Which Guitar Amp Should i Buy?

Question

i have a problem right now. Im in the market for a new amp. time to get away from the piece of $#!* marshall mg. i have been comparing all kinds of amps and im torn between an EVH 5150 III 50w Head, or a used marshall dsl 50 (new or old verision), i play cleans alot such as bob marley, and bb king, and crunches like zeppelin acdc, and overdrives like van halen journey, and even heavy stuff like metallica and megadeth. please help me decide, and i prefer not to have an od pedal to boost, i want straight guitar to amp with mabey a few effects to play around with. and also can you guys reccomend a cab ? im also stuck between getting a 2x12 or a 4x12, i dont gig but i do jam with a band alot, please help

Answer 1

I have used everything from Marshalls to Ampegs and virtually everything in between. I used to have several pedals and even a refrigerator of rack equipment! But for the last 7-8 years I have been using a Hughes and Kettner Switchblade 100. It has great tone and is capable of all of the requisite sounds. It has full tube architecture but is also MIDI programmable. It has built in quality effects (delay, reverb, chorus, flange, tremolo) It has 4 basic "channel" settings (clean, crunch, lead, boost) You can set a preset and recall it via the included footswitch. You can program up to 126 presets!! Each preset can be totally independent with its own volume, gain, EQ, and effects settings. I have gotten rid of all of the pedals and rack gear and I simply go direct into the amp (via wireless) and use a volume pedal and noise gate in the effects loop. The newer versions even include a functional gate!! All made with precision in Germany! I run mine through a variety of cabs depending on the venue. For outdoors and big clubs I use two Marshall 4-12 cabs (full stack), for most other venues I use a single 4-12 (half stack), For small places and quieter gigs I use a single 12 cab. It works great in all situations for all kinds of styles. I suggest that if you seriously want to get an amp with high quality tube tone that has GOOD built in effects, Check out the Hughes & Kettner stuff...

Answer 2

If you like 80's metal then look for a used Marshall JCM800 or JCM900 head. As far as the cab goes, nothing beats a 4-12 as long as you don't have to move it often. If you leave your rig where you jam a 4-12 would be great, but if you have to move it back and forth I'd get a 2-12. You can always buy a second 2-12 later and stack them.



The 5150 is a really cool head as well. Also a Mesa Rectifier would get the tone you're after. Oh, and a JCM800 or 900 is certainly not made in China, nor is any of the good Marshall stuff. The DSL line may be, not impressed with those amps although it would be a huge step up from an MG.



As far as tube versus SS. That's your call, but I just don't do SS amps. I mean you could find one that sounds marginally better than the MG, but it won't be a huge difference. It's not that a solid state circuit can't sound good. It's just that almost no one makes a high quality SS amp any more. Just go to Musicians Friend and search for amps over $1000. You'll see probably one SS amp in that price range, the Roland Jazz Chorus, and then 160 some tube amps.



This isn't because it is that much more expensive to make a tube amp. It's that almost all high end amps are tube. The other guitarist in our band plays an old Randall SS and it sounds great. But they don't make that amp anymore. There is just no market for high end SS amps these days.



So to Danny's comment I say this. There are no "good" modeling amps and no, you don't "need" a 4-12, but it's damn nice to have.

Answer 3

Get a 2x12 cab. The differences between a 4x12 and 2x12 are miniscule and you'll have an easier time loading and unloading a 2x12, plus, if you ever go to sell it, you will have an easier time because nobody buys 4x12's anymore. I have one sitting in my garage. It's a Diezel 4x12.... new they run $1200 used on ebay.... the only offer I got on it was $200... so they don't sell too often.



I would go with a Rockerverb 50 amp. They have much better cleans than any Marshall on the market, better/clearer gain tones as well. That being said, I have no clue what your price range is. If they are too expensive, then look into the Blackstar HT-50 with a Marshall cab or perhaps a Mesa 2x12 cab with Celestion v30's. The 5150 amp has decent heavy gain tones and that's about it. I wouldn't recommend it for 80's rock or anything similar to Bob Marley.

Answer 4

If I were looking to buy a new amp, I'd go punch through one of these, at least. The make and type is pretty attractive. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifiers-effects/blackstar-venue-series-ht-club-40-40w-tube-guitar-combo-amp



Nasty's pretty right about (sorry Pam Tillis) all the good ones are gone, but I hear Bugera's are a little unreliable, too. Last "new" stuff I played through were Fender's "Hot Rod" and "Blues Deluxe" amps, pretty tasty. My last good amp still here? Vintage Fender Pro with EL84 Yellow Jacket tube kits.



One of your decisions is gonna be going old-school all-tube, vs. a good "modeling" amp. If I were young again, I would definitely have a modeling amp, even if I didn't gig with it - beats the hell out of dragging around a pile of pedals (but not necessarily a programmable multi-effects processor).



So Danny will now STFU - except to note that there is no way in hell you need a 4x12 cab.



EDIT: Well, almost. You're getting a lot of good views from some experienced guys, more than I would have expected. And seeing some differences, so I hope you do also go "kick the tires" at a good music shop, as only your ear matters. My shot at the 4x12 cab was just because they're about as much fun to move as a refrigerator. 2x12 is classic, and having multiple cabs is so versatile - just have to understand "impedance" for a healthy amp.

Answer 5

Hello there



I think the Marshall DSL is a darn good amp. I would also suggest looking at some the Mesa Boogie amps.



Later,

Norm

Answer 6

I'll second the Troll's recommendation of Bugera.



Their 6262 sounds very similar to a 5150, and it's about $1,500 cheaper. If you get one of the Infinium models you can experiment with different tube combinations to create your own tone with it (it automatically biases itself for any tube you slap in there).



If you refuse to consider anything other than the two you mentioned, I like the EVH better. I'm a modern metal guy, and those things almost have more gain than *I* need.



Also look into ENGL and Rivera. Expensive, but worth it.

Answer 7

Hell I had a problem back in the 80's and not just drugs and alcohol . Oh yea there was that whole chasing females thing, but I never considered it a problem, However my Ex wives found it a bit annoying, and my lawyers profitable, Nice thing about equipment is it don't take you to court when you kick It to the curb and try out the newer sexier model, I remember back in the day Marshall this Marshall that, I was kicking there @$$ with the old US made Kustom stuff, Sorry but those days are gone, All made in China these days, along with the Marshall crap made today unless you plan to pay the big bucks, to be honest I've had my eye on Bugera these days, Sexy little China girls if I might add. and cost a lot less than an old Chinese whore with a Marshall badge,

Answer 8

buy a plexi....eddie used one, iommi used one....you wont regret it.