The best amp.... for everything??

[IMBGuitar]

Hello! Very much new, so apologies if this is in the wrong place!

I'm looking for an amp that comes as close to possible to doing everything, meaning has fantastic cleans, but still has a decent modern high-gain channel ( as well as everything in between :wink: ). I'm starting a session musician course at music college soon, so need something that can handle everything from the most annoying pop, jazz, etc to playing along to dream theater!

I've had the express recommended to me, but the gain doesn't quite seem to be what i'm after? i've also started noticing the stiletto ace (after google-ing Al Di Meolas rig), can anyone tell me how versatile they are? specifically the 1/2x12 combo. I realise these are pretty basic questions, but a lot of these amps aren't located close enough to try out! :|
The express head seemed a really good option, but they dont seem that popular, and ive read mixed reviews on reliability.

So to summarise what i'm looking for:

- Needs to be remotley useable at bedroom volumes (but loud enough for small gigs)

- 2 channels at least, with footswitch! Built in reverb is a bonus but not necessary

- An amp that has fantastic chimmey/lots of head space cleans, but will steadily work its way up to a fairly high powered distortion! So i'm afraid i'm asking the "can it does metulz?" question, though i'm not looking for crazy rectifier power!

- Not too ridiculously heavy/unportable

I was initially going for a head and a small cab (2x12), but certainly for the stiletto the combo seems an easier option, peoples thoughts on this would be also very welcome!

This may seem just seem ridiculously niave, but there's so much out there its a little overwhelming! Any recommendations would be really helpful, ive got a fairly good budget, a flexible grand> below £2000 (i'm in England). I've also looked at the Egnater renegade, which was impressive for its price, and recently found the Bogner Shiva (which i have a feeling is just too over the top!).

Any help?

 

[Scary]

Mark v. 10 watts to 90. Jazz / rock / blues / metal. Very good usable sounds.

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

I'd say the Mark series or the Roadster, depending on what kind of high gain you like.

Eric

 

[IMBGuitar]

Hmm both of those amps seem to be slightly out of my price range (the roadster and the mark V), what are peoples general opinions on the stiletto? I've watched some video demos on youtube and seems to have a fairly high gain, so much so i'm wondering what it's cleans are like. I'd say it's enough gain for what im looking for, but perhaps not the same level as the roadster. Though the practicality of the mark V head is tempting to shell out the extra couple of hundred bucks. :?

I can get a pretty good deal on a stiletto combo, for around 1300 (second hand), but if the general consensus is fork out for a mark V and save needing to upgrade in the future i may be tempted... i have funds now from pretty much selling everything, but i dont know where i'll be in two years!

 

[94Tremoverb]

You could look for a used Nomad 100 - which is discontinued, but not too rare - and it does have to be the 100, the 55 and 45 aren't in the same league because they don't have the Graphic EQ, which makes the amp sound inherently better as well as vastly more versatile. (It's one of the most important features on the Mark series too.) The 100 comes in both head and combo versions - definitely 1x12", possibly 2x12" as well but I'm not sure.

The reverb isn't too great on the Nomads, but you did say that wasn't a priority. They don't seem to hold their value all that well either, so you may get a good deal on it if you find one.

 

[IMBGuitar]

Hmm i hadn't considered that, but that's the thing - finding one! That may be a lucky ebay buy but as i've only got a few weeks to get rigged up i can't really afford to sit around The graphic EQ is certainly a nice feature, normally only see that on bass amps!

Thanks for the replies by the way!

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

I guess the question I need you to answer...do you need on the fly (footswitch-able) versatility, or for the amp to be able to cop many tones by twisting dials?

A Mark IV can be had for under a grand now if you hunt hard enough, and it is CRAZY versatile. The Roadster even more so IMO, but it's more expensive.

The Stiletto is an awesome amp, but it is only going to give you two sounds at a time. The clean channel is AWESOME...not a warm, lonestar clean, but nice and chimey. The drive channel resembles a rectifier, but with less lows and more upper mids...WAY more bark, but the gain structure is VERY similar to a recto.

Eric

 

[theroan]

The Electra Dyne and Mark IV are definite contenders. A lot people hate on the Mark IV R2, but it's totally usable. As far as the Nomad, forget it. You do want the amp to all of those things well, right? The Nomad is universally considered the worst amp Mesa has ever made. The stilleto would definitely not be considered flixible by any means.

For none Mesa's
the Freyette Sig: X might be a good one to consider.
JCM 2000 TSL
Egnater Tourmaster or Renegade with some OD's.

That said, I can attest as others will. Save your bucks and buy a Mark V. You will never need another amp again.

 

[Neptical]

Mark Series...take your pick.

The Al DiMeola tone from 'Land of the Midnight Sun' is what I've been on to for many years now and both my Mark III's nail it. All going through an old vintage Marshall 1960 loaded with GT12-75s. Excellent amps for that rich creamy buttery tone, with a nice crunch. They also clean up very, very nice as well. I also use 2x PRS Standard 24s that play a good factor into my tone as well.

My vote for small 2x12 cabinet and a Boogie Mark Series.

~Nep~

 

[IMBGuitar]

The general consensus seems to be the mark series, the mark V if the budget will stretch hmm.. As for tones, it needs to be footswtichable yes, hence why i'm not even considering the transatlantic, but similarly i need to be able to get a variety of tones out of it, but perhaps not in a live situation (studio wise). Meaning live, i want to be able to set my channels up and switch between them.

So your saying the stiletto has great cleans and drive, but not so great in betweens? Sounds like the same problem with the Bogner shiva, great cleans with an extreme overdrive. So with the mark series how many channels do you generally get? and is the reason the stiletto is seen as un-versatile because its only two channels? :?

Thanks,
Ian

 

[theroan]

I may be wrong but

Mark II's - 2 channels
Mark III's - 3 channels are shared controls
Mark IV - 3 Channels, bass and mids shared on channels 1 and 2. So so channel 2. Doesn't sound terrible, just doesn't sound like anything. Just medium gain.
Mark V - 3 totally independent controls. 2nd channel has Vox, Marshall or Mark I for medium over drive. Though Crunch can get pretty raw.

A good 2 channel amp isn't the end of the world either. You could get one with an awesome clean and High Gain and the fill in the rest with a pedal. A Suhr Riot, dirty little secret, OCD or Emma Reeza would all fill that role nicely.

My impression of the Stiletto is the opposite, it doesn't really offer a true Ultra High Gain sound. More like a suped up Marshall, which the Dirty Little Secret and OCD kind already do.

 

[IMBGuitar]

No i agree, i don't mind a two channel amp at all! It would seem that the mark V is king of the hill for amps that do everything, but at a 2000+ price tag you'd hope so.

I know the stiletto doesnt quite venture into dual recetifier territory when talking about gain, but from what i've listened to its got more than enough for what i'm after - i'm not looking for a metal amp, just something that has enough gain to occasionally play it which i realise is a little odd....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXkXnHeSwRM&p=C40EFD3819EF1BAF&playnext=1&index=35

About 3 minutes in it gets pretty heavy! Are they any inherent reasons that people will avoid the stilettos then? i quite like the EL34s... but people seem to prefer the mark series :wink:

 

[Neptical]

No i agree, i don't mind a two channel amp at all! It would seem that the mark V is king of the hill for amps that do everything, but at a 2000+ price tag you'd hope so.

I know the stiletto doesnt quite venture into dual recetifier territory when talking about gain, but from what i've listened to its got more than enough for what i'm after - i'm not looking for a metal amp, just something that has enough gain to occasionally play it which i realise is a little odd....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXkXnHeSwRM&p=C40EFD3819EF1BAF&playnext=1&index=35

About 3 minutes in it gets pretty heavy! Are they any inherent reasons that people will avoid the stilettos then? i quite like the EL34s... but people seem to prefer the mark series :wink:

The cleans in that video sound pretty good but the dirty is awful (imho). Whether it's the player or just the settings is another story. Not trying to be mean or anything, just honest.

~Nep~

 

[Scary]

The thing I like most about the Mark V is the 10 watt mode. It can be driven into saturation without going deaf. If you need the power, it's there. It costs alot of money, but it's like having 3 separate amps in one package. The hardest part is picking which of the 9 to assign to 3.

 

[JOEY B.]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXkXnHeSwRM&p=C40EFD3819EF1BAF&playnext=1&index=35

Where did all that reverb come from????? Ambient mic or outboard FX? I used to own an Ace combo, so I am just a little curious. I'll take the Electra-Dyne with EL-34's and an OCD pedal over the Stiletto, any day of the week. 8)

 

[SteveO]

You might want to take a good look at the rackmount modelers that are out there, the GSP 1101 and Eleven rack are both well within your budget.

 

[dbone]

DC-5 112 Combo 55watts
Great Clean/Great High Gain
Footswitchable Channels
Reverb
-Portable-
Affordable classic tone on a budget
Add a Volume pedal for the in-between tones
Add a EQ Pedal for solo Boost
Add a Wah Pedal
Add a Delay Pedal
Or add nothin
Not too hard to find
Played a bunch of shows with that rig, it works.

 

[94Tremoverb]

I am no huge fan of the Nomad series - in fact I bought a DC-5 over a Nomad 55 in a straight A/B comparison when the Nomads were first out - but I disagree that the Nomads are the worst Mesas ever made, I can think of far worse models. Sure, they're not the most distinctive-sounding, but they are by no means terrible and in particular they are extremely flexible - which is what is needed here. But it does have to be the Nomad 100, the other two just aren't as good - I may have even bought the 100, although it was a lot more expensive at the time... but it really did sound in a totally different league. The Graphic EQ is the key to flexibility, and the 100W power stage gives much more boldness and depth (it has a half-power switch as well - which you could do some creative stuff with using Yellowjackets and make it almost a Simul-Class).

I would not even consider a Mesa without the Graphic as a 'do everything' amp - that's why I didn't recommend the Tremoverb (apart from the enormous weight!). I would also second the DC-5 as a great cheap (and light) option. It's not as flexible as the Nomad and still has more of that distinctive Mesa darkness and a more aggressive tone overall but it does have the GEQ.

 

[Blaklynx]

If I can suggest something entirely different: Peavey JSX...... Sorry Mesa fans....

I have a rectoverb and JSX and I must say that the JSX is a really, really, good amp. It's very versatile and very easy to get along with. I have the head. The combo is very heavy. There's no reverb built in. Has effects loop, though. Also is a very good sounding amp at low volume.

Here's links that I think you should at least look at:

Clean and driven:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT7XjR8ygXE

Versatility:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-en8Jnab7do >>>Master Volume on 1!
Also, check out this guys other videos with headings "JSX amp..."

For heavy:
(clean>heavy not a 'bad' video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxaSQq5zlgo&feature=related

(output left speaker only):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODhZefkLqSg&feature=related

Anyway, you get the idea.

Buy an amp that suits you, not because of a name/brand. Sometimes people get caught up in the brand/name thing that they lose sight of other good amps that are out there. Mesa make great gear as do Engl, Rivera, Carvin, Peavey and a host of others.

I'm sure there are seasoned players here that have used other equipment apart from Mesa. Maybe they can chime in and expand your search so you have more options. This way, you may have 3~4~5 amps that you'd consider and then it'll come down to cost/features/availability/service, etc.

My 3 cents.....(inflation)....

 

[IMBGuitar]

So you would rate the graphic EQ then? As i said ive never seen them except on bass amps, so would be interested to see how effective they are. Indeed i get the feeling they may give you too much variation! Certainly from reviews i've read the Mark V will do everything, provided you sit down with the manual and be prepared to work it out.
The ten watt setting also sounds really good, though for instance in the egnater i think it has a 60/18 watt switch (i may be wrong), but when i tried it out, it wasn't so much a drop in volume but rather just less headspace...

And of course i have been looking at other makes as well, if anything i wasn't considering Boogie at the beginning (but i'd love a two rock, but wouldn't we all?), so i've come round to them, and i must say i am beginning to be tempted to splurge on the mark V. For a start i can get it in a head version, and it appears to be relatively small? Which is a bonus for me, though if somebody can tell me about simply things like how much it weighs/reliability/durability that would be great. I realise theres whole forums and many a review dedicated to it, they will get a good scouring when i have time 8)

The problem with the Nomads and DC-5 is just availability! Certainly in the UK.