can one atsay you've got all decent heavy amp sounds covered

diezelduder

diezelduder

Well-known member
i have a hard time saying if i have any reason to buy another heavy metal style amp

list below of current shite

VHT pitbull
mark iv and ii
peavey 6505
engl savage

now there's plenty of other amps, caveat is i have never gelled with a marshall sound too much, but could be persuaded i'm sure, with something i haven't heard in person etc

i feel like a ton of bases are covered though currently

options i'm thinking about are below

peavey xxx, old version, didn't feel the jsx did much better than the aforementioned
pwe amp, which i don't know what it's based on, marshall/fender hot rodded ehhh.....
steavens, again not up to speed
mezzabarba, probably a weird combination of the any of the above
bad cat most likely a lynx or simliar
another engl, most likely a powerball II or morse head which i've always been curious about or an invader, invader i've owned but certainly not been able to A/B one with any of the current amps i own
egnater armageddon, seems underrated?
blackstar series one, i remember liking mine
ksr ares or orthos, either one is cool with me, caveat i don't really like the mesa rectifier, seems whatever (insert criticism here)
DAR FBM, i currently don't have 15 thousand dollars or know if any or even for sale in any part of the world,
last one a rivera, kr100 or whatever knucklehead variation, those are good sounding amps from when i last had one in my ears mind
another last one, some sort of ceriatone hot rodded marshall even given my someone dislike of other hot rodded stuff i've played through or owned, possibly the gargoyle fortin rip, idk

now i'm asking if there is a point in getting any of the above,
there might be regardless of overlap, because how couldn't there be overlap, there always is
further is there a point in which ehh it's covered no need
i say this as someone who tries to make decent music and record, so idk

where am i going with this...

thanks

*edit ummmmmm i know i've missed several that are even on my mind, but generally what is good coverage no realism of budget needed, besides the fucking FBM!!!
 
Some people, some players, think that the type of pick or strings or speaker will change things up significantly. I for one, prefer to turn the knobs and EQ sliders little here and there on my amp or kick in a nice hot rodded pedal to change things up significantly. YMMV. Shit, pedals go a long long long way at getting odd tones!
 
Rivera Ktre would be my grab. Or maybe a Recto? What about a Rockerverb?

What are you looking to spend?

On the cheap JSX and XXX are hard to beat. I prefer the JSX to the XXX (owned both) but there are varied opinions.
 
xxx i haven't tried hear it's pure tits, as for the uber, mmmm i may jump on dat ass, rivera i have good history with and an knucklehead or k-tre etc would be an interesting addition

as for the many other amps, i'll go through them one at a time etc

picks and pedals,

picks first i can't escape my little obsession with the ole jazz III or any of it's variants, currently hooked on the older version of the JP sig dunlop jazz type

pedals i do keep them rotating, i play an 8 which really does seem to change the basics to some extent, amps/pedals and range and idk what else comes to mind,

xxx i think i could get nowish, with money nowish, ubers seem to range drastically but seem worth it, and idk if the uber jet whatever is worth the extra cash, but maybe?

as for rectos, i didn't like my single, i'm consistently interested in the old dual rackto, but those are few and far between

thanks for the replies
 
diezelduder":1jeqokaz said:
another engl, most likely a powerball II or morse head which i've always been curious about or an invader, invader i've owned but certainly not been able to A/B one with any of the current amps i own
Click to expand...
What the Invader will give you is
1) Gorgeous clean channel that does a nice, mild breakup sound with the High gain mode on.
2) sort of Plexi-ish (meets Matchless), but smoother Crunch (CH2) channel, that does hotrodded dark/smooth JCM800 tones in high gain mode.
3) the awesome tight Engl metal-rhythm/lead tone in CH3. While really, really awesome, the Savage would be better for raw rhythm playing.
4) a very saturated, loose, middy Santana-esque lead sound in CH4.

Compared to your Savage, the Invader has a better clean tone, but may lack in the 'raw'/kerrang department. Overall, it's more polite and refined. Then again, since you weren't interested in Marshall-like tones, it *will* be an amp that will give you something that your other amps won't really do.

As the Morse is based off the Invader, you'll lose CH4 -which is no loss at all, mind you- and gain a lot more versatile CH3 with the Mid-matrix.
Cleans are equally beautiful on the Morse (coming close to the Mesa Mark cleans), although I'm not sure if CH2 was tweaked in the Morse. It's been years since I played one...

The cool thing about the Invader is that it gives you 8 different, workable tones. I use the Z9 footswitch with mine, where function 1 toggles High Gain mode on/off and Function 2 switches between FX Loop 1 and 2 (where I've set FX-Loop 100% dry with nothing in it), effectively true bypassing all my post-amp fx. Double-tapping the Channel buttons on the Z9 switches Master 1 and 2 volumes; voilà, lead boost!

I've owned the SE EL34 for a while too, and although it did some things better than the Invader; mainly that huge, skullcrushing modern metal tone, its 'gain boost' was too little on Clean/Crunch and too much on Lead 1/2, so that didn't give you 8 useable base tones. Sold the SE, still have the Invader.
 
I have not tried an Engl in a long time but the invader looks nice, but pricier than I thought. Damn.

As far as Rectos, a rev F or Tremoverb (rev G) is on a whole different level than a single rec. YMMV of course. My only point is that a single rec does not give you an accurate representation of a Recto to me anyways.

At the moment I am loving the k Tre more and more
Brutal as you would ever want, glassy cleans well engineered amp IMO. a little different than what you have too.

I would probably pass on the 5153 relative to price and other options.

Again JSX/XXX on the cheap ($400)is a hell of an amp. But I don't really miss either like I have others though. Or (less pretty) an ultra + is a solid amp. I had one a decade ago and loved it. $200 at the time. I would (from what I remember) take one of those first over the XXX/JSX.

Another amp to look at is a Soldano HR+ I want (but won't likly get) one. A nice medium in the group IMO. I would go that over Engl tbh. Even though very different.
 
I don't understand why some want to have a large assortment of amplifier tones? It's difficult enough finding one sound that you can call your own. Rather, one that best reflects your style of play. My sound is a blend of Marshall and VOX. If I want that distinct "blizzard of nails" VOX sound, I simply switch to the Hot Cake pedal + VOX only rig. If I want a straight-up dry rock sound, I switch to the Marshall. I use these tones for everything I do, including covers. Switching between guitars adds distinction, but keeps my core tone the same.

I use to jam with a guy who would show-up one day with a Soldano SLO, then a VHT Pitbull, then a Mesa D/R... :doh: To my ears, the SLO (with its top-end sizzle) sat best in the mix. His Pitbull and Rectifier tended to ventured into bass player frequencies; regardless of how he set them. He wouldn't let me dial him in, of course. I asked him to stick to using the SLO, or find a nice blend between two amplifiers...with the SLO as the dominant voice. This was unacceptable to him as well, so he left. I tried to explain the priority of the mix, which didn't make a dent. This is what happens when a guitarist spends too much time playing alone vs playing in a band.
 
Goat":2q4lca1s said:
I don't understand why some want to have a large assortment of amplifier tones? It's difficult enough finding one sound that you can call your own. Rather, one that best reflects your style of play. My sound is a blend of Marshall and VOX. If I want that distinct "blizzard of nails" VOX sound, I simply switch to the Hot Cake pedal + VOX only rig. If I want a straight-up dry rock sound, I switch to the Marshall. I use these tones for everything I do, including covers. Switching between guitars adds distinction, but keeps my core tone the same.

I use to jam with a guy who would show-up one day with a Soldano SLO, then a VHT Pitbull, then a Mesa D/R... :doh: To my ears, the SLO (with its top-end sizzle) sat best in the mix. His Pitbull and Rectifier tended to ventured into bass player frequencies; regardless of how he set them. He wouldn't let me dial him in, of course. I asked him to stick to using the SLO, or find a nice blend between two amplifiers...with the SLO as the dominant voice. This was unacceptable to him as well, so he left. I tried to explain the priority of the mix, which didn't make a dent. This is what happens when a guitarist spends too much time playing alone vs playing in a band.
Click to expand...

:rock:

This x 1000! I have been more than guilty for wanting to try a few different amps over the years to find what I like. Took me a very long time. I thought I was settled in but after a while I figured out what I liked and didn’t like. The key here was that I sound like me through it. You will sound like you. We all hear things differently. When I joined my band a few back after not playing live more than a couple of times per year, I was changing up a few different amps to see what worked. Looking back on our footage playing live, it was my bass player of all people that said, you sound fantastic when using that amp. That is what I went with. For me, it is the JP-2C or a Mark style amp. I sit in the right place in the mix and to be honest, I really love the tone. It also is a great smaller size for gigging along with midi, 2 EQs, etc...etc. It checks all the boxes for me.

That being said, variety is the spice of life and if you like different amps and have the means, enjoy and play the crap out of them! I’m actually glad and very thankful that I have had the opportunity to own and try many of them to find what I like. Thanks to all of the reviews here @ RT over the years as well!

:thumbsup:
 
diezelduder":11y8uh3c said:
i have a hard time saying if i have any reason to buy another heavy metal style amp

list below of current shite

VHT pitbull
mark iv and ii
peavey 6505
engl savage

now there's plenty of other amps, caveat is i have never gelled with a marshall sound too much, but could be persuaded i'm sure, with something i haven't heard in person etc

i feel like a ton of bases are covered though currently

options i'm thinking about are below

peavey xxx, old version, didn't feel the jsx did much better than the aforementioned
pwe amp, which i don't know what it's based on, marshall/fender hot rodded ehhh.....
steavens, again not up to speed
mezzabarba, probably a weird combination of the any of the above
bad cat most likely a lynx or simliar
another engl, most likely a powerball II or morse head which i've always been curious about or an invader, invader i've owned but certainly not been able to A/B one with any of the current amps i own
egnater armageddon, seems underrated?
blackstar series one, i remember liking mine
ksr ares or orthos, either one is cool with me, caveat i don't really like the mesa rectifier, seems whatever (insert criticism here)
DAR FBM, i currently don't have 15 thousand dollars or know if any or even for sale in any part of the world,
last one a rivera, kr100 or whatever knucklehead variation, those are good sounding amps from when i last had one in my ears mind
another last one, some sort of ceriatone hot rodded marshall even given my someone dislike of other hot rodded stuff i've played through or owned, possibly the gargoyle fortin rip, idk

now i'm asking if there is a point in getting any of the above,
there might be regardless of overlap, because how couldn't there be overlap, there always is
further is there a point in which ehh it's covered no need
i say this as someone who tries to make decent music and record, so idk

where am i going with this...

thanks

*edit ummmmmm i know i've missed several that are even on my mind, but generally what is good coverage no realism of budget needed, besides the fucking FBM!!!
Click to expand...


Maybe you should get a Diezel and we'll let you keep the name....

Seriously though IMO a VH4 wont overlap with what you have, also great under the mic.
 
rickenbacker198":bhnyub3y said:
Maybe you should get a Diezel and we'll let you keep the name....

Seriously though IMO a VH4 wont overlap with what you have, also great under the mic.
Click to expand...
I thought about that too.
Even the D-Moll would give him some non-overlap tones...with one of the best clean channels in a high gain channel switcher to boot! :rock:

The only reason I passed up on one, was this overly thick, almost wooly fuzzy saturated low-mid thing, that I couldn't dial out.
 
Goat":28i0pypt said:
I don't understand why some want to have a large assortment of amplifier tones? It's difficult enough finding one sound that you can call your own. Rather, one that best reflects your style of play. My sound is a blend of Marshall and VOX. If I want that distinct "blizzard of nails" VOX sound, I simply switch to the Hot Cake pedal + VOX only rig. If I want a straight-up dry rock sound, I switch to the Marshall. I use these tones for everything I do, including covers. Switching between guitars adds distinction, but keeps my core tone the same.

I use to jam with a guy who would show-up one day with a Soldano SLO, then a VHT Pitbull, then a Mesa D/R... :doh: To my ears, the SLO (with its top-end sizzle) sat best in the mix. His Pitbull and Rectifier tended to ventured into bass player frequencies; regardless of how he set them. He wouldn't let me dial him in, of course. I asked him to stick to using the SLO, or find a nice blend between two amplifiers...with the SLO as the dominant voice. This was unacceptable to him as well, so he left. I tried to explain the priority of the mix, which didn't make a dent. This is what happens when a guitarist spends too much time playing alone vs playing in a band.
Click to expand...
I hear what your saying but to me thats like eating oatmeal everyday. I personally like to have a variety of tones to play with so I can dial them in all the same and they can all sound exactly alike :LOL: :LOL:

OP what about a Synergy? Uber and Pittbulls modules are coming any day now.
 
Ive tried and owned a lot of amps and early marshalls are it for me. Out of all the amps a Naylor superdrive 60 was nice, if it is distorted regardless of the brand its a marshall wanna be to me. Nothing reacts like a non master amp on 10 its a 3 channel amp with your guitar volume. I don't like how mv amps react or lack of.
 
PRS ARCHON 100.
It’s my desert island amp.
I’ve owned em all.
But gotta add a eq in the loop. But no boost needed.
:thumbsup:
 
panhead":1cp021s8 said:
Ive tried and owned a lot of amps and early marshalls are it for me. Nothing reacts like a non master amp on 10 its a 3 channel amp with your guitar volume.
Click to expand...
:yes: You should try a NMV VOX AC15 and AC30 w/Crother Hot Cake.
 
Goat":3cn5q254 said:
I use to jam with a guy who would show-up one day with a Soldano SLO, then a VHT Pitbull, then a Mesa D/R... :doh: To my ears, the SLO (with its top-end sizzle) sat best in the mix. His Pitbull and Rectifier tended to ventured into bass player frequencies; regardless of how he set them. He wouldn't let me dial him in, of course. I asked him to stick to using the SLO, or find a nice blend between two amplifiers...with the SLO as the dominant voice. This was unacceptable to him as well, so he left. I tried to explain the priority of the mix, which didn't make a dent. This is what happens when a guitarist spends too much time playing alone vs playing in a band.
Click to expand...

When I was playing in one particular band and was in full swing GAS mode, I would always let the band decide what they liked best. All the amps I was trying I liked so I couldn’t lose with whatever they liked. And of course, after it was all said and done, the amp to be was a Marshall...lol

To the OP, maybe a vintage flavored amp would fit the bill. Orange, Hiwatt or even Fender. With the right pedal you can get amazing heavy tones, some tight, some wooly or something in between. It will give your ear a nice break from a more traditional smoothed out midrange and even compression from more modern designs.
 
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