A
Alfi27
New member
Hi guys. My first post in here, but I've been a member of other forums since 2009. Just a quick question before we start: do I have to have x number of posts before I can post in the classifieds?
So, to the case: I have been through a shitload of amps, not to mentions guitars, never quite finding what I want. Well, that is not exactly true, my 2553 Jubilee gave me my first tonegasm ever. Then I found out that my late Kemper did everything I wanted and more, which was true. However, I have always been a fan of the less is more concept and I figured that the Kemper was way too much for me. Besides, I didn't find it very rock n' roll plugging into a computer looking like a 70's NASA toaster, haha! Don't get me wrong, great unit for those advanced players who change presets for every song, but not for me. I eventually sold the Kemper, and bought a Friedman Runt 50. Also a great amp, but it died after two months (brand new). Shipped it back to the UK where I bought it from (I live in Norway) because I had already paid over 100$ for getting the bias adjusted, and I didn't want to get it fixed locally for even more money that no one would take responsibility for (it is, after all, an expensive amp). I do now regret that I didn't bit the bullet and did it, because it arrived completely smashed by the carrier. The chassis is loose, transformers are probably damaged, but no one can (or want to) find out exactly.
After getting over the loss of my Runt, I found a used Suhr SL67 at a good price (also in the UK...). I got it, and I still have it. Works perfectly, sounds great, BUT. It is very very vintage sounding, with a looser bottom end than I want. It does take pedals well, but it doesn't tighten up quite as I want it to. If I was Eddie or Page or whoever it would have been a perfect amp, but I play and like more modern rock (as well as the old classics of course). It is also extremely loud, which I did expect it to be but I guess I hoped the master volume would work better than it does. Right now the only way I can get a satisfactory distorted tone without ear plugs is running my Friedman BE OD through the SL67 on a clean setting. I think that's why the Jubilee sounded so great to me, because it sounded like the perfect synergy of vintage and modern and with the gain at 12 o clock it had the perfect amount of gain for about any heavier rock tone, with AC/DC tones slightly lower in the gain range.
Ever since my early teenage years, when I first picked up a shitty Fernandes strat copy, my idol was Slash and especially his playing and tone on Appetite for Destruction. Oddly enough I have only owned one signature amp of his, the SL-5, which sounded good but not excessively Slashy. Unrelated, 5 watt is a very annoying and just plain odd wattage because it is too loud to crank at home, and too quiet for band use. I did consider the AFD100 multiple times, but eventually forgot about it because of reported reliability issues.
Another tonal favourite of mine, and in later years also stylistic influence is Billie Joe on Dookie. That raw, tight, fat but still aggressive wall of sound is just so awesome! Of course it is double tracked and whatnot, but that's at least a reference.
That's for the slightly more modern tones, but I also love AC/DCs tone and Van Halen's VHI tone (which I pretty much nail with the SL67 and 4x12 EVH cab) and more clean slightly broken up tones and at the opposite end of the spectrum; Metallica. Not their exact scooped tone, but an amp/tone that can handle that style.
I'm starting to think that all of this is not obtainable with one amp, but there will obviously be some compromises and I'm going for the ballpark more than spot on, as long as the core tone is great. It should be possible to find amps that can do it, but I have other criteria:
- Big tone, small size; preferably nothing bigger than the SL67 but it would be great with something really small like the Splawn Super Sport (mini), Marshall 2525H, Bogner Atma etc.
- Tight and articulate bottom end, very important.
- Wattage is not that important, I would rather have too much than too little as long as it's not dependent on power amp distortion like the SL67.
- It has to be versatile, but not too many bells and whistles. I love the concept of the Fargen Olde 800s with three different modes/decades on the same (only) channel. At least nothing more fancy than the Atma, and if the amp has midi switching that's a sign that it's too complicated for me
- It has to cope with a loud drummer, and I don't mind a little breakup on my clean tones at those volumes.
- It has to have a clean tone, either available on the same channel as the overdrive like the SL67 or a dedicated clean channel.
What I know would have been perfect for me is the Wizard MC25, as I have tried two Modern Classics (100w though) and they sounded so freakin' glorious. Great high gain tones that chug like a champ, but also great AC/DC type tones (what would you expect from AC/DC's guitar tech, haha), but they're so damn expensive new and very hard to find used. If someone owns one and want to exchange it for my SL67, don't be afraid to send me a PM!
I should also mention that I owned the Friedman Pink Taco, and did not like it at all... Congested sounding amp, with a very strange frequency curve. Really dry sounding even with max gain (which is a lot), sounded 10x better with the BE OD directly to the fx loop return.
A list of amps that I consider, some harder to find than others:
Marshall Jubilee (2553, 2525, 2555), Splawn Super Sport, Jet City JCA20H Friedman modded, Marshall/Ceriatone 2204/1987 Friedman modded, Bogner Atma, Fargen Olde 800 MKII and probably some I forgot that I'll update later!
Thanks a lot in advance!
- Alf
So, to the case: I have been through a shitload of amps, not to mentions guitars, never quite finding what I want. Well, that is not exactly true, my 2553 Jubilee gave me my first tonegasm ever. Then I found out that my late Kemper did everything I wanted and more, which was true. However, I have always been a fan of the less is more concept and I figured that the Kemper was way too much for me. Besides, I didn't find it very rock n' roll plugging into a computer looking like a 70's NASA toaster, haha! Don't get me wrong, great unit for those advanced players who change presets for every song, but not for me. I eventually sold the Kemper, and bought a Friedman Runt 50. Also a great amp, but it died after two months (brand new). Shipped it back to the UK where I bought it from (I live in Norway) because I had already paid over 100$ for getting the bias adjusted, and I didn't want to get it fixed locally for even more money that no one would take responsibility for (it is, after all, an expensive amp). I do now regret that I didn't bit the bullet and did it, because it arrived completely smashed by the carrier. The chassis is loose, transformers are probably damaged, but no one can (or want to) find out exactly.
After getting over the loss of my Runt, I found a used Suhr SL67 at a good price (also in the UK...). I got it, and I still have it. Works perfectly, sounds great, BUT. It is very very vintage sounding, with a looser bottom end than I want. It does take pedals well, but it doesn't tighten up quite as I want it to. If I was Eddie or Page or whoever it would have been a perfect amp, but I play and like more modern rock (as well as the old classics of course). It is also extremely loud, which I did expect it to be but I guess I hoped the master volume would work better than it does. Right now the only way I can get a satisfactory distorted tone without ear plugs is running my Friedman BE OD through the SL67 on a clean setting. I think that's why the Jubilee sounded so great to me, because it sounded like the perfect synergy of vintage and modern and with the gain at 12 o clock it had the perfect amount of gain for about any heavier rock tone, with AC/DC tones slightly lower in the gain range.
Ever since my early teenage years, when I first picked up a shitty Fernandes strat copy, my idol was Slash and especially his playing and tone on Appetite for Destruction. Oddly enough I have only owned one signature amp of his, the SL-5, which sounded good but not excessively Slashy. Unrelated, 5 watt is a very annoying and just plain odd wattage because it is too loud to crank at home, and too quiet for band use. I did consider the AFD100 multiple times, but eventually forgot about it because of reported reliability issues.
Another tonal favourite of mine, and in later years also stylistic influence is Billie Joe on Dookie. That raw, tight, fat but still aggressive wall of sound is just so awesome! Of course it is double tracked and whatnot, but that's at least a reference.
That's for the slightly more modern tones, but I also love AC/DCs tone and Van Halen's VHI tone (which I pretty much nail with the SL67 and 4x12 EVH cab) and more clean slightly broken up tones and at the opposite end of the spectrum; Metallica. Not their exact scooped tone, but an amp/tone that can handle that style.
I'm starting to think that all of this is not obtainable with one amp, but there will obviously be some compromises and I'm going for the ballpark more than spot on, as long as the core tone is great. It should be possible to find amps that can do it, but I have other criteria:
- Big tone, small size; preferably nothing bigger than the SL67 but it would be great with something really small like the Splawn Super Sport (mini), Marshall 2525H, Bogner Atma etc.
- Tight and articulate bottom end, very important.
- Wattage is not that important, I would rather have too much than too little as long as it's not dependent on power amp distortion like the SL67.
- It has to be versatile, but not too many bells and whistles. I love the concept of the Fargen Olde 800s with three different modes/decades on the same (only) channel. At least nothing more fancy than the Atma, and if the amp has midi switching that's a sign that it's too complicated for me
- It has to cope with a loud drummer, and I don't mind a little breakup on my clean tones at those volumes.
- It has to have a clean tone, either available on the same channel as the overdrive like the SL67 or a dedicated clean channel.
What I know would have been perfect for me is the Wizard MC25, as I have tried two Modern Classics (100w though) and they sounded so freakin' glorious. Great high gain tones that chug like a champ, but also great AC/DC type tones (what would you expect from AC/DC's guitar tech, haha), but they're so damn expensive new and very hard to find used. If someone owns one and want to exchange it for my SL67, don't be afraid to send me a PM!
I should also mention that I owned the Friedman Pink Taco, and did not like it at all... Congested sounding amp, with a very strange frequency curve. Really dry sounding even with max gain (which is a lot), sounded 10x better with the BE OD directly to the fx loop return.
A list of amps that I consider, some harder to find than others:
Marshall Jubilee (2553, 2525, 2555), Splawn Super Sport, Jet City JCA20H Friedman modded, Marshall/Ceriatone 2204/1987 Friedman modded, Bogner Atma, Fargen Olde 800 MKII and probably some I forgot that I'll update later!
Thanks a lot in advance!
- Alf
