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Metal Amp for live situations

4K views 24 replies 18 participants last post by  Wizard of Ozz 
#1 ·
Starting to play in bands again now so I'd like a new head that REALLY cuts through.

I've heard Rectifiers are the best for this, and ENGL's have great tone but don't cut through?

Any suggestions?
 
#5 ·
Yeah Engl get a lot of flack but they are seriously high quality amps. Just don't try to approach the EQ with anything you've known before and you'll be able to get a great sound. For the most part they certainly do NOT need boosting, and in my experience have been a very "plug in and play" sort of amp.

Having said that, gotta agree with Ola on the 5150/6505/5150II/6505+/6534+/5150 III (holy shit, how many models now? :lol:) route. Can't be beat for live clarity.
 
#15 ·
I love the old 2 channel dual recs. I also like the newer roadkings and roadsters but I'm not a big fan of the current dual recs. Can't go wrong with a Mark IV or V either.

JCM 800s are great. 5150s do the job though they aren't really my thing. I used to love my Peavey Windsor especially after I replaced the transformer. The combo version sucks but the head is seriously underrated for the price I got great thrash tones out of it even before the mod.

I like the Engl Savage and Savage SE models but i'm not a big fan of some of the other models I've tried.

Really there are dozens of amps that will do the trick. Take a day to get to one of the bigger cities and hit up some stores. You may be surprised what ends up working best for you.
 
#19 ·
Since you're in the UK, I'd suggest you check out the Blackstar Series One range. The 1046L6 is very similar to the Dual Rectifier, but better cleans IMO - depending on the settings, anywhere between a Fender Twin, Vox AC30 and a Marshall. I'm not sure if it would match up to a MESA, I wouldn't bet on it with the difference in price, but something to consider at least.

I haven't heard the ENGLs in person, I'm personally not keen on them on record though - same with the 5150s. I'm much more of a Recto/Marshall fan.

I know the Laney combos (LC series?) I used back in college cut through everything, but they were insanely harsh, no matter what you did with the EQ. Perhaps the Ironheart series?
 
#20 ·
The cleans on the 5150/6505 are good. Not brilliant but it's a metal amp and I'm guessing you are a metal player who dabbles with clean. Mine is absolutely servicable live and at the end of the day a well dialed in 6505 will outshine a badly-dialled in recto night after night.

They aren't the best but nowhere near as bad as everyone makes them out to be - I suspect it's more a case of it being really the only criticism of the 6505/5150 and it's been blown out of proportion as a result since it's the only consistent response.

On the other hand, show me another metal head you can find used for ~£500 that a) has better cleans b) actually sounds good
 
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