I'm looking to buy a new amp. I have a crap solid state ibanez head and cab. I will problably spend around $1,100-14,000$ for head. I am for the most part a lead player, so im looking for good lead tone, i like to be able to use warm liquid leads and bright harmonic leads. Also i like a tight and clear distortion for riffing. Reverb isn't a must since i can get a pedal. cleans are a plus but im happy with the cleans my amp puts out so it does not take mutch to satisfy me on that.

I am definately going to buy used.

Right now i'm looking at dual rectifier solo head. I have read for hours on this amp and the features adn they seem awesome. (question: what is main difference between 6L6s adn EL34s?).

I'm also researching ENGls the Powerball and fireball.

I may go a little cheaper also like a blue voodoo, but i want something that i wont want to get rid of in the next year or 2 which these lower amps will most likely make me do.

Also very interested in the Engle 530

I have an option of getting a mesa formula preamp and some mosvalge poweramp or something for 500


I checked out the 5150 and its lead tone for me sucked hardcore. I liek its tone for low heavy riffs however.

A while ago i played some version of Marshall JCM 200 that i really liked but i don't know which it was and i can't seem to find again.

I don't really know what other models of brands that are in that price range. If you guys know any models of deizel, vht, kettner, Carvin, Laney, Kustom, Orange, Randal, or soldano in or below that price range im all ears. Solid state is not an option.


some bands i like the tone of. Necrophagist, pantera, Between the buried and me, All that remains (wanna fight about it?) Opeth, Nevermore, Wintersun, Children of Bodom, Darkest hour, Nile, The Human Abstract, Death, Testament, in flames, Arsis, The Faceless, Spawn of possession.

Thanx gents.

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hahahaha almost half the bands you mentioned use 5150's. Seriously, the lead tonoe is good, you just have to bias the power tubes and turn up the volume. Try a 5150+.

Other than that, check out the engl blackmore, vht deliverance, laney gh50l, marshall dsl100, marshall jcm900 sl-x, marshall jcm 900 mkIII.

The dual rectifier is a very finicky amp, and probably will not be tight enough for ANYthing that you mentioned. Its a very saggy amp.

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Well, if you can spend 14k, I'd say get an SLO100 and Diezel VH4.

I got to plug the Randall RM100. Absolutely fantastic all tube amp. You can bias it yourself, use any type of tubes, and change out preamp modules to fit your needs. The Ultra XL module = 5150 tone.

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haha oops i mean 1,400.
Thanx for the words, maybe i just suck at dialing the 6505 at guitar center, it's exactly the same as 5150 correct? anyone want to recommend some settings for the 6505?

Also would some form of boosting with like an od808 be neccesary? are the boost pedals just used to alter tone or are they volume boosts or whats going on with the boosts pedals?

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OK nvm I just read your explanation on the gear pics forum thanx alot, still wondering about the boost if it alteres volume, how do you set your maxon knobs? One more, do u run it through guitar or loop?

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tips for the 5150, keep the treble and presence low, keep the mids and resonance high. Move the resonance down as the volume goes up.

And boosting a 5150 is not very necessary at all. Its a VERY tight and aggressive amp by itself. You wouldn't add much with a boost. The only time i'd recommend a boost for it is if you did not like your guitar's sound through the amp... but that can be solved with a pickup swap which is cheaper than a boost pedal hahaha.

And lastly, i set em with drive pointing directly left, tone either at noon or 1 oclock, and balance pointing directly right. It does not change the volume at all. When an amp is distorted it is already at its volume ceiling so to speak (thats what clipping means), so adding more signal just makes it more distorted. And you always put it in front of the amp to drive the preamp tubes harder.

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Thanx alot went to G Center and tried it was pretty cool, still had that fuzzy deal going on. Is there any amps similar lead wise? Just not as fuzzy. I like the persision (sp?) it requires.

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I've used a Marshall DSL100 now for the last 4 years and its definetely my favourite amp, brilliant crunch, clean and heavy sounds, its pretty much the bedrock to my tone,

However, if i was to buy another amp, I'd most likely get a Engl Savage, I really like the tone, damn good sounding amp

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I am really getting interested in these Marshall JCM 2O0Os. Everyone tells me how they love the DSL. I tried a brand new TSL with my mahogany bodied charvel with x2n bridge pickup and absolutely loved the leads goin on. For the lower chugg type riffs it had a sort of cutting out sound. Does anyone know how to fix that? Does the DSL do that.

I also played a used DSL in guitar center using some random guitar in there. I couldnt find my tone at all. Would It be since its used the tubes may be old?

Does anyone have any comments or answers to my questions about these amps? Thanks.

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the DSL sounds A LOT better than a TSL.

tsl = pewp. Srsly.

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Could it be that maybe one was a 60 watt adn the other was 100? I over looked that attribute on both amps.

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sounds like you should end up with an engl. that would be so cool.

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... No.
To expensive and I bet in the whole state of Missouri there are like 2 ENGLs.

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no, tsls just sound like shit. seriously.

The DSL is much better, especially for what you want.

Plus, the TSL doesnt have a master volume, only channel volumes, so matching the voluems across the channels is a bitch when yuo want to turn up or down.

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Maybe You like your DSL so much because you use a boost. Could the lack of boost pedal be why i didn't like that sound of the DSL you think?

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Nah, i would probably attribute it to speakers or pickups. You really gotta play it with nice speakers, like G12K-100's or V30's... or if you want more of a classic rock vibe, G12m greenbacks.
And as for pickups, i find that marshalls really like high output pickups for metal.

Nile, for example, uses DSL100's, with seymour duncan invader pickups, and no boost, and they bring out uber brootalz.

However, if you want more of a JCM800 tone, use an overdrive into the green channel, it will be sweet.


I cannot stress enough, dial in the tone with your ears, not your eyes. Close your eyes when you turn the knobs. It really helps.

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I Tried the tsl with an X2n. I suppose that is high output right?

I thought Nile said in a video that they used Marshall Monoblocs and peavey rockmaster preamps.
Whatever they used in Annhilation of the Wicked was awesome.

Do people use JCM 900s for metal? Can you get distortion tone out of them?
Or do they just use pedals? Im not a big fan of pedal distortion at all, especially those huge pedals with multiple functions.

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the JCM 900 HI GAIN dual reverb? You think they'd have a distortion channel

Yes they are pretty high gain, but you have to turn it up loud to get it to sound good.

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Ya i was confused when i had played it.

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From seeing Nile live, looked to me like their lead guitarist was using a Marshall stack, maybe one of the newer models, and the rhythm/vocals guy used a rack full of stuff.

I've got a 5150 combo and I like the tone a lot after changing the pre-amp tubes to electro-harmonix and replacing the speakers with vintage-30s, though I liked the tone to begin with.

Also I've heard that the JSX is phenomenal for lead tones, and you might check out EVH's new 5150 III.

Other than that, the Soldano low-wattage Astro head might be almost cheap enough for you.

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