Best sounding metal amp you’ve ever played…

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bram576
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In Absentia said:
I had an original VHT D60 with the choke, and a 2019 Masterbuilt 120. Both amazing amps that are deceptively versatile. I would have never had a single channel amp before those, but the amount of control at the guitar volume and coil splitting made it feel like a channel switcher.
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I really need to give a Fryette/vht a try. Never played one.
 
Out of testing my collection today my rev e rectifier and wizard modern classic boosted were better than the rest for me. So brutal.
 
Bram576 said:
I really need to give a Fryette/vht a try. Never played one.
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I've been back/forth on Wizards & Fryettes over the years. Have had almost all the Fryette models and most Wizard models and while I like the Fryette/vht stuff a lot, they just pale next to the Wizards for my taste. Great amps, especially the CLX, but the Wizards just bring more, better tone, articulation, punch.
 
MetalHeadMike said:
I've been back/forth on Wizards & Fryettes over the years. Have had almost all the Fryette models and most Wizard models and while I like the Fryette/vht stuff a lot, they just pale next to the Wizards for my taste. Great amps, especially the CLX, but the Wizards just bring more, better tone, articulation, punch.
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I have heard a few guys say they’re better suited for metal than wizards but man… I play some brutal shit and it sounds gnarly through my wizard.
 
EVH 5150III. I'm a man of simple taste. Many much more expensive amps get their amps handed off by a simple Mexican EVH. Especially recorded. No boost needed.


And Mesa Dual Rectifier boosted with an SD-1. Honestly, that's my preference. But I can do with a 5150III and be totally happy still, TBH.
 
#1 Engl Fireball 100...#2 Block letter with bias mod...
 
Smashedguitaris⸸ said:
I always was intrigued by the theta. The reviews were way too mixed for me to give it a shot at that price point.
As far as boosting a tube amp. My wizard is pretty quiet boosted with my ts808
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I had a Theta. I guess it was good for the price I got it for, but for solid state amps much prefer the old Randall RG’s and possibly even the Valvestates and Ampeg VH’s I’ve tried as well. The Theta didn’t get as gritty or aggressive, but I didn’t ultimately keep the 1986 RG100ES either
 
Smashedguitaris⸸ said:
I just played an ultralead the other day. Very great voice and so fun to play.
I love tube amps for playing metal. They have the great sounding chords and then boosting into heavy chug territory is fun.

But i love the solid state type gain for playing metal also. I think it lends itself better. And a lot of "metal" tube amps fail at sounding good and really hitting metal territory without sounding plastic. I would like to try the dar to see how it does.
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IME they didn’t sound plastic-y like say the EVH 5150III’s do, but not what I’d consider to be an organic sound either
 
Bram576 said:
I have heard a few guys say they’re better suited for metal than wizards but man… I play some brutal shit and it sounds gnarly through my wizard.
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I just sold my UL after owning it 11 years. A killer amp no doubt, but i would take your 50w MC6L over it if it was a choice between the two for metal.
 
Not the best but a contender. XXX with the Gup Tech Que Bec in the loop.
 
Bram576 said:
I really need to give a Fryette/vht a try. Never played one.
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Given that you already have a Wizard, you might be disappointed comparatively speaking. The 2150 poweramp, on the other hand, is cool. I have one, but I’d bet Wizard could make an even better poweramp if he really wanted to. Would love to see that, but my wallet would not lol
 
In Absentia said:
I had an original VHT D60 with the choke, and a 2019 Masterbuilt 120. Both amazing amps that are deceptively versatile. I would have never had a single channel amp before those, but the amount of control at the guitar volume and coil splitting made it feel like a channel switcher.
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I am only interested in single channel tube amps.
 
braintheory said:
I had a Theta. I guess it was good for the price I got it for, but for solid state amps much prefer the old Randall RG’s and possibly even the Valvestates and Ampeg VH’s I’ve tried as well. The Theta didn’t get as gritty or aggressive, but I didn’t ultimately keep the 1986 RG100ES either
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does this mean you kept the vh's?
 
MetalHeadMike said:
I've been back/forth on Wizards & Fryettes over the years. Have had almost all the Fryette models and most Wizard models and while I like the Fryette/vht stuff a lot, they just pale next to the Wizards for my taste. Great amps, especially the CLX, but the Wizards just bring more, better tone, articulation, punch.
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I loved the Ultra lead i just played. The voicing was beautiful. But when we switched back and forth between it and a mtl, the wizard was just soo much bigger. But the good news is you don't have to have a wizard on stage to blow it away.
 
There is something about the gain on a solid state that gets me in the mood for metal. Honestly, when I first got my "Fortin" randall rg150, my parametric eq and boost in front with a zuul, and then a rack eq and separate zuul in the loop, I had one of the nastiest setups that I would hesitate to change out for any tube amp. But I don't really look for inorganic tube amps. That randall just punched you in the chest like nothing i have tried before the wizard. Of course I was specifically boosting the low and low mid sliders to make it put your dick in the dirt.

As far as the way I play metal, I much prefer a tube amp with a great sounding round gain, that is constricted and tightened to a knife point with a boost and then slamming my pick into those strings with malice.

If I were in a strict death metal band, I would definitely have to think hard about using ss or tube...Maybe this weekend I will double track with the randall and wizard and see if I can't get a little Dimebag on this shit.
 
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