What amp to Buy

[BrentSSL]

Ok so I have tried almost everything within my price range and a tad out of it as well. I have
tried Line6 Spider Valve Bognar Mark2, Madison Divintiy 2, Peavey triple X and 5150 signature version, Genz Benz El diablo, and Marshalls Triple and dual superlead the dual was modded. Mesa wise I have tried the Triaxis with a 2/90, I have also Mesa dual rectifier 2 channel from 95 it was a blackface small logo chrome chassis also had a 3 channal dual and triple rectifiers, Krankenstien, and a Bogner Uberschall oh yeah and a B-52 100 watt tube head and some other randoms like VHT and Carvins.
This is 2 and a half years of research borrowing from friends buying and returning owned a few of them and sometimes just spending alot of time with an amp in a store. My 2 favorite was the early three channel Mesa dual and The 5150, I have played through a couple of the reborn duals only 1 i thought sounded really good so i think they need broken in or something.
I have narrowed it down to a couple choices a I have not tried the Mesa Mark Series but i like the triaxis tone. Not sure if i shoulg get a Mark 4 or 5 but I have seen mark 4's goin for almost as much as the 5's so I figure it be better to buy new in that case don't know if they can punch as hard as the Rectos tho. Rectifier Options is to get a 2000's three channel modded bu FJA mods or buy a new Reborn Dual. Finally there is an ENGL PowerBall type E645 i don't know anything about ENGL and don't know if it has as much versatility as the rectos. So let me know what you gurus think i play rock, metal, punk, and grunge. My current band Is going for a Day to Remember sound. I am using a Mesa 412 straight/slant cabs Schecter guitars with emg pickups 81 in the bridge.

 

[Anonymous]

I personally didn't really love the FJA Rectifier I tried out. Not sure which mod of his it was, or if it was custom, but either way it wasn't a sound I'd go for.

Honestly, I'd say find a good deal on an amp you're interested in and buy it. If it ends up not being the right one, then sell it - you won't lose money if you did this right and got a good deal in the first place - and find another good deal. Repeat until you've found what you're looking for.

 

[YellowJacket]

Hmm. Just a shot in the dark, but perhaps you should investigate different pickups / guitars? Guitars and Pickups have a HUGE influence on tone. I discovered that the sound I was looking for all along was a Les Paul and when I got one, everything was much more awesome!

 

[joeydego]

I couldn't be happier with my reborn triple rec. True on the guitar choice. Took me 20 years to really understand that.

 

[Joves]

Hmm. Just a shot in the dark, but perhaps you should investigate different pickups / guitars? Guitars and Pickups have a HUGE influence on tone. I discovered that the sound I was looking for all along was a Les Paul and when I got one, everything was much more awesome!

No kidding. If you’ve tried that many amps and still aren’t satisfied, it’s probably not the amp!

 

[domct203]

The Mark series are quite different from the Recto’s, they don’t have the low end harmonics like a Recto does, but they can be very fluid like for lead tones, definitely worth a try if you can find one to mess with for a while.

As mentioned there is a lot involved in chasing tone, pickups and their distance to the strings, speaker and the cabinet they are in, even room acoustics can make or break a tone.

If your chasing a tone you heard in a recording you need to remember you are hearing the microphone(s) influence on the tone, as well as any post production.

Dom

 

[bandit2013]

Their tone sounds like a blend of amps. Bogner Ecstasy, 5150 III 50W, JCM 800 with a tube screamer and EVH Stealth 5150 were the amps mentioned by Niel Westfall. They have essentially compressed it all into Kemper amps. I was curious about the band, played a few videos and liked what I heard. Had to find out what they were using.

You can get some of that JCM 800 with the Badlander. Mark VII will get into that ball park too, combine the two of them and you are **** close to the characteristic sound I heard in a few videos. Add in a doble tracker effect. If you want to get little darker, a blend of the Badlander and MWDR will do the trick. Not sure if the MWDR or MWTR will be ideal. It has potential. I do not believe a single amp will get to that sound. I could be wrong though. Good luck with your tone quest.

 

[Eevil]

Thread started in 2012