Helping my friend pick a new amp; advice needed

[MadAsAHatter]

So the is an atypical situation with my friend. The one and only amp he has ever owned or played over the last 30 years is his Peavey Transtube Supreme with matching MS412 cab (see pic below). The volume is cutting in and out and I've done all I know to do to fix it with no luck so it'd need to go into a shop. It'll probably cost more than the amp is worth to send to a tech to fix. So he's looking at getting a new amp.

Here's where he's coming from and why I'm having a hard time coming up with good suggestions. First as mentioned, this is the only amp he's played for the past 30 years. To him, his Transtube is the best amp on the planet and he emphasized how much he's loved the sound. But he also admitted he has no idea how to dial in a tone. He said he set the Transtube using the "Medium Distortion" suggested setting from the manual when he first got it and left it there all this time. He never tried anything else other than what was in the manual. To me it sounds like muffled farts; too much low end and zero top end clarity. He also doesn't know anything about amps other than the power button is there and you plug the cable into this hole. I was literally explaining the difference between preamp and power amp to him.

Trying to get something out of him for what kind of tone he had in mind for a new amp was like pulling teeth since he really doesn't know how to describe what he wants. The most I've gotten from him is he doesn't like anything with too many knobs or options because he'll get lost with what to do with everything. I think he may want to go full tube amp because he did mention a 5150. But he only has that in mind because he knows the Peavey brand and Eddie played one. And he seemed to get a little overwhelmed when I started telling him about all the 5150 & 6505 variants.

He'll be coming over this weekend to give some of my amps a test drive. Hopefully I can get a better idea of what he may like so I can help him narrow down what to look at. Most of my stuff is more Marshall-esque and is likely on the opposite end of the spectrum of what he's used to. So in the meantime I'm trying to think of some things he may like that I can recommend.

He plays mostly hard rock and 80's metal. Think Iron Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, etc. His budget is at least $1000, but I'm not sure where he's want to max out.

Here's the short list of what I've come up with to suggest:
5150/6505 since he mentioned it.
PRS MT15/100, or Archon
Soldano SLO30
ENGL Fireball 25/100
Marshall DSL or similar if he likes any of my amps in that vein.

Given all this, what suggestions do you all have that I could recommend to him?

For reference, this is the Transtube Supreme and the settings he uses.

 

[Achilles]

Your list looks golden!

 

[DrewJD82]

EVH 50-watt!

3 usable channels that’ll cover all the territory he digs, simple to use, they’re a dime a dozen and if he spends some time searching for a used one, he’ll have $250-$300 leftover to grab some kind of cab with. I scored my head and EVH 2x12 for $875 and saw another head and 2x12 going for $1000 last week.

 

[spawnofthesith]

EVH 50-watt!

3 usable channels that’ll cover all the territory he digs, simple to use, they’re a dime a dozen and if he spends some time searching for a used one, he’ll have $250-$300 leftover to grab some kind of cab with. I scored my head and EVH 2x12 for $875 and saw another head and 2x12 going for $1000 last week.

This. Kind of hard to beat. People very but personally I faaaar prefer the red channel to any of the OG 5150/6505s plus you get the rad blue channel and a solid clean channel too

I’m curious to hear how him test driving your amps go, if it’s a wool pulled from the eyes scenario or if he’s like yeah all these amps suck lolol

 

[HomespunEffects]

Ground Zero Hellion is the only answer.

 

[MadAsAHatter]

I’m curious to hear how him test driving your amps go, if it’s a wool pulled from the eyes scenario or if he’s like yeah all these amps suck lolol

If he says these amp sucks then I think I may lose faith in all of humanity LOL

 

[MadAsAHatter]

Ground Zero Hellion is the only answer.

He will get to try mine when he comes over so you never know. Thought I don't know what Jeremy's wait time is like now-a-days.

 

[spawnofthesith]

If he says these amp sucks then I think I may lose faith in all of humanity LOL

View attachment 27994

Absolutely epic lineup but tell me about dat boogie

 

[Achilles]

I'll take the Purple Rain Gemini!

 

[FuzzyAce]

I'll take the Purple Rain Gemini!

Good, I'll take the Naylor then!

 

[Achilles]

Good, I'll take the Naylor then!

They're going fast folks!

 

[MadAsAHatter]

Absolutely epic lineup but tell me about dat boogie

1987 Mark III Red Stripe DG long chassis. It was recapped and R2 volume added on the back panel by Mike B. about 4-5 years ago.
When I bought it the shell looked like it may have cracked or separated at a joint, but the tolex hadn't ripped. Instead of messing with the original shell, I decided to make a new one instead. Being a red stripe, of course I had to go with a red wrap.

I'll take the Purple Rain Gemini!

This is actually JerEvil's old Gemini I bought from him a couple years ago. The tolex was starting to separate at the seam. It would have been an easy fix, but I used it as a excuse to recover it. My wife said I should do a pink wrap so it's pink/purple like Cheshire Cat and I just rolled with that idea.

 

[MadAsAHatter]

EVH 50-watt!

3 usable channels that’ll cover all the territory he digs, simple to use, they’re a dime a dozen and if he spends some time searching for a used one, he’ll have $250-$300 leftover to grab some kind of cab with. I scored my head and EVH 2x12 for $875 and saw another head and 2x12 going for $1000 last week.

I'm guessing you mean the 6L6 version?? Or do you think the EL34 would be better?

He'll probably use his current cab for now, but I'll suggest he look at something more fitting to whichever head he chooses. Or worst case I have a quad of G12T75's he can drop in the Peavey cab. Not my favorite speaker, but they tend to work well with a variety of amps and would be an upgrade from the Black Widows in there now.

 

[laxu]

BluGuitar Amp 1 Mercury or Iridium of course! They're simple, loud and will do what he plays very well and are within his budget, especially used.

 

[DrewJD82]

I'm guessing you mean the 6L6 version?? Or do you think the EL34 would be better?

He'll probably use his current cab for now, but I'll suggest he look at something more fitting to whichever head he chooses. Or worst case I have a quad of G12T75's he can drop in the Peavey cab. Not my favorite speaker, but they tend to work well with a variety of amps and would be an upgrade from the Black Widows in there now.

Yeah, I've got the 6L6 and love it, though there's a ton of people who dig the EL34 model, I don't think any of them post here.

 

[MadAsAHatter]

Ha!! I just came across one of Kyle's videos that compares 4 of the 5 amps on the initial list for my friend. Posing it here for later reference and in case any of y'all are interested.

 

[Byrdman]

I would start with what he likes to play and music he listens to compared to how deep his pockets are. IMO, the Marshall DLS's are reasonable in the cost department and can go from 60's rock to todays higher gain stuff. Add a pedal or two for flavor and you get a hell of an amp that covers a lot of ground. You can get a new DSL100HR $830 new and gives a lot of flexibility with the 6 button FS. It can also run at 100s, 50w, or 20w depending on his playing situation.

If he can spend more, don't discount the Marshall Studio Series amps either if he can get out to a local music store and try some. I'm 100% satisfied with my SC20H and since I got it, and my DSL100 hasn't had as much playing time because it sounds so good.

If he is looking at higher gain stuff, IMO you cant go wrong with 5150's either.

 

[MadAsAHatter]

I’m curious to hear how him test driving your amps go, if it’s a wool pulled from the eyes scenario or if he’s like yeah all these amps suck lolol

My friend came over and played a few of my amps. He tried my Skeleton Key, Hellion, and Mark III Red Stripe. It ended up being a big eye opener for him on how responsive to playing a tube amp is. He started off bitch picking and had this puzzled look of why does this sound like crap. I had to stop him there and remind him of the difference in dynamics between SS & tube amps. "Now hit a chord like you mean it." He finally dug in to a couple of notes and had his holy shit this is awesome moment.

He liked the Skeleton Key & Hellion, but really lit up when playing the Mark III. He said he really loved the way it sounded and it was his favorite of the 3.

He's still shopping around and is still interested in a 6505. He said he liked the 6505-II most so far but wants to check out more comparisons between that and a 6505-1992. After playing my Red Stripe a Mark series might be the one to beat now.

 

[spawnofthesith]

My friend came over and played a few of my amps. He tried my Skeleton Key, Hellion, and Mark III Red Stripe. It ended up being a big eye opener for him on how responsive to playing a tube amp is. He started off bitch picking and had this puzzled look of why does this sound like crap. I had to stop him there and remind him of the difference in dynamics between SS & tube amps. "Now hit a chord like you mean it." He finally dug in to a couple of notes and had his holy shit this is awesome moment.

He liked the Skeleton Key & Hellion, but really lit up when playing the Mark III. He said he really loved the way it sounded and it was his favorite of the 3.

He's still shopping around and is still interested in a 6505. He said he liked the 6505-II most so far but wants to check out more comparisons between that and a 6505-1992. After playing my Red Stripe a Mark series might be the one to beat now.

Ah a man of (newly discovered) taste! It’s a bummer the III market is what it is now compared to 10 years ago…

I will say I’ve noticed a general downward trend in Mark IV pricing lately…. I got mine for $1k earlier this year which is a bit of an anomaly but I’ve seen a lot more for like $1400-1600 lately, and it seems like that’s lower than what I had been seeing them for the last couple years

 

[MadAsAHatter]

Ah a man of (newly discovered) taste! It’s a bummer the III market is what it is now compared to 10 years ago…

I will say I’ve noticed a general downward trend in Mark IV pricing lately…. I got mine for $1k earlier this year which is a bit of an anomaly but I’ve seen a lot more for like $1400-1600 lately, and it seems like that’s lower than what I had been seeing them for the last couple years

Yeah, it's crazy to see what Mark III's are going for now when they used to be the middle child no one cared about. Granted I paid just under market price a few years ago for mine, but at least it had just been sent to Mike B. for a full service,recap, cleanup and R2 channel volume mod. Seller included all the paperwork. If not for that factored into the price I likely would have passed.

On the positive side, at least they're finally getting the better recognition they deserve.