Fast, Tight, Dry Amps, What You Got?

[la szum]

After nearly a year of getting my ass kicked repeatedly by Al Di Meola's picking I have
found that my right hand has become smitten with amps that are not as loose, have an
immediacy to them, and really tight and fast. Since my technique has bumped up a notch
I am enjoying playing amps that are instantaneous in their response. No sag or bloom is
good in that context.

I started researching some Engls, and may have missed the mark (pun intended!) with
The Steve Morse Signature amp. It is not as tight and fast as I had hoped. And the Mids
are just weird to my ears. Or what I would prefer.

Some of you (most of you!) have more experience with amps of this nature than I do.
Anything I should be looking at? Throw them out there!

 

[Frodebro]

I cannot make any recommendations as it's such a personal thing, but I do enjoy the unforgiving nature of my Mark V.

 

[sleewell]

Fryette

Sig x felt like the notes were hitting faster and you were out in front of the mix. You hear every mistake lol

 

[la szum]

Probably just need a cranked Plexi or Superlead to go deaf with.

 

[newholland]

hiwatts first and foremost, but im thinking youd want a gainier amp than that- so fryettes would probably modernize that take.

i played a roccaforte 30 watter that would qualify! beastly unrelenting critter in an awesome way.

 

[la szum]

I cannot make any recommendations as it's such a personal thing, but I do enjoy the unforgiving nature of my Mark V.

Love mine.

That you can have Tube Rectifiers on the Clean Channel for more Sag and Bounce,
and then have Solid States Rectifiers on Channel 3 for the Brutality is just one of
the things that makes it the most diverse amp I own---and near the top for most
amazing.

 

[la szum]

hiwatts first and foremost, but im thinking youd want a gainier amp than that- so fryettes would probably modernize that take.

i played a roccaforte 30 watter that would qualify! beastly unrelenting critter in an awesome way.

Thanks! I had a Deliverance 60 II and it was a little loose and a tad sludgy to me. Absolutely
Massive, though.

You thinking more along the lines of a Pitbull.... or a Sig X?

 

[PLX]

Probably just need a cranked Plexi or Superlead to go deaf with.

 

[norminal]

Any of the Mesa Mark amps.

 

[FuzzyAce]

I feel like my Legacy amp is pretty tight and unforgiving. Fender Twin reverb too.

Anything with a fair amount of clean headroom.

Sorry, I'm not helping am I?

 

[newholland]

Thanks! I had a Deliverance 60 II and it was a little loose and a tad sludgy to me. Absolutely
Massive, though.

You thinking more along the lines of a Pitbull.... or a Sig X?

iirc the ones i played were a pitbull and a sig x- both had SO much more gain than id ever possibly need, but they were both incredibly fast recovery wise even gained out! mind you.. i play alnico pickups and amps that give quite a bit- so my judgement may be skewed by that- but those two surprised me a lot with how stiff they were!

 

[Aelred]

Ok, my first thought was "Engl" (mine's a Fireball 25) since "tight" is often mentioned in reviews (e.g. "What's as tight as an Engl?").

I'll see myself out.

 

[Stone]

No help to you here Dave
But something in the Fractal for sure has what you need

 

[AutomationBias]

hiwatts first and foremost

Yeah, I was going to say Hiwatt. You just need a good drive pedal.

 

[la szum]

Ok, my first thought was "Engl" (mine's a Fireball 25) since "tight" is often mentioned in reviews (e.g. "What's as tight as an Engl?").

I'll see myself out.

Haha! I am definitely trying more Engls in the future. Just have to be patient.

Thanks!

 

[la szum]

No help to you here Dave
But something in the Fractal for sure has what you need

Yup.

This was posted in the Amps and Cabs Subforum, though.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

For fast, Marshall 8100 is rad. Not sure I’d call it dry sounding though - to me it’s almost like faster 5150. I reckon VHT/Fryette is probably where you’ll want to look.

 

[la szum]

Any of the Mesa Mark amps.

Should probably just be like @spawnofthesith and collect them all.

 

[SonVolt]

I cannot make any recommendations as it's such a personal thing, but I do enjoy the unforgiving nature of my Mark V.

Marks are the opposite of "unforgiving" IMO. They're so compressed and tight and fluid they hide all sorts of mistakes.

 

[norminal]

Marks are the opposite of "unforgiving" IMO. They're so compressed and tight and fluid they hide all sorts of mistakes.

Not in my experience. At least with the Mark IV I owned.