I'm in the market for a new amp and have been eyeballing two amps. One is a Dual Rec and the other is the Soldano Avenger.
I have played both and really like both but tend towards the darker character of the Mesa more. My question regarding the Mesa is that I do not like how it seems flubby in the bottom end. I know that you can have the amp modded etc.. but I do not want to spend $1600 on an amp then have to pay more to fix something that should be able to be dialed in stock. Is there a way to tighten up the bottom end using the knobs on the amp? I also know that Dual Rec's come from the factory biased cold. I know that the amp has that bias switch so that I can change between EL34's and 6550's. Other than that is the amp able to be internally biased? I like the tubes towards the high end of the voltage ratings. Tube life is not a concern because tubes go out you change them... That is part of having a tube amp, maintenance.

As for the Avenger, this is the perfect amp. Perfect if you want a one trick pony. the Avenger is what Marshall should have done when they came out with the 2203. What I do not like about it is that it is single channel and a little mid heavy. But the mids are tailored so that they are never nasally.

I play Blackdeath and want a thick heavy tone but not that fizzed out scooped tone.
Thanks for any info on my questions.

Let me save you the trouble and money. The Randall RM with a Recto will give you all that you want from the Recto with out the noise and sponginess. It just fucking blows my mind how good they sound. I actually like the Randall Recto better than the Mesa recto.

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Soldano SLO-100

Now you have an Avenger w/ a clean.

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+1

the avenger is just the poweramp section and lead channel from the slo 100...

as for the recto... throw some el34's in there and tell me what you think... it really tightens up the flub and reduces the unusable bass.

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I would go for the rectifier

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I was watching cannibal coprse's making of the wretched spawn last night.

the tone Pat Obrein got out of his recto was amazing!

i might just consider a triple rect if i can't get an ENGL

the triple recto is nothing like an engl... they're voiced completely differently... and you have to understand that's pat's "studio tone".. custom bc rich into recto+shitloads of other amazing things they can do in the studio.

besides.. engl powerball $1,850, triple recto $1,700... engl richie blackmore $1,600..

if you can afford a triple recto you can afford an engl.

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And between a triple rectifier and an Engl ... for me, there is no contest.

yeah man thats what i figured it was all the studio magic that made it sound amazing, but it still did sound AMAZING.

yeah im still going for the ENGL, but i need to hear more soundclips of the powerball, im thinking of emailing Derek at rocksolid and asking for some Deathmetal clips from the powerball

yeh, i'm just saying that price is no excuse to pick a recto over an engl..

the rectos are still pretty bad ass.

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Yeah but I do not nor see the reason to spend over $2000 for a guitar amp when I am not making at least $200/night playing out. If I had the money yes the SLO would be looked at over these other two.

I'm interested in the Engl amps but no one in my region(100 miles radius from my home) sells these. Know of any dealers in South Texas? I was actually trying for a high end limit of around $1500-1600. But for something special I could go a few hundred more. Nothing over $2000 though as that is plain rediculous.

well, i guess if you arent willing to spend that kind of money then you arent willing to get that kind of tone. you'll have to settle for something else.

you could always grab an avenger used, and then something different like a used jc 120 for a clean amp, and then use an a/b box to work between them like a channel switcher.. shouldnt run you over $2,000.. but you'd be stuck hauling two amps around.

as for engls... they're way rare in america.. i'm lucky to have played some of them. but then again they're on the level of niceness that you can do a blind buy and if by a chance in hell you arent satisfied, you can resale it for the same price. that imo is one of the best advantages of buying used.

how about a 5150/6505 or 5150 II/6505+? in your price range... and very soldano ish... like a slo without the mojo.. why? because the 5150 is a complete ripoff of a soldano slo. just a bitless in build quality, customer service and not quiet as nice in sound quality.

also, the soldano modded tube yamaha's ae fucking awesome too.

the hughes & kettner triamp could always use a look.. that's what i have. not very soldano like, but it's an amazing amp for just about anything. i paid like $1,250 used for mine, with the midi module installed. i could have gotten it for $1,100 without the midi module but i need it.

have you considered a modded marshall? like a two channel jcm 800 with a gain mod?

just throwing some ideas around. you'll find something... but i don't suggest cheaping out. if it's your dream amp. don't sell yourself short.

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Or the Randall RM. Please don't over look that amp people. Just FYI

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Yeah thanks for the suggestions. I looked at the hughes & kettner website the other night I just have no clue who sells them here in the US, at least in my area. As for Marshalls, That is what I own and just want a change. As for Peavey's yeah I know all about the 5150, but I would rather have a tube amp that doesnt have to plug tubes into the main board of the amp, just in case.

if they don't have a list of dealers on their website.. e-mail them.


what?

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you could get a powerball for that ammount, I've got one and I'm damn pleased with it. it's my 3th Engl amp at the moment, I love them! check out www.rocksolidamps.com for sound samples. (owner derekB is on these forums too)

as for H&K, the only thing worth getting is the Triamp which will set you back a load of cash if you get it new.

5150's aren't at the same level if you ask me, but ofcourse you can mod those fuckers.

if you really had to pick between the mesa and the soldano, I'de go for the soldano any day of the week. but I'de rather get a used SLO100 (or maybe an SL60 if you can find one)

i dunno, being a triamp owner, and having played many a duotone.. the duotone can cover pretty much the same ground as the triamp, but you only have TWO channels, instead of 6.

and even then.. these amps arent made to be the most insanely brutal monsters on the planet like an engl powerball.

they're ment to be the all in one amps, the kind of amp anyone can buy for any style. and be happy with it.

but that's not to say you can't still acheive insane high gain brutality with bone crushingly tight low end and lots of gain on tap.

a new mkII triamp without the midi module is like $2,700. a used one can be had for a few hundred under $2,000 though.

i bought my used mkI for only $1,250 with the midi module.


amen... but i think considering the 5150 is less than one 3rd the price, i'm amazed at how good they are sometimes.

but the soldano imo sounds better and looks better. not to mention the build quality is WAAY superior, that's not even an opinion, that's fact.

not to say peavey shit isnt well built, my bro has had his 5150 for a while now and not ran into any problems. same with alot of other dudes.

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lol the same dudes that had all those problems with their 5150's like on these forums?

the duotone ain't bad. but it sure ain't no triamp, it sounds more boring to me, the triamp just does way more and thats its charme.

those were just blown speakers in combo amps mind you.

i'm talking about blowing fuses and tubes, frying shit, breaking down, ect... not the speaker quality of sheffeilds.

60w into two 30w speakers is a recipe for trouble.

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loads of 5150's break down, they're like no.1 on the breakdown list, next to marshall mg's, haha

even the tops break down, though they seem pretty solid. I know two cases of a broken down top, first one had filter cap problems and the other had a broken power transformer and the whole amp was fried! it was under warranty though so the guy was damn lucky. Both where caused by faulty or crappy parts, so maybe it's not directly Peavey's fault and the problems where solved, but I do hear a lot about 5150's breaking down!

Those were combo's with failing speakers.. the amp still worked.

Dont make me have JerryP pizzown your ass

I have yet to see one 5150 that had any serious problem, especially the output tranny.. 5150's have some strong tranny's that can take alot more power than the 5150 dishes out.

Apart from a blown screen grid resistor (stupid fixed bias) 5150's are solid and used by many touring bands with little to no problems. Framus' have more porblems.. and they cost a shitload more.

Maybe its just your retarded Dutch electricity

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I haven't heard about Framus problems, but I don't know anyone who actually owns one. I've played the cobra and dragons though, seemed solid but hell, my peavey 50/50 poweramp seemed solid too until it broke down.

maybe it is the power over here, who knows, we're running about double that you guys are (220v) so maybe thats why the tranny's bug out over here, I don't know. but the guy totally fried his amp! it was still under warranty, so probably a production error or faulty part.

It's weird though, everyone that I know that owns a 5150 had problems with it, maybe those guys where both really unlucky. they're not as common over here as in the US, plus they're more expensive, which is why most people never bought them over here. (and there's barely any places here that can mod them, unfortunatly)

KSE and Unearth both had constant problems with their Framus'.. thats why Ken from Unearth is using his modded Mesa while KSE has switched to H&K Triamp mkII's with their Framus' as backups (not a very reliable backup)

Apparently Framus has taken care of the problems and the newer amp with the external bias pots should be MUCH more reliable than the older ones.

How much are 5150's over there?

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yeh, i call bullshit... i know alot of dude with 5150's.. anytime something goes wrong it's usually the user's fault.

i've never had problems with my classic 50/50.

it could very well be your european voltage. but still. you'd have to through quite a bit of abuse to make a 5150 breakdown... or just play some chuggy chords (haha, get it "breakdown"? oh man i'm on a roll.)

as for framus.. killswitch and unearth are the only bros that i have ever heard "complain" about reliablity. and they tour heavily, i've even seen the guys in unearth standing on his amp....

also, framus's are point to point so servicing wouldnt be very hard for a decent tech.

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well this wasn't the users fault in this case. just crappy materials. maybe they where just unlucky, but I've heard a lot about 5150 probs too on the asice.net forums.

the grid resistor problem is pretty well known I guess, don't know about the power transformers but the one that was fucked was on warranty so that was all good.

KSE and Unearth do tour heavily but an amp should be able to cope with it. I mean I've seen DEP last weekend and one of the guitarist stood on his top too. I never heard much about Framus problems but they're still pretty rare and shit, so ofcourse you won't hear as much about it.

BLS, 5150's are like 1000 bucks used here.

they where around 5.000 guilders here back in the day, thats our old currency. in euro's thats like 2300 for a set? (with cab)
I don't know if they dropped in price later on, that was ages ago when I saw my first 5150 in stores. Insane, I can get a new powerball for that and get a used cab with it.

Thats a ripoff, even to me.

Good thing you guys have a bunch of awesome boutique amps over there.

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I read on hear about wanting to hear the tone of the ENGL playing death metal. Check out my band link below (MySpace page)

I brought it my triple rectifier (which sounds badass) but my producer showed me his ENGL Powerball and I was blown away. Crisp, clear chunkiness, more low and end growl than I've ever heard.

I've played for 10 years on modded 5150's, JCM 2000's, 2 channle triple rectos, dual rectos, Soldanos, and Line 6's. The ENGL Powerball beats the fucking shit outta all those amps.

Just today I shipped off my Triple recto sold on eBay and bought an ENGL Powerball. I am a happier man

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What about VHT?

what about them?

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i hear they rule


but id like to hear more about them as well

congrats man! I've got a Powerball too and I love it! I'll check out you guys on myspace, cheers!

they do make good stuff, but he just wasnt specific as to what he wanted to know...

they make some of the best tube poweramps, that's for sure. the newer preamp they just came out with is fucking tits too.

the pittbull ul is pretty much the tightest/quickest responding high gain amp on the planet. like s.s. tightness and reaction speed, but tone of tubes... comes with kt88's in the power section too. huge tone.

it's nice because you have the standard eq you'd have on just about any amp. high low mid, gain, ect... but then you have the 5 band graphic eq built on to change the overall sound of the amp, and you can activate and deactivate it... really flexible. clean tones are so so for a high gain tube top, it's no fender bassman, but it's good non the less.

but of course with a $3,000+ pricetag, there are other amps i'd rather have.

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Like the Diezel VH4 or the Soldano SLO100

slo, yes... vh4, nah, maybe a herbert...

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