Members DemiFrost Posted March 16, 2006 Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 Hi all. First, I must say this is quite the improvement over the other musicians forum I frequent (Musicians and Songwriters @ GameFAQs). I learned quite a bit here so far. While I'm quite satisfied with my guitar, I feel that I need to upgrade my amp. I was a bit skeptical at first, but when I went to that Battle of the Bands the other day and heard just about all the halfstacks getting drown out, I realized my 1x12 combo's not gonna cut it. That, and I've come to realize how not that great the tone on it is. So I play in a band, with two guitars, bass, and drums (soon, I hope ;_. If I had to place us in a genre, it'd be like power/progressive metal. Places we might play include coffee houses (cafeteria setting), small gigs (hopefully), and as mentioned earlier, Battle of the Bands (which was a gymnasium that time.) I'm going for a half stack. Tones I'm looking for are like Symphony X's, John Petrucci's (like I can afford that), and maybe like Rhapsody, but overall, I want to be able to play metal (nothing extremely downtuned or brutal). Other guitarist's looking to upgrade too. I've looked into the Madison Divinity, which seems quite excellent for me, but am not sure whether to get the head or 1x12 combo. Sure, the head seems superior in every manner, but reasons for getting the combo instead: it's cheaper (yes, I'm limited on money) and it can be used by itself for practice at home at lower volumes. I really do want the head, as the combo has a shared EQ for the Edge channels as well as no contour controls (which I'm really not too sure they do), plus the head is so much sexier. Then, I'm going to order either a 2x12 or 4x12 cab from Avatar Speakers. I'm really not too sure if a 2x12 is good enough for the above reasons, but it'd be better for lower volumes. I'm guessing I should get the 4x12 as a better investment? I'm also not too sure which speakers to get, though the G12T-75's sound good. If you think there are better heads/combos for what I'm looking for, feel free to recommend, though I'm limited to around $1000 for the head. I'm not paying for it all by myself. >_> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blargh Posted March 16, 2006 Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 If you're going for Petrucci sounds, you might be able to grab some used Mesa Mark series amp (or maybe one of the F series amps, not sure if those do high gain) or a Single Recto for less than a new Divinity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jem7vwh Posted March 16, 2006 Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 I suggest a used Mesa/Boogie Mark III head or combo (they're the same amp unlike the Divinity). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DemiFrost Posted March 16, 2006 Author Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 I'm not really sure where I can get used gear. Not too sure I can eBay either, although I wish I could (just saw a really cheap Mark III.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cloudnine Posted March 16, 2006 Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 You can Ebay, just use money orders. A Mark IV would be the best for you I think, the independent EQs might help you when you want to tweak. Might be a little more than a grand, though this forum has some very cool people who are willing to give forumites a lower price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Random Hero Posted March 16, 2006 Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 Mark IV or Single Rectifier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mister kyo Posted March 16, 2006 Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 Originally posted by cloudnine You can Ebay, just use money orders. word, its just a buck and a few extra days wait vs a credit card. although you'd need a card to register. if you can get your parents or someone to do it it doesnt cost anything, they just need a number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DemiFrost Posted March 16, 2006 Author Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 My parents are extremely paranoid of buying anything online, even from a reputable dealer, much less an anonymous seller on eBay. =/ Makes getting stuff so much harder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DemiFrost Posted March 16, 2006 Author Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 Also, I'm not totally looking for only Petrucci tone, though I really like his leads.Looking for a variety of rhythm tones, such as mentioned before, Michael Romeo, as well as higher gain type stuff like Jeff Loomis and such.Anything besides Mesas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sekler Posted March 16, 2006 Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 Mesa Mark Engl powerball (romeo uses them at some point) Line 6 HD147 or Vetta heads probably for SX tones as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blargh Posted March 16, 2006 Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 Originally posted by DemiFrost Also, I'm not totally looking for only Petrucci tone, though I really like his leads. Looking for a variety of rhythm tones, such as mentioned before, Michael Romeo, as well as higher gain type stuff like Jeff Loomis and such. Anything besides Mesas? Loomis also uses Mesas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JiroJan Posted March 16, 2006 Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 get a mk III combo, should pick one up under $800 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members enditol Posted March 16, 2006 Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 If you are playing Metal then get a stack - head and 4X12 - look into Peavey, Crate, Randall, Hughes & Kettner etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DemiFrost Posted March 16, 2006 Author Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 Bump.I'm gonna check my local Guitar Center online for Single/Dual Rectifiers and Mark series.Any input on Laney? GH 50/100L and VH100R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jem7vwh Posted March 16, 2006 Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 Originally posted by DemiFrost Bump. I'm gonna check my local Guitar Center online for Single/Dual Rectifiers and Mark series. Any input on Laney? GH 50/100L and VH100R. Yeah, those Laneys kick ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members killshot Posted March 16, 2006 Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 Originally posted by cloudnine You can Ebay, just use money orders. Or - send cash like you did you crazy bastard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mysticaxe Posted March 16, 2006 Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 Peavey XXX is pretty cheap and works well for that type of stuff. Don't buy a cab for an "investment." You should be able to find a used Marshall 412 cab somewhere in NJ for $400. A 5150 cab would be even cheaper. I would also guess that coffee shops wouldn't be terribly thrilled with a band that had dueling halfstacks. A 2x12 combo may be a better bet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DemiFrost Posted March 16, 2006 Author Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 Originally posted by mysticaxe Peavey XXX is pretty cheap and works well for that type of stuff. Don't buy a cab for an "investment." You should be able to find a used Marshall 412 cab somewhere in NJ for $400. A 5150 cab would be even cheaper.I would also guess that coffee shops wouldn't be terribly thrilled with a band that had dueling halfstacks. A 2x12 combo may be a better bet. By investment, I meant that while a 2x12 may be good for some of the places I may play, it'd be better to get a 4x12 straight away so I don't have to buy a new one when the 2x12 isn't cutting it. Cabs from Avatar are around that price too. Still need input on speaker choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dethmetalanimal Posted March 16, 2006 Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 as far as cheaper cabs go you should look at avatar, vader, carvin, and maybe a used genz benz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members russ1923 Posted March 16, 2006 Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 a 2/12 si fine, I gig with a 2/12 all over NY and its fine, vintage 30's are my favorite speaker, I hate the 75's, they came stock in my marshall cab and when I switched to vintage 30's my sound came to life - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dave_Mc_2 Posted March 16, 2006 Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 Originally posted by DemiFrost Any input on Laney? GH 50/100L and VH100R. haven't tried the gh's, but the vh (and tt) series are great. the vh is more metal-voiced, the tt more hard rock/melodic shred. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members planet shh Posted March 16, 2006 Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 Originally posted by DemiFrost Any input on Laney? GH 50/100L and VH100R. laneys = good amps.Also you should try and see if you can check out the old Carvin x100 series. Sort of hard to find, especially seeming you can't order online, but if you could they're really killer amps for the price.The Divinity probably is one of your best bets considering your situation. Check up as many local music stores in your area as you can. Also, just for the heck of it, you could check to see if just by some chance someone in the Harmony-Central classifieds is in your area and has what you're looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members eyeball987 Posted March 16, 2006 Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 There are a lot of gear whores on here in your area (no offense intended guys). One of them is bound to have something that are looking to unload that will work with your budget and you can also try it out first and get a little lesson on how to run it from them. That will eleviate the buy online hang up with the folks. Most people on this forum are good to go when it comes to buying and selling gear between each other too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members taken Posted March 16, 2006 Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 this is all you need my friend...http://www.carvin.com/products/single.php?ItemNumber=V3&CID=V3A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blargh Posted March 16, 2006 Members Share Posted March 16, 2006 Figure out which amp you want before deciding on speakers, not all speakers mate well with all amps. With Mesa's, I like the MC90 black shadow speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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