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Sambencuda and myself are in a band together. We both took our MTS3200's to band practice last night. Both of us played through 4 x 12 Peavey cabs loaded with Sheffields.
Jim's MTS has 6L6's in it with all high gain preamp tubes.
Mine has E34L's with stock tubes.
How did they sound?
Killer. You just can't beat an MTS for the price. Especially when you can turn up the volume a little.
These amps are LOUD. There is 1 thing to consider too. The MTS3200 has active EQ controls (like a Mesa Boogie) and we have both found that they get more reactive as you turn the amp up. For instance.. the presence control barely has an affect on the amp until you turn it up past 4. I was playing with the following settings on the lead channel:
Vol: 4
Gain: 6-7
Treble: 8
Mid: 6-7
Bass: 4
Presence: 7
I had a Ibanez DE-7 delay in the loop along with my infamous Twisteramps Preamp Pedal for solo boost. I had a Boss Super Chorus, Morley Bad Horsie 2 Contour Wah and a pedal tuner in front of the amp. I played my Charvel 7-up with the 18v EMG 89 set up and usually had my volume rolled back to around 6-7 unless it was solo time.
With this set up I got a fantastic rock/metal sound. The solo boost preamp pedal is extremely transparent, it just makes the amp louder with a touch more presence (like a BBE). To me, my sound is more Marshall/Carvin Legacy sounding.
The clean channel on the MTS3200 is absolutely killer. ITs one of the best 100w tube cleans I have ever heard.
Jim's 6L6's were of course screaming bloody murder. His MTS sounds more like a Rectifier/Soldano. He is about to receive a G-Major for his MTS so his sound is going to be getting even better.
My feelings regarding the difference between 6L6's and E34L's is this.
If you like the high gain scooped more modern sound, go with the 6L6's. It sort of reminds me of the Marshall 2210 but without the Marshalls outstanding midrange or its ability to cut through a mix under any circumstance. His amp was cutting through fine, its just not as in your face as a 2210.
If you like a more Marshall type moderate to high gain tone that is darker and with more bottom the E34L's are worth a look.
Another difference I experienced between the different power tubes were how the amp reacted to the guitars volume controls. The E34L's allow more control of your overall tone by using the volume on your guitar. They don't muddy up when you roll the volume down.
Overall, the dual MTS 3200 rehearsal last night was a huge success. We sounded good. Real good. At times we sounded bad too!!... real bad, but we can't blame that part on the amps.
One word of caution if you are interested in purchasing a Carvin MTS3200. These amps are absolutely not intended for bedroom volume levels. They wake up and come alive at live band levels! Buy a modeler if you want to shred at home.
Jim's MTS has 6L6's in it with all high gain preamp tubes.
Mine has E34L's with stock tubes.
How did they sound?
Killer. You just can't beat an MTS for the price. Especially when you can turn up the volume a little.
These amps are LOUD. There is 1 thing to consider too. The MTS3200 has active EQ controls (like a Mesa Boogie) and we have both found that they get more reactive as you turn the amp up. For instance.. the presence control barely has an affect on the amp until you turn it up past 4. I was playing with the following settings on the lead channel:
Vol: 4
Gain: 6-7
Treble: 8
Mid: 6-7
Bass: 4
Presence: 7
I had a Ibanez DE-7 delay in the loop along with my infamous Twisteramps Preamp Pedal for solo boost. I had a Boss Super Chorus, Morley Bad Horsie 2 Contour Wah and a pedal tuner in front of the amp. I played my Charvel 7-up with the 18v EMG 89 set up and usually had my volume rolled back to around 6-7 unless it was solo time.
With this set up I got a fantastic rock/metal sound. The solo boost preamp pedal is extremely transparent, it just makes the amp louder with a touch more presence (like a BBE). To me, my sound is more Marshall/Carvin Legacy sounding.
The clean channel on the MTS3200 is absolutely killer. ITs one of the best 100w tube cleans I have ever heard.
Jim's 6L6's were of course screaming bloody murder. His MTS sounds more like a Rectifier/Soldano. He is about to receive a G-Major for his MTS so his sound is going to be getting even better.
My feelings regarding the difference between 6L6's and E34L's is this.
If you like the high gain scooped more modern sound, go with the 6L6's. It sort of reminds me of the Marshall 2210 but without the Marshalls outstanding midrange or its ability to cut through a mix under any circumstance. His amp was cutting through fine, its just not as in your face as a 2210.
If you like a more Marshall type moderate to high gain tone that is darker and with more bottom the E34L's are worth a look.
Another difference I experienced between the different power tubes were how the amp reacted to the guitars volume controls. The E34L's allow more control of your overall tone by using the volume on your guitar. They don't muddy up when you roll the volume down.
Overall, the dual MTS 3200 rehearsal last night was a huge success. We sounded good. Real good. At times we sounded bad too!!... real bad, but we can't blame that part on the amps.
One word of caution if you are interested in purchasing a Carvin MTS3200. These amps are absolutely not intended for bedroom volume levels. They wake up and come alive at live band levels! Buy a modeler if you want to shred at home.
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