My taste in amps is shifting

[metropolis_4]

I’ve always been all about low watt cathode biased amps. Especially of the Vox variety. I just love the way you sink into them and the way they give a little and bounce back when you dig into them.

But lately I’ve been realizing I often prefer the solid feel, immediacy, and punch of a higher watt tube amp and even a good solid state amp.

I’ve been thinking about doing my next show with the Simplifier instead of my JRT… It feels and sounds to me like a really good solid state amp. It’s got that immediacy to the attack that feels so solid when you hit it and gives greater clarity and separation of notes and I love those qualities.

It’s got me seriously thinking that next year might bring either a Mesa Mark or a 100w Plexi my way

 

[sleewell]

Just moved from 5150 variants to team recto

 

[newholland]

theyre ALL awesome. im 100% happy playing a hiwatt, 10w of single ended el34, 60 watts of mesa, or 160w of fender solid state, all for different reasons! i always sound like me- so taking that out, each one has different feel- but they all make me want to play a little different. i love a big throttley mofo amp just super loud.. but my little 10watter with power scaling can make a pretty good approximation without ending up with the police hassling me.
so can my solid state with bionic clarity!

 

[FuzzyAce]

That's why it's good to have a variety on hand! I do love the feel of the old designs with tube rectifiers, cathode bias, but more times than not I use(d) something tighter and less forgiving with ample headroom. I like a quick response especially when playing lead. But they're all good, we go through our cycles and it's fun to change it up.

 

[EOengineer]

If you’re looking for us to talk you out of this…you’ve come to the wrong place. I’ve been waiting for Drew to rename the amp section of the forum “Marshalls and Mesas” section. We should put a disclaimer up that joining this forum causes Mesas.

What’s your calculus on the Superlead vs Mark series? That’s a big spread, but there are great reasons to own either (or both!!). The Superlead can cover a shocking amount of ground with a couple pedals. The Mark series amps are obviously incredible.

 

[metropolis_4]

If you’re looking for us to talk you out of this…you’ve come to the wrong place. I’ve been waiting for Drew to rename the amp section of the forum “Marshalls and Mesas” section. We should put a disclaimer up that joining this forum causes Mesas.

What’s your calculus on the Superlead vs Mark series? That’s a big spread, but there are great reasons to own either (or both!!). The Superlead can cover a shocking amount of ground with a couple pedals. The Mark series amps are obviously incredible.

The qualities I love about both are in the attack. I probably lean a little more towards the Marshall because of the extra “character”, but I also love the clarity and immediacy of a Mark.

I’d mostly use either as a clean to clean-ish base to build on with pedals. Might lean more towards a Super Bass on the Marshall side, or at least a Superlead with a mod to let me adjust the bright cap value

 

[Fireproof]

Tastes change. The answer is to have a whole stable of amps.

 

[EOengineer]

The qualities I love about both are in the attack. I probably lean a little more towards the Marshall because of the extra “character”, but I also love the clarity and immediacy of a Mark.

I’d mostly use either as a clean to clean-ish base to build on with pedals. Might lean more towards a Super Bass on the Marshall side, or at least a Superlead with a mod to let me adjust the bright cap value

For what you’re describing I’d definitely start with the Superlead or Superbass. Driving those amps with pedals is so satisfying, especially when you have some bright cap flexibility. I’ll add that if you find yourself never jumping channels, you could throw a low value bright cap (or stock) on the normal channel and use an AB box to effectively switch channels when you want to kick in the drives that fight the bright channels bright cap.

Alternatively a Mark V takes pedals well and is very versatile, and gets into gain voicings the Marshall won’t do. The Superlead is the sound of a million records though. Hard to beat.

 

[EOengineer]

Tastes change. The answer is to have a whole stable of amps.

There’s a point where it gets ridiculous. Most of us find that point in the rearview mirror.

 

[Orvillain]

The most significant shift for me was when I got my Mesa Mark V. Everything before then was kind of a spin on the same core ideas. But the Mark V really shifted my core gain tones, and I really really like it.

Now when I play my other amps like my Satch JVM or my Sig:X, I don't enjoy them as much as the Mark V. I still love them, but this is testament to just how much I love the Mark sound.

 

[deathbyguitar]

Just moved from 5150 variants to team recto

Recto or fucking die

 

[AutomationBias]

FWIW I am a longtime 4-input Marshall fanatic and obsessed over the idea of a Super Bass for ages. When I finally got one, it was kind of a letdown.

Also, don't overlook the Bassman! They have amazing cleans and will do absolutely crazy stuff when driven hard.

 

[MatrixClaw]

I've noticed myself gravitating towards Marshall tones more and more over the last few years. All the amps I like the most tend to be modeled around that sound now. I think, as my ears are getting older, the higher mids are becoming more pleasant and the lower mid amps are sounding more and more muddy.

In a similar vein - I've owned like 15-20 5150 variants over the years and never been without one, despite owning other amps as well. I haven't had one now for over a year and don't miss it. I finally have amps I can definitively say are better for me.

I've also been doing the opposite and gravitating towards lower wattage amps that I find more fun to play at home, especially with pedals which, for like the first 15 years of playing, I didn't care one bit about.

 

[JiveTurkey]

The most significant shift for me was when I got my Mesa Mark V. Everything before then was kind of a spin on the same core ideas. But the Mark V really shifted my core gain tones, and I really really like it.

Now when I play my other amps like my Satch JVM or my Sig:X, I don't enjoy them as much as the Mark V. I still love them, but this is testament to just how much I love the Mark sound.

The Mark Sound is THE sound

 

[bikescene]

I have a variety of amps and cabinets because my tastes waver back and forth.

I have smaller EL84/6V6 amps and small open back cabs for the cleaner, breakup thing. When I feel like playing high gain, I have different options for looser or tighter amps through different 4x12s.

Sometimes that leads to amps getting unplayed for a period of time. But it’s been satisfying to be able to switch up amps for different genres.

 

[EOengineer]

FWIW I am a longtime 4-input Marshall fanatic and obsessed over the idea of a Super Bass for ages. When I finally got one, it was kind of a letdown.

Also, don't overlook the Bassman! They have amazing cleans and will do absolutely crazy stuff when driven hard.

The Bassman is a great callout. It’s more JTM45 than Plexi but it’s still a great sound. GC has about a dozen silverface Bassman heads in their used inventory and they are all under $1k. IMO that is an absolute steal. Anything marked Bassman Amp or Bassman 50 is toneful AF.

 

[metropolis_4]

FWIW I am a longtime 4-input Marshall fanatic and obsessed over the idea of a Super Bass for ages. When I finally got one, it was kind of a letdown.

Also, don't overlook the Bassman! They have amazing cleans and will do absolutely crazy stuff when driven hard.

What was it that was a letdown about the super bass?

Yeah, I might consider the Bassman. I’m not as big a fan of Fender amps, but that one might work

 

[metropolis_4]

I can see where this is headed already, it’s a thought I’ve had in the past:

I want an amp that has the size and features of a Mark but sounds and feels like a Marshall

 

[EOengineer]

The issue (if we want to call it an issue) with the Superbass is that it won’t have the full bite of a Superlead. For some that’s a feature, others might find the SB too polite.

The issue inherent to both amps is that they have to be insanely loud to get Rock levels of breakup without pedals.

FWIW it’s a fairly minor operation to convert a SL to SB. I’m firmly on team SL but like both circuits a lot.

 

[JiveTurkey]

I can see where this is headed already, it’s a thought I’ve had in the past:

I want an amp that has the size and features of a Mark but sounds and feels like a Marshall

A JVM refresh would be