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Comparing 26 tube amps (clean, crunch, rock & boosted metal)

2K views 24 replies 12 participants last post by  Guitarjon 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

Sooooooo I made this ambitious comparison that I would love to share with you. I got encouragement to do so from some other members here. Disclaimer: I'm not here to spam, I actually really enjoy talking about amps, guitars and pedals so give peace a chance ok? :)

Ok, so I have quite a collection of amps. Currently I have 26 of them. Most of them are rock or metal amps since those are the genres that I enjoy the most. I've made a bunch of these comparisons before, the last time I made one with 22 amps but it was only with one riff and in high gain so people wanted more different tones. People also wanted me to use the same IR's instead of using different ones and they also requested isolated segments. This time around I chose to do all those things so there are now clean, crunch, heavy rock (sorta metal) and boosted metal segments. I chose to use a boost for the metal bits because I know a lot of people like to boost their amps. I prefer my amps unboosted 90% of the time so this was a good opportunity for me to kind of explore that whole thing. It does make the amps sound a bit more the same so for pure unboosted high gain tones I would recommend checking out the Rock bits.

It's a long video as it's over 2 hours long so that's why I also created all the timecodes in the description (that was fun to do lol). You can use those to skip directly from one segment to the next etc. I hope that helps to make the viewing experience more pleasant :) I did watch the whole thing in one sitting and I did enjoy it (kinda nuts) but I don't expect anybosy to watch the whole thing.

Of course I would love to know what you guys thought, which of the amps you enjoyed and why etc.

Here we go:

 
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#2 ·
Man, this is really cool. Amazed at how much the the 6505, 6505MH & 5150 sound alike (at least in the metal tones). Wish you had an Uber and a Soldano in there - but you already have a King's Ransom in amps so that's understandable.
 
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#4 ·
Great, thanks! Yeah, those amps sound pretty similar here. I was also surprised that the MT15 sounded really close to the 6505, especially since Tremonti is such a Mesa lover. But the MT15 isn't nearly as scooped as a Recto. I wish I had a Bogner or Soldano too man but I really can't afford those. Most of my amps are pretty affordable and made in China etc. Not all of them, but a lot. To me it's a good thing because that means that I can own a lot of amps :)
 
#22 ·
The Fender 5150 isn't really much like the Peavey 5150/6505 at all. The starting point for them was the Fender Super-Sonic, and if you ever played one you can immediately hear it.
That probably explains when I plugged into a Super Sonic for the first time, I wanted to take it home right then and there.
 
#24 ·
That probably explains when I plugged into a Super Sonic for the first time, I wanted to take it home right then and there.
I have a few amps and my Supersonic is the one I always want to play through. I think it's Fenders best amp.

I have the original SS though I cant really speak on the newer ones. They might be the same, or totally different, i'm not really sure.
 
#3 ·
Also, I didn't see it in the description or pinned comment, is that just a stock Strat you're playing?
 
#9 ·
When I first saw the video I was like... damn.. that EVH Lunchbox really sounds not clean at on the Cleans.... then I remember. Oh i'ts the first version without the CLean channel right?

Still think the EVH 50W was probably my fav. There's was something on the Low End that felt right.
 
#17 ·
I guess some of the differences could definitely be percieved as subtle. I made a whole 'read me/disclaimer' thing about that in the comments but it's probably mostly because of the fact that it's a reamp with the same IR's. So same guitar, same player, same person dialing in the amps. It does not mean that they would all sound the same if someone else dialed them all in to taste. Having said that, I can certainly hear differences between almost all the amps but it depends on which ones you're comparing. The Dual Recto sounds widely different than the SV20H for example, but the MT15 can sound pretty close to the 6505 on the lead channel.

My bad, I did not know he was talking about the EVH 5150. I actually have both the same evh in the vid and the 6505mh and they do sound a lot different imo.
No worries. Those 2 amps are pretty different indeed but you can dial them in to sound kind of the same with certain settings.
 
#25 ·
I figured I'd drop some mini reviews of all the amps here as well. Since I own them all and have used them all, in case anyone is interested:

-EVH 5150 III EL34 50W

Killer amp! It does clean to high gain and everything in between. Especially the red channel does that typical tight and potentially aggressive EVH sound very well. The blue channel is great too imho but it's definitely looser and bassier sounding than the red channel. To me this is a good thing to be honest because it makes the amp more versatile for the studio. Also love how powerful the resonance control is on this one as the low-end can sound HUGE!

-Mesa/Boogie Mini Rectifier 25

Probably my favorite Mesa and I prefer it over my Dual Recto. I guess it sounds a little bit more controlled and mix-ready. It has a bit more mids which helps for the mix. Quite versatile too. Not the most amazing clean and crunch tones but definitely not bad! Love this amp and I would never get rid of it, for the modern red mode alone!

-Marshall JVM410H

What a beast of an amp. It still amazes me how much this amp can do. I love the fact that each of the 4 channels have their own mode and they all sound different. This amp truly can do pretty much anything Marshally and more. The high-gain modes are to die for, just keep the gain low ;) Will also never sell this one.

-Orange Tiny Terror

A classic with a full tone! Really like this amp too (you'll find that I like all my amps though... haha). These Oranges just sit so nicely in the mix. Maybe not the best for unboosted metal but great for clean, crunch and rock tones! Everyone needs a TT!

-Peavey 6505

This amp has a good reputation and I can see why. It gets very heavy if you need it too but it always keep standing strong in the mix because of the pronounced mids. I also really enjoy playing with the presence and resonance controls to get the amp to sound just right for the part! The crunch tones are sweet too! Cleans definitely aren't as bad as people make them out to be!

-Marshall Studio Vintage SV20H 1959 SLP

One of my most recently purchased amps. What is there to say except that this amp does those old-school classic Marshall tones exceptionally well! Jumping the 2 channels makes the amp quite versatile when it comes to dialing the thickness or brightness of the amp. All 4 inputs are pretty useful too. Can't wait to make an in-depth demo of this amp soon. If you're into classic Marshall, you'll probably like this one!

-ENGL Fireball 100 E635

Beast of an amp with a lot of power! Nice glassy cleans. Love the bottom and bright switches. I always appreciate it when amps have extra features like those. The distortion tones are sooo good! Especially for heavy rock and metal. Really killer amp and I would highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in an amp like this.

-Orange Rocker 15 Terror

Not my favorite Orange but definitely very cool. It's a bit more vintage sounding so it doesn't sound really huge for the modern rock/metal tones. I do appreciate the cleans and the lower gain tones though.

-PRS MT15

A true modern classic! Anytime I use this amp in a comparison it ends up as one of the better sounding ones. The cleans are nice but the high gain tones, that's where this amp shines! It sounds surprisingly similar to the 6505 imho because it has more mids than a Mesa for example. Highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for an affordable but high quality rock/metal amp!

-Marshall JCM 2000 DSL50

The underdog that everybody seems to love, and for good reason! The crunch sounds are really nice but I also really enjoy the thick and somewhat 'fluffy' high gain tones. I think it really shines with the Rock segment here.

-Mesa/Boogie Mark 5 35

Not the most easy amp to dial in but when you get the controls just right it can sound pretty amazing! I always need the most time with this amp. Very versatile but don't get this one if you don't like to tweak. Just my 2 cents. I would have also liked it if the IIC+ mode had more low-end but again, I may have to try to tweak it more haha.

-Orange Jim Root Terror

One of my favorite Oranges. Very solid sound. Great clean, crunch and rock tones. Also nice metal tones. Small and simple but it just sounds good. What else can I say?

-Laney IRT60H Ironheart

An underrated beast! LOVE the amount of options this thing has for tone shaping with the push-pull eq, boost and power settings. Cleans and crunch tones are really nice but the rock rhythms are so nice! It's really affordable here too which is kind of crazy when you consider how much you get for the money. Highly recommend these!

-Marshall Studio Classic SC20H JCM800

Also one of my more recent purchases. Haven't used it very often yet but it seems to do those JCM 800 tones very well. Not a lot of gain, I could have used more gain but I can always boost it with a pedal to get more gain. I guess that's how a lot of people use these amps ayway. Sweet amp!

-Hughes & Kettner Grandmeister Deluxe 40

One of my favorites for sure! So versatile and so good sounding! This one really does everything well and I don't think I would ever get rid of this amp!

-Orange Dual Terror DT30H

Similar to the Tiny Terror but with more headroom and the extra FAT channel. The FAT channel actually is a really nice addition and I often use that channel. It's just a bit more middy and classic and it works well in the mix.

-Peavey 6505MH

Very similar to the big 6505 but just with less headroom and maybe a but less oomph (of course mostly when you push the master). Sounds remarkably similar to the big boy.

-Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier

Very cool amp. It's definitely one of my favorite sounds in rock/metal music. I must say though that it's really scooped so it doesn't work for everything. When it works it sounds glorious though!

-Marshall JMP-1 preamp (through the DSL50's power amp)

A classic with some solid tones. The rock rhythm tones are great as it has a nice midrange presence as with all the Marshalls. That's basically why I love Marshall amps so much. I still need to spend more time with it and I MUST try to get some good Deftones sounds out of this! Stay tuned...

-EVH 5150 III LBX

Cool little amp! Too bad that there are no cleans. I would get the LBXII but I heard that the gain tones on that one just aren't as solid as the LBX. The red channel especially does that EVH sound quite well. It does have enough low-end but definitely not as much as the 50w obviously.

-Orange Brent Hinds Terror

An interesting amp! It sounds more like a Marshall-like amp. Quite raspy and bright and fuller with the gain maxed. Not my favorite Orange but definitey unique and it has it's use!

-ENGL Ironball 20 E606

A very solid metal lunchbox amp. It really does sound huge! I can dial it in to sound pretty similar to the Fireball. Cleans are nice but this amp shines with the high gain tones imho. You gotta try this one to believe it!

-Marshall Silver Jubilee Studio 2525H

A very versatile 20W Marshall amp! I love the push-pull features. This amp has more gain than the SC20H, that's why I prefer it over that one, for my own music. The EQ is quite powerful too so you can get a wide range of tones out of it. With high gain it sounds quite thick and full but the rhythm pull clip can help to tighten the sound a little bit.

-Laney IRT Studio

Almost the same sounding as the IRT60H, just less headroom and slightly less oomph. A great studio tool though! Would recommend this to anyone who is looking for something small and versatile for the studio!

-Orange OR15

A great Orange with that typical fuzzy Orange sound. Quite versatile. The Jim Root just about wins when I compare the two but that's just personal taste. Killer little amp and it looks cool too!

-Marshall DSL20HR

Afforable but definitely a cool amp! It's quite bright when compared to the other amps but it has a cool sound. If you're looking for a very affordable Marshall, this might be a great option! Not the best at crunch tones though....
 
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