Help with an amp

[Doadman]

I currently have a Marshall DSL401 and while I like the tone I can get from it, the amps own distortions need an overdrive pedal with gain at zero and level at maximum to tighten them up enough for my tastes. Unfortunately that means I have nowhere left to go when it comes to boosting for solos. I play in a Rock covers band so ideally I need something that will run from clean to very high gain. The distortions need to be tight and articulate; certainly not mushy, which is what this Marshall is without the overdrive in front. I was originally thinking of a head to go with my 4X12 but now I'm thinking it might be more versatile to go with a combo so I have the option of using a smaller rig. Whatever amp it is, it needs to be versatile, have a series effects loop, take pedals well and have multiple channels that can be set independently. The budget is probably no more than £500 but I'm more than happy to go second hand if they can be sourced OK through Ebay. My initial thoughts were:

Bugera 333XL (not at all sure about the reliability)
Peavey 6505+
Marshall (no idea which one would be best)


Any thoughts on these or any other ideas welcome :)

[Pete24v]

Laney VH100R, 2 total independent channels, each with it's own swithcable gain/drive.
 

[Pete24v]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Laney-VH100R-100-Watts-Guitar-Amplifier-w-Flightcase-/290444950193?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item439fde3ab1

i've seen them go cheaper, £350 ish

[Doadman]

But that's not a combo and I can't fit the 4X12 in the room where I practice :(

[dave_mc]

vc50 is supposedly the combo version, i think? i've only tried the head version, though.

[Pete24v]

yes, the VC50 is the combo version. That practise room must be small!  :?

[LazyNinja]

Laney is a good suggestion.

How about a Mesa combo of some sort? You can score a DC5 or F50 combo used for about £600 quid used or a Rectoverb for about £800. Or if you can stretch a bit more, Mark IV would be a great choice. Tremo-verb is a monstrous amp too but it's fecking loud (and heavy)!

Others worth checking out:

Fender Prosonic/Supersonic
Engl Screamer
Cornford Roadhouse
Orange Rocker/Rockerbverb
Hiwatt Higain
Blackstar Studio/stage series

I've not played half of those amps so sorry if they're naff amps but the specs fit your bill

[soulside]

I've got a Bugera 333XL which I've been using for over a year now.  I know the first few batches released had some reliability issue but this was sorted out by the time I picked up mine.  I've got the head/cab version so I can't comment on the combo's.  I've found the Bugera to be great for what I do.  I find it very versatile, I can dial in a good clean tone or great rock/metal tones depending on how I want to tweak it.  Though I mainly use it for post-metal/doom.

The Bugera 333XL is basically a copy of a Peavey JSX/XXX if that helps.

Hope that helps :-D

[Doadman]

It's a bit of a chicken and egg situation this!!

My current amp can sound good but it won't do everything I need it to. If I simply get a new amp that can do more and do it effectively I'll need to get a combo as the room I practice in at the house is VERY small and I need an amp to practice with. A 1X12 would be adequate as I disconnect the internal speaker when I hook it up to the 4X12 anyway. I'm not even sure a 2X12 combo would fit in the room!  :)

Conversely, if the new amp still can't do everything I need it to (great distortions but terrible cleans or the other way around etc.) then I'll need to go the amp modelling route and sell the individual pedals to expand the options available, in which case I'll get an RP1000. However, if I do that, I can just use the RP1000 with headphones for practice and therefore I no longer need a combo and could simply get a head unit. In fact, I may not even need a guitar amp as I could use a Marshall EL34 50/50.

I just don't know what to do for the best, especially as I'm stuck in Lincolnshire where I can't get to try most of this gear!

[bucketshred]

Cheap alternative: Buy a Boss or MXR EQ and use it in the FX loop with a slight mid boost and gain boost for extra volume. I used to use a Boss GE-7 and it worked a treat.

Paddy!

[Ian Price]

I've got a Laney VC30 I'm selling if you're interested. It has an extension cab with it as well. PM me if you're interested - (although I suspect you won't be!)

[Pete24v]

VC30's are great with an overdrive pedal on top of the drive channel for rock lead tones

[BigB]

I currently have a Marshall DSL401 and while I like the tone I can get from it, the amps own distortions need an overdrive pedal with gain at zero and level at maximum to tighten them up enough for my tastes. Unfortunately that means I have nowhere left to go when it comes to boosting for solos.

Uh. Never played this amp, but I'm a bit surprised a Marshall would need to be tightned up :scratch:. But anyway: assuming this amp has an FX loop, you could try a volume and/or EQ pedal in the loop.

I play in a Rock covers band so ideally I need something that will run from clean to very high gain. The distortions need to be tight and articulate; certainly not mushy, which is what this Marshall is without the overdrive in front. I was originally thinking of a head to go with my 4X12 but now I'm thinking it might be more versatile to go with a combo

Never had a head+cab rig myself, but I definitly fail to see how a combo could be more versatile.

so I have the option of using a smaller rig. Whatever amp it is, it needs to be versatile, have a series effects loop, take pedals well and have multiple channels that can be set independently. The budget is probably no more than £500 but I'm more than happy to go second hand

Hotrod Deluxe anyone ?-)

More seriously : I don't think you'd like the HRDx if you find the drive channel of your Marshall to loose and mushy, but it's a "versatile" 40watter "with a series FX loop",  "that takes pedals well" and have "multiple" (for a definition of "multiple" being "more than one" :lol:) "channels that can be set independently" - and you can surely get one for less than £500 second hand (got mine for €480, mint condition and still under garantee, the second day I started looking for one in the local ads), so it kinda fits your bill !-)

[LazyNinja]

I wouldn't go for Fender HRD unless you're getting your sounds from pedals. Pretty mediocre amp imo tbh.

[Doadman]

Getting the ideal amp is clearly problematic. Most seem to be great in one respect but limited in others. The Bugera 333XL seems to be extremely versatile and could be what I'm looking for but I have to confess that all those reports of reliability issues worry me. OK, it comes with a 12 month warranty but I rather hope an amp will last longer than that and I don't want to be left at a gig with a blown amp. I'm tempted to try an RP1000 into a Marshall EL34 50/50 and see what it's like. I've heard good things about it and a valve power amp should give it a more genuinely valve-like tone. If I find it just doesn't cut it compared to a real full valve amp I'll need to look at a conventional guitar amp again.

By the way, when I mentioned versatility, I meant that with a 1X12 combo I had the option of either using it that way or connecting to a 4X12 whereas with a head unit I'd always have to cart the 4X12 around.

As for the loose Marshall distortion, it wasn't something I noticed until I put the Bad Monkey in front of it and God did it come alive after that :D There was just no going back after that.