What’s the tightest amp with the biggest low end you’ve played. ?

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Racerxrated said:
I had a purple and red Simul Mk IIIs at the same time. The purple was better to my ears by a country mile. I know the red gets more internet love. Then I found a 2C for 750 at a GC. The 2C wiped the floor with both Mk IIIs in clarity, harmonics, growl, 3D swirl(don't know how else to describe it lol). I know lots of love for the Mk IIIs here but it was like the 2C was a completely different amp compared to the IIIs. And that was before it became a C+.
One thing I will add about the Coliseums; they have BY FAR the best low volume capability of any amp I've ever played. I can play mine at literally whisper volumes while still retaining the fullness of the tone.
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I agree on all points. The mark iii has gotten a little over hyped the last few years and also it’s funny that the coliseum is so good at low volume considering it’s the higher powered version 😂
 
The coli is deadly at any volume, the 3D-like quality to the tone is totally unmatched and already described perfectly above by Racer. Did he mention 3D...nothing like it out there.
 
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Racerxrated said:
I had a purple and red Simul Mk IIIs at the same time. The purple was better to my ears by a country mile. I know the red gets more internet love. Then I found a 2C for 750 at a GC. The 2C wiped the floor with both Mk IIIs in clarity, harmonics, growl, 3D swirl(don't know how else to describe it lol). I know lots of love for the Mk IIIs here but it was like the 2C was a completely different amp compared to the IIIs. And that was before it became a C+.
One thing I will add about the Coliseums; they have BY FAR the best low volume capability of any amp I've ever played. I can play mine at literally whisper volumes while still retaining the fullness of the tone.
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For low volume capability the 2 best I’ve tried I think were my ccv and an Atomica I had, but the coliseums are almost as good imo
 
stephen sawall said:
Tubes always have sag. It's just how they physically work.
Solid state has zero sag. Tubes are just not physically capable of being as tight in the bass as solid state. There isn't anything subjective about it. It's physics.

Your preference in sound and feel is a completely different subject. I much prefer tubes sound and feel. I absolutely prefer a bit of sag for chug. The harmonics from tubes sounds much better to me.
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This is of course true technically and on paper, but you really gotta let your ears decide which amp really sounds tighter. I have still yet to hear any solid state amp sound anywhere near as tight as my ccv, the Monomyth’s I had, the tighter Engls or my Boogie Coliseums. They may not be tighter from the tube vs solid state thing, but either way sound a lot tighter. Also the clips of the Larry and Hermansson’s I’ve heard had a tightness and tracking that again I’ve not heard in any solid state. Maybe it’s becuase solid state amps are cutting corners in quality? I don’t know, but I only go with what my ears tell me. I wouldn’t be where I am with my gear if I only went by technical stuff and what’s on paper. There can be lots of surprises that you can’t predict in reality with all this stuff until you actually try it. I have a bunch of gear now that I would’ve laughed if others had recommend it to me years ago, but then I tried it...
 
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Racerxrated said:
That's a cool rig. It reminds me of when I had a Strategy 400...at the time I slaved my SRG C+ into it, and out into 4 cabs. You want tight and massive? NOTHING was more massive. It literally rattled my windows...and gave me a headache. That was the last time I turned up that much. It was only on 2. All windows were closed and my neighber 3 HOUSES AWAY heard me lol.
That said, when I had a B+ Coliseum and an HRG C+ I slaved the C+ into the Coli power section..again, very cool. But when the amp has a direct 180w power section it just has more of an 'immediate' response than a pre/power or slaving. It's a slight difference but it's there.
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Agreed, I’d just add that my strategy 400 got sold fast and quickly became a useless boat anchor for my needs because slaving my iic+ hrg into my Coliseum’s Poweramp sounded better than the strategy even with its graph eq turned off and then turn the graph eq on and it’s like And Justice For All on steroids. Just insanity, but maybe not the most useable/practical tone lol
 
braintheory said:
Agreed, I’d just add that my strategy 400 got sold fast and quickly became a useless boat anchor for my needs because slaving my iic+ hrg into my Coliseum’s Poweramp sounded better than the strategy even with its graph eq turned off and then turn the graph eq on and it’s like And Justice For All on steroids. Just insanity, but maybe not the most useable/practical tone lol
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Not sure how much it matters, but I think the Strategy used the same power transformer as the Coliseum and M180 but was shared between the Strategy's two power sections. I always wondered if that negatively impacted the Strategy's performance relative to the mono amps.
 
cardinal said:
Not sure how much it matters, but I think the Strategy used the same power transformer as the Coliseum and M180 but was shared between the Strategy's two power sections. I always wondered if that negatively impacted the Strategy's performance relative to the mono amps.
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Very interesting point. I can never contribute to any technical stuff like that since I just don’t know, but sounds like a possibility. I actually also even preferred the sound just my iic+ hrg’s poweramp. They sounded almost the same, but the iic+ just sounded a little punchier and more immediate vs the strategy when I slaved amps into them. Don’t get me wrong, the strategy 400 is still clearly a very good poweramp, but I feel if you already have a iic+ or coliseum you’re probably better off using your money for something else imo
 
exo-metal said:
The coli is deadly at any volume, the 3D-like quality to the tone is totally unmatched and already described perfectly above by Racer. Did he mention 3D...nothing like it out there.
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This is true. The only amps I’ve played that out 3D it are non-metal amps probably because metal amps are tighter and more compressed and those amps seem to squeeze the most you can get with that while still sounding brutal and metal. Still curious to see if Larry could finally be the one amp that does even better in that regard. Who knows, I’m open minded
 
braintheory said:
Very interesting point. I can never contribute to any technical stuff like that since I just don’t know, but sounds like a possibility. I actually also even preferred the sound just my iic+ hrg’s poweramp. They sounded almost the same, but the iic+ just sounded a little punchier and more immediate vs the strategy when I slaved amps into them. Don’t get me wrong, the strategy 400 is still clearly a very good poweramp, but I feel if you already have a iic+ or coliseum you’re probably better off using your money for something else imo
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I agree; I had my Strategy before any of the 3 Coliseums. After I got my first Coli I slaved the HRG C++ into it and I agree, it was a much more 'present' and 'immediate' sound than the Strategy slaving was. Plus, you could take advantage of BOTH GEQs on the C+ and then the Coli; you could get REALLY scooped that way. Lol
 
braintheory said:
This is true. The only amps I’ve played that out 3D it are non-metal amps probably because metal amps are tighter and more compressed and those amps seem to squeeze the most you can get with that while still sounding brutal and metal. Still curious to see if Larry could finally be the one amp that does even better in that regard. Who knows, I’m open minded
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The most '3D' quality to any amp I've owned have been any/all the C+s I've had, and it's not close. The SLO and Wizard also have it but not to the degree of the C+s. With the Coli, it's a bit less 3D than the lower wattage versions BUT if you can put some volume to it, the 3D quality comes roaring back big time.
 
Racerxrated said:
The most '3D' quality to any amp I've owned have been any/all the C+s I've had, and it's not close. The SLO and Wizard also have it but not to the degree of the C+s. With the Coli, it's a bit less 3D than the lower wattage versions BUT if you can put some volume to it, the 3D quality comes roaring back big time.
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Yeah the Wizard and SLO aren’t as 3D as the iic+ imo. To me 3D has to do with tonal complexity and maybe things like harmonics or overtones. The most 3D sounding amps I have are my Gjika, 1980 Jim Kelley, ‘67 Marshall and one-off purpleface VH4 Protoype. My early ‘60’s Copperpanel AC30’s are also similarly 3D to those amps mentioned. The Dumble I tried was in a league of its own and should be considered at least 5D lol. Quite unusual

I’d also add that an original Klon is by far the most 3D overdrive pedal and old Alnico Blue the most 3D speakers. Both imo head and shoulders above others in their respective field as far as 3D-ness goes
 
braintheory said:
Yeah the Wizard and SLO aren’t as 3D as the iic+ imo. To me 3D has to do with tonal complexity and maybe things like harmonics or overtones. The most 3D sounding amps I have are my Gjika, 1980 Jim Kelley, ‘67 Marshall and one-off purpleface VH4 Protoype. My early ‘60’s Copperpanel AC30’s are also similarly 3D to those amps mentioned. The Dumble I tried was in a league of its own and should be considered at least 5D lol. Quite unusual

I’d also add that an original Klon is by far the most 3D overdrive pedal and old Alnico Blue the most 3D speakers. Both imo head and shoulders above others in their respective field as far as 3D-ness goes
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I should add my 72 Supertrem is also right there with the C+; haven't played it in a little while. It goes from off to shattering windows loud...but it's got some great 3D/Harmonics to it.
 
Racerxrated said:
I should add my 72 Supertrem is also right there with the C+; haven't played it in a little while. It goes from off to shattering windows loud...but it's got some great 3D/Harmonics to it.
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Yeah some guys have told me that the Tremolo model Marshall’s sound a bit more complex, but am not yet experienced enough in these older Marshall’s to say for myself. I think my Gjika is still a little bigger sounding and more 3D/complex and vocal than my ‘67, but definitely not as warm or organic. A 100 version of my Marshall very well might though sound as big or bigger than my Gjika. Both amps sound bigger than my Wizard MTL 100, but don’t punch as hard
 
As much as I disliked it's overdriven tone, the DC30 when right on the edge of overdrive was pretty spectacular. Notes in a chord would swirl in the air and swell like an organ as they sustained. Never had another amp do that. I guess that's "3D" tone. But I mostly play overdriven, and that amp was just so unpleasant once driven hard IMHO.
 
cardinal said:
As much as I disliked it's overdriven tone, the DC30 when right on the edge of overdrive was pretty spectacular. Notes in a chord would swirl in the air and swell like an organ as they sustained. Never had another amp do that. I guess that's "3D" tone. But I mostly play overdriven, and that amp was just so unpleasant once driven hard IMHO.
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That's a good way of describing it...its almost like each note has a complexity to it, even as a single note...then when you play some chords it really blooms. Haha it's maybe a little silly reading this stuff; let's just say it sounds better than anything I've experienced. It's super hard to go from these amps to anything else; other amps just sound very plain and boring. Had I never experienced this my wallet would be a lot fatter that's for sure.
 
Racerxrated said:
That's a good way of describing it...its almost like each note has a complexity to it, even as a single note...then when you play some chords it really blooms. Haha it's maybe a little silly reading this stuff; let's just say it sounds better than anything I've experienced. It's super hard to go from these amps to anything else; other amps just sound very plain and boring. Had I never experienced this my wallet would be a lot fatter that's for sure.
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Me too! Couldn’t have said it any better. This is what I think mostly separates “nice” gear from exceptional gear and seems to be the hardest part to achieve. If you get to try a Dumble at volume you’ll see even more how hard it’ll be to go back to other stuff. I wonder if a real Train Wreck is also like that. One of my friends told me that when Robben Ford used his Dumbles they had to put it far away in another room because the sound was so cutting and dominating that all the other instruments got completely buried no matter what they did and that was the solution to fix that lol. The Dumble I tried wasn’t really the biggest or most open amp, but somehow still did have this sound that was unreal to my ears. It also was somewhat dark yet you could still tell would cut a lot yet there was not an iota of anything remotely harsh, grating or unpleasant about it. Really something else
 
braintheory said:
Me too! Couldn’t have said it any better. This is what I think mostly separates “nice” gear from exceptional gear and seems to be the hardest part to achieve. If you get to try a Dumble at volume you’ll see even more how hard it’ll be to go back to other stuff. I wonder if a real Train Wreck is also like that. One of my friends told me that when Robben Ford used his Dumbles they had to put it far away in another room because the sound was so cutting and dominating that all the other instruments got completely buried no matter what they did and that was the solution to fix that lol. The Dumble I tried wasn’t really the biggest or most open amp, but somehow still did have this sound that was unreal to my ears. It also was somewhat dark yet you could still tell would cut a lot yet there was not an iota of anything remotely harsh, grating or unpleasant about it. Really something else
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When you get your Larry I'll bet that amp has a lot of what we're talking about. That's what I've been told anyway.
 
Racerxrated said:
When you get your Larry I'll bet that amp has a lot of what we're talking about. That's what I've been told anyway.
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I hope so. Really am hoping it can send stuff packing and clear up my room lol

It’s very impressive to me how 3D the Gjika sounds despite it not being a vintage amp. If the Larry can match or exceed that I’ll be super impressed. Like the Dumble, the Gjika and ‘67 have that quality where they do everything you want without being remotely harsh or unpleasant. As amazing as those c+’s are, I still can’t quite say the same about them or the Wizards, Rectifers nor Blueface. My Top Boost has that too and maybe even more impressive because it can get bright and glassy as hell without being unmusical. Same with a good early ‘60’s Tele pickup. To me that’s magical to get those super bright yet not unpleasant sounds. With modern gear they will typically get super harsh and grating before getting even half as bright. Hard to explain
 
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