Ampeg amp question??

[Hetfield]

model...VL-502

is this amp good.....
what tubes for a zakk wylde like distortion????
whats the value??

[Gilbert]

Re: Ampeg amp question??

I dont know about the vl-502, but i own an ampeg vh-140c wich is all solid state, and its pretty damn amazing. Probably the best solid state head ive ever played. Tons of useable gain, extremely tight bass, great presence, etc.
It will easily get zacks heaviest/crunchiest tone with all the harmonics to boot. Theyre kinda hard to find, but they usually sell for around 300-400 bucks. Sorry i dont have any experiance with the exact model yer talkin about.

[Firebird V]

Re: Ampeg amp question??

Those were designed by Lee jackson. They sound pretty good and will get the ZW sound. They had the light up logo and key to turn them on. The tranny's often are the only problem I hear about. They go bad. Expensive fix and not worth the price to have them fixed when they do go. The last one I had I sold for $450 about a year or so ago. Typical computer board/parts inside. They are not easy to work on. Build quality is okay but nothing compared to there Bully big brother on the block the Lee Jackson XLS series. The Ampegs are a hiss maker compared to the LJ heads. They do have more gain than any of the LJ heads. If you are looking for the Zakk sound then why not go for an old JCM 800 and an od pedal or one of those new Zakk heads?

[Firebird V]

Re: Ampeg amp question??

They normally just hiss a ton when the gain is up. That is what I meant by they are a hiss maker in my earlier post... As for fixing it, How much are you getting it for? Can you do any work yourself? They sell for $350 to $500 in good to excellent/new shape. It may be the caps... It may not... It might be nothing and be that the head is noisy like the 2 I have had experiences with in the past.

[ September 14, 2003, 02:41 PM: Message edited by: Firebird V ]

[Boxcar Willie 84]

Re: Ampeg amp question??

The funny thing is, Zakk used to use Lee Jackson's Metaltronix amps back in the day.

[megashredder]

Re: Ampeg amp question??

Okay, I know this kid and I've heard the amp. It has a lot of distortion and good harmonics. But, the bass when you palm mute the strings is horrible. It also has a hissing sound like the capcitors are bad....

It says it spose to have 7 12AX7's in the pre-amp and either 2 6550's and EL34's in the power amp.....So this thing should kill....

The tubes says, "Made in Germany," and it dosen't say 12AX7, EL34, or 6550 on them. There is a bias selection on it too, maybe that needs to be changed....

So the amp probably went bad or it needs new tubes...do you think it would be worth it to fix it????

[Firebird V]

Re: Ampeg amp question??

Yep. That is correct. I think he also used The XLA Lee Jackson Series. I recall magazine ads with him standing next to a full XLA rig. Tim Krueger would be the one to remember for sure. he has an old stash of heads and whatnot that is LJ owned. I heard Lee is working for Rhino right now....???? Is that correct? I believe there is an XLS on Ebay right now. Quick! Go check! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]