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

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dyllheaven88
  • Start date Start date
ErikT said:
That power amp looks baaaaad. I bet it destroys.
Click to expand...

its interesting because for a lot of amps, I prefer a smaller power section (I like 50 watt Marshalls over their 100 watt counterparts, and I like the Dual Rec over the Triple). But this thing has been the exception. It's not stiff or "hollow" in the midrange. It sounds like what I like about the Mark amps but more of it.

I'd assumed a lot of the Coliseum talk in this thread was just hype, but after this experience I suspect that those Coliseum amps really are something pretty damn cool. Sucks that you use to be able to buy a III Coliseum for like $1200 and I never bothered 😭
 
cardinal said:
its interesting because for a lot of amps, I prefer a smaller power section (I like 50 watt Marshalls over their 100 watt counterparts, and I like the Dual Rec over the Triple). But this thing has been the exception. It's not stiff or "hollow" in the midrange. It sounds like what I like about the Mark amps but more of it.

I'd assumed a lot of the Coliseum talk in this thread was just hype, but after this experience I suspect that those Coliseum amps really are something pretty damn cool. Sucks that you use to be able to buy a III Coliseum for like $1200 and I never bothered 😭
Click to expand...
The Coliseum is cool, they are obscenely loud and push evms into an interesting area where the normal mark just can’t. That being said there is a bit of overhype being placed on them, it’s a very similar amp just with more headroom and volume. Tonally it’s very similar. If anything the half power to simul models (coliseum and regular) have more difference to the tone and response than simul 75w and simul 150w
 
Holy-diver said:
The Coliseum is cool, they are obscenely loud and push evms into an interesting area where the normal mark just can’t. That being said there is a bit of overhype being placed on them, it’s a very similar amp just with more headroom and volume. Tonally it’s very similar. If anything the half power to simul models (coliseum and regular) have more difference to the tone and response than simul 75w and simul 150w
Click to expand...
In person I’ve always liked the coliseums more since they seem to just have more of everything. I don’t know what it is though, but I seemed to get better recorded sounds with my regular c+ hrg when I used them in my friend’s reampings
 
braintheory said:
In person I’ve always liked the coliseums more since they seem to just have more of everything. I don’t know what it is though, but I seemed to get better recorded sounds with my regular c+ hrg when I used them in my friend’s reampings
Click to expand...
That makes sense from my experience too. The coliseum was fun to play with in person but probably the best sounding iii I had was an hrg red stripe. The khrg purple stripe was also close to the top but I think that the red stripe is just better sounding than the purple
 
I would love to play one some day.

I love playing different amps, I just don't like flipping.
 
If you absolutely can’t use a boost or EQ pedal, I’d say a Mesa Mark or one of the higher gain ENGLs will be your best bet.

However, if your absolute top priority is an equal mix of high gain and tight but huge low end and you’re willing to use an EQ pedal, the tightest rig you’re going to find is probably a high gain solid state amp like a Randall with an EQ pedal going into the amp to cut bass if necessary.

I have a Randall RG1503H with a simple Boss GE7 cutting a ton of low end and boosting the overall level of the guitar going into the amp. I’ve never played anything close to being as tight and clear. Yes you’ll probably want yet another EQ in the loop to fine tune it just a bit, as well as a noise gate, but under those conditions, due to its solid state-ness, the rig is basically infinitely tight despite being absurdly high gain.
 
Last edited:
My experience also is solid state is capable of way way tighter than any tube amp.
 
MetalHeadMike said:
I've owned a Marshall valvestate 8100 and a Vh140c and I've had many many tube amps that were much tighter.
Click to expand...
Valvestate is a hybrid tube preamp and I never got a very good sound out of any of them. Never tried that Ampeg.
 
One thing worth trying for this type of thing: high-pass filter. The VFE Standout can be used for this, but companies like Broughton and other more bass-guitar oriented companies make dedicated high-pass filters.

I use to run one in front of a Rectifier. You can push the amp's bass EQ really hard, but roll up the high-pass to completely cut the rumble and such.
 
Galien Kruger, LAB series, Quilter Labs, Rockman, Yamaha, Hughes and Kettner and Randall are the solid state amps I'm talking about.

Personally I only use tubes....but am familiar with these solid state amps. Galien Kruger is probably my favorite.

As mentioned the VFE Standout can make any amp very tight.
 
MetalHeadMike said:
I've owned a Marshall valvestate 8100 and a Vh140c and I've had many many tube amps that were much tighter.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I’ve tried them all with solid state stuff and some can be tight, but definitely not as tight as the tightest tube amps I’ve tried. Maybe if all other things were equal besides tube vs solid state they might be as tight or tighter, but have yet to try any solid state yet that I consider to be super tight

I’ve had an ISP Theta, 1986 Randall RG100ES, tried the other Randall Solid States and hybrids as well, tried the Ampeg VH140c, Dime amp, Ibanez TBX150H, Marshall Valvestates and ModeFour (I know hybrid) and lots of others I’m blanking on. Some of them can sound very good for the money, but far from being the tightest amps or anything really great. Most of them sounded good on their own, but came off thin, plastic-y and undefined when AB’ed with a semi decent high gain tube amp
 
I’m currently running a Randall v2 with a low pass filter haha ! Hitting it with a stl Andy james pre amp . Has a ton of low end but still a little looser feeling .
 
Speaking of solid state…
You guys should really try the Pearce G2R If you ever have a chance… It sounds and feels better and tighter than most of the tube amplifiers talked about on this forum👍
 
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.
 
cardinal said:
its interesting because for a lot of amps, I prefer a smaller power section (I like 50 watt Marshalls over their 100 watt counterparts, and I like the Dual Rec over the Triple). But this thing has been the exception. It's not stiff or "hollow" in the midrange. It sounds like what I like about the Mark amps but more of it.

I'd assumed a lot of the Coliseum talk in this thread was just hype, but after this experience I suspect that those Coliseum amps really are something pretty damn cool. Sucks that you use to be able to buy a III Coliseum for like $1200 and I never bothered 😭
Click to expand...
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.
 
Holy-diver said:
That makes sense from my experience too. The coliseum was fun to play with in person but probably the best sounding iii I had was an hrg red stripe. The khrg purple stripe was also close to the top but I think that the red stripe is just better sounding than the purple
Click to expand...
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.
 
exo-metal said:
As a friend to the shop I will not do that. Trying to find what I have, let me look but in the meantime I just learned of another output tube rated higher than the STR415, the Tung-Sol 7581A. I asked Mike about running KT88s and he gave the thumbs down so this may be the answer for the tightest low end a power section could ask for.
Click to expand...
Using the 7581a can add 30w to the Coli...non simul will go from 180-210. Oh holy hell....
 
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.
Click to expand...
+1000 I like a bit of tube sag for the chug. Otherwise, it can sound artificial and loses harmonics. Never ABY's tube and solid state amp back to back though.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top