Which of these 100w heads would you get? budget: less than 1000€

[one]

I'm interested in getting a good amp because I joined a metal band. The other guitar player has a Engl Powerball 100 and my first thought was a Blackstar metal ht100 because I own the 5w combo version and I like it a lot. I asked in another forum and everybody bashes the Blackstar as a "practice head". They say I should be going to a Randall Diavlo RD100 or a Laney IRT120, or even good old 6515 (which I wasn't even considering at the beginning). I can't try any of these amps so I ask those of you with experience playing or owning this tube heads to help me in my decision. I even considered a lunchbox or mini version tube head, but I don't know if they'll match that Engl beast of my partner.

Thanks in advance.
Cheers

[Dave Sloven]

I'd recommend the Peavey 6505 series amps.  You should be able to find one within your price range and they are very reliable.

I have the 6534+ and would recommend it to any metal player.  It can be a bit fizzy so a noise reduction pedal in the effects loop is a good idea but I think that's the case for many high gain amps.  I play mine  through an Orange PPC412 4x V30 cab

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT2kY8Va9jU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACqmSjl7QWc (German)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWJeH2imow0 (French)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDVSrIA5-5k

The last one also features a seven-string with Juggernaut pickups

The 6505 series heads (the 120W versions) are US made with a 5 year warranty.  Or at least they have a 5 year warranty here in Australia.  It might be 2 years in the EU.  I don't know how easy my model is to get in the EU now but you can get the 6505+, which is quite similar.  Looking at prices though it seems that I was lucky to get mine very cheap here a couple of years ago.  What you need to be careful of is that you want a local version with the correct input transformer voltage.

You might want to consider an ENGL if they are reasonably priced there.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Engl-Fireball-100-E635-Topteil-100W-Vollrohre-/141859449484

[dvorak]

Why not a 2nd hand Dual Rectifier. The 50W Single rectifier is GREAT, and within your budget 2nd hand. My Dual Recto is 90Watts and is WAY overkill.

The 6505 is a great choice as well, but personally I prefer the Recto. The nice thing with the recto is that it can do classic rock and other styles really well too.

I'm not a fan of the Marshall type metal amps, I prefer the Soldano family or what you want to label them as. Going lower gain is a different story though... ;)

[blue]

If you like the Blackstar, I wouldn't worry too much about what some online snobs have to say.  From your list, I'd be inclined towards the Laney Ironheart myself, but I would say any of them will be good amps.  Whether they suit you and your band you won't know for sure til you try them

[Dave Sloven]

I have a friend with a Blackstar head and cab that sounds decent, I don't know the name of the model but I have a photo of it:



He uses it in the band Shadowölf.

[CommonCourtesy]

Owner of a 6505+ here, and as mentioned above they're great reliable amps! I've had mine for almost 3 years now and never ever had an issue with it. Beware though cos its got gain on tap! I didn't realise how much it had when I inadvertently set the pre-gain knob at 5/6 and it fedback like mad! Now I run it on 3.5/4 with a tubescreamer in front and it sounds great.

I'm guessing you're going to be playing heavier stuff than I do so its great for the application. Finding a second-hand Mesa might be another option. I got my Peavey second-hand at half the RRP and it was almost in brand new condition. Never gigged and not a mark on the amp. Guess I was lucky!

[gwEm]

I recently got a Mini Rectifier and am very happy with it. I'd look into a dual or single rectifier on the second hand market.

If not, I would surely go for the Peavey 6105 or a 5150.

There was some kind of big Blackstar combo in a practise space we used recently. I must say I was pretty impressed with it. I realise they use some solid state clipping in some designs, but I thought sounded good myself.

[dave_mc]

As long as you realise the blackstar is hybrid, if you like it, go for it. Personally, I don't appreciate their style of advertising. But it's your money and your call.

If you're trying to keep the cost down the jet cities are pretty good.

[GuitarIv]

A few things I wanna add:

If you go 6505 get a used one. Peavey recently started manufacturing them in China so I would keep an eye open for a used head and make sure the guy selling it sends you a picture with the Made in USA tag. It's not like the Chinese stuff has to be unreliable, but why risk it? 

Anyway, pretty much everything from the 5150/6505 range will give you more gain you'll ever need, keep the preamp gain low and add a Tubescreamer to tighten things up. This will BURY your fellow guitar players Powerball in a mix 

Other heads I can recommend and have first hand experience with:

As already mentioned here take a look at the Jet City range. Dirt cheap, amazing sound and great bang for the buck. Will need a Tubescreamer for ubertight riffing though.

If you're not going for the ultra modern downtuned Djent thing a used JCM2000 DSL 50 or 100 Watt head will yield great results as well. Very nice midrange bite and a pissed off rock n roll attitude but can get very heavy, again with a Tubescreamer. Just got myself recently one of those puppies and I'm more than happy. Great clean sound as well 

An EVH 5150 III 50 Watter can be had used as well for the price range you're considering. Amazing sound. Might have some reliability issues, so let a tech retube, bias and check it.

Honorable lunchbox mentions:

Laney IRT Studio, Orange Tiny/Dark/Dual Terror, EVH 5150 III LBX, Peavey 6505 MH.

Hope that helps, if you have more questions, fire away!

Cheers

[Dave Sloven]

I would agree with the comments above regarding the 6505 but I would add that if you happen to get a 6534+ they are tighter and more middy than a 6505 and I found that a tubescreamer is mids overkill as an 'always on' pedal.  I agree though on the pre gain knob.  Above that it tends to get mushy. I use an MXR/CAE Boost/Linedriver pedal as a clean boost to add gain for my doom project but in my hardcore band I didn't use that.  Regardless I keep pre-gain at around 5.  There is a difference between pushing gain into V1 and winding up the output of V1 via the pre-gain knob

[one]

Thanks a lot for your answers and help but now I'm starting to change my opinion.

I'm not sure if I still want a 100w head. I've read you a 20w or 50w head is enough to rehearse and for small gigs and I have a lot of back problems. My band mate has a Powerball I 100w and I'm after a second hand Savage 100w. If the deal doesn't go on, which is quite probable, I'll lean towards something smaller:

Engl Ironball 20w
EVH 5150 50w

What do you think, will it be enough? any other better option?

[Dave Sloven]

The 50W EVH head should be enough; I think you'll find that the 20W head is a bit of a waste of money for the style you are playing.

[one]

I just found the evh has experienced a rise in price of 200€ 

Why they 20w isn't fit for it in your opinion?

[GuitarIv]

50 Watts is only 3db quieter than 100 Watts, barely audible difference. To reduce your volume by half you'd have to go 10 Watts. Also don't forget your speakers play a big role in perceived volume. A Vintage 30 is gonna sound way louder than a Greenback since it has more efficiency. Good article how it all works if you care to read through it: http://guitarwtf.com/2012/04/17/wtf-is-the-difference-between-a-50-watt-and-a-100-watt-amp/

50 Watts will be more than enough and I'm happy to report that the EVH still sounds kickass at bedroom volume. What Agent Orange means is that although the volume might not be that much reduced with a 20 Watter you will have a change in the character of the amp. As an example: a 100 Watt amp has a tighter bass response than a 50 Watt amp of the same model which exhibits a little bit more "sag" in the lows. This has something to do with the overall construction in regards of the Wattage the amp is built for, tubes and the bigger sized transformes in a 100Watt head have their part in this as well. General understanding amongst guitar players: the bigger the transformers the "better" the sound.

Now I don't wanna go overkill here with information but it's an interessting subject. The EVH will give you all you need, a 20 Watt head might sound a bit whimpy regarding the low end response due to aforementioned reasons. As long as the venue can mic up your cab that won't be a problem. All in all I'd say visit some stores, play a few heads you consider and make up your own mind 

Cheers

[one]

Everything understood guitarIV, thanks! :)

Now the problem is that the evh 50w is a bit pricey. Over 1200€. I've seen the V Kraken too, which blew my mind, but no clean channel 

What about the screamer 50 or the fireball 60? Good to match my partner's powerball100?