Best LOW wattage valve amp for metal

[Transcend]

I have a pod. I hate it. It sounds like a kick drum filled with angry bees on every setting.

Something with some balls that I can add an overdrive too would suffice.

Looked up more info on the HT. Doesnt do metal, on its own at least.

Hmpfff.

Have you tried the new pod farm software the dual tone settings really make a difference as you can back off on the gain a lot to get rid of that hissiness.

[MDV]

I have a pod. I hate it. It sounds like a kick drum filled with angry bees on every setting.

Something with some balls that I can add an overdrive too would suffice.

Looked up more info on the HT. Doesnt do metal, on its own at least.

Hmpfff.

Have you tried the new pod farm software the dual tone settings really make a difference as you can back off on the gain a lot to get rid of that hissiness.

Nope. And I havent the slightest intention of buying anything else from line 6.

I have tried using my POD and TL LE at the same time. Not quite refined it yet - but its very promising.

[MDV]

MWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!! - this will...

Oh - you tease!

HTH is building me a 10w version of the Tim Caswell/SIR Number 39 modified Marshall that Slash used on Appetite and George Lynch used for most of the Under Lock and Key Tour

We are using an 80s Transistor Marshall as the donor amp - giving us a nice stable cabinet , Chassis and Celestion 12" speaker.

HTH and I have been talking about gutting something and starting again. He has some great ideas for this - clearly been looking at it for a while (see pic he posted - 10W SLO-clone!)

[JDC]

MWUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!!! - this will...

:D :D

TO, the splawn is pushing it in power and price, but thanks, I'll look into it.

JDC - the chimera is still on the cards. In that I'm GASsing for it like a madman, but the exchange rate at the moment made them rather a bit less appealing, and, though its the thing I want most in my GAS list, its the thing I need the least. Much as I hate to have to acknowledge this fact - a 100W valve amp is no practice amp! I have a powerball, and thats sitting nearly unused since I'm not gigging and I recently moved next door to two very old folk! I'm building an Isolation cab, and the instant its finished, the Chimera will go to the top of the list. Right now its a big 100W, £1500, untested and untestable Nice-to-have (*Probably* - like I say, its untested).

I thought the 50W chimera and the 100W were exactly the same apart from volume, so why do you want the 100W version?

[MDV]

Because.

Thats why.

Anyway, 50s loud as all hell, 100 isnt that much louder, and I may as well have the hreadroom for when I need it and the extra tightness anyhow.

[MDV]

I just re-did the numbers for a Chimera + shipping with the current exchange rate: £1900.

It was about 1450 when I first looked into it about 3 months ago :(

I do so love my powerball. All br00tal and shiny! Yay powerball!

[Simon D]

If you're after metal distortion and tightness at lowish volumes, but have  an amp to run through, you could try a Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Mayhem. I have one, and it pretty much does what it says on the tin, and does it very very well. Retails at around £130.

[Jonny]

The POD Farm is free, MDV. It was part of the Pod X3 but now Line 6 have raped them over with this free application. If you have the Metal Shop, you have models of a Triple Rectifier, Uberschall, Powerball, 5150, VH4, Einstein, etc., obviously they're models of the real amps. But you can stack two (i.e. Triple Rect. w/ Uberschall, which is what I use) and multi effects too. It's pretty much twice but as Tony says you can fiddle with it a bit so in reality you could get a better tone out of two rather than just one.

[nfe]

Given that I have all the gear but none of the soundproofing to record proper amped guitars I have been having pretty enjoyable results with Guitar Rig 3.

I would love to find a really small amp that would do all my grind and black metal sounds though. The Splawn Competition and Cornford Hellcat have been of interest. Really I need an isolation cab.

[JDC]

If you're after metal distortion and tightness at lowish volumes, but have  an amp to run through, you could try a Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Mayhem. I have one, and it pretty much does what it says on the tin, and does it very very well. Retails at around £130.

daft question of the month for me

you know how you can boost an amp to get a tighter sound, can you boost a distortion pedal for a tighter sound?

[MrBump]

If you're after metal distortion and tightness at lowish volumes, but have  an amp to run through, you could try a Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Mayhem. I have one, and it pretty much does what it says on the tin, and does it very very well. Retails at around £130.

daft question of the month for me

you know how you can boost an amp to get a tighter sound, can you boost a distortion pedal for a tighter sound?

you can cascade gain stages of pedals into one another, and it can sound sweet!

[juansolo]

I'm waiting for more reviews of the Blackstar HT-5 before I bite the bullet. A 5 watt 2ch valve head. Looks like it could potentially do everything you're after. Sadly the only demos of it up at the moment have it being run clean or a bit rocky. Not real high gainy stuff. Cheap as chips too at a shade over £200.

[dave_mc]

I just re-did the numbers for a Chimera + shipping with the current exchange rate: £1900.

yeah, now's the wrong time to buy anything from abroad, unfortunately.

just to check, you included customs and VAT in those numbers, right?

:)

[juansolo]

I'm waiting for more reviews of the Blackstar HT-5 before I bite the bullet. A 5 watt 2ch valve head. Looks like it could potentially do everything you're after. Sadly the only demos of it up at the moment have it being run clean or a bit rocky. Not real high gainy stuff. Cheap as chips too at a shade over £200.

Ah hell, just done it. I guess it'll give me motivation to recover the cab and get a suitable driver for it.

[TwilightOdyssey]

I'm waiting for more reviews of the Blackstar HT-5 before I bite the bullet. A 5 watt 2ch valve head. Looks like it could potentially do everything you're after. Sadly the only demos of it up at the moment have it being run clean or a bit rocky. Not real high gainy stuff. Cheap as chips too at a shade over £200.

http://www.musicradar.com/gear/all/amplification/instrument-amps/guitar-stacks/ht5-s-mini-stack-179251/review