I need a nice high gain amp under 700

[Explorer77]

700 is my budget so far . i need an amp for when i stay in south carolina right now all i have is htis little ****box made by RAM . i was thinking maybe i could find a used 5150 combo or something by hughes and kettner or laney.

[ December 18, 2002, 04:16 PM: Message edited by: Explorer77 ]

[bstsuccubi]

Re: I need a nice high gain amp under 700



[ December 19, 2002, 01:18 PM: Message edited by: bstsuccubi ]

[Venomboy]

Re: I need a nice high gain amp under 700

I've seen Single Recto heads sell for $700 and even some Single Recto combos for the same range. Scour Ebay on a daily basis. I got my Single head for right around $700 used and in perfect condition.

[chrisolson]

Re: I need a nice high gain amp under 700

I've got a Yamaha T-100C tube combo in excellent condition I'm selling if you're interested. 100 watts, all tube (4 6L6 power tubes (5881s now), and 7 12ax7 preamp tubes), designed by Mike Soldano in the early 90's. Very nice sound - smooth distortion that really sustains. I've never needed the gain past 7.5. Pete hates 'em, but I think they're great! [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] The combo works well as a head - probably better - just plug whatever cab you want into it. I have the same thing in a 50 watt head that I'm keeping, and the 100 watt sounds much better at higher volume - a little more definition and low end. Email me if you're interested.

[Tetsuo]

Re: I need a nice high gain amp under 700

The Yamaha isn't too bad I played one for a while once it is useable. for the Cash if you only have $700 total I think the 5150 Combo is it. If you can get ahold of a cab you can get a single recto easy for 700. You can get a JCM900 head for 400-500 too and might be able to find a cheap cab. 400-500 will also get you a 5150 head

[Explorer77]

Re: I need a nice high gain amp under 700

ill aim for a 5150 combo. how do the 5150 combos compare to say a single recto combo ?

[ December 19, 2002, 06:00 PM: Message edited by: Explorer77 ]

[chrisolson]

Re: I need a nice high gain amp under 700

Single recto combo??? [img]graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img] I don't think so...

BUT - if you're interested (and since you're just a dumb kid... [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] ), I'll sell my amp to you for $400 + shipping. I've got it up on Harmony Central for $450 + shipping, but since you're a JCF guy, I can cut you a little bit of a break. That will leave you with plenty to buy an extra speaker cab if you like. It will be more amp than you'll ever need. Those who have used it will probably agree (except Pete).

[ December 19, 2002, 08:20 PM: Message edited by: chris_olson ]

[OklaStrat]

Re: I need a nice high gain amp under 700

The Yamaha/Soldano amp I had was a pile of sh!t, and I've heard others with the same opinions.

HOWEVER, I've also heard guys who raved about theirs... Either some lemons or some superb specimens escaped the yamaha factory, or both.

Chris has been on the board a long time, and I don't think he'd sell a craptacular amp on here, so if he says HIS sounds good, I'd believe him.

I'll still go on the record as stating that the Yamaha/Soldano amp I had sounded like two cats fornicating on a metal trash can lid in an alley. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Pete

[horns666]

Re: I need a nice high gain amp under 700

That price limit would get you into a real nice 5150 Half Stack!! ...Get a Half Stack be it a Peavy, Marshall, Randall , Boogie ...whatever and a (4 12 celestions) cab would be nice!

[ December 20, 2002, 12:21 AM: Message edited by: horns666 ]

[chrisolson]

Re: I need a nice high gain amp under 700

Pete, I love you man! [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] I love posting about my Yamaha - it always gets a rise out of you! Just out of curiosity, which model did you have, the 100 or 50 watt, in the head or combo? My opinions on this amp are based on the experience I've had with tube amps in the past - a 50 watt JCM900, and a 50 watt JCM2000 DSL, neither of which I cared for very much. I could never get the sound out of them I liked. I've found a good sound with this one - I have my settings on the drive channel as follows: bass - 8, middle - 6, treble - 6, preamp - 7-7.5, presence - 7-8, reverb - 2. I've found the presence doesn't do anything until you hit that 7-8 area on both my amps. I also think the combo is fairly boring until you plug it into a 4x12, and then it REALLY comes to life. Just my $.02.

Keep in mind I'm selling this to go back to the TRUE standard of TONE - the Line 6 Flextone!! [img]graemlins/notworthy.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] Actually I just want an amp that sounds good at low volumes, and while the Yamaha isn't bad, I've always had a softspot for Line 6 stuff.

[OklaStrat]

Re: I need a nice high gain amp under 700

I had a 100 watt head - and it was VERY tinny/screechy sounding. I don't think I ever ran the presence past 3. Had it biased, checked out by a tech, retubed (which cost a fortune because of the *7* 12ax7s!) and finally sold it to a guy locally who could test drive it. He was just looking for a loud amp to run effects/preamps into, so it worked well for him. I sure wouldn't have sold it over the net... the karmic implications would have been bad indeed. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

I've had the same type of discussions at H/C and the yamaha amps are very polarizing - people love em or hate em, and I figure they must just have not had a lot of quality control, or that's the most reasonable explanation. The guys who get good ones rave about them far too much for it to be a delusion.

Pete

[chrisolson]

Re: I need a nice high gain amp under 700

That said, I think that's true of most amps - it's really a love/hate thing. Especially when you talk about Mesa Boogie. I've messed with some of the Rectifier series and they really didn't do much for me. But then again, I didn't spend any REAL time with them either. I like the way some of them sound recorded, but how much is the pure amp tone anyway, ya know? I like the older Boogie amps - the Mk 3 & 4 - but I can't afford one. But there's boogie players who will say the same things - they love/hate the Mk. series but they love/hate the Rectifier series. Marshall goes the same way. Oh well - tone is too subjective - no two people will hear the same thing the same way, and it's tough to get into buying tube amps without test-driving, that's for sure. The way an amp sounds on it's own vs. how it sounds in a live band setting are very different as well. Line 6 is a perfect example - they sound pretty good on their own but tend to get lost live. But with solid state and software driven amps, you're generally gonna get consistency from amp to amp to amp.

[Explorer77]

Re: I need a nice high gain amp under 700

how are the randaall rh series heads ??

[chrisolson]

Re: I need a nice high gain amp under 700

From a Mesa Single Rectifier to a 5150 to a Randall RH...why don't you just try the amps YOURSELF, decide which one YOU like and get one? In the end, all the opinions in the world are just that - OPINIONS. Everyone has different tastes. What I like and what others like aren't the same thing - this whole string of posts is a perfect example. Look at the all-out brawl between tube amp guys vs. solid-state/software guys. You gotta play them to see what sounds good to your ears.

As far as the Randall RH - it's solid state - no tubes to warm that one up. Decent amps, pretty loud. I'm not a big fan though. Randall makes better amps, but you'll pay for them!