Greatest guitar amp you've ever played/owned/wanted?

[ESPImperium]

Played: Mesa Triple Recto/Peavey 5150
Owned: Mesa F30/Egnater Tweaker 15W
Wanted: Mesa Mark V/Diezel Herbet

 

[ManuelB]

Owned:
EVH 51f50 III - The best Amp I've ever played and owned... still own it now!
Krank Revolution - Freakingly strange sound but impressive and kickin' ass as hell!
Mesa Boogie simul class 295 - monstrously tube power amp ever built!

Played:
Pretty every Amp in stores around my place... from Engl to Marshal over to H&K and Mesa stuff, VHT, Orange, Diezel... and so on. But Nothing gets over the good old 5150ies and the last 515 III

Wanted:
Diezel Herbert
(and maybe an Axe FX)

 

[OrsusMetal]

There were only a few that I played that I really wanted.

I really wanted these after trying: Engl Powerball v2, Engl Fireball, Engl Blackmore, Orange Rockerverb

I really wanted these, but haven't tried: Engl SE, Engl Savage, Mark V, Bogner Uberschall

These I owned: Engl SE preamp + Mesa 2:90, Engl e530, Laney GH100L, Laboga Mr. Hector (liked the SE, didn't care as much for the rest)

Currently own: Axe Fx Standard. This amp has killed all amp gas for me. I'd still like to try above said amps, but I have been extremely content with my Standard since getting it. Really the only thing I have gas'd for ampwise is a different poweramp. I hooked my Axe Fx through a super lightweight Peavey poweramp and it sounded great. That is something I can get later though.

 

[Taylor2]

Played, want and own : Diezel VH4.


Though I would buy the new Diezel Hagen..

 

[eventhetrees]

My Sunn Model-T Re-Issue

 

[Diggy]

Best I've tried... Mesa DC-10, Orange Rockerverb 100, 67' or 68' Fender Blackface Super Reverb. STL has shit for music stores w/ very few diamonds in the rough. Buying without trying? not usually these days.. anymore.. right now

Best I've owned... Mesa DC-10... I'm not sure what it is exactly, but if I could only play 1 bulky ass amp head for the rest of my life, it would be my DC-10... w/ mid boost from Radial Switchbone, it just sounds angry.

Lusting for... Bogner Ecstasy and my Blackface Super back... oh, and and Axe FX II or course.. gigging lite is a no brainer.

I've only heard the Bogner and Axe, never tried.. but they have me intrigued enough to pull the trigger w/o jamming them first.. possibly maybe

 

[Joelan]

Owned: Kustom 30W practice amp

Played: Tie between a Roland Jazz Chorus (dem cleans) and a Fender Hotrod Deluxe. Unfortunately my richer guitaring friends do not like the high gains...

Wanted: I'm currently looking for an Axe-FX Standard which should keep me happy for a long time...

 

[SSK0909]

Played: Mesa Mark IIC+, such a lush an complex lead sound

Owned: Same.

Want: Soldano SLO for a different lead sound or a Roadster because I mainly play rythm

 

[Curt]

Played:Mesa Roadster
Wanted:Mesa Roadster
Own:Mesa Roadster.


Seriously.

 

[Curt]

Played, want and own : Diezel VH4.


Though I would buy the new Diezel Hagen..

I always hear such good things about the VH4...

Do you have any clips of that? Not that I think i'll ever part with my current rig, as it gives me exactly what i've been dreaming of since day one, but those amps seem to be real popular.

 

[robotsatemygma]

Damn I needs to trys me a Diezel! I remember hearing about them a while back, but I've never been able to try one.

Greatest amps I've ever played...

Vox AC30C2... honestly these are the best cleans I've ever heard with reverb and tremolo. To which I will judge all.

Modded 5150 Block Sig through a V30 Ampeg 4x12... hands down tore my face off. I don't remember the mods, but it was the audio equivalent of Satan's asshole tightening with fear.

I've always been a fan of the Marshall JCM900 and the Engl Thunder. I guess it's something about 5881's.

 

[Curt]

Damn I needs to trys me a Diezel! I remember hearing about them a while back, but I've never been able to try one.

Greatest amps I've ever played...

Vox AC30C2... honestly these are the best cleans I've ever heard with reverb and tremolo. To which I will judge all.

Modded 5150 Block Sig through a V30 Ampeg 4x12... hands down tore my face off. I don't remember the mods, but it was the audio equivalent of Satan's asshole tightening with fear.

I've always been a fan of the Marshall JCM900 and the Engl Thunder. I guess it's something about 5881's.

I played through an ENGL Thunder head + vertical 2x12 not but a couple months back when I was amp testing before I got my roadster.
That thing sounds huge, actually competes with my roadster! and of course if I had to play anything other than Mesa, ENGL would be my choice.

 

[Taylor2]

I always hear such good things about the VH4...

Do you have any clips of that? Not that I think i'll ever part with my current rig, as it gives me exactly what i've been dreaming of since day one, but those amps seem to be real popular.

Not at the moment, tubes died and took a fuse with it.
That being said, I'm just being lazy and haven't re-biased and replaced the fuse.

But they're popular for a reason.


They, and by they I mean the Herbert and VH4, have the thickness of a Recto, but a real sharp attack and clarity for days. The top end is clear and round, i.e bright but not fizzy. The mid structure is huge, but not over-pronounced like my 6505 is. Cuts like a dream too.

However, all of this is subjective. Granted I've tried more than a dozen amps in my time.

But the main reason they are so highly regarded is the build quality.
Unmatched as far as I'm concerned.
Everything is clean, everything is made of high quality componentry and is hand built.
Not to mention, when you have a problem, you usually talk to Peter D. direct.
For instance, the 2009 VH4's shipped with 6550 tubes, and pretty well all of the tubes were faulty. Peter shipped free sets of EL34's to whoever claimed it so long as it was within 2009.

It's shit like that which sells it for me.

 

[Ghost40]

Diezel Herbert. That is dream.

 

[joshua-babbitt]

Man, good stuff. I myself would die to try any Diezels with the name VH4 and Herbert...There was a Herb at my GC a month back but they were closing in like 5 mins as I rolled in the door and it was the first Diezel I have seen in person as in all the music store around here are week. I've never played on or heard one in person and was pissed I didn't have esp or some shit to know it was there and to have my girlfriend risk our lives by going 100mph to get there 20 mins earlier. I am anxious to go back up there in a week and see if it's still there..If so, I might sell everything I own. It's used and they still want $2700 for it. Ahhh, so expensive but those youtube demos tell me life is just too short for tone loss.

I'm willing to put my girl in the classifieds on here soon for a trade for either a VH4 or Herbert so send me some offers! Free rack will be included. Comes very full in the bottom end. Tone-wise, it depends on what day...either it sounds great or you're ready to kill it.

I'd also like to try an Axe Fx so bad, but that means buying one and then buying a power-amp as I am just a head > cab guy as I've always been.

I actually had a question about the Axe Fx...Is this similar to the Marshall JMP's? Like with diff amp/cab sims & effects galore with nothing but studio perfect sounding guitar effects? ...future post idea maybe?
Thanks guys for all the posts. Lets keep this going! Keep rocking!

-Josh


Btw, smileys have became a new addiction. Thanks SS.org.

 

[robotsatemygma]

I played through an ENGL Thunder head + vertical 2x12 not but a couple months back when I was amp testing before I got my roadster.
That thing sounds huge, actually competes with my roadster! and of course if I had to play anything other than Mesa, ENGL would be my choice.

It absolutely does! I swear it's one of Engl's hidden secrets. I owned one for years and had to sell it off when I was laid off a few years back. It just made a 7 string sound massive. Very tight. I plan on getting another one at some point in time.

 

[Curt]

It absolutely does! I swear it's one of Engl's hidden secrets. I owned one for years and had to sell it off when I was laid off a few years back. It just made a 7 string sound massive. Very tight. I plan on getting another one at some point in time.

When I was testing out ENGL's a couple years back I looked over the thunder, I was testing the Savage, the SE EL34, and the Powerball, which I liked them all, but then when I was testing amps before buying the roadster I played the Thunder, Blackmore, Savage(great amp, it's just not my flavor), the Invader, and the Morse. While the Invader sounded great, I was absolutely shocked by how huge the thunder sounded. definitely lives up to its name!

 

[Shadowspecced]

Played: Suhr OD100 SE+
Owned: Bogner Uberschall twin jet
Wanted: SLO100

 

[EdgeC]

Played: many over the years but never tried anything from deizel, DAR or Blackstar.
Own: ENGL Fireball 100
Want: ENGL Fireball 100

Honestly I love my amp. The Triple Rec was a close second but for tight dark seven string agression the FB does for me and then some.

 

[Mordacain]

Played: Mesa Mark V

Owned: Blackstar HT5 (for the gain channel), Egnater Tweaker (lots of lovely tones) Blackstar HT20 (for the clean channel), Crate Palomino V32 (still my favorite clean channel

Want: Mark V, Blackstar HT5-R, Tweaker 88 (jonesin for a full-blown Tweaker with KT-88s!)