515 Crew

so im looking at purchasing a used tube head...and have a decent budget...
am looking into
orange-thunderverb/rockerverb
mesa boogie- something in the mark series or a .50caliber
laney-gh50l
and random sunn)))amps
and am just looking for some general opinions on the amps..mostly looking in vargs direction...although, im almost assuming you will say they are all shit...
i want something with a good clean tone, and something that will last for a LONG time, and will be worth the money i'm putting into it...

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/for ... y.php?f=79

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/forumdisplay.php?f=6

have you looked at any of the laney aor amps? thats one that'd i'd like to try out if i get the chance. they sell at reasonable prices on ebay too.

i know harmony central, i spent some time looking on there, but it seems like every other review contradicts the next...despite all that i narrowed it down to those few amps....im now hoping for some cross comparrison on what will give me the most bang for my buck...so just looking for another opinion..........i will check out those laneys.

TooManyHumyns wrote:so im looking at purchasing a used tube head...and have a decent budget...
am looking into
orange-thunderverb/rockerverb
mesa boogie- something in the mark series or a .50caliber
laney-gh50l
and random sunn)))amps
and am just looking for some general opinions on the amps..mostly looking in vargs direction...although, im almost assuming you will say they are all shit...
i want something with a good clean tone, and something that will last for a LONG time, and will be worth the money i'm putting into it...

tube amps need maintenance at least twice a year.
what kind of sound are you looking for?
by your list im guessing youre looking for around 50 watts? if so the smaller sunn tube amps are really nice.
mesas have a crunchy brightness and not much low end
laneys are hit and miss depending on how hard theyve been played(some are VERY nice.)
orange thunderverb and newer models are usually very prone to board burns, and are more kitsch than anything. not reliable.

i would suggest looking at sovtek and possibly rivera but i dont know what you mean by decent budget?

by decent budget, i mean anywhere from $500-$1500used price.
im looking for 50-100watts, something for personal/practice/shows...i want to be able to hear myself loud and clear without losing clarity...will 50 do the job? or should i up to 100?...i've always bought disposable crap amps for 3-400bucks and want to buy something that i will have for a long while...anyways, as far as sound goes...good sustain, good clean...i really like the old sabbath-esqu doomy sludgey metal sorta sound...if that makes any sense..i dont really want to start listing bands...im really unfamiliar with tube amps, i was originally just going to buy a marshall and call it good, then i started reading up, and discovering how all these different amps give you different sounds....then i became lost..

sabbath early on was mostly laney because they were british made and cheap there.

seriously check the sovtek migs. you might have to road trip to find em. but they are very decent and can get more of a weird low that most people that use them dont exploit.

oh and as a warning- tube amps sound different everytime you turn them on.

i had forgotten about sovtek...any model in particular...?


whooops...
migs...got it
im into the 'weird low' i will also be down tuning...quite low and hope not to sound to warble-ly...
not to judge off price, because i dont need to spend a grand, but all the sovteks im finding a relatively cheap....around 500 and under...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Sovtek-Mig-60-/2706 ... 3f02e63184

and honestly if you want to step up look at sound city. ive been searching for a sound city "tour series"(these are the insanely heavy duty built and insanely loud versions) amp and cabinet for over a decade now. but their smaller heads are really nice as well.

sovteks are cheap because they were factory pumped out like crazy and then sovtek went outta business so a bunch of places had way too much stock. so they started slashing prices. and theyre one of those amps that people usually skip over so youre not gonna have the brand name like marshall or sunn collectors bumping the prices up just because of the name...

oh and if i had the money to throw around id get a verellen they have a LIFETIME free repair...

http://www.verellenamplifiers.com/verellen.html

those verellen amps are sick...i think im looking into those sovteks and sound citys now that its all said and done..i dont want to spend an arm and a leg if i dont need to that way i can get a decent cab as well....dumb question...but is 50 tube watts loud? or will i need to turn it to 10 to cut over everything? or could i pair two 50 watt amps? ive seen guitarists to that, but im not sure how it works...

im more concerned with getting a good solid 'vintage' sound than a brand name...

well... loud is subjective.
i think 50 watts is a practice amp. lots of people disagree with me. it depends on what youre gonna do. if you want to shake people rib cages 50 watts wont do it. if you just want to play youll be fine. if youre playing at home or on a stage with a pa youll be fine. if youre playing with a drummer that hits really hard you might want more?

i think elliot plays a 50 watt fender? ive never had a problem hearing him.

you could always add another cabinet and slave amp. and slave amps are usually real cheap because nobody really uses them(i think i have 4? and havent paid more than 120 for any of em). if you want to get louder it doesnt take much but id suggest finding an amp you actually liek the sound of before trying to shake things.

TooManyHumyns wrote:im more concerned with getting a good solid 'vintage' sound than a brand name...

ok this is a very touchy comment. people mean a whole lot of different stuff by "vintage"... and its near impossible to have.

unless every piece of everything you have is actually vintage. including pickups. and if youre gonna me micd thru a PA. if it has new microphones or a digital board your vintage sound is gone.

i wouldnt try to get a vintage sound. i would suggest finding a sound that you like and that sounds good to you.

awesome, thanks for all the advice...i think i have a better grasp on it all now.

hiwatt?

TooManyHumyns wrote:hiwatt?

yes. very nice. also verrrrry expensive. sound citys are based on the same schematics and usually about half as much.

you could also look at the earth and plush tube heads. theyre basically fender bassman schematics but with cheaper components which give them a different sound. they usually need a couple hundred in tune ups just to make sure they wont crap out on you.

a lot of those laney aor amps have been compared to the marshall jcm 800 but with more gain. if you like hair metal of the 80's, the aor can do that, but you can dial in whatever tone you're looking for. have you looked at any of the older laney supergroup heads?

didn't see a supergroup on ebay, but i found this 100 watt aor going cheap!
http://cgi.ebay.com/LANEY-AOR-PRO-TUBE- ... 2a0a1bb3b1

noel_nothing wrote:didn't see a supergroup on ebay, but i found this 100 watt aor going cheap!
http://cgi.ebay.com/LANEY-AOR-PRO-TUBE- ... 2a0a1bb3b1

This is a really good deal.

Shane wrote:

noel_nothing wrote:didn't see a supergroup on ebay, but i found this 100 watt aor going cheap!
http://cgi.ebay.com/LANEY-AOR-PRO-TUBE- ... 2a0a1bb3b1

This is a really good deal.

if you want to drive to tampa florida to get it...

In the first line of the description, dude said he'd ship to the lower 48. What he's saying is he also has it for sale on craigslist or something locally.

Shane wrote:In the first line of the description, dude said he'd ship to the lower 48. What he's saying is he also has it for sale on craigslist or something locally.

oh. im sorry. my mistake.

TooManyHumyns wrote:so im looking at purchasing a used tube head...and have a decent budget...
am looking into
orange-thunderverb/rockerverb
mesa boogie- something in the mark series or a .50caliber
laney-gh50l
and random sunn)))amps
and am just looking for some general opinions on the amps..mostly looking in vargs direction...although, im almost assuming you will say they are all shit...
i want something with a good clean tone, and something that will last for a LONG time, and will be worth the money i'm putting into it...

Well you're off to a good start because you're asking for my advice, rather than these other idiots' who are telling you to go to harmony central and saying crap like this:

joseph wrote: tube amps need maintenance at least twice a year.
by your list im guessing youre looking for around 50 watts? if so the smaller sunn tube amps are really nice.
mesas have a crunchy brightness and not much low end
laneys are hit and miss depending on how hard theyve been played(some are VERY nice.)
orange thunderverb and newer models are usually very prone to board burns, and are more kitsch than anything. not reliable.

i would suggest looking at sovtek and possibly rivera but i dont know what you mean by decent budget?

lol, maintenance twice a year? LOL, I've had my ENGL for about two years and it still has not required ANY maintenance. Conservative estimates are ONCE a year and even that is a bit much. Where you get twice a year is beyond me. I don't know a person alive who would tolerate any amp that would require that much work. They would get a different amp before dealing with that shit.



Mesa would be fine for you, but I don't think you can afford it. A Mark V would be nice, but too expensive for you. An older Mark III would be great, but those are pretty rare to come by and a hot commodity. In most cases they sell for as much as they were new. Mark's have good clean tone, but so does the Invader. I don't like Orange amps (Though I plan on getting an Orange cab) but for a 'vintage' sound that might work. Laney, meh.

Be more specific with the sound you're trying to achieve (probably by referencing particular bands) and the most you're willing to spend and it can be narrowed down pretty quickly.

well, just for kicks...
my budget is anywhere from 500-1500(used prices)...i could go higher, but looking to stay around there so i can afford the guitar im looking for....(guild s100)
as far as bands...idk, its not reallly about wanting to copy a bands sound...im looking for something with good sustain, and a good clean channel that doesnt get to dirty when turned up past 5....so clean, LOUD and warm....i dont need effects...simple is fine, i have some analog pedals and plan on buying a couple more....
but bands...bison, kylesa, sabbath,pentagram,trouble, theres probably a million others i could list...,but wont bother...older sludge/doomy/rock metal shit....i've never really put though into my gear until now, and want to buy stuff that i will be happy to have in the long run...so i dont feel the need to replace it every 2 years...

Don't buy an Engl amp.

An Ampeg V4 guitar amp would probably work well for you if you get one that doesn't have the shitty distortion circuit. They're loud and clean and if you can find one that's got new filter caps and decent tubes they'll last a long time. Plus they sell for <$500 usually.

Btw, the links I posted aren't reviews, they're places where people buy/sell/trade gear. It's cheaper to buy shit on HC or TGP than it is to buy it on eBay or whatever.

just droppin in to be all like "TROUBLE RULES" and shit.

hey varg-
you and i do not agree on amps, tones, working out, bands etc. if "someone" was actually out playing shows and touring with a tube amp they get banged around. maintenance to me means tubes not transformers, caps blah blah

and i think you and i might actually be complete opposites on amp opinions. i am curious of your speakers and cabinet preferences tho?

shane- V4 good idea.

im diggin that v4...and since you mentioned it...cab/speaker reccomendations? all i know is celestions...again, really appreciative of all the input...