Best amp for what I play......

[SARJ]

I play pretty much anything metal, alternative, punk, etc such as Dokken, Ratt, Motley Crue, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Slayer, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Danzig, Misfits, DRI, Exploited and a bunch of that nu-metal stuff. I play mostly in tuned to E and D, but go down to drop D, B, C and A if I can. My standard in distortion is the BOSS Metal Zone and I also run a DOD EQ, DOD Delay, DOD IceBox Chorus and a Morely Wah.

I also want to be able to get a bluesy sound and a 70's rock sound like Cheap Trick and KISS.

My main choice in pickups is the Seymour Duncan Distortion. I also use a DiMarzio Super Distortion and plan on using an EMG 81.

I have used CRATE amps almost the whole time I've been playing and havn't had any problems with them. I have never gave my amp very much thought and I think that is my weakest link in my gear.

Budget is the key. I can't lay down thousands for an amp. I need something in the budget amp area that can go the distance.

I have pretty much always used combos and have had a half stack before. I am looking to get a half stack now.I want something in the 100 watt range.

Here is a list of amps I was thinking about:

1. Randall RH100
2. CRATE GLX 120 (just came out)
3. Hughes & Kettner Warp 7
4. Carvin

I'm open to suggestions for other brands. I don't want anything Marshall. I have played just about all of em from the JCM800, 2000, DSL, TSL and AVT series and I think they sound like fuzzy crap. I'm not into tubes either. I never realy have any oportunity to turn em up enough for them to reach full potential. As far as budget constaraints, no more than $1000.

Thanks for any input on this.

[rodrigo_echeverri]

Re: Best amp for what I play......

How about this:

5150 Head

Plus this:

5150 Cab

That seems to be within the budget, doesn't it?... I was wondering why you didnt include the 5150 in your original list.

[Ace]

Re: Best amp for what I play......

Word is going to jump on my butt for this, but Carvin amps suck. I played with a Legacy for a full 20 minutes and I could not get one tone out of it that didn't EMBERASS me!! If you DO like Crate, I really like my Blue Voodoo. It's a all-tube amp, but you can find them real cheap if you look hard enough!! I don't share your aversion to tube amps, but if you want soild state the Flextone does a whole bunch of stuff, and they work fine for metal.

[Ace]

Re: Best amp for what I play......

He probably didn't include the 5150 because he said he doesn't like tube amps, for whatever reason. I would agree that tube is the way to go, but each person's opinion is different.

[hollow08]

Re: Best amp for what I play......

Randall RH-100.

There are a couple of people over at the Pantera BB that swear by them, if you want to check it out.

[Cleveland Metal]

Re: Best amp for what I play......

I like 5150s a lot, as for my style of music they are very good pieces. But, I don't think it is quite what he is looking for soundwise...

Not sure what to recomend...

[toejam]

Re: Best amp for what I play......

Check out the Carvin SX series (SX50, SX100, SX200, SX300). I've heard nothing but great things about them and how they really emulate a tube sound.

[Ace]

Re: Best amp for what I play......

Well, if your running the Metal Zone all the time, then most likely you are not using the distortion channel, am I correct? In that case all you are really looking for is something that is loud, reliable, and has a good clean channel, right? What exactly do you want the amp to do?

[ May 08, 2003, 02:13 PM: Message edited by: Ace ]

[SARJ]

Re: Best amp for what I play......

I want what I'm getting out of my CRATE GX212, but with better projection and clarity. I have always focused more on guitars than amps. I think that is where I need to focus on now. I want a half stack because they can handle all the bottom end that a combo can't. If any of you have heard a CRATE combo, you would know what I mean. Worst cabs in the world. Humm and rattle all day. I'm not into tubes because they are way too warm for what I'm doing and I'm not good enough to warrant a big $$$ tube amp purchase. I think the Randall RH100 is where I'm gonna go here. I have had a Randall RG75 combo and didn't know enough about where I was going with my sound to realy appreciate it. I played an RG100C today and now I know where I went wrong. The sound to me is warm, but has the SEARING quality I like. I like the grinding distorted sound. I guess it would be somewhere between Warren DiMartini's sound and Dimebag Darell's sound. Warm, but grinding too. I have that sound on my rig now, but it just doesn't project well and the cab hums. I plan on going with a rack setup one day full of budget priced gear. My rack will be so cheap you could find it at K-Mart in the bargan bin. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

The 5150 is cool, but not what I'm looking for. I've played a few when they first came out. CRATE IMO makes a great sounding amp, but their cabs just plain suck. I see the Randall comming my way soon. Cheap, solid and they sound good. I dialed up everything I could imagine on the Randall combo I played today. I used pretty much the same effects I have at home and found all the familiar sounds I use. Too bad it wasn't the RH100 1/2 stack.

Thanks for the feedback. Now that I've played another Randall I can say I'm satisfied.

[rodrigo_echeverri]

Re: Best amp for what I play......

Jon,

I am going to agree... I never owned a Randall but I sat down with the RH100 in question for quite a while (as I always do, they must hate me at that store.. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] ) and did like it a lot... they are well built and you are really sounding to me like that would be your amp... their cabinets are pretty decent too!...

I dont think you can go wrong with that one...

Rodrigo

[Ric1983]

Re: Best amp for what I play......

Hey Jon, I purchased a Blue Voodoo 60 watt head
and a Black Voodoo 4-12 Vintage 30 bottom for under $500 used from GC. I have also seen the
2-12 combo version go for $200-$300 on the bay
and in various music stores. These project much better than any solid state amp/combo I have tried. And with descent tubes you can get a good
Hard Rock/Metal tone as well as a great clean channel. With some tone shaping tools such as
rack help or POD product or pedals you can achieve
some pretty authentic tones that cut through any mix. My stated setup keeps up with my other guitarists Marshall DSL half stack no problem and
at less than half the cost. I agree that the Crate speakers suck so make sure you get Celestions or other higher quality speakers.


Ric

[SARJ]

Re: Best amp for what I play......

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'll have to give thumbs down to the CRATE Blue Voodoo. I tried one yesterday..........again and it was cool, but wasn't giving me what I was looking for. I even took my pedal chain with me to make sure. Right next to it was the Randall RH100 half stack. That hit the spot nice. It has the best of the Marshall tone without the fuzz. When I hooked up my effects I was amazed. It sounded like my current setup without the crappy cabinet humm and it cut through nicely. I can't say the CRATE Blue Voodoo was bad, it had it's own sound and I did like it. The majority of what I play just sounds better through a solid state rig. At least my ears like it. The guy at the shop said my effects and the way I use em sounded better through the Randall as well. Solid State amps aren't just a cheaper alternative to tube amps. They do have their place.

[slayer]

Re: Best amp for what I play......

Randall Warhead? Tech 21? Peavey XXL? Some thoughts. Jack.

[777SteveVai777]

Re: Best amp for what I play......

Originally posted by Ace:
Word is going to jump on my butt for this, but Carvin amps suck. I played with a Legacy for a full 20 minutes and I could not get one tone out of it that didn't EMBERASS me!! If you DO like Crate, I really like my Blue Voodoo. It's a all-tube amp, but you can find them real cheap if you look hard enough!! I don't share your aversion to tube amps, but if you want soild state the Flextone does a whole bunch of stuff, and they work fine for metal.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">dick. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Just kidding, man. [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Carvin amps aren't for everyone.

[taxistationary]

Re: Best amp for what I play......

Try out a Roland Jazz Chorus (JC-120). There clean amps. I've used a MetalZone through one, and the tone i recived out of it was brutal!! The good thing about them is that if you don't like your tone, all you have to do is try out a different preamp, instead of haveing to go out and buy a whole new amp. There solid state, and really pack a punch. Just one rule when using a Jazz Chorus: Dont ever use the amps distortion. Turn it off, and use some kind of preamp like i said above. Right now im running a little digitech genesis through mine. I can really get some cool sounds, from SRV, to Eric j, to Vai, to RR ect. Like i said, i've used a MetalZone through mine, and i could get a pretty nice Metal sound out of mine (think NEW Ozzy).