Members morder Posted December 27, 2011 Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 Right now I have the following gear: Preamps:ADA MP-1ADA MP-1 3.666Rocktron Chameleon (blackface)Rocktron Pro Gap 1Rocktron Pro Gap 2.0Tech21 GT2 Power:Rocktron Velocity 300 Cab: Laney 4x12 from the 80s. Celestion G12M70. With this rig I can get some decent tones, but nothing outstanding. The pro gaps are very enjoyable for bedroom practice, but they sound too thin coming from the stage. The the stock mp1 is great for older heavy metal when you want something like a marshall, but better, so I'm keeping that one. The 3.666 is more modern than stock, has plenty of gain but I miss the amount of overtones, aggression and weight that's in a real mesa. To me it sounds somewhere between a regular mp1 and a mesa, not by far as identical as some people claim. The question is: would a tube power amp bring all my preamps (or some of them) to life? Some of the bands I listen to have such an insane amount of crunch in their sound. For instance this: . These are 5150s. I'm aware of all the processing that goes into a recording and how that can affect the sound (I'm a sound engineer and I do some record production). With the selection of gear that I have, I can't get a tone anywhere near as brutal as this. I'm talking mostly about the amount of overtones here, combined off course with clarity and punch. I guess the simple solution would be to get a 5150, however they are not versatile at all, and I only want a sort of similar sound, doesn't have to be identical, as long as the qualities I desire are in it. I've heard good and bad things about the rockmaster, same with the Engl 530, and I've been thinking about building myself a pre based on the soldano slo 100 circuit. Or should I get a tube power amp instead? If so, can you recommend me something cheap that will work on 230V power? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NaturalBornBoy Posted December 27, 2011 Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 See if you can find one of them Marshall 9005 power amps. If you're lucky, you'll find one in good condition. This is forumite Neilrocks25 old rig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NixerX Posted December 27, 2011 Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 See if you can score a Rockmaster / Peavey Classic poweramp rig. Thats pretty {censored}ing close to a 5150 except the cleans are significantly better. I sold mine to a friend who needed a solid gigging rig a couple years back. (RM and classic 60/60). I would certainly rock on again if the right deal came along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NaturalBornBoy Posted December 27, 2011 Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 He's in the EU. Peavey ain't as cheap in the rest of the world as it is in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members danut Posted December 27, 2011 Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 When I bought my Velocity 300 from www.station-music.de, the guy over there made me a pretty good alternate offer for a brand new, all-tube Carvin TS-100 (600 or 650 EUR), which I had to decline because I simply didn't have those money. If you're interested, just contact mr. Hans-Peter, maybe you can work-out a good deal. The TS-100 seems to get glowing reviews everywhere and it's in the same ballpark as the power amps selling for +1,000 EUR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members morder Posted December 27, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 Oh, that's right, the Velocity 300 has been reissued, and at a fraction of the price. I have the older (US made) 2unit version. How do the reissue compare soundwise? From what I've heard the velocity sounds like a cold biased tube amp. The 5150 has a cold biased power section so I shouldn't be too far off (I do realize that proper biased is better and that's why everyone has them modded) HOW will the sound change if I replace my V300 with a tube power amp? The only thing I hear is better, but not much about why or how. And how much should I expect to pay for one? So far my list looks like this for power amps: Marshall 9005 Peavey classic (are all the models good?) Carvin TS-100 Anything worth adding? Bear in mind that my budget is tight, and more watts is better, since I don't want it to break up too much at gigging levels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NinjaRaf Posted December 27, 2011 Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 IMO, I dont think a tube power amp will do THAT much more for your tone. Ive been rocking an art sla-2 since may, now, and I havent been happier with my tone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NaturalBornBoy Posted December 27, 2011 Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 IMO, I dont think a tube power amp will do THAT much more for your tone. Ive been rocking an art sla-2 since may, now, and I havent been happier with my tone. Run it into a Fryette or something and you will be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members morder Posted December 27, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 I've been rocking an art sla-2 since may, now, and I havent been happier with my tone. What are you running into that amp, and what genre are you in? How much experience do you have with tube power amps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cbc83 Posted December 27, 2011 Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 You can often find old Mesa Boogie 50/50 poweramps dirt cheap over here - they're simple, the half-power switch rocks and they're built like tanks. If you can find a Mesa 2:90 within your price range, you'll be even better off - those are awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members morder Posted December 27, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 hmm, where do you buy used gear from in denmark? Does ebay have a .de site, or is there a different danish site that's better for used music gear? Or do you conisder the whole of EU your market? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NixerX Posted December 27, 2011 Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 Well I dig the sound im getting from my SLA-2. It weights 1/2 a tube power amp, takes up 1/2 the space in my rack, runs cooler than tubes, and I never have to replace tubes...lots of pros.....cons? simply the stigma of not running a tube power amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members morder Posted December 27, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 NixerX:As has been my reason for using the Velocity 300 for the past 8 years. I've been digging my velocity ever since I got it, but never really tried anything else in combination with my own preamps and speaker cab. (except from the amp the velocity replaced, also SS) Unless you can tell me that you've moved from a good tube power amp to a solid state power amp, thinking that the latter is sounding equal or better, you're not really telling me anything new... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NixerX Posted December 27, 2011 Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 NixerX:As has been my reason for using the Velocity 300 for the past 8 years. I've been digging my velocity ever since I got it, but never really tried anything else in combination with my own preamps and speaker cab. (except from the amp the velocity replaced, also SS)Unless you can tell me that you've moved from a good tube power amp to a solid state power amp, thinking that the latter is sounding equal or better, you're not really telling me anything new... Lets see.....Ive owned, the Mesa 50/50, Peavey Classic 60/60 and 2 T100's. I could have gone back to anyone of them but I chose the SLA-2. So im not just piping smoke about how great my {censored} is for the sake of it. Im happier with this rack setup than any of my previous incarnations...so I think it sounds better an its lighter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members morder Posted December 27, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 ah, ok! awesome! I haven't tried the SLA-2 though. That one looks like a completely clean power amp, right? From what I can tell by a quick google search they're just as good for powering studio monitors as they are for driving guitar cabinets. I've used my velocity for powering stage monitors in the past (emergency, 2 channels of monitor amps had broken down at sound check) with good results, so I'm guessing that the velocity isn't miles away from the SLA-2 tonally. If anything I guess it might be set up to sound slightly more tube-ish. It looks like I might have to keep chasing preamps, but I'd like a couple more opinions first. Thanks for all your help so far! Does anyone have a Peavey rockmaster 230V for sale? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NixerX Posted December 27, 2011 Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 ah, ok! awesome! I haven't tried the SLA-2 though. That one looks like a completely clean power amp, right? From what I can tell by a quick google search they're just as good for powering studio monitors as they are for driving guitar cabinets. I've used my velocity for powering stage monitors in the past (emergency, 2 channels of monitor amps had broken down at sound check) with good results, so I'm guessing that the velocity isn't miles away from the SLA-2 tonally. If anything I guess it might be set up to sound slightly more tube-ish. It looks like I might have to keep chasing preamps, but I'd like a couple more opinions first. Thanks for all your help so far! Does anyone have a Peavey rockmaster 230V for sale? Sorry I wasnt being clear about my experience with tube power amps....most times simply owning a piece of gear qualifies you as an expert here (:poke:) The SLA effects the tone less thank tubes. thats kinda its thing. SLA = Stereo Linear Amp..so its more of a pure result of the preamp hence why it world so well with the Axe or POD's Sounds like you like the tight response of SS power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members morder Posted December 30, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 30, 2011 No worries I'm not a big fan of digital preamps myself, but if you're gonna use them, you sure want a transparent power amp. I do like the fast and tight response that I get from my velocity. What I'm after here is really more complexity in the distortion. I might have to run two preamps in parallel to achieve a sound that I'll be happy with.. I'm sure I'll come across a rockmaster soon, and then I'll know. I've heard some very promising clips around the net, although it seems to need a lot of additional EQ to get into 5150-territory. Hopefully a 7-band graphic in the lead/crunch loop will do the trick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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