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BacchusPaul wrote:

ekwatts wrote:I've sent a price enquiry off to Matamp for a 1224 MKII without effects loop or built in reverb

I'd be interested in hearing what they say. This is something of a dream amp for me.

I understand they're pricey now, though, like around a grand for a head.

£1399, £1329 if I pick it up from the factory.

Wow. Probably not then..

dub wrote:Secondhand Laney probably your best bet. Cheap as chips.

This also is fantastic advice. While I'm at it, Matamp forum Classifieds is here.

Also, Sound City heads are great and cheap.

ekwatts wrote:

BacchusPaul wrote:

ekwatts wrote:I've sent a price enquiry off to Matamp for a 1224 MKII without effects loop or built in reverb

I'd be interested in hearing what they say. This is something of a dream amp for me.

I understand they're pricey now, though, like around a grand for a head.

£1399, £1329 if I pick it up from the factory.

Wow. Probably not then..

One going for £750 on the Matamp forum there.

the 1x15 cabs I've used are kind of lacking on the top end. The bass is great, but I'd want to pair it with a more biting speaker.

aen wrote:the 1x15 cabs I've used are kind of lacking on the top end. The bass is great, but I'd want to pair it with a more biting speaker.

What about a 1x10 and a 1x15? I'm still veering between building the cab and getting a cheap head or buying that S/H Matamp and saving up for an Orange 2x12OB cabinet. Or building the cabinet. I assume I could get the wood cut to shape from B&Q and just assemble it/tolex it myself?

Hmmm. I really want to make this some sort of final dream amp purchase so I'm seriously looking at selling off a whole bunch of shit to fund it. I figure I could probably make £500-£600 selling a bunch of shit (thinking of going quite far on this front, need to get rid of some stuff I just don't use anymore), and could stretch to another £400 easily within a month or so from wages.

I really wouldn't mind building a cab though. I think I might try that first.

My Tiny Terror is PERFECT for this sort of sound. I haven't ever struggled to get it loud enough for gigs, although the volume is usually on at least 6 or 7. I would like to upgrade to a Dual Terror at some point though, just so that I don't have to push it quite as much.

ekwatts wrote:

aen wrote:the 1x15 cabs I've used are kind of lacking on the top end. The bass is great, but I'd want to pair it with a more biting speaker.

What about a 1x10 and a 1x15? I'm still veering between building the cab and getting a cheap head or buying that S/H Matamp and saving up for an Orange 2x12OB cabinet. Or building the cabinet. I assume I could get the wood cut to shape from B&Q and just assemble it/tolex it myself?
.....
I really wouldn't mind building a cab though. I think I might try that first.

I talked to the guys at http://www.vadercabinets.com/ about a 1x15, 1x12 cab.
they said that you essentially have to build 2 cabs stuck together, or the air moving within the cab can cancel out frequencies and even the speakers vibration.

So yeah, you could build a cab, and it would probably sound KILLA GORILLA, assuming the speakers were isolated from eachother.

In my HUGE experience of trouser-flapping amps, closed-backness is far more important than having 15" speakers on board. Get an ace head and one of those Harley Benton cabs loaded with Vintage 30s from Thomann.

benecol wrote:In my HUGE experience of trouser-flapping amps, closed-backness is far more important than having 15" speakers on board. Get an ace head and one of those Harley Benton cabs loaded with Vintage 30s from Thomann.

i have the 2x12 with closed back, it's LOUD! There was an old silverface 2x12 cab on where i play with my band, and the HB was has loud, and sounds better, didn't have so much bass though.

I agree with Freddy, i used my TT in Master Charger and it was awesome, truly. The only snag was not enough clean headroom, but then, i never played clean.
On the subject of cabs, we ripped speakers several times on stuff like 1x12's and some 4x10 bollocks at a gig in Brum. If you are playing at volume you could do with a 4x12 cab minimum but you need to remember the amount of air you will move, i split the laminate of the plywood on the back of my cab because the air knocked the fuck out of it. I ended up drilling large holes directly behind the centre of the drivers for air to escape (like on some bass cabs).

The best solution i found was using a 4x12 bass cab. Master Charger was a loud live band though, in the beginning we were using a 1970s Laney Supergroup 60w head and a 1970s Thor 100w head, it was just ridiculous. The drummer was the first to complain, he said the low end was moving his bowel and making him want to shit at rehearsals

Okay then, here's the plan; I'm going to go to B&Q on Saturday and see if any of the hilariously unhelpful and unknowledgable staff there could do me some sheets of birch ply to my exacting specs for less than £40. If not then I'll probs pick up the Harley Benton cab and then look seriously at the Dual Terror and keep an eye out for a decent Matamp to show up on the Matamp classifieds or eBay, providing the £750 one disappears before september.

aen wrote:

ekwatts wrote:

aen wrote:the 1x15 cabs I've used are kind of lacking on the top end. The bass is great, but I'd want to pair it with a more biting speaker.

What about a 1x10 and a 1x15? I'm still veering between building the cab and getting a cheap head or buying that S/H Matamp and saving up for an Orange 2x12OB cabinet. Or building the cabinet. I assume I could get the wood cut to shape from B&Q and just assemble it/tolex it myself?
.....
I really wouldn't mind building a cab though. I think I might try that first.

I talked to the guys at http://www.vadercabinets.com/ about a 1x15, 1x12 cab.
they said that you essentially have to build 2 cabs stuck together, or the air moving within the cab can cancel out frequencies and even the speakers vibration.

So yeah, you could build a cab, and it would probably sound KILLA GORILLA, assuming the speakers were isolated from eachother.

So what I could do is build TWO cabinets, one for the 15, one for the 10/12 and just stack them, like a mini-stack? Because that sounds cool too (though less portable). Maybe a 2x12 and a 1x15 made to the same width as the 2x12 so they look awesome stacked on top of each other. I'll save that idea for another day maybe. Also fairly expensive on speakers (but still infinitely cheaper than paying for actual cabinets which are stupendously expensive).

ekwatts wrote:Okay then, here's the plan; I'm going to go to B&Q on Saturday and see if any of the hilariously unhelpful and unknowledgable staff there could do me some sheets of birch ply to my exacting specs for less than £40. If not then I'll probs pick up the Harley Benton cab and then look seriously at the Dual Terror and keep an eye out for a decent Matamp to show up on the Matamp classifieds or eBay, providing the £750 one disappears before september.

I doubt they even stock birch ply and i can tell you now, one sheet of crappy 18mm ply is about £23, uncut. I have a Harley Benton cab myself, they are great for the money but they are for standard stuff and the odd pub gig with your indie covers band, they wont stand up to Stoner/Doom for long, honestly. You would be better off picking up an old Carlsbro, Sound City, WEM or similar cab, they sell cheap and are usually battered but they were built at a time when manufacturers 'meant it'. Even if you get a chassis and drop some bass drivers in it, it will last you the rest of your touring life.

If you're going new with your budget the best bet would be the Dark Terror and a 2x12 closed back. I just recently bought an Orange TH30 and I have an Orange 212OB. The Dist chan on the TH is the same as the Dark Terror. For Clean your screwed but for gain it has more than you will ever need. If I am playing my SG Standard on the bridge with the gain 3/4 and the shaped scooped a bit it is perfect for what you're talking about. The key to getting rid of the Nu-Metal sound and getting the syrupy sustain is your tone knob on your guitar. I have never played an amp that reacts to your tone knob as nicely as this set up. The Dist is uber thick and as ALOT of lows. It is moving quite an bit of air for even the 15W setting. I think it the Dark Terror would be plenty loud enough, condisering larger venues should have PA's. I just went from the Dual Terror to the TH30 and trust me, for the brutalz just bypass the TT or DT and do the Dark Terror. With the aforementioned you would need a pedal.

Again, my cab is OB... you would highly benefit from closed back for these sounds.

check out this demo.... this dude throws a bit of sludge at the dist chan

[youtube][/youtube]

Dunno if i ever posted this up Eric, we were using an Orange TT and Marshall JCM 2000 on this remix..

[youtube][/youtube]

That vid is great, Fran.

Deffo would want a proper wooden enclosure for a TT/DT if I get one, too. Black tolex, of course. Maybe I'll see if I can play a Dark Terror at some point next time I'm up in town. Was it Dawnofzion who built those original enclosures?

benecol wrote:Also, Sound City heads are great and cheap.

This this this this this

Mastercharger vid is a great mix, nice thick sound.

Also, me and Jim had a Sound City 4x12 cab when we had the Hiwatt but I think we lent it out when the Hiwatt was bought and I've no idea where it is. Probably worth asking him when I see him again.

Saw a Matamp 1224 MkII on ebay that didn't sell at £600 a little while back. There's THIS one on at the moment. It might not sell. If it doesn't, send him a message immediately after the end and offer him £800 for it - that's all he'd have got after ebay and payapl fees anyway.

I know a guy who has a 1979 Orange Overdrive 2x12 reverb combo. He's offered it to me for £750 but I think he'd take £700. It needs a little work but I know (another) guy down the road who could get it singing for you. This is all in London.