What is the piece of gear you have been most disappointed in trying or purchasing?
- Thread starter itsgoodnow
- Start date
Mr. Willy
Well-known member
Killer Kali ++
This was the amp that solidified my learning curve that more gained-out amps aren’t my thing. This amp had a ton of gain and was super focused, but it had no meat or body. Just laser focus and tons of gain. I know a lot of guys dig this amp, but it was not for me. It reminded me a lot of a JVM 410 I had not long after it. Both sounded and felt very similar. I’ll take a stock JMP/JCM or Superlead any day over those type amps.
This was the amp that solidified my learning curve that more gained-out amps aren’t my thing. This amp had a ton of gain and was super focused, but it had no meat or body. Just laser focus and tons of gain. I know a lot of guys dig this amp, but it was not for me. It reminded me a lot of a JVM 410 I had not long after it. Both sounded and felt very similar. I’ll take a stock JMP/JCM or Superlead any day over those type amps.
vultures
Well-known member
Same. Been through 2 Uberschalls and one XTC. The Uberschalls didn't have enough balls or gain, not as much as I thought it would. It felt tight, but very sterile. XTC is.. alright.
Other amps I hated.. Omega Granophyre was disappointing, might as well have no bass knob. Badlander 100 sucked, not the "boosted modern recto" it was marketed as, my Rev G had more balls, which I sold to buy the Badlander
. SLO30 felt like a wimpy dick little baby amp.
GOHOINC
Well-known member
I think I learned the most when I got my first "boutique" amp, a soldano SL-60. Up to that point I had only had a Gorilla, a Peavey Bandit 65, and a Marshall JCM 900 model 4500. It was easy to get the gain I was after at manageable levels with the marshall. When I first turned on the SL-60 I thought, where is the gain? That thing needed to be LOUD to sound even halfway decent and still didn't have the gain of the marshall. I was surprised, perhaps disappointed, but mostly surprised...
Last edited:
kurtsstuff2003
Active member
I've been disappointed with gear many times over the years but the one that comes to the forefront..Splawn..I listened to many demo/video's etc and thought....these might work so, I ordered 2 heads (Quickrods) and 2 4x12's and couldn't stand them! The lesson learned way back then?..Do not buy anything just because it sounds good in a video..lol!
CAA OD100 - it wasn't bad, but it wasn't leaps and bounds better than the H&K Switchblade I was playing at the time. (IE, it wasn't any better at all)
Marshall JCM 800 2210 (1983) - Very quiet! Didn't sound bad, but just sort of gutless.
Marshall JCM 800 2204 (1985) - I didn't really get a chance too really crank up the master too much, but it just sort of sounded bland for me, I don't think I would seriously revisit a 2204/2203.
Marshall JCM 800 2210 (1983) - Very quiet! Didn't sound bad, but just sort of gutless.
Marshall JCM 800 2204 (1985) - I didn't really get a chance too really crank up the master too much, but it just sort of sounded bland for me, I don't think I would seriously revisit a 2204/2203.
anomaly
Well-known member
Had the exact same experience with the Mark III. I hated the high end frequencies of it, but i could hear some potential in it, so I tried out a IVb and fell in love with that amp. I've had it for many tears now.
Really? That’s the only pedal of my board that will take my amps into a certain sonic characteristic that I love. And I have a KSR Eros too which, after being praised by somebody I trust, seemed to completely make any of my amps sound thin. I must say that’s about the worst $240 I spent recently.
Last edited:
Devin
Well-known member
My buddy bought the KSR Ceres preamp pedal (which seems to get a lot of hype) and struggled to make it sound even halfway decent. I tried it myself at his band practice (i was filling in on bass while they found a permanent replacement) and it just felt and sounded like a cheap old SS amp
He sold it pretty quickly
TX6Strings
Well-known member
My list of disappointments:
Bogner 101b - What a mess
Bogner Shiva (greenback) - No bottom end on the gain channel, great cleans though
PT100 - Amazing clean but weird gain channel that sound’s nothing like a Marshall
DSL - Cool green channel but the red channel had no bottom end
AxeFX IIXL+ Still trying to sell this damn thing
Celestion CB H75 - Really harsh top ends
Bogner 101b - What a mess
Bogner Shiva (greenback) - No bottom end on the gain channel, great cleans though
PT100 - Amazing clean but weird gain channel that sound’s nothing like a Marshall
DSL - Cool green channel but the red channel had no bottom end
AxeFX IIXL+ Still trying to sell this damn thing
Celestion CB H75 - Really harsh top ends
MusicIsLife
Well-known member
Marshall JVM410h: I really wanted to love this amp. There are some good tones in it, but for 4 channels with 3 gain modes each, not nearly enough. At least some of the published mods appear to have been intended to address gripes similar to what I had, but I also may not have been Marshall's target for that model. Perhaps bettter for modern metal players??
Hughes & Kettner Triamp mkII and mkIII: too processed and compressed sounding. I'm not the right person for that sound.
Hughes & Kettner Triamp mkII and mkIII: too processed and compressed sounding. I'm not the right person for that sound.
Techdeth
RESIDENT ROCK PROFESSOR
I don’t like anything under 100 unless it’s a 50 watt or Marshall or a D60. Those two still got the 100 watt feel at times
The Eros is a specific type of boost. Mainly for 8 strings and similar low tunings, or making an amp like a dual rec djenty.
I had one of the prototypes for a little while, but didn't wind up buying one because it's not my style.
Mr. Willy
Well-known member
I hated the JVM410h as well. It really only had two sounds in it, and both were anemic, imho.
kmanick
Well-known member
Landry LS30
It wasn't a bad sounding amp but I could never get it to sound "how I wanted or needed it to.
" I tried different tubes, and 10 band EQ in the loop. it had no "Kerrang" to it at all
Bill gets some in his videos , I don't know what he has going on in his shop.
The other guitarist in my current band also had one ( we figured small light, sounded great in the videos)
he got rid of his as well for the same reasons.
I so wanted to like it but it was just lacking certain mid frequencies I was looking for (found them in my Splawn)
It wasn't a bad sounding amp but I could never get it to sound "how I wanted or needed it to.
" I tried different tubes, and 10 band EQ in the loop. it had no "Kerrang" to it at all
Bill gets some in his videos , I don't know what he has going on in his shop.
The other guitarist in my current band also had one ( we figured small light, sounded great in the videos)
he got rid of his as well for the same reasons.
I so wanted to like it but it was just lacking certain mid frequencies I was looking for (found them in my Splawn)
i am struggling...lol...i want to keep it...but i don't play the 8 string enough, nor do I have a Mesa Recto, i do have a 5150 and a Mark iii now which i think this pedal does not suit, as it i believe sucks out too much low end.