A plug & Play amp!!!! Please help me :P

[webstersp]

I spend the last week playing with my Mark IV medium head.
Yeah it is a great sounding amp but...
I find it so hard to dial the sound you want!
I'm begining to think that this amp is not really for me!

I'm looking for an easy amp.. You just plug it in and BAM here you go!!
I need an amo taht can sound good at bedrromr level, at practice level and at a show of 150-300 people!!

Any ideas for me!??
(playing punk rock like pennywise, NoFx etc)

 

[camsna]

Orange Rockerverb 50.
Marshall JCM 900 (dual-reverb, 50 watt version)

Most plug-n-play amps I've ever plugged and played!

 

[jdurso]

i'd say try the stiletto or the express 5:50. both are very very good plug and play amps and if you're playing punk i'd say go for a stiletto.

 

[SBG200]

i'd say try the stiletto or the express 5:50. both are very very good plug and play amps and if you're playing punk i'd say go for a stiletto.

I agree w/the Stiletto. There is really no "dialing in" with that amp. Just move the knobs to taste, but they're not gonna have much effect.

 

[webstersp]

A guy offers me a Rivera K-Tre head against my Mark IV, is that a good deal??

 

[UltraGary]

I went through the exact same feelings with the MkIVs & Road Kings, etc.... (though awesome amps!).

I plugged into a Trem-O-Verb 2x12 combo a couple months ago and BAM, instant tones....easily! Now it's mine and it probably always will be. Totally simple to dial in stuff at home, and then quickly get it right back to 'band settings' without much thought or worry.

 

[jdurso]

A guy offers me a Rivera K-Tre head against my Mark IV, is that a good deal??

kTre sells for 2400.... mark iv when in production went for around 1700... so based on value alone its a good trade but what i would look at is resale value. if you dont like it if you can get what you can get for a mark iv then i'd say its a no go. i would say if you can go try a stiletto to see if you dig it because you could sell your mark iv for around 1200-1250 and buy a used stiletto for around 1000-1100 and you can either save the extra money or splurge on a nide pedal or some good cables.

 

[plumptone]

DC-3. Doesn't get much easier. Two completely independent channels each with individual output volume levels for balancing, plus a master output level, plus graphic eq. Find your tone, set it, leave it. Plug in and play.

Just my $0.02

 

[ja22y]

MK I, II, or III. It's also 'period correct' for punk. The Clash used them back then (MK III I think).
Or non-master volume Marshall. Just use your guitar volume to clean it up or go high gain.

 

[ja22y]

MK I, II, or III. The Clash used them back then (MK III I think).
Or non-master volume Marshall. Just use your guitar volume to clean it up or go high gain.
Those are also 'period correct' for punk.

 

[webstersp]

I decided to give it another try.
I will buy a 2x12 avatar or used recto cab clsed back with V30's.
I have read many post and I am not the only one who's having trouble to dial a great sound with it. But many sold the amp and bought it once again few years later!!

 

[scott1]

Yeah it all comes down to your preference. What is plug and play for some might not be for me. For instance, I had a JCM 900, the 50W Dual Reverb version and it was horrible, and I play punk in the ballpark of Nofx and Pennywise. Don't listen to the guy who said use a mark I or II because The Clash used them and they are "period correct." No offense to him because that's true, but he missed that you want to sound like Nofx, Pennywise, Bad Religion, etc. That is a very different sound than the Clash. I would recommend trying a Single or Dual Rectifier for you. Other than that, you are going to have to try different amps out for yourself and you'll eventually find what is plug and play tone for you.

 

[goodwill559]

Plumptone is right about DC-3 being plug and play. It'll spoil you for sure.

Ja22y is right on too; the Mark III will do great punk.

 

[webstersp]

Yeah it all comes down to your preference. What is plug and play for some might not be for me. For instance, I had a JCM 900, the 50W Dual Reverb version and it was horrible, and I play punk in the ballpark of Nofx and Pennywise. Don't listen to the guy who said use a mark I or II because The Clash used them and they are "period correct." No offense to him because that's true, but he missed that you want to sound like Nofx, Pennywise, Bad Religion, etc. That is a very different sound than the Clash. I would recommend trying a Single or Dual Rectifier for you. Other than that, you are going to have to try different amps out for yourself and you'll eventually find what is plug and play tone for you.

I had a single rectifier and wasn't really in love with the sound. I also had a Dual Rectifier Tremoverb (picture below) and I really loved that one.
Hell yeah!!

I had to sell it for many reasons, first the price that I got for it was crazy (1850$ can for the head only). I have read about some problems about the head (transformers I think) and that's why they stoped doing them. And she needed a good cleanup inside, the guy who bought it from me also paid for that and taht was why at first place that the guy taht sold it to me gave me a great price for it.

I was in love with the sound and it had great versatility, channel cloning. I like the rectifier sound but non have the versatility of the tremoverb. Yeah maybe the roadster or roadking but cost more thant what I'm willing to pay.

The first amp I ever bought at STEVES Music in Montreal was a Marshall JCM 900 XL Strenght if I remember right. I knew nothing about sound and amps. I told him taht I needed a big distortion he sold me this. I paid around 1500$ at the time!! Wow was I disapointed once I got back home!
I went there by bus and came back with the head by bus also! ( I live at over an horu from Montreal). The amp had only one channel but two volumes! So since taht day I stayed away from marshall!! In french I call them 'Marche Mal' I could translate it to 'works bad'.. well pretty ahrd to translate



It's pretty hard to find around here. But if I find anoter one I may be tempted.!!

 

[Dr GearHead]

+1 for the Stiletto being plug and play

 

[CoG]

Mk III is pretty killer for punk and are a good buy because if you try it and don't like it you'll never have trouble selling it, but:

1) if you still live in Montreal it could be hard to find one to try;
2) I don't think they are any use at bedroom volume (others disagree.)

edit: Plus, MkIIIs do tend to be pretty plug-and-play as long as you know not to start with everything at noon and have a semi-decent cab to use with them.

 

[Nitrobattery]

Any ENGL amp

 

[wilson]

here's a cool vid from the mesa site with eric melvin (nofx)
http://www.mesaboogie.com/gallery_artist/video/ericMelvin.html
i think he said that el hefe uses a mark III and he uses a mark IV.

 

[lyman]

MK I, II, or III. The Clash used them back then (MK III I think).

That was a Mark II. The Clash is one of my favorites but not so much for guitar tone...