Favorite out of the box and ready to rock amps?

[schecter_c7]

I like Mesa Marks because their's no OD pedal required really, whereas the Roadster I can't really play at all without a boost or EQ (cleans aside). Though I honestly think I may need to take mine to a tech because it doesn't jive with most of the things I've seen written about it online.

I would love to try a mark, but there are no mesa dealers close by since gc stopped selling them. I do use a maxon with mine sometimes to tighten up the gain, but it really depends what I'm playing. I mainly just use an od for extreme metal. Other than that I use an isp for the background noise and that's it.
There may or may not be anything wrong with yours, it just might not be tight enough for your personal preference, especially if you're playing some like a mark that's tight and focused. The Roadster is more of just a crushing wall of sound.

 

[ZeroTolerance94]

In my opinion, my Engl Fireball 100 was perfect out of the box. For metal it was absolutely amazing, no aftermarket noise gate even needed, the built in noise gate wasn't bad at all, and it was already super tight sounding so no need for a tube screamer or anything.

That amp was literally plug in and play. No pedals or anything required, unless you want effects like reverb or such. Best $1700 I ever spent was that amp.

 

[Choop]

In my opinion, my Engl Fireball 100 was perfect out of the box. For metal it was absolutely amazing, no aftermarket noise gate even needed, the built in noise gate wasn't bad at all, and it was already super tight sounding so no need for a tube screamer or anything.

That amp was literally plug in and play. No pedals or anything required, unless you want effects like reverb or such. Best $1700 I ever spent was that amp.

I feel like the Blackmore is another that is great just on its own without a boost. 5150 and jvm work well. I want to say rectos because I dig them a lot, but I tend to still like 'em with a boost out front. If boost doesn't count, then recto too.

 

[jc986]

6505+ & any Mesa Rectifier.

 

[GuitaristOfHell]

Peavey 3120. I swear by them.

 

[Promit]

Pretty much anything Mesa puts out, once they switched away from that parallel loop garbage.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Pretty much any major brand's 50+ watt master volume equipped amp minus a very few. I'm of the opinion that depending on the tone you're looking for, you can get a solid tone out of just about anything. Especially if your have the chops.

Shying away from bias adjustments and tube swaps is like being afraid of changing the tuning or string gauge on your guitar. I know amps seem scary, and they sure as hell can kill the ever living shit out of you if you do something stupid, but really, some basic gear and some respect for what you're working on is really all you need to start looking into the world of setting up your amps.

I'm pretty sure most guitarists could swap tubes and adjust bias better and faster than setting up a Floyd Rose.

 

[Insinfier]

... amps are ....ing scary ...

I really want to know what is needed to bias an amp properly and then I'm constantly reminded I could die.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

I really want to know what is needed to bias an amp properly and then I'm constantly reminded I could die.

I know about a dozen or so amp techs and have only ever heard, through second and third hand accounts, of folks actually getting hurt. You really need to be stupid and careless to get dead.

There are tons of free resources on how to adjust amps and re-tube them, and the equipment needed is not rare or expensive.

I'm definitely not saying you should dive right in though.

 

[Interloper]

Rockerverb and Dark Terror both sound great right out of the box.

 

[cardinal]

Lots of amps, really. Early '80s JCM 800s, 2-channel Rectos, SLO, VH4. All were just plug in and play. No need to worry about mods or selecting magical tube combinations or whatever. Amps like these have a reputation for being "classics" for a reason. They just sound good.

 

[kaaka]

Heavy tones: Diezel VH4, Diezel D-Moll, Peavey 6505

Just guitar straight into amp and I am glad.