High Gain Amp Shootout, Saturday June 20th, Hollywood, CA

[James Lugo]

Event:
High Gain Amp Shootout
Saturday June 20th 2pm on
@
Vocal Asylum
6381 Hollywood Blvd Suite 700
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(corner of Hollywood and Cahuenga)
(Press #700 at door for entry)
818 259 0190

Amps:
Diezel Herbert
Marshall 71' Super Tremolo, Friedman mod, (BE, C45, HBE) EL34's
Marshall 77' JMP MK II, Friedman mod, (BE, C45, HBE) 6550's
Marshall 74' Super Lead
Mesa Boogie 2 Channel Dual Racto
Orange Rocker 30
Marshall JCM800 Re-issue
ENGL Screamer 50
Marshall JCM2000 DSL 100
Soldano Avenger
Roccaforte Ultra50 (vintage)
Splawn modded 1959 RI
Surreal C.M. 50
VHT Deliverance 120
Rivera KR-7
Bugera 333 XL
CAE/Suhr OD100SE+ with El34s
Elmwood M90
DAR Power Tone
Bogner Fish hopefully with the Cantrell mod
The brand new Bogner Uberschall Twin Jet
Axe Fx
Soldano SLO 100
EVH 5150 3
EVH 5150
Randall RM100 with mods
Bogner Ubershall
Diezel VH4
Angry Hippie modded Marshall
Friedman Marsha
Jose modded Marshall
Suhr PT100
Friedman modded Ampeg vl1002
Caswell modded Marshall '59 RI



Who in LA is into this and wants to bring their amps to the shootout? Looking for Bogners, Soldanos, Egnators, VHTs, Diezels, Boogies, Camerons, Riveras, Wizards, Randalls, 5150's etc... Who's into this? Any manufacturers want to bring anything by?

This is gonna rock. We're gonna do the identical thing with each amp;
- 2 or 3 song clips (rhythm & lead) - different players on each clip to show styles. Different guitar each clip.
- Play solo guitar and turn knobs and switch channels with each amp, to show range.

The focus of this is going to be heavy rock to metal sounds. Everything will be recorded and video taped. I will post everything.

Please RSVP on this thread and list amps you want to bring. Also email me if you're bringing amps; james@jameslugo.com If you have no amps you are still welcome to come, everyone is invited! Would love to maybe get a shredder guitar player on board, I don't practice these days so my chops are kind of haggard. If you want to play on the shootout email me.

So there it is, let's do this. Please list the amps you are bringing on this thread.

[FFTT]

I linked to this thread over at TGP.


I'm sure this will be followed with great interest over there.

[Stevedresser83]

very interested in the results wish I could be there

[preben]

Yup, also very interested in hearing what your findings will be

[James Lugo]

Just got an ENGL.

[NoizyNinja]

Hey James. Love to do this and even play.

Here's a clip of me playing through my Diezel VH4 and I start soloing about half way through till the end:
http://www.noizyninja.com/tracks/NNP...0Down.Lead.wav

I also have a ThunderTweak JCM 800 which is pretty meaty I can bring by if you don't have too many JCM 800's. It's a special one.

Let me know...

[James Lugo]

Originally Posted by NoizyNinja

Hey James. Love to do this and even play.

Here's a clip of me playing through my Diezel VH4 and I start soloing about half way through till the end:
http://www.noizyninja.com/tracks/NNP...0Down.Lead.wav

I also have a ThunderTweak JCM 800 which is pretty meaty I can bring by if you don't have too many JCM 800's. It's a special one.

Let me know...

Man I dig that clip!

Email me, it be great to have you and have you play.

Just added a bunch of new amps to the list.

James

[NoizyNinja]

Thanks! Emailed you...

[biggator6]

Holy crap, James.. that list is getting ridiculous!!

The bigger question is - once you get all these beauties in your studio.. how many will you let leave?
"-)

[James Lugo]

Originally Posted by biggator6

Holy crap, James.. that list is getting ridiculous!!

The bigger question is - once you get all these beauties in your studio.. how many will you let leave?
"-)

Just added to the list.

[James Lugo]

Some of the amp shootout amps:

[Oldone]

Have lived in OC for 22 years and not heard of Tone Merchants. This city is too friggin big. Going there tomorrow.

[. . .]

Originally Posted by James 'LA' Lugo

Some of the amp shootout amps:

Thanks for posting this! I luv it.

You're definitely a gearslut.

[Mike P]

Great video, James!

I had a blue/white knob Bogner Fish and VHT power amp in the early 90's and can confirm that it's absolutely, unbelievably awesome. Greatest guitar sound ever. Seriously, EVER. I unfortunately had to sell it back then to pay rent.

I bugged Sean at Bogner for years to have Reinhold re-issue the Fish. I'm glad they finally gave in and I guarantee that once you play through one, you'll HAVE to have one.

Can't wait for the shootout!

[James Lugo]

Originally Posted by Mike P

Great video, James!

I had a blue/white knob Bogner Fish and VHT power amp in the early 90's and can confirm that it's absolutely, unbelievably awesome. Greatest guitar sound ever. Seriously, EVER. I unfortunately had to sell it back then to pay rent.

I bugged Sean at Bogner for years to have Reinhold re-issue the Fish. I'm glad they finally gave in and I guarantee that once you play through one, you'll HAVE to have one.

Can't wait for the shootout!

I'm glad you're comin Mike and bringing the ENGL. Sweet. For anyone who doesn't know Mike he's a badass guitarist and gets the best heavy guitar sounds anywhere ever. That good.

J

[FFTT]

How many days is it going to take to test all these?

Are you going to have time to try buckers and single coils?

If you test the amps in a mix, consider a separate soloed track for those who
might prefer to hear the naked truth.

Awesome effort!

[James Lugo]

Originally Posted by FFTT

How many days is it going to take to test all these?

Are you going to have time to try buckers and single coils?

If you test the amps in a mix, consider a separate soloed track for those who
might prefer to hear the naked truth.

Awesome effort!

It'll be 1 day and we'll have solo guitar and in tracks.

Here's a video from today's cab and speaker shootout.

[NoizyNinja]

Thanks...now I have to clean the drool off my laptop...

[. . .]

Originally Posted by James 'LA' Lugo

It'll be 1 day and we'll have solo guitar and in tracks.

Here's a video from today's cab and speaker shootout.

All sound great... Herbie is a animal...


Did you send back Jim's major stack cab?

[James Lugo]

Originally Posted by Ron Wheeler

All sound great... Herbie is a animal...


Did you send back Jim's major stack cab?

Yeah that Herbert rips my head off when I stand in front of it.

The cab Jim originally brought over for the pup day was scratched so he wanted me to have a mint one. So he's sending the same cab over for the amp shootout with 4 65 watt M75's and then switching the speakers out into a new cab that will be ready at the end of the month.

He did me good, gave me the cab to use and then took it back. He should sell crack.

[mdme_sadie]

Any chance of a Mesa Boogie Mk V being added to the list (would love to know how they stack up)? (Someones gotta have one)

[James Lugo]

Originally Posted by mdme_sadie

Any chance of a Mesa Boogie Mk V being added to the list (would love to know how they stack up)? (Someones gotta have one)

Let me see.

[James Lugo]

I have been up since 7am returning emails. Holy smokes, this is gonna be crazy, so many amps. We may even have a couple of rockstars on hand! We'll see.

Been giving a lot of thought as to the best way to do this and I think I got it figured out, in my mind anyway. lol The first 3 minutes or so will be a somewhat structured shootout with my engineer Dan McMains and I playing; some solo guitar (guitar only) and some with guitar mixed in tracks. Using the same group of guitars for each section (single coil and humbucker). Then at the end of the final track let people throw down some riffs, it can be the guy who brought the amp or anyone at the shootout, they can use my guitars or their own, doesn't matter. This is so everyone can play and have a good time, while the beginning of each file (first 3 minutes of so) will be more structured to give the listener a good reference to how these amps compare and stack up against one antoher.

I brought a guitar home to practice and get my chops up a little. Please bare with me, I've played guitar the past 20 years mostly as a songwriter/producer so I'm not hip to a lot of the newer shred stuff. I pretty much stopped practicing in 1988 and have used guitar more for artistry and less for slick chop playing. I just got the first 4 VH records and have been having a great time listening to them. When I was a kid I studied with Paul Gilbert privately and was into Ygnwie, Lynch, VH etc... I actually played for a while in Dokken after Goerge left (circa 90-91) but without practice my hands just don't move like that anymore, also I've kind of lost the memory of a lot of my licks and songs so my childhood riffs are what come out now, very strange anomaly. So I grew up playing blues and country in bars in Florida and my heros were; Billy Gibbons, David Gilmore, Ace Frehley and Neal Schon. So there you go, I wish I could bring a bigger pallet but that's it. Though I will play with impeccable feel and attack so the amps will be shown in a good light regardless.

[NoizyNinja]

Quick suggestion James...what about reamping for the structured stuff? I have a reamp I can bring.

[James Lugo]

I thought about it but I really want the guys to play to the amp. I mean the way you'd dig into a guitar plaugged into a Herbert is different then a JCM800. I don't know, maybe it could be cool.

[NoizyNinja]

This is true

[James Lugo]

Just got off the phone with Bruce Bouillet (Racer X), he's gonna come up and play at the amp shootout.

[NMB]

Hey James,

I would love to attend, I live round the corner, so it's kind of stupid I didn't found out about your shootouts earlier.

I unfortunately don't have any high gain amps to bring (that stuff is still in Amsterdam, have only been collecting old Fenders since I got here).

I know I'm kind of new here (both in LA and Gearslutz) but check my myspace for my background.

lemme know,

-Nils

[James Lugo]

Originally Posted by NMB

Hey James,

I would love to attend, I live round the corner, so it's kind of stupid I didn't found out about your shootouts earlier.

I unfortunately don't have any high gain amps to bring (that stuff is still in Amsterdam, have only been collecting old Fenders since I got here).

I know I'm kind of new here (both in LA and Gearslutz) but check my myspace for my background.

lemme know,

-Nils

Dude it be great to have for sure.

Here's a list of guitars being used:

2006 Gibson Les Paul Standard with the WCR American Steele (Crossroads neck, Godwood bridge)
2009 Fender Telecaster with the Lolar Special T's
2009 Gibson Les Paul Traditional with the BK Cold Sweat (bridge), WCR Fillmore (neck)
2005 Gibson Les Paul Special with the BK Rebel Yell (bridge), Gibson 490 (neck)

[NMB]

thanks man,

i'll be there, looking forward to it

-Nils