The ultimate high gain head for my needs?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Achilles
  • Start date Start date
Achilles said:
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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Everything about this post says Engl Savage 120.
 
anomaly said:
What exactly is turning up the bass to ludicrous levels? like what does that mean? Most amps have a dial that goes from 0 - 10 right. Is there actually a point where it becomes ludicrous....? what? 7, 8 maybe 9? I'll have to avoid this ludicrous setting on my amp, wouldn't want that. I turn my treble to 8 sometimes, is that
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Guess you wouldn't understand what Ludicrous Speed is either, eh? Lmao

And fyi, ludicrous was a reference to VOLUME. Smh
 
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Achilles said:
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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Maybe check out Rivera amps? I have a Clubster Royale Recording Top and it kills. Doesn't sound like their other stuff tho so not sure. Prob the Marshall as suggested by Napalm. Good luck!
 
glpg80 said:
Almost every high gain amplifier known to existence for guitar use is based off of fenders. The evolution of a circuit is what I’m referring to as modernization. By the definition of everyone’s amplifier collections on this forum, they most certainly do belong in the same sentence because a JCM800 in stock form is just a modernized fender bassman.
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OK, perhaps you are right. But a stock jcm800 is a long ways from sounding modern. Throw a boost in front and you're still not quite there yet, you're more at Slayer or 80's metal territory. Maybe a really strong boost up front and a EQ in the loop would get you very close, but then there's the level of compression you would need. I guess a jcm800 boosted to shit and up to band volume is fairly compressed, but not as compressed as a ENGL or EVH or something along those lines.
 
anomaly said:
OK, perhaps you are right. But a stock jcm800 is a long ways from sounding modern. Throw a boost in front and you're still not quite there yet, you're more at Slayer or 80's metal territory. Maybe a really strong boost up front and a EQ in the loop would get you very close, but then there's the level of compression you would need. I guess a jcm800 boosted to shit and up to band volume is fairly compressed, but not as compressed as a ENGL or EVH or something along those lines.
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You could grab an older 2203, into the low gain input, you'll have a decent clean...then hit it with a heavier boost for medium gain levels, and then boost that with another OD....maybe a BE OD for most of the gain then another boost for super heavy stuff. If you used a Diezel pedal, maybe that would get into modern territory?
You'd have a decent clean, and 2 more gain channels with the pedals. Just depends on the type/style of the pedals that determines how modern you can get.
 
anomaly said:
OK, perhaps you are right. But a stock jcm800 is a long ways from sounding modern. Throw a boost in front and you're still not quite there yet, you're more at Slayer or 80's metal territory. Maybe a really strong boost up front and a EQ in the loop would get you very close, but then there's the level of compression you would need. I guess a jcm800 boosted to shit and up to band volume is fairly compressed, but not as compressed as a ENGL or EVH or something along those lines.
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Yeah I fully agree whole heartedly there. As a matter of fact when I was modding my 74, I took a 3 gain stage design as far as I could go and I still felt the need to boost it for my gain tastes. I wasn’t happy until I went to 4 gain stages. At that point you’re no longer a JCM800 but something else, however I spent years trying to maintain the jcm800 openness that you get in stock form but without the need for a boost.
 
I would suggest the new Bogner Uberschall Ultra, Driftwood Purple Nightmare, Redeseven Leviathan, or Duality 100 RS and the Mezzabarba Trinity or Mzero. If you want high gain but something that sounds different than your current Mesa's.
 
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This is an old thread but as a mark iv is/was my main amp and I like to have something different but equal if that makes sense. The Headfirst Atla is that for me. Mark IV/Atla combo has be second guessing why I have other amps. Having a 6505 is really the only thing I can sort of justify.
 
Racerxrated said:
You could grab an older 2203, into the low gain input, you'll have a decent clean...then hit it with a heavier boost for medium gain levels, and then boost that with another OD....maybe a BE OD for most of the gain then another boost for super heavy stuff. If you used a Diezel pedal, maybe that would get into modern territory?
You'd have a decent clean, and 2 more gain channels with the pedals. Just depends on the type/style of the pedals that determines how modern you can get.
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...but will it chug?
 
I spent years and years looking for the amp you described. I also ditchhed my Mesa and Hughes and Kettner.

IMHO The EVH 5150 III EL34S is the greatest amp of all time. The cleans are beautiful, it can do any rythym tone you want and the high gain channel when desired can be the most brutal unforgiving amp on the planet. I can get 70s,80s 90s and modern tones and levels of gain. The lead sound can be everything from subtle to bold and gain levels from slightly breaking up to infinite sustain.

I like it with and without pedals.

It sounds great through just about any cab you could imagine.

***EDIT I have the 100w :)
 
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mrmega said:
I spent years and years looking for the amp you described. I also ditchhed my Mesa and Hughes and Kettner.

IMHO The EVH 5150 III EL34S is the greatest amp of all time. The cleans are beautiful, it can do any rythym tone you want and the high gain channel when desired can be the most brutal unforgiving amp on the planet. I can get 70s,80s 90s and modern tones and levels of gain. The lead sound can be everything from subtle to bold and gain levels from slightly breaking up to infinite sustain.

I like it with and without pedals.

It sounds great through just about any cab you could imagine.
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50 watt or 100 ?
 
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