What amp has Best Plexi Sound (High Gain Head)

[Schaf]

I just don't know why people care so much about it, unless you're trying to do a tribute band. I've seen Atomic punks three times in the late 90's where the guitar player used a different amp each time and sounded just like Eddie each time. I know one time it was a triaxis, another a 5150.

Yeah. the guys name is Terry Lauderdale. Killer player. He was using a Mesa Mark III for a while and just nailing that tone. I had a Mark III. Don't know how in the hell he did it, but it was very close.

Schaf

Actually the guy I saw is the same dude in Steel Panther. I didn't think his name was Terry. Is It?

Yeah, you're right. Terry's band is "Hot for teacher". I was actually thinking about it on the way to work and thought dang, wrong band.

Schaf

 

[Nico]

Maybe not what the OP had in mind but I've always wanted to find a high gain, metal head that had a channel or setting that nailed the stock plexi tone/response. Nothing's ever come close.

That is exactly right... And that is what I wanted to know...

 

[the rossness]

my 5153 does a great job at EVH tones. Channel 1, gain cranked, with a GFS brownie pedal. Channel 2 for everything else and 3 set up as a recto.

I've heard good things from the Splawn QR as well.

 

[the rossness]

I just don't know why people care so much about it, unless you're trying to do a tribute band. I've seen Atomic punks three times in the late 90's where the guitar player used a different amp each time and sounded just like Eddie each time. I know one time it was a triaxis, another a 5150.

Yeah. the guys name is Terry Lauderdale. Killer player. He was using a Mesa Mark III for a while and just nailing that tone. I had a Mark III. Don't know how in the hell he did it, but it was very close.

Schaf

Actually the guy I saw is the same dude in Steel Panther. I didn't think his name was Terry. Is It?

The guitarist from steel panther is Russ Parish. He used to be in Haltford's band Fight playing lead.

 

[petethorn]

Maybe not what the OP had in mind but I've always wanted to find a high gain, metal head that had a channel or setting that nailed the stock plexi tone/response. Nothing's ever come close.

Working on this for the Suhr PT 100....

 

[Nico]

Maybe not what the OP had in mind but I've always wanted to find a high gain, metal head that had a channel or setting that nailed the stock plexi tone/response. Nothing's ever come close.

Working on this for the Suhr PT 100....

Ohh my God I sure wish you nail that sound, I'd buy that amp in a heartbeat if so...

I'll be waiting for that amp. I hope it still retains the virtues of the current PT-100 of a great clean channel and the high gain settings

 

[skoora]

Maybe not what the OP had in mind but I've always wanted to find a high gain, metal head that had a channel or setting that nailed the stock plexi tone/response. Nothing's ever come close.

Working on this for the Suhr PT 100....

That is a lofty goal, I hope you guys reach it. Especially if the heavy side can get thick but nasty and doesn't actually sound just like a plexi goosed with a pedal. A true heavy sound and a true plexi tone in one amp. That would be awesome.

 

[Greazygeo]

Maybe not what the OP had in mind but I've always wanted to find a high gain, metal head that had a channel or setting that nailed the stock plexi tone/response. Nothing's ever come close.

I agree with your statement 100%

Yeah it's not gonna happen. Clean and high gain....pretty easy. Clean and crunch....pretty easy. Crunch and high gain....have not seen it yet and really don't think it can co exist in one amp.

 

[Sixtonoize]

Yeah it's not gonna happen. Clean and high gain....pretty easy. Clean and crunch....pretty easy. Crunch and high gain....have not seen it yet and really don't think it can co exist in one amp.

The problem is, at least in my experience, that high gain sounds sound best when you get most of your gain from the preamp and you have a bigass clean authoritative power section to back it up. Lower gain crunch sounds best when you have a dirty power section that's adding its own clipping and artifacts to the tone.

It's not that a clean tube power section won't color the tone, it just colors it in a different way than a dirty power section, and I'm not really sure that there is a way to get both options in one amp.

 

[Mailman1971]

Thats why in the past I have always owned TWO amps for this.
One was my "Metal" the other was my 80's rock and down to classic.

I could never find the one amp that did them both GREAT.
Went thru a ton of amps.
Still havent.
When you try to play the "Crunch" tone on a metal amp.....it usually sounds like the watered down version of the metal channel.

I am back to owning TWO amps again........

 

[petethorn]

Maybe not what the OP had in mind but I've always wanted to find a high gain, metal head that had a channel or setting that nailed the stock plexi tone/response. Nothing's ever come close.

Working on this for the Suhr PT 100....

That is a lofty goal, I hope you guys reach it. Especially if the heavy side can get thick but nasty and doesn't actually sound just like a plexi goosed with a pedal. A true heavy sound and a true plexi tone in one amp. That would be awesome.

If anyone can do it, Suhr can

 

[Badronald]

what the difference is.....the recording process. tape machine overload and tube compression/ wound up mic pres are the ticket.

[/quote]

^^^This.

Do people really not understand this? The recording process back then was different. This is why even Eddie can't dupe his old sound.

Oh, and Pro Tools is good for editing, but you'll never get that sound from it. Sorry fella's.

 

[skoora]

what the difference is.....the recording process. tape machine overload and tube compression/ wound up mic pres are the ticket.

^^^This.

Do people really not understand this? The recording process back then was different. This is why even Eddie can't dupe his old sound.

Oh, and Pro Tools is good for editing, but you'll never get that sound from it. Sorry fella's.

God do I miss recording that way. I used to do home recordings with an Otari 1/2" 8 track and a Mackie 1604. Sounded phenomenal. I still have reordings from 4 track cassette (Yamaha MT-4X) that are as good as anything I've done in a studio and better than most dig recordings I've done.

 

[skoora]

Yeah it's not gonna happen. Clean and high gain....pretty easy. Clean and crunch....pretty easy. Crunch and high gain....have not seen it yet and really don't think it can co exist in one amp.

The problem is, at least in my experience, that high gain sounds sound best when you get most of your gain from the preamp and you have a bigass clean authoritative power section to back it up. Lower gain crunch sounds best when you have a dirty power section that's adding its own clipping and artifacts to the tone.

It's not that a clean tube power section won't color the tone, it just colors it in a different way than a dirty power section, and I'm not really sure that there is a way to get both options in one amp.

Quite true, but IIRC the majority of serious clipping in a plexi when the volume is up is from the phase inverter tube just being overdriven to hell and back. It seems some guys on the Metro forum have tried mods of being able to switch from a stock 1959 to gainy 2203 circuits but don't know how successful they've been.

 

[Anonymous]

It seems some guys on the Metro forum have tried mods of being able to switch from a stock 1959 to gainy 2203 circuits but don't know how successful they've been.

The amp I designed and built does exactly that:

Here are quick and dirty clips (recorded at bedroom volume - you can hear the pick hitting the strings quite a bit) made with an Edirol R-09HR using the built in stereo mics. Not the greatest quality, but I think you can get an idea of what the amp sounds like.

Demo Clip of My Amp

I'll have better clips with a real mic'd cab through my real recording system later - haven't had time as I'm doing some design mods before I bring this to market...

Here's a picture of it

all modes footswitchable
loop on/off footswitchable
push/pull saturation (on/off) on the "Zen Master"
Series/Parallel switchable efffects loop
Adjustable line out
Post Phase Inverter Master for overall volume control

Plex Mode - like a '69 Super Lead
Rod Mode - like a 'rodded 800
Zen Mode - replaces the mode Masters with a different style master with saturation control for leads...

Steve

 

[nitro]

BadRonald that wasnt my quote that you put "nitro wrote"....

 

['63-Strat]

what the difference is.....the recording process. tape machine overload and tube compression/ wound up mic pres are the ticket.

^^^This.

Do people really not understand this? The recording process back then was different. This is why even Eddie can't dupe his old sound.

Oh, and Pro Tools is good for editing, but you'll never get that sound from it. Sorry fella's.[/quote]

Yep, that plus his plate reverb/panning etc. as said by someone else above. I think it's funny that people are still so concerned with getting his sound, the meat and potatoes of his rig is well-known and if you can actually play the stuff right it will definitely be close enough with a lot of different takes on that gear, IMO. And I agree that other than doing a VH tribute thing that you generally wouldn't want to 100% cop his tone anyways, but that's just me.

 

[Schaf]

It seems some guys on the Metro forum have tried mods of being able to switch from a stock 1959 to gainy 2203 circuits but don't know how successful they've been.

The amp I designed and built does exactly that:

Here are quick and dirty clips (recorded at bedroom volume - you can hear the pick hitting the strings quite a bit) made with an Edirol R-09HR using the built in stereo mics. Not the greatest quality, but I think you can get an idea of what the amp sounds like.

Demo Clip of My Amp

I'll have better clips with a real mic'd cab through my real recording system later - haven't had time as I'm doing some design mods before I bring this to market...

Here's a picture of it

all modes footswitchable
loop on/off footswitchable
push/pull saturation (on/off) on the "Zen Master"
Series/Parallel switchable efffects loop
Adjustable line out
Post Phase Inverter Master for overall volume control

Plex Mode - like a '69 Super Lead
Rod Mode - like a 'rodded 800
Zen Mode - replaces the mode Masters with a different style master with saturation control for leads...

Steve

Steve,

The clips sound really good. I bet it freakin rocks when you put the juice to it. I can't recall, but are going to build them, produce kits, or both?

Schaf

 

[Anonymous]

Steve,

The clips sound really good. I bet it freakin rocks when you put the juice to it. I can't recall, but are going to build them, produce kits, or both?

Schaf

Thanks man! I'm going to do fully built amps and kits.

I have done some re-design of the layout and switching that will make the amp far easier to build and require far less relay switching circuitry without compromising anything I wanted in the amp. The new design will have only 3 relays in the amp and none in the footswitch (my current design has 6 relays in the amp and 4 latching relays in the foot switch!!!) You live and learn...

New schems are done - should have the new layout designed, and the V 2.0 amp built and tested by the end of the year, going into production in 2011... Doing this as a side business makes things take much longer, but whaddaya gonna do?

Steve

 

[Anonymous]

Steve,

The clips sound really good. I bet it freakin rocks when you put the juice to it. I can't recall, but are going to build them, produce kits, or both?

Schaf

Thanks man! I'm going to do fully built amps and kits.

I have done some re-design of the layout and switching that will make the amp far easier to build and require far less relay switching circuitry without compromising anything I wanted in the amp. The new design will have only 3 relays in the amp and none in the footswitch (my current design has 6 relays in the amp and 4 latching relays in the foot switch!!!) You live and learn...

New schems are done - should have the new layout designed, and the V 2.0 amp built and tested by the end of the year, going into production in 2011... Doing this as a side business makes things take much longer, but whaddaya gonna do?

Steve

will you have a booth at NAMM in January?

That's funny... really...

Steve