----Does this amp exist ? .... Where is it !----

[the4thlast1]

Looking for a very open and mean sounding metal amp. A couple years back I had a Bogner Shiva 20th , I fell in love with how mean it sounded and how it wasn't very compressed , it just had a wide open pissed off thing going on. Ive considered getting another one but as mean as it was its not really a modern metal amp, its great for hard and heavy rock like Alice In Chains type stuff but kinda stays in that realm.

The only Metal amp Ive had so far that comes close has been the Framus Cobra on the crunch channel but that amp has a lot of other short comings. As far as Bogner goes I now have a Helios Eclipse which is a great sounding amp but also not really modern Metal , it can do it but its more of a smooth type of tone . The Uberschall is an amp Im going to try but doesn't come off to me as being open, its more of a compressed type of high gain.

Any thoughts from my fellow metal heads and thrash riffers ?

 

[panhead]

For the money sounds like an original 5150?

 

[braintheory]

Most modern metal tones are pretty compressed. I also prefer more open tones. Some of the less compressed high gain amps I’ve had would be the Wizard MTL, Mezzabarba Mzero Overdrive or Diezel VH4 Blueface. Those 3 are all pricy, but are among the very best high gain amps out there. The Wizard would be the most open of the 3.

Also, a boosted old jmp2203 or a boosted old hylight era Hiwatt DR103 at loud volumes are incredible and very open sounding. My Hiwatt DR103 is one of my top 3 favorite amps of all time and at volume can get very heavy boosted or not.

The Fryette’s are also more open sounding, but I don’t like those as much. I can’t really think of any other amps that do modern metal tones without a lot of compression. It’s very possible that even all the amps I just mentioned wouldn’t be considered modern enough depending on taste. The Uberschall’s are definitely more of a compressed amp

The only real compressed sounding amps I have now are my Mark iic+ and Cameron CCV

 

[Racerxrated]

Wizard MTL/MCII. Plus a boost pedal that works with either one, for more saturation/some compression, of which these amps literally have none. Lol

 

[RedB4Black]

What you describe is exactly the type of amp I go for and own....

Wizard MTL/MCII
Fryette Ultra Lead/CLX
Fortin Cali

Also consider a KSR Gemini

For just pure metal, the Fryette Ultra Lead would be the one I’d go for

 

[Wizard of Ozz]

Wizard MTL. By far the most open and least compressed.

 

[the4thlast1]

Thanks for the input ! ..... I had a feeling the Wizard amps would come up. I had a MTL at one point but I might want to revisit a newer one , think the one I had was a 2010 or so. Cool amp but something was a little off about it, I had spoke to the original owner after I had sold it and he mentioned that he tried a newer one and liked it more. Mhenson mentioned the Fryette amps, I have tried the Clx Deliverance and Ultralead, I like those amps a lot and they have there own unique thing going which I like but looking to try something different. The Fortin Cali does have my interest a bit though.

So far judging from clips and suggestions Im liking the potential of the Mezzabarba Trinity the most, anybody try that one, Im wondering how metal it can get or is the low-end more in the rock camp like the how the SLO is ?

 

[braintheory]

If the trinity’s high gain channel is like the Mzero Overdirve (which I believe it is), then it’ll be tighter than the SLO, but not as tight as the other amps mentioned in this thread

 

[Mailman1971]

Buy the Kruse modded EVH 5150 III MODDED 100 watt in the ads.
My stock kills. I would LOVE to have this modded one!!

 

[the4thlast1]

Buy the Kruse modded EVH 5150 III MODDED 100 watt in the ads.
My stock kills. I would LOVE to have this modded one!!

Ive had fender regular and stealth version 5153s. I own a peavey 6505+ now which I prefer. The fenders are great too though. Channel 2 on the original 5153 had a open feel to it but still not exactly what Im looking for.

 

[the4thlast1]

If the trinity’s high gain channel is like the Mzero Overdirve (which I believe it is), then it’ll be tighter than the SLO, but not as tight as the other amps mentioned in this thread

Cool , I had an SLO breifly and didn't love it to be honest, wasn't bad but the low-end was not tight an clear, it was more loose and undefined than I had expected it to be. Its possible the one I had wasn't a great one as they seem to vary but that's good to hear the Mezza is tighter. I would use a tube screamer in front to tighten things up more but it is possible the trinity version can get more modern ? Anyone out there own a trinity ?

 

[LP Freak]

If the trinity’s high gain channel is like the Mzero Overdirve (which I believe it is), then it’ll be tighter than the SLO, but not as tight as the other amps mentioned in this thread

Cool , I had an SLO breifly and didn't love it to be honest, wasn't bad but the low-end was not tight an clear, it was more loose and undefined than I had expected it to be. Its possible the one I had wasn't a great one as they seem to vary but that's good to hear the Mezza is tighter. I would use a tube screamer in front to tighten things up more but it is possible the trinity version can get more modern ? Anyone out there own a trinity ?

I had the same experience with an SLO

 

[MetalHeadMike]

I recently grabbed a CL50 and it has made its way to my top 3 list. Honestly I'm finding it to be almost on par in terms of articulation/ clarity/note separation as the MCII or MTL.

Now that said, both the MCII and MTL will crush so many amps, in terms of girth, punch, & pure rip your head off metal tones. I just acquired a 2016 MTL and it's an absolute monster. The MCII I own is a 2017 and it too is a metal beast.

 

[Mailman1971]

I also own a Herbert MKII
that amp breathes fire. Between that ... my Archon. And the EVH.
There is absolutely no tone I can’t grab.

 

[glip22]

Thanks for the input ! ..... I had a feeling the Wizard amps would come up. I had a MTL at one point but I might want to revisit a newer one , think the one I had was a 2010 or so. Cool amp but something was a little off about it, I had spoke to the original owner after I had sold it and he mentioned that he tried a newer one and liked it more. Mhenson mentioned the Fryette amps, I have tried the Clx Deliverance and Ultralead, I like those amps a lot and they have there own unique thing going which I like but looking to try something different. The Fortin Cali does have my interest a bit though.

So far judging from clips and suggestions Im liking the potential of the Mezzabarba Trinity the most, anybody try that one, Im wondering how metal it can get or is the low-end more in the rock camp like the how the SLO is ?

Don't get the Trinity, Go for the Mzero or Wizard. A guy I know has five newer Wizards and said he couldn't sell the Trinity fast enough. He had an Mzero and liked it.

 

[napalmdeath]

Fireball 100, or a Savage.

 

[MetalHeadMike]

Fireball 100, or a Savage.

I absolutely love these two amps, but I definitely wouldn't classify them as open gain structures. Quite a bit of compression going on.

 

[thiswaythatway]

If the trinity’s high gain channel is like the Mzero Overdirve (which I believe it is), then it’ll be tighter than the SLO, but not as tight as the other amps mentioned in this thread

Cool , I had an SLO breifly and didn't love it to be honest, wasn't bad but the low-end was not tight an clear, it was more loose and undefined than I had expected it to be. Its possible the one I had wasn't a great one as they seem to vary but that's good to hear the Mezza is tighter. I would use a tube screamer in front to tighten things up more but it is possible the trinity version can get more modern ? Anyone out there own a trinity ?

I had the same experience with an SLO

Me too. When I played an SLO I thought to myself, "Aren't I supposed to love this thing" But it just wasn't for me.

 

[Meeotch]

I owned the Trinity for a short period of time and returned it. Cranking the feedback knob on the back was key in getting into modern metal territory, but it also made the tones quite harsh. The built-in boost seemed to increase gain but not tighten enough. Basically, even at extreme settings it was too smooth and the tightness was not to my liking. I will say the lead tones were unreal though!

I can second the EVH Kruse mod suggestion. He does his Supersonic mod that allows you to adjust compression via a potentiometer. Boost the blue channel on a 5153, dial down the compression, and you have one hell of a metal tone!

 

[the4thlast1]

WoW , very interesting. Sounds like Trinity might not be a good idea, I have a line on one now but Im very hesitant to get it after hearing you guys experiences. So the 5153 with Kruse mods has come up more than once in this thread. I thought there was some bad reviews about crappy soldering and wiring done by Kruse. Wasn't there some gut shots posted of his work on this forum that looked terrible ? Im just going off memory though.