Best guitar amp to get the following sound....

[ryanformato]

No complaints at all. When I am just sitting playing in my basement, attempting to achieve an in your face tone, I can't do it. My tone is very silky and smooth, but processed. I'd like the best of both worlds.

[maskedman72]

i was also stuck on the rack mount thing.
i had a crappy mosvalve power amp and a rocktron voodoovalve pre.
went out and got a peavey jsx (joe satriani signature) and put the old stuff in the closet.
the jsx sounds great but i havent heard many people using them for some reason.

anyhow i agree that it is all about tubes!

if you have the $$ try a diezel or an engle

[jackinthebox]

there's a few layers on there and the gain isn't too cranked up. a lot of the power is coming from the bass guitar and the guitars are really simple two or three note parts. im sure you could get pretty close. i guess your amp has 6L6s in it, i can't remember if you can run that one on el34s.
The mesa recording preamp is hugely versatile if you can stretch to it. their cabs are amazing and the amp is an amp basically. The trick with mesas in my experience (i've had a few) is to not turn the gain up too high and watch out for too much bottom end. they are pretty scooped in the mids but i find i generally eq that range out anyway for modern rock purposes. they are very quiet noise wise and reliable as you like. the great thing with the mesa preamp is you'll get a speaker simulated out, a preamped output your cab and a clean out to play with. so one pass of the guitar and you've got a bunch to play with. The main tone shaping tool you've got then is what mic, or combination of mics you end up with. I used to have a 2101 which was absolutely awful but i learned my lesson. I agree that new marshalls are bollocks and at the end of the day you can squeeze a wide range of tones out of the cab/amp you have already. a lot of old classic amps don't have a wide range of tones but the mesa eq is so powerful that you can easily get it wrong, the different bands are interdependent, ie the treble affects all the other controls subtly so you have to find the right spot. I bought a mesa because on of the guys from radiohead had one and my sound guy recommended it. I wasn't looking for an all out rock sound but i got a versatile amp that could do most things i asked of it. They do go from clean to way over the top pretty quickly yo u just have to find he right settings.
Lose the digitech and experiment! You could use a watkins copycat as a preamp......it's worked before.
j

[WidgetNinja]

Do NOT get a triaxis. I've owned it, have three other Mesa'a still(because they rock!), it's like a Xerox of a Xerox of a xerox of a xerox of boogie tone. Should've been called the Triasses, three voicings of crap.

The 2120 does indeed crush live. The folks saying sell it are plainly speaking out of principle (which you can tell, you know your tone). I know what you mean about that "thing" that doesn't go away.

You want Mesa? Buy the studio pre.
You want crushing? Buy an ENGL preamp. They have one that is cheap that will smoke the Digi, and one more expensive that will smoke, well, anything depending on your tastes.
You want more flavors? The Randall/Egnater are the real deal. The XTC is great, The Plexi as well, and there's a bunch of new ones I haven't even tried.

[Hope209]

Most of these emo/screamo/whatever bands are using old Marshall JMP's(70's?), Marshall JCM's, or Orange. If you want more of a rock/metal sound like the new Story of the Year album, a 5150 is what you're looking for. I don't see many Mesa amps anymore, though....

Keep in mind that on their records a lot of these bands are using different amps for different parts and are also blending amps together....plus a lot of these bands sound like crap live. My vote would be to toss the Digitech and forget any kind of amp modeler and just get a nice amp.

[TheRigaletto]

Originally Posted by ryanformato

No complaints at all. When I am just sitting playing in my basement, attempting to achieve an in your face tone, I can't do it. My tone is very silky and smooth, but processed. I'd like the best of both worlds.

Please don't think im picking on you, but if your tone is anything like the tone on your website, I would not say it is silky smooth. It's really "buzz-sawish" and thin.

When I think of "in your face" I think of tone that just has a commanding presence in the room. I hear that from the following

Dr.Z's- with a Zendrive or RC booster up front
Mesa's- dialed in right on the dedicated gain channel
And of course Bogner's and Custom Audio OD-100's on any day of the week.

[Casey]

I've engineered quite a few in this genre. The JCM800 model 1987 is a staple, so is the Orange.

If you get an Orange look very hard for an OTR120, it is the only one to get because once you hear that model you won't want the one you bought.

I've engineered many many recordings with the Orange, either as a main sound or as underlying fill. A great, great amp.

One thought on where tone seems to be going IMO these days.

Old is new again, many folks at the studio have been choosing the combination of the 74 Hiwatt gr103, and the Marshall shredmaster pedal. I mention this, because it has that cut that you like from the 2120 (I have compared them) and it records beautifully. Also, the Hiwatt is tough to beat for deep bell tone clean.

I know this sounds a bit hokey, but there is a reason the shredmasters are selling for big dollars these days. Ive tried this pedal with a dozen amps, but something about the Hiwatt really clicks with the shredmaster.

Lastly, and I'm sorry to be an ass, but I have had really hard times getting good tone through the Mesa 50/50. If you want to make some quick cash sell the Mesa 50/50, and buy a (I know!) Peavey (yikes!) classic 50/50 (8 el84s) for less than half the money. Again, sounds hokey, but the tone is there. Maybe some tape across the front panel "for your settings" would help live.

Here is an example that uses both the JCM800 and the Orange in just about equal proportion. There is also just a touch of Soldano Avenger up the middle for a little extra weight, but it's in very low. The clean is the 74 Hiwatt.

the_minus_scale-the_trouble_with_normal_new.mp3

-Casey

[ryanformato]

If you are actually reading the posts, you will see that I said the recordings on my website are very old (I actually went direct-in) from my digitech which gives them a buzz-saw sound.


I am actually going to as many stores as possible and am going to p lay through a few different marshalls, Orange, and HiWatt.

[preben]

To get an in-yer-face sound you need an in-yer-face rig, i.e. something as SIMPLE as possible. Less knobs and features = more in-yer-face tone. Remember, that kind of sound is SO not born out of flexibility, presets and pre-programmed pre-delays on that 'Smoking Royal Albert Hall Plate'.

If you're just about happy with your live sound keep the digitech for now for it's flexibility (or trade it for a JMP-1 if you want a little of both worlds).

Then pick up ANY 50watt British style EL-34 head with NO master volume (Marshall, Orange, Nolan, Sound City, VOX AC50, Selmer etc etc) and use that in the studio with your Boogie 4X12" for a while and THEN make a definite decision about which way to go after that.

If it doesn't distort enough for you get a distortion/overdrive pedal (nothing digital.!!!) but remember to push the amp and not rely on the pedal for tone.

It'll be noisy as heck, you'll find out things about your playing and touch that you never knew (and probably never wanted to know) but I bet you it'll sound more edgy, aggressive and in-yer-face than ANY rack preamp/poweramp combination. And I wager that after a period of adjusting YOU will sound a lot more on it and assertive in your playing and possibly at that stage ditch the Digitech (or JMP) for its touch as much as its tone.

YMMV - but I don't think it will

[Casey]

If you are going out to demo a few nice amps, have your guitar professionally set up if it's been a while.

The tone of the older amps you mentioned is due in large part to their incredibly rich and clear harmonic overtone structure. You will hear any tuning problems with the guitar very easily because of this.

I can't tell you how many times I've had a player tell me while tracking that the Orange is broken because it makes his guitar sound out of tune, and he knows this because his guitar sounds fine on his brand new Marshall!

-Casey

[TheRigaletto]

Originally Posted by ryanformato

If you are actually reading the posts, you will see that I said the recordings on my website are very old (I actually went direct-in) from my digitech which gives them a buzz-saw sound.


I am actually going to as many stores as possible and am going to p lay through a few different marshalls, Orange, and HiWatt.

Cool! Have fun! I'm in love with my Rockerverb 50 through a custom Avatar cab! Avatar is an incredible company that will make you a custom cab with almost whatever you want as a speaker configuration. I did a "helatone" set which is a broken in V30 and a GH12 broken in. Love it!

[GregoryC]

Originally Posted by el cochino

Your power amp and cab are very good and all you need is a great preamp to go with them. If I was you, I'd try the Marshall jmp-1 or the Randall MTS series - the RM4 frame can hold up to 4 different preamp modules at the same time and there's a huge variety of different modules available. I have both, the Marshall and Randall, and absolutely love them.

Mojave Amps. Check out their site. It has demo sounds of the amps. That mp3 sounds like my 1974 50 Watt lead...

[TheRigaletto]

Originally Posted by GregoryC

Mojave Amps. Check out their site. It has demo sounds of the amps. That mp3 sounds like my 1974 50 Watt lead...

yesdefinitly dig the mojave stuff. Very Van Halen-esque

[maskedman72]

does guitar center sell anything sounds great?
are the new marshalls that they sell good or bad?

isnt there somewhere you can get a new marshall head modded to sound killer?

[GregoryC]

Originally Posted by maskedman72

does guitar center sell anything sounds great?
are the new marshalls that they sell good or bad?

isnt there somewhere you can get a new marshall head modded to sound killer?

The new hand wired amps are probably decent, but my 1974 50 watt with original tubes will rock it...

[Alexi]

sorry, i don`t know anything about the guitars on that tune but this has to be the most horrible bassdrum sound i have heard in a long time.......it sounds even worse thru the speakers of my tv set.


What happened to tbs. anyways, i read they only want to play big stadiums since their new record rocks so hard


well, they just are not my cup of tea....anymore.


I did like their first release tho'.......................

and please dont buy a tsl. i am struggling with this amp right now.itr might be me, but i just ca`'t get any tone out of this box.


cheers

[ryanformato]

Ok guys...I am back from my day at Guitar Center. I tried a lot of different amps. Here is my take on them...I

Peavey - JSX --- Expected not to like it but really liked the cleans and the crunch. Not too crazy about the really distorted channel. It was used though so....

Marshall JCM 2000 DSL - This amp was just okay. It had no real "wow" factor to it at all.

Mesa Triple Rectifier - I really liked some of the tones on this one while some of the "vintage" or "raw" sounds sounded horrid. I am sure with more tweaking I will like it.

Lastly, I played a combo JCM 900 (2x12). It was OLD and $1000. It sounded simple yet great.

I really wanted to try out the ORANGE amps but called 5 stores and on one had any in stock. Also, orange has no samples of their amps on their website. How am I supposed to buy something I can't hear but "Hear" they are awesome. I'm still kind of undecided on what to get.

[Sounds Great]

Originally Posted by ryanformato

Lastly, I played a combo JCM 900 (2x12). It was OLD and $1000. It sounded simple yet great.

- jmp jmp jmp ....

[TheRigaletto]

Originally Posted by maskedman72

does guitar center sell anything sounds great?
are the new marshalls that they sell good or bad?

isnt there somewhere you can get a new marshall head modded to sound killer?

I used to be a manager at guitar center...and they really dont have anything that is not massed produced.( unless you get lucky with some of their used gear) The new hand wired marshalls are great though and they do carry those.

[Casey]

Hey SoundsGreaaaat,

A local player/engineer (known for his great ear for tone) recently played a gig here in Boston with a JMP combo and a Vox AC30 one on top of the other. I could not believe the tone in that room, swirling around my head. Has to be the best tone I've ever heard for a live rock act.

-Casey

[George Necola]

you should try to get one of those LABOGA mr. Hector amps. the brand-name is kinda gay, but the cut your balls and play with them

the preampsection has 4 AX7 and 2x5C3s, poweramp 6L6 valves. you can switch between 50Watt/100Watt and like on a recto between diode and valve pre.



http://www.labogaamps.com/english/hector.html

killeramp. soon some samples available.

cheers

[sloanfiske]

Originally Posted by ryanformato

Ok guys...I am back from my day at Guitar Center. I tried a lot of different amps. Here is my take on them...I

Peavey - JSX --- Expected not to like it but really liked the cleans and the crunch. Not too crazy about the really distorted channel. It was used though so....

Marshall JCM 2000 DSL - This amp was just okay. It had no real "wow" factor to it at all.

Mesa Triple Rectifier - I really liked some of the tones on this one while some of the "vintage" or "raw" sounds sounded horrid. I am sure with more tweaking I will like it.

Lastly, I played a combo JCM 900 (2x12). It was OLD and $1000. It sounded simple yet great.

I really wanted to try out the ORANGE amps but called 5 stores and on one had any in stock. Also, orange has no samples of their amps on their website. How am I supposed to buy something I can't hear but "Hear" they are awesome. I'm still kind of undecided on what to get.

dude...if you're not that far from the city, you owe yourself a trip in.

try 30th street guitars...they usually have a couple of marshalls on hand. i've played a couple there that knocked my socks off...and I'm a Fender/Vox kind of guy.

and rudy's on 48th carries orange.

oh, and while you're at it, see if you can try a hiwatt.

bring your favorite guitar and plug in...

[ryanformato]

I am actually driving about an hour away to a place near queens that stocks the orange amps and other ones like it. I am very excited to play the orange amps. hey also carry rare handwired marshall's and more. They are called the music zoo.

[TAVD]

You should be able to find something here:
http://www.ultrasoundrehearsal.com/sales.htm

[jayfrigo]

Loving my Randall RM100. Absurdly flexible with the plug in modules. It's the first Randall to really blow my socks off. Also have amps by Mesa, Fender, Vox, and Roland, and have recorded plenty from Diezel, Bogner, Marshall, Soldano etc., and the Randall holds up next to more expensive and "sluttier" amps. The best hard rock tone I've recorded has come from a Diezel with a Bogner cab, so I wouldn't say something silly like the Randall is all you need, but it has consistently impressed me, and cured a fair amount of amp lust. Highly recommended. Check one out and try several modules if possible (Clean, JTM, XTC, and 1086 were my choices).

[TheRigaletto]

Originally Posted by jayfrigo

The best hard rock tone I've recorded has come from a Diezel with a Bogner cab

uhhh im thinking he doesn't want to sell his house to buy an amp

[SUGARCULT666]

Pretty sure Taking Back Sunday use JCM800's and 900's which are cheap and highly under rated!!! Old 900's (4100's) are just RAW ROCK... Their album is so marshall it's not funny. PLexi etc....

[DeathMonkey]

Wait a few weeks and go try the new Marshalls - I have heard nothing but praise for them from NAMM attendees. From the Modern Vintage to the JVMs, people have a lot of praise for the new line.

A growing number of acts are also using the Bogner Ubershall (which isn't a great choice for cleans, but the distortion crushes), and various VHTs - I'm a VHT fanboy myself, madly in love with my 100/CLs, but I also have a UL100 and a Deliverance 120. You can get a cleanish sound out of a 100/CL, if a quiet one, and they are pretty reasonable used, but you could also look at their pre, the GP3.

I would also say look at the THD Flexi 50. Great sounding amp!

[Odd-Arne]

Since you`re in NY I`d just rent a couple of hours at Ultra Sound and try everything they had.

The problem with using programmable preamps for variation is that most of them are pretty much just slight voicing variations on the same base. The power section, speaker and cab has as much to do with tone as anything else and IMO most preamps with lots of options don`t really do anything all that great.

I like variation too, but that just means 2-3 amps with the 2-3 sounds that I really like and maybe a different speaker available if for some reason what I usually use doesn`t cut through in the best way.

Electric guitar should be one of the easiest things to record. It`s all in the foundation and mike placement.

thegearpage.net is great place to learn about new amps and places where you can try them.

[mdme_sadie]

Ditch the digitech. Go to your local music shop that has amps and play them all till you find one that has a good tone that you enjoy playing. To me it sounds mostly like distorted bass played high up as the main driving sound, the guitars themselves are clearly a combo of crunch/clean and a little distortion layered over each other. If you really must use non analog pedals and FX units then I'd recommend considering an Axe-FX, it's on backorder for quite a while but it's currently the cream of the crop when it comes to Amp emulation.