What are some of the WORST amps you've played?

[stratotone]

One man's Golden Tone is another's poison... with that in mind, probably the worst 'non practice amp' I checked out was a Krank Krankenstein. It made an AM radio sound like dolby surround sound by comparison.

Pete

 

[glpg80]

i havent played a krankenstein but i have a close music buddy of mine (the same one that jammed with me on the marshall haze blowing up) said the krank was just terrible also.

i havent played or heard one myself, but i believe that with some amplifiers the speakers wont matter - the amplifier sounds like ass no matter what cabinet and speaker you use.

thats the amplifiers i mentioned from my perspective.

thats the magic of tone.

i do know one thing, stevens, larries, and mike fortin havent been mentioned here at all

 

[Stratboy151]

for me its rivera. i had such high expectations with their stuff and just didnt dig it.

 

[sg guy]

mesa stiletto

 

[thiswaythatway]

Marshall JCM900

Marshall TSL combo. Or how about most Marshall combo's.

Framus Cobra

ADA MP1

 

[troublehead]

Splawn Pro Mod
Mesa Road King
Engl Powerball

 

[Motorpud]

One man's Golden Tone is another's poison... with that in mind, probably the worst 'non practice amp' I checked out was a Krank Krankenstein. It made an AM radio sound like dolby surround sound by comparison.

Pete

I had the original 100w version hooked up to a VHT FB 412 and it sounded shitty at first and then I read somewhere that you had to have the master around 5-6 and the regular volume around 3-4. I did that and it sounded pretty good, I was sitting right in front of it and it was so loud that when I turned it off I noticed I was sweating my ass off and I was all disoriented and my equilibrium was thrown off I decided to get rid of it before it deafened me or lead to my death and I bought something I could play at bedroom levels instead. The worst tube amp I've heard in person was a Bugera 333 God what a piece if shit that was....

 

[LoudOne]

Amps I've owned...

Marshall JCM 900 (like)
Peavey 5150 (cheat amp, no like)
Marshall DSL 100 (OK)
Line 6 HD 147 (crap)
Carvin MTS (like)
KRANK Rev1 (love)
KRANK Kranenstein (really like)

 

[glpg80]

i thought bugera's were understood to be POS's from day one? they shouldn't have to be added to this list they suck so bad

 

[glpg80]

im gussing the engl powerball is either one of those amplifiers you really love it, or you really hate it. kinda like the 5150 tone, imho.

 

[Motorpud]

i thought bugera's were understood to be POS's from day one? they shouldn't have to be added to this list they suck so bad

Yeah, I had never even heard of them until a while back my buddy picked one up and man it really sucked balls. There's really no other way to put it I thought the peavey valveking sucked too.

 

[philnz]

JCM 900, just awful

 

[vchizzle]

One man's Golden Tone is another's poison...

Pete

That really sums it up. I'm sitting here reading the list thinking, "I've never played that - so many have raved about that amp."

That said, I can usually dial in something useable on most amps. Really disliked the DSL 50...I don't like many Marshall's anyhow. There was a Laney head I tried some time ago that I couldn't stand, seemed super bright and brash no matter what I did.

 

[vchizzle]

One man's Golden Tone is another's poison...

Pete

That really sums it up. I'm sitting here reading the list thinking, "I've never played that - but so many have raved about that amp."

That said, I can usually dial in something useable on most amps. Really disliked the DSL 50...I don't like many Marshall's anyhow. There was a Laney head I tried some time ago that I couldn't stand, seemed super bright and brash no matter what I did.

edit: gotta add my old VHT D412 cab with any other amp besides a VHT. Sounded great w/my 100cl, but that's about it. When I a/b'd with other heads against the Uberkab, it just sounded thin and bright. Very weird how it sounded good w/VHT but nothing else.

 

[SQUAREHEAD]

Marshall TSL 60
Yamaha T50 C

Yamaha T100 - Had "ALL" the mods done by Bill Sundt at Soldano - the preamp mod - the choke mod - the FX loop mod... STILL SOUNDED NOTHING LIKE AN SLO100 !!!

Sold it and lost my shirt!!
Tremendous letdown!!

"POS" amp...
Keith

 

[70strathead]

the old yamahas and peavy's were ugly sounding, Mesa triple rectifer, Diamond, Johnson Milenium, Crate, Ampeg from the 80's, B-52 head

 

[Loudness250]

metaltronix m-1000, played at a music store and thought it must be some kind of joke. Rivera knuckhead I bought it off a friend for 300$, It just wasnt a hard rock amp to me, sold it to a friend who is more into country bluesy rock and he could get into it, it just didnt have the gain for me and no ummpph. So that's the worst one I've owned for my taste.

 

[blackba]

Wow, this surprises me. I've read in reviews from many people that the clean channel on the Fireball is absolutely gorgeous sounding. But I've never played one so...

I am actually not too surprised that people like the clean channel on the 60Watt Engl fireball. It was clean, it just sounded too compressed, thin, and sterile for my liking. When comparing to the clean channel of other channel switching amps (Laney VH100R, Marshall 6101LE, Mesa Mark IV, etc), it just sounded like I was playing a SS amp on the clean channel. Part of it was my own fault for not doing enough research before I bought it and expecting it to be more versatile. I still would like to try an Engl Blackmore if I get the chance.

As was said before, one mans favorite amp, is another man's crappy amp. I mean I love my marshall 2553 silver jubilee and that was one of the first amps to be named in this thread.

 

[Motorpud]

the old yamahas and peavy's were ugly sounding, Mesa triple rectifer, Diamond, Johnson Milenium, Crate, Ampeg from the 80's, B-52 head

I've had 3 of the mileniums. 1 sounded like shit, changed the stock tubes in the other 2 and I love em', I've had them ever since . It's the most versatile amp I've played. Diff'rent Strokes for diff'rent folks Willis

 

[AmpliFIRE]

the Powerball is a killer amp