If you only had $500 and needed an amp what would you get?

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danyeo":76737 said:
Mesa Boogie Subway Rocket. They came with either a 10 or 12 inch speaker, of course the 12in versions are higher wattage. Very good sounding combo. Much better than a Peavey classic 50 combo i once owned, that thing was a mush machine.

Is that like a Mesa DC-2? Someone has one of those for sale on HC...he offered it up for trade on my TremOVerb.
 
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JKD":61103 said:
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Is that like a Mesa DC-2? Someone has one of those for sale on HC...he offered it up for trade on my TremOVerb.

A little different. I owned a DC-5. The problem with DC Boogies is they really lack dynamics. No matter what guitar you plug in they all sound the same. But no spikey highs or muddy lows if you tweak it right, but it can come off like a flat sound.

Your TOV should be worth more than a DC-2 so i wouldn't do an even trade if i were you.
 
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Everlone":18b0c said:
I've been reading that the Peavey Valveking combos sound like crap and everyone says to get the head versions. Any truth to this?

And I don't want anything with EL84's. Just a personal preference. :D

The combos definitely sound like crap, but I think the head does, as well, compared to the Classic and Windsor. It's like there's always a blanket over the speakers that is impossible to dial out.

There's also the Crate Palomino and V series. I think you're severely limiting yourself by not looking at amps with EL84s. Most of the more affordable tube amps that are of decent quality have EL84s. So basically, you're saying you want the crappy amps in that price range. :P
 
Head and 4x12 are an option, just got to shop around!


me and my brother got my nephew a Peavey butcher for $195 off ebay, got 4 speakers from Carvin for $80 and built a cab.



for heads, look for Peavey Butcher, Ultra, Ultra+, or Triumph.


then do your homework on cabs, can allways get a cheap cab and update speakers later on.
 
as much as i hate to admit it, a dsl would probably be a good bet.
 
I went down to GC today and checked out their inventory.

Played a Valveking 2x12. Eh. Not bad, but it didn't blow me away. I give it about a 5 out of 10 (average)

Played a JSX combo and was pleasantly surprised. It sounded really good. All three channels were very usable and the "ultra" channel sounded great without a boost. Its a solid 8 out of 10.

Tried to play a used Legacy combo, but something was seriously wrong with it. :thumbsdown: I wanted to play the new 2x12 50 watt Palomino, but they didn't have any in at the time.

I went to a local Traynor dealer, but all they had was the 40 watt model, the one without the Vintage 30, so I didn't bother.

But as I was leaving Rusty Cooley came walking in!!! He apparently teaches lessons there. I told him his hair made him look gay and his sig. Dean was an ugly piece of crap. He started to cry, so I pointed and laughed at him and drove away. :lol:
















(kidding) :D
 
Has anyone played this Peavey XXX 40 watt combo? It seems cool. :dunno:

http://www.guitarcenter.com/shop/product/buy_peavey_triple_xxx_super_40_40w_1x12_guitar_combo?full_sku=481393

I know, it has EL84's. I've seen the error in my ways. :thumbsup:
 
No, but I'll bet it sounds even worse than the XXX head, which would make it practically unusable. :D

That'd have been a good idea for the JSX, but the XXX, oh god, why?!? :tard:
 
I am basing this post while playing through an Epi LP Elitist Standard Plus with the stock P/U's which are similar to Gibson 490's. I've owned most of the amps already disussed.

The JSX is way too expensive and is not warm at all but has a great ultimate overdrive the clean is too clean and the crunch is just crunchy.

The B 52 AT 100 combo has a great rectifier sound for around $700. It just isn't warm enough on the clean channel and the eq's are pretty lame. But for $700 it will Shredd with any Mesa. It does have some reliabilty issues.

If all you need is Rectro sounding distortion then the B 52 is as close to $500 a that I could find. You could pick one up on ebay but it is so heavy that shipping will kill you.

I played through a V 30 Palomino 1x12 as the only guitar in the band and could always be the loudest if I wanted to. The 30 watt has el 84's but you can get one used for about $300 easy. The EL 84 do have a bit of rattle at high volumes but you'll only here it in a studio or bedroom. This is because the 2x12 v30, the v-30 head and the v50 have been released.

The Palomino's sound good from the factory but if you buy a matched set of tubes from a company like eurotubes, the sound is the best I've ever heard. It makes the new Fender line look sad. I have tried a normal set and a high gain set. The high gain set of tubes sounds great although it isn't a rectifier sound more like Marshall or Hiwatt. I could emulate Pete Townsend perfectly.

I wanted more sound and haved tried to get the warm Fender sound combined with the recto sound in one amp. I went through 8 amps from guitar center last month, (they hate me there). I was up to the Marhsall JVM for $2000 plus bucks. I could not find anything to match the Palomino warmth. The guitar center guys all argeed that when I returned a $2000 amp that the Palomino sounds better. They jam with these things after the store closes. They hate the Palomino because there is no mark up on it, same with the b 52.

I just upgraded to the v50 and the 2 speakers are a big improvement. I still love to plug straight into the amp and just play through the clean channel, the dynamics and harmonics are phenominal.

Just rememnber, you can't get a good clean tube sound unless the amp provides it, the sound starts at the amp. I can always get good distortion with almost any amp as long as it has good speakers.
As for the Metal shredd sound, my Boss MT-2/chorus/delay/reverb do the trick pretty well. People are always impressed to hear that sound coming from a combo.

Check it out! :eek:
 
Man there are tons of great hi-gain amps out there for $500 or less.\

If you look real hard and are patient the mark III would be your best bet, or you couldnt go wrong with any of these.....

peavy ultra
peavy butcher
peavy triumph
randall RG-100es or RG-80es
marshall valvestate vs100 or 8100 / 8200
marshall DSL
Mesa dual caliber series
 
That's thw scratch and dent price, I think they're around $395. I tried the Windsor too. nice amp and price but the peavey cabs don't sound the best to me. If you can match it with the right speakers It'll smoke!
 
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