Recommend me an amp damnit!

[Prawnik]

Hie thee to the local pawnshop or used musica emporium.  Find a Laney Pro Tube or pro Linebacker amp (available in better pawnshops and used music emporia for not too much money).  The Pro Linebacker is SS but actually sounds decent.

Purchase.

If your sound still needs a kick in the shorts, head back to the pawnshop or emporium and steal an old Real Tube OD pedal or Cream Machine.  

My Real Tube sounds like cr@p as a distortion pedal, but when used as a booster stage (gain and treble set way back, level, mids and bass all maxed) it sounds like the hydrogen bomb.  

Thank me later.

[Hell Hound]

I'm looking for the same kind of amp. Cheap, tubes, higain. In my price range the Valveking head with a Framus 2x12" V30 is still the best I could find. Valveking combos sound good but they still need speakers(s) change for some V30 IMO, as the head sound far better on V30.
As an overdrive I use a DOD 250 reissue, cheap, sound good, bad bypass but who need to switch it off :lol: (I might get a true bypass looper)

[BloodMountain]

Hie thee to the local pawnshop or used musica emporium.  Find a Laney Pro Tube or pro Linebacker amp (available in better pawnshops and used music emporia for not too much money).  The Pro Linebacker is SS but actually sounds decent.

Purchase.

If your sound still needs a kick in the shorts, head back to the pawnshop or emporium and steal an old Real Tube OD pedal or Cream Machine.  

My Real Tube sounds like cr@p as a distortion pedal, but when used as a booster stage (gain and treble set way back, level, mids and bass all maxed) it sounds like the hydrogen bomb.  

Thank me later.

that is a great idea...... but sadly, down here in Devon, there are no pawnshops in a large radius! and out of the ones you can find, i doubt there will be a Laney in there.

yeah, those DOD reissues look great!

and to Hell Hound: thanks for the info, they're now top of my list, with the Laney Pro Tube second.

i have thought about a couple more amps too:
- Randall 40 watt SS Dimebag signature combo (product model WH40)..... Any good?

- Hartke Piggyback hybrid half stack/combo (it's called both... confusing!) which uses an 12AX7 (i think) in the preamp...... also any good?

thanks for the HUGE amount of info guys! BM

[BloodMountain]

i have thought about a couple more amps too:
- Randall 40 watt SS Dimebag signature combo (product model WH40)..... Any good?

- Hartke Piggyback hybrid half stack/combo (it's called both... confusing!) which uses an 12AX7 (i think) in the preamp...... also any good?

lol i don't actually care now that i have heard enough of the Valvekings.....  I WANT ONE!!!!

[the_bleeding]

i just did some research, and theres a $%&#load of laneys that look liek the protube.

From what i've found...
you have your basic jcm 800 kind with presence, 3 eq knobs, gain and volume.
you have your basic jcm 800 unit + reverb (not tube driven verb though)
pro tubes...
pro tube leads...
aor pro tubes
aors...

the protubes are basic single channel 2 inputs...
the AOR means that you have a footswitchable gain stage, basically hit a button and it adds another preamp tube in the circuit.  Consider it a "boost channel"   So you get your presence, 3 eq's, your regular pre/volume gain, and then your boosted pre/volume gain.

And another detail is some have FX loops and some dont, but again from what i've read, they have no dB controls on them, and can get pretty crackly.

From what i read, what i would do is get a laney AOR pro tube.  No reverb, because i would never use it on a powerhouse like this.  Also, you get the AOR booster thinger which is pretty damn key for getting higher gain.  I wouldnt get the 30 watter because it doesnt have the option of the second set of preamp/volume knobs.  
So that leaves a 50 watter and a 100 watter WITH aor circuit to choose from.

hope this helps somewhat.

[BloodMountain]

i just did some research, and theres a $%&#load of laneys that look liek the protube.

From what i've found...
you have your basic jcm 800 kind with presence, 3 eq knobs, gain and volume.
you have your basic jcm 800 unit + reverb (not tube driven verb though)
pro tubes...
pro tube leads...
aor pro tubes
aors...

the protubes are basic single channel 2 inputs...
the AOR means that you have a footswitchable gain stage, basically hit a button and it adds another preamp tube in the circuit.  Consider it a "boost channel"   So you get your presence, 3 eq's, your regular pre/volume gain, and then your boosted pre/volume gain.

And another detail is some have FX loops and some dont, but again from what i've read, they have no dB controls on them, and can get pretty crackly.

From what i read, what i would do is get a laney AOR pro tube.  No reverb, because i would never use it on a powerhouse like this.  Also, you get the AOR booster thinger which is pretty damn key for getting higher gain.  I wouldnt get the 30 watter because it doesnt have the option of the second set of preamp/volume knobs.  
So that leaves a 50 watter and a 100 watter WITH aor circuit to choose from.

hope this helps somewhat.

yeah that has helped...... although i need to hear it before i think about buying.

[dave_mc]

I don't think the VJ has enough gain. It's a nice little amp, I was playing it today, great fun and all that, but it's most at home if you play nothing heavier than classic rock... at least, if you don't mod it or try to persuade it with pedals...

I didn't know randall had a 20 watt mts combo out, that's interesting. Other than that, maybe a randall rg50 tc?

now that's a thought...... well spotted, my good man  :)

:drink:

EDIT: if you're willing to get a cab, a peavey windsor would be another one to look at. It might blow your budget, though.

[BloodMountain]

I don't think the VJ has enough gain. It's a nice little amp, I was playing it today, great fun and all that, but it's most at home if you play nothing heavier than classic rock... at least, if you don't mod it or try to persuade it with pedals...

I didn't know randall had a 20 watt mts combo out, that's interesting. Other than that, maybe a randall rg50 tc?

now that's a thought...... well spotted, my good man  :)

:drink:

EDIT: if you're willing to get a cab, a peavey windsor would be another one to look at. It might blow your budget, though.

what are you talking about? blow my budget? it's only 165 from thomann  :D

hmmm although 4x12s aren't the most portable cabs........

[Prawnik]

+1 for fhe Laney AOR.  High gain and reasonably priced.

[Hell Hound]

I've never heard one but the Windsor head gets bad reviews compared to the Valveking. Maybe check on Youtube if you can find some samples (I'm at work, I can't check)

[BloodMountain]

I've never heard one but the Windsor head gets bad reviews compared to the Valveking. Maybe check on Youtube if you can find some samples (I'm at work, I can't check)

ok i will do.

i heard from more than one source that the Windsor was a british rock head rather than a more american metal sounding head (Valveking)......

so....... Peavey Valveking or Laney AOR........... it's a hard one, because i can't try out an AOR because they are discontinued. however, i can try out a Valveking, because i know Manson's stock them ^_^

[the_bleeding]

be careful with the valve kings, theyre budget peaveys so they are built out of low quality materials... just means you might have to take it in for repairs a few times.

[BloodMountain]

be careful with the valve kings, theyre budget peaveys so they are built out of low quality materials... just means you might have to take it in for repairs a few times.

hmmm really? i've never seen anyone have any problems except one breakdown (not a build fault, a component fault)

to add to the Laney vs Peavey thing, the Laneys are more of a british sound, which i don't enjoy as much as a more american sound.

[dave_mc]

sorry, double post.  :oops:

[dave_mc]

I don't think the VJ has enough gain. It's a nice little amp, I was playing it today, great fun and all that, but it's most at home if you play nothing heavier than classic rock... at least, if you don't mod it or try to persuade it with pedals...

I didn't know randall had a 20 watt mts combo out, that's interesting. Other than that, maybe a randall rg50 tc?

now that's a thought...... well spotted, my good man  :)

:drink:

EDIT: if you're willing to get a cab, a peavey windsor would be another one to look at. It might blow your budget, though.

what are you talking about? blow my budget? it's only 165 from thomann  :D

hmmm although 4x12s aren't the most portable cabs........

aye, but I meant like a decent cab... I'm guessing the windsor cab isn't made with the most amazing materials and speakers.

I have no idea why the windsor is getting worse reviews than the valveking. It was far superior, IMO.

It is an 80's british type sound, though... think NWOBHM, thrash, and hair metal.

I'd say the laney vh series isn't all that british-sounding, if anything, it's more american-sounding.