Recommend me an amp

[GibsonSG]

The 5150 is just too harsh and buzzy for me. It sounds good in band/mixed in a clip type situation. But since 99.99% of my playing is just me sitting here with the amp I'm ready to switch out for something else.

 

I want something tube, that will sound good at low volumes. I'm not talking whisper here, just not shake everything in the house type of volume. I don't care if I have to get a hotplate or if it just has a good master volume to acheive this.

 

Can be combo or head, if head it will be going through my G-flex.

 

I like a really liquid/smooth type of distortion. I play all kinds of music, from blues to metal. And it has to have a good clean. For examples, I really like the lead tone that Mattias Eklundh from Freak Kitchen gets, but I'm not crazy about his rhythm tones. I know he uses Laney VH100Rs, but I'm thinking that probably wouldn't work out well in a bedroom situation. I really don't like the top end sizzle that alot of amps seem to have. I prefer kind of a dark sound without alot of highs.

 

This will just be for playing at the house and recording, I'm not jamming with a band or gigging.

 

Some amps I have been considering are a JSX, an H&K Triamp or Trilogy, and possibly a Carvin V3. I don't really have the ability to try any of these out beforehand.

 

So I'm open to suggestions, anything you think fits my criteria. If anybody has something they think I'm looking for, and wants to trade for a bias modded 5150 I'm open to that.

[blargh]

You've pretty much just described a Mark IV.

[jfreaksho]

If you've got a G-Flex, why haven't you tried an El Diablo? I've found I can do just about anything with that guitar; it just takes a lot of tweaking.

Speaking of which, I still need to go play mine tonight.
Later,
J.

[troublehead]

I would say Engl Screamer, but I wouldn't consider it dark by any means. But it will cover all those bases and sounds excellent at low volumes.

By the way, I would love to actually hear from someone who has played the H&K Trilogy.

[CTBMETAL]

im gonna have to go ahead and plug the bogner ecstasy. it can do the whole range of the musical spectrum...nice fenderish clean, bluesy over drive or straight up balls to the wall distortion. this amp covers it ALL. not to mention the full half and quarter power switch on the back. you want an amp that sounds good at low volumes? switch this baby to 50 or 25 watts and you can have a mean sounding amp at low volumes. BAM i {censored}ing love this amp!

[GibsonSG]

Well, the Mesa Mark IV sounds interesting. I have always dug Santana's lead sound. If I could get something similar out of a mark iv it would be sweet.

As for the El Diablo, nobody close to me deals them... and I've never heard any kinda clips whatsoever.

Based on the clips from DerekBs site, I don't think I would like the Screamer. I dig the clean, but the distorted sound just doesn't do much for me. Maybe it's the way they have it dialed in for the recordings, but it's got that buzzsaw vibe that I'm trying to get away from.

The Bogner I'm sure would be good, but I don't have $3k laying around to spend. If money was no object I would have bought a Cornford Hellcat and been done with it long ago. I love the way that amp sounds.

[GibsonSG]

Bump

[aero90]

sounds like you just need to send you 5150 to Voodoo or JerryP for a mod job - there have been many posts on how much better the modded ones sound, especially at low volumes. A search should turn up quite a few clips, too.

[GibsonSG]

Originally posted by aero90 sounds like you just need to send you 5150 to Voodoo or JerryP for a mod job - there have been many posts on how much better the modded ones sound, especially at low volumes. A search should turn up quite a few clips, too.

 

 

Well, I don't think any amount of modding will make it sound smooth like I'm looking for. I've listened to the voodoo and fja clips, and while they do sound good, they still have that harsh element to them that I want to get rid of completely.