Any advice on good amps for 'Metal' ?

[Nephilim]

I'm looking to upgrade my Line 6 Spider III to an all-tube amp for metal music. I'm looking for something that won't break the bank (MESA Rectifier) but something that is also not a piece of cheap garbage (my current amp, lol). I'll be using this amp for rehearsals and to gig with, in small to moderate sized venues. Any ideas, anyone???

[Sancho]

"Metal" is a very loose description. Saxon sound nothing like Machine Head, for instance.
However, a Peavey 6505 can do a lot of things and won't break the bank. Check out the new Laney Ironheart as well.

[Alex]

USA: Used Peavey 5150/6505 or 5150-II/6505+
UK: Used Marshall JVM

Both very versatile. Not saying there aren't any other options, but those two are good and often go for very good prices in the respective countries.

[Nephilim]

More the extreme type of metal. Not to say 'Doom Metal'. More or less something that really hits you in the face when you're playing fast riffs, and sounds very melodic when soloing. I was actually considering the Peavey 6505+, but I want to see other choices as well. Just checked that Laney out: Seems a very nice amp :D

And regarding the US/UK thing: How come you recommend one for one country and another for the other. Can't you buy both wherever you are? I'm in the UK, btw.

[Philly Q]

And regarding the US/UK thing: How come you recommend one for one country and another for the other. Can't you buy both wherever you are? I'm in the UK, btw.

It's due to where they're built, and therefore whether they have to be imported by the distributors, which bumps up the costs considerably.

Marshalls are made in the UK and are relatively affordable here, whereas Mesas (for example) cost an absolute fortune in the UK but are ten-a-penny in the US (exaggeration!).

Having said that, most guitar equipment seems to be relatively more expensive in the UK, compared with the US, anyway.

[gordiji]

marshall's being british made are v.g. value in uk, reletively more expensive in u.s.   vice/versa for u.s made amps,especially things like mesa's which are reasonably priced in us.
i'd also look at a jvm for bang for buck.( ed.disregard as philly beat me to it while i was posting)

[Nephilim]

How does the Marshall JVM compare to the Peavey 6505+? I'm pretty much a valve-amp virgin, lolz. I know quite a bit when it comes to tubes (which is weird), but regarding the amp themselves, I'm clueless. I know I'm definitely looking for an amp that hosts 6L6s. Can the Marshall change from the stock KKs to 6L6s, or is that a no go?

[HTH AMPS]

you won't go far wrong with a 5150-type amp for metal.

fwiw, I had a 6505 and a 6505+ and preferred the latter for it's tighter overdriven tone.  there was definitely a substantial difference in the tone.

[Telerocker]

5150, Laboga Hector, Rectifier.

[ericsabbath]

the 6505 is hard to beat

maybe the new 1x12 combo version, which is veeery cheap  :D

jet city makes some great sounding amps for pretty cheap as well

[JacksonRR]

It's a biased opinion, but I have to vote 5150/6505. One of the best metal amps stock and an absolute fire breather modded. Common contraptions to add to it are a tubescreamer sort of overdrive(not a boutique one, you want that mid push and the bass cut) and an EQ in the loop for further tweakage.

[Dmoney]

Don't overlook the Laney GH100L or GH100TI. I've know of few people with those and they are pretty darn cheap in the uK. not very much versatility though.

[Roobubba]

I have a 5150-II that I bought here in the UK second hand with 4x12 cab for about 700 quid.

Definitely look into the 5150-II/6505+ (identical amps) - stunning piece of kit!

In fact, if you hold on long enough, I might be selling mine to make space for a DAR FBM-100 but that's probably more than a year away at the moment!

Roo

[hunter]

What about this?

 :D

[Philly Q]

What about this?

 :D

I'm looking for something that won't break the bank

Can the bank handle £1,100?