Fryette UL vs Rivera KR7 vs KSR Colossus(Gemini)

  • Thread starter Thread starter bulletride
  • Start date Start date

Fryette UL vs Rivera KR7 vs KSR Colossus(Gemini)

  • KSR Colossus or Gemini

    Votes: 11 42.3%

  • Rivera KR7

    Votes: 2 7.7%

  • Fryette UL

    Votes: 13 50.0%
  • Total voters
    26
  • Poll closed .
B

bulletride

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Hi, guys!!
I am guy who posted natas vs uber thread a week ago.
I was saving for the natas. But I think it's freanking expensive. About 5k.. :aww:
So, I changed the target. UL or KR7 or Colossus. These are expensive too.
But, I think I can afford one of these stuff pretty soon from my saving.
From the clips, I think they are all good. Very hard to decide.
UL and KR7 are raw, agressive. Colossus is pretty refined. Am I right?
I have 5150 and recto. So, I want to try different type of amp.
Best thing is try all of them. I know. But, you know they are pretty rare items.
I wanna your advice. Thanks.
 
You haven't mentioned the styles of music you play, and what you're looking to get out of the amp. What sort of criteria do you have for a new amp?
 
Sorry. I am a metal guy. Mostly brutal stuff like Cannibal Corpse etc
I wanna tight, clear, brutal tone with no fizziness.
 
UL is cool but I think the Gemini will destroy that amp to pieces.
 
I tried the UL and the Gemini at the same place and the UL was a lot better for me. Maybe the Gemini had something wrong.
 
The Ultralead is super unique and would offer something that you don't currently have tonally, whereas I feel the other two aren't nearly as different from what you already have as to be as useful additions. Something else to ponder might be to get a decent mid gain amp. You already have the amps that like 70% of brutal/melodeath/metalcore albums have been recorded with, why not get something like an AC30 to blend with those. Nothing cuts like an AC30 and from personal experience it adds a ton of character to heavy guitars.
 
Metal1977":2hs67z0l said:
I tried the UL and the Gemini at the same place and the UL was a lot better for me. Maybe the Gemini had something wrong.
Click to expand...

Could be a number of factors. I've had a UL although it was the first run but TheSubman's YouTube channel shows good clips and man that Gemini is freaking brutal as hell.

I'd agree with the other and say the UL might be more unique but if it were me I'd opt for the Gemini.

Also to the OP the 100CL is cheap in comparison and is also very very brutal. The Gemini will cost a lot more though so if price is a factor I would look at a used UL for $1,600 a used 100CL for $1,000 or even a used Ares which is very close to the Gemini for the same price as the UL.

Any of those amps will do what you want for sure. Or be like me and buy an AX8 because there's just simply too many options.
 
I'd also recommend checking out the Randall Satan designed by Mike Fortin.

I've owned several Fryette UltraLeads and the Randal Satan has some UL characteristics, but is more saturated... not as dry with a more Marshall 2203 mid voicing. It's very quiet like the UL and can be dialed in pretty tight if you want. The KSR Gemini has a much sloppier bottom end, more bass, darker, more similar to a Dual Recto or Uberschall... this goes for pretty much all the KSR amps I've tried. The Gemini and K7 are more alike than the UL, but all 3 of these amps are pretty different sounding.

Of the 3 amps you listed, I like the UL the best.... But...

If you really want something different save for the Fortin Natas. But, it is really different, and most like the UL of the amps you mentioned.
 
I have a KSR Artemis (I wanted the rack form factor, and I like the two different lead tones it offers). My experience with the Artemis vs an Ultra Lead is that there was a bit of mushy-ness in the lower end that I wasn't able to dial out. Perhaps tube selection can fix that problem."

I find the Artemis to be very defined and useful, even with high gain. I suspect the Gemini (which offers more tone shaping tools than the Colossus) might be a better choice.

If you don't need the midi-switching features, the Orthos is a better priced alternative model, with (I believe) all of the same features of the Gemini. Kyle Rhodes (the owner of KSR) mentioned to me that he is starting a new run of the Orthos, so you could get into the cue without the waiting list.
 
I have the Gemini and the UL. Both are great amps. I find the UL to be tighter, but the Gemini has more saturated style gain available...not to mention a ton of tone shaping options that are switchable. I still dig the UL bigtime, and both amps are in my top five.
 
No interest in a Herbert, Hagan or Engl SE? Those three amps deliver a lot of great heavy tones. The UL is great but I wish it was more saturated.
 
Thanks guys! I think I should have think hard.
Engls and Diezels...Well I had powerball and tried savage 120 and herbert.
They were great!! But too compressed for my taste.
That's why I hadn't mentioned them.
 
Where do you live? I ask because Diezel and Engl are more expensive in the US while over here in Europe amps like Mesa, KSR and Friedman are way more expensive.

I own a Hagen and tried the Colossus. The Hagen is a great amp but if the Colossus would have been available at the time I was shopping, I would have gotten the Colossus. To me, the Colossus sounded a bit better in the high gain department. Maybe a bit like a Recto (in the sense that it is a full-sounding modern high gain) but without any of the typical issues: no fizz, tight enough without boost and no harsh high-end. Plus it could also pull off low volume. Difficult to describe sound and feel, but to me it sounded very "juicy", i.e. easy to play and a lot of fun to play. The Ares I tried also sounded good but I preferred the Colossus. The Gemini is even more versatile for a high gain sound (but I have not played it).

I did not try the UL which was available in the same store but the store owner whose judgment I trust described it as being a lot drier versus the Rhodes/KSR being more saturated. That "dryness" can be a good thing (in that it is tighter) or a bad thing (in that it feels stiffer). Really a matter of preference.

With regard to the Satan, it's pretty straight-forward metal, while the Hagen and Colossus are super versatile.
 
I live in South Korea.
Officially imported high end amp makers are mesa, marshall and fender stuff in Korea...
So,to buy other amp, I have to directly contact them.
It's very difficult to test or buy amps.
I tried Diezel and Engl stuff in Japan when I was traveling there.
Sometime, I wish I was born as a Janpanese..
 
hmmm. buying without trying is always risky :(

Good luck with the search though. I hope you'll find something you like.
 
Guys how about a wizard MC2 ? Or more brutal MTL ? Its least talked about amp here... but i been hit by the clips of MC2 lately... amazing sounding amp but too high regarded in the price range...
 
hopkinWFG":320nojdc said:
Guys how about a wizard MC2 ? Or more brutal MTL ? Its least talked about amp here... but i been hit by the clips of MC2 lately... amazing sounding amp but too high regarded in the price range...
Click to expand...

I'd probably take the Wizard over all of them.
 
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