Sludge metal guitar head?

[ApeDosMil]

What type of guitar head would you guys use for a sludge metal band? I want something that sounds grimy.

I have a Gibson Les Paul Custom with a Carvin 2x12. I need a head.

[horns666]

5150..hands down.

[ApeDosMil]

Hmm, wish I had the cash for that lol. What about a Crate Blue Voodoo?

[ozzuk1]

Some people like the voodoo more hate it it's a bit like the jb some people make it sound good others just never get anything good out of it, allthough I have never heard outstanding tones from the BV...

You could easily get a used 5150 instead of the BV...

[skintaster]

I love 5150s. I bought a used head late last year for $450 off evilbay. Sounds great for all sorts of metal, and you can't beat the prices they typically go for. I got a particularly good deal on mine, but I see a lot of them going for $600 to $650.

[nsubulysses]

5150 and blue voodoo aren't ideal choices for SLUDGE imo.

Gotta go with Matamp if you want to be truly badass. Orange is another good option but the holy grail for sludge is the Sunn Model T. The original which was made from probably '68 to '76 is the ideal choice; the Fender reissue made from '94 to '99 will suffice but it's a different beast. The reissue is more of a modern sounding high gain head, which, when going for sludge, you typically want an amp that breaks up naturally when cranked. The Sunn Concert Lead is a good choice, as is the Sunn Coliseum (300 watts of solid state balls, hit a low note and it's like throwing a bowling ball into someone's stomach).







I hope that will get you off to a good start

[nsubulysses]

Also for good measure here are a few pictures of the band Sunn0))) who play through a wall of Sunn amps (couple of old Ampegs thrown in there too for good measure. 4 Model T full stacks and about 4 8x10s on stage yield maximum sludge/doom/volume/low frequency vibration




HiWatt and Sound City are probably other good choices for sludge!

[nsubulysses]

If you get Sunn stuff you can have a stage volume of 120 decibels of sludge

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

I use a Blue Voodoo 1-12", with a preamp for distortion. I would not advise it for a "cord straight into the amp" setup if you're looking for a grungy tone, it's a better jazz/blues amp.

Maybe a used Boogie Mark III?

[Inazone]

Peavey VTM, perhaps?