No idea what high gain amp I need

Achilles said:
My #1 is the MZero's baby brother, the Skill, and I've found a TC Integrated pre-amp type pedal does the trick.
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What about something like your Red Seven I would think that would be tight enough and kinda Marshall / Mesa ish
 
GTR37 said:
What about something like your Red Seven I would think that would be tight enough and kinda Marshall / Mesa ish
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Doesn't have the Kerrang of a Marshall. I know those guys are Bogner nuts but it actually reminds me of a brighter Soldano more than anything.
The combo is too bright and will be sold. The pre is staying.
 
Orvillain said:
Honestly, it is a GREAT high-gain head. The MKIII version has a built in attenuator, which means you can push the volume on the gain channel higher, which pushes the phase inverter harder I believe, and imparts a really cool character onto the tone. Then you can use the attenuator to bring it back down to sensible volume levels. You can do the same with the clean channel and get a sort of pseudo Plexi type tone. It takes drive pedals very well, is very quiet compared to the other typical high-gainers out there, and if you need to tighten it up, putting a boost or an EQ pedal in front of it works wonders. It is a really versatile amp.

At the moment these are the amps I've got:

- Diezel VH4
- Diezel Hagen
- Diezel D-Moll
- Peavey 6505+ (currently with my tech!)
- Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier 2018 MW
- Laney VH100R
- Marshall JVM410HJS
- Orange Rockerverb MK3 100watt

They are all great, and all sound quite different from one another. I'd say the tightest ones are probably the JVM and the 6505+. The loosest ones are the VH4 and the Dual Rectifier. The others are a spectrum in between.

And honestly, I look at my Axe FX III right now... and I just think.... I should probably sell it!

(But it too is really good for recording, so I'll probably just keep it!)
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Thank you for this, mate. Really appreciate your advice, as always. Spot on, and thank you for taking the time to put that together.
 
Achilles said:
Doesn't have the Kerrang of a Marshall. I know those guys are Bogner nuts but it actually reminds me of a brighter Soldano more than anything.
The combo is too bright and will be sold. The pre is staying.
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The Duality head is too bright
Or did I miss that you bought another one ? Lol
 
jonathanthomas83 said:
I have had and loved a Marshall JCM 800 and a Mesa Dual Rectifier. I also had a Mezzabarba MZero Overdrive and Super Kraken but spend guilt got the first one sent back within the returns period and the latter went back because I just wished it was a Mesa. My issue with the Marshall and Mesa was that if I wanted to use them in the same song, for example, they sounded too different and it wasn't coherent to go from Marshall crunch to Mesa saturation.

I've loved the Cornford MK50 II tones on a Fractal Axe FX III and really liked an SLO 100 for lead stuff, but they lack something for heavy riffs, and I found this with the MZero too, it was so good for lead stuff that it wasn't tight enough or defined for riffing.

So I'm at the point now where I literally have no idea what I'm aiming for. I just know I want to go from crunchy to super saturated but tight, but I would like the lead ability too. Which made me think of a Diezel VH4, but I'm worried it'll have a distinct tone that really doesn't sound like what I've been used to for the best part of 20 years of playing.

Any help would be greatly appreciated and it's not lost on me how spoiled, entitled and first world this all sounds. Please excuse that.
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Maybe consider a Synergy 50 head and some modules. 800, IICP, Diezel, SLO etc... Swap them in as needed. It sounds like it would be the perfect solution for your dilemma.

I've had the Synergy system and it sounded really good. I only sold it because I got the rack preamp and found out I am not too crazy about the rack format, too heavy and cumbersome when it's all done with the power amp and stuff. But that's not on Synergy just racks in general. I got carried away by 80s nostalgia and regretted it :ROFLMAO:

I am going to buy the head version eventually though.
 
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AFKAEjay said:
You own an axe fx…so all amp sounds on the planet.
Get a combo with a decent sized cabinet…plug that axe in the return = as good as it gets.
No need for fancy….peavey classic, hot rod deluxe, dsl….that segment comes with good poweramps/cab/speaker.
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Idk there is still something about a tube amp 🤷

Especially if plaything through a cab
 
A lot of people have recommended a bunch of good amps...but what does your cab situation look like?

I have a hard time believing that a SLO or similar amp would not be tight enough for heavy riffs. If it isn't it's an EQ or cab/speaker issue.
 
laxu said:
A lot of people have recommended a bunch of good amps...but what does your cab situation look like?

I have a hard time believing that a SLO or similar amp would not be tight enough for heavy riffs. If it isn't it's an EQ or cab/speaker issue.
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Yes, this is true too.

A small 1x12 combo with a Greenback in it .... meh.

A 4x12 with V30's in it... regardless of where they're from... YEAAAAHHHHHHH.
 
laxu said:
A lot of people have recommended a bunch of good amps...but what does your cab situation look like?

I have a hard time believing that a SLO or similar amp would not be tight enough for heavy riffs. If it isn't it's an EQ or cab/speaker issue.
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I think my choice of words isn't helping, "tight", "refined" etc...it never translates to other's opinions. But for my needs, I don't feel the same way when I play chuggy riffs (again with the rubbish descriptions) on a Mezzabarba as I do with Mesa Dual Rec (albeit, boosted - as we know, without a boost, a Recto isn't "tight" - so that's where my language is failing me), I much prefer the Recto.
 
jonathanthomas83 said:
I think my choice of words isn't helping, "tight", "refined" etc...it never translates to other's opinions. But for my needs, I don't feel the same way when I play chuggy riffs (again with the rubbish descriptions) on a Mezzabarba as I do with Mesa Dual Rec (albeit, boosted - as we know, without a boost, a Recto isn't "tight" - so that's where my language is failing me), I much prefer the Recto.
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It seems like you want some weight behind the low notes
The Marshall / Soldanoish amps have more lean bottom end vs something like a Recto
DZL or A Bogner
DZL is a good choice for that kind of chunk and resonance on the low notes
But it is a bit darker and is also fairly stiff and dry not VHT dry but no where near as saturated as some Mesa stuff

If you want Mesa with some Marshall character the popular Badlander might fit the bill
 
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