Please help me choose an amp!

[JJLipton]

So soon it will finally be time for me to buy a decent amplifier. My style of music is metal, progressive metal/shred, and rock. I want an amp that has a warm glassy clean and and warm sustain for soloing. Right now my main guitar is a PRS custom 24, although i also use a jem 777LNG and a les paul.



I was thinking maybe this, a Rectoverb, or a Mark V, although the mark V is a bit out of my price range. I'm not opposed to buying a cheap single, dual or triple off ebay but i dont really like the look of the plain rectifiers and i don't find them to be terribly versatile.

I would be open to checking out cheaper Orange models, or any interesting high gain amps you guys have in mind. The only marshall i've played that i liked was the vintage modern, although it doesn't have nearly enough gain for my taste.

[youtube][/youtube]

Heres an example of the tone/style i'm sort of going for. Although, i usually don't like my mids scooped this much. I want the gain to stay tight and track well on the lower strings. The gain is smooth with no rough edges. On a side note, i'm pretty happy the way the solo came out at 5:10!

[mellowlogic]

I'll be following this thread with great interest, as I'm looking for a similar amp. From my research, it seems like the mesa dual rec is pretty much the standard for this sort of thing. I've been looking at the bugera 333xl as a budget option, but nobody has them in stock in my area, so I'd have to buy one sight-unseen(heard?), which kind of puts me off. However, having 3 channels seems like it'd be awesome.

[Dogma Hollow]

Erotomania. Good choice and nice playing.

I'm a little biased away from Mesa as I find the tone to be a little generic. I've always been a fan of Rivera amps. I had a Knucklehead Reverb 100 several years ago and it smoked. Had to sell it to buy some other gear, but it always had a nice natural midrange, more gain than I could ever use, and a beautiful clean tone. I forget all the features it had on it. Rivera has some new models out that I haven't played yet, but they look pretty cool. The best part is they're pretty cheap (relatively) to pick up on the used market. Several heads on Guitar Center's used section right now. That's no reflection on the quality, IMO, it's just that Rivera hasn't built up the name recognition yet. Everything they build is like a goddamn tank.

Some people find the gain to be a bit on the gritty side, and you'll probably read that in reviews. My guess is they just didn't spend enough time tweaking it. Riveras do take some time to dial in properly, but they'll smooth out with some work. Or not, if you're like me and like a tone that actually cuts through a mix. Most tube amps will sound better cranked up, and that's definitely true with every Rivera I've played. Their 50 watt heads are ear-bleeding loud, so there's really no need to go 100 unless you're planning on running a full stack. Or if you need 3 channels...I don't remember any of the 50 watts being 3 channel.

Seriously, check 'em out.

I also have to admit that the Egnater Renegade was a close 2nd when I was in the market for a new head recently.

[Thom]

I would steer clear of Orange to be honest, even their amps that are more voiced for metal I have found to be much too loose in the low end. Really warm and dark, but not tight enough for proper metal imo.
Have you played the Marshall JVM? That could nail that tone and has loads of gain and probably the most versatile amp I've played.
Otherwise how about Blackstar?
Though to be fair your description does scream Mesa.

[Grant]

I was thinking maybe this, a Rectoverb, or a Mark V, although the mark V is a bit out of my price range. I'm not opposed to buying a cheap single, dual or triple off ebay but i dont really like the look of the plain rectifiers and i don't find them to be terribly versatile.

Roadsters and Road Kings are two Lonestar channels mated to two Recto gain channels, right? Genius.

Why not go with the Road King, if you're looking for versatility? The ability to use any combination of the four 6L6 and two EL34 tubes is absolutely insane. You can run it at 30 watts, with options all the way up to 120 watts, and have the variac switch to play with.

[George]

I had a Mesa Nomad and HATED it. I can't speak for others - poor resale value if bought new.

[Grant]

I had a Mesa Nomad and HATED it. I can't speak for others - poor resale value if bought new.

Yeah, buying new isn't a particularly good idea.

I don't know what's up with the Nomads. On paper they look like simple entry-level Boogies, like the much-loved F30/F50 and Expresses. It's one of the rare amps that doesn't have its own sub-forum on the Boogie board. It doesn't have very many fans, I guess. It has certainly never tempted me.

[hotrodperlmutter]

one of you buttholes should buy the mesa clone i have had for sale for like evar (jack, JJLipton):

[Grant]

I'm a little biased away from Mesa as I find the tone to be a little generic.

Yeah they're ubiquitous.

Some people find the gain to be a bit on the gritty side, and you'll probably read that in reviews. My guess is they just didn't spend enough time tweaking it. Riveras do take some time to dial in properly, but they'll smooth out with some work. Or not, if you're like me and like a tone that actually cuts through a mix. Most tube amps will sound better cranked up, and that's definitely true with every Rivera I've played. Their 50 watt heads are ear-bleeding loud, so there's really no need to go 100 unless you're planning on running a full stack. Or if you need 3 channels...I don't remember any of the 50 watts being 3 channel.

It's funny; Mesa supporters have the same litany of "have to crank it, have to dial it in, built like tanks". I'm going to look into Riveras now, based on your description. They're a California business, too. I have a "thing" for that.

[JJLipton]

Yeah thanks ill check rivera out! The thing is i need something that sounds good with a mahogany/maple cap rosewood neck guitar as well a basswood/maple neck guitar. I have no doubts Mesa boogie will sounds great with the prs but the LNG needs a lot of marshallesque properties to make it sound good.

[youtube][/youtube]

I had to dial up the mids and crank the gain to achieve saturation with the LNG.

[Sloan]

I had a Mesa Nomad and HATED it. I can't speak for others - poor resale value if bought new.

I had a Nomad as well and it was honestly one of the worst amps I've ever played. I swapped through all my tubes, hooked it up to different speakers and it would not stop sounding like shit.

[atmo]

Check out Blackstar, especially the Series One range.

[JJLipton]

one of you buttholes should buy the mesa clone i have had for sale for like evar (jack, JJLipton):

i played one of these in a guitar shop years ago and remember liking it, but it's not for me. The name triple x and that terrible logo of the woman....ugh. I like the low key look of the mesas, particularly the mark series and rectoverb.

[JJLipton]

I was thinking maybe this, a Rectoverb, or a Mark V, although the mark V is a bit out of my price range. I'm not opposed to buying a cheap single, dual or triple off ebay but i dont really like the look of the plain rectifiers and i don't find them to be terribly versatile.

Roadsters and Road Kings are two Lonestar channels mated to two Recto gain channels, right? Genius.

Why not go with the Road King, if you're looking for versatility? The ability to use any combination of the four 6L6 and two EL34 tubes is absolutely insane. You can run it at 30 watts, with options all the way up to 120 watts, and have the variac switch to play with.

The road king is a very nice idea, but the nearly 3k price tag is simply too expensive not to mention the inevitable cost of retubing. I love the tone of the road king though, particularly on dream theater's train of thought album for "stream of consciousness".

[Grant]

I had a Mesa Nomad and HATED it. I can't speak for others - poor resale value if bought new.

I had a Nomad as well and it was honestly one of the worst amps I've ever played. I swapped through all my tubes, hooked it up to different speakers and it would not stop sounding like shit.

I researched Nomads a bit after reading about your experiences. Most discussions center around muddiness, an oppressive midrange that's impossible to dial out, overly touchy controls, and/or unreliability.

Apparently you have to change or remove several caps and resistors AND use a graphic EQ to get somewhat usable sounds.

Looks like the amp sucks. Lots of "I wanted a [Boogie amp], but then I saw a Nomad for cheap!"

I'm gonna avoid the hell out of it.

[JJLipton]

A while ago i played through my buddies mesa boogie combo, and disliked the muddy sound, which had poor sustain. It turned out to be the nomad.

[Sloan]

I had a Mesa Nomad and HATED it. I can't speak for others - poor resale value if bought new.

I had a Nomad as well and it was honestly one of the worst amps I've ever played. I swapped through all my tubes, hooked it up to different speakers and it would not stop sounding like shit.

I researched Nomads a bit after reading about your experiences. Most discussions center around muddiness, an oppressive midrange that's impossible to dial out, overly touchy controls, and/or unreliability.

Apparently you have to change or remove several caps and resistors AND use a graphic EQ to get somewhat usable sounds.

Looks like the amp sucks. Lots of "I wanted a [Boogie amp], but then I saw a Nomad for cheap!"

I'm gonna avoid the hell out of it.

That part that pisses me off is that I was looking for a combo for my current situation and traded a Krankenstein for it. Worst deal I have ever done.

[lorez]

JJ, I thought about this for some time and knowing the music you are playing I wondered whether you have considered the Fractal AXE-FX line link

I've read a lot of interesting things about them and so many people seem to be blown away by them. It might not be the ideal solution but thought I would throw it in to the mix

[JJLipton]

Indeed i have considered it. I'm sure it sounds great and has more features than anyone could ever need. But at $2600, i might as well buy a nice tube head and a 4x12 or 2x2 cab. I've waited for so long to see their sexy glass tubes glowing in back of a nice tube amp. I'm sure even just psychologically the warm glow of the tubes must add to the playing experience.

[Sloan]

Cheap idea.

Find a used B52 AT-100. It's very rectifier-ish and the clean is killer. I bought one for under $200 because it had bad 12ax7 and the dude thought it was broken.



i haven't recorded anything yet that i can think of, so i don't have clips.