The ultimate high gain head for my needs?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Achilles
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I am also interested in buying from a well known manufacturer especially here in Europe and not very boutique stuff (Mezzabarba, Ksr etc). Something with good resale value if I ever have to sell it.
How about the Diesel VH4 ?
The EVH Stealth EL34 100W?
Or the JVM 410H?
I'll check out the Orange rockerverb as well.
 
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Rockerverb is looser than every Bogner. Classic Shiva with right boost can be great metal amp.
Diezel VH2/VH4 is more artifical sounding than most of Engls.
Marshall DSL100H boosted is best l value for money, just keep gain low and boost it.
Fryette’s are great UL/CL are more modern sounding, Deliverance is more organic and direct.
What cab do You use ? It is alpha/omega of guitar sound.
 
Christos rock said:
I am also interested in buying from a well known manufacturer especially here in Europe and not very boutique stuff (Mezzabarba, Ksr etc). Something with good resale value if I ever have to sell it.
How about the Diesel VH4 ?
The EVH Stealth EL34 100W?
Or the JVM 410H?
I'll check out the Orange rockerverb as well.
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A Bogner 101B would shit all over a stealth EL34. The stealth would have even more gain and compression than the Bogner blue channel.

I think you need to just get a JVM and be done.
 
No bad suggestions in this thread. Really hard to argue with the BE 50 / 100 Dlx recommendation. I am never let down by the really impressive JVM clips I hear online. Especially the ones with what I understand are now very well known and not too difficult Negative Feedback Mod and Plexi Mod that JVM players talk about that open the amp up quite a bit. You’re over the pond, but there is a LOADED JVM on Reverb right now with MM Choke and OT, Plexi Mod and Negative Feedback Mod AND it ships in a flight case. I want the damn thing but cannot justify another amp in my life right now.

I do think you would be favorably impressed with one of the new-er Quickrods that has the Drop B+ Switch and the New/Old & Mid/Cut switches. The Drop B+ really cures the ‘stiffness’ that QR’s are infamous for without taking its balls. Still tight and clear, but much more ‘friendly’ for lead stuff. The voicing switches allow the amp to play nice with a much wider variety of speakers than early models which could be very speaker finicky. The weak link is the clean channel - which is pretty bare bones / no frills. But when I add a touch of verb and a bit of chorus to the clean channel, I’m surprised at how workable it really is.

I gotta say, if I was magically transported to the UK, I would find the nicest, cleanest Marshall I could get my hands on and head straight to Dan Gower’s shop. Every clip I have ever heard of a Gower amp flat kills.
 
When I was reading your description, the best amp to fit it that I've tried is the Revv Generator 120. I have the Mk I version, and it would be a great fit for what you're trying to do.

I get that these amps are pricy in Europe, so maybe going for an older model but getting the 120 (as opposed to the 100p) would be a good idea to get more versatility. It sounds to me like the purple channel could be too tight and dry sometimes, which is where the red channel comes in with more bass and saturation. Either way, that amp is a monster, and I'm sure the 100p would be amazing as well.
 
Why no Engl amps? I mean, I don't care for a Fireball or Powerball either and I sold an EL34 SE, but the Savage and maybe the Inferno and Artist Edition would be right up your alley.
The Invader probably not; while CH1 is one of the best clean sounds on a high gain amp (other ones I loved: Mesa Mark IV/V and Diezel D-Moll) and Channel 3 does the Göteborg thing pretty well, CH2 is probably perhaps slightly too thick and polite for your modded JCM800-desires. It does have awesome gain and saturation. CH4 is too loose and saturated though. I hardly use it.

And like someone else already commented, most Diezels can definitely sound more processed (in the low mids particularly) than some of the more organic/dynamic sounding Engls. So NOT the Powerball. ;-)
A Diezel D-Moll is very close to what you're looking for, EL34 or KT77, 100W, 3 channels, but you've gotta love the sound.
I was on the verge of buying one used, brought the cash, tried it out and walked away without an amp. You can't dial out that overly saturated, almost fuzzy thick grind that it has in the low-mids. Engls typically are definitely tighter sounding. And the Savage has enough raw clarity as well, without suffering from the dryness that VHT/Fryette can have. (Sold a Sig:X for chump change too... saw it at some European music store later with a 40% mark-up)

Regarding the BE-100; I recently did a show together with The Iron Maidens and Courtney was playing a BE-100...Great 'bigger than life' lead tone, but waaay too thick, big, chewy and blunt for Maiden-rhythm tones. The other girl (subbing for Nikki) played a DSL100, way more what you expect for Maiden. It would not be my pick for Scandinavian death metal. You need more 'surgical precision' with the right amount of compression and saturation, but clarity and rawness. And clarity/rawness are not the LEADING traits I would bestow on most Bogners or the BE-100. FWIW.

The EVH Stealth 100 is probably a good call too; just make sure you like that plasticy honk in the mids. I tolerate it on my 50W 6L6, but if Engl would release a 2.5/3 channel Savage 50/60 (or Mesa with a Mark V:50) in 60cm head width with EL34's, I'd be all over that in a heartbeat.
Why not just use my old Savage 60 you ask? Lack of switching options I need live. And I've sworn off full sized heads for gigging.

Oh, another European option; Driftwood Nightmare or Mini Nightmare. Tone-wise could be right up your alley. I'm considering the 6L6 Mini Nightmare myself.
 
napalmdeath said:
JVM
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Yep. With the JVM you're gonna get great gain, and a great clean channel but it is a Marshall so that's it's lineage. And from what I've seen they are more affordable across the pond that here in the US.

However I'm a firm believer though in trying everything out that you can. Ultimately you are the gauge. Great example, someone mentioned Mezzabarba and while those amps are a work of art, I couldn't get rid of mine fast enough. And all that means is that amp didn't work for me. Ideas are great but I learned a long time ago that the only thing that matters is what works for me and in this case, you.

Good luck and have fun with the search. Amazing time to search for high gain amps.
 
I’d try and get a Hermansson, with his 3 gain stage on the back and the 5 stager on the front. Tightness is dialed to taste. Can do all your asking. Big advocate for Henric, he is stellar to work with.

Here’s a good clip from Firejack of the amp straight in.


Henrics got examples of the cleans on his YouTube as well.
 
DeathbyButterslax said:
I’d try and get a Hermansson, with his 3 gain stage on the back and the 5 stager on the front. Tightness is dialed to taste. Can do all your asking. Big advocate for Henric, he is stellar to work with.

Here’s a good clip from Firejack of the amp straight in.


Henrics got examples of the cleans on his YouTube as well.
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I figured you’d recommend a Butterslax. :p
 
A Peavey JSX will wipe the floor with most of these amps costing 3, 4, 5 times as much.
 
Christos rock said:
Hi guys and thank you for your help and your suggestions so far 👍🏻
Everything Bogner is too soft for my needs. I play melodic death metal and Gothenburg-style swedish thrash/death.
The whole rack thing is out of the question. Been there done that. It doesn't deliver.
I'm not searching for vintage tones except for the cleans and semi overdriven tones. Buying a vintage marshall and have it modified I don't see to be a choice, especially for my modern distortion sounds.
Wizards, Friedmans, KSR etc are out of my reach and out of my budget. I'm not even sure I'd like the wizard sound if it's anywhere near the Fryette feel. I like some compression and saturation on my distortion sounds. It just has to be in the right amount in order to have note definition on the lower strings. The right balance between sag and tightness.
It also has to sound and feel organic and not artificial like the Engls for example. The thing with Mesa/Boogie is that they have the quality and the right amount of money.
I don't care about cutting through the mix either cause I'll use it home. 100 w is a must though cause I need the headroom for lower tunings.
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If you are playing death metal, you should snag one of those ferocious Engl, as some are made to initiate sonic blitzkrieg mode. I have heard a couple engl that scrambled my brain leaving me bewildered and feeling like I was annihilated by a 100 foot wave. It’s an all out sonic assault on all your senses, as my friend slammed palm muted chuggah chuggahs, I reached out and could feel pulses of death metal obliteration on my finger tips. The engl pushes air. Also had a decent clean channel.

He had a few engl, but two were way more vicious than others. I think they were a special edition invader and savage mk2.

Also, you could ask lord techdeath as he seems to know much about engl.
 
glpg80 said:
A Bogner 101B would shit all over a stealth EL34. The stealth would have even more gain and compression than the Bogner blue channel.

I think you need to just get a JVM and be done.
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I agree, it’s just the JVM is so artificial sounding. It’s like hearing a recording of a great Marshall
 
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