help from guitarists?

[Enemy242]

I could really use some help, right now I have a line 6 spider 3 half stack and while its good, my band is going to be recording soon so I really want a real amp but I can't spend too much money. Does anyone have a recommendation for an amp that'll give really heavy tones and not need any pedals or shit like that for under 1000? it would be nice if it could be a half stack that comes with a cab but if not thats fine too, I can just use my line 6 cab but I really have no idea where to start looking. Marshalls are nice but expensive and Peaveys are really fairly priced but I'm not sure how good they sound.

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

go used...
Ebay has tons of Marshalls. My JCM2000 is an awesome amp. stay away from the jcm900

 

[Enemy242]

i was hoping to get something new, I just don't trust a lot of used amp heads because with tube amps they're so fragile, I have no way of knowing how badly someone fucked something up. Normal solid state amps are hard to fuck up but tube stuff gets messed up soooo easily I wouldn't want to risk it.

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

Meh, theres nothing wrong with a used head.

 

[Altitudes]

For under $1000 you have a lot of options. I say go on ebay or craiglist and try to find a 5150 or 6505 (same amp, different name). They usually go for around 500 to 600.

 

[Enemy242]

http://www.music123.com/Peavey-6505-120W-Guitar-Amp-Head-481431-i1145623.Music123

that amp? how does it sound? I'm going to guitar center and i'll see if that have that or the 5150, are there any albums you know off hand where they used that amp that maybe I could compare to or any bands? that seems like a pretty good deal and yeah i'll look on craigslist and see if i can find a better price, i bet when i sell my line 6 stack i can get maybe 250 so that plus the money i have could maybe get me close to affording this. the other thing i was looking at was a krank sst
http://www.music123.com/Krank-Rev-SST-200W-Hybrid-Guitar-Amp-Head-500127-i1409862.Music123

the only problem i see with it is that 200w might be a little bit too intense for me, i mean when am i honestly ever going to use that much power?

 

[ShadowsWithin]

For under $1000 you have a lot of options. I say go on ebay or craiglist and try to find a 5150 or 6505 (same amp, different name). They usually go for around 500 to 600.

this

or go with a line 6 POD, my friend found a nice tone on it.

 

[Anvil]

Meh, theres nothing wrong with good head.

Fixed.

 

[Phoenix5]

 

[Calamitas1786]

i was hoping to get something new, I just don't trust a lot of used amp heads because with tube amps they're so fragile, I have no way of knowing how badly someone fucked something up. Normal solid state amps are hard to fuck up but tube stuff gets messed up soooo easily I wouldn't want to risk it.

Yeah, Peaveys sound excellent. Do yourself a favor and get yourself a 5150/6501. I've owned one in the past and they sound great. Also, check out the 3120. Demos of these amps are all over Youtube.

 

[slashvanyoung]

... and don't dismiss pedals for the wrong reasons. A $50,- Tubescreamer will transform a $1.800,- Dual Rectifier from a loose turd into a tight tone monster.

You can spend your thousand bucks on a new head and stick with your Line 6 cab BUT never underestimate the importance of the cab/speakers your using. You can get a usable tone out of an average head with a great cab, but even the greatest head will sound like shit with a sub-par cab.

Do yourself a favour: Take your grand and hunt down Craigslist/eBay/forums etc. for a used 5150/6560* head, an used Mesa Rectifier cab and get an Ibanez TS-7 on top and you'll be in absolute tone heaven.

* the 5150/6505 hasn't got the greatest clean channel, but the high-gain sound is among the greatest you'll find.

 

[wickedsensation]

Just get a 5150.

The JCM900 SL-X is the only cool JCM900, so don't write that amp off just because the rest of the JCM900 line eats dick. But only consider this amp if you want something with the EL34 flavor.

You could also get a used XXX.

 

[Dead Winter]

5150/6505 or 5150 II/6505+. Seriously. It's fucking raw power. The II/+ has a much better clean tone, though it's still not that great. For distortion, however, you can't go wrong for the price.

Albums with 5150/6505:

Alice in Chains - Dirt
Machine Head - Burn My Eyes and The More Things Change
Arch Enemy - Just about everything
Nevermore - you probably already know which ones

There are tons more artists but you get the picture.

 

[slashvanyoung]

Nevermore - you probably already know which ones

Whut? That's news to me... Which?

If you want a GOOD clean tone, neither the 5150/6505 nor the 5150 II/6505+ are the way to go quite obviously. IME, the 5150/6505 sounds a bit better on distorted tones, the slightly different preamp of the II/+ makes it also a bit more nasal and less monstrous in the low mids. Slightly...

The Fiddy is a one trick pony, but does it's trick very well.

There are not many good high gain amps around that also have a great clean tone. The Krank Rev+ is one of 'em.

 

[Enemy242]

thanks a lot for the info guys, actually I did play a 5150 yesterday at guitar center and the rhythm tone was heavy as fuck. the only problem I had was when I went to play leads it just sounded really thin and squeal-ey. maybe i just need another pedal or work with a different channel or something but it was amazing rhythm and horrible lead. However it did kick the shit out of every other amp I played, JCM2000, Krankenstein, and others. If I had more money though I'd go with Diezel amps, I played one that was 3,000$ and the sound was absolutely orgasmic. It shook the entire room yet had the heaviest (yet clearest) rhythm tone I've ever heard and even going straight to leads without switching channels or anything the leads were razor sharp yet full and sustained, I thought I was in heaven. After all the advice here and trying it, I'll probably end up with the 5150 and a better cab, the studio we're recording in has 5150's there so I can use it for the recording and have a bit more time to save up for a 5150 to use live.

 

[slashvanyoung]

FWIW: If you want an amp that comes really close to the tone of the Fiddy, for a fraction of the price, you can consider the Bugera 6260. It's a straight rip-off of the Peavey.

 

[Dead Winter]

thanks a lot for the info guys, actually I did play a 5150 yesterday at guitar center and the rhythm tone was heavy as fuck. the only problem I had was when I went to play leads it just sounded really thin and squeal-ey. maybe i just need another pedal or work with a different channel or something but it was amazing rhythm and horrible lead. However it did kick the shit out of every other amp I played, JCM2000, Krankenstein, and others. If I had more money though I'd go with Diezel amps, I played one that was 3,000$ and the sound was absolutely orgasmic. It shook the entire room yet had the heaviest (yet clearest) rhythm tone I've ever heard and even going straight to leads without switching channels or anything the leads were razor sharp yet full and sustained, I thought I was in heaven. After all the advice here and trying it, I'll probably end up with the 5150 and a better cab, the studio we're recording in has 5150's there so I can use it for the recording and have a bit more time to save up for a 5150 to use live.

Well, the Peavey 5150/6505 ABSOLUTELY needs a noise suppressor. Btw, what volume did you play it at? The reason I'm asking is because they don't start to sound very good until you've got it cranked and the tubes are really working. Throw on a noise suppressor and a Boss Digital Delay and you're pretty much set for life. Add a Tubescreamer only if you want a little extra OOMPH in your sound, but I prefer it without it.

Although it may cost a little more, an ENGL Powerball is a great amp as well and I think you can pick them up for around 1400 bucks.

 

[Dead Winter]

Whut? That's news to me... Which?

If you want a GOOD clean tone, neither the 5150/6505 nor the 5150 II/6505+ are the way to go quite obviously. IME, the 5150/6505 sounds a bit better on distorted tones, the slightly different preamp of the II/+ makes it also a bit more nasal and less monstrous in the low mids. Slightly...

The Fiddy is a one trick pony, but does it's trick very well.

There are not many good high gain amps around that also have a great clean tone. The Krank Rev+ is one of 'em.

I thought that they used a 5150 on DNB and a couple of others, although I could be wrong. I don't even remember where I read/heard that but for some reason it stuck in my mind that there was a 5150 on some of their albums.

Also you're exactly right about the 6505/6505+. The + is less monstrous on the low mid freq but that's exactly why I bought it. All thrust and no vector is pretty useless to me, which is exactly what the 6505 is. I love my 6505+ because it's a bit more versatile even though it doesn't have as much low end. However, making such a comparison is almost futile I've found because even the + has a gargantuan sound and for me anything more than that is just overkill unless you wanna play in Napalm Death.

 

[slashvanyoung]

Well, the Peavey 5150/6505 ABSOLUTELY needs a noise suppressor. Btw, what volume did you play it at? The reason I'm asking is because they don't start to sound very good until you've got it cranked and the tubes are really working. Throw on a noise suppressor and a Boss Digital Delay and you're pretty much set for life. Add a Tubescreamer only if you want a little extra OOMPH in your sound, but I prefer it without it.

Although it may cost a little more, an ENGL Powerball is a great amp as well and I think you can pick them up for around 1400 bucks.

The TS is way more important to get a really tight low-end IMHO. You don't need it to drive/boost the amp in any way, got more than enough gain. Just for it's EQ-shaping.

And goat lord, do you really think the Mudball is a good amp? :zombie:

Ever put one under a mic? To me, that amp is fizz- and mud-hell. I prefer EVERY other Engl amp to the Failball... Fireball, Blackmore, Invader, Savage are WAAAAY better IMHO.

 

[Altitudes]

Alot of the Engl amps I have heard sound all sound too scooped.

And Bugera 6260 is great is you want to buy a head AND a cab for under $1000, and still have money for maybe a tubescreamer. Obviously they are not going to be the same as the Peaveys, but they are great for the price.

So yeah, I am in agreement with slashvanyoung!