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5K views 18 replies 9 participants last post by  newbieguitarmaker 
#1 ·
After doing some research on the net and playing several amps i wanted to share my experience and give you some more or less useful links if you are looking for a new amp. Maybe this helps you a little bit to make up your mind. In the time i looked for the "right amp" for me i stumbled across new brands and got new input so in the end i almost got more confused than at the beginning of my quest. Another thing which makes it difficult to make up ones mind that tone isn`t an objecticve matter to discuss so there are a lot of different opinions out there about this subject.
Here are the amps that i considered which i want to describe for you as good as i can based on the information i mainly found on the net. But this is just my personal opinion after reading a lot about the stuff and hearing some clips- so not accurately an article which would be accepted in Nature magazine.
Here where the amps i was interested in:
1. Peavey JSX: regarding this amp you can find a lot of information here on this site with a very fine review and a lot of soundclips by Darin. Hei Darin, thanks for that.
Her are some clips:
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=590072
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=590072

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=412056


This is my opinion about the amp: Very fine amp to a very fair price. the only thing that could maybe be a minus is IMHO th fact that its maybe a little fuzzy/ noisy and some find it having a nasal tone.
2. Carvin legacy: very fine clean tone but needs to be turned pretty loud to get that singing Vai tone+ is said to be an amp with relatively restricted gain (am not sure if thats right).
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=201397
http://www.soundclick.com/bands
songInfo.cfm?bandID=475550&songID=3419974
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lfp_XyM_***

There was a fine clip here on the Jemsite of Always with me always with you. The amp is said to be a one trick pony. I believe there is some truth in that+ i don\t think its the best Shredder amp with regard to tone definition.
3. Cornford: http://www.cornfordamps.com/launch.html
Very fine i think quite versatile amps with good tone definition. Not the most forgiving amps if you don`t hit the notes the way you should. Not exactly a High gain amp. Quite nice clean tones.But if you want the real thing you have to pay quite a lot. The Mk50Mk2 which means the 2 channel model is really not exactley cheap.
Minus: I don`t like the way Cornford people are doing business. I find sentences like that pathetic: "This is the place to discuss the wonderful tones that Guthrie gets from his hands and his gear."
4. VHT Pitbull Ultralead: Really a fine and very versatile amp. You get an ok clean sound- but not a Lonestar clean- and a very good leadtone. Some say its a little bit dry/ sterile but thats a matter of taste. Here are some clips of the Deliverance:
http://www.vhtamp.com/

Minus: Not exactley the cheapest amp.
5. Mesa Boogie Roadster: Very good for rythm with a spectacular clean sound but not the most suited amp for shredding because of a relatively restricted lead tone.
This was the best soundclip i stumbled over:
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=431533
6. Mesa Boogie Mark IV: Very versatile amp with a very fine clean tone, lead tone + this thing can get nasty too.



7. Mesa Stiletto: The amp Andy Timmons uses together with the Lonestar, but i heard that the Stiletto is his main amp: Has a Marshallesque flavor but still sounds like a Boogie plus has an extra gear with respect to gain compared to the Marshalls. Very fine clean too for an EL34 amp. Very good tone definition. Not as pricey as some other amps in the same league.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=509975



Hope this maybe is of help to some of you and can spare you for some time- consuming research on the net if you are intersted in one or more of these amps. This summary is just a modest attempt to gather some opinions/ facts about the discussed amps which i found on the net. Actually i just played some Marshalls a Dual rectifier, F50, Soldano which i don`t remember the name, Hugh and Kettner Switchblade on my own in a guitar shop. So this summary is just a humble highly subjective effort to gather some data about these amps. If someone doesn`t agree and thinks what i wrote is wrong be my guest and write your opinion.
 
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#3 ·
Nice post. I think you need to add the two new Marshalls (JVM and Vintage Modern). Paul Gilbert is using the Vintage Modern 2266c combo now.

If I had my choice, it would be a MKIV and a Vintage Modern (or possibly a Stiletto). I've tried all of those amps, and they are amazing.
 
#6 ·
What did you think of the Hughes & Kettner Switchblade? I have a Triamp MK II and a Trilogy that I run in parallel and once I had these, I sold all of my Marshalls (except one--DSL 401).

Also, for a kick on trying out tube amps, check out:

http://www.troygrady.com/mov/amps.mov

Beware, the file is pretty large, but he demos two Cornfords, a Diezel, a Bad Cat, a Two-Rock, and a Roccaforte. Excellent clip.
 
#11 ·
Well the Stiletto is obviously Mesa's answer to the classic Marshall sound. The cleans on it are better than the Vintage Modern, but it still doesn't quite get the Marshall sound as much as the VM does, obviously. That's not say the sound isn't good: it's almost like a mix of a JCM800 and any other Mesa. I really like the crunch channel on the Stiletto. I have yet to try a Series II though, and they are supposed to be different than the earlier Stage I's.

I mainly got to try the VM at the GC King of the Blues competition, and it was a joy to play on. However, it isn't that versatile, but for what it does (classic Marshall crunch), it does it very well.

The MKIV is just a MKIV, not really comparable to either. That's why I'd like to have a MKIV combined with either a VM or a Stiletto.
 
#13 ·
Thanks for answering. Here is what Andy TImmons said about the Marshall/ MEsa /Laney Amps: What i pasted in below is from the following interview: http://www.musicplayers.com/features/guitars/2006/0506_Andy_Timmons.php (can`t get the whole address on one line)

MPc: That's funny. We recently interviewed Dream Theater's John Petrucci and he commented that in his Mesa/Boogie amps, he has to dial down the bass in his Road Kings!

AT: Also, I love an amp where I can put treble in instead of taking it out. With Marshall amps and Laney amps, the treble's always just off. It's so bright you're just like, "Turn it off." With the Lone Star, I've probably got it dialed in about twelve o' clock.

I always have the effect loop kicked in, whether there's anything connected to it or not because it does add an extra stage of gain, and the return knob on the back of the amp needs to be a little past twelve o'clock, maybe around one. It really changes the tone. I've never been happier with an amp than I have been with the Lone Star, and two different instances exemplify this:

I've never gotten as many compliments about my sound as I get with that amp. There were a few Eric Johnson instances where we opened for him at the last Dallas Guitar Show, maybe about a year ago, and though we've met a few times, and he may have heard one of my records, I don't think he had ever really heard me play. Generally, when we've opened for him, there's usually thirty to forty-five minutes between acts, so he might not even be there [when we're on]. But this time, I looked over to the side of the stage half-way through the set and there's Eric over there giving me the "thumbs up" and going "yeah" and… my hands froze! (laughing) He's really the last guy I wanted to see standing at the side of the stage because he's "Mr. Ears" over there and I'm thinking, "Oh man, he's going to hear every little imperfection." But I got off the stage and the first thing he said to me was, "Man, that was awesome tone."

The next time he came through Dallas, he played two nights, and the second night, he invited me to come out and sit in, which was a huge honor, because I know he doesn't really do that very often when he's doing his own show. So I brought my Lone Star, and from the first note I played - you know it's coming through Eric's monitor - it was one of the best tones I got in my life. It sounded amazing, and we had a really musical jam. We played Alien Love Child tunes and "Spanish Castle Magic" together and, afterwards, he was like, "Man, your tone was better than mine," and I was like, "I don't think so" (laughing), but I knew that I was on the right track with the amp that I was playing. When you get a thumbs-up like that from one of your heroes, it makes you feel pretty good.
 
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