Need help deciding which half stack to get?

[Brakk]

This place recommended me my first amp about a year ago, which I love. So I figure you may be able to help me with the next thing too..

I am wanting to perform Windir influenced black metal (if that helps with the head/cab selection at all) but I am really not sure what to get. I love the "R-fier" tone on this Roland cube 60 I have. I found the Peavey 5150 to be a bit out of my taste (too "brutal")
Maybe something with a reverb knob, around the 800$ and below price range?
I have no problem with buying used on guitar center's site.

Also, I dont even know if a half stack is what I want. Just something good to play live with, with the money I have

Thanks

 

[The Emptier]

1) are you in a band?
2) really think about if you want/need a half-stack, will you be able to crank it up when you play at home? if you get a tube stack, most of 'em won't sound as good at lower volumes

Mesa dual rec/rect-o-verb would be good
Marshall JCM900

Dunno, all the BM bands i know use old marshall, mesa's or 5150's

 

[xAzagthothx]

if you don't have a band, you will regret buying a halfstack the moment you try to leave the music store.


I play in a band, I hate having a half-stack. its absolutely necessary, but its absolutely a pain in the ass.

Just buy a 2x12 combo. You'll be MUCH happier and better off. They can be run at bedroom levels, and can more than do the job live.

Remember, 100 watts IS NOT TWICE AS LOUD AS 50 watts. IT IS NOT. 100 watt amps are about 4 db louder than 100 watt amps. Plus, a 2x12 combo can be hooked up to a 4x12 cab if you need to make your dick look bigger.


If you want cheap, great sounding shit, get a Bugera 2x12 combo; they're 100 watts, but sound okay at bedroom level. I have the 6260 head, and you just need to up the presence at low volume. They sound fucking great.

If you want better reliability, get a 5150/6505 combo and a Boss EQ pedal. The 5150's sound outstanding, but every band that you listen to that says they use them is also using an EQ pedal. The 5150 EQ range is embarassingly narrow, but when you hook up an EQ pedal... oh boy.

If you want to hear what a 5150 head into a Marshall 1960A 4x12 with a Boss GE-7 EQ pedal in the effects loop sounds like (with smile shape on the pedal, WITHOUT cutting any mids), then check out the following songs on my myspace:

Unholy Ceremonies
Black Gate
Curse of Enthrallment
Call of the Ghoul


www.myspace.com/angeldeath518


I used my new Bugera 6260 head into a Marshall JCM800 straight 4x12, then check out the first song, Vile Minions of the Cross. It was recorded with a Line6 toneport live, so the tone isn't THAT accurate, but tahts what I used.


In both cases, I'm playing a BC Rich Ironbird with a Seymour Duncan Invader bridge pickup.

 

[Brakk]

Thank you, now I have something to go by.
Ill check out guitar center for these recommendations, if that doesnt work out ill just buy used on their website.

Thoughts on Peavey Valveking?

 

[Mack Addy]

Out of the cheap (cheap = < $1000) range of tube amplifiers, the Valveking absolutely slays! It is right around the same price range as those Bugera amps, it's cleaner, more brutal, has on-board reverb (what you said you wanted), and won't blow up. Yes, Bugeras are known for having their transformers spontaneously combust.

In all seriousness, if you are looking for a tube amp for the purpose of gigging, go with the philosophy "buy it once". What I mean by this is not to throw a little bit of cash on something that will work for now just to "upgrade" later; instead, shop around for the BEST amplifier to suit all of your needs, find out how much it costs, then pay that amount. If your whole stack costs over three grand, pay it. It will be agonizing and you will be jonesing for your gear for what will feel like four and a half eternities, but every moment after you take it out of the store when you strike your first chord on stage, in a studio environment, at home, wherever, you will be so glad you paid that hard earned money. Hell, you may even feel like you got the deal of a century because you sound so amazing!

Here are a few of my picks for best metal stacks that I feel would best suit your needs based on the little information I have:

- Peavey Valveking w/ Marshall 1960 Lead 4x12 cabinet or Peavey 6505 4x12 cabinet
- Peavey 6505/6505+ w/ Marshall 1960 Lead 4x12 cabinet or Peavey 6505 4x12 cabinet
- Marshall JVM 210H/410H w/ matching 1960 Lead or Vintage 4x12 cabinet
- Hughes & Kettner Warp X head w/ any quality 4x12 cabinet (Marshall, Mesa, Hughes & Kettner, etc) that includes Vintage 30 speakers

 

[Brakk]

Out of the cheap (cheap = < $1000) range of tube amplifiers, the Valveking absolutely slays! It is right around the same price range as those Bugera amps, it's cleaner, more brutal, has on-board reverb (what you said you wanted), and won't blow up. Yes, Bugeras are known for having their transformers spontaneously combust.

In all seriousness, if you are looking for a tube amp for the purpose of gigging, go with the philosophy "buy it once". What I mean by this is not to throw a little bit of cash on something that will work for now just to "upgrade" later; instead, shop around for the BEST amplifier to suit all of your needs, find out how much it costs, then pay that amount. If your whole stack costs over three grand, pay it. It will be agonizing and you will be jonesing for your gear for what will feel like four and a half eternities, but every moment after you take it out of the store when you strike your first chord on stage, in a studio environment, at home, wherever, you will be so glad you paid that hard earned money. Hell, you may even feel like you got the deal of a century because you sound so amazing!

Here are a few of my picks for best metal stacks that I feel would best suit your needs based on the little information I have:

- Peavey Valveking w/ Marshall 1960 Lead 4x12 cabinet or Peavey 6505 4x12 cabinet
- Peavey 6505/6505+ w/ Marshall 1960 Lead 4x12 cabinet or Peavey 6505 4x12 cabinet
- Marshall JVM 210H/410H w/ matching 1960 Lead or Vintage 4x12 cabinet
- Hughes & Kettner Warp X head w/ any quality 4x12 cabinet (Marshall, Mesa, Hughes & Kettner, etc) that includes Vintage 30 speakers

Just the post I was looking for, this really helped.
Ive researched those options, I have decided to go with your philosophy of buy it once & save a little more to buy the JVM210H. From what Ive heard Marhshall's have a better metal tone to my ears than Peavey.. at least I think so.

Thank you!!

 

[xAzagthothx]

Marshall's sound way different than Peavey/Mesa because they use EL-34 power tubes.

Let me ask you this: do you like Slayer's tone? Slayer are the classic example of Marshall tone, imo... with their honkey, heavey midrange.

Of course you can tailor the sound with an EQ pedal and experiment with different types of tubes, but EL-34's are going to give you that sharp, pointed mid-range sound. And if you scoop the mids, it'll sound horrible, because you're taking away the essence of the amp.

Just fyi for some tone comparisons:

Slayer - JCM800
Morbid Angel - ProCo Rat into JCM900 clean channel (overdrive is all Rat)
Hate Eternal - Marshall DSL/JCM800 or Engl Powerball (used both in studio)
Immortal - Engl Powerball, Peavey Bandit, and used to use Mesa Dual Rect


ahh i can't remember any more examples. I know Lamb of God and Incantation use Mesa's...

 

[waif]

In Flames have been using 5150s lately, or so I'm told. I think the guitar tone on the latest album is cool, but it's not a particularly great metal sound.

I'm happy with my 5150, but not out-of-my-mind happy. Of course, I haven't lugged it to practice yet so I haven't turned it up past %12 volume. Also, not much of a tone nut.

 

[Episteme]

I just bought a 6505+ recently. I'm playing it through my JCM900 1960A 4x12 cab which is loaded with Celestion GT12-75s. It sounds awesome, and the tone really opens up when you push the volume past 3 or 4 on the post gain.

I was considering getting another cab with Celestion V30s just to see how it sounds.

Most metal albums are reamped with 5150/6505 amps or Dual Rectifiers, boosted slightly with a tubescreamer. That's how Andy Sneap does it anyway it seems.

 

[Mack Addy]

Just the post I was looking for, this really helped.
Ive researched those options, I have decided to go with your philosophy of buy it once & save a little more to buy the JVM210H. From what Ive heard Marhshall's have a better metal tone to my ears than Peavey.. at least I think so.

Thank you!!

Nice! I'm glad I could help out. When you finally play that thing live, it is going to sound absolutely unbelievable! Good luck trying to hide the shit-eating grin on your face while posing like a mean mo-fo to all of the heavy metal kids.

And for what it's worth, if you feel like using any effects processors or any type of MIDI gear (like MIDI foot controllers and whatnot), the JVM amps are almost 100% controllable via midi.