Thrash Amp

[awesomeguy666]

Hi, guys. I'm looking to replace my current amp, a Fender Mustang I (it sucks, but what do you expect for $100?). I now have a budget of about $1000, +/- $100. I need an amp with a tight bass, as I play rhythm with a lot of palm-muted alternate picking, and I like to be able to hear each note individually. I play mostly thrash metal (Kreator, Exodus, Sodom, Megadeth, Testament, Overkill, etc.), but I also need to be able to get some well-defined death metal tones (Death, Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, Behemoth, etc.). I don't care a lot about cleans, as long as they aren't very dirty (duh). I would prefer to get a combo amp. I want something that will perform well at lower volumes (I practice at home) but am willing to get an attenuator if necessary. Also, I need something that will be good for studio recording, as my band plans on releasing a demo sometime soon. Currently, I'm considering the Peavey 6505+ 112 Combo. From what I've heard, it seems to be a good solution. The only thing I'm a little worried about is the 6L6 tubes; I've heard that they can have a flabby bass and that the EL-34's would be better for the tone I'm going for. So if you have any good combo amps with EL-34's that you think would be good for my style, please don't hesitate to suggest them. Thanks a lot for you help.

[Sancho]

Buy the 6505. It's the amp I would pick if I were moving into more extreme styles.
Just remember : a 1x12 combo won't sound as huge as a 4x12 cab. Don't expect it to rattle the house.
For 1100$ (I suppose you're in the States?) you should be able to pick up a used half stack, no?

[Madsakre]

Randall amps kicks ass. The RG150g3 is a very underrated amp. My best buddy, Loomer have started to use them exclusively!

[awesomeguy666]

Randall amps kicks ass. The RG150g3 is a very underrated amp. My best buddy, Loomer have started to use them exclusively!

I would go for it, but notice that I said I would prefer a combo amp, preferably one under 100w simply because it's less of a hassle (weight). Also, I don't want complaints from the neighbors.

[Sancho]

If you're going to be playing at home, the 6505 really is a no-brainer.

[awesomeguy666]

If you're going to be playing at home, the 6505 really is a no-brainer.

I'm pretty much set on the Peavey 6505+ 1x12 now. The only thing left now is to try it out at Guitar Center. Thanks for the help.

[JacksonRR]

A 60 watt power section VS a 120 watter isn't going to help much in the loudness department. There's only a 3db difference in clean headroom between 50 and 100 watts, can't imagine 60/120 being that much different. It's a good thing the 6505+ sounds good at bedroom levels. Please get a adjustable bias mod on that thing. Having those 6L6s running properly instead of biased super cold really brings out the beast. It's the easiest little circuit to put in, too. No amp tech should ever charge more than $50 for that.

[awesomeguy666]

A 60 watt power section VS a 120 watter isn't going to help much in the loudness department. There's only a 3db difference in clean headroom between 50 and 100 watts, can't imagine 60/120 being that much different. It's a good thing the 6505+ sounds good at bedroom levels. Please get a adjustable bias mod on that thing. Having those 6L6s running properly instead of biased super cold really brings out the beast. It's the easiest little circuit to put in, too. No amp tech should ever charge more than $50 for that.

What do you mean by installing an adjustable bias mod? Sorry, I know nothing about tube amps.

[Dr.Pain]

My 60 watt Vypyr have 2 6L6's and they don't come across as flabby.  I let them warm up for 5 mins before playing and they seem really consistent at any volume level.   But my pre amp is solid state with a single 12AX7 tube used for effects not gain and I've heard you need some volume in 6505's to get them sounding good.  That's going to be LOUD in a bedroom as I don't have my Vypyr past 1 on master volume with full gain and it goes to 13 so I can imagine how loud a 60 watt 6505 would be.

I know it's tough to compare a Vypyr to a 6505 combo but based upon what I'm doing at present then a 6505 seems the way to go as I like a lot of those bands mentioned.  6505 for high gain and the versatile Vypyr would keep me happy for many a year.  I need to go play one myself.  

[JacksonRR]

A 60 watt power section VS a 120 watter isn't going to help much in the loudness department. There's only a 3db difference in clean headroom between 50 and 100 watts, can't imagine 60/120 being that much different. It's a good thing the 6505+ sounds good at bedroom levels. Please get a adjustable bias mod on that thing. Having those 6L6s running properly instead of biased super cold really brings out the beast. It's the easiest little circuit to put in, too. No amp tech should ever charge more than $50 for that.

What do you mean by installing an adjustable bias mod? Sorry, I know nothing about tube amps.

Peavey doesn't have proper power tube biasing for any of these 6505 series amps. They have it permanently set very very cold to induce crossover distortion and help obtain the browned out EVH sound. Now if you or a local amp tech replaces the stock resistor with a smaller one and a potentiometer(like in most amps), you have the ability to adjust the power tube bias much warmer. In the end, it adds a lot of meat to the sound and helps reduce the fizzy nature of the 5150.

[Loomer]

Randall amps kicks ass. The RG150g3 is a very underrated amp. My best buddy, Loomer have started to use them exclusively!

Yup, this. Mine is a G2 though, but still. Massively underrated amps, I say.

Other than that, I'd say the 6505/5150 is a good bet in any case. It's been the de rigeur metal amp for the more "regular" sorts of metal for decades now.

EDIT: Just re-read the post and saw you needed something bedroom worthy. Then I say AVOID THE 6505 LIKE THE PLAGUE!!!! Your neighbours will hate you for playing too loud, and you'll hate yourself for shelling out that much cash for an amp which will only ever sound like arse because it can't be "opened up" properly.

If you're just practicing at home, buy something smaller, like one of those 1 watt Blackstar amps, or an Orange Dark Terror. Yes, I know you mentioned power attenuators in the other thread, but I seriously doubt they'll be able to go that low in volume.

What this does though, is make Madsakre's idea of a Solid-State Randall of some sort make even more sense. My RH100G2 can easily go down to bedroom levels and still sound the same, unlike a tube amp. However, it is very much gig-worthy once it's turned up properly, even at the completely ludicrous volume levels my band plays and rehearses at. The best part is, you can find them for very cheap, most places. Maybe even find a new one at a clearance sale somewhere! Seriously, you need to do this. Really. You'll thank me later.

tl;dr: Tube amps are the last thing you need in your situation.

[Roobubba]

I think I had the Randall RG200G2 - it died on me after about 3 rehearsals, then I got the 5150-II (=6505+) with a 4 x 12 and never looked back. 200W solid state just doesn't hold a candle to the all tube 120W head muahaha.

But for bedroom playing, yeah you're right a combo is a good idea. Don't worry about 6L6s being flabby. They aren't. I defy anyone to play my setup and make it sound flabby how I have it set up. Even I can't make it sound bad, and I'm terrible! :)

[dave_mc]

A 60 watt power section VS a 120 watter isn't going to help much in the loudness department. There's only a 3db difference in clean headroom between 50 and 100 watts, can't imagine 60/120 being that much different. It's a good thing the 6505+ sounds good at bedroom levels.

+1

if anything my 100 watt engl sounds better than my 50 laney at low volumes. the wattage doesn't seem to have all that much to do with super-low volume tones, it's the design of the amp/preamp.

where lower wattage amps might sound better is the size of teh gig- if the gig is big enough to turn up a 20 watter to where it starts to sound awesome, but not a 50 or 100 watter, then buying the 20 watter makes sense. But for bedroom volume, just buy whatever sounds best at that volume, regardless of the wattage.

[Loomer]

I think I had the Randall RG200G2 - it died on me after about 3 rehearsals, then I got the 5150-II (=6505+) with a 4 x 12 and never looked back. 200W solid state just doesn't hold a candle to the all tube 120W head muahaha.

But for bedroom playing, yeah you're right a combo is a good idea. Don't worry about 6L6s being flabby. They aren't. I defy anyone to play my setup and make it sound flabby how I have it set up. Even I can't make it sound bad, and I'm terrible! :)

Odd.. Mine has survived 30+ gigs and a tour so far.

[awesomeguy666]

I want to make one thing clear: I just want to be able to turn the amp up to about 4 or 5 so that the tubes can get the best sound out. I'm not looking to turn it up above that.