Whats the best all around amp and why is it the 5150iii 6l6 ?
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Mongillo19
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I had a mark IV for a few years and it was wonderful. I think that would be my go-to
But for real - desert island amp - no pedals - what can do 90%+ of your tones?
Mine is either the 5150iii or the underrated Orange Dual Dark.
Discuss.
Mooselake
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I think I'd stick with my Suhr PT-15 IR. It's maybe a cheat with the built in RL and IRs. Decent breadth of tone clean through moderately high gain, sounds good at low volume and through headphones, and 15W is plenty loud for me. Caveat is I played very few real amps and owned even fewer, so I'm picking the Suhr out of a limited field.
The PT-15 IR certainly covers the range of what I need as far as an amps contribution to tone. But my formative years listening to music were mid-70s to mid-80s so I'm very receptive to the modulation effects that were common during that time and so the "no pedals" restriction means a large chunk of "my tones" are excluded by the ground rules.
For me the true desert island solution is a good top shelf modeler, exactly why I shelled out for one 6-7 years ago. I'd been looking at the latest from Fractal at the time but only had a Helix budget to work with. Bought an LT and haven't really found a reason to move away from it. On a desert island the only thing that would be lacking is the camaraderie of the firmware update vigil threads. :)
The PT-15 IR certainly covers the range of what I need as far as an amps contribution to tone. But my formative years listening to music were mid-70s to mid-80s so I'm very receptive to the modulation effects that were common during that time and so the "no pedals" restriction means a large chunk of "my tones" are excluded by the ground rules.
For me the true desert island solution is a good top shelf modeler, exactly why I shelled out for one 6-7 years ago. I'd been looking at the latest from Fractal at the time but only had a Helix budget to work with. Bought an LT and haven't really found a reason to move away from it. On a desert island the only thing that would be lacking is the camaraderie of the firmware update vigil threads. :)
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I’d be REALLY hard pressed not to go with a Mark IV. That said, I haven’t had the chance to play a 5153 cranked up yet, never mind the various versions of it. Not sure why this amp never jumped out to me, I think I was already deeply interested in Fractal by the time they came out.
metropolis_4
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I'm not sure there is one that could do everything I like without pedals. A ton of the sounds I love come from pedals.
Maybe a 3 channel Dual Rec or a JVM... I've never played a 5153, I probably should some day
Maybe a 3 channel Dual Rec or a JVM... I've never played a 5153, I probably should some day
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My opinion is the MKV is superior to the III and IV. Never played a IIC+. Those modes
on the Clean Channel of the MK V with the added Tube/Silicon Rectifier toggle really
push it over the top. So good. Still have a V, but if I had to choose one amp for maximum
diversity it would be the Trans-Atlantic 30. That amp still blows my mind. How can you
get usable Fender/Tweed/Vox/Marshall/Mesa tones in such a small and perfectly
powered head? Checks all the boxes of a gigging musician in these "better not have
too much power under the hood" times we live in.
Still think the TA-30 is one of the best amps they ever put out. TA-15 is underpowered.
But if I can't have that give me a JCM800 vertical input with a Boost out front and I am good.
on the Clean Channel of the MK V with the added Tube/Silicon Rectifier toggle really
push it over the top. So good. Still have a V, but if I had to choose one amp for maximum
diversity it would be the Trans-Atlantic 30. That amp still blows my mind. How can you
get usable Fender/Tweed/Vox/Marshall/Mesa tones in such a small and perfectly
powered head? Checks all the boxes of a gigging musician in these "better not have
too much power under the hood" times we live in.
Still think the TA-30 is one of the best amps they ever put out. TA-15 is underpowered.
But if I can't have that give me a JCM800 vertical input with a Boost out front and I am good.
Jarick
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Well I haven’t really played tube amps at volume for years but I would say probably a Friedman Twin Sister if I couldn’t have pedals. I think it can do low gain to high gain and everything in between in a smooth and organic way. Set up one channel for edge of breakup and the other for a tighter and aggressive crunch.
I had a mark iv for almost a decade and i loved it AND hated it
Steinmetzify
Roadie
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Diezel Herbert MKII or Orange OR15
U still loving that herbert bro? Awesome
I play that Dual Dark constantly
Steinmetzify
Roadie
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Dude it’s disgusting, it’s the logical next step after the DD.
Glad you’re still digging that DD!
JerEvil
Roadie
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Desert island situation, no way it could ever be the EVH for me.
Probably the JVM410. It does everything from classic rock to death metal with no issues and in my experience, doesn’t NEED a boost.
After playing since about two days after Moses came down from the mountain, I find amps are a “not Mr. Right, just Mr. Right Now” kind of thing.
Probably the JVM410. It does everything from classic rock to death metal with no issues and in my experience, doesn’t NEED a boost.
After playing since about two days after Moses came down from the mountain, I find amps are a “not Mr. Right, just Mr. Right Now” kind of thing.
Eagle
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Anybody using a boost with this amp is crazy.
JerEvil
Roadie
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The JVM? I agree. Not needed at all for me and I generally love a boost.
I own the 210 but play the 410 at my buddy’s shop all the time. Great amps.
Eagle
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You can play any gig with a 410 and just the foot controller .Deserves way more respect.
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