Tube head with cab for around £600-800

[DoomBuggi]

+1 for the Bugera.

 My friend uses Marshall exclusively.  He has JVM 410H, and he has been in the studio tracking all the guitars with the Bugera 333XL.   He said he was totally blown away buy, and recommended I get one to take on the road with me.  I use a 89' JCM 2203H.

[gwEm]

do you want multi-channels, reverb, fx-loop?

Speaking generally about 'new' amps, I like the Marshall Vintage Modern range and you can get good prices 2nd hand. Nice thing is, you'll always be able to sell it as well.

[Kenose]

I say take ya guitar to an amp shop. Try it on a Line 6 or something. They're bright amps, and you can try different model presets.

That's one thing I definitely don't want; can't stand line 6's tones, and the presets are rubbish from my experience.

[Attica!]

EDIT: COMMENT NO LONGER RELEVANT

[nfe]

It was a band called YOB. Their set was pretty boring. It was very muddy sounding and the songs were very very similar. When Tool came on it was almost like someone said, "Oh hey. That knob for 300HZ was maxed out the whole time. Oops. Better fix that."

Harrumph. Shan't hear a bad word about a sensational band like YOB, especially if they were supporting someone genuinely boring (at least since Ænima).


Do you really need a cab? If it's going to be used at home often then fair enough, but if you'll generally be able to use cabs at rehearsal studios/gigs then maybe it's worth allowing yourself a bit more for the head and worrying about a cab later?

[Madsakre]

Engl.. Fireball 100

[JacksonRR]

It was a band called YOB. Their set was pretty boring. It was very muddy sounding and the songs were very very similar. When Tool came on it was almost like someone said, "Oh hey. That knob for 300HZ was maxed out the whole time. Oops. Better fix that."

Harrumph. Shan't hear a bad word about a sensational band like YOB, especially if they were supporting someone genuinely boring (at least since Ænima).


Do you really need a cab? If it's going to be used at home often then fair enough, but if you'll generally be able to use cabs at rehearsal studios/gigs then maybe it's worth allowing yourself a bit more for the head and worrying about a cab later?

If they were so sensational, they would have had lasers. Tool had lasers. :P

[hunter]

There are many great amps out there.

After having gone through a gazillion of rigs in the past, best advise I can give you is to not underestimate the value of a decent cab. I would go 900 quid and spend 400 on the cab. Get an old Marshall (before the 80s and not the ones with G12T75s) - they sound great.

With a head, if I were you, I would look for something with not too many features. 1 or 2 Channels and not much bling bling, the less components in the circuit, usually the better it sounds in a band. More processed tones tend to get drowned out. A JCM800 will always be great. If feature laden is a must, why not get the JVM410 or 205, they are cheap in the UK and sound great, too.

[Attica!]

Regarding the cabs, I think you should definitely check out Zilla Cabs. They will make you any combo of casing and speakers. And they're a lot cheaper and better quality than mass produced

[HTH AMPS]

A JCM800 will always be great.

^ +1

If you can't play rock and metal on a single channel JCM800 you might as well give up.

Add an OD pedal and or graphic EQ to the front end and away you go.

[Attica!]

With the Marshalls, it is obviously capable of playing metal, but I personally don't like the British tone of a marshall. I prefer the distortion of a Mesa or a Peavey. I just think it feels more fluid.

[keith]

Hi, first post here.

I've been playing for around 2 years and have recently started jamming with a band, so I'll need something of my own (I've been renting a cheap marshall combo). I've actually been putting off buying one for a while, mainly because I didn't feel 'worthy', if that makes sense? It's only recently I've realised I'm actually not bad and deserve some decent tones, haha.

In terms of what I want sound wise, a good starting point would be Adam Jones. Yep, I realise that must have been posted on thousands of forums worldwide, but I'm only using him as a loose reference and realise I won't get near to replicating his tone. I like tones with plenty of mid punch and clarity, and this especially holds true now that I'm playing in a band environment. Problem I've found when browsing amps is there seems to be a big 'jump' in price from what people deem as a decent amp to a good one. Realistically, my budget could go higher than stated but I'm also warey of being one of those dudes who has great equipment but limited ability!

I also really like to play inverted chords, tritones, unusual chord voicings etc, so note articulation is very high up on my preference list. At the moment, with the cheap gear I'm using, it's virtually impossible to play anything unusual without it sounding like mush.

So far, I'm liking the clips I've heard of the JSX, which don't seem nearly as expensive as the likes of Mesa Dual recs etc. I'm also looking to supplement the amp/cab with some Nailbomb pickups. Any help/advice would be much appreciated.

Dunno what wattage you are after  but this is for sale on a local forum to me if you want to sign up to see it if interested and no it isnt mine
http://toonrockpages.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=sellingandbuying&action=display&thread=50436

[Attica!]

[/quote]

Dunno what wattage your'e wanting  but this is for sale on a local forum to me
http://toonrockpages.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=sellingandbuying&action=display&thread=50436
[/quote]

It won't let you see the page unless you sign up.

[tekbow]

I would take a Jet city JCA50H (or actually maybe the JCA100HDM if metals your thing) over any new marshall or bugera or whatever else in the same price point, and a lot of second hand marshalls too. unless you're talking an old JCM 800 and you can get a good unf*cked with one. Nothing wrong with modded marshalls but a fair few on ebay are done at home electronics butchery.

The JCA's are Basically Budget Soldano's, you want clarity and midrange punch, this is what a soldano does.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpqLHMXPTH4

Not massively sure why he boosted it because they don't need it.

There's the JCA50H also which is cheaper and can do anything the HDM can do with a little boost. But again I don't think it needs it. this is JCA100H doing metal, the 50H will just do power amp dirt sooner. But you'll be more interested in the preamp gain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyUAs26I3Oc

[Toe-Knee]

Wow those are some of the worst clips of the jet citys that i've seen/heard!

And as for the boost it isnt neccesary but it can add a nice flavour and keeps the lows in check.