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.
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.