First A Good Amp or a Good Guitar?

[Grandturk]

I have noticed that. How do you make it sound good, Mr. Boogie Expert?

I'm just talking about Boogies - not Recto's, Roadkings, Loanstars, and nothing after the Mk III.

For a high-gain sound, don't set the Treble/Middle/Bass knobs as you would on a Marshall. The Treble control is like a second, or third, gain stage as well as a treble control. Set it to about 7. Start with the Bass and Middle on 0 (yes ZERO). You've got two preamp gain knobs - the clean gain stage cascades into the lead channel - so crank it up to 8-10. Set the Lead Gain to 8-10. Don't pull the Gain Boost - all it does is Santana. The Presence control is your 4th gain stage - always to taste because it adds a lot of brightness - but 6-8 will add a lot of grit to your sound. Add a touch (1-2) of Bass and/or Mids to round out the sound if it got too bright. Pull all the Shift knobs and the Lead Bright. To taste on a IIc and III, pull the Deep knob. On the GEQ - Drop the Middle slider all the way down and add back to taste. Boost the outside sliders, and the in between sliders slighly less so.

[Spivonious]

Used amps are your friend. I got my Mk II for $400 on sale. Big box stores are the best places for chump prices on Boogies because no one in the store will know how to make it sound good.

Yeah I played a Nomad in GC once and it sounded like crap. Nothing I could do made it sound better. Same with the F-30 at the local guitar store. I think Mesa's are just hard to dial in.

[MakeAJazzNoiseHere]

You get a Marshall

I mean...

[Gibsonmac]

Touche. Although I prefer Peavey.

Eww... I loathe peavey... Mesa/Marshall all the way, although I'm really diggin on the Powerball

[Gibsonmac]

I have a DK2 MIJ dinky with Seymour Duncans STK-2 and JB running throung a Randall RX120RH Half Stack, It sounds very well but I was thinking about buying a USA Soloist and a Peavey 5150 (or a 6505+)

Which one should I choose at first? Amp or guitar? bearing in mind that it will pass a year between the purchase of one and the other, Which purchase would improve more my sound?

just go to a place that has a bunch of different brands and try out all the amps, get the one you like best... you might find that a DSL or Fireball or whatever, sounds better to you

when I bought my first head, I was dead set on a 5150 or a JCM800, but when I played them they really didn't do it for me, then I narrowed it down to a Dual Rec and TSL, I ended up with a TSL100.

def go amp, you've got a decent guitar.

[mor]

Always buy a great amp first, the amp is the most crucial component by far to your sound.

+1

Without any doubt !

[Larz]

A great amp can be a big help to to your tone, but at the same time my soloist sounds killer through my microcube.

Just make sure you try out/research them to get what you really want, wicked gain, passable or great clean channel, effects loop, reverb, warranty.....whatever matters to you most.

[Spivonious]

And when looking for an amp with reverb, don't forget to try it out. The reverb in my El Diablo sounds fantastic, but the reverb in my B-52 sounds like crap.

[Grandturk]

I'll take a great guitar over a great amp any day. I can make my little Kerry King Marshall MG sound good if I need to.

[RacerX]

I'm just talking about Boogies - not Recto's, Roadkings, Loanstars, and nothing after the Mk III.

For a high-gain sound, don't set the Treble/Middle/Bass knobs as you would on a Marshall. The Treble control is like a second, or third, gain stage as well as a treble control. Set it to about 7. Start with the Bass and Middle on 0 (yes ZERO). You've got two preamp gain knobs - the clean gain stage cascades into the lead channel - so crank it up to 8-10. Set the Lead Gain to 8-10. Don't pull the Gain Boost - all it does is Santana. The Presence control is your 4th gain stage - always to taste because it adds a lot of brightness - but 6-8 will add a lot of grit to your sound. Add a touch (1-2) of Bass and/or Mids to round out the sound if it got too bright. Pull all the Shift knobs and the Lead Bright. To taste on a IIc and III, pull the Deep knob. On the GEQ - Drop the Middle slider all the way down and add back to taste. Boost the outside sliders, and the in between sliders slighly less so.

Excellent post, Grandturk! It should be stickied or something!