Best Half Stack (For a metal tone) for the money?

[slayer89]

Solid State or Tube, I don't really care. What would you say is the best metal half stack for the money?

[VulfgangPfuck]

Re: Best Half Stack (For a metal tone) for the money?

Tube...no question...(IMO)
Peavey's 5150 amps are great for the money...as is the Marshall DSL and TSL series (money-wise)

But that's always a suject for debate, and it's always based on personal opinion anyway.

[Ace]

Re: Best Half Stack (For a metal tone) for the mon

I think for the money a used 5150 is the way to go. To my ear they sound really good, and I know a LOT of guys who swear by them for metal. I haven't managed to dial one in right for "my" sound yet, but I do like what I've heard. A lot of guys on this board will tell you good stuff about them too.

Other than that, I'd say mabye get an older metal preamp, like an ADA MP-1 or a Digitech 2112 for a good price and get a decent power amp, and go from there. Then you can upgrade piece by piece, and spend the rest of your life and money with the search for tone like the rest of us(Cleve).

[xenophobe]

Re: Best Half Stack (For a metal tone) for the mon

A used 5150.

You can go even cheaper. Get a Korg HyperDistortion and plug that directly into a Carvin poweramp and a generic 4x12 cabinet. Ampeg 4x12 guitar cabs, for example, often sell for $150-$200 at our local consignment shop. The Korg will give you two programmable Distorted channels, and a bypass. Clean might suck, but it would work good just for a decent sounding, loud, metal tone for under $400. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[horns666]

Re: Best Half Stack (For a metal tone) for the mon

a 5150 half stack ...with matching shefield cab and BBE 422 in the loop ...instant coolness you can't touch for the money..

Do NOT touch a Marshall DSL ...they are poop. I had one ...well I bought it dirt cheap and it sucked total ass...there was NO saving it ...it was pure thin , fuzzy mush...

[jgcable]

Re: Best Half Stack (For a metal tone) for the mon

Here are my suggestions for a metal half stack that needs no outboard processing:
Peavey 5150
Crate BV120
Carvin MTS3200
Randall RG100ES
Line 6 Flextone HD
Peavey Supreme
Laney AOR50 or 100
Marshall 8100 Valvestate (VS100)
Power amp and a POD XT or Boss GT-6 or a Korg AX1500G

There are a ton of choices.

[Firebird V]

Re: Best Half Stack (For a metal tone) for the mon

5150 used.

[Deneb]

Re: Best Half Stack (For a metal tone) for the mon

5150
5150 II
Marshall 8100
If you can get one cheap, the TSL100 it's not great, but passable, mine didn't sound thin, just didn't do it for me.
NOTHING crate
the power amp and pre amp is good too for ideas.

[jgcable]

Re: Best Half Stack (For a metal tone) for the mon

Deneb, I have had several Crate amps and I think they get a bad rap.
The amps I have had that I thought were nice were:
VC508 nice little low wattage class a amp
VC30 Nice little blues all tube class a amp
C-60XL 2 celestion 8" speakers, 60 watts and really nice distortion. It was a great practice amp for me for many years. It was even endorsed by Malmsteen. lol...
CA-60D This is an acoustic amp with the tweeter and DSP effects. You can plug a mike in because it is 2 channels. I still have it and it is outstanding for 1 man band coffee house gigs or acoustic jam sessions. It even looks nice.
The Blue Voodoo (BV60, BV120) heads are pretty nice bro. They get a really nice distortion (although the Flexwave circuitry does limit the voicing when you change tubes) and the clean is really nice too.
FYI... Crate's proprietary Flexwave circuitry has a unique voice. It is so popular that many of the major modeling companies actually have models based on that circuit and the tone it produces. It sounds like a buzzsaw to me. Like a cross between a Soldano and stock Marshall but with more midrange and less bottom. The problem with the solid state Crate amps with this circuit is that the tone doesn't get better as it get louder. I think the Blue Voodoo's solved this problem with thier all tube high wattage design.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

Re: Best Half Stack (For a metal tone) for the mon

FENDER ROC PRO

[jgcable]

Re: Best Half Stack (For a metal tone) for the mon

[ QUOTE ]
FENDER ROC PRO

[/ QUOTE ]
I am a big fan of the Roc Pro 1000 too but you really need a pedal with it to do metal. It has nice gain and distortion but it just needs a little nudge more for metal IMHO.

[thetroy]

Re: Best Half Stack (For a metal tone) for the mon

To add to this as I may need more than a practice amp if I ever get a band together...If I already had a PODxt to use as a preamp, what would be a decent poweramp to use with it?

[markD]

Re: Best Half Stack (For a metal tone) for the mon

peavey classic 50/50. or if you want to go crazy, classic 120!! they're cheap (compared to all the ones people around here buy) and they sound pretty good.

[atilla]

Re: Best Half Stack (For a metal tone) for the mon

Atomic Amps has an intruguing idea for POD people...it's a tube power amp and speaker with a little groove that you set the POD into, plug it in and fire away.

[VulfgangPfuck]

Re: Best Half Stack (For a metal tone) for the mon

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
FENDER ROC PRO

[/ QUOTE ]
I am a big fan of the Roc Pro 1000 too but you really need a pedal with it to do metal. It has nice gain and distortion but it just needs a little nudge more for metal IMHO.

[/ QUOTE ]

A side note on the ROC PRO....when I (opened) worked at the GC in East Brunswick NJ...and we had Yngwie perform...he played, un-processed) thru a pair of ROC PRO halfstacks...and they sounded just like his modded Marshalls!...if not BETTER!....I stood staring at them in awe and amazement for an hour after he got done playing. I asked him when we were out back smoking....what he thought of the amps. He said "They come pretty damn close to the tone I like to hear....I like them" (quote)