MrDowntown
Well-known member
Call them what you want, but I'm curious as to thoughts on the best box for the money.
Something less than 50w obviously, head, not combo.
Something less than 50w obviously, head, not combo.
mudf00t
New member
MrDowntown":1i6ol6r1 said:
I think the EVH 5150 III is best bang for the buck but the Ironball is crazy good
C
CaseyCor
New member
Mark V:25! Versatile and powerful, sounds good at low volume, portable. You can practice with headphones right from the back of the amp, which is nice. The Ironball is great for the ENGL high gain sound too.
Speeddemon
Well-known member
Got them both, and a Mesa Mark V:25 mini.mudf00t":3of7qjr0 said:
I think the Mark V:25 gives the most versatility and if you're US based, it's what, $150-200 more expensive then an Ironball. In Europe the total price difference is about 2.5 times!
But the Ironball ain't no slouch and has a few cool features as well;
-a very useable power soak (20/5/1/Off Watt)
-footswitchable gain-boost that works on both channels
-footswitchable preset master volume boost (ideal for home playing, for a lead solo)
-footswitchable reverb (1 control on back of amp. Digital reverb, but very nice sounding. Way better than Carvin V3M's verb IMO)
-very good master volume that isn't as touch sensitive as the Mark's Channel volumes (where the difference between 'too soft' and 'woah, fuck, the neighbors will complain' is a few wind-blows against the knob).
Imo, the Mark V:25 really NEEDS the graphic EQ to be on all the time, so I find it a missed opportunity that they didn't make a different function footswitchable (like the reverb or FX-Loop).
A nice feature here is that the Mark has indepedant reverb controls for each channel.
Also, individual channel EQ's and the 3 modes per channel are the icing on the cake.
I can make the Mark's CH2 Xtreme mode sound reasonably 'ENGL'-ish, whereas I can't make the Ironball's clean channel sound as lush and Fendery as the Mark's. The Ironball's clean channel is nice (for a high gain tube head), but not Mark-series gorgeous.
The Ironball wins points on having 4 gain levels instantly available + 2 volumes.
As far as the EVH 50W is concerned, that's really a size bigger and double the weight of the mini's, and more intended for gigging. Nevertheless, good master volumes, it will sound bigger and wider and sounds great as well.
But it lacks an onboard reverb and if you want the clean (green) channel to stay really clean, you'll have to deal with the volume boost towards the blue channel (or have it modded). Big plus for me is the footswitchable bypass of the fx-loop.
Anyway, I've come to the point where I thought "if I can keep only 1 small tube amp for home-playing, the Mark V:25 would be it".
MrDowntown
Well-known member
I own the EVH 50 and love it....Thinking smaller.
The Ironball looks to have a lot of features, and a good looking amp.
If a throw out a taste/tone preference of more vintage than modern how does that skew things?
And looking at Splawn, they make the 22w super sport that looks nice also. Not the features of the ironball but 2 channel, footswitch, loop, etc. where do they rank among the mesas, etc?
The Ironball looks to have a lot of features, and a good looking amp.
If a throw out a taste/tone preference of more vintage than modern how does that skew things?
And looking at Splawn, they make the 22w super sport that looks nice also. Not the features of the ironball but 2 channel, footswitch, loop, etc. where do they rank among the mesas, etc?
G
guitup too
Well-known member
Soldano HR25 is the best I have tried. Sounds like a big amp with it's 5881/6L6's and oversized transformers.
Chris6870
Well-known member
You didn't say what type of music you play. I owned a lot of them. The best bang for the buck is the Jet City 22H IMO. The depth mod makes it even better and is simple to do. The Mark V:25 is good too but of course is 4 times the price. I liked the Egnater Rebel 20 also.
Chris6870
Well-known member
MrDowntown":2sr3k2ga said:
The Super Sport although smaller than a full size amp is not exactly a mini. Its more in line with the EVH III 50 watt. It weighs 35 lbs. I didn't like it. Shared eq between the channels was frustrating and didn't care for the voicing all that much.
MrDowntown
Well-known member
play mostly 80's RNR...EVH being my fav
Elric
Active member
I will get dissed because it is sort of a pedestrian, non-boutique deal but: the Peavey 6505mh is awesome. Green channel + Crunch switch == 80s. Resonance control rocks.
F
Fuego
New member
I say go with the Ironball. I have one and use it fir big gigs too with a p a. Killer metal and hard rock tones. Sounds like big amp, better than most of those too. Just turn down the treble and presence some unless u have dark speakers or pickups.
Speeddemon
Well-known member
I actually find that the Ironball needs the Treble and Presence at least over '1 o' clock' position, as it's voiced rather dark.Fuego":2n1fzhkr said:
The EVH and the Mesa Mark will have more high end 'zing' on tap (and I have the EVH's 50W presence on 9 'o clock or lower).
MrDowntown
Well-known member
This (DAMN) kid 
... makes the LBX sound pretty damn good, IMO.
... makes the LBX sound pretty damn good, IMO.
Chris6870
Well-known member
MrDowntown":szha4v33 said:
Then I would try the LBX.
JerEvil
Well-known member
Do you do your own mods? I have a Custom 22H but I am NOT loving it. Seems like it SHOULD sound great button quite there.BrokenFusion":36knwl5m said:
Chris6870
Well-known member
JerEvil":58rl3nyu said:
The depth mod I have done 2-3 times. I never played the Custom, just the Soldano version.
Speeddemon
Well-known member
@MrDownTown, what's your budget and how important is a real clean channel for ya?
Also, do you need the whole head to be small and light, because the Jet City 22H has about the same dimensions of the EVH 50W. It's a bit lighter.
For a real clean channel, the LBX and the Jet City would be less ideal, I guess.
Also, do you need the whole head to be small and light, because the Jet City 22H has about the same dimensions of the EVH 50W. It's a bit lighter.
For a real clean channel, the LBX and the Jet City would be less ideal, I guess.
J
jlb32
New member
Not the cheapest by far but the Soldano Hot Rod 25 is the best I've tried. It's better than most 50-100 watt amps though. Do not really consider it a mini or lunchbox amp.
PBGas
Well-known member
For me its the Marshall mini-Jube 2525C. Closed back and ported, EL-34, greenback. Absolutely love mine!
K
KentC
Active member
Do you need 2 channels; clean and dirty? The EVH lbx sounds pretty good, but if you already have the 50 watt, then another EVH would seem redundant. I've only seen demos of the Jet City 22h on youtube, but it seems like a nice amp for the money that would take pedals well. Have you looked at Panama amps? They have some low wattage offerings that sound pretty good for slightly less than the cost if the EVH lbx. Victory amps also makes nice amps that will get you in that range as well.
And are you set on a tubes? The Boss Katana head is a great price and between the Crunch and Brown settings, it would do the vintage/80s thing pretty nice.
There's always the usual egnater and Orange amps. The Yamaha THR100 head is also pretty nice sounding. A but pricey, but sounds nice from everything I've heard of it. If you wanted something more modern sounding, those little Randall RD1 and RD5 amps sound amazing for the $$. Simple in design, and no clean, but sound great for what they are.
And are you set on a tubes? The Boss Katana head is a great price and between the Crunch and Brown settings, it would do the vintage/80s thing pretty nice.
There's always the usual egnater and Orange amps. The Yamaha THR100 head is also pretty nice sounding. A but pricey, but sounds nice from everything I've heard of it. If you wanted something more modern sounding, those little Randall RD1 and RD5 amps sound amazing for the $$. Simple in design, and no clean, but sound great for what they are.