Falls just north of Akron. Like Stompboxfreak said, I have both amps and you're more than welcome to come over and check them out :thumbsup:
 
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