Most overrated amp ever... pick 1!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bloodrock
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I think it's all about expectations. For example I see ENGL mentioned a few times in here, but I see ENGL's shit on basically every day on these forums. I wouldn't exactly call them overhyped, or hyped at all, there's probably 10x as many threads talking about ENGL's sucking than there are about them being good.

So with that said, I guess I'd go with Orange Rockerverbs, especially the Mk III. I have one, nice amp, but the "attenuator" is just a regular master volume wired so that the pot turns the opposite direction - clever. That stupid little not-quite-a-lie (I mean, technically a master volume does "attenuate" the signal) has duped so many players into thinking it's a better bedroom amp than some competitor's 50w amp. I don't think the clean is particularly special and the gain channel is good but doesn't blow my mind or anything. It has generally broad appeal and is nicely made for the price, it's just not that "special" to me, especially compared to some other Oranges like the Rocker 30 or OR50, or even TV50 or DD50 - all of which are discontinued, yet the RV50III lives on.

I guess I'd kinda say the EVH 5150's too, but I really like them myself. It's just that when they came out they got pretty universal praise and hype, especially the 50w blue channel, and people described them as straight up better than Peavey 5150/6505's. I've had both, and I don't think an EVH is a one-size-fits-all upgrade to the 6505. Therefore, overhyped, even if I like them a lot myself.

Also someone a few pages back mentioned the new digital Tonemaster Fender stuff and I couldn't agree more. I can't fathom why someone would spend $1000 on a Tonemaster Deluxe Reverb when you could get a real tube Deluxe Reverb for about the same price. Fender must be laughing all the way to the bank, selling amps with mass produced digital circuits that cost pennies on the dollar to produce (compared to the sale price). Yet a quick skim of places like r/guitar and lots of people are buying them. By extension I'd also say just about anything digital that is supposed to be "as good" as tubes, like Kempers, Quad Cortex, digital plugins whatever, they are great tools but definitely overhyped.

Oh, and whatever the flavor of the week youtube demo amp is. Like a couple of weeks ago it was the Soldano Astro 20. Barely heard a word about them since the initial marketing push. I'm sure it's a good amp, just saying that there is a spike of hype at release for all of these things and then they quickly settle.
 
jabps said:
Like @RaceU4her I get this but I'm at a point in my playing that I don't want to fight the guitar or the amp. Even remember EVH saying why make it hard. That said I get it, I started on an acoustic, it strengthens the fingers. And I went through a bit where I was all into VHT's, when I owned my UL...you don't hide from nothing on those amps. Did they make me a better player? For me, not really. What made me a better player, especially during my VHT days was all I did was play guitar. I was either at rehearsal, playing live, recording or practicing at home. I remember reading Steve Morse saying that if he took a day off it'd take him a week to get that back. I took that literally, I mean I would take my guitar on vacations lol. At the least I played 30 mins a day even if that meant just going through my warm up exercises.

But again, whatever works. To each their own.
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Ha, I remember being probably 13 going on the family vacation and being terrified I’d lose all my chops since my guitar wasn’t fitting in the station wagon, I remember stoping at south of the border and there was a ukulele in one of the shops I had to run through all the zep and sabbath riffs I was learning with a dime for a pick, luckily I was ok and could still play lol
 
RaceU4her said:
It’s kind of strange they aren’t on more albums
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They only made approximately 3000 of them, so scarcity could be a factor.
They were also very expensive at that time. I knew a few guys with Mark III’s back then and they were definitely way out of my budget at the time,.
 
Beyond Black said:
They only made approximately 3000 of them, so scarcity could be a factor.
They were also very expensive at that time. I knew a few guys with Mark III’s back then and they were definitely way out of my budget at the time,.
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I think most people in the 90s, at least me and my friends thought Metallica used rectos and triaxis/strategy’s, at least that’s what the magazines said. It dosent seem like the lore of the iic+ caught on till later
 
RaceU4her said:
I think most people in the 90s, at least me and my friends thought Metallica used rectos and triaxis/strategy’s, at least that’s what the magazines said. It dosent seem like the lore of the iic+ caught on till later
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I agree, I knew practically nothing of their existence back then. I knew III’s could cop that tone, so I just dismissed Metallica’s tone as “Mesas.” I was a Marshall player back then, and Mark’s were out of my budget anyway.
Around 1990 my other guitar player had a Quad Pre running into a IIB Coli through two Randall cabs and it was horrifying. He had a gf with cash who spoiled him. Lol Also bought him a custom shop Jackson Kelly with the lightning graphic that was the envy of many men.
 
RaceU4her said:
It’s kind of strange they aren’t on more albums
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I wouldn’t be surprised if they were used in the studio a lot from music in the 80s. But it could have been any genre. Not necessarily where it’s used by a well known musician.
Granted they weren’t really around as a new production amp for very long before they went into the mark III.
 
Tone Monster said:
Without being a blowhard pedal booster, please explain to us all why you think the IIC+ sucks. Are you mad that the Black Album book debunked your Bob Rock bad memory theory? I actually don’t think you hate the IIC+. You are the dude that just has to be the contrarian about it. That’s weird. Were you bullied or abused as a child? The amp is iconic for a reason. For many it’s perfect. Anywho, just curious where your vitriol for an amplifier comes from. Strange to say the least. Do you still stand by your dramatic diatribe quoting the aging Bob, only to have Hetfield, Hammett, and Fidleman say that it was a IIC++?
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It’s because it’s not his own opinion. It’s the opinion of Mark Lewis and I guess he must have the same opinion as the cool producer guy.

I’ve seen Mark Lewis talk about the IIC+ in different forums and VESmedic’s words is basically copy and paste. I actually thought VES was Mark Lewis when I first joined the forum because he said the exact same things.
 
Yehuda said:
Have you played one out of curiosity? I know people have mixed feelings about the brand, but I haven’t heard bad reviews of the amps themselves from anyone
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There's probably less than 15 people that have played a Larry, ever. He doesn't have a lot of time to make them between his other hobbies and arguing with customers online.

I have not played one, nor is it likely I will ever play one, but I haven't heard a clip of a Larry amp that can't be copied with a Marshall, a boost pedal and an EQ pedal.
 
Racerxrated said:
Night Ranger also used 2Cs, and 2C+ on most of their albums. 2Bs in the very beginning.
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I think Prince used them on purple rain, I guess that’s a big deal. Lukather too. I just figured Metallica alone would have made them more prominent at least in the metal world, but then again you’d think you’d see more Laneys due to iommi but that’s not the case either
 
pipboy90 said:
There's probably less than 15 people that have played a Larry, ever. He doesn't have a lot of time to make them between his other hobbies and arguing with customers online.

I have not played one, nor is it likely I will ever play one, but I haven't heard a clip of a Larry amp that can't be copied with a Marshall, a boost pedal and an EQ pedal.
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I think any amp will lose what makes it special vs just really good when compared on YouTube clips. I honestly hate posting clips of my amps because they get comments saying they don’t sound special, but then when people actually come play the amps, their minds are blown- wizards being a perfect example. Both the feel and thump of amps can’t be captured in a clip, and those are what make wizards special.

I haven’t played Larry stuff myself, but I know 6 or 7 people who have, and they all have said great things about the amps- some of whom are people who hate the builder. I think it’s a little crazy for people to call an amp overrated when they haven’t played one ( no shade to anyone who does)
 
RaceU4her said:
I think Prince used them on purple rain, I guess that’s a big deal. Lukather too. I just figured Metallica alone would have made them more prominent at least in the metal world, but then again you’d think you’d see more Laneys due to iommi but that’s not the case either
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Yep, I forgot about Prince. I remember one of his 4 C+ Coliseums ended up in a mom/pop shop in Mpls; dude got it for 1400. What a score. It was labelled "Prince #2" on the chassis if I remember right.
 
Yehuda said:
I haven’t played Larry stuff myself, but I know 6 or 7 people who have, and they all have said great things about the amps- some of whom are people who hate the builder. I think it’s a little crazy for people to call an amp overrated when they haven’t played one ( no shade to anyone who does)
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I think a lot of it, at least for myself is the unobtainable status of some of these. Having owned and played some of these that are in that league. Yeah some of them do have the extra mojo. But the lengths you have to go through or the money to get them, it’s just like, that’s it? And whether it is worth it or not, that’s for all of us individually to decide.

I’ve never played a Larry, but good lord the lengths of bull shit one has to go through to get one, that’s a no from me. Then on the used market the cost for them - NOPE. I think the whole him saying the satan was a ripped off circuit too, then playing one and being like even if it does have an extra 10 percent, that sure as shit isn’t worth it to me.
 
Bram576 said:
I think a lot of it, at least for myself is the unobtainable status of some of these. Having owned and played some of these that are in that league. Yeah some of them do have the extra mojo. But the lengths you have to go through or the money to get them, it’s just like, that’s it? And whether it is worth it or not, that’s for all of us individually to decide.

I’ve never played a Larry, but good lord the lengths of bull shit one has to go through to get one, that’s a no from me. Then on the used market the cost for them - NOPE. I think the whole him saying the satan was a ripped off circuit too, then playing one and being like even if it does have an extra 10 percent, that sure as shit isn’t worth it to me.
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I hear you. Larry is probably the one amp besides the blue face vh4 on my wishlist I don’t think I’d ever get because of how long the wait time is as well as the price on the used market- that being said it is the one amp that I want to try that does the modern immediate thing that way
 
Yehuda said:
I think any amp will lose what makes it special vs just really good when compared on YouTube clips. I honestly hate posting clips of my amps because they get comments saying they don’t sound special, but then when people actually come play the amps, their minds are blown- wizards being a perfect example. Both the feel and thump of amps can’t be captured in a clip, and those are what make wizards special.

I haven’t played Larry stuff myself, but I know 6 or 7 people who have, and they all have said great things about the amps- some of whom are people who hate the builder. I think it’s a little crazy for people to call an amp overrated when they haven’t played one ( no shade to anyone who does)
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Lotta guys also say Dumble’s and Cameron’s are overrated without trying them. It is very silly the way guys form strong opinions without actually trying the amps and even more silly if guys actually listen to those opinions. It’s just interference when we’re trying to get real info and opinions of user experience, not guys who heard things from others about it
 
Beyond Black said:
Whether or not it was on the Black album, it was most definitely on MOP, AJFA, and multiple Dream Theatre albums that all had amazing and distinct C+ tones. The fact that it’s been sparsely used on major recordings does NOT diminish that.
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That’s what counts more. Who cares what amp they used on their 1st album that took a turn for the worse. I’d prefer if it wasn’t a c+ on it lol
 
RaceU4her said:
I’m not understanding the iic+ hate either, I love my tripleG and can get very similar tones when boosting, but the iic+ just has that extra depth and 3D thing going on plus that addictive bounce, I just can’t imagine ves not liking one
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No one I’ve showed my iic+ to in person hasn’t not been impressed. The worst I’d hear is that they think it’s great, but prefer some of the Marshall’s in the room and that’s understandable since those were mostly ‘80’s guys. Other than the price I really don’t understand what’s not to like about its sound. It’s pretty damn impressive vs the vast majority of other amps
 
braintheory said:
No one I’ve showed my iic+ to in person hasn’t not been impressed. The worst I’d hear is that they think it’s great, but prefer some of the Marshall’s in the room and that’s understandable since those were mostly ‘80’s guys. Other than the price I really don’t understand what’s not to like about its sound
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Exactly
 
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