Yet Another "Recommend Me Some Amps" thread

[shinksma]

So...a minor update to my quest.

But first, a big thanks to everyone for chiming in with suggestions! I really do appreciate the variety of opinions and experiences.

Anyway...on Friday I was looking around for other possible solutions, including something like an Orange Tiny Terror and speaker cab. It occurred to me that the reason my HRD cannot truly produce a tight OD sound is because of the open back, and just getting a speaker cab with closed back might help. So I ordered an extension cabinet, relatively inexpensive way of experimenting with my sound, and worse comes to worse, I just have more of my HRD's typical sound (which I like! I love that loose/spongy bottom end a la Neil Young!). And I can try it as a combo of external and internal, or just plug the external into the normal internal speaker jack. And if it really does nothing for me, I'll just return the cabinet. Either way, I will continue my search for a true modern-sounding amp. I have more guitars than I can play at any one time, why not have a couple of amps?

Co-incidentally (or is it!), my clean channel has decided to completely cut out on the HRD. Lead channel sounds normal. I didn't have time to play with it last night, but I suspect either a bad or loose preamp tube. I've unplugged it and will diagnose tonight. I'll start by swapping the pre-amp tubes for the clean and lead channels. The tubes have lasted 15 years, so I suppose this was expected...

I will still look into trying an Archon, or a H&K, or any of the other suggestions. The Archon is certainly top of my list, but I will continue to be open to other ideas... I just really wish there was a guitar store around here that carried a good variety of the amps being suggested.

 

[László]

I just really wish there was a guitar store around here that carried a good variety of the amps being suggested.

This is a real problem -- being able to try lots of amps in one place is difficult, let alone trying to check out all PRS amps!

Most stores just don't carry a variety of amps like they used to.

Therefore, we should have a giant PRS ampfest somewhere. Who's with me?

 

[aristotle]

I think I might know a of a place....

 

[shinksma]

I think I might know a of a place....

Heh heh heh. I've heard of your collection. Still, dunno where you're at, off-hand. Hmmm. Anyone in central Florida?

 

[László]

I think I might know a of a place....

Have amps, will travel.

(Picture of Chess Knight)

Wire LSchefman
PRS Forum

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Have amps, will travel.

Pick me up.

 

[tiboy]

Heh heh heh. I've heard of your collection. Still, dunno where you're at, off-hand. Hmmm. Anyone in central Florida?

As I recall, the matching guitar collection ain't too shabby either.

 

[László]

Pick me up.

Yes.

 

[shinksma]

So...a minor update to my quest.

...

Co-incidentally (or is it!), my clean channel has decided to completely cut out on the HRD. Lead channel sounds normal. I didn't have time to play with it last night, but I suspect either a bad or loose preamp tube. I've unplugged it and will diagnose tonight. I'll start by swapping the pre-amp tubes for the clean and lead channels. The tubes have lasted 15 years, so I suppose this was expected...

A minor update to my minor update: swapped the pre-amp tubes, problem did not follow, but the clean channel suddenly came back to life. Took out the tubes again (after cooling them off!), sprayed some contact cleaner, inserted and removed clean channel tube a few times to rub off any oxidation, and everything is back to normal.

I'm gonna look around for Mom+Pop style guitar/music stores in the area. Anyone have any suggestions for Central Florida? Otherwise I may just hit a GC or SamAsh for giggles to see what they may have - sometimes stuff gets traded in, might be worth trolling around.

 

[Nightfall]

Therefore, we should have a giant PRS ampfest somewhere. Who's with me?

Sounds like a plan. I have a PRS 25th Anniversary head and cab that I can contribute...

 

[Rookie]

I will still look into trying an Archon, or a H&K, or any of the other suggestions.

My opinion is worth what you paid for it, but after all the research could stand, I bought the H&K 18 tube head and a 12" H&K cab.
Now, they introduced a 18 twelve, which is a combo with a 12" instead of the standard 10".
I wanted a tube amp, my budget excluded the PRS's, and the 18 has a power switch that takes it down from 18 to 5 to 1 to silent with a XLR balanced line recording output.
You can keep the gain without rocking the neighbors.
My only complaint is the blue light is too bright.

 

[shinksma]

My opinion is worth what you paid for it, but after all the research could stand, I bought the H&K 18 tube head and a 12" H&K cab.
Now, they introduced a 18 twelve, which is a combo with a 12" instead of the standard 10".
I wanted a tube amp, my budget excluded the PRS's, and the 18 has a power switch that takes it down from 18 to 5 to 1 to silent with a XLR balanced line recording output.
You can keep the gain without rocking the neighbors.
My only complaint is the blue light is too bright.

Well, I appreciate the input, even if you weren't paid for your endorsement!

I have looked at the H&K Tubemeister 18, and it is appealing. The one concern I have is whether H&K 18W power is similar to my Fender HRD's supposed 40W power. I still want to rock it out! Yeah, that's only 3dB (half-the-power), but I suspect I'd notice the difference going the other way (80W).

So the H&K 36W starts to look more like what I might want. Which is admittedly more affordable than the Archon.

And I am certainly heavily favoring separate amp head and cabinet. Hmm, lemme look at the H&K 18 and 36 again...

(And down the rabbit hole of guitar toy research he goes again...when will he return? Only the shadow knows. Oh wait, the shadow knows what lurks in the hearts of men, not ETA for rabbit hole jaunts. Whatever.)

 

[alantig]

I think I might know a of a place....

I think he meant with multiple people.

And multiple personalities don't count!

(But if there is such a gathering there, I might be persuaded to bring a thing or two along...)

 

[aristotle]

Multiple people works..... Here are the PRS amps in the bat cave....

Archon
DG30
HX/DA
MDT
2-Channel C (with the Martysnarf mod...)

Beyond that, there are a "few" other cool guitars and amps around....and plenty of room for whatever other goodies other folks bring along.

 

[Boogie]

2-Channel C (with the Martysnarf mod...)

It has a big stain and smells like a stripper? :vroam:
:biggrin:

 

[zz_marcello]

Mesa Mark V. Great cleans. Great overdrive. Takes all pedals well. You seem to be all over the place with what you play and that is pretty much the swiss army knife of guitar amps.

+1

- Fender like clean channel.
- Sweet sweet tube overdrive channels with all classic and modern sounds available.
- 10+45+90 Watt switchable tube circuits for great sound at all locations down to bedroom level.
- 10 Watt Modus in channel 1 with gain up gives you very sweet natural non master amp overdrive like Fender deluxe reverb.
- Aditional Variac Power for brown amp sound + gives nearly eternal tube live (lower voltage)
- This amps are not loosing money but in opposite nearly all generations of Marks are trading higher now than their original price.

Great value for money

I have a Blackstar ID60 model amp as a backup and throw in your car amp.
It has nice clean sounds and decent overdrive sounds. But compared to a MARK V its not even the same game.

My SC58 with the 57/08 together with the MKV Clean Channel 1 in 10 Watt circuit mode and gain up was nearly making me cry the first time I was playing through it and I had shivers on my skin.

 

[Boogie]

Great value for money

yes, very much so.

This amps are not loosing money but in opposite nearly all generations of Marks are trading higher now than their original price.
.

As much as I'd like that to be true, at least in the US, unless you have a IIc+, the resale isn't that good. Don't get me wrong, it's still very good for a 25 year old amp, but my MkIII would only bring about $1k. I paid $1800 in 1989.

A MkV is a wonderful amp.

 

[zz_marcello]

yes, very much so.


As much as I'd like that to be true, at least in the US, unless you have a IIc+, the resale isn't that good. Don't get me wrong, it's still very good for a 25 year old amp, but my MkIII would only bring about $1k. I paid $1800 in 1989.

A MkV is a wonderful amp.

Hi Boogie,

maybe the MKIII is a bit of an exception between the popular MKIV and hugely popular MK IIC (+)
The MKIV sold for $1200-1300 USD new in 1990 and that is about the amount you still pay for a used one now.
Mark I are still selling for about 1000USD... and they where maybe 500USD new in the beginning 70th.

I bought my MKV Combo (built in 2012) used for about 2/3 of a new one and I don't see myself loosing much money there.
(compare that with any modeler amp piece of gear)

Have a nice long weekend!

 

[Texas_minor_blues]

my 2 cents

The Bogner Shiva (20th Anniversary version even better!)
This is probably one of the best amps I have ever had the good fortune of playing. It covers cleans wonderfully and as far as metal goes I can get everything from In Flames to Pantera with little trouble

it takes pedals very well

Case in point with cleans, that is why I also have my 2 Channel H, these 2 amps really do cover the whole spectrum for me.

 

[shinksma]

So to follow up once more:

While browsing for various amp head + cabinet pairings, I was quite certain I wanted a sealed cabinet, because I suspected my open-backed HRDX was not as tight as a closed-back version. This is certainly true of Subwoofers (a topic I am very familiar with), and I figured it should apply to guitar speaker cabinets too.

I then thought to myself: if only I had a way of sealing up the back of my HRDX to see if that is the sound I'm looking for. At which point I remembered that Fender sells extension cabinets, sealed back, for the HRDX. So I ordered one - a fairly cheap experiment, and if nothing else would give me a 1x12 cabinet to use with whatever head I eventually get.

It came in last week (or was it the week before?), and I have had some time to experiment with the extension cab vs the internal speaker vs both. Internal alone I can really get that Neil Young sound, as always. Ext Cab alone it definitely tightens up, good for those core metal breakdowns. ;^) And combined, the amp seems to get a really nice even sound, not super tight but not super loose either.

I have also come to the conclusion that hybrid 9s or 10s in place of the regular 9s on my CU24 will get me an even tighter sound for some of the metal-like stuff I play (.042 for an E string detuned to D is just a little too flabby). And I just got in an SE Mikael Akerfeldt, which happens to have hybrids 9s on it, so I will be very much playing around with that this weekend.

I've honestly not had a chance to really wring it out, so eventually I may come to a slightly different conclusion, but so far I'm quite happy with my available options.

And now I can poke around for an amp head at my leisure, if I find one ~40W or less, I'm good to go, and if I go above that I will invest in a bigger speaker cab.

So thanks for all the hints, and although I am quite happy with what I have now, I'm certainly not completely satisfied, because a wide variety of amps and cabinets might be just as interesting to have as my wide variety of guitars...