Which amp for my axis?!

[Polaris]

Hello there!

I have a Music Man Axis Super Sport (vintage sunburst... mmm) and have recently been toying with the idea of buying a new amp...

I'm definitely leaning towards a valve amp but have come across a dilema... they're all too bloody expensive!

I'm a bit of a tone freak and thus far have been unimpressed with Marshall (pretty aweful clean tones) and Fender (far too bassy for my liking). I used to have a Sound City head which was great but the problem is that it just wouldn't stand up against the beatings it took on the road (I play in a heavy rock/metal band).

Mesa's are too expensive for what they are and the few Laney amps I've tried are too noisy and seem to have footswitch problems!

What's a guy to do?!

One last amp I haven't tried is the Peavey Valve King range. Anyone got any experience of these?

I reckon my budget has to be around £400 and so it may be necessary to buy second hand. I own a Line 6 Pod but, though great for tracking in the studio, it really isn't a great live solution.

I would really appreciate the advice as you all seem to know your stuff - expecially when it comes to Music Man gear!

Also, if anyone from Music Man reads this - your guitars are amazing! I honestly haven't ever found a guitar that makes me sound better but its so incredibly easy to play!

Cheers!

Chris

 

[robelinda2]

well i tried a valve king and i thought it was teriffic!!! I use a Fender Hot rod deville and it is a little bassy, but i can tame it. The laney combos are awesome too, dont give up on them. I would always go for a good clean sounding amp above all else.

 

[Larry]

I have a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and a Axis in Cherry Burst. I also thought it was really really bassy i changed the speaker in mine from stock to celestion vintage 30 and it made a world of difference the sound that this quick switch has made just amazes me. Sounds great

 

[blackspy]

I'm obviously biased since I've played through a 5150 for almost five years now, but the pickups and tonality of the Axis, TO ME, seem almost perfect when paired with a 5150. The 5150/6505 is also very reasonably priced for a decent tube amp.

 

[robelinda2]

I have a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and a Axis in Cherry Burst. I also thought it was really really bassy i changed the speaker in mine from stock to celestion vintage 30 and it made a world of difference the sound that this quick switch has made just amazes me. Sounds great

hey thats interesting, i find on stage i have the bass turned off completely, and its STILL too bassy! Will look into the speaker change, other than that i LOVE the Deville sound, like the twin reverb but without the high end quack, just nice clean tube sound.

 

[Jonny Dubai]

£400 is not a lot of dosh for a valve amp IMO. If you can get a 5150 go for it. If not an xxx will do for your music. Laney is great value. I got a Vox valvetronix and am very impressed. Get the one that looks like a vox---to me they soud better! Ashdown do valve guitar amps now. The valve King is getting great reviews.

good luck,

Jonny

 

[Dakine]

It may help to say what kinda music you like to play.
However, my .02cents
You can now get an Engl Thunder combo for just wee bity more than 400 quid. Seen em lately on sale for 499!
Engl is all tube, amazing tone and German Built quality.
May be worth a look/listen

 

[Spudmurphy]

I'll vouch for what Jony says about the Vox - they are great value.

I heard last week about a New Peavey range - cheap too - and loud!
Thats all I know for now though.

 

[Jonny Dubai]

It may help to say what kinda music you like to play.
However, my .02cents
You can now get an Engl Thunder combo for just wee bity more than 400 quid. Seen em lately on sale for 499!
Engl is all tube, amazing tone and German Built quality.
May be worth a look/listen

good call

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

I have seen 5150 combo's used for about £500. You might find one for £400 or so if you are lucky. Have you tried a Line 6 Flextone 3?

 

[SubMariner61]

I recently went on a selling binge and reduced the home studio to a shell of its former self. When it came time to buy a new, small combo to fuel the Sub 1, I A/B'd a Peavey Triple XXX combo against the Valve King and found the tonal difference between the two quite significant. The latter pays homage to classic, hot-rodded British distortion (Marshall, Laney) while the XXX had more of a modern, Soldano-type of drive and I found my ears, regardless of price, leaning more towards the Valve King because a boosted JCM900-style tone is pretty much what I grew up listening to (80's metal). The out-the-door price on the Valve King was $375; the XXX $740. Decision over.
It's a great-looking amp and although made in China, I found it to be worth every penny considering what you're getting for the scratch. A two-channel (with the additional gain switch engaged, you could arguably call it a three-channel) all-tube combo with separate EQ's, a nice reverb, engaging appearance, etc. I also tried it against a $640 Hughes and Kettner 20th anniversary 20-watt tube combo and while the H&K's distortion was a bit more "complex," if you will, it did not have separate eq for the clean/lead and in the end, couldn't match the gain of the Valve King at the lower volumes I require here at the home.
Peavey has really outdid themselves with this little beast and I've been a fan of their small combos for years (Triumph, Bravo, Prowler, Classic 30, Ultra 60 PAG, etc). One unfortunate caveat to the Valve King however...the foot switch is NOT included.

 

[Hutch4545]

I'm kind of partial to these:

 

[wired]

For affordable, high-quality tube (valve) amps, you can't beat Peavey IMO.
Pick up a used 30w Delta Blues or a used 5150 head/combo, for under $700 a piece.

 

[ripley]

SWR redhead...

It's the only way to go.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

I'm kind of partial to these:

And a block logo one too!

 

[Roxy]

Try a Peavey JSX.

 

[blackspy]

And a block logo one too!

Not that it matters, but just because I like debunking misinformation.... I don't know if you meant to imply anything by your statement, but for anyone who reads anything into it. They're no different than a signature logo.

 

[Polaris]

Hey, thanks for all the info guys!

After much deliberation - and a reassessment of my financial situation - I decided to do a little mod job on the sound city amp and simply wack a pedal in front of it! Problem solved!

I didn't really want to do it because the amp was completely unmodified before, but after getting some Mullard valves and replacing the caps (and some other rusted parts!) I put an original guvnor pedal in front and it just screamed! Plus I now have the gorgious clean tone that attracted me before.

I think once I save up a bit more I'm going to go for the Valve King head... Lovely amp.

 

[Chad]

It may help to say what kinda music you like to play.
However, my .02cents
You can now get an Engl Thunder combo for just wee bity more than 400 quid. Seen em lately on sale for 499!
Engl is all tube, amazing tone and German Built quality.
May be worth a look/listen

If you like Engl sound that's great, but regarding quality I've heard from some techs that they are extremely difficult to work on. If something ever goes wrong with one, plan on a higher than average repair bill.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

If you like Engl sound that's great, but regarding quality I've heard from some techs that they are extremely difficult to work on. If something ever goes wrong with one, plan on a higher than average repair bill.

I had an Engl combo. It sounded fantastic, but the output transformer failed after 4 months. It took Engl uk 3 months to fix it, and it never sounded right after.

Steer clear in my advice.