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El Miguel
Oct 30, 2003

Stayne Falls posted:

For Three Red Lights: A Vox VT50 or 100 would very likely fit your criteria. I have the AD100VTH and it sounds crisp and super clear. I've been thinking of buying an EQ for the FX loop but I'm a picky bitch anyway and honestly it sounds fine.


I'd be a little careful about the Vox modelers. I had an AD100VT combo, and while it did sound really great (by itself), something about the voicing of the amp made it very, very hard to hear in a band situation. A lot of people have said that you need an EQ for the FX loop to really make it audible in a band environment (and it wasn't just my tone/playing that had this problem--when I bought my Hot Rod DeVille, our other guitar player started using my Vox. We had the same problems with him).

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Stayne Falls
Aug 11, 2007
Everything was beautiful
You need to be careful, yeah but it seems to be more of a tonal issue anyway. I'm playing it through a 4x12 Marshall cab from the 70s with genuine Celestion speakers and even the high gain settings won't cut through unless I dial down the gain just a touch. But that's all it takes, really. I've never played through a really high gain amp where you didn't have to tweak the settings a little to really punch through in a four piece.

I do get your criticism though. Maybe the VT is an improvement? Or the VT-XL or whatever with the higher gain selection.

RailFan92
Nov 4, 2007
Oops. Had my new AC15 at max volume for an afternoon last week. Just got around to messing with it for the first time since then. Was greeted with a popping noise when I turned it on and now, instead of a nice overdrive when I turn it up, I just get a horrible tearing tone. gently caress.

Twlight
Feb 18, 2005

I brag about getting free drinks from my boss to make myself feel superior
Fun Shoe

RailFan92 posted:

Oops. Had my new AC15 at max volume for an afternoon last week. Just got around to messing with it for the first time since then. Was greeted with a popping noise when I turned it on and now, instead of a nice overdrive when I turn it up, I just get a horrible tearing tone. gently caress.

Same thing happened to mine after about 2 months. I put it in for repair and it ended up costing more than the amp was worth : /

fappenmeister
Nov 19, 2004

My hand wields the might

Some of you were discussing the Blackstar HT series on the last page.

What are your thoughts on the high gain settings? I need another amp aside from my JCM 800 2204 clone that can go beyond the sounds of that, but without being as bulky or having to go as loud to get a good sound.

Zakalwe
May 12, 2002

Wanted For:
  • Terrorism
  • Kidnapping
  • Poor Taste
  • Unlawful Carnal Gopher Knowledge

keratas posted:

Some of you were discussing the Blackstar HT series on the last page.

What are your thoughts on the high gain settings? I need another amp aside from my JCM 800 2204 clone that can go beyond the sounds of that, but without being as bulky or having to go as loud to get a good sound.
I have a HT5.

It really depends on what you mean by high gain. At 10 o'clock it will crank out Gun's 'n' Roses. At 3 o' clock with the ISF set to USA, it's Metallica black album territory.

To get the extreme brtualz you'll probably need a boost pedal and some EQ. I've seen a few guys on youtube use an GE7 EQ pedal for both getting some Rectifier type noises out of the amp

Try to get the head. The combo one I played in the shop didn't sound as good as the head and Celestion loaded cabinets I bought.

Gripen5
Nov 3, 2003

'Startocaster' is more fun to say than I expected.

Zakalwe posted:

I have a HT5.

It really depends on what you mean by high gain. At 10 o'clock it will crank out Gun's 'n' Roses. At 3 o' clock with the ISF set to USA, it's Metallica black album territory.

To get the extreme brtualz you'll probably need a boost pedal and some EQ. I've seen a few guys on youtube use an GE7 EQ pedal for both getting some Rectifier type noises out of the amp

Try to get the head. The combo one I played in the shop didn't sound as good as the head and Celestion loaded cabinets I bought.

I have only ever used an amp's own reverb, but the HT5 doesn't have reverb. What is a good supplemental pedal to use with it?

Should I just save the money on a pedal and just go with an HT20? I'm just so drat indecisive about what I want.

betterinsodapop
Apr 4, 2004

64:3
I've had the HT5 combo for about a week now, and I am loving it. For a small amp, it gets a ton of gain. It's small, has very responsive tonal controls, looks good, and comes with a nice little footswitch. As noted, there's no built-in reverb. Still, for the way it sounds, I can't believe it was only $400.

If you're looking for a great sounding bedroom amp, it's a great choice. If you have a space or play small shows, you might be better off going with the HT20. Just a matter of what you're looking for.

If your guitar is loaded with EMG's or even high output passive humbuckers, you'll get a poo poo ton of gain at a pretty low volume.

Zakalwe
May 12, 2002

Wanted For:
  • Terrorism
  • Kidnapping
  • Poor Taste
  • Unlawful Carnal Gopher Knowledge
I'm using a Digitech Digiverb in the effects loop with the following settings:

Level: 8 to 9 o' clock
EQ: 12 o' clock
Decay: 9 o' clock
Reverb Type: Plate.

It's an inexpensive (€80) reverb that sounds good and can get seriously shoegazy if you want. I've heard great things about the Line6 Verbzilla.

Gripen5
Nov 3, 2003

'Startocaster' is more fun to say than I expected.

betterinsodapop posted:

I've had the HT5 combo for about a week now, and I am loving it. For a small amp, it gets a ton of gain. It's small, has very responsive tonal controls, looks good, and comes with a nice little footswitch. As noted, there's no built-in reverb. Still, for the way it sounds, I can't believe it was only $400.

If you're looking for a great sounding bedroom amp, it's a great choice. If you have a space or play small shows, you might be better off going with the HT20. Just a matter of what you're looking for.

If your guitar is loaded with EMG's or even high output passive humbuckers, you'll get a poo poo ton of gain at a pretty low volume.

I pretty much just play in my bedroom, so I guess I will likely save a little money and go with the HT5.

Twlight
Feb 18, 2005

I brag about getting free drinks from my boss to make myself feel superior
Fun Shoe
Anyone have any insight into the Egnater Rebel 20 head? I've been thinking about it due to the ability to blend different types of tubes as well as change the wattage around. I'm primarily playing in my apartment so being able to lower the wattage at night is a plus.

massive spider
Dec 6, 2006

Stayne Falls posted:

For Three Red Lights: A Vox VT50 or 100 would very likely fit your criteria. I have the AD100VTH and it sounds crisp and super clear. I've been thinking of buying an EQ for the FX loop but I'm a picky bitch anyway and honestly it sounds fine.

They've got tonnes of those at the place where I practise (Enterprise London) I dont really like them.

To me the most important factor in an amp is midrange, lots of amps can get loud, or have lots of bass and treble but you know you've found something good when the midrange has that awesome bite to it that cuts right through the full band. Thats where solid state and hybrid stuff tends to lack IMO, you can eventually dial it into something Ok sounding but if you plug into something like an Orange then that sounds amazing straight from the get go and even better as you start to tweak the settings.

I should be seeing a guy about a secondhand Laney VH100 this week, provided I dont get scammed/murdered I'll be reporting back.

Sprenk
May 8, 2005

(not fat)

Gripen5 posted:

I have only ever used an amp's own reverb, but the HT5 doesn't have reverb. What is a good supplemental pedal to use with it?

Should I just save the money on a pedal and just go with an HT20? I'm just so drat indecisive about what I want.

I have an HT-5 Combo, a Line6 VerbZilla and as a bonus, I also have an HT-DISTX (Blackstar distortion pedal). I could record some sound clips (recorded through the HT-5's "Emulated Output" which can emulate 1x12 and 4x12 cabinets) if you'd like, to show you what kinds of tones the HT-5 can do with and without the HT-DISTX and with the VerbZilla. I like the VerbZilla myself, it's got some nice settings. There are of course YouTube demos of all these products, but tell me if you'd like to hear something specific. :)

For what it's worth, I think the HT-5 is really awesome, especially considering the price, and with the HT-DISTX, you can definitely get some serious distortion. The HT-5 has an effects loop as I'm sure you know, so using pedals for reverb is all good.

edit: I don't work for Blackstar or Line6 even if my post seems like it, haha. I've also only been playing for about 2.5 years so take my opinions with a grain of salt. :)

Gripen5
Nov 3, 2003

'Startocaster' is more fun to say than I expected.

brute_force posted:

I have an HT-5 Combo, a Line6 VerbZilla and as a bonus, I also have an HT-DISTX (Blackstar distortion pedal). I could record some sound clips (recorded through the HT-5's "Emulated Output" which can emulate 1x12 and 4x12 cabinets) if you'd like, to show you what kinds of tones the HT-5 can do with and without the HT-DISTX and with the VerbZilla. I like the VerbZilla myself, it's got some nice settings. There are of course YouTube demos of all these products, but tell me if you'd like to hear something specific. :)

For what it's worth, I think the HT-5 is really awesome, especially considering the price, and with the HT-DISTX, you can definitely get some serious distortion. The HT-5 has an effects loop as I'm sure you know, so using pedals for reverb is all good.

edit: I don't work for Blackstar or Line6 even if my post seems like it, haha. I've also only been playing for about 2.5 years so take my opinions with a grain of salt. :)

Thanks for the input. I have listened to a lot of samples on youtube, but I always like hearing amp samples, so if you don't mind, I would love to hear it anything you are willing to record.

As far as the distortion goes, I doubt I will need anything much heavier than early Metallica, so I doubt I would need extra gain.

What I am more curious about than anything else, is how well does it play things with more classical overdrive, like say Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath or something in that era. I tend to have a rather wide variety of sounds I like to go for from classic rock to modern rock to a basic metal sound. When I get good enough, I'm sure I will want to rock out some Van Halen as well.

I do some basic blues as well, but I'm sure I can probably just dial in something on the clean channel that sounds fine.

All else fails, I have a Jekyll and Hyde distortion/overdrive pedal sitting around that I never seem to use.

Sirius Sam
Apr 12, 2005

BUTTCHEEKS

Three Red Lights posted:

They've got tonnes of those at the place where I practise (Enterprise London) I dont really like them.

To me the most important factor in an amp is midrange, lots of amps can get loud, or have lots of bass and treble but you know you've found something good when the midrange has that awesome bite to it that cuts right through the full band. Thats where solid state and hybrid stuff tends to lack IMO, you can eventually dial it into something Ok sounding but if you plug into something like an Orange then that sounds amazing straight from the get go and even better as you start to tweak the settings.

I should be seeing a guy about a secondhand Laney VH100 this week, provided I dont get scammed/murdered I'll be reporting back.

I've got a Laney VH100r and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it yet. It's an amazing amp and both channels are great, but the tone controls are as responsive as I (personally) want. And I've been having all kinds of problems with it blowing fuses that I can't for the life of me figure out. Depending on what kind of a sound you're going for though it's a great amp.

massive spider
Dec 6, 2006

I'm looking forward to it becasue besides the Vox's the studio also has a gh50l which I'm desperate to use every time we practice there. I heard the VH100 is basically a GH with a clean channel too? Although to be honest I dont even need a clean channel, the guys just offering a good deal.

Sirius Sam
Apr 12, 2005

BUTTCHEEKS
Are you sure you're not thinking of the GH100L? Because the VH100R only comes as a 2 channel head.

massive spider
Dec 6, 2006

Yeah the gh100/50 is a one channel amp, it doesent have a "real" clean channel, just a switch that brings in an extra gain stage. The VH100 has two seperate channels.

e: also looking at the specs its like 5kg heavier which I'm not looking forwards too.

massive spider fucked around with this message at 11:56 on Aug 18, 2010

Sprenk
May 8, 2005

(not fat)

Gripen5 posted:

Thanks for the input. I have listened to a lot of samples on youtube, but I always like hearing amp samples, so if you don't mind, I would love to hear it anything you are willing to record.

As far as the distortion goes, I doubt I will need anything much heavier than early Metallica, so I doubt I would need extra gain.

What I am more curious about than anything else, is how well does it play things with more classical overdrive, like say Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath or something in that era. I tend to have a rather wide variety of sounds I like to go for from classic rock to modern rock to a basic metal sound. When I get good enough, I'm sure I will want to rock out some Van Halen as well.

I do some basic blues as well, but I'm sure I can probably just dial in something on the clean channel that sounds fine.

All else fails, I have a Jekyll and Hyde distortion/overdrive pedal sitting around that I never seem to use.

I recorded some stuff for you (please excuse my lovely attempts at shredding):
Click here to listen to HT-5Demo.mp3 (it may be a little loud, I'm not used to recording... lower the volume I guess)
It's in several parts, you'll probably hear when each begins.
Part 1: Strat, Bridge SC Pickup (DiMarzio HS-3), clean channel, no reverb, 1x12
Part 2: Same, but with reverb ('68 Spring, check YouTube for more VerbZilla demos)
Part 3: Strat, Neck SC Pickup (DiMarzio YJM), Light OD, Reverb, 4x12
Part 4: Same as before but with max gain on the overdrive channel
Part 5: Superstrat, Bridge Humbucker (DiMarzio/Ibanez), max gain on overdrive channel, Reverb, 4x12
Part 6: Same but on clean channel with HT-DISTX at max gain

Also this was recorded in front of my computer so there's a bit more noise than usual. I'd also like to point out that it sounds better through the speaker, in my opinion. The emulation adds a bit of compression or something, but it still sounds pretty good.

As you can see, you can get pretty much anything from bluesy drive to gainy metal with just the overdrive channel, and it takes pedals really well. :)

Sirius Sam
Apr 12, 2005

BUTTCHEEKS

Three Red Lights posted:

Yeah the gh100/50 is a one channel amp, it doesent have a "real" clean channel, just a switch that brings in an extra gain stage. The VH100 has two seperate channels.

e: also looking at the specs its like 5kg heavier which I'm not looking forwards too.

hurf durf yeah, I just re-read your post and realize I misread it :downs:

Honestly I wish I had gotten the GH100 because I only ever use one channel. For some reason though I could only ever find the VH100 cheaper than the GH100 v:shobon:v

Gripen5
Nov 3, 2003

'Startocaster' is more fun to say than I expected.

brute_force posted:

I recorded some stuff for you (please excuse my lovely attempts at shredding):
Click here to listen to HT-5Demo.mp3 (it may be a little loud, I'm not used to recording... lower the volume I guess)
It's in several parts, you'll probably hear when each begins.
Part 1: Strat, Bridge SC Pickup (DiMarzio HS-3), clean channel, no reverb, 1x12
Part 2: Same, but with reverb ('68 Spring, check YouTube for more VerbZilla demos)
Part 3: Strat, Neck SC Pickup (DiMarzio YJM), Light OD, Reverb, 4x12
Part 4: Same as before but with max gain on the overdrive channel
Part 5: Superstrat, Bridge Humbucker (DiMarzio/Ibanez), max gain on overdrive channel, Reverb, 4x12
Part 6: Same but on clean channel with HT-DISTX at max gain

Also this was recorded in front of my computer so there's a bit more noise than usual. I'd also like to point out that it sounds better through the speaker, in my opinion. The emulation adds a bit of compression or something, but it still sounds pretty good.

As you can see, you can get pretty much anything from bluesy drive to gainy metal with just the overdrive channel, and it takes pedals really well. :)

Excellent. I will check this out when I get home after work. Thanks a ton.

an AOL chatroom
Oct 3, 2002

Twlight posted:

Anyone have any insight into the Egnater Rebel 20 head? I've been thinking about it due to the ability to blend different types of tubes as well as change the wattage around. I'm primarily playing in my apartment so being able to lower the wattage at night is a plus.

I had one and it sounded great at low volumes. Between the gain, master volume, and wattage knobs, there are a lot of ways to dial in the drive you want. The tube mix knob really doesn't make as much of a difference as you might think. You have to be really pushing the power tubes to hear a difference between them, so it's not like you're flipping a switching and going from Fender to Marshall or anything.

The only problem I really had with it, and the reason I ended up trading it, was that it wouldn't get loud enough. I kept having to dial in gain to push it a little harder, and that ended up distorting more than I wanted it to.

For a tiny amp to have around the house, it's great, though. Very nicely made, looks classy, and gives a WIDE variety of sounds. I'd say grab it, but expect to pick up something else if you end up playing with others.

Gripen5
Nov 3, 2003

'Startocaster' is more fun to say than I expected.

brute_force posted:

I recorded some stuff for you (please excuse my lovely attempts at shredding):
Click here to listen to HT-5Demo.mp3 (it may be a little loud, I'm not used to recording... lower the volume I guess)
It's in several parts, you'll probably hear when each begins.
Part 1: Strat, Bridge SC Pickup (DiMarzio HS-3), clean channel, no reverb, 1x12
Part 2: Same, but with reverb ('68 Spring, check YouTube for more VerbZilla demos)
Part 3: Strat, Neck SC Pickup (DiMarzio YJM), Light OD, Reverb, 4x12
Part 4: Same as before but with max gain on the overdrive channel
Part 5: Superstrat, Bridge Humbucker (DiMarzio/Ibanez), max gain on overdrive channel, Reverb, 4x12
Part 6: Same but on clean channel with HT-DISTX at max gain

Also this was recorded in front of my computer so there's a bit more noise than usual. I'd also like to point out that it sounds better through the speaker, in my opinion. The emulation adds a bit of compression or something, but it still sounds pretty good.

As you can see, you can get pretty much anything from bluesy drive to gainy metal with just the overdrive channel, and it takes pedals really well. :)

Thanks a lot for this btw. I think it sounds really good in all of those settings. This amp is probably all that I would need.

Twlight
Feb 18, 2005

I brag about getting free drinks from my boss to make myself feel superior
Fun Shoe

bisticles posted:

I had one and it sounded great at low volumes. Between the gain, master volume, and wattage knobs, there are a lot of ways to dial in the drive you want. The tube mix knob really doesn't make as much of a difference as you might think. You have to be really pushing the power tubes to hear a difference between them, so it's not like you're flipping a switching and going from Fender to Marshall or anything.

The only problem I really had with it, and the reason I ended up trading it, was that it wouldn't get loud enough. I kept having to dial in gain to push it a little harder, and that ended up distorting more than I wanted it to.

For a tiny amp to have around the house, it's great, though. Very nicely made, looks classy, and gives a WIDE variety of sounds. I'd say grab it, but expect to pick up something else if you end up playing with others.

Thanks for the information, I really thought that the tube knob would have more impact but it makes sense it wouldn't be as far reaching as I might think.

DEUCE SLUICE
Feb 6, 2004

I dreamt I was an old dog, stuck in a honeypot. It was horrifying.
Ampeg VT-120. Any good?

There's one in pretty nice shape at the local GC for $450. I couldn't quite wrap my head around what each channel did and what the relation was with the other channels, but I could tell there were some cool tones in there. Could get some seriously heavy sounding poo poo.

Has a half-power switch (to 60 from *120w* good loving lord) a triode/pentode switch, triple channel, reverb, footswitch...should I get it?

Sirius Sam
Apr 12, 2005

BUTTCHEEKS
I don't know much about Ampeg amps but I do know that's a pretty good price for it. The way I look at amps is if the glove fits...

Does the glove fit?

Dirtyhat
Mar 29, 2005

You got moxie, kid.

DEUCE SLUICE posted:

Ampeg VT-120. Any good?

There's one in pretty nice shape at the local GC for $450. I couldn't quite wrap my head around what each channel did and what the relation was with the other channels, but I could tell there were some cool tones in there. Could get some seriously heavy sounding poo poo.

Has a half-power switch (to 60 from *120w* good loving lord) a triode/pentode switch, triple channel, reverb, footswitch...should I get it?

The VT-120 (and the VT-60 which I have) were a series of tube amps SLM/Ampeg put out from like 1988-1994ish. Channel C is the clean channel, Channel B interacts with channel C and is the overdrive channel, and channel A is independent of the others and high gain (or something close to it). I have the schematics and manual if you need em. I need mine repaired badly :(

With the half power/triode to pentode, you can adjust your wattage like woah, it has tube test points on the back.

DEUCE SLUICE
Feb 6, 2004

I dreamt I was an old dog, stuck in a honeypot. It was horrifying.

Dirtyhat posted:

I need mine repaired badly :(

That's the thing giving me pause more than anything else - it looks like it's pretty unreliable.

Sprenk
May 8, 2005

(not fat)

Gripen5 posted:

Thanks a lot for this btw. I think it sounds really good in all of those settings. This amp is probably all that I would need.

Glad it was helpful. I think my Strat was a bit out of tune there, I did tune it but it doesn't like keeping it for too long. :) Anyway, be sure to post your own thoughts on the amp once you've played around with it.

SSJ2 Goku Wilders
Mar 24, 2010

brute_force posted:

I recorded some stuff for you (please excuse my lovely attempts at shredding):
Click here to listen to HT-5Demo.mp3 (it may be a little loud, I'm not used to recording... lower the volume I guess)
It's in several parts, you'll probably hear when each begins.
Part 1: Strat, Bridge SC Pickup (DiMarzio HS-3), clean channel, no reverb, 1x12
Part 2: Same, but with reverb ('68 Spring, check YouTube for more VerbZilla demos)
Part 3: Strat, Neck SC Pickup (DiMarzio YJM), Light OD, Reverb, 4x12
Part 4: Same as before but with max gain on the overdrive channel
Part 5: Superstrat, Bridge Humbucker (DiMarzio/Ibanez), max gain on overdrive channel, Reverb, 4x12
Part 6: Same but on clean channel with HT-DISTX at max gain

Also this was recorded in front of my computer so there's a bit more noise than usual. I'd also like to point out that it sounds better through the speaker, in my opinion. The emulation adds a bit of compression or something, but it still sounds pretty good.

As you can see, you can get pretty much anything from bluesy drive to gainy metal with just the overdrive channel, and it takes pedals really well. :)

This isn't the thread for it, I know, but could you point me out to some of the source material, or at least inspirational material, of the music you had been playing from part 2 to part 6?

Sprenk
May 8, 2005

(not fat)

SSJ2 Goku Wilders posted:

This isn't the thread for it, I know, but could you point me out to some of the source material, or at least inspirational material, of the music you had been playing from part 2 to part 6?

Thanks for asking. Most of it is just noodling/improvisation, with two notable exceptions. The beginning of part 3 is the main riff of Andy Timmons' Electric Gypsy, and the beginning of part 6 is the main riff of Carpe Diem (also Timmons). As you might have guessed, I am a huge fan of Timmons, my absolute favorite guitarist considering his tone, phrasing, dynamics, songwriting, and technique. As for other inspirational material, I don't really know any specifics, but I imagine I also take inspiration from other 'shredders' like Satriani and Vinnie Moore, as well as metal bands like Megadeth (Mustaine and Friedman are awesome), Maiden, Extreme (Nuno Bettencourt does some awesome funky metal stuff) and Opeth (favorite band), along with lots of other bands. That said, I'm not by any means anywhere near any of their abilities, but you gotta start somewhere. :)

SSJ2 Goku Wilders
Mar 24, 2010

brute_force posted:

Thanks for asking. Most of it is just noodling/improvisation, with two notable exceptions. The beginning of part 3 is the main riff of Andy Timmons' Electric Gypsy, and the beginning of part 6 is the main riff of Carpe Diem (also Timmons). As you might have guessed, I am a huge fan of Timmons, my absolute favorite guitarist considering his tone, phrasing, dynamics, songwriting, and technique. As for other inspirational material, I don't really know any specifics, but I imagine I also take inspiration from other 'shredders' like Satriani and Vinnie Moore, as well as metal bands like Megadeth (Mustaine and Friedman are awesome), Maiden, Extreme (Nuno Bettencourt does some awesome funky metal stuff) and Opeth (favorite band), along with lots of other bands. That said, I'm not by any means anywhere near any of their abilities, but you gotta start somewhere. :)

Thanks a lot!

massive spider
Dec 6, 2006

Welp I got my Laney VH100.

First impression were a mixed bag, It was second hand and the low gain input and reverb (two features I will never use but It would be nice to have) were hosed right from the get go. I can see what the guy who posted earlier meant about only using the one channel too, I'm pretty certain high gain+boost is going to be my primary channel, leaving the other 3 settings kind of superfluous.

It does have a lot of treble, the guy who sold it to me said he'd put in 6l6's for "clearer treble" which pretty much makes him a moron. The crunch is nice, although darker in the midrange than any marshall I've played.

I was A/Bing it with a friends Blackstar for a bit and the Blackstar felt a lot better in all respects, then like an idiot I realised that the reason the Blackstar was kicking it's rear end so severely was becasue it comes with a built in attenuator kicking it down to 20 watts, turn that off and the response was about par.

Sirius Sam
Apr 12, 2005

BUTTCHEEKS

Three Red Lights posted:

Welp I got my Laney VH100.

First impression were a mixed bag, It was second hand and the low gain input and reverb (two features I will never use but It would be nice to have) were hosed right from the get go. I can see what the guy who posted earlier meant about only using the one channel too, I'm pretty certain high gain+boost is going to be my primary channel, leaving the other 3 settings kind of superfluous.

It does have a lot of treble, the guy who sold it to me said he'd put in 6l6's for "clearer treble" which pretty much makes him a moron. The crunch is nice, although darker in the midrange than any marshall I've played.

I was A/Bing it with a friends Blackstar for a bit and the Blackstar felt a lot better in all respects, then like an idiot I realised that the reason the Blackstar was kicking it's rear end so severely was becasue it comes with a built in attenuator kicking it down to 20 watts, turn that off and the response was about par.

I was that guy. Let me know how you feel about it in a week or two. I'm kinda glad I have it, but then part of me really wants to sell it and either wait for a vintage Laney or just get something else entirely.

ruinedhero
Jun 6, 2010

We are only serving our Gods
Three red lights, have you tried getting an outside eq into the effects loop (or if no loop between the guitar and amp?) the mx and boss ones work pretty well to shape tone, especially on tube.

The holy grail reverb is also an amazing pedal to replace the broken one on the amp.

massive spider
Dec 6, 2006

Dont get me wrong its not a bad sounding amp, if I sound like I'm down on it its just because the Blackstar rocks faces so hard.

Although playing around with it for a while they dont seem like they're aiming for the same thing, the Blackstar is very detailed and hi-fi sounding which is probably what the guy was aiming for when he switched out the tubes.

One thing I do really like is the way you can use the boost to shape the sound, if you just shove either the gain or the boost up to 10 and put them both on you might as well be playing a metal zone, if you back off a bit though and find a sweet spot between the power tubes hitting their stride, the gain stage and the boost it sounds awesome, a real KERCHANG open crunch like marshalls are supposed to sound like in your dreams.

Also I dont really care about the reverb/low gain input I just want them fixed for the resale value.

Blaisedell
May 7, 2008

Any recommendations for a bedroom practice amp that does great cleans? Probably going to try out a blackstar ht5 in the next few days, might have a look at a fender blues junior as well, any other suggestions?

massive spider
Dec 6, 2006

Tutu posted:

Any recommendations for a bedroom practice amp that does great cleans? Probably going to try out a blackstar ht5 in the next few days, might have a look at a fender blues junior as well, any other suggestions?

Laney VC30/15 depending on price, bad distortion but cleans are good.

Peavey classic series.

Has anyone tried a blackstar HT20? I know there are glowing reviews of the other ones in that series on the other page but I'm specifically wondering about the 20 and its volume output.

ruinedhero
Jun 6, 2010

We are only serving our Gods

Tutu posted:

Any recommendations for a bedroom practice amp that does great cleans? Probably going to try out a blackstar ht5 in the next few days, might have a look at a fender blues junior as well, any other suggestions?

Fender Super Champ XD - it's tube amp that brand new goes for $300 and is pretty drat diverse for it's price. It has a good standard clean channel, then a second channel that emulates 12 different type of amp sounds from acoustic to metal and it even has built in effects. It's a 10 inch speaker, but it is plenty loud and the clean channel is tight as hell.

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Alakaiser
Jan 3, 2007

And the Lord Josh said, "Blessed are those cast away by Belichick, theirs is the kingdom of Denver." (Tebow 1:25)

ruinedhero posted:

Fender Super Champ XD - it's tube amp that brand new goes for $300 and is pretty drat diverse for it's price. It has a good standard clean channel, then a second channel that emulates 12 different type of amp sounds from acoustic to metal and it even has built in effects. It's a 10 inch speaker, but it is plenty loud and the clean channel is tight as hell.

Seconding this recommendation. As a budget guitarist, I've gotten a lot of mileage out of this amp.

Pros:

- Like ruinedhero said, the clean channel is very good.
- The voices on the second channel are also good, some more than others (love the brit voices (voice 9 in particular, for those of you who have one), enjoy the blackface voices, dislike the jazz voice, hate the acoustic voice)
- Messing around with the built in effects (delay, chorus, reverb, tremelo, vibratone) has helped me decide what effect pedals I want to get in the future (thus saving me from buying low-grade pedals upfront).
- As far as the effects go, the built-in reverb is pretty nice.

Cons:

- The effects only have a single knob tied to them for tweaks, so you can't customize your sound a whole hell of a lot outside of their settings. For a personal example, I can never seem to get a tremelo effect that is quite what I want (I've noticed that that particular effect seems to kill the attack more than I'd like). Of course, I'm looking into buying a tremelo pedal as a result, so I guess it's all good in the end!
- This is probably just isolated to me, since my buddy has the same amp, but I've had to send my amp in for repairs - twice. The first time was when it was right out of the box, the second time was about a week after I got it back the first time. Again, though, this seems to be isolated to me.
- How big is your space? I wanted to try using the super as a bedroom amp, but even with the volume turned up past 2 and a half or so, it was a bit too loud. I use the amp when I'm playing with my buddies (not currently in a band) so this is hardly a con, but I use my Micro Cube for practice now.

I definitely enjoy the amp. It's a drat good price for what you get.

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