Gear that you didn't expect to sound as good as it did...

[guitardedhero]

i recently bought the digitech hardwire metal distortion pedal for my 6505+ half stack so i could play at low volumes and it sounds fucking fantastic!

the peavey vypyrs sound really good, but haven't bought one yet cause everyone says the amps shit themselves periodically...

 

[vontetzianos]

The hardwire stuff, to me is the only thing digitech have done well. Those hardwires sound really awesome.

 

[Scali]

Marshall JVM with a Gib Les had a surprisingly tight tone...

Since when do people NOT expect a Marshall + Les Paul to sound good?

With my Marshall 6101... well, I didn't expect it to sound bad. I knew Joe Satriani used one (well, the 6100 head version), and I wanted a tone like his.
Thing is, Satriani mainly uses the clean channel with a Boss DS-1 in front.
When I got the amp, and started playing around with all the channels, I found so many other great classic tones that I never even thought I'd want... I didn't know the amp could do all that aswell, certainly didn't expect it.

In the end I actually based my lead tone on the lead channel with a treble booster in front, rather than DS-1 over the clean channel like Satriani. I personally think this sounds even better (perhaps more like Van Halen's Brown Sound actually).

Then my Gibson M3... I didn't really know what to expect, having never heard anyone play one before I bought mine. It has a poplar body, so I didn't expect too much tone-wise. I just wanted one because it's the coolest Gibson you could possibly own, imho... and it somehow suits me. I started out on a Les Paul, so I've always had a thing for Gibsons. But as my playing evolved, I moved on to superstrats. This guitar somehow meant full-circle.

Anyway, when I got it, I was really surprised. It has a tone with a lot of bite to it, really cuts through when you're shredding. Better than any other guitar I own. And all the special pickup switching circuitry works great. You can really get great Strat-like sounds from it, and also creamy Gibson tones... They all sound great through a clean amp. And the jazz-setting is almost scary, it sounds THAT good.

 

[troyguitar]

Those hardwires sound really awesome.

+1

I bought the tuner and the "Tube Overdrive" on sale at GC for $69 each and they both work great. And they're true bypass and made in USA!

 

[TomAwesome]

Another +1 here

I'm running a Powerblock as the power amp for my Axe-Fx at the moment. If only I could find a way to rackmount it.....

How about taking off the feet, putting Velcro on it, and sticking it on a rack shelf?

 

[FlamesOfDestiny]

How about taking off the feet, putting Velcro on it, and sticking it on a rack shelf?

The thing that concerns me with that method is that the Powerblock might twist off the Velcro if the case is turned on its side, or accidentally turned upside down.

 

[groph]

Duct tape.

 

[Daemoniac]

Randall VMAX.

Basically bought it blind. Don't get me wrong, i was expecting it to sound pretty good, but the price was so low i figured there was something wrong, or it sounded crap...

Turns out, one of the best amps ive played, and insanely tight sound.


Ibanez RGR08LTD

Bought cheap, looked incredible, good pickup, but it was cheap... again, its one of the nicest, smoothest playing guitars ive tried. It would be better with a different body wood, but for the price, its incredible.

 

[Daggorath]

Blackstar HT-5, fucking monstrous.

 

[vontetzianos]

Blackstar HT-5, fucking monstrous.

+1

I was really surprised by the HT-5. Most small amps I've tried are complete failures, but the HT-5 is a sick amp for the money.

 

[budda]

I've heard great tone from marshall MG's, but i wasnt that suprised...

Hearing good metalcore out of a FM100 stack w/ an MT-2 out front suprised me. Hearing good metalcore tones out of a Peavey valveking halfstack with an MT-2 suprised me (told the guy to bump his mids up to 5 to make him audible though).

I got a very useable tone out of a fender frontman 30W, that was a nice suprise lol.

 

[Ishan]

A few days ago I plugged my good old DOD FX69B Grunge into the clean channel of my rack rig and was very surprised it sounded so good
I had level and bass at noon, treble all the way down (those old DODs are trebly bitches) and gain at 10o'c, a very heavy SS sound, clear enough for my 8 string.
That was a weird experience

 

[blackrobedone]

+1 for the Crate Power Block! I bought it for $50 at a pawn shop and put a Flip Metal Master tube distortion pedal in front of it and it rocked! (Of course, not enough for me to still own and use.)

 

[bulb]

egnater rebel 20 blew me away

 

[sakeido]

I thought the 5150 III was a wicked amp, didn't expect something so good for metal from Fender and EVH.. but it got brutal and sounded awesome when I was playing one of those Ibanez mushok baritones through it tuned to F

 

[maliciousteve]

Line 6 Pod XT live. Was surprised when I first got it and after spending alot of time with it, I'm over the moon with it.

 

[Leuchty]

POD XT Metal Shop. I almost gave up on my pod, until I got the MS pack.