Metropoulus MetroPlex vs. Landry LS100 G3

G

gabaghoul

Member
Any thoughts on these amps? Does anyone have both and able to compare?

Metroplex
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uJ9jG9jmOY

Landry G3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y6MS4M_Tm4



I really love the MetroPlex butI do actually own a BE100 and I'm worried they are much too similar but there's something about the bark on the MP that keeps me coming back.

And I hear the Landry is very versatile and could get similar Plexi tones but I'm really not sure about. One thing is for sure, I like Landry's price point much better at $1K cheaper than the MP. :)

Thanks for your opinions.
John
 
I doubt anyone on here would own both of those amps as even the likelihood of someone owning just a metroplex in here is slim. I would say if you already have a BE100 then you have this tone covered.
 
I've owned all three. All great amps. The BE was my least favorite. Not enough Marshall for my taste.
And I bought the BE through Brad King. It had a problem with the loop. His customer service skills sucked. It eventually got fixed but I had to go around him to get it done. The laundry is the most versatile of the 3 and it's not even close. And Bill is a great guy to work with. The metro plex is cool. It cuts through a mix the best in my opinion. And it's the most Marshall if that's what you're looking for. George is a great guy as well. All three amps are in the same ball park. Can't go wrong with any of them. the BE and the Landry are the most alike. The metro is the most different. It's more like a great "old" amp with some hot rodded options. There's nothing "clean" about the metro if you need a true clean tone.
 
Thanks so much JCM800x4. That's exactly what I was looking for. Can I ask, do you still own any of them? From your comments, I would imagine you still own the Metro.

Also, i don't really care about a true clean so much as in the perfect pedal platform. I care that it hits the tone I hear in my head without any help. And from what I can tell, the grind on this amp is what I have been seeking.

As far as clean goes, I would like it to clean up musically when rolling back on the volume knob. Something that's not pure clean but with a little bit of crunchy sparkle, something like I think I'm hearing in the beginning of Lance's video with his Tele. Looking for that sparkly grind you may hear when pulling out some "Hendrixian" double stops with a Strat.

JCM, what is the amp you spend the most time with these days? That might give me a good idea if we are brothers in tone. :) The two amps I keep going between in my studio are my BE100 and my Suhr Badger 35. Badger doesn't have the full gain I'm looking for, a little lifeless in some respects, but depending on the pickup, it can have a really nice edge of breakup sound (with lower output neck pickups). All amps seem to love my Anderson Angel. I'm playing the guitar more and more these days.

Anyway, not I just rambling. Tone seeking discussions tend to go that way for me. :)
 
threadkiller":2es37dw0 said:
You've owned all three? Already? The metroplex has only been out a few months right. :worship:
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Yes. I put a deposit on one when I first heard it. Months ago.
 
gabaghoul":1znyuu7u said:
Thanks so much JCM800x4. That's exactly what I was looking for. Can I ask, do you still own any of them? From your comments, I would imagine you still own the Metro.

Also, i don't really care about a true clean so much as in the perfect pedal platform. I care that it hits the tone I hear in my head without any help. And from what I can tell, the grind on this amp is what I have been seeking.

As far as clean goes, I would like it to clean up musically when rolling back on the volume knob. Something that's not pure clean but with a little bit of crunchy sparkle, something like I think I'm hearing in the beginning of Lance's video with his Tele. Looking for that sparkly grind you may hear when pulling out some "Hendrixian" double stops with a Strat.

JCM, what is the amp you spend the most time with these days? That might give me a good idea if we are brothers in tone. :) The two amps I keep going between in my studio are my BE100 and my Suhr Badger 35. Badger doesn't have the full gain I'm looking for, a little lifeless in some respects, but depending on the pickup, it can have a really nice edge of breakup sound (with lower output neck pickups). All amps seem to love my Anderson Angel. I'm playing the guitar more and more these days.

Anyway, not I just rambling. Tone seeking discussions tend to go that way for me. :)
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Sounds like the metro plex may be what your looking for. It has that Marshall "karaang" the other two don't. My Suhr moderns are my main guitars. Along with a strat and a prs mira with p90s. Sounds great with all of them. I have a 69 les Paul custom that I've retired from gigging that just kills with the metro. I sold the BE after finally getting the loop fixed. I couldn't get the hair metal tone out of it. I Know a lot of people love it. And it's very popular, just not my cup of tea. I think the brad experience made me dislike it a little too. You can do a lot with the Landry. It's like having three or four amps in one. And you won't find a better guy to deal with than Bill. Can't beat the price point either. I actually don't own any of these three amps any more.

Having said all that, I've been gigging with a Helios 100 lately. When I loaded it up with with vintage amprex and mullard pre's and biased the power tubes a little hotter it really came to life. I leave it in 70's mode. With the gain around 2. With a few different guitars and rolling the volume I can get all the tones I hear in my pea brain. I also just acquired a Naylor duel 100 that I'm really getting into. I just got it a couple of weeks ago so I'm still fine tuning but it is very cool. My go to that I've had for a long time is an older wizard mc1 50. Probably the only amp I will never sell. It has "it" to my ears. I've heard and played many wizards but this one is different. And I can't tell you why. It's got mojo. Now that I've completely confused you, and myself for that matter....... :rock:
 
Interesting that you let the Metro go for a Helios. I looked at that amp for awhile myself but for some reason I never got one. What made you decide to do that? They are obviously in the same family of tones. Was the Metro flubby with certain pickups? Did it not do something that you were looking for? Sounds like the Helios didn't either at first since it required you to make some changes?

And the Naylor Sounds very interesting. Is it very different from what your hearing from the Helios and Metro amps?
 
gabaghoul":28huui6z said:
Interesting that you let the Metro go for a Helios. I looked at that amp for awhile myself but for some reason I never got one. What made you decide to do that? They are obviously in the same family of tones. Was the Metro flubby with certain pickups? Did it not do something that you were looking for? Sounds like the Helios didn't either at first since it required you to make some changes?

And the Naylor Sounds very interesting. Is it very different from what your hearing from the Helios and Metro amps?
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I had the Helios before the metro plex. And it's really not the same animal. The metro has the feel of a really good "old" amp. And it's a Marshall....more Marshall than the Helios. The Helios is stiffer feeling (which for some reason I like). The tone of the metro is awesome. I just needed to let something go and I was happy gigging with the Helios. The Helios sounded good right out of the box. But I always have to tinker with things a little. And it's hard to beat the tone of vintage tubes. They make everything sound better IMHO.

The naylor is very cool. It has a great clean channel, which isn't the norm on a channel switcher. The dirt side is like a hiwatt/Marshall/voxy kinda mix. It's hard to describe. But I dig it. It's very midrangey. And probably the most touch sensitive amp I've ever played. So far it's a keeper. But like I said I'm still dialing it in.
 
curious about the metroplex vs helios.

im interested in both but i worry about the MP being a bit like a vintage plexi with some extra gain slapped on, as opposed to maybe being optimized more around an 80's tone from
the start?

i try not to decide things on the basis of clips but ive also liked the helios clips more than the MP, which for some reason have been more underwhelming than i would have thought.

i just want the best 80s hair metal tone! lol
 
You would want the Helios. In 80's mode it has plenty of hair sizzle. (I like the 70s mode personally). To my ears the BE has the most hair. Just my 2 cents
 
jcm800x4":1w7cfl00 said:
You would want the Helios. In 80's mode it has plenty of hair sizzle. (I like the 70s mode personally). To my ears the BE has the most hair. Just my 2 cents
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thanks, thats also what im instinctively feeling.

i have a BE and am actually pretty pleased with it. i had a helios for about 24 hours but think something may have been wrong with it, even then i could sort of tell it might be what im after - 'some' of the polish of the BE but much more open and raw and more similar to a plexi.

i havent been able to try the MP (though i do have a germino that would be similar to the metro 12,000 and an SL68) but im guessing i already have the 'true' plexi tones covered and the modded and boost modes may not be in the 80s sweetspot as much as the helios...that stuff was generallyocer processed anyway so the polish and refinement of the Friedmans and the Helios really help with the vibe for that stuff, i think anyway! lol

back on topic though,i think the landry might be a good next evolutionary step to the Helios...but still have some of the refinement that a true jcm800 might lack?
 
Dig the sounds coming from that Naylor. It's got a really cool, lively chimney grind thing going on at low gain. Really sweet. Of course, that's just what I'm hearing from the few Duel 100 videos out there, especially dig the Sam Vilo Naylor vid of the D100. Very special amp. Really interested to see if it makes the cut for your keeper lineup, JCM.
 
journeyman73":nd8g3zh9 said:
jcm800x4":nd8g3zh9 said:
You would want the Helios. In 80's mode it has plenty of hair sizzle. (I like the 70s mode personally). To my ears the BE has the most hair. Just my 2 cents
Click to expand...

thanks, thats also what im instinctively feeling.

i have a BE and am actually pretty pleased with it. i had a helios for about 24 hours but think something may have been wrong with it, even then i could sort of tell it might be what im after - 'some' of the polish of the BE but much more open and raw and more similar to a plexi.

i havent been able to try the MP (though i do have a germino that would be similar to the metro 12,000 and an SL68) but im guessing i already have the 'true' plexi tones covered and the modded and boost modes may not be in the 80s sweetspot as much as the helios...that stuff was generallyocer processed anyway so the polish and refinement of the Friedmans and the Helios really help with the vibe for that stuff, i think anyway! lol

back on topic though,i think the landry might be a good next evolutionary step to the Helios...but still have some of the refinement that a true jcm800 might lack?
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I have a 12,000 series in the stable too. If your Germino is like it, you certainly have the old plexi tone covered. The MP has a ton more gain than the 12,000 series but retains the plexi tone. It's an extremely cool amp. I wish I could have kept it. And will probably try and pick up a used one some day when the wife stops making me sleep on the couch.

And you are correct about the Landry. That's a great way to describe it. It's like a refined higher gain 800. With a very nicer clean channel too. And I can't stress enough how good the customer service is from bill.
 
gabaghoul":2uhq39uo said:
Dig the sounds coming from that Naylor. It's got a really cool, lively chimney grind thing going on at low gain. Really sweet. Of course, that's just what I'm hearing from the few Duel 100 videos out there, especially dig the Sam Vilo Naylor vid of the D100. Very special amp. Really interested to see if it makes the cut for your keeper lineup, JCM.
Click to expand...

SAMs video is a pretty good representation of it. It does have a lot more gain on tap than he is using if you want it. I'm not a real high gain player so I keep it about 50%. So far I'm really digging it. The response to your fingers and pick attack is insane. I've never played anything this touch sensitive. The presence control is very interesting. It can really shape the tone. Not just make your eyes water and your ears bleed. I took it to rehearsal and the fellas were freaking out over it. Our sound guy couldn't believe how well it was cutting through the mix. I'm still going to use the Helios for this weekends gigs but next time out the Naylor may get the nod.
 
Cool. What's the deal with the Clean and Dirty knobs? Do you blend them in some way?

Also, I do like the fact that the amp is incredibly touch sensitive. I love that. It's what attracted me to the MetroPlex - at least it seemed like it was from the demos. How do you think those 2 amps compare? Are they completely different animals?
 
The clean and dirty knobs on the Naylor are volume/gain for the respective channels. Then the master is over all volume for the amp. The MP reacts to your fingers well. But the Naylor is the more touch sensitive of the two. Like I said the Naylor is the most touch sensitive amp I've ever played. The MP does not have a true clean channel, the Naylor does. And it's good unlike most channel switchers I've played. the MP is like the best "old" Marshall you've ever heard with some hod rodded options. It's that good. But the Naylor in my opinion is something special. I like the feel of the Naylor better.
 
Sounds awesome. You're really making me think hard about this one. How do you feel about your Helios compared to Naylor. The Helios clips I've heard sound absolutely killer. From the Low gain clips I've heard from the likes of Eric Steckel to high gain stuff I've heard from Doug Rappaport. Haven't heard any bad sounds yet coming from that monster.

Let me know when you're ready to sell yours.:)
 
can the MP get enough grind and be tight enough to do authentic raw 70s marshall type tones....that tone has a lot of grind to me that some saturated type gains from plexis dont seem to quite nail
 
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