2016 MTL for $4k on Reverb

RedB4Black said:
Like this one....

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Yeah Matt, you know your stuff!

I can only dream.
 
TheGreatGreen said:
Thanks man! I decided that if I'm going to pull the trigger on such an absurd amp, might as well go all the way. I got the 150w KT88 version. I was debating going either that or KT66 but I figured the tonal differences were likely minimal between those types, and I'm already familiar with and like KT88's so I thought that would at least be a safer bet.

I'll definitely get around to doing a big clip-fest thread of the amp after I get a few other things taken care of. I can tell you the biggest secret or unexpected thing I've kind of uncovered with the HR is that, surprisingly, I like Bright 1 set pretty low, like maybe 4 or so, which I was not expecting. The amp is so fast and transparent and there's so much "zing" and treble clarity on tap that I think dialing Bright 1 down relatively low kind of trims some of the abrasiveness and raw pick attack back, and puts the amp closer to what I'm used to.

I don't know if I'd say the HR is a complete replacement for the MC2 in the sense that there isn't a place for both, but it does feel like the HR is what an MC2 on steroids would sound and feel like. The DNA is VERY close. I'm sure I'll talk more about it as I keep tweaking around and forming an opinion. So far in general it's that the HR sounds bigger, has higher highs and lower lows (although that could be the KT88's vs the EL34's in my MC2), and has quite a bit more gain on tap, but the MC2 has a lean and ultra clear quality to its gain that I find addictive. I might even be able to dial that sound on the HR, but I'm still learning it. Between the two Bright knobs and 4 Gain knobs, the HR is way more complex than any other modern high gain amp I've played, so it's just gonna take some solid hours to figure out.
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Nice, that's the version I have. You got it direct from Rick? I never saw a KT150 Hell Razor come up used

I like bright 1 and 2 set pretty high actually (for a while didn't know bright 2 also is for the high gain ch lol), but maybe just different taste. I'll take a pic later of my settings. Some of the keys for me to getting it where I wanted was actually using the lo input (more clarity, better balance imo), diming the mids and having the gain knob all the way to right (Gain 1) set really high and the other 2 gain knobs and saturation knob set low

That's exactly it. Like the MC and MTL I had on steroids. Like more of everything those amps had and more. For metal and more aggressive rock styles at least I'd choose the Hell Razor every time (even cleans too), but for other rock styles like classic, alt rock and other more moderate styles the MC's are probably better suited from what I remember. My HR has insane amounts of gain on tap if needed with all those push-pulls and knobs. Stupid amounts. The MC and MTL I had didn't have anywhere near as much gain on tap, but I don't use all of it on the HR. Guessing you know this already, but you get another boost on the gain ch pulling out the rhythm ch volume knob. Yeah there a lots of different sounds available in the HR. I can get it really tight, clanky and attack-y almost Hermansson level to something more loose and sludgy, almost doom-y, but not quite (the amp is too articulate lol). The only thing I find is I remember the MC and MTL I had being more open and airy maybe, but my HR is still quite open for much higher gain and more saturated it is. Some guys complain about Wizard's being dry and I did feel that way with the MC and MTL, but the HR the way I have it set is very saturated, but still really clear and defined. Definitely imo one of the best high gain amps of all time IME
 
braintheory said:
Nice, that's the version I have. You got it direct from Rick? I never saw a KT150 Hell Razor come up used

I like bright 1 and 2 set pretty high actually (for a while didn't know bright 2 also is for the high gain ch lol), but maybe just different taste. I'll take a pic later of my settings. Some of the keys for me to getting it where I wanted was actually using the lo input (more clarity, better balance imo), diming the mids and having the gain knob all the way to right (Gain 1) set really high and the other 2 gain knobs and saturation knob set low

That's exactly it. Like the MC and MTL I had on steroids. Like more of everything those amps had and more. For metal and more aggressive rock styles at least I'd choose the Hell Razor every time (even cleans too), but for other rock styles like classic, alt rock and other more moderate styles the MC's are probably better suited from what I remember. My HR has insane amounts of gain on tap if needed with all those push-pulls and knobs. Stupid amounts. The MC and MTL I had didn't have anywhere near as much gain on tap, but I don't use all of it on the HR. Guessing you know this already, but you get another boost on the gain ch pulling out the rhythm ch volume knob. Yeah there a lots of different sounds available in the HR. I can get it really tight, clanky and attack-y almost Hermansson level to something more loose and sludgy, almost doom-y, but not quite (the amp is too articulate lol). The only thing I find is I remember the MC and MTL I had being more open and airy maybe, but my HR is still quite open for much higher gain and more saturated it is. Some guys complain about Wizard's being dry and I did feel that way with the MC and MTL, but the HR the way I have it set is very saturated, but still really clear and defined. Definitely imo one of the best high gain amps of all time IME
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Yep! Got it direct from Rick. Mine's the one on the Wizard facebook site that's black tolex with white trim and white pointer knobs. Love the way the looks turned out btw.

Yeah the gain on tap in the HR is nuts. You can dial in so much that the noise floor is as loud as the guitar itself. It's crazy. However when I dial it for the same amount of gain as the MC2, the noise is about the same. I'm not convinced the HR is inherently noisier than other Wizards, but instead more that it's just easy to dial in so much usable gain that the noise floor can creep up without you realizing it.

I agree with you that I'd probably pick the HR for the super high gain stuff and the MC2 for rock and stuff like that, but honestly I'm not sure if that's because the HR can't sound like the MC2 or if I personally just haven't figured out how to get the HR there yet. I can get it very, very close to the MC2 though, and considering my MC2 has a Contour and the HR has a Depth control, I think that's something.

I agree the HR feels less dry than the MC, however if you bring the HR back down the MC gain levels and dial the Saturation control right, the HR can get about if not just as dry. Again it just takes time in front of the amp tweaking and listening. Jury is still out on if the HR can get as open as the MC2 but again... it feels like it's just about right there.

The other thing I was surprised about is just how much the HR gets along with boosts. It doesn't necessarily need a bass cut at the input, but the lows aren't so lopped off that it sounds anemic with a boost. If I dial the HR's gain down and put a Dirty Tree in front of it and don't suck out all the bass from the pedal, the amp just gets vicious.
 
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TheGreatGreen said:
Yep! Got it direct from Rick. Mine's the one on the Wizard facebook site that's black tolex with white trim and white pointer knobs. Love the way the looks turned out btw.

Yeah the gain on tap in the HR is nuts. You can dial in so much that the noise floor as as loud as the guitar itself. It's crazy. However when I dial it for the same amount of gain as the MC2, the noise is about the same. I'm not convinced the HR is inherently noisier than other Wizards, but instead more that it's just easy to dial in so much usable gain that the noise floor can creep up without you realizing it.

I agree with you that I'd probably pick the HR for the super high gain stuff and the MC2 for rock and stuff like that, but honestly I'm not sure if that's because the HR can't sound like the MC2 or if I personally just haven't figured out how to get the HR there yet. I can get it very, very close to the MC2 though, and considering my MC2 has a Contour and the HR has a Depth control, I think that's something.

I agree the HR feels less dry than the MC, however if you bring the HR back down the MC gain levels and dial the Saturation control right, the HR can get about if not just as dry. Again it just takes time in front of the amp tweaking and listening. Jury is still out on if the HR can get as open as the MC2 but again... it feels like it's just about right there.

The other thing I was surprised about is just how much the HR gets along with boosts. It doesn't necessarily need a bass cut at the input, but the lows aren't so lopped off that it sounds anemic with a boost. If I dial the HR's gain down and put a Dirty Tree in front of it and don't suck out all the bass from the pedal, the amp just gets vicious.
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Mine is the same, but with black pointer knobs and a small wizard logo

Yeah I don't find mine overly noisy

Yeah maybe you can get it there. I never had them side by side and only had a MC (not 2) with C tranny's and EL34's 100w, so I'm just making a guess based on how I remember the MC I had

It can be dialed in to be drier, but prefer dialing it in more saturated and am impressed how saturated you can get it while still maintaining all that clarity and note definition. The MTL I had I remember being the driest of the bunch. Not that I play it often, but it actually can be even one of my favorite amps for melodic death metal or metal core riffs like All That Remains in where we're used to hearing amps like 6505's/5150's for that, but those amps have nowhere near this level of clarity/detail/definition or punch

I like my HR just straight in, but should revisit maybe my klon through it. Also, not sure if you checked it yet, but my Hell Razor KT150 measured 680 for plate voltage! Of all the different amps I've owned over the years (almost 150 now) just my Beta is 680, 1981 Marshall Model 2000 is 700 and the Schroeder Dozer I used to have was supposed to be in the 700's
 
braintheory said:
It can be dialed in to be drier, but prefer dialing it in more saturated and am impressed how saturated you can get it while still maintaining all that clarity and note definition. The MTL I had I remember being the driest of the bunch. Not that I play it often, but it actually can be even one of my favorite amps for melodic death metal or metal core riffs like All That Remains in where we're used to hearing amps like 6505's/5150's for that, but those amps have nowhere near this level of clarity/detail/definition or punch
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Yeah man that's what's kinda blowing me away about the amp. You can dial it to sound gained out and even compressed, but it doesn't loose clarity when you do, the feel just gets bouncier. It's kinda nuts.

braintheory said:
I like my HR just straight in, but should revisit maybe my klon through it. Also, not sure if you checked it yet, but my Hell Razor KT150 measured 680 for plate voltage! Of all the different amps I've owned over the years (almost 150 now) just my Beta is 680, 1981 Marshall Model 2000 is 700 and the Schroeder Dozer I used to have was supposed to be in the 700's
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Definitely try experimenting with turning the amp's gain down and putting some boosts out front, I think you'll be surprised.
 
TheGreatGreen said:
Yeah man that's what's kinda blowing me away about the amp. You can dial it to sound gained out and even compressed, but it doesn't loose clarity when you do, the feel just gets bouncier. It's kinda nuts.



Definitely try experimenting with turning the amp's gain down and putting some boosts out front, I think you'll be surprised.
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Congrats man! :cheers:

That amp is on my bucket list to play. I've owned an MC, an old MTL, and picked up a 22' MTL MKII last year. I really dig it. For a metal player that likes old school tones, it's a really fun amp to play. Rick has really refined his game IMO. The first MTL I had was a very old model, and sounded more like a juiced vintage amp. This one sounds and feels much more modern. The HR must be a beast. :love:
 
CrystalSky said:
Wait, doesn’t Rick outfit his amps with those controls?
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Not sure, I had my tech do it. First he added the depth, but due to the how the negative feedback was set it didn't do much.

After adding a wider adjustable negative feedback it added a decent amount of additional available low end.
 
dead-pan said:
Not sure, I had my tech do it. First he added the depth, but due to the how the negative feedback was set it didn't do much.

After adding a wider adjustable negative feedback it added a decent amount of additional available low end.
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Oh shit, I thought at that price Wizards come with every option and switch known to man 😂
 
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