Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Crazy_Joe on May 31, 2006, 08:38:00 PM

Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Crazy_Joe on May 31, 2006, 08:38:00 PM
...in the price range of up to £320 which is a combo with about 50 watts and over of power which have great metal distortion and don't need the help of a stomp box?
Basically, it's saying what's the best solid state amp for that price with a good distortion.
I heard a Hughes & Kettner Matrix 100 combo and the warp channel sound great, though i have not tried it yet.
I was going to try a Peavey Valve King but then people rubbished it and said it was cr@p. (i know it's not solid state by the way)
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: headtheball on May 31, 2006, 09:01:09 PM
H+K solid state amps. They're not bad. Look out a S/hand Attax. That was a decent wee metal amp.
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Sifu Ben on May 31, 2006, 09:23:50 PM
Line 6 spider 212
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Crazy_Joe on May 31, 2006, 09:31:46 PM
Yeah i was going to get a Line 6 Spider II but then everyone hates those amps and say they give out a nu metal sound, which is not what i want.
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: CaffeineJunkie on May 31, 2006, 09:32:18 PM
Quote from: Sifu Ben
Line 6 spider 212

^^provided you want it to sound digitised and weird :D
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Crazy_Joe on May 31, 2006, 09:56:57 PM
^See what i mean
Title: Re: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: dave_mc on May 31, 2006, 10:01:23 PM
Quote from: Crazy_Joe
I was going to try a Peavey Valve King but then people rubbished it and said it was cr@p. (i know it's not solid state by the way)


you should've still tried it though.

I thought it was ok, actually. This is only from shop trying, it may break in two weeks, lol. And it's not really metal. so yeah, probably not for you...

what do you mean by metal, by the way?

:drink:
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Crazy_Joe on May 31, 2006, 10:06:25 PM
A metal distortion, ok forget that, i already have a stomp box and will probably use it with my next amp, so whats a good solid state amp since the distortion thing is solved.

I was looking at some 'Hiwatt' amps today, has anyone had any experience with them?
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Dakine on May 31, 2006, 10:19:57 PM
Randall maybe
Peavey maybe
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: dave_mc on May 31, 2006, 11:02:33 PM
Quote from: Crazy_Joe
A metal distortion, ok forget that, i already have a stomp box and will probably use it with my next amp, so whats a good solid state amp since the distortion thing is solved.


i dunno, I'd prefer good amp distortion to pedal distortion. That's just me though (i'm not counting boosting along with this).

what style of metal do you play?
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Crazy_Joe on May 31, 2006, 11:32:17 PM
All metal, i like most metal genres, power/prog/death/melodic/heavy/classic/viking/black lol

I play a lot of thrash/speed metal too.
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Underground_Player on May 31, 2006, 11:36:21 PM
What about a Marshall AVT? Not great, but prob better than a solid state Hiwatt or a Line 6. Some people really rate them.


PS Dakine, I've really been put off Peavey since I played the JSX and Triple X. Expensive amps, but awful. Even I could tell they were that bad, and I don't really play 'tight' metal - so a lot of high gain amps tend to sound pretty similar to me! But these.... :evil:

Guitarist mag thought they rocked though  :roll:  And they're the experts  :roll: which hundreds of kids base their purchasing decisions on  :x  :evil:  :evil:




Anyway.....!
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Crazy_Joe on June 01, 2006, 12:02:56 AM
Marshall AVT is well within my price range and i can get easilly, but i don't know if they are any good though, might take your word for it!
I was looking at the DSL series, but then i though it got a little expensive for what you get in the end.
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Sifu Ben on June 01, 2006, 12:58:16 AM
The classic thrash and speed metal sounds you favour are Marshall.
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Skybone on June 01, 2006, 08:54:07 AM
Marshall AVT were my first thought when I read the first post, also consider Laney's Tube Fusion range. If you're interested in a valve amp, then look at the Ashdown Fallen Angel range, multi channel valve amp with a digital DSP on board.

FWIW the Peavey Valve King, being a new amp will get no end of criticism (Marshall JCM2000 range anyone?) the best thing to do with any amp is try before you buy, and let your ears decide what sounds best for you.
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: indysmith on June 01, 2006, 10:10:28 AM
why do you want a solid state amp? lol - you knew this question was coming :P
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Sifu Ben on June 01, 2006, 10:36:51 AM
I've got one of the old Fallen Angels (pre DSP) and it is a fantastic amp. You'll certainly never need your line 6 stompbox with it, but ironically you may find you need something like a tube screamer. The amp itself does a very good breaking up crunch if you drive the amp hard on clean, but it then requires skill with the volume pot to switch from clean to dirty sounds. The distortion channel is awesome, and versatile, with loads of headroom and tons of bass, and with a guitar tuned to C# it just sounds evil  :D  :twisted:
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: dave_mc on June 01, 2006, 01:35:39 PM
these may be a little out of your pricerange, but i'd look into, as already stated, the ashdown fallen angel, the peavey valveking, and the marshall dsl. If you can get to crank them at all, they should be better than solid state (the lower priced high gain valve amps can sound a little loose at lower volumes). And as stated, you may need an OD, maybe even an EQ to get the tone you want.

I'm not a major fan of the avt's. I've got one. I wouldn't recommend it, for the price. If they were the price of MG's, then maybe.

Of course, if you have your heart set on solid state...

:drink:
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Crazy_Joe on June 01, 2006, 02:10:20 PM
I don't have my heart set on one, it's just i asked before and people said it was not good to buy bottom of the range valve amps just because people say they are better than solid-state.
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Crazy_Joe on June 01, 2006, 02:20:06 PM
By the way those Ashdown fallen angels are a bit pricey for me, 449 quid for a 40 watt..
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Sifu Ben on June 01, 2006, 02:51:10 PM
you're looking in the wrong place, my 60 cost less than that.
http://www.spectresound.co.uk/product.asp?ID=2103
Still a little more than what you said, but well worth it.
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Crazy_Joe on June 01, 2006, 03:23:37 PM
But it's still only a 40 watter, i'd pay that much for a 60 watt or maybe a 50 but 40 watt might not be powerful enough.
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Sifu Ben on June 01, 2006, 04:08:03 PM
It punches above it's weight, and once you've fed it through an extension cab and/or PA it should be fine. Anyway, your initial brief did say up to 50 watts.
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Sifu Ben on June 01, 2006, 04:12:01 PM
Anyway, my advice would be to try and raise the extra cash (like I say, you won't need your uber-metal anymore, and you should get £60 for it on ebay) and get the Fallen Angel 60watt 2X12. It's a great amp, and at £445 it's great value for money (I mean it's an all tube 2X12 with DFX!!!).
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Crazy_Joe on June 01, 2006, 05:18:14 PM
Yeah i might do that, i might sell my wah too, then get a better one later on. because this one isn't doing much for me, well it is the bog standard cry baby.
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: dave_mc on June 01, 2006, 05:44:51 PM
I'm not too fussed on the dfx in the ashdown, i'd have preferred spring reverb, but you can just not use the fx...

But yeah. The volume difference between 50 and 40 watt is negligible. And different speakers have different efficiencies as well, so you could more than likely make a 40 watt amp with an efficient speaker (say a vintage 30, it's 100 db efficiency, i think) louder than a 50.

and a 40 watt valve amp, assuming you like power tube distortion, will be louder than a 50 watt solid state amp, like a valvestate.

so yeah, I agree with sifu- it's worth it to save up another £50 or £100 to get an amp that'll last, rather than buy something at £300 that you might get sick of.

Bear in mind, those ashdowns are chinese-made, along with the valveking. I've heard a few dodgy things about the reliability...

It's up to you really. But I wouldn't put as much stock in what other people say, to be honest. You should go and try out everything you can get your hands on. Bear in mind what other people have said, but at the end of the day, it's up to you. Also, if you're trying out valve amps, remember to (a) crank them (b) play with lots of dynamics and (c) see how much difference the guitar's volume control makes. If you do, odds are you'll prefer the all-valve designs.

:drink:
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: _tom_ on June 01, 2006, 05:47:16 PM
40w valve is plenty, I've actually found its too much for me in my current band.
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Crazy_Joe on June 01, 2006, 07:13:09 PM
Cool guys, cheers for the advice, i will check them out next time i go the the guitar store, since i know they have an Ashdown Fallen Angel 40 watter.
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: HTH AMPS on June 01, 2006, 09:37:41 PM
£259 gets you this beast...  http://www.andertonsonline.co.uk/acatalog/info%5fRH100XG2%2ehtml

ok, so you're only left with £60 for a cab but save up for a month & snag a used 4x12 for £150

 :twisted:
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Crazy_Joe on June 01, 2006, 09:47:00 PM
There are loads of Heads i can get, just they don't leave me with hardly any money left over for a cab.
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Sifu Ben on June 01, 2006, 10:50:27 PM
See, I've got one of the old spring reverb models and it's a pain. I barely use the reverb and it makes the amp unnecessarily fragile  :(
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Petre on June 03, 2006, 12:22:55 AM
Joe we are in the exact same boat. I have about same price boundaries as you and need pretty much the same thing. And yes, so many nice heads we could buy but no money for cabs  :? . Its a pain in the arse. Im considering the ashdown fallen angel but im not sure what its like at bedroom volumes and slightly put off by the fact reliability isnt ace and such. was considering solid state but i got put off by people lol. Seems anything within price range people put me off  :roll: . Plus i got a band ready and waiting for me to get a good amp so time is of the essence.

Basically my current considerations are the GH50L, or ashdown FA . But then yea, the GH50L would need a cab, and they dont come too cheap either  :evil: . I'd give out the ashdown a try.  

Let me know what you choose!
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Crazy_Joe on June 03, 2006, 12:58:20 PM
I really don't know what to get, and i need one because my band has 50 watt and over amps. The Ashdown Fallen Angel has been the only one recommended without needing a stomp box, but it's more expensive than i would like it to be.
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: BleedMarshall on June 03, 2006, 03:41:17 PM
Quote from: Sifu Ben
Line 6 spider 212


Agreed.
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: dave_mc on June 03, 2006, 05:54:19 PM
Quote from: Crazy_Joe
I really don't know what to get, and i need one because my band has 50 watt and over amps. The Ashdown Fallen Angel has been the only one recommended without needing a stomp box, but it's more expensive than i would like it to be.


are your bands' amps solid state? if they are, the ashdown SHOULD be loud enough ( i say should, because I don't want to say for definite, just in case I'm wrong).

but the difference in volume cause by 10 watts will be negligible. Seriously, it's not a linear thing. Google it if you want. you normally need 10 times the wattage (roughly, and with everything else being equal) to get double the volume.

also, i've seen the ashdown 40 combo advertised for about £330, which is only about £30 over your budget.

:drink:
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Crazy_Joe on June 03, 2006, 07:03:36 PM
That would be a good price, where did you see that?
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: dave_mc on June 03, 2006, 08:15:32 PM
^ i'm struggling to remember, unfortunately... that's why i didn't post a link! :lol:

andertons? coda music?

try those two places' websites. but it might not be them. And it was maybe a while ago...

:drink:
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: Crazy_Joe on June 03, 2006, 08:32:34 PM
It's not Coda, i look at Coda's site every day to see what offers they have, but the Ashdown 40 watt is 440 or something like that.
Title: Are there any Solid-State Amps....
Post by: dave_mc on June 03, 2006, 08:42:16 PM
^ ok, gimme a minute.

:drink:

EDIT: ok, sorry about that, the price seems to have gone up by quite a bit. There used to be a spring reverb version, without the fx, which was cheaper. The cheapest I've seen the fa40 is £389, on www.spectresound.co.uk.

Sorry for getting your hopes up, man.