Amp gassing

[spawnofthesith]

Haven’t bought anything in 2024 yet, definitely don’t -need- anything but GAS and all that so toying with the idea of a new amp

What I have: 5153 6l6 50 watt, Engl Thunder, Mesa roadster, ‘76 deluxe reverb

Approximate hypothetical budget: $1500ish

What I like: to be practical to use for my band I need a solid clean and a solid chuggy sound.

I’m also mostly trying to avoid having something shipped, especially used


Stuff I’m looking at:

Ceriatone King Kong - recent threads have inspired a lot of GAS. Not a lot of used stuff out there, but new price is still pretty right there. Also would probably give me the most unique tonal option


Engl Power balls - there’s both a v1 for $1k and a V2 for $1500 near me. Always gased for kne of these when I was younger and I’m an Engl fan in general. I’ve often heard claims of the V1 getting lost in a the mix online there’s also a v1 fireball for a mere $600 with a bit of a drive

Mark IV combo - very interested in doing this potentially. Not a fan of the fact that it’s a combo, would probably convert but there’s one for $1450 locally which seems like a no brainer price

If I broke my not wanting to ship I could also possibly get like an Engl Blackmore which I’ve always wanted

I found a pittbull 50cl locally for $1500 that I’m tempted by, I had one for a long time and really loved that amp, but I also feel compelled to go in a direction of something I haven’t tried before

Also considering doing something out of left field like a Dr Z. But obviously I wouldn’t have a high gain sound baked in

GGF thoughts? Anything else I should be considering ?

 

[la szum]

You already know what you want to do. The rest is just idle chatter!!!

 

[JiveTurkey]

What sucks is $1500 isn't near as useful as it used to be. I'd probably go King Kong or the Blackmore

 

[AutomationBias]

Also considering doing something out of left field like a Dr Z. But obviously I wouldn’t have a high gain sound baked in

CAZ-45?

 

[spawnofthesith]

You already know what you want to do. The rest is just idle chatter!!!

Mark IV does seem to be the smartest move….king kong initiated my gas but those are readily available

 

[gearJunkie]

Getting the Ceriatone King Kong 50 was the best gear choice I've made, followed closely by the Fillmore 50 combo.

 

[la szum]

Mark IV is destined to increase in value over time, so there is that, too?

 

[TubeStack]

 

[DrewJD82]

If you haven't owned a Mark yet, go for a Mark.

 

[spawnofthesith]

If you haven't owned a Mark yet, go for a Mark.

I’ve owned a III and a V in the past, love them both. Always wanted to spin a IV

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

The rest is just idle chatter!!!

“If you ain’t talkin’ money then your chatter don’t matter!” - Naughty by Nature

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Oh shit. I’ve had the lyric wrong for years.

 

[Whizzinby]

Engl Power balls - there’s both a v1 for $1k and a V2 for $1500 near me. Always gased for kne of these when I was younger and I’m an Engl fan in general. I’ve often heard claims of the V1 getting lost in a the mix online there’s also a v1 fireball for a mere $600 with a bit of a drive

People are idiots. Turn up the mids.

I’ve owned a Synergy PB module and a Fireball 100 amp and neither are scooped unless you dial them scooped. The FB you have to turn the mid knob to like 2-3oclock to really have it fill in, but if you’re in the “dials must be around noon or something is wrong camp” you then go online and talk about it getting lost in the mix.

BTW $600 for a FB100 is a steal. Like so low that I’d be worried something is wrong with it, but I’d buy instantly if not. Killer amp.

 

[spawnofthesith]

People are idiots. Turn up the mids.

I’ve owned a Synergy PB module and a Fireball 100 amp and neither are scooped unless you dial them scooped. The FB you have to turn the mid knob to like 2-3oclock to really have it fill in, but if you’re in the “dials must be around noon or something is wrong camp” you then go online and talk about it getting lost in the mix.

BTW $600 for a FB100 is a steal. Like so low that I’d be worried something is wrong with it, but I’d buy instantly if not. Killer amp.

Yeah I kinda fell in love with the og powerballs seeing the hem love and I always was sus of those complaints. I haven’t heard the “gets lost in the. O comments as much with the version 2 stuff

To clarify, it’s the original 60 watt fireball for $600 not the 100. Still sounds like a good deal either way. It’s down in fuckin Pueblo tho so I’m sure that market is part of why it’s listed at that price lol

 

[RaceU4her]

for a couple hundred more you could get a new PRS MT100, ive liked what ive heard from that thing

 

[2dor]

Practical to use with a band: you probably need a channel switcher or at least a good fx loop for 4cm.

Some good suggestions here already. Curious what you decide upon.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Different thought RE: Marks.


They do sound awesome. But all the modes I like are on the same channels and therefore not switchable. Also; loop levels are drastically different between channels at the same general wattage and relative master settings. So both of those for me were quite a big blow in the versatility column.

 

[spawnofthesith]

Different thought RE: Marks.


They do sound awesome. But all the modes I like are on the same channels and therefore not switchable. Also; loop levels are drastically different between channels at the same general wattage and relative master settings. So both of those for me were quite a big blow in the versatility column.

Mark IV predates those newfangled modes so sidesteps the potential issues entirely

If the loop levels change with channel that might present an issue with my looper. I'm hoping maybe be an older loop and no modes might avoid that situation. I might contact mesa and ask, I know I ran into that with my roadster (although only on modern mode) and when I asked mesa about it they also confirmed the Mark VII behaved like that as well


I’m still leaning the heaviest towards it. It’s super clean looking and while $1450 isn’t unheard of it’s definitely getting rare I see them at this price

 

[JiveTurkey]

Mark IV predates those newfangled modes so sidesteps the potential issues entirely

If the loop levels change with channel that might present an issue with my looper. I'm hoping maybe be an older loop and no modes might avoid that situation. I might contact mesa and ask, I know I ran into that with my roadster (although only on modern mode) and when I asked mesa about it they also confirmed the Mark VII behaved like that as well


I’m still leaning the heaviest towards it. It’s super clean looking and while $1450 isn’t unheard of it’s definitely getting rare I see them at this price

View attachment 19169

Those are all good things, imo. That combo looks killer as well! I guess the last question would be the weight but I think you said you would build a headshell or buy one so that negates that. Guess it's time to buy

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Those are all good things, imo. That combo looks killer as well! I guess the last question would be the weight but I think you said you would build a headshell or buy one so that negates that. Guess it's time to buy

Piggy-backing on this, if part of the purchase motivation is "this thing is going to keep getting more valuable" -- is the plan to keep the combo cabinet after rehoming the chassis in a headshell? I would think the value proposition would only be present if in either the OG combo cab, or if the headshell is an actual Mesa/Boogie unit? Though at $1400 maybe all that thinking is out the window given what I'm seeing for head prices currently.