What amp should I be checking out ??

S

stompboxfreak72

New member
Ive decided I want to see what else is out there in amp land. I have a 5153 Stealth and the 50 watt 5153. I also have a Splawn Nitro which has me frustrated currently. I may or may not move the Splawn but I want to demo some amps for sure. I gig 80's hair metal. The 5153s cover my needs and then some. I guess Im looking for a different flavor. Not something to replace the 5153 but something that will cover some different sonic territory yet still be usable for 80s hair metal.

I have thought about a JVM or Marshall variant but nothing grabs me. Im going to test drive a Bogner Shiva on Monday or Tuesday. Friedman of course comes to mind immediately but I wont buy if I cannot try. I have woofed on so many amps by buying blind that I wont do it again. Not even for a Friedman which is holy grail RG amplification.

I know ultimately I have to demo these amps and make up my own mind. I have gone from a Dual Rec user to a Splawn devotee to an EVH5153 enthusiast. I guess I want liquid lead with a good clean that may cover some different territory than the amps in my stable.

I'd love some suggestions and opinions. No matter how off the wall or odd.......or even maybe run of the mill and mundane. I have not owned many amps in my 30+ years of playing so I have a fairly open mind ( except for amps with cup holders.......I dont want those)
 
Check Guitar Center online, you can try it for 30 days and return it if you don't like it. My favorite amps have been-SLO, Jubilee, VHT Deliverance, JCM 800 stock or modded. All set up for the same tone you are looking for. I boosted all except the Deliverance. SLO and Jubilee being at the top of my list. There are quite a few JCM 800s at GC online, and the 2205/2210s can be good but get an 87 or newer. :rock:
 
If you like 70's and 80's rock hard rock and metal , I think the Helios kills that tone !!
I have had mine for a couple months . Puts a smile on my face every time !!!
I don't have a be100 to compare but what I can say is the Helios nails early Van Halen !!
I have an Ecstacy I've had since mid 90's and a modded late 60's bassman , sold an uberschall rev blue to get the Helios .
If 80's is what you like ? For me I have not heard a better amp for that tone then the Helios !!!
Not as versatile as the Ecstacy because the hot input clean doesn't clean up that much , but for that 80's rock/metal it kills it !!
Sustains forever very clear and articulate , I can't say enough good for that style !!
Plexi mode does what plexis do .
 
I have a jvm410h and love it, it can do anything, by far my most versatile amp. Great cleans, on board reverb, basically a 12 channel amp with all of the different OD Modes(3 per channel x4 channels) it does anything from cleans, rock, classic rock, blues, metal, 80's metal, all the way to heavy metal and death metal with no other pedals in front of it, excellent quality reverb with individual channel volumes, the foot pedal allows you to control all of that too, very hard amp to beat, and this is coming from a guy who has never liked Marshall.
 
Kidkramer71":guqx9ggn said:
If you like 70's and 80's rock hard rock and metal , I think the Helios kills that tone !!
I have had mine for a couple months . Puts a smile on my face every time !!!
I don't have a be100 to compare but what I can say is the Helios nails early Van Halen !!
I have an Ecstacy I've had since mid 90's and a modded late 60's bassman , sold an uberschall rev blue to get the Helios .
If 80's is what you like ? For me I have not heard a better amp for that tone then the Helios !!!
Not as versatile as the Ecstacy because the hot input clean doesn't clean up that much , but for that 80's rock/metal it kills it !!
Sustains forever very clear and articulate , I can't say enough good for that style !!
Plexi mode does what plexis do .
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Excellent ! The Helios has popped up on a few searches but I did not really have an clue about it. I will check this out !
 
UberKrankenschtein":32btzpbr said:
I have a jvm410h and love it, it can do anything, by far my most versatile amp. Great cleans, on board reverb, basically a 12 channel amp with all of the different OD Modes(3 per channel x4 channels) it does anything from cleans, rock, classic rock, blues, metal, 80's metal, all the way to heavy metal and death metal with no other pedals in front of it, excellent quality reverb with individual channel volumes, the foot pedal allows you to control all of that too, very hard amp to beat, and this is coming from a guy who has never liked Marshall.
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I wont lie the JVM has been my front runner in this search. It covers so much ground and can be had for cheap. I have considered the Satch Jvm also as the noise floor seems suspect on the JVM. But I prefer the reverb and then the price jumps for the Satch.

The JCM800 has always been on my list bc of the legend that it is. The QR I had in gear one was awesome. Actually so was gear 2......gear 3 I never understood.

I found a great deal on the JVM410h locally also. I want to try the Shiva and look at a few other things before I pull any triggers though.
 
stompboxfreak72":2q1jf2ju said:
UberKrankenschtein":2q1jf2ju said:
I have a jvm410h and love it, it can do anything, by far my most versatile amp. Great cleans, on board reverb, basically a 12 channel amp with all of the different OD Modes(3 per channel x4 channels) it does anything from cleans, rock, classic rock, blues, metal, 80's metal, all the way to heavy metal and death metal with no other pedals in front of it, excellent quality reverb with individual channel volumes, the foot pedal allows you to control all of that too, very hard amp to beat, and this is coming from a guy who has never liked Marshall.
Click to expand...


I wont lie the JVM has been my front runner in this search. It covers so much ground and can be had for cheap. I have considered the Satch Jvm also as the noise floor seems suspect on the JVM. But I prefer the reverb and then the price jumps for the Satch.

The JCM800 has always been on my list bc of the legend that it is. The QR I had in gear one was awesome. Actually so was gear 2......gear 3 I never understood.

I found a great deal on the JVM410h locally also. I want to try the Shiva and look at a few other things before I pull any triggers though.
Click to expand...

From my experience the JVM sounds amazing at just about any volume, one of the few amps that sounds great at low volumes as well. I did turn it all the way up yesterday and it flubbed out, but I didn't mess with the EQ at all, I'm sure if I turned down the bass and gain it would likely go full volume and sound amazing too. It has more gain than even the most high gain users would ever use. You can put any wimpy oem humbucker in front of it and make it sound like a full on metal machine. And yes for some reason the JVM secondhand market is pretty low, that's the only reason I tried one was the price was so reasonable, then I heard the sound and had to have it!
 
Try the JVM410HJS for a different flavour of the JVM series. I had one and loved it! Still wondered why I sold it to this day! Bone head manouver on my part! Amazing amp at lower volumes and stunning when you open it up. Love it because it is super quiet as well. Lots of versatility!
 
stompboxfreak72":1s1zb96l said:
marshallmel":1s1zb96l said:
DSL 100 + Boss SD-1
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I guess I did ask for that.....lol. Im fairly certain that no DSL,TSL or Jcm900s will be in my sights.
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I can understand no TSL and no 900, but a UK made DSL ( JCM 2000 ) with a boost on the crunch channel is amazing. You really should try it sometime. Or check out "Gary Moore and Friends a Night in Dublin".


 
Marshall JVM410H - add a Mercury Magnetics 3H, 5H, or 10H choke. I always said I'd never mod my amp, but I'm damn tempted to put a choke on my RK100.
 
DSL with a boost. Jcm 800 with an overdrive and a clean boost. Save the rest of your money for betting at the horse track

Or a quick rod.
 
Bogner Helios, Friedman, Mesa Stiletto/Lonestar or maybe go a different direction and try a Mesa Mark Series. The Mark III got a lot of use in the 80s, and not just from thrash metal bands. Shit, the guy from Phish has been using a Mark III since the early days of the band.

Before doing that, I would experiment with some new boost options and a graphic EQ in the loop of your amps though. You'll be amazed how much of a difference a 10 band EQ can make. With some proper tweaking, your 5150 will sound like a completely different amp.
 
Oh mother of God that Bogner Helios is exactly what I think I'd like to try. Of course its backordered from now until 2028 but the clips are unreal.

I must find a way to get that amp......or buy a Jvm and a custom carvin and call it even.....
 
Get the Helios !!!
It is just what the doctor ordered !!
I sold a carvin legacy to help fund my uberschall and sold my uberschall to help fund the Helios .
For the tone I like best the Helios does it .
Something about the raw yet clear gritty tone with massive sustain that does it for me .
I like the clips but I think amp is better live then the clips !
 
Kidkramer71":2fdgqjnj said:
Get the Helios !!!
It is just what the doctor ordered !!
I sold a carvin legacy to help fund my uberschall and sold my uberschall to help fund the Helios .
For the tone I like best the Helios does it .
Something about the raw yet clear gritty tone with massive sustain that does it for me .
I like the clips but I think amp is better live then the clips !
Click to expand...

I can only find one 50 watt Helios but it looks like they are about to drop this coming week. I have it in my mind that I will consider the 100 watt helios if I can find a dealer with a 30 day return policy. The clips are unreal. That is crazy good tone and after getting hit by a car and then finding Im riddled with cancer I feel that if I want it than Im getting it.
 
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