Hey guys
I recorded these back in May with the mic from a Speedlink Medusa 5.1 headset, look up the specs if you like but it's certainly not the most high fidelity mic out there. I don't remember mic placement too well. This is just a smattering of high-gain thrash metal riffs, guess the riffs and you get a cookie!
CLIPS ARE HERE:
http://rapidshare.com/files/139786152/Clip1.mp3
http://rapidshare.com/files/139787631/Clip2.mp3
Peavey Valveking 112 details
Texture knob turned completely to Class A/B
Speaker resonance button depressed i.e. loose
Tubes + speaker are bone stock
Distortion channel!
Approximate EQ
Bass: 10
Mid: 4
Treble: 7
Gain: 5-6 (gain boost active)
Volume: between 1-2
(all knob values are out of a maximum of 10)
NOTE: In both clips I'm running a Boss RC-20XL looper in the effects loop. It significantly compresses and brightens the sound as well as cutting a bit of bass (I DON'T KNOW WHY). Here in the recording the treble is rather harsh and noisy , I would attribute this to the cheap mic + looper pedal, but in person the sound is pleasantly aggressive for thrash metal which is why I run the looper pedal in the first place.
Clip 1
2006 MII Ibanez RG350DX (bone stock apart from pickup change)
Pickup used: Seymour Duncan SH-6 Distortion bridge, volume + tone dialed in at 100%
Strings: Elixir NANOWEB LIGHT-HEAVY (010 - 013 - 017 - 032 - 042 - 052)
D-standard tuning
note: at 0:17 I hit the Resonance button to "Loosen," gives the Valveking more low end chunk with palm mutes.
Clip 2
1988 MIJ
Charvel Model 4 (bone stock)
Pickup used: default Jackson J-50BC, bridge, into JE-1200 active circuit, volume + tone + mid-boost knob dialed in at 100% (all electronics featured on guitar)
Strings: worn out HARLEY BENTON VALUESTRINGS (010, 013, 017, 026, 036, 046)
E-standard tuning
ALL AMP FEEDBACK IN BOTH CLIPS IS ENTIRELY NATURAL. I'm sitting about a foot away from the amp the feedback lessens up if I were to sit further away.
Thoughts, review:
This amp is good for metal! The only reproach I have is that, due to the nature of the 1x12 combo, it definitely doesn't sound as big as the 2x12 or the head running through a 4x12, but I doubt you can get a combo with better tube distortion for the price. At the same price point I suppose you could get some interesting solid state amps but I find the distortion on them to be colder and harsher, whereas the Valveking is warm and rich. But some people like the latter! (e.g. for black metal?) I'm a fan of the more old school, vintagey, 80s metal distortion. As for my tone I think there's too much mid scoop, particularly with the 350DX which sounds screechy/fizzy at times, I'll be getting an EQ pedal to fix this. The tube distortion could be heavier, but then we're already talking a 5150/6505/XXX/JSX. Still, the amp's tube distortion can be pushed nicely by higher output pickups (note the Duncan Distortions on my 350DX are a lot higher output than the J-50BC on my Model 4 and you can definitely hear the difference). Also, the Valveking 112 has more thump the more you downtune. As for pedals, the clean channel should be able to take distortion pedals well if the tube distortion is not heavy enough for some users, which is not my case
I've read that a Tube Screamer or DS-1 will push the tube distortion a bit more but quite frankly why spend $100 on such a pedal when you can just raise pickups to increase their output, use heavier strings, and/or get better pickups? Much more convenient and cost-effective than a new stompbox, I say. Furthermore, I don't really get the point of shelling out for a tube amp if you're not gonna use the tube distortion and just run some cheap pedal into it instead. I sold my Metal Zone 2 for that very reason, it's distortion sounded paper thin on the clean channel, chunk chunk tube distortion is great
If interested I can add a clip of how the amp sounds completely stock, without running the looper pedal for additional compression + treble.
FINAL NOTE: I recommend a high quality headset for listening to these clips, and crank it up! The mic I recorded it with was not too sensitive, but at louder playback volumes you really get a better feel of what the amp sounds like when you're sitting next to it
