best higher end head for death metal

[muziekschuur]

100 watts Jet City head.

[andychamp]

I'm afraid in this case there's no way around trying out different stuff yourself, with your axe and cab, if possible in the context of your own band.

All you'll get here will be people justifying their own, very differing (and very valid, btw) opinions and purchases.
Even I have got a bunch, if you really want to inflict this upon yourself.

The truth is out there, not in here.

I truly believe this is the best help I can give you, good luck.

[_Ludovico]

sheesh... lots of choices....
just shop around for high gain/metal aimed heads and try a few yourself...

do you need brands?

Diezel, Blackstar, Egnater, ENGL, Bogner, Soldano, Mesa Boogie, etc etc etc...

[Rolf Ebitsch]

For harder Guitar sounds i use:

Laney IRT60H Ironheart with a Marshall MR1960AV Vintage 30 Speakers cabinet.

Sounds really good.
Try it !

R.


p.s.: The Korn guitar sound are great, but they use a lot of effects.....

[nickelironsteel]

[nobtwiddler]

I just finished tracking guitars for the new Immolation album yesterday.
We used a combination of a Peavey Triple XXX along with a BlackStar HT 5.
The Triple XXX was wired into a Rivera Rockcrusher, going to a 2 x 12 cabinet with Vintage 30's
Mic'd with a 57 and Royer 121

The Blackstar was wired into a 1 x 12 with a Blue Fane speaker.
And a Royer 121

The Peavey gave us all the high gain and sizzle we needed, while the little Blackstar added a bit of low mids, and added a fullness to the sound.
The combo worked well!

[MatrixClaw]

None of those bands you mentioned are anywhere close to death metal...

For an old school death metal sound, an Ampeg VH-140C or Marshall 8100 is the way to go. For modern, depends on the sound you want. The Peavey 5150 is pretty much THE go-to amp for most metal, but there's certainly others out there. Under 2 grand, used, I'd look at the Framus Cobra, Peavey 5150/6505 (same amps), an older 2 Channel Mesa Dual/Triple Recto, Splawn Nitro, EVH 5150 III, VHT/Fryettw Ultralead and you might be able to find an Engl SE in that range as well. All great amps, just depends on the tone you're going for.

[pieter k]

A decapitated one!



Sorry...had to. Carry on.

[Jorock]

its worth exploring other forums for this one. Rig-Talk and Sevenstring.org come to mind.

[dillweed]

Bogner Uberschall

[MatrixClaw]

Originally Posted by Jorock

its worth exploring other forums for this one. Rig-Talk and Sevenstring.org come to mind.

+1, or come join us at Ultimate-Guitar, I'm a mod in the amp (Guitar Gear and Accessories) forum

[Capashitor]

Originally Posted by nobtwiddler

I just finished tracking guitars for the new Immolation album yesterday.
We used a combination of a Peavey Triple XXX along with a BlackStar HT 5.
The Triple XXX was wired into a Rivera Rockcrusher, going to a 2 x 12 cabinet with Vintage 30's
Mic'd with a 57 and Royer 121

The Blackstar was wired into a 1 x 12 with a Blue Fane speaker.
And a Royer 121

The Peavey gave us all the high gain and sizzle we needed, while the little Blackstar added a bit of low mids, and added a fullness to the sound.
The combo worked well!

This is great news ! How did the tracking go in your new location ? I'm a real fan of "Majesty and decay", probably one of the best sounding metal albums I've heard. Maybe mastered a bit too loud but who cares this is death metal !

[j-madd]

For the system of a down sound, I really enjoy my Mesa Mark V. But I think you would get a little more gain with a rectifier.

Sent from my DROIDX using Gearslutz App

[cortisol]

There are so many amazing high gain heads out there. You should check out Ola Englund on YouTube. His channel has play-throughs and Metal demos of many high gain heads. Some of the most authentic demos for contemporary metal guitar sounds I've heard.

The standards seem to be 5150, Mesa Rectifier and Soldano. But there are many wonderful alternatives. Probably a Rectifier would suit you best from the bands you've listed.

[dabianzo]

everyone I know uses something new/different in the studio trying out sounds for an album.. but live, for death metal, boogie triple recs... forget the rest

[Deviated]

Check out Dar amps.

[jeremycox]

Soldano

[Schattenmann]

Originally Posted by jared007bond8

I'm looking for a head that would be good for heavy metal to death metal, I was looking at a dual rectifier or maybe something by blackstar. I love the lead tone from bands like a7x, and the rhythm tones from bands like korn or system of a down. Id like a modern tone with the clarity and sustain for extensive solos for $800 - $2000. Thanks if you can help.

What guitar(s) are you using, with what pickups?
Also, do you want the amp for live/rehearsal, for recording, or both?

[progfreak]

Want clarity with gain go ENGL.

[Mazrak]

The Dual Rectifier and Peavey 5150 are the most common recording amplifiers in death metal. The Peavey XXX is also great, and they have the XXX 2 now, which might be better, but I haven't played one. I mostly play music ranging between hard rock to death metal, and I prefer the EVH 5150 III. The 5150 has always worked great with, and this version is so much better than the Peavey lines.

[fastlanestoner]

There are some AMAZING Engl heads for metal tones, and Mesa Boogie is always a safe bet

[Ghosted]

[Schattenmann]

A Koch might do the trick too.

Though I'd still say the same as usual: find guitar tones that you like, then check online for the list of gear that was used during recording.

[MatrixClaw]

Originally Posted by Mazrak

The Dual Rectifier and Peavey 5150 are the most common recording amplifiers in death metal. The Peavey XXX is also great, and they have the XXX 2 now, which might be better, but I haven't played one. I mostly play music ranging between hard rock to death metal, and I prefer the EVH 5150 III. The 5150 has always worked great with, and this version is so much better than the Peavey lines.

The XXX 2 is the same amp as the JSX, they had to rename it because Satriani left Peavey for Marshall, just like they renamed the 5150 to the 6505 after Van Halen left them.

[DerekJ]

Mesa Mark V, Bogner, Fuchs, Engl, Plexi + pedals, Rivera, Carvin...any amp will play metal with pedals.

going the other way is harder...