TotallyRadGuitars
Well-known member
These are great threads. I really appreciate some of the choices that are more... nostalgia based? Especially amps that have a ton of utility. I love @Rayneman's 3ch Triple Rec choice, something cool about a relatively standard amp you can just drag around to everything and it just works. Don't get me wrong, love a boutique modded tone monster too but I like seeing some of the more classic/common amps pop up too.
Here's mine at the moment. It was tough to pick.
1. '86 Marshall JCM800 2210 - Just something about it. Love the tone, even if I only ever use it set one specific way. Mine's been converted to EL34's and had the reverb tank replaced with a MOD one because the original was destroyed in a shipping incident (along with a cracked head shell). I also have a 2205 which has the factory Drake transformers and 6550 tubes but that one is much brighter sounding so the 2210 gets the edge, but they are both great.
2. VHT Pittbull 50/CL - This amp actually sounds sort of similar to the JCM800 2210, but a little darker. Super thick and full sounding, and I love the voicing switches especially for low/mid gain sounds. Mine doesn't have the EQ, instead it has an EF86 powered spring reverb, although it has a short tail so it's not my favorite reverb sound - still like it for cleans though. It has a very unique voice that is hard to replicate.
3. ENGL Savage 120 Mk1 - Ripping, tight metal tones but also does a damn good classic rock/modded Marshall sound. I especially like Ch1 Crunch mode with the Contour turned on. Something that confuses a lot of people on this amp is that it's actually a "two channel" amp, and each channel has a mode - the manual confusingly calls this "main channel 1 and 2." Channel 1 for example contains two modes, clean and crunch 1. Main channel 2 has the crunch II and lead modes. Long story short, if you're using the lead mode, whatever you have the gain of Crunch II set to ALSO affects the sound of the lead channel. So, if you have the Crunch II gain set to 9 O'clock, the lead channel is going to sound pretty bad even with the gain maxed out, because the first gain stage is only letting a little bit through. The Mk2 Savage does away with this, all "4" channels have independent gain controls. Personally, I prefer the Mk1 specifically because I have a little more control by tweaking the two gains.
4. Diezel Herbert Mk1 - Just, insane tone. With or without the mid cut, and since the mid cut has the level control, and the amp itself has two masters, it feels just endlessly versatile to me as far as super saturated high gain tones go. This amp blew my mind when I got it, I really liked (and still do) a 5150/6505 but now that I've had this, I think I'd prefer to use the Herbert for just about anything I'd use a 6505 for. With the mid cut in it feels super clear and smooth. Leave the mid cut off and it gets a little nastier sounding, with more grit and cut. I love both sounds for both rhythm and lead depending on what I'm going for. I'm a sucker for channel 3, even just leaving all the controls at noon. Channel 2+ is close too. I haven't fully explored the 2- mode although I remember enjoying it as well as the clean channel. Ask me on any given day of the week and I'd be really conflicted whether I like this amp or the Savage more - my gut reaction is that the Savage is more versatile with a bit more upper mid brightness for the lower gain sounds, which is my preference as a "Marshall guy." But on the other hand, I'd give the Herbert the edge for really high gain stuff.
5. 2006 Splawn Quickrod - the clean channel sucks, the headshell has been broken and replaced *twice*, but damn man if this isn't a great sounding amp. This is the offset input, 3-pre tube version. The tone is super gainy, bright, cutting, saturated, and crazy punchy. Honestly, it's not that different sounding from the Herbert at certain settings, but I don't get the mid cut feature. I treat it like a one channel amp, and I always use it in 3rd gear. I don't love the voicing in 1st/2nd gears or for lower gain sounds, so it's a bit of a one trick pony in my mind. This specific year is important, 2007-2012 QR's had a different circuit and voice, 2012+ have a different circuit as well, and I've had all 3. The only one I haven't had is the pre-gears QR..
Honorable mention: It was really hard to leave some kind of Recto off this list, but playing by the rules, I'd have to say Mesa Mk IVB, of which I've had two and stupidly sold one. I really love Rhy2 with the contour pulled, and of course the killer lead channel with the GEQ, and I think those two sounds are sufficiently unique that another amp can't copy it. I love my Rev G recto and while it''s unique in its own right, I think I could "get by" with the Diezel for example for that type of sound, but on the other hand I don't think any other amp can substitute that Mark IV GEQ-on Lead sound. For those not aware, the Mark is unique as far as high gainers due to the location of the EQ controls in the circuit (right after the gain), as opposed to a recto, marshall, diezel, splawn, engl, etc where the EQ controls are after a few gain stages (which is where the GEQ is located on the Mark). It's also why some people love Mark's and others hate them, because it's not an amp that sounds that great if you just walk in and set everything to noon and start playing - set treble to max and then use the GEQ to tame the brightness if it's too much.
Here's mine at the moment. It was tough to pick.
1. '86 Marshall JCM800 2210 - Just something about it. Love the tone, even if I only ever use it set one specific way. Mine's been converted to EL34's and had the reverb tank replaced with a MOD one because the original was destroyed in a shipping incident (along with a cracked head shell). I also have a 2205 which has the factory Drake transformers and 6550 tubes but that one is much brighter sounding so the 2210 gets the edge, but they are both great.
2. VHT Pittbull 50/CL - This amp actually sounds sort of similar to the JCM800 2210, but a little darker. Super thick and full sounding, and I love the voicing switches especially for low/mid gain sounds. Mine doesn't have the EQ, instead it has an EF86 powered spring reverb, although it has a short tail so it's not my favorite reverb sound - still like it for cleans though. It has a very unique voice that is hard to replicate.
3. ENGL Savage 120 Mk1 - Ripping, tight metal tones but also does a damn good classic rock/modded Marshall sound. I especially like Ch1 Crunch mode with the Contour turned on. Something that confuses a lot of people on this amp is that it's actually a "two channel" amp, and each channel has a mode - the manual confusingly calls this "main channel 1 and 2." Channel 1 for example contains two modes, clean and crunch 1. Main channel 2 has the crunch II and lead modes. Long story short, if you're using the lead mode, whatever you have the gain of Crunch II set to ALSO affects the sound of the lead channel. So, if you have the Crunch II gain set to 9 O'clock, the lead channel is going to sound pretty bad even with the gain maxed out, because the first gain stage is only letting a little bit through. The Mk2 Savage does away with this, all "4" channels have independent gain controls. Personally, I prefer the Mk1 specifically because I have a little more control by tweaking the two gains.
4. Diezel Herbert Mk1 - Just, insane tone. With or without the mid cut, and since the mid cut has the level control, and the amp itself has two masters, it feels just endlessly versatile to me as far as super saturated high gain tones go. This amp blew my mind when I got it, I really liked (and still do) a 5150/6505 but now that I've had this, I think I'd prefer to use the Herbert for just about anything I'd use a 6505 for. With the mid cut in it feels super clear and smooth. Leave the mid cut off and it gets a little nastier sounding, with more grit and cut. I love both sounds for both rhythm and lead depending on what I'm going for. I'm a sucker for channel 3, even just leaving all the controls at noon. Channel 2+ is close too. I haven't fully explored the 2- mode although I remember enjoying it as well as the clean channel. Ask me on any given day of the week and I'd be really conflicted whether I like this amp or the Savage more - my gut reaction is that the Savage is more versatile with a bit more upper mid brightness for the lower gain sounds, which is my preference as a "Marshall guy." But on the other hand, I'd give the Herbert the edge for really high gain stuff.
5. 2006 Splawn Quickrod - the clean channel sucks, the headshell has been broken and replaced *twice*, but damn man if this isn't a great sounding amp. This is the offset input, 3-pre tube version. The tone is super gainy, bright, cutting, saturated, and crazy punchy. Honestly, it's not that different sounding from the Herbert at certain settings, but I don't get the mid cut feature. I treat it like a one channel amp, and I always use it in 3rd gear. I don't love the voicing in 1st/2nd gears or for lower gain sounds, so it's a bit of a one trick pony in my mind. This specific year is important, 2007-2012 QR's had a different circuit and voice, 2012+ have a different circuit as well, and I've had all 3. The only one I haven't had is the pre-gears QR..
Honorable mention: It was really hard to leave some kind of Recto off this list, but playing by the rules, I'd have to say Mesa Mk IVB, of which I've had two and stupidly sold one. I really love Rhy2 with the contour pulled, and of course the killer lead channel with the GEQ, and I think those two sounds are sufficiently unique that another amp can't copy it. I love my Rev G recto and while it''s unique in its own right, I think I could "get by" with the Diezel for example for that type of sound, but on the other hand I don't think any other amp can substitute that Mark IV GEQ-on Lead sound. For those not aware, the Mark is unique as far as high gainers due to the location of the EQ controls in the circuit (right after the gain), as opposed to a recto, marshall, diezel, splawn, engl, etc where the EQ controls are after a few gain stages (which is where the GEQ is located on the Mark). It's also why some people love Mark's and others hate them, because it's not an amp that sounds that great if you just walk in and set everything to noon and start playing - set treble to max and then use the GEQ to tame the brightness if it's too much.
