Re: Marshall DSL: If you're looking for the Marshall sound, it'll do it. Part of that Marshall tone is the 4x12" Celestion box, though. I like the Marshall lead tone, but I've not found them to be very versatile. But what do I know? I use a Pearce...
Gnish-gnosh borble wiff, shlauuffin oople tirk.
Do Pearce amps tend to do just one or two sounds well or are they more versatile? I'm not familiar with them.Originally Posted by Mikhael
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The 2 channel DSL sounds better than the 3 channel TSL, which sounds better than the 4 channel JVM. It seems the more complicated the preamp, the less toneful overall (or at least that seems to be the case with Marshalls). If you're thinking about a Marshall, I think the DSL is the best choice, at least if you don't need more than two channels. The thing about Marshalls is that they go from pretty bright to ear-piercingly bright. The midrange is voiced so high it's almost like an additional treble control. I used to use Marshall TSLs with the band I tour with. At one gig, the backline company didn't have any, but they had a Mesa Triple Recto. After that, I changed my rider to request it instead. The tone controls sweep through a bigger frequency range on them... and you can get them to sound pretty similar to a Marshall if you want to.
Very interesting - thanks for the insight. My little Marshall Valvestate is definitely bright and, as you say, it doesn't do much except bright and brighter. Sometimes that's okay.
I went back and listened to the samples of the Mesa/Boogie 5:25 Express on the Sweetwater site and this time I wasn't as impressed. The really high gain sounds just seem too muddy.
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The Pearce amp (I'm using the G2r, two channels and stereo 200W) has two channels, 3-band EQ with a semi-parametric mid that comes BEFORE the distortion (bass & treble are after). That mid control provides incredible versatility to voice the channels as you want them; the two are voiced already as sort of a Marshall and a Fender channel. FX loops for each channel, and a stereo main loop, along with onboard Alesis effects (which I hardly ever use). These were endorsed by Torn, Holdsworth, Montrose, etc., to give you an idea of the diverse tones that could be created. They are also solid state, which will raise some eyebrows, but I think they're as good as any boutique tube amp, without the problems that accompany tubes. Their lineage comes from the Gibson Lab Series amps, which were used by people like B.B. King and Ty Tabor of King's X, of which Dan Pearce also had a hand in designing before starting his own company. They're somewhat rare, since they didn't make a whole lot of them, and the company folded a decade or two back, but I love mine. I sound like the best "me" I can through that amp.
Gnish-gnosh borble wiff, shlauuffin oople tirk.
Sounds nice. I was thinking 200W seems like a lot, but being solid state perhaps it's about right. Plus I would assume it doesn't work quite like a tube amp where it only sounds good when you get up to a certain volume.
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Speaking of Marshall, these Blackstar 5 and 20 watt amps sound and look amazing. The engineers there apparently used to work for Marshall ...
Coming September 1st - "Dean Watson Revisited"!
Being a stereo amp, I just quoted the mono power. It's 100W/ch@4 ohms, 65W/ch@8ohms. I generally use the stereo 8-ohm config, so I push 120W-130W max, and I never max it out. Sorry; didn't mean to mislead you.
Gnish-gnosh borble wiff, shlauuffin oople tirk.
No problem. Maybe you should work in the marketing department of some consumer audio company, lol.
Thanks for the input, everyone, and for letting me hijack this thread...
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Mesa/Boogie just came out with a mini 25 watt, 2 channel version of the Mark V (90 watt) head. It's almost $1,000 less and a whole lot lighter. Looks pretty cool!
Wow that does look nice. That's a possibility. I'm going to have to play through some of these with my guitars...
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I can't speak directly to Carvin Guitar amps, but I have the Carvin MB1015 mini bass stack, and I am extremely happy with it. In fact, I was so happy I actually bought two a couple of years ago when they were offering these for $350.00. Now I have two 250 watt mini stacks that I can use individually, or in tandem if running stereo. They sound great, are easy to use, work with both my passive and active basses, and are super portable. I've had them ~2 years and not a single issue with either of them.
My only experience with a Carvin guitar amp was an older all-tube model that someone was using at a rehearsal I went to for a potential band years ago. He was running a strat into a Klon Centaur, directly into this amp, which he largely ran pretty clean, using the Klon to get a touch of grit from time to time. This was probably a ~30 watt tube combo, and it kept up with bass, drums and vox/harmonica just fine. This guitarist was a pro, and he commented after the session that he really liked the amp (which belonged to the drummer, whose house we were playing in). I think he may have even offered to buy it.
So I think you can get good Carvin gear, and in my experience their price to quality ratio is pretty good. I have heard issues with dependability of Carvin gear, but the fact that Carvin is still up and running with all the changes in the music instrument business tells me they still have something to offer. I like their little V16, which is switchable down to 5 watts (which can still be super loud).
Bill
Last weekend I ended up buying a Mesa-Boogie Royal Atlantic RA-100 (2x12). I walked into the music store knowing that I wanted to try out some Mesas (and figured I'd try some others as well), but found they had recently decided not to carry them any longer. They only had two guitar amps (and some bass cabinets) left that were made by Mesa. One of the amps they still had was (obviously) the one I bought, the other was a Mark V 1x12 combo. Both were marked down with clearance prices - the Mark V was $1700, the RA-100 was $1200 (marked down from $2300!).
I'm really loving this amp. Certainly the best sounding amp I've ever owned. The funny thing is that I was hoping to find one of the little brothers (TransAtlantic 15 or 30 head) to this amp when I walked into the store. I had no idea the RA-100 existed.
http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_In...tic-RA100.html
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I did play through a DSL last weekend. It didn't sound bad, but definitely didn't seem very versatile. It seemed a bit thin sounding. At one point I noticed the bass control was only about 50% so I turned it up...and could hear almost no change in sound.
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I have a friend who loves Carvin stuff, when I was looking for an amp for my Stick, he suggested this one as a worthy recommendation for a full-range instrument (he's coming from the acoustic bass background, but is well-rounded enough to adapt his suggestions to my needs).
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Congratulations on your purchase! I've never played through one of those. I'd guess they were going for a more British sound with them. Mesa/Boogie makes great products and with proper care and maintenance, that amp should last a very long time.
There was likely something wrong with it. Though I'm not crazy about how the midrange is voiced on Marshalls, I've never encountered one that had deficiencies in the bass department... or unresponsive tone controls.
My little Marshall Valvestate doesn't have much in the way of bass, but that's not really in the same league.
I'm really loving my new amp! Tomorrow will be interesting using it for the first time at band practice. Our lead guitarist hasn't even heard it and he's trying to convince me to get an extension cabinet for it. Not sure I understand why that is...it can be ridiculously loud. And I really want to keep our stage volumes reasonable (running the PA is going to be all on me in a couple months).
The cool thing about the RA-100 is it sounds good no matter what pickup I select. That was not so with the Carvin Legacy I've been forced to use at practice.
It's been interesting reading reviews of the RA-100 on various forums around the Internet. No matter how good an amp sounds there are people who love 'em and those who will prefer a slightly different sound. I had to laugh when someone complained about the RA-100 head weighing too much (they estimated 45 lbs.). I put my combo on the scales and it's 90 lbs! Yes, much heavier than I would have liked, but you can't have it all. Probably was the reason it was still in the store.
Yes, it should last a long time. I can't imagine I'll ever have a need for anything else.
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HAH! That NEVER works out that way. GAS is an affliction no musician seems to be able to avoid. I've got THE guitar amp for me - a Pearce G2r - and it never stops me from looking at something new when I see it. I've went through quite a few preamps, trying to find something as satisfying that will go direct to the board, for live and recording work, but nothing matches that Pearce. But still I try...
Gnish-gnosh borble wiff, shlauuffin oople tirk.
Believe me, I'm not immune to GAS. Just looking at YouTube video comparisons of amps got me excited.Variety is the spice of life and is probably particularly true for guitar players. But of course all this is limited by $$$. I would never suggest my RA-100 is the be-all and end-all amps, but it sounds WAY better than anything else I've played through. I have no doubt I will one day plug into something else great-sounding, but this will be quickly mitigated by my lack of money and the lack of my wife's support for another amp purchase!
But also I have to weigh other factors. I'm not a professional musician. It's just a hobby. I have made some decent money at times and probably have made enough to cover my bass equipment over the years, but it will be a year or two before this amp is paid for. And I'm not even done spending money yet this year. I need to put together a pedal board, an amp stand, and since I haven't gigged much as a guitar player I could also use a couple of cases for my guitars (one case got moldy and had to be thrown out, the other guitar only ever had a gig bag).
I'm also hoping to sneak in an order for some drum mics for my little home studio....
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Yep. Cases I've found to be VERY important, and hard-shell cases at that. I do gig out fairly often, so they are necessary. I've never trusted "gig bags". Some of them look fairly sturdy, but then, those cost more than a hard-shell flight case often (!). Good luck in your search. If - IF - you know quite a bit about the equipment you're searching for, many times a pawnshop can be your friend.
Anyway, congratulations on the Mesa; I hope it serves you well. They never quite did it for me, but the other guitarist in the band swears by them.
Gnish-gnosh borble wiff, shlauuffin oople tirk.
Ain't that the truth!
Over the past two years, I've found myself in a situation that I never thought I'd be in; I don't need to bring an amplifier to 90% of my gigs. In the band I tour with, they always rent an amplifier for me (which is always a Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier half stack; not my favorite amp in the world, just my choice amongst the amps that are consistently available from backline rental companies). In the wedding/corporate party band I play with, the bandleader decided he didn't want amplifiers on stage anymore, so I use a Line 6 Pod HD500 (a digital preamp/multi effects unit) and go straight into the board with it (and we're all using in-ear monitors). The only other gig I do consistently is with a jazz trio once or twice a month at a downtown seafood restaurant and I bring a semi-hollowbody guitar and plug straight into the P.A. No effects; I'm going for that traditional jazz guitar sound and there's just enough natural ambience in the room to negate the need for a reverb unit. So I only bring an amp to about 10 gigs a year... and I STILL find myself drooling over various amps, even though it has become rather impractical since I'll rarely have a chance to use one. Old habits die hard!
Mind a recommendation?
I've been using the Line 6 M13 with my touring band for the past 4 or 5 years and I love it! It's a "virtual pedal board," which means it's a digital modeler. I'm willing to acknowledge that digital models of classic analog pedals don't sound as good as the real deal, but they're close enough for me and the pros far outweigh the cons. For one thing, this unit costs $400 and it has 100 models of classic stomp boxes; distortions, modulation, filters, compressors, wahs, reverbs, delays and even a fully functioning looper (which I never use, to be honest). That kind of money will buy you about two analog pedals, maybe three. Then you have to deal with Velcro and cable kits (and good luck tracing a short). With this thing, you can set up 12 effects of your choice. But wait, that's not all!It has what they call "scenes;" a scene is just one virtual pedal board arrangement. You can go to another scene with a completely different set of effects... and there's something ridiculous like 40 scenes. There's no menus to scroll through or "save" buttons; the knobs are like those of real analog pedals, so not only can you tweak on the fly; the unit "remembers" where you last set your effects and goes right to where you left it. And what sealed the deal for me was that if you wish, you can route some of your effects to the amp's effects loop and others to the front of the amp. I always put modulation and time-based effects in the loop and stuff like distortion and compressors in front, so I was very pleased about that feature!
No, I'm not a sales rep for Line 6; I just think this thing is one of their greatest products ever! I've been taking it on the road with me for about 4 or 5 years (30 to 50 gigs a year, most of which I fly to) with no issues whatsoever. So as you can tell, I'm very fond of this unit, especially as a former pedal board user.
http://line6.com/m13/
Just keep in mind I said I wouldn't "need" another amp....not that I wouldn't want one!
Ernie - you did a fantastic job of selling the M13. Maybe you should go to work for Line 6, lol.
Seriously, you brought up some great points. I like to keep things as minimal as possible, I like the ability to just grab a knob and turn it, and I HATE having to scroll through lists of parameters...I simply refuse to do so. But it's a little awkward to switch gears away from the pedal board I had planned and go with the M13. I spent a lot on a Voodoo Labs power supply and have a few pedals already. What's left to buy is not insignificant though. I still want to get a noise gate, an EQ pedal, some sort of pedal board frame and a case/bag...not to mention a nice cable kit.
The stupid thing is...I can buy the M13 for roughly the same amount as all that stuff is going to cost me! Which is fine, but...I can't seem to get rid of any of my old pedals and owning the M13 might mean I'd have a couple more I won't need. I'd practically give 'em away to someone if they'd get some use out of them, but I'm sick of having extra stuff hanging around taking up room. And I really hate the idea of chucking them in the landfill or electronic waste recycling bin when they still all work. There are a few things I can keep just because they're nice to have though.
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I understand; I have several pedals collecting dust in my closet. Most stores (Guitar Center included) won't give you enough cash for used pedals to make it worthwhile, although I guess if they're not getting used, anything's better than nothing. You can probably get more for them via eBay, but I hate dealing with that. I found the M13 to be more practical than toting around a pedal board and besides, I've got about every effect I could ever want in it, whereas I was always adding and taking away effects with my pedal board. But that's just me.Just keep in mind I said I wouldn't "need" another amp....not that I wouldn't want one!
Ernie - you did a fantastic job of selling the M13. Maybe you should go to work for Line 6, lol.
Seriously, you brought up some great points. I like to keep things as minimal as possible, I like the ability to just grab a knob and turn it, and I HATE having to scroll through lists of parameters...I simply refuse to do so. But it's a little awkward to switch gears away from the pedal board I had planned and go with the M13. I spent a lot on a Voodoo Labs power supply and have a few pedals already. What's left to buy is not insignificant though. I still want to get a noise gate, an EQ pedal, some sort of pedal board frame and a case/bag...not to mention a nice cable kit.
The stupid thing is...I can buy the M13 for roughly the same amount as all that stuff is going to cost me! Which is fine, but...I can't seem to get rid of any of my old pedals and owning the M13 might mean I'd have a couple more I won't need. I'd practically give 'em away to someone if they'd get some use out of them, but I'm sick of having extra stuff hanging around taking up room. And I really hate the idea of chucking them in the landfill or electronic waste recycling bin when they still all work. There are a few things I can keep just because they're nice to have though.
I'm desperate for an all tube 20 watt combo or head. I am not a Fender fan at all, 6L6's don't do it for me ... I just don't know where to start .... Too much selection these days in that category.
Coming September 1st - "Dean Watson Revisited"!
I used to have a Fender Blues DeVille (60W and not the Hot Rod version either) - way too clean and loud. Hopefully someone more experienced will weigh in here but, from some recent comparisons I've seen of amps that could take either 6L6s or EL34s, I felt that the differences were quite subtle. On the other hand it may be hard to tell via some crappy YouTube video. In any case, you'd probably want to find some place where you can play through some different amps.
(apologies to the OP for the continuing derailment of this thread)
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