Author Topic: Best 50watt valve head? (Read 6941 times)

Blueminerva · « **on:** May 27, 2007, 01:57:41 PM »

Hi guys!

I'm in the market for a half-stack to replace my now slighly defunct marshall AVT100 (she's served me well for 6 years but I need something with a bit more tone!)

My budget is around £1000, and so far I've had my eye on:

Orange Rockverb 50
Laney GH50L
Engl Fireball
Cornford MK50h

But as yet I haven't managed to find anywhere to play half of these!

I play a Gibson Les Paul Standard and my preferred style is hard rock, though I'm a bit of an all-rounder. I want an amp with plenty of clean headroom (clean is important to me!), but a nice thick distortion when pushed. Unfortunately I'm a complete amp n00b (having only ever played through my AVT and my mate's modefour which was godawful) so if anyone could comment on any of the above amps, or better yet recommend me one I haven't considered, then I'd be super grateful!

If anyone could lend me some advice on 2x12" cabs that'd be great too, I've mostly been looking at celestion 30 equipped cabs but I've heard Jensens offer better clarity and low-end?

Any info would be massively appreciated! You guys all seem pretty knowledgeable so I thought I'd drink from your fountain so to speak :P Cheers guys!

_tom_ · « **Reply #1 on:** May 27, 2007, 02:31:32 PM »

If you want a clean channel, dont get a GH50L. I use one, and sounds like I play the same kinda stuff as you (hard rock but also other stuff). It sounds GREAT for that, but to get cleans, you have to use your guitar volume, and even then, its a dirty/crunchy clean. I like that, but it sounds like you want a "proper" clean.

I would recommend the Laney VH100R, havent played it, but apparently its like a more versatile GH (I think it has the same voicing etc), with a clean channel, reverbs and more than 1 gain channel I think.

As for the cab, I've just ordered one of these - http://www.tube-town.net/ttstore/product_info.php/info/p1816_TT-British-Speaker-Cab-2-12-.html/XTCsid/2a6c2855b35dd2fe655a73f5ae88735b

Unloaded, but its a great price, custom (!) and should be good quality, and you can then put whatever speakers you want in it. I'll let you know how it sounds when it arrives (should be 2-3 weeks).

dave_mc · « **Reply #2 on:** May 27, 2007, 02:50:23 PM »

is the £1000 for the head, or head and cab?

also, 50 watts is still pretty darn loud... i wouldn't rule out 100 watters which sound better than 50 watters for a similar price (engl blackmore!)...

oh, laney tt50 head would be worth a try too... and might as well try the marshall jvm for a laugh. koch would be worth a look too.

Blueminerva · « **Reply #3 on:** May 27, 2007, 02:54:56 PM »

I was thinking £1000 for just the head, though that's the upper margin of the price bracket - I'd obviously rather get a bargain for myself!

I was looking at 50watts cuz it seems like a nice compromise - enough volume to be competitive at small to medium gigs, but not overly loud so I can crank it enough to get sweet tone at a decent volume. I've played through some 100watt amps live and not been able to crank them past about 4 - I wanna get those valves cooking!

As I say though, I am a bit of a n00b so I'm basing all of my current info on research and hearsay.

I've heard good things about koch - any particular models I should look out for?

dave_mc · « **Reply #4 on:** May 27, 2007, 03:03:05 PM »

^ i suspect price will affect koch... some are under £1000 (twintone?), some over (multitone)... though i think thomann and places like that in germany have them cheaper than here.

for all round stuff, engl is pretty good on a budget... it does veer slightly (or more than slightly dependent on model) to high gain, but they're pretty versatile, and good value. i wouldn't really look at the fireball for versatility, it's got a clean channel, and a death metal channel. if you're adamant you want to stick to 50 watts, i'd check out the screamer head, but i'd definitely consider trying the blackmore too.

cornfords are awesome... but i think that one's over budget... and i don't think it has a "clean" channel?

Blueminerva · « **Reply #5 on:** May 27, 2007, 03:09:17 PM »

As I say it's predominantly rock-based, but it varies a bit. To cite some of my musical influences:

Biffy Clyro
Reuben
Foo Fighters
Paul Gilbert
Oceansize

I've got a lot of music on myspace you can check out:

Jet Jockey (My old band) - www.myspace.com/jetjockeyUK
BlueMinerva (My solo w**kery) - www.myspace.com/blueminerva
Luke Dabbs (My acoustic solo stuff) - www.myspace.com/lukedabbs

That should give you a good idea of my styles and influences - it's mostly hard rock, but I'd like my clean tones to clean up as much as possible because I like to have a real division between clean and dirty.

Yeah the Cornford is about £1200, but I'm willing to *stretch* if it's absolutely necessary - I've heard nothing but glowing reports about the MK50h. It's a single channel amp but it's got footswitchable master volume (2 alterable presets) and footswitchable gain so it's effectively a 4-channel amp (though obviously has EQ limitations unless you're using an OD pedal or EQ)

dave_mc · « **Reply #6 on:** May 27, 2007, 03:11:53 PM »

^ i think the ones i already mentioned would be worth a try... after that, it's mainly personal preference as to which suits you best...

Davey · « **Reply #7 on:** May 27, 2007, 03:43:04 PM »

how about a laney VH100 ??

Blueminerva · « **Reply #8 on:** May 27, 2007, 03:51:36 PM »

Mmm, the VH100 is inviting - my only concern is that 100watts is going to be too loud (I'm mainly going to be using it for rehearsal and pub/club gigs). Do you use a VH100? If so any comment on what it's like performing in the above situations?

HTH AMPS · « **Reply #9 on:** May 27, 2007, 05:16:46 PM »

from what you've described (and listening to your music) I'd say get a 50w Marshall 1987 head and a MI Audio Crunchbox for your OD sound. this is basically what I have and it covers all 'rawk' duties, the clean tone is great too.

:twisted:

Colin Johnston · « **Reply #10 on:** May 27, 2007, 08:14:04 PM »

See my post about the Hiwatt Custom 20. Don't let the "20 watts" put you off, this thing is ferociously loud as well bold, punchy & touch-sensitive. Add your fave OD pedal and you'll be smiling so much your jaw will hurt! :D

Daemon Barbeque · « **Reply #11 on:** May 27, 2007, 11:20:44 PM »

The Best thing i can do for you is comparing The Engl Fireball (wich is 60 watts) ,and the Mighty Orange Rockverb 50!

Well i play the Rockverb witha an Orange V30 cab in the rehersing Studio.

It's a Giant for Leads ,it takes pedals great ,has a usable FX loop ,and the Cleans are awesome.The Reverb is a extra cool thing when you need more cleans!

The problem is ,it's not tight.If you don't use a dist/OD/Boost pedal ,it tends to mush in mid/high gain!The sound is Marschall JCM 900 sytle ,but with more oomph and character.

The Engl Fireball is the best sounding Engl IMHO.it sounds descent in every volume ,The gain is enormous in every level.And the tonal control is suberp.
It has a ahred eq on cleans ,and cleans are not the Strength of the Engl.It's a metal machine ,and it does it better even than many other multi-channel monsters.
The sound is complex but direct ,The power is there ,and the Bottom is tight and biiiiiiiiiiiiiiig!So it's a dream amp for many lead and rythm players.Great value!It sounds big with the V30s .and sounds really organic with greenbacks!

Mavet · « **Reply #12 on:** May 28, 2007, 05:38:46 AM »

there is a shop in germany called Beyer's Music
http://81.169.170.65/beyers/catalog/index.php?language=en&osCsid=4fb0921101dae22631d5c1e5d4567c38

they have most high end brands if you want to try some.

there is also thomann in germany
http://www.thomann.de/gb/index.html

everton_fc · « **Reply #13 on:** May 28, 2007, 08:50:27 AM »

Quote from: Colin Johnston

See my post about the Hiwatt Custom 20. Don't let the "20 watts" put you off, this thing is ferociously loud as well bold, punchy & touch-sensitive. Add your fave OD pedal and you'll be smiling so much your jaw will hurt! :D

I got the switchable 40w/20w Studio/Stage MKII head and Hiwatt 4x12 cab - AWESOME! - I notice that a Hiwatt Studio/Stage MKII 2x12" combo has just been listed on ebay for a grand...

hunter · « **Reply #14 on:** May 28, 2007, 09:07:01 AM »

Looking at the styles you aspire to, I'd say the Rockerverb is definitely a very good option.

The Bogner Shiva is slightly out of your range, but is basically in the ballpark of the Rockerverb, just it has more substance and you can get it quite tight with a pedal.

Personally I like the Diezel Einstein for its versatility in all different kinds of gain (and easy to play with tubes as it takes almost any type and has external bias test points). If you can, you should try it out. The 50w version is 1740 EUR at Thomann (1180 GBP).

You should give a try to the new Marshalls. I played the Vintage Modern Which is quite nice (should be played through Greenbacks), but also for versatility, try the JVM which is supposed to be top notch in all ranges.

If you have a chance to try them, test a Carvin "Vai" model and some of the Peavey tube heads, they are quite good value for money too.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll find something. Just make sure not to make too many compromises. Rather save a little longer if the perfect amp is out of your current price range.

Author Topic: Best 50watt valve head? (Read 6941 times)

Mavet