OK, here's the deal. Here in Orlando we have no good music stores, therefore I'm in the sort of bind where I "might"(probably...) have to buy something without playing it first.
The only amps we can get here I'm considering are Mesa/Boogies, & to be honest I'm not nearly as thrilled about the Roadster as I originally thought I was. Maybe I jumped to conclusions on that one, but I think that if I buy something it needs to really be something that I love. I do still plan on trying out the Mark V when they get them in stock, but I know that there is the possibility that I might not be floored by it. IMO the best amp I've played from Mesa/Boogie is the Rectoverb.
I'm looking to spend about $3000 total on a head/cab. I would prefer to get a matching head/cab (I think I have OCD & I like my stuff to match
), but perhaps I can buy non-matching stuff if I feel that I'm making the best tonal decision (without actually playing the amp ). I'm also kind of thinking it would be best for me to get a 2x12 cab so that I can fit it in my car, & I also believe they are better for playing at house volumes; but once again I'm still slightly unsure. Another thing is that some companies sell 4x12 cabs for only 25-30% more cost than their 2x12 cabs, & I'm all for getting the most for my money... What sucks is that I don't think I can fit a 4x12 in my car, so that brings me back to the 2x12.
The biggest thing with me is that if I'm spending a lot of money on an amp I want versatility & clarity. I want define sparkling cleans with some twang that can be dialed in. I want a good smooth crunch that can go from old school light gain leads to 80's metal. I want a searing cutting lead tone. &... last but not least... I am definitely a metal player by default, so I want to have a ton of gain on tap. I like playing extreme metal & I want to have that to die for rhythm & full shred tone, but even I should NEVER NEVER NEVER have to turn the gain on this amp up all the way, because if I have to do that to get a good extreme tone I'm probably going to spend too much money on this amp... I also hate having to dime ANYTHING on an amp to get my sound.
Am I asking for much??? I don't think so, really. I'm sure there is something out there that can satisfy my needs for somewhere in the vicinity of my budget. I would like to eventually build a small rack as well, with this amp being the core of it all, but that will be awhile, as this breaks the bank for me in 2009.
I've been doing a ton of research & reading up on a lot of stuff & these are the amps I've been considering, or at least thinking about. I know they "might" not all quite meet criteria for what I said I wanted, but bear with me here:
ENGL (Powerball)
VHT (Sig: X)
Mesa/Boogie (Mark V)
Splawn (Nitro; Pro Mod) [--Probably-- not "exactly" what I'm looking for at the end of the day, but they are indeed great clear amps & I do drool over them still]
I'm DEFINITELY open to suggestions though. Anything anyone can come up with which sounds like it would suit me is appreciated. Remember that the reason reviews are so important to me is because I will probably not even be able to play this fucking amp before I buy it.
One more thing: There will be a guitar convention here in Orlando that I will be going to on February 1st. I'm not sure what all dealers will be there, but if I gather enough information before I go & they have something that blows me away I might buy an amp there! I'm hoping that they have an ENGL, VHT, Bogner, Framus & Diezel booth because you can't buy any of that shit here
The only amps we can get here I'm considering are Mesa/Boogies, & to be honest I'm not nearly as thrilled about the Roadster as I originally thought I was. Maybe I jumped to conclusions on that one, but I think that if I buy something it needs to really be something that I love. I do still plan on trying out the Mark V when they get them in stock, but I know that there is the possibility that I might not be floored by it. IMO the best amp I've played from Mesa/Boogie is the Rectoverb.
I'm looking to spend about $3000 total on a head/cab. I would prefer to get a matching head/cab (I think I have OCD & I like my stuff to match
), but perhaps I can buy non-matching stuff if I feel that I'm making the best tonal decision (without actually playing the amp ). I'm also kind of thinking it would be best for me to get a 2x12 cab so that I can fit it in my car, & I also believe they are better for playing at house volumes; but once again I'm still slightly unsure. Another thing is that some companies sell 4x12 cabs for only 25-30% more cost than their 2x12 cabs, & I'm all for getting the most for my money... What sucks is that I don't think I can fit a 4x12 in my car, so that brings me back to the 2x12.The biggest thing with me is that if I'm spending a lot of money on an amp I want versatility & clarity. I want define sparkling cleans with some twang that can be dialed in. I want a good smooth crunch that can go from old school light gain leads to 80's metal. I want a searing cutting lead tone. &... last but not least... I am definitely a metal player by default, so I want to have a ton of gain on tap. I like playing extreme metal & I want to have that to die for rhythm & full shred tone, but even I should NEVER NEVER NEVER have to turn the gain on this amp up all the way, because if I have to do that to get a good extreme tone I'm probably going to spend too much money on this amp... I also hate having to dime ANYTHING on an amp to get my sound.
Am I asking for much??? I don't think so, really. I'm sure there is something out there that can satisfy my needs for somewhere in the vicinity of my budget. I would like to eventually build a small rack as well, with this amp being the core of it all, but that will be awhile, as this breaks the bank for me in 2009.
I've been doing a ton of research & reading up on a lot of stuff & these are the amps I've been considering, or at least thinking about. I know they "might" not all quite meet criteria for what I said I wanted, but bear with me here:
ENGL (Powerball)
VHT (Sig: X)
Mesa/Boogie (Mark V)
Splawn (Nitro; Pro Mod) [--Probably-- not "exactly" what I'm looking for at the end of the day, but they are indeed great clear amps & I do drool over them still]
I'm DEFINITELY open to suggestions though. Anything anyone can come up with which sounds like it would suit me is appreciated. Remember that the reason reviews are so important to me is because I will probably not even be able to play this fucking amp before I buy it.
One more thing: There will be a guitar convention here in Orlando that I will be going to on February 1st. I'm not sure what all dealers will be there, but if I gather enough information before I go & they have something that blows me away I might buy an amp there! I'm hoping that they have an ENGL, VHT, Bogner, Framus & Diezel booth because you can't buy any of that shit here
