Question What’s the Best Head for Distortion Out of the Box (Using an Axis)?

[Slav123]

There are so many tube and solid state heads out there and I always hated to use pedals/effects to get that ultimate crunchy distortion sound. Plus, I could never afford to get any of my heads modded by those amp gurus. I have played through, purchased and sold a lot of heads in the past 22 years (Marshalls, Randalls, Crates etc.). The one head that I have held on to and been using the longest (7 years now) is my Line 6 Flextone II HD head with a custom made slanted 4 x 12 cabinet with celestion vintage 30’s. I would really like to know which tube and solid state heads does everyone else recommend for that ultimate crunchy distortion sound out of the box, just plug in and play (not modded and without any pedals/effects)? My guitars of choice are Axis' with stock pups. Anything new out there that most people haven’t heard of yet?

Thanks,
Slav

 

[beej]

Wow, that's an open ended topic. There's no "best", but varies depending on the flavour of tones your looking for, what volume you play at, what speakers you're using, etc. (Not to mention whether you need multiple channels, FX loop, etc.)

I'll just say that I favour the approach of using amps that work at a variety of volumes. (Having to dime a plexi to get saturated power tubes doesn't really work in 99% of the situations I play in.) An amp with a good master volume, power scaling or an attenuator makes your rig much more versatile, etc.

There are a ton of amps on the market right now that sound great right out of the box. Probably more choices now than there have ever been. I'm sure if you can narrow it down a bit, people can put in their two cents.

 

[Stratty316]

Personally, I am leaning toward a Black Cat 50 head right now. I played one a few months ago and was able to get that Zeppelin/Marshall type tone that also worked well for early Van Halen tone... yet it was distinctively not Eddie or Page. They can be a little pricey but well worth it and the people at Black Cat are great as well.

 

[baimun]

As stated above... there are going to be as many opinions and solutions provided are there are forum members.... but when going tube, make sure that the amp has a master volume... and spend time with the amp to find out the best combination of channel volume and master. Don't automatically slam the preamp volume and then inch up the master. I used to play through a mesa, and even if I was playing at low volume, it was better to dial the gain, then the master to get enough voltage going through the power section... then dial in the exact volume I wanted with the channel volumes.

I loved the distortion of my Mesa Rectoverb (I never use stomp boxes for distortion... all amp and then a small smattering of delay or chorus when needed), but the clean was a little plain and the reverb wasn't very lush. It was great for the clean of a rock or metal tune, but couldn't really get that "Fendery" blues-grit clean if you know what I mean.

I sold that and now play through an Orange Rockerverb 50. It's a bit of an Odd Duck for Orange as many of their other amps are Marshally or Voxy sounding... but the Rockerverb 50 uses 5 preamp tubes and 4 6V6 power tubes and definitely treads into the Mesa Recto end of the spectrum. The clean channel, on the other hand, has tons of spank and more reverb than I can ever use.

I don't have to plug anything other than my Guitar into it. The only pedals I use (when I use any at all) is a Visual Sounds H20 Chorus & Delay, a Turbo Tuner, and a Boomerang+ loop pedal.

The cabinet will also play a big factor... 1, 2, or 4 12's depending on the size venue and the type of sound you want. Closed cabs like Mesa or Bogner sound huge... small open back cabinets or combos are more "loose".

 

[Spudmurphy]

Give me an example of the level of distortion that you are looking for? You have said "crunchy". Is there a sound byte that you can compare your requirement with?

The reason I ask, is that my idea of "distortion" compared to a shredders idea of distortion is going to be a lot different.

A good friend of mine - (also a Mesa F50 owner) wasn't satisfied with the cleans on his Mesa whereas I am more than happy. He ended up hunting around and buying a local amp made by Mango.
links for Mango are here
Mango Amplification GA-5: Harmony Central User Reviews
and here
Mango Amps - Pure Guitar Tone
It has a great dirty sound, but may not be dirty enough for you.

Personally I use my F50 for clean then a stomp box for the dirtier bits - althogh I also use the second channel with contour too.

Expect to receive a load of different opinions.

 

[pearlredburst]

I recently picked up a Mark V. It's got TONS. Not to mention the tonal flexibility of the amp. Try one of those if you can!

 

[Mike Y]

If money is not too much a concern, then the Fuchs Overdrive Supreme.......

If money is a concern but you can still afford a boutique style amp.....Rivera K-Tre..........

Creamy Creamy rich distortion from both.

The Fuchs will give you more "warmth" and "tone" ?? not sure how to describe it. But some people have said it's like a Dumble but way more flexible.....never played through a Dumble so can't say for sure.....

Both have plenty of gain too.......and everything in between......

 

[Voo]

I LOVE my Rivera Quiana, honestly the tone just has that just slams you quality. I cant really describe it any better

 

[bkrumme]

The best one is the one that sounds best to your ears.

Go play every high gain amp you can find and choose the one that sounds best. Sit and tweak each one for a while. Use YOUR guitar. No effects, just a cable.

 

[Astrofreq]

I have the Engl Raider 100 combo and love it. My friend just bought the Engl Invader head and it is amazing.

There's my answer.

 

[Mike Y]

I have the Engl Raider 100 combo and love it. My friend just bought the Engl Invader head and it is amazing.

There's my answer.

Just read up on the Engl Raider. Sounds like it's a killer amp.

How is it at lower volumes? I mean it's a 100W, so does that mean it needs to get to a certain loudness to get the right tone? Or is as good at "1-2" as it is "6-7" ??

 

[Pablo]

I prefer my Diezel VH-4s... but it's all about taste

 

[A.J.]

We've got a Fryette Deliverance60 here that I really like.

 

[JonWands]

I'm not so sure yet since I just got my ASS but I'm thinking they sound better with fender-type amplifiers. I always dreamed of the Bogner Ecstasy but after trying mine through it and the Mesa Lonestar I liked the way the guitar sounded through the Mesa a little better. Although its possible I didnt have the Bogner cranked enough... maybe they'll get the Duende 30-watt(ish) one in hmm.

 

[Slav123]

I did some youtube searches and has anyone tried/played through a VHT Pitbull Head (the guy is playing a Luke):
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpFqFe2tG7A"]YouTube - VHT Pittbull Ultra-Lead w/ Bogner 2x12 (No Marshall clone)[/ame]

or a ENGL Powerball head (the guy is playing a JP6):
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbGM3f7XA9w"]YouTube - Ivan Mihaljevic New Rig Demo (EB Music Man JP6 and Engl Powerball)[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtO0nAuHU5s&feature=channel"]YouTube - Ivan Mihaljevic - Choosh Pies (Guitar Idol 2009)[/ame]

the Diezel VH-4 also sounded pretty amazing thanks Pablo! (the guy is playing an OLP):
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRQ4H84k5w8"]YouTube - Diezel VH 4 / OLP w/Tone Zone[/ame]

Any solid state amp suggestions?

Slav

 

[Astrofreq]

Yeah, the Diezel is unbelievable if you have the money. I've played through those several times (even blew one) and it rocks.

The Engl Powerball is basically the head version of the Raider 100. I love my amp. I've never turned it up part 3 or 4. It does help the tone the louder it gets, but it still sounds killer (to me) at low volumes.

If you look up Engl Raider 100 on youtube, I put two review videos online. I use an Axis with it as well.

 

[ScoobySteve]

There are so many tube and solid state heads out there and I always hated to use pedals/effects to get that ultimate crunchy distortion sound. Plus, I could never afford to get any of my heads modded by those amp gurus. I have played through, purchased and sold a lot of heads in the past 22 years (Marshalls, Randalls, Crates etc.). The one head that I have held on to and been using the longest (7 years now) is my Line 6 Flextone II HD head with a custom made slanted 4 x 12 cabinet with celestion vintage 30’s. I would really like to know which tube and solid state heads does everyone else recommend for that ultimate crunchy distortion sound out of the box, just plug in and play (not modded and without any pedals/effects)? My guitars of choice are Axis' with stock pups. Anything new out there that most people haven’t heard of yet?

Thanks,
Slav

How crunchy you want it? How heavy do you want it to be able to go? Headroom? Narrow it down buddy, and I think I can make some pretty decent suggestions!

 

[rickjohns]

I know it's not as boutique as some of the other suggestions, but both my axis guitars sound incredible thru my Marshall DSL100. My cab is a 1960A with vintage 30's. You can hear mine on the clips on my old band's album from our old myspace page:
myspace.com/frictionbroadcast. The main distorted tone is just my Axis into the head with the red channel at 75% gain into an orange 212 with vintage 30's. The mic was a $100 dollar Audix mic, similar to an SM57, but the engineer like these because they sound a little smoother, and are more durable. I was happy with the sound. I've tried several other amps out, and even bought a vintage ADA MP-1 trying to get a better sound, but I keep coming back to my Marshall.

 

[Lizardneck]

5150 Combo(not the head) Run into the 4-12 of your choice w/ vintage 30 celestions. The Axis/EVH sounds incredible through that amp. It seems they were voiced to go together. You might also try a Hughes and Kettner Switchblade.

 

[Jonny Dubai]

yeh the 5150 and 6505 are great, but I am loving my new marshall JVM at the moment.


J