The best amp.... for everything??

[theroan]

I've haven't had a single issue with my Mark V, though I don't play it out all that often. The issue I thought I had was microphonic pre-amp tube, ended up being a bad cable. As for the graphic Eq, yes it can be used for more tone shaping and for me, I use on almost every channel. But it has other uses as well, like being a second boost for instance.

 

[Scary]

I don't think a 120 watt JSX has any buisness in a bedroom. The lower the wattage the easier it is get get into the power band without blowing your face off. Don't get me wrong Joe is one of my favorite players and the tone is nothing short of amazing. Not something I would pick as an all around amp though.

 

[Scary]

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.

I think the graphic EQ is nothing but a bonus, because you don't have to use it.. but if you are playing at lower volumes it can really help fill out the tone and shape it to your guitar. As for the wattage, the difference between 10 and 45 watts on the FIVE is pretty huge. 10 is still pretty loud in the room, but wont transmit through the walls as easily. It's also easier to get it into clip and has a great tone. The head is around 50 lbs it seems and it's very durable. That's why so many big touring artists use them regardless of what they record with.

 

[Blaklynx]

I don't think a 120 watt JSX has any buisness in a bedroom. The lower the wattage the easier it is get get into the power band without blowing your face off. Don't get me wrong Joe is one of my favorite players and the tone is nothing short of amazing. Not something I would pick as an all around amp though.

I understand what you're saying, however, the JSX does sound very good a low volume and I do mean low volume. The tone is fairly consistent from low to high. I don't know how Peavey pulled this off. I certainly don't need to make my ears bleed. Of course, the feel changes as you turn up and get air moving, as with all amps.

Having both a rectoverb and JSX, I wouldn't say one is better than the other but I feel the JSX is more versatile. The rectoverb is an animal in it's own right and I love it. Both very good amps.

I hope the OP finds what he wants. It's great that we have many amps to choose from these days....... just makes it more difficult to choose!

 

[Laskyman]

Whe I'll take the Electra-Dyne with EL-34's and an OCD pedal over the Stiletto, any day of the week

The Dyne isnt getting enough love here- its an amp that is *relatively* inexpensive, will cover any genre except true modern metal, is easy to dial in, and will absolutely crush most other amps in a side-by-side ABing in terms of low end and power. I have owned both a roadster and a stiletto deuce, and the Dyne I honestly feel is more versatile. It must be in its simplicity- and just sits better in a band mix than the others two. More playing, less tweaking, and with a boost and you can do ANY musical style. Best clean channel I have ever played with lush beautiful reverb. Any amp is only as good as its clean channel, because there are literally thousands of dirt boxes out there to add....
My $.02 of course- also a Mark IV is easy to find and versatile. I would stay away from a Nomad though for previously mentioned reasons....

 

[IMBGuitar]

I hope the OP finds what he wants. It's great that we have many amps to choose from these days....... just makes it more difficult to choose!

Amen to that! The mark V is looking quite appealing, though it does seem to give a bit of a sterile impresson, it can do everything, but does it really have its own character? But hey! I did ask for an amp that does everything :roll:

I think im shaping my ideal setup as a head (as small as possible) and i think a 2x12 cab, (people seem to prefer them over a 1x12?) simply because i dont think i can be doing with lugging a valve combo around. The mark V certainly fits the bill, but is nearly 3 times as much as the renegade, and another 500+ on a bogner shiva. That said, interest rates as they are, money in the bank ain't doing anything for me... The main thing is probably just to try and test one out, i'm interested to see how its mid crunch/cleans are a la Jeff Buckley stylesss, and i do like the fact it has a 6l6/EL34 bias switch.

 

[94Tremoverb]

I would never buy a new Mesa amp in the UK anyway... you're being ripped off. Compare the US prices, work out the currency conversion rates, add import duty and VAT and you're still nowhere close.

Mk V head... US retail (best price I could find on a quick search), $1999. UK retail (best price I could find), £2345. The £/$ conversion rate today is 1.54, so that £2345 is no less than $3,611. But if you add 3% import duty (I think this is the rate that applies to musical instruments) and 17.5% VAT to $1999 you only get $2,419. So the amp is $1,192 - £774 - or almost 50% overpriced in the UK. £774 is a *lot* to pay for a 240V power transformer. In fact, for that much you could easily fly to the US, buy the amp, legitimately import it paying the duty and tax, buy a step-down transformer and still come out well ahead.

Obviously I know there are other costs in selling amps overseas, but even if you allow for shipping and a reasonable profit for the distributor it doesn't add up. Other US manufacturers don't seem to make the same excessive mark-up, if you do the same calculations for other amp companies you'll find much closer pricing.

 

[cradlefish]

there is no perfect amp. There is only the perfect amp for what your ears and needs are. If you're interested in Boogies?

Mark IV
2 Channel Dual Rectifier
F-100
DC-5 or DC-10

These IMO come to mine. I left out the Mark III because the cleans doesn't balance with the gain volume when you switch between them

Other amps that are worth mentioning and not very expensive. You just have to try them out and find out what your ears like.I'm sure others can shine with with more amps but these are definitely worth checking out.

Laney VH100R
Laney LH50
Marshall DSL
Marshall JVM
Peavey JSX
Peavey 3120
Jet City JCA100
Egnater Renegade
Bogner Alchemist

 

[YellowJacket]

Whe I'll take the Electra-Dyne with EL-34's and an OCD pedal over the Stiletto, any day of the week

The Dyne isnt getting enough love here- its an amp that is *relatively* inexpensive, will cover any genre except true modern metal, is easy to dial in, and will absolutely crush most other amps in a side-by-side ABing in terms of low end and power. I have owned both a roadster and a stiletto deuce, and the Dyne I honestly feel is more versatile. It must be in its simplicity- and just sits better in a band mix than the others two. More playing, less tweaking, and with a boost and you can do ANY musical style. Best clean channel I have ever played with lush beautiful reverb. Any amp is only as good as its clean channel, because there are literally thousands of dirt boxes out there to add....
My $.02 of course- also a Mark IV is easy to find and versatile. I would stay away from a Nomad though for previously mentioned reasons....

The Electra Dyne is fantastic but it just doesn't do that low volume thing he wanted.

Mark V has 10watt option. That wins, hands down for sounding good at low levels. If you put one low efficiency speaker in a 1 x 12 you'd be set for that.

The Roadster is also a very versatile amp. It does that slightly more ritish influenced Recto crunch but the cleans and low gain tones are also great. It switches between 50 and 100watts but if you set up the 50watt mode with the spongy power band and tube rectification, the amp can sound good at surprisingly low levels. Of course, you gotta retube the thing with EL-34s to really coax the crunch out!

As for cheaper options, why not buy a Vox Nighttrain and an Orange Tiny Terror and AB the both of them when two channels are necessary. This should handle uber clean to moderately loud and a whole pile of tones in between. You could also get 2 1 x 12s. Maybe a close back and a theile. This way you can use two 1 x12 with one head or each head paired up with a 1 x 12. In my experience, different heads / cabs / speakers will get you further in the tone department.

 

[stephen sawall]

In the world of Mesa I would look at a IV. The Tremoverb is also very versatile, not that great at lower volumes. If you are going to look at other Mesa amps I very much recommend a direct A/B with the same guitar and cab with these two amps first.

But the only amp that I feel can do everything great is a Fryette Sig X. All other amps have compromises. Clean / edge of break up / crunch / hi gain and can do any style of music...... and I do mean any style. It is more versatile than any amp Mesa has made. Sounds great at TV all the way up to stage volume. If you ask me nothing even comes close at any price made by anyone.

No amp works well for everyone .... the Sig X works great for me.

 

[kissing]

I had only one shot to make a choice back then when i was in your position.
I chose the RKII
To be frank i haven had the chance to try out amps
My location dont really provided me the opotunity for me to do that
so it was only here and online reviews
I just took the leap of faith(and a great fall on my bank accounts.....hahah)
But ever since i got the amp i just think there are countless setting that i can work with
I think i have not scratched the surface at all
but i am a hardcoremetal fan and also a jazz lover
so you can see the the wide variation my amp has brought me
just my take...
have fun searching!!!

 

[IMBGuitar]

Hello again people, update, made a guitar decision and have just come into posession of a beauftiful PRS semi-hollowbody 2 Got it secondhand, its a 1998 model but pretty much mint!

So anyway, i think i've also made a decision on the Mark V, the head version, simply because i don't want to be upgrading any time soon and this amp really can do everything, which leads me onto another query, cabinets?? I suppose the most logical choice is to opt for a boogie cab as well, but generally speaking they seem to be quite large, certainly compared to oranges etc, and what im after most now is portability. What do you recommend? 2x12's seem to produce a more fuller/less boxy sound than 1x12, but i still want something i can play a practice volumes (whether or not i simply get two cabs for it). Would a 2x12 still be too much?

The mark V is a fairly "modern" amp so i'm wondering combined with a more vintage style speaker may be the way to go, but as you've probably guessed i'm no expert! Should i avoid mixing and matching cabs?

 

[SteveO]

I have two 2x12s for my Mark V, a Recto with V30s and a 3/4 back with C90s. The Recto cab sounds better cranked up, as that is the nature of the V30 speakers. The 3/4 back sounds good even at mouse fart volumes, so no, a 2x12 isn't too much for quiet playing! Plus, when you get the chance to crank it up it can rattle things pretty well.

 

[94Tremoverb]

Mesa cabs aren't much larger than Orange ones, if at all. Orange cabs are also about as heavy as Mesa cabs.

If you really want portable, you'll need something with much thinner sides, most of the weight (apart from the speakers) is in the wood and both Mesa and Orange use thick ply. Marshall make some smaller and lighter cabs but I would *not* recommend any of the modern ones (JCM900 series or more recent) because they are made of MDF and sound like cardboard! But, if you can find an old 1970s model 1936 - the shallow version with just a top handle, not like the modern ones with side handles - you can load it with whatever speakers you want, and they are very light and easily portable for a 2x12". They're also less expensive than a new Mesa cab in the UK - again, the price of new Mesa cabs here is nothing short of ridiculous, I would *never* pay that much for a plywood box with two speakers in it.

Or, if you do a search on eBay you should find a couple of companies that build new unloaded cabs and are cheaper still - I don't have any personal experience of them but they look well-made in the photos. You can easily buy speakers separately - I would recommend mixing two different types for the best tone and the most versatility, like SteveO said - eg, a V30 and C90 (or Classic Lead 80, which is close, if you can't get a C90). The only requirements are that both speakers should be the same impedance, and that the combined power handling needs to be enough to take the output of the amp, which is equal to double that of the lower-rated speaker, *not* the sum of the two ratings. You can even use combinations that you wouldn't find in a Mesa, such as a Celestion combined with a Jensen, if you want the maximum versatility.

 

[IMBGuitar]

The only requirements are that both speakers should be the same impedance, and that the combined power handling needs to be enough to take the output of the amp, which is equal to double that of the lower-rated speaker, *not* the sum of the two ratings. You can even use combinations that you wouldn't find in a Mesa, such as a Celestion combined with a Jensen, if you want the maximum versatility.

So the mark v has two 8 ohm and 4 ohm speaker outputs, so lets say i had a 2x12 cab with two 8 ohm speakers, "theyre combined power needs to be enough to take the output of the amp, which is equal to double that of the lower-rated speaker" So the lower rated speaker is still 8 ohms, double that is 16 - the output of the amp needs to be 16 ohms? I'm sure i've got this wrong, physics and maths not being my strong point

Im considering custom made cabs yes, obviously ideally i need something relatively light weight, and able to handle low volumes. I have an old line 6 (shudder) 2x12 combo, with two 75watt 8ohm celestion speakers, it has a right and left 8ohm speaker inputs, sound aside would this work for the time being before getting a decent cab?

 

[Heritage Softail]

.... The amp that has the basic voice you like and a good clean channel. If you play cleans, or like some good power section crunch, you gottal have a decent clean channel. It is possible to add dirt pedals for just about any sound under the sun. You can't get a pedal that is a good base/foundation clean channel.

I would say play every amp you can plug in to. Hit YT and listen to the Wampler Triple Wreck pedal. It will make any clean channel into a triple Rectifer.

That said, I dinked around with a Lonestar that had a punch in the front grille while at GC a few months back. Put a pedal in front, Box of Rock?? maybe?, on the clean channel. It sounded pretty good. Had the basic good clean tone covered. Played a Tele Custom thru it a bit. Did blues/jazzy pretty well.

If you don't play clean, all that matters none, unless you may play near clean or something like that in the future. The last thing to do is get all fanboi on a particular brand and get something that you won't be satisfied with a few years down the road.

 

[IMBGuitar]

Can someone run this by me?

I've found the Orange PPC212OB 2 X 12, which is basically a condensed 2x12 cab, with V30s and best of all only weighs 20kg. However it has a 16ohm input, is this possible to work with the mark V, which only has an 8 and 4 ohm output. As you can see i'm very new to this, having only previously owned combos :? it has 120 watts output, so should be able to handle it? again am i being very niave here?

 

[94Tremoverb]

Slow down...! You're confusing power and impedance. The speakers have impedances of either 8 or 16 ohms - this has nothing to do with power handling. You just need to make sure they are the same impedance, and that the total of the two together matches that of the amp, or mismatches within certain rules (usually that the mismatch must be no more than half or double). The amp has a maximum power output of 90W, so each speaker must be a minimum of 45W power handling.

If you have a 2x12" cab of 16 ohms, that means it must contain two 8-ohm speakers wired in series. You *can* safely run this from the Mk V at 8 ohms, but it would be better to rewire the cab with the speakers in parallel, which gives 4 ohms, and run it from the 4-ohm output on the amp. The rating of 120W is the maximum *input* power, not the output - but that means it's OK with a 90W amp. You're also confusing input and output... this is important: output is where the signal comes *from*, input is where it goes *to*.

No, you cannot use the speaker "inputs" on the Line6! They are speaker *outputs*, for running extension speakers from the Line6 amp. You could use the Line6 speakers in the combo cabinet, but only if you physically disconnect them from the Line6 amp and wire them directly to the Mesa - you must not ever connect the output of one amp to that of another, you'll probably fry one or both amps. It is certainly possible to rewire the Line6 speakers as a cab, though - remove the wires that come from the amp, fit a speaker jack somewhere (drill a hole in the lower back panel, most likely), fit a jack and connect the speakers to it.

 

[stephen sawall]

Marshall make some smaller and lighter cabs but I would *not* recommend any of the modern ones (JCM900 series or more recent) because they are made of MDF and sound like cardboard!

Marshall has used MDF only on the back of the cabs since the early 70's the cab design and build has not changed at all since then. They use MDF on the back to reduce standing waves. A lot of better quality audio cabinets use nothing but MDF. It is only a matter of taste.

I have owned more than a dozen and do not even know how many I have played thru .... The old cabs do not sound any different than the new ones. The grill cloth and speaker do make a difference, but the cabs sound the same.

 

[YellowJacket]

Hi, so you have been thinking of different speaker combinations to try?

I currently have 3 cabs at my disposal since I find they all colour the tone in a profoundly different way.

Some cab options.

Standard sized close back 2 x 12. Fairly midrange focused, punchy, and a slight bit boxy. The Mesa 2 x 12 Rectocab comes to mind.
Theile 2 x 12. More open and more flat or even frequency response. Not very punchy and definitely phatter in the lows.

Oversized 2 x 12 Scooped sounding with phatter lows and more bite in the highs. Basically, when designed right they sound much more like 4 x 12 but without the same projection.

Open back 2 x 12. Very 3D and much less directional than the three listed above. Great for cleans.

3/4 back 2 x 12. I've not tried one but I hear they are similar to a theile except they are less directional. (the theile has a shelf and a vent in the front)

A 3/4 back or theile will both be much more versatile handling both crunch and clean well, but specializing in neither. Both of these are my top recommendation for a jack of all trades cab. If you want to do lighter AND heavier styles, you could always have a couple of 2 x 12s which each specialize in something different. Take your pick.

A few speaker combinations / suggestions:

Celestions:

G12m 25 + G12H 30 Vintage sounding with speaker grind. 50watts. Very warm or brown. Great for clean or vintage crunch.

G12H 30 + Alnico Gold $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 60watts. Chime + Warmth is the perfect clean tone combination. Warm vintage cleans.

G12m 25 + v30. Tighter and more biting but still vintage sounding. 50watts

G12H 30 + v30. Phatter lows with an emphasis on the highs more. Still Vintage sounding. 60watts

v30 + G12T 75. More of a raw sound with roar and grind. 120watts More modern.

v30 + c90. Very balanced tight with crunch and chunk. Great for lead and heavier styles such as metal. Very modern. 120watts

Warehouse Guitar Speakers WGS

In my opinion the quality is at LEAST on par with celestion (Probably better since Celestion outsourced to China)

Reaper 50watt. (100watts for the pair) Definitely my top recommendation overall. I tried these suckers out when I put them into a cab I built for my brother. A very even frequency response with great breakup, bite, and chug. The Reaper 50watt is basically a higher power of the Reaper 30 watt which is a Celestion g12H 30 clone. There are audio examples on the website

I also liked their Reaper 30s as well. These are more vintage with more breakup. 60watts.