OT Who do you guys think make the best guitar amps?

[Gordon from Edinburgh]

In the UK its generally considered to be Marshall and i am fortunate to have a 100w stack into two 4x12 cabs. - to me that is the quintessential set up - what is hot "over the pond"?

[Ehwmatt]

I don't wanna go into boutique amps and such, as I have little experience with them and they cost ridiculous amounts of money. I'm quite a fan of Mesa Boogies. They sound great, although they are sometimes tough to dial in for people just starting to play through them. The EQ on the average Mesa tends to be very fussy - ever played a Mark IV? Still, an experienced Mesa owner can really get his amp to sing. Also, they're not just for metal. My amp, the Dual Rectifier Maverick, sounds kinda like an AC30 on steroids. I play a lot of different types of music, so amps I've played like the Peavey JSX (Satch sig model), while sounding great for what they were intended for, just didn't cut it in the versatility column for me. Here's my set-up:

A Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Maverick 2x12 combo and a Fender Blues Jr. Combo. I run them in stereo, which really sounds great with both my Ameri Strat and my Schecter C-1 Classic. Delay/chorus effects sound great in stereo. Another trick I love with the stereo setup, often used by producers to tighten up dirty rhythm tones, is when I'm playing more high-gain stuff... ie metal, some heavier melodic rock, is stacking my dirty channel on my Mesa and having my Blues Jr on a clean just before tube break-up level behind it. I really get some punchy, yet ballsy rhythm tones with this technique. I love my two combo set-up and can't ever imagine having a stack. The warmth and classic sound of a Fender, combined with the versatility of a Mesa, is something that gets me a lot of compliments when it comes to tone. I really feel like I have a lot of options at my disposal.

Although it must be pretty empowering to stand in front of that 100w stack and blast through two 4x12s

[Rick]

You can't go wrong with Marshall.

[ProgRocker53]

Guitar tech/equipment talk depresses me.

I've just got a couple used guitars and a couple medium-sized amps.

I wish I had more bank so I can start buying cooler equipment to encourage me to get up off my hump and practice more.

Someday, the day will come where I can say something more than "I run my Squier Strat through a 30W Fender, and by Ibanez bass into a 15W Marshall"

[Gordon from Edinburgh]

.

Although it must be pretty empowering to stand in front of that 100w stack and blast through two 4x12s [/quote]

It is at practice but when playing live the only song i am allowed to cut loose on and play with is Summer of 69 - we kinda do a heavy version of it - but, i'm slowly bringing them round and the drummer who comes from a total thrash background is really getting into Journey - so hopefully i can get Escape added to the set soon. I used to have a small Mesa Boogie and you are totally right - it took a lot of tinkering to get a sound but when i got it, it was fantastic. The Marshall is just great as a no-brainer - you plug in - put the distortion channel on and wire it up to about 6 and it just sings like nothing else. Especially as i have EMG pick-ups which are responsive but a little brittle i think - the warmth of the valve amp - helps to smooth that out tho.

[Gordon from Edinburgh]

Guitar tech/equipment talk depresses me.

I've just got a couple used guitars and a couple medium-sized amps.

I wish I had more bank so I can start buying cooler equipment to encourage me to get up off my hump and practice more.

Someday, the day will come where I can say something more than "I run my Squier Strat through a 30W Fender, and by Ibanez bass into a 15W Marshall"

Remember It Bites? Francis Dunnery - fuckin phenomenal guitarist - prefers the Squier to the supposedly better "real" thing - so if its good enough for him bud........hey man my stack would cost $4,000 if it were new - i paid £330 ($660 approx) on ebay - and it is in perfect condition.....i sacrificed a few nites out on the JD, but it was worth it - i actually hurry home from work to get in and plug in - taking it to gigs is a bitch tho.

[Voyager]

I'll side with Alex Lifeson:

[Ehwmatt]

I'll side with Alex Lifeson:

Lifeson's tone is heavy as hell these days and it works for him. I really like it for Rush's music. Personally, a little too digital/scooped for my own playing, but for Rush? Perfect.

[Ehwmatt]

.

Although it must be pretty empowering to stand in front of that 100w stack and blast through two 4x12s
It is at practice but when playing live the only song i am allowed to cut loose on and play with is Summer of 69 - we kinda do a heavy version of it - but, i'm slowly bringing them round and the drummer who comes from a total thrash background is really getting into Journey - so hopefully i can get Escape added to the set soon. I used to have a small Mesa Boogie and you are totally right - it took a lot of tinkering to get a sound but when i got it, it was fantastic. The Marshall is just great as a no-brainer - you plug in - put the distortion channel on and wire it up to about 6 and it just sings like nothing else. Especially as i have EMG pick-ups which are responsive but a little brittle i think - the warmth of the valve amp - helps to smooth that out tho.

O yea, plug and play is what its all about for the Marshalls. Some day I'll add one to my collection when I have the funds and the space.

[Chevypv]

I run a Peavey halfstack, and I love it. I have the Valveking cause im on budget, but it sounds amazing....

[larryfromnextdoor]

i LOVE combo amps.. what ever i can do to lessen the weight and load..

i hate the end of the night.. with a combo you just unplug and wrap up cords..

2 trips for your own gear,, then back for the P.A. and drums..

i have one sound .. the 70's .. im sold on my Fender 40 watt Hot Rod Deluxe

Blonde tolex!!! with costum Amperex and Tungsol tubes.. the tubes are almost as

expensive as the amp was new... but it screams when its pushed..

overall.. if you want a Marshall with out spending all those bucks , then

pick up a Laney Combo.. its the best amp in the world..

[larryfromnextdoor]

I run a Peavey halfstack, and I love it. I have the Valveking cause im on budget, but it sounds amazing....

oh man.. peavy redeemed themselves with the Valveking!!! that amp is innnnnnnnnncredible.. AND affordable..

affordable tube amps are: fender hot rods, peavy valvekings

ive never played a Traynor,

[The Sushi Hunter]

I think a lot of it has to do with the application. I've seen some old tube amps go for a small fortune simply because the person wanted to recapture vintage sound which the new stuff isn't capable of doing.

[Tom Jrnyfn]

Since a lot of you in this thread are musicians, can I get your opinion on my 13 yr old son's playing? He has high hopes for being a professional musician. As his dad, I of course think he has potential, but I would like to hear what others have to say.

These clips are him fooling around before band practice.

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... 4_0002.flv

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... 4_0001.flv

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... =Alex3.flv

[Rick]

Since a lot of you in this thread are musicians, can I get your opinion on my 13 yr old son's playing? He has high hopes for being a professional musician. As his dad, I of course think he has potential, but I would like to hear what others have to say.

These clips are him fooling around before band practice.

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... 4_0002.flv

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... 4_0001.flv

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... =Alex3.flv

He's pretty damn good. I loved his Eruption. For 13 years old, he's doing great. I hope he keeps it up. Is that a PRS? Looks like a nice guitar.

[AlteredDNA]

Since a lot of you in this thread are musicians, can I get your opinion on my 13 yr old son's playing? He has high hopes for being a professional musician. As his dad, I of course think he has potential, but I would like to hear what others have to say.

These clips are him fooling around before band practice.

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... 4_0002.flv

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... 4_0001.flv

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... =Alex3.flv

You never know, Neal Schon might see those clips and try to hire him as Journey's new guitar play...oh wait, nevermind...

Seriously, he sounds good for 13 years old. I'll forward the clips to a friend of mine that plays semi-professionally, and get his input as well...

[larryfromnextdoor]

Since a lot of you in this thread are musicians, can I get your opinion on my 13 yr old son's playing? He has high hopes for being a professional musician. As his dad, I of course think he has potential, but I would like to hear what others have to say.

These clips are him fooling around before band practice.

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... 4_0002.flv

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... 4_0001.flv

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... =Alex3.flv

He's pretty damn good. I loved his Eruption. For 13 years old, he's doing great. I hope he keeps it up. Is that a PRS? Looks like a nice guitar.

no kidding!!! and who introduced him to Iron Maiden??!!! hes bad to the bone..

oh yea.. Vox makes nice amps..

[Tom Jrnyfn]

Since a lot of you in this thread are musicians, can I get your opinion on my 13 yr old son's playing? He has high hopes for being a professional musician. As his dad, I of course think he has potential, but I would like to hear what others have to say.

These clips are him fooling around before band practice.

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... 4_0002.flv

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... 4_0001.flv

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... =Alex3.flv

He's pretty damn good. I loved his Eruption. For 13 years old, he's doing great. I hope he keeps it up. Is that a PRS? Looks like a nice guitar.

Yes, It's a PRS. His baby!

[Tom Jrnyfn]

Since a lot of you in this thread are musicians, can I get your opinion on my 13 yr old son's playing? He has high hopes for being a professional musician. As his dad, I of course think he has potential, but I would like to hear what others have to say.

These clips are him fooling around before band practice.

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... 4_0002.flv

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... 4_0001.flv

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... =Alex3.flv

You never know, Neal Schon might see those clips and try to hire him as Journey's new guitar play...oh wait, nevermind...

Seriously, he sounds good for 13 years old. I'll forward the clips to a friend of mine that plays semi-professionally, and get his input as well...

Thanks, he's known Neal since he was about 7 yrs old.

[Tom Jrnyfn]

Since a lot of you in this thread are musicians, can I get your opinion on my 13 yr old son's playing? He has high hopes for being a professional musician. As his dad, I of course think he has potential, but I would like to hear what others have to say.

These clips are him fooling around before band practice.

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... 4_0002.flv

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... 4_0001.flv

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... =Alex3.flv

He's pretty damn good. I loved his Eruption. For 13 years old, he's doing great. I hope he keeps it up. Is that a PRS? Looks like a nice guitar.

no kidding!!! and who introduced him to Iron Maiden??!!! hes bad to the bone..

oh yea.. Vox makes nice amps..

Right now, metal is his thing..lol

[strangegrey]

I've played em all...and I've built most of them as well.

I currently run a JCM800 2204 clone that I built myself. I've added some special sauce into the preamp that gives it a little more get up and go...but otherwise, it's a bone stock jcm800 with hand picked components. It's my main amp....but sadly, I need to cheapen the tone with a dirt pedal, because cranking it is hardly feasible in almost any given situation.

I play through a pair of 2x12 cabinets that i built myself, that are dimension and looks-wise, marshall 1936 clones. I've got em loaded with Celestion G12T75's. *the* speaker of the 80s!

On the flip side...I recently picked up a barely used Peavey valveking 100w head to fuck around with. This amp fucking rocks. It's built with cheap ass chink components and labor from the same country...but it sounds fantastic. It's a great alternative to the JCM800 (they both have similar tone) when I want to play quietly.

[Ehwmatt]

Since a lot of you in this thread are musicians, can I get your opinion on my 13 yr old son's playing? He has high hopes for being a professional musician. As his dad, I of course think he has potential, but I would like to hear what others have to say.

These clips are him fooling around before band practice.

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... 4_0002.flv

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... 4_0001.flv

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y237/t ... =Alex3.flv

He sounds really polished and technically proficient for any age, let alone 13. As a guitar player, he's gonna have to dream big and practice HARD... great, great guitar players are a dime a dozen and if you want to "make it" you have to stand out - develop your own style, your own tone, and be schooled in playing every style of music - from the 80s hard rock he's playing here to country to funk to jazz so on and so on (Steve Lukather embodies all of these so well, and not so coincidentally, is one of the most prolific session guitarists of all time). Great songwriting skills always help too. I think everyone here knows how tough it is to "make it" in music... I really think songwriting is the "X factor" that can get you places, especially if you're a guitarist. Does his band write? If not, tell your son to start writing and hone that skill early! There are so many technical wizards and even downright tasteful great players that you have never and will never hear of because they can't "make it" just because of the sheer volume of guitarists out there. You've gotta have something to distinguish yourself, and more importantly, you gotta get lucky. But anyway, don't let him stop playing, no matter how distracted he gets with high school and teenagerdom and the like, make sure he keeps at it. I enjoyed watching the vids

[Aaron]

I'm pretty fond of my Peavey 5150 2x12 combo amp.

[StringsOfJoy]

In the UK its generally considered to be Marshall and i am fortunate to have a 100w stack into two 4x12 cabs. - to me that is the quintessential set up - what is hot "over the pond"?

Wow...that's like asking what the best food in the world is...or the best wine...

I'd say "for what"?...'cause a JCM 800 (in my mind the rock "reference tone" and an amp that I love) ain't gonna work for everything, unless you plug a modeller into the FX loop...The Marshall Vintage Moderns sound like terrific amps too.

Honestly, if money were no object...well, a Diezel VH4 is pretty close to my ideal, maybe followed by a Hiwatt CP103. And Fenders, IMO, are consistently fabulous. Love the Vibro-King, especially.

Sorry to the Mesa fans on the board, but Mesa's never done it for me. I may be a little hyperbolic if I say that if I never hear another dual humbucker guitar through a Dual Rec and a V30 cab in my life ever again, it'll be too soon, but it's not far from the truth. I'll concede that the Road King is a nice amp though.

There are some FABULOUS amps out there though. 65 Amps has some BEAUTIFUL sounding circuits. Check out their SoHo amp. Absolutely gorgeous sound. Their other models are fabulous too. Komet and Bruno make some nice amps too, as does Bad Cat, but they all have their different mojo.

And Gordon...since you're over the pond. Damn man, check out the stuff new company Blackstar is putting out! Those are some crazy-gorgeous sounds. In fact, these amps almost make me like Vintage 30s just by themselves!

And I can't leave out Orange, Rivera, Engl and Hugher & Kettner. And for the money, well, Peavey and Carvin absolutely rock your face! For the wealthiest...there's always Two Rock, Fuchs, TrainWreck and Dumbles themselves.

Just to tour with though...Marshall's the least fussy, and everyone knows their quirks and demands by now. As long as you mod them to protect the OT against the inevitable bias failure, they're durable and consistent rock machines with a very usable set of tones.

Truth is...if you have a decent tube circuit and the patience and knowledge to get into the guts, mod a little, and be discerning about your other gear, I think virtually any amp can deliver fabulous tones over a very broad range of musical sounds. And it doesn't hurt to have Neal Schon's touch either....

[Voyager]

Here are a few of my amps (and guitars):

[Gibby]

Right now I'm using a Fender Supersonic head through a 2x12 Dr.Z cabinet. It's an absolute monster.

[The Sushi Hunter]

All this amp talk reminds me of one very special amp moment lost in time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5paXeKX-W8

[strangegrey]

All this amp talk reminds me of one very special amp moment lost in time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5paXeKX-W8

That's like one of the only issues I have with that movie. They paid so much attention to detail. changing the name of the mall from twin pines to lone pine after marty knocked over one of the pines, etc, etc.

however, in that one scene. Marty plugs a stereo cable into the amp and plugs a mono cable into the guitar. Most guitar cables are mono. WTF?!?!

[Tomulator]

I've owned and used,

1) Fender
2) Marshall
3) Peavey
4) Carvin
5) Bogner
6) VHT

I sure love my current rig...a VHT Pitbull UL with slanted Bogner 4x12.

Tommy LIKEY!!!!!!!!

[Ehwmatt]

All this amp talk reminds me of one very special amp moment lost in time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5paXeKX-W8

That's like one of the only issues I have with that movie. They paid so much attention to detail. changing the name of the mall from twin pines to lone pine after marty knocked over one of the pines, etc, etc.

however, in that one scene. Marty plugs a stereo cable into the amp and plugs a mono cable into the guitar. Most guitar cables are mono. WTF?!?!

Haven't seen the movie, but maybe he had a guitar equipped with a piezo?