Favourite amps in your modeler/profiler
- Thread starter TubeStack
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TSJMajesty
Rock Star
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I have so many Mesa presets now that I feel like JP when he was in the studio with all his amps and described them something like, Varying degrees of awesomeness!
JiveTurkey
Goatlord
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laxu
Rock Star
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What guitars do you use with these and for what type of tones? What speakers?
I've tried to give them a go but haven't really gotten results that make me want to use those models.
JiveTurkey
Goatlord
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All The Mesa'sTM
You can get nearly anything short of metal with the Tucana 3 - it'll get a great clean tone, and enough drive on the lead model to go up to hard rock. I first started using it back in the Axe Fx 2 days, on my every week church gig- I had the model set up with an expression pedal so that the drive would go from clean to scream with the expression pedal, but the level would only increase about a db and a half or so. I had originally chosen the Tucana model to thicken up my old Strat, which could be pretty bright and thin, and the Tucana made it totally usable- added just the right kind of midrange to help the Strat poke through, but the amp works great with any of my guitars- I typically back off the input a little bit with my SG (with Thornbuckers), and push it up to about 2-3 o'clock with my Strat and tele- I think that's the key to these amps- the input control is worth playing around with to get a feel for it. CAs have a certain thing going on in the midrange, and they sound great in a mix. You could use the Tucana for nearly any type of music (again, outside of outright metal). The Triptik sounds great clean, but heads into metal/fluid leads territory in the modern setting- it's voiced to be more modern than the Tucana. Most of the action for these amps is in the preamp- the real deal is so loud you'd rarely get it past maybe 11 o clock on the master in a typical gigging environment (the Tucana 3 is a dual KT-88 brute). I've found that raising the master can help to give a little air to the distortion, if that makes any sense.
The Tucana is pretty flexible with speakers. I currently have a 12L with it, but I've tried a Lead 80 and an M65 Creamback with it, and both sounded really great. I think I actually preferred the Lead 80 of the three- the character of that speaker sits will with the Tucana. I've heard the WGS ET-90 sounds good too, but I have yet to try that one- it's on the list.
TubeStack
Rock Star
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Yes! The JTM45 is so good! Forgot about that one. I like it a lot too, but for an all-purpose amp, I need something with preamp gain.
Also love the Route 66, for another non-MV one.
BIG YES! The Cornford MK50 is my clear #1 favourite and is just perfect, for me. It's the happiest I've been with any of the FAS models. I discovered it by accident, I think, or by looking through @yek 's amazing guide. Not an amp I've ever heard of, prior to trying the model. Love the overall bigness of the sound and string to string clarity and it cleans up really well with the volume knob. Has the perfect mix of Mesa low-mid grunt and Marshall high-mid kerrang, for me. Kind of the closest model I've found to my Electra Dyne, in some ways...
Now this I'm VERY curious about! My #1 real amp has been the Electra Dyne for the past six years now, just love it. It has stood its ground while I've bought/returned a TC50, Badlander 100, Mark V, and the RA100 combo and Stiletto Deuce before it. Did you make the profile? If not, where did you get it? Also, is it the blue crunch channel? The green clean is amazing, too.
If I ever do try the ToneX, the main purpose will be to try an Electra Dyne capture.
TubeStack
Rock Star
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Also, I should add as background to my own list of favourites:
With my FM9, I've stuck with Marshall/Mesa type amps with preamp gain, for modern-ish hard/classic rock sounds, mainly because I've been using a SS+PWR AMP setup and looking for stuff I can use with my band. And subsequently, this setup limits me to amps that work well with Mesa V30 cabs.
But when I first got an FM3 a couple years ago, I was trying out an"FRFR" setup (is that the right way to write it, @JiveTurkey ? 
) and did play the more vintage-y type, non-MV circuits. I remember loving that 5F8 Tweed amp of Keith Urban's, along with the 59 Bassman.
With my FM9, I've stuck with Marshall/Mesa type amps with preamp gain, for modern-ish hard/classic rock sounds, mainly because I've been using a SS+PWR AMP setup and looking for stuff I can use with my band. And subsequently, this setup limits me to amps that work well with Mesa V30 cabs.
But when I first got an FM3 a couple years ago, I was trying out an
) and did play the more vintage-y type, non-MV circuits. I remember loving that 5F8 Tweed amp of Keith Urban's, along with the 59 Bassman.
Jaji
Groupie
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- 65
The Dyne is my favorite amp of all time and is the reason I went the Kemper route. At the time of my purchase, Kemper was the only modeler that could do profiles. I actually downloaded several Dyne profiles from the Kemper community. They had all three modes available, so I got all three. I later made my own profile of my amp, but I prefer the ones I downloaded. The Dyne profiles are the core of my tones on stage. I keep a JP2C profile in the same performance line, but it gets used much less.
I also got a JP2C and recently purchased a Badlander 25. I sold my Mark V last year but have never played an RA100. I am very much looking forward to using my "real" amps at outdoor gigs this year. I've got too many to just let them collect dust. Indoors, though, the Kemper or my Two Notes Revolt will be my amps of choice. Much easier to maintain stage volumes that don't deafen club owners. After all, the Dyne goes from whisper quiet to OMG with a dirty look at the volume knob.
JiveTurkey
Goatlord
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I still want a (working 
) Electradyne at some point.
) Electradyne at some point.
Sascha Franck
Rock Star
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- 6,033
Can't say that they're exactly my favourites, but they see the most use on my live boards, which pretty much makes them my favourites (especially as I use them for recording and home dwelling, too, being just too lazy to switch around).
Atomic Amplifirebox:
- Bman (as a slightly hairy pedal platform)
- Kornfield
NUX Amp Academy:
- Vibro King (clean channel on my pedalboard)
HX series:
- Cali IV Rhythm 1 (clean to very little hairy pedal platform)
- Princess (dito)
- Line 6 2204 Mod (great allround drive channel, working well with additional pedals in case you keep the gain very low)
Given I have some nice pedals, I would never need anything else again, seriously.
Atomic Amplifirebox:
- Bman (as a slightly hairy pedal platform)
- Kornfield
NUX Amp Academy:
- Vibro King (clean channel on my pedalboard)
HX series:
- Cali IV Rhythm 1 (clean to very little hairy pedal platform)
- Princess (dito)
- Line 6 2204 Mod (great allround drive channel, working well with additional pedals in case you keep the gain very low)
Given I have some nice pedals, I would never need anything else again, seriously.
Sascha Franck
Rock Star
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- 6,033
Fwiw, given that I'm usually back into the pedal platform thing, the most crucial thing for me is some kinda balanced overall sound - and that's largely depending on the cab/IR, the amps are only there to kinda glue things together.
metropolis_4
Rock Star
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- 2,910
It’s funny, I’m sort of the opposite at the moment:
I can appreciate the Mesa stuff; but I’m so neck deep in the Marshalls I just can’t really be bothered. I used to be a complete Vox nut, but I think I got burned out on those IRL
Piing
Shredder
- Messages
- 1,473
I'm stuck with the JS410 Lead Red (Marshall JVM410HJS) of my Axe-FX since several years ago. Sometimes I also use the JS410 Lead Red, and occasionally the JS410 Lead Red, but at the end of the day I always go back to the JS410 Lead Red
p.s.: and the dumbles for clean and edge-to-breakup
p.s.: and the dumbles for clean and edge-to-breakup
GTR37
Rock Star
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- 3,385
The Satriani amp is really good the orange is good , but have you tried the lead red ?I'm stuck with the JS410 Lead Red (Marshall JVM410HJS) of my Axe-FX since several years ago. Sometimes I also use the JS410 Lead Red, and occasionally the JS410 Lead Red, but at the end of the day I always go back to the JS410 Lead Red
p.s.: and the dumbles for clean and edge-to-breakup
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- 3,698
LOL I swear I thought I was reading some typosI'm stuck with the JS410 Lead Red (Marshall JVM410HJS) of my Axe-FX since several years ago. Sometimes I also use the JS410 Lead Red, and occasionally the JS410 Lead Red, but at the end of the day I always go back to the JS410 Lead Red
p.s.: and the dumbles for clean and edge-to-breakup
Piing
Shredder
- Messages
- 1,473
Oh, yes, butThe Satriani amp is really good the orange is good , but have you tried the lead red ?
and now let me enjoy my orange...
vino_buono
Roadie
- Messages
- 156
Helix:
Bogner Shiva (similar to Marshall, plus beefy low mids and minus the raspy highs)
Friedman BE100 - just works
Revv - so good
Litigator
Twin
Bassman
Matchless
Bogner Shiva (similar to Marshall, plus beefy low mids and minus the raspy highs)
Friedman BE100 - just works
Revv - so good
Litigator
Twin
Bassman
Matchless