What is the piece of gear you have been most disappointed in trying or purchasing?

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Nitrobattery said:
Mesa Mark V. I couldn't sell it fast enough. Loved my old Mark III and IV. The V sounded abysmal in comparison.
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Hoo boy, coming out swinging with some real controversial opinions now. Love it!

(I agree with you. I don't think it's flat-out a bad amp but I've also always preferred previous Marks)
 
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braintheory said:
So many, but these are what stick out to me at the top of my head:

Amps: Fortin Natas: it was so hyped at the time. I played just a few powerchords and notes and was immediately disappointed in the quality of tone. Also, almost all the “high end boutique” EL84 amps I’ve tried other than my Alessandro English &1963 Vox AC30 Top Boost

Guitars: Suhr’s, Tom Anderson’s, PRS’s. They all sounded like poly choked sterile city to me

Pedals: Anything Empress, Strymon or Wampler, Black Arts Pharoah Fuzz, Revv G8, Lone Wolf Endless Blockade, KMA Pylon (how could Fluff make that review with a straight face)
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I’ve need liked any amp with el84s as well
 
Techdeth said:
I’ve need liked any amp with el84s as well
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They can be amazing (not for metal though). I consider my 1963 Vox AC30 Top Boost to be one the top 3 best amps I’ve owned (or even tried other than that ‘70’s Dumble lol). The problem is all these boutique EL84 amps I’ve had or tried were to my ‘63 AC30TB what things like the Friedman, Metroplex and others are to the actual vintage Marshall NMV’s. Basically a neutered, sterilized, 2D version of that sound. The only non-vintage EL84 amp that’s impressed me so far is my Alessandro English. He seems to be one of the few guys these days that can actually make amps with organic, nuanced tone
 
braintheory said:
They can be amazing (not for metal though). I consider my 1963 Vox AC30 Top Boost to be one the top 3 best amps I’ve owned (or even tried other than that ‘70’s Dumble lol). The problem is all these boutique EL84 amps I’ve had or tried were to my ‘63 AC30TB what things like the Friedman, Metroplex and others are to the actual vintage Marshall NMV’s. Basically a neutered, sterilized, 2D version of that sound. The only non-vintage EL84 amp that’s impressed me so far is my Alessandro English. He seems to be one of the few guys these days that can actually make amps with organic, nuanced tone
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It’s probably because I try the metal ones .Now that I think about my lil black heart amp was fun
 
Techdeth said:
It’s probably because I try the metal ones .Now that I think about my lil black heart amp was fun
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The Dover DA-20 has EL84’s. I thought it sounded quite good for what it is when I had it, but ultimately was useless for me with the other amps I had. If I boost the Top Boost channel of my ‘63 AC30TB dimed (especially with my Klon) I can get a really nasty and surprisingly tight tone, but it’s still a rock tone at heart, not metal
 
braintheory said:
The Dover DA-20 has EL84’s. I thought it sounded quite good for what it is when I had it, but ultimately was useless for me with the other amps I had. If I boost the Top Boost channel of my ‘63 AC30TB dimed (especially with my Klon) I can get a really nasty and surprisingly tight tone, but it’s still a rock tone at heart, not metal
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I’ve never heard a Dover . Hear good things
 
haven't had good luck with Suhr stuff except his earliest guitar builds.

I had a 5K Modern that needed a sledge-hammer to move the truss-rod adjustment. It was froze. Chipped the finish in the process. Sold it. Never again.

Had a Scott Henderson model Strat that played well, but when played against my BIL's Fender American Standard, the Fender smoked it tonally.

Last but not least, the SL68 head which I coined the "Fuse Blower". A great local tech, who builds his own amps, was scratching his head. A well-built useless amp, unless I sent it across the country for Suhr to look at. Shitcanned it at GC
 
A few years back, I received a very nice looking Suhr modern in bengal with a maple neck and Gotoh floyd. The dealer I purchased it from messed up sending it and listed it as a commercial shipment and it got stuck in customs for 3 months. When I finally received it, it was a defective guitar which I don't care to rehash. I was really disappointed that it even left the factory like that but mistakes happen. Dealer took it back and agreed and it was sent back to Suhr. I was refunded so all good.
 
Considering I'm the biggest proponent of "not everything works for everybody" on here...here's a few of mine.

Again, just things that did not work for me so please don't take anything personal with the comments lol.

Triple Giant - disappointing. Boxy yet plastic sounding. It did see some action for it's clean channel with my Langner handling the rest but it didn't last long.
Boogie Triaxis - lord, couldn't get rid of it fast enough.
Bogner Ecstacy - Didn't like it then, don't like it now. Sorry I just don't get it. Don't think I've ever had an amp that I didn't gel with more than this.
Boogie Dual Rect - bloated mess.
Boogie Rect 4x12 - bloated mess.
5150 II Modded - No, not sure what was done but all the aggressiveness of that amp was modded right out.
Engl Powerball I - same complaints everyone else had.
Framus Cobra - nope, so much low end my bassists pitched a fit at the time lol.
Rocktron/Egnater Vendetta - A really nice platform for an amp. Lots of good ideas, liked the layout, biasing option and seemed to be well made. It just lacked everything else in the tone department.
Marshal JCM2000 DLS - ugh, almost made me never look at Marshall again. And yet sometimes I always think of buying it again, which always end with me saying to myself - dude, you hated it.
Splawn QR - now let me preface this by saying the first QR I owned was glorious. The second, wtf? And that has kept me from buying another even though I've wanted to for years.
Splawn 4x12 - nope, that cab just didn't breath. Sold it to a guy as I was walking it into GC to trade on another cab.
Fractal FX8 MkII - man I wanted to like this so much.
Pickups - Some offerings from Bareknuckle and MCP haven't floated my boat.
Pedals - way to many to list really but here's a few - Drybell Vibe Machine, Eventide Blackhole.
Mezzabarba Trinity - a work of art from a build standpoint. Couldn't dial in anything to save my life.
 
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Mesa RA100. Too nasal for my taste. Had a 10band EQ in the loop still didn't like it.
 
turtlefingers said:
Marshall AFD SE.
Marshall Silver Jubilee.

Both are too thin, no bottom end.
Maybe a razor in the mix, but not my cup of tea.
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Ops I forgot the:

Mesa/Boogie Road King series 2.
6L6 and EL34 together, so it should be the perfect amplifier, right?
No, scooped as a hell and sterile. (Good cleans anyway).

Even my bright "as fuck" Stiletto was more cooler than it.
 
jabps said:
Considering I'm the biggest proponent of "not everything works for everybody" on here...here's a few of mine.

Boogie Triaxis - lord, couldn't get rid of it fast enough.
Boogie Dual Rect - bloated mess.
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Just food for thought about the Dual Recto. I also thought Rectos were garbage for years and still agree that most of them (not counting super early versions) are bloated messes... by themselves. But pair them with the right boost or EQ in the front and they become some of the best sounding and feeling high gain amps ever made.

And about the Triaxis, I also agree that it's awful... by itself. It doesn't need a boost like the Recto does, but if there was ever any guitar gear that desperately needed proper post-EQ, it's the Triaxis. Holy shit is that thing an absurd pile of nothing but honky mids. But pair it up with a decent rack EQ or hell even a Mesa 5-band to balance it out and it sounds just as good as just about any Mark head. As much as I like Mesa, I'll be the first to say that the Triaxis not having a built-in 5-band Mark EQ was an incredibly poor design choice. Using one with it, or any EQ, makes all the difference in the world. I have a Triaxis and when I run it through an old Rane rack EQ, and it hangs with the rest of my amps easily. But without an EQ? Yeah I wouldn't go near it.

I'm not telling you that you're wrong, btw. Just that these two things in particular have great tones inside them that simply can't be achieved without outboard gear. But once you pair them up with the right stuff, you'll get amazing sounds that you really can't get anywhere else.
 
Framus Cobra - there may have been something wrong with it but it didn't sustain at all for a high-gain amp (in comparison to others I've owned). Just didn't fit.

Mesa Mark V - Sold my coveted Mark IV for an off-the-line first run of the Mark V. I was so disappointed as everything I loved about the Mark IV was the exact opposite in the Mark V. I tried for a few weeks and sold it for another Mark IV. I have heard clips of later builds of the V and it sounded better but not enough for me to try again.
 
PurityS.L.G said:
I really LOL'd at this hahahahaha!! Fluff is the last guy I watch for a review or opinion on any gear. His videos feel like they are targeted towards teen musicians.

My votes are for anything made by Lone Wolf Audio, REVV, KSR and Gibson (too inconsistent).
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Agreed on all. I used to be subscribed to him more for just entertainment (like I did with Ola), but that video he made of that awful KMA Pylon was the last straw for me and unsubscribed since then
 
TheGreatGreen said:
Just food for thought about the Dual Recto. I also thought Rectos were garbage for years and still agree that most of them (not counting super early versions) are bloated messes... by themselves. But pair them with the right boost or EQ in the front and they become some of the best sounding and feeling high gain amps ever made.

And about the Triaxis, I also agree that it's awful... by itself. It doesn't need a boost like the Recto does, but if there was ever any guitar gear that desperately needed proper post-EQ, it's the Triaxis. Holy shit is that thing an absurd pile of nothing but honky mids. But pair it up with a decent rack EQ or hell even a Mesa 5-band to balance it out and it sounds just as good as just about any Mark head. As much as I like Mesa, I'll be the first to say that the Triaxis not having a built-in 5-band Mark EQ was an incredibly poor design choice. Using one with it, or any EQ, makes all the difference in the world. I have a Triaxis and when I run it through an old Rane rack EQ, and it hangs with the rest of my amps easily. But without an EQ? Yeah I wouldn't go near it.

I'm not telling you that you're wrong, btw. Just that these two things in particular have great tones inside them that simply can't be achieved without outboard gear. But once you pair them up with the right stuff, you'll get amazing sounds that you really can't get anywhere else.
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That's why I tried to be clear...there's no right or wrong here, just things that don't work for some players. The Bogner, Boogies etc... plenty of players make those things sound amazing, I couldn't.

That said at the time of the Dual Rect debut, putting a boost in front wasn't really common place as the whole point initially of the super high gain head was to not have to have a boost. Since that has become commonplace, no doubt I see how that would help that amp immensely. I'm just long past my Boogie phase as there are other tonal elements inherit in Boogies I just don't care for.
 
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