Author Topic: Amp Help: (Read 15514 times)

mesfigas · « **Reply #30 on:** July 18, 2007, 07:00:44 PM »

VHT are highly recomended for rock music

if you use a high gain pedal you can have more sounds

dont go for a marshall .......... go for vht

i own a vh pittbul but its very difficult to find one

this is the site: http://www.vhtamp.com/ spend some ime there

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/amplification.asp?BrandName=VHT&guitars=28

you need some more cash but VHT sounds better than Marshall

i play giutar for 15 years and i work in a guitar shop

just go and listen VHT

deg0ey · « **Reply #31 on:** July 18, 2007, 07:06:20 PM »

I've got a Screamer atm, and I've never had any issues with it. It's quite bright (especially as my main guitars are a strat and a tele), which I think holds the clean sound back a bit when comparing it to something warmer like the Mesa F Series (out of your price range though I think), however, I still really like the sound it gives and hasn't been a problem for me.

I have found the crunch 'channel' fairly useless, as you have to play around with the settings quite a bit to get it to sound right, and these settings then don't really work with the other channels - the draw back to a shared EQ. This hasn't been much of an issue where I'm concerned, as it's not a channel I needed anyway - I use the lead channel on low gain mode, with the gain set quite low on the rare occasion I want to play that sort of thing.

The lead channel on the whole is very good. The 'low gain' mode can cover a very wide range of styles, from that crunchy sort of sound to the medium-high gain 80s metal (maiden/sabbath sort of thing) - although it's at its best doing something in between those extremes.

The 'high gain' mode of the lead channel is not something I use very often at all, as I tend not to play anything with that sort of sound. It does sound slightly different from the low gain mode - a bit more bassy. However, at bedroom levels, bass notes tend to lack definition (probably true of a lot of amps) and I haven't tried this setting any louder. This channel may well sound awesome, but I'm not a fan of the type of music it is intended for, and therefore do not see the attraction (the same reason Alexi Laiho etc don't use a Fender Twin I imagine).

So to be honest, I would more likely consider the Screamer a two channel amp rather than a four channel amp, as those will be the two that you use most. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as those two channels do their jobs very well for an amp in this price range, and the other channels can be used for some applications.

sambo · « **Reply #32 on:** July 18, 2007, 07:20:04 PM »

haha loving the ice cream metaphor guys :lol: :lol: :lol:

noodleplugerine · « **Reply #33 on:** July 18, 2007, 07:23:51 PM »

Back with a Magnum White in one hand, and a can of Vimto in the other!

Quote from: dave_mc

if you want a modern metal tone, i recommend you go with a magnum classic. Calippos are cr@p for that type of tone- ditto '99's.

Had to read that twice before I understood it - I thought there was some Amp make called Magnum which Dave had suddenly become an expert on - Even told me which years to watch out for!

Once I came back to Earth, I understood it and laughed very hard xD

Quote from: deg0ey

I've got a Screamer atm, and I've never had any issues with it. It's quite bright (especially as my main guitars are a strat and a tele), which I think holds the clean sound back a bit when comparing it to something warmer like the Mesa F Series (out of your price range though I think), however, I still really like the sound it gives and hasn't been a problem for me.

I have found the crunch 'channel' fairly useless, as you have to play around with the settings quite a bit to get it to sound right, and these settings then don't really work with the other channels - the draw back to a shared EQ. This hasn't been much of an issue where I'm concerned, as it's not a channel I needed anyway - I use the lead channel on low gain mode, with the gain set quite low on the rare occasion I want to play that sort of thing.

The lead channel on the whole is very good. The 'low gain' mode can cover a very wide range of styles, from that crunchy sort of sound to the medium-high gain 80s metal (maiden/sabbath sort of thing) - although it's at its best doing something in between those extremes.

The 'high gain' mode of the lead channel is not something I use very often at all, as I tend not to play anything with that sort of sound. It does sound slightly different from the low gain mode - a bit more bassy. However, at bedroom levels, bass notes tend to lack definition (probably true of a lot of amps) and I haven't tried this setting any louder. This channel may well sound awesome, but I'm not a fan of the type of music it is intended for, and therefore do not see the attraction (the same reason Alexi Laiho etc don't use a Fender Twin I imagine).

So to be honest, I would more likely consider the Screamer a two channel amp rather than a four channel amp, as those will be the two that you use most. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as those two channels do their jobs very well for an amp in this price range, and the other channels can be used for some applications.

Bright amps shouldn't be too much of a problem for me, since my main guitar is all mahogany - That being said my RG is quite bright, but not as bright as your two fender's I'm sure - So if you don't find it a problem, I doubt I will.

The 3 basic sounds I'm looking for are a mellow clean channel, a chug chug lead channel and a liquidy shred lead channel - Those are the 3 basic sounds I use, and in total the 3 sounds would only use 2 channels - So number of channels really isn't a bonus for me...

And a crunch channel really wouldn't be used by me in any situation as far as I know...

sambo · « **Reply #34 on:** July 18, 2007, 07:25:03 PM »

i almost agree with deg0ey...

the clean+boost 'channel' verges on useless because its INCREDIBLY bright when you have the other channels set to something useful...

and as he says, you can use the lead channel with low gain to get a good low -gain sound...

on the other hand... i definitely use lead channel+boost, (and you would definitely use that too if your into metal, as i dont think the lead channel without boost will get you deep into full-on metal territory).

so in essence it may be 3 usable channels.

dave_mc · « **Reply #35 on:** July 19, 2007, 02:57:24 PM »

haha, when i said "99", i meant those ice creams with a flake whacked into them.

:lol:

I dunno... i've heard a lot of people say not all the engl channels are useful. I've never really found this to be the case- of course, this may be because my ear for tone is cr@p, or i just play quite a wide range of stuff. But certainly for the stuff I play, I could see using all the channels; some more than others, though, obviously.

bear in mind, i'm not trying to twist your arm into getting an engl, if you don't like them, or think some of the channels are indeed useless, that's totally fair enough.

the brightness can get a little annoying, depending on what you want to play. When you turn down the treble, the sound doesn't really darken, it gets smoother. it does (or at least, mine does) darken the more you increase the volume.

EDIT: also, I have an aversion to treble, so i would have the treble rolled away back even for the overdrive channels. on mine (not a screamer) i'd have the bass and mids on like 9, with the treble and presence around 4. something similar on the screamer is pretty nice too, but it does depend on the tone you like.

noodleplugerine · « **Reply #36 on:** July 19, 2007, 03:11:06 PM »

I know what you meant by 99 when I reread it :p

And even if some of the channels are useless - As long as some of the channels are useful - it's irrelevent how many useless channels there are...

I think I'm gunna take my Viper along to some guitar shops over the weekend and give them a proper tryout - that being said, the only shop that stocks Engl and Laney is the Wembley Guitar Center - Will be sure to pop down and do direct comparisons when I can.

dave_mc · « **Reply #37 on:** July 19, 2007, 03:14:06 PM »

haha, i thought you had figured it out, just making sure- i wasn't clever enough to think of recommending years of ice creams which were good! :lol:

i think the wembley guitar centre is a very good idea. They have most of the kit you want to try (also peavey, mesa, hughes and kettner, etc.), they're very nice people (any of the times I've been there), and they have a soundproof try-out room.

Nigh-on perfect, if you ask me.

:drink:

noodleplugerine · « **Reply #38 on:** July 19, 2007, 03:15:54 PM »

The website doesn't mention H&K - Could it be that there's more in the shop than on the website? Because I would LOVE to compare a Screamer or even a Fireball to a 5150.

dave_mc · « **Reply #39 on:** July 19, 2007, 03:26:35 PM »

they had h&k the last times I was there- they may have given up that dealership, of course.

Two13 · « **Reply #40 on:** July 20, 2007, 08:06:36 AM »

Hi everyone, good to meet u all on the BKP forums.

I used to use 2 x Peavey Bandits in stereo, then Laney heads, then power amps . . la la la.
Couple of years ago decided I need a long lasting head that will cover all the bases, so went head shopping. Tried plenty of Mesa heads, all of which you seem to have to run at insane levels to get any kind of decent response out of them.

Tried a Powerball, and just bought the thing. Plenty volume, loads of EQ for versitility, and more gain than you can shake a sh*tty stick at - even at the lowest volumes, which seems strange for a full valve/tube head.

But - a Les Paul & a Powerball are a very unforgiving combo, and I noticed all these noises & flaws in my playing, which I'd never picked up on before. Incidentally, the BK Mules through it sound 100 times better than LP standard Burstbuckers.

gorath23 · « **Reply #41 on:** July 20, 2007, 08:00:15 PM »

I couldn't be arsed to read all the posts but I would say that I've been in the same position the last 6-12months. Its taken me 4 changes of amps in that time because I either didn't do my research or I comprimised. I'd seriously recommend going all out for the best possible amp and that means buying 2nd hand. I wanted the same thing as you, High Gain and v.tight mainly for Melodic Death Metal type tones. I have finally settled on an Engl Fireball which I got used for £500. I am finally happy, sounds amazing at bedroom levels, and just kills the Engl Thunder I had before (which is very similar to the screamer). It sounds absolutely huge and brutal even in a modest D Standard tuning. Ideally a 5150 would be my first choice for the High Gain sound but a). its 120w, not ideal for a bedroom player and b). Rubbish clean channel, which I need. The Fireball by the way has the best clean channel I have ever heard! Hands down the Engl wins for lower wattage high-gain amps. Oh and I'm using EMG's and a Framus V30 cab if that helps. I also appreciate that everyone on here has a decent knowledge of guitars and amps etc but recommending a Tiny Terror/ Matamp/ Marshall VM is just plain wrong, no offence to those of you that said it but I know my high gain and they won't cut it. Fireball or maybe check out the 5150 60w combo (unsure of how it compares to the head though).

noodleplugerine · « **Reply #42 on:** August 24, 2007, 01:38:33 PM »

Ok - Back on the search now.

And I'm setting my budget at a very strict £600 - Many choices looked at were over 600, even if slightly - But I'm gunna have to push to get £600 anyway.

So currently I'm looking at..

Laney GH50L - £400
Laney GH100TI - £402
Orange Tiny Terror - £290
Engl Screamer Combo - £500ish used, £650ish new
Engl Thunder Combo - £500ish new - Might need a boost.
Various other 5w mini valve amps
Matamp mini amps - £300ish
Peavey Valve King combos - £350ish

Framus 2x12 cab - £200
Harley Benton V30 2x12 cab - £135

Firstly - How much of a difference is there between the GH50 and the GH100 Iommi model? The Iommi is advertised as a metal amp, 5 gain stages etc - Anyone have any expierience with it?

Also, any expierience with either of the cabs mentioned - If the Harley benton one is any good then I would HAPPILY buy it since it's so cheap. I know the £8 music stand I bought from Thomann was absolutely bloody brilliant, even better than my £40 K&M one - And I noticed that most of the harley benton range are actually other brands which Thomann have bought in bulk and then labelled it as harley benton on the website and/or sticking a harley benton sticker on the product.

I've heard that the Framus cab is good - And I'm sure it probably is, but if the harley benton is good enough then it saves me another £70 to spend on an amp or a boost pedal..

gorath23 · « **Reply #43 on:** August 24, 2007, 02:33:42 PM »

I wouldn't have said that either of the Laneys were any good for modern metal tones, not really 'tight'. Still very good amps though. All I'd say is that having a good cab is very important, especially when considering that for metal you want the bass to be controlled and the 'punch' to be there when needed. I own the Framus and its fantastic value for money. I'd be tempted to Buy the Engl Thunder head coupled with the Framus Cab and maybe buy a Electro-Harmonix 12AX7 for the V1 position to give it a bit more gain. If you keep your eye out on ebay though there are real bargains to be had on Engls, so don't rule out the Fireball, which would kick any of those amps asses for anything metal. Other options would be to pair the Thunder with a boost aka the Maxon OD808 or an EQ pedal. If at all possible avoid the Engl combos as they aren't particularly tight, being open-backed and all. I know what its like doing this search, its bloody confusing, especially as you often can't try everything out. Oh and who are you using for the price quotes? www.thomann.de have the Engl Thunder head for around £450 new (free p&p to the uk) and I sold my combo for £300 on Ebay recently.

noodleplugerine · « **Reply #44 on:** August 24, 2007, 02:55:53 PM »

Quote from: gorath23

I wouldn't have said that either of the Laneys were any good for modern metal tones, not really 'tight'. Still very good amps though. All I'd say is that having a good cab is very important, especially when considering that for metal you want the bass to be controlled and the 'punch' to be there when needed. I own the Framus and its fantastic value for money. I'd be tempted to Buy the Engl Thunder head coupled with the Framus Cab and maybe buy a Electro-Harmonix 12AX7 for the V1 position to give it a bit more gain. If you keep your eye out on ebay though there are real bargains to be had on Engls, so don't rule out the Fireball, which would kick any of those amps asses for anything metal. Other options would be to pair the Thunder with a boost aka the Maxon OD808 or an EQ pedal. If at all possible avoid the Engl combos as they aren't particularly tight, being open-backed and all. I know what its like doing this search, its bloody confusing, especially as you often can't try everything out. Oh and who are you using for the price quotes? www.thomann.de have the Engl Thunder head for around £450 new (free p&p to the uk) and I sold my combo for £300 on Ebay recently.

I did try an Engl Thunder in rose morris and remembering it to be a great amp - Just not enough gain =/

If I got the thunder head with a boost, that's allready most of my budget - so in the end, if I wanted an engl, I think I'll have to get a combo.

I've been watching Ebay for Engls for the past few weeks, and there have been quite a few combos, but very few heads - And in general, I feel uncomfortable buying from Ebay, especially when it comes to picking up the item, delivery etc.

There are loads of good solutions for what I'm looking for - But none are quite within my budget - And to find the perfect one, I'd need to look second hand, which is never easy - Since with second hand stuff - You have to be extremely lucky to get what you want - Normally you have to choose from what's available.