Amp suggestions please....

[Astrofreq]

Alright, so today I was rocking in my apartment and I think I blew the cone on my amp. It started cutting out after making spaceship sounds with the old Boss DM-3. So, I'm thinking about getting something new and I'm in no hurry. I don't mind spending some money but I'm not even sure if what I require exists in a combo amp. I would like that have the distortion be on the amp because there are still no distortion pedals on the market that cater to my liking.

I respect the people on this board and believe we are all here because we have good taste in equipment. I figured I'd ask you guys for suggestions.

Here are my requirements:

Ridiculous amount of gain. I mean ridiculous.
LOTS of midrange
2 or more channels
NOT a modeling amp.
Preferably a combo amp, but not absolutely necessary. I live in an apartment, so I don't need a 4/12 stack.


I'm just throwing this idea out there to see if anything sounds appealing. Thanks rockers.

 

[Roxy]

The Peavey JSX 212 Combo would be my recommendation. The clean channel is designed for pedals and the crunch and ultra offer a ton of gain. Excellent build quality and feature set. All tube and highly versatile. Switchable down to 60 watts.

 

[ScoobySteve]

You want absurd amounts of gain? The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is the ENGL Fireball. But its a 60w Head. And at 60W it blows the roof off like a 100w. It's LOUD.

So that might be out of the question.

What are tastes in tone? More on the bluesy side? Rocky? Hard Rock? Metal? Fat cleans?

If for a combo I'd recommend the Engl Screamer 50 Combo. Still pretty loud at 50w, but it's got great distortion gain.

Here's the Screamer 50 combo:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in4z9Rk3pQM"]YouTube - Engl Screamer 50, Metal to clean (and in between!)[/ame]

Here's the Fireball 60 Head:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hAJktoMzvs"]YouTube - ENGL FIREBALL AMP BY CHATREEO[/ame]

Lemme see if I can scrounge up a video....



Not the best quality but you kinda get the idea.

 

[DrKev]

What about buying a new speaker? Assuming the speaker is the problem, you can really bring that amp to life with a different choice. Would be a lot cheaper than a new amp too.

 

[ShaneV]

What about buying a new speaker? Assuming the speaker is the problem, you can really bring that amp to life with a different choice. Would be a lot cheaper than a new amp too.

yeah, even if you're just using this as motivation to trade up, it would still make sense to replace the speaker and sell the old amp (or just keep it as a backup).

 

[Stratty316]

Bad Cat Amps.

Depending on taste there are many ways to go. I have actually fallen in love with the sound of Bad Cat amps. If you need a combo I would go with the Classic Cat, Hot Cat or Panther combo... all are 2X12 and range from 30-45watts... but the tone is anywhere from Fender type Blues to Zeppelin's Marshall sound and then some. They also make a 50W head that is the greatest Marshall type sound I have ever heard! They aren't cheap, but neither are Balls so it is worth checking out! I would just google Bad Cat Amps to get the site... they also have some demos for you to check out.

 

[Jason2112]

Funny, I thought I was the Bad Cat ambassador on this site Well good to see another fan on the board...

As much as I like Bad Cat amps (IMO the best of the best when it comes to Class A Vox-ish amps), I have been looking long and hard at Orange amps lately. I am really impressed with the tones you can get from these amps without using a boost pedal, plus built-in attenuators. I would probably just run the head through an Avatar 2x12 cab with 1 V30 and 1 G12H30.

Here's a few videos... and yes, Rob is insane.

Thunderverb 50
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDckcr_5Iu4"]YouTube - Orange Thunderverb demo - Part One[/ame]

Rockerverb 50
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slEboEJGlls"]YouTube - Orange Rockerverb 50 Metal - PRS SC245[/ame]

 

[ScoobySteve]

I like the whole British movement and especially with Orange, and I was considering getting a Tiny Terror combo and figured the price tag was worth it. Until I found out they were made in China. Blew the circuits on my board.

One thing that allured me to EBMM was guitars made in the good old USA!

ENGL is German, but their engineering and work is Class-A. Absolutely outstanding stuff.

 

[bkrumme]

Might check out the Egnater Rebel 20. Not too expensive. I played one yesterday at GC and was impressed.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

Have you looked at the Marshall JVM's?

 

[Astrofreq]

Cool. I'll check these out. Does anyone own or have experience with the Koch combo amps? I was looking at their website and they look to be pretty brutal little amps.

 

[brownpants69]

Speaking from experience- avoid the Marshall JVM- If you are after a nice high gain sound it won't do it without sounding really fizzy, especially at low volume. I own the combo version and now I've spent over a year with it I've resorted to using overdrive pedals with just the clean channel.

Of course, that's just my opinion, and lots of people think the JVM is the best amp in the world ever. You may think it kicks butt too.

Personally, I'm looking forward to getting rid of mine. Anybody interested?

I'd suggest the Peavey JSX- I've tried it on a couple of occassions, and they sound awsome for high gain stuff. I'd also suggest the engl amps or maybe orange- some of the amps they are producing sound great for more modern high gain stuff. Oranges arent just amps for classic rockers or brit pop bands anymore.

 

[universe777]

I think the best value for the money might be the carvin v3...

 

[Jason2112]

I like the whole British movement and especially with Orange, and I was considering getting a Tiny Terror combo and figured the price tag was worth it. Until I found out they were made in China. Blew the circuits on my board.

One thing that allured me to EBMM was guitars made in the good old USA!

ENGL is German, but their engineering and work is Class-A. Absolutely outstanding stuff.

The Tiny Terror may be made overseas (for that price, I would almost expect it), but the Rockerverb and Thunderverb are both made in the UK. Take a look at the serial label:

http://www.orange-amps.com/admin/prodimages/RK50HTC_back.jpg

 

[Astrofreq]

Unfortunately, no stores where I live carry Koch and the closest store on Long Island doesn't keep any out for demo.

I'm trying to find an Engl dealer, so I'm waiting to hear back from them. I'd like to hear the Screamer in person.

 

[bkrumme]

Unfortunately, no stores where I live carry Koch and the closest store on Long Island doesn't keep any out for demo.

I'm trying to find an Engl dealer, so I'm waiting to hear back from them. I'd like to hear the Screamer in person.

Mr. Dubaldo can help you out with Engl...

 

[Astrofreq]

I really want to hear it in person before I drop $1500-2500 on an amp. I'm weird like that.

 

[Hendog]

I really want to hear it in person before I drop $1500-2500 on an amp. I'm weird like that.

There were 2 used ones at my local "Guitar Center" last time I was there. Maybe you would get lucky and find one to test. Then if you want new (like me) you could order it.

 

[Astrofreq]

I just found out from the Engl distributor that there are no dealers in NYC. So the two amps I was looking to check out, I can't even hear in person.

This city is great for some things, but stinks for others.

 

[MusicManJP6]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Mesa yet. I'm a huge Mesa fan. I've owned many Mesas and my DC-3 head through my recto 1x12 cabs is my favorite and least expensive I've owned! The DC series (Dual Calibers) is the most underrated Mesa amp IMO.