New amp soon. Give me suggestions

[Scott]

Ok so i'll be buying a head soon as I am parting out all my rack equipment. Reason? The rack just leaves me with too many oppertunities for spending money. And I know I would too. And since I really need to start saving for school, i've decided to look into getting (a) head and effects. Now I dont have enough money for anything too up there in price, so i've narrowed it down to a few options...

1. A vetta II head. The reason for this would be it's a head (duh) and has the effects built in. So it's like a 2 birds with 1 stone thing. And the vetta is high up there when it comes to quality and such. The downfall is, eventually it will be replaced or upgraded to a vetta III, or the vettas would become obsolete all together, and at this point I might look into replacing it (Like everyone does with effect units) And if I replace it, then I'll need a new pre/poweramp section aswell, when all im looking for are up to date effects.

2. Peavey JSX + gt8/xt pro/gnx4. I like the sound of the JSX (from what I heard) and whatever head I get, I think i'll be fine with for distortions and cleans, and the effects, if they need replacing, then it's just the effects that are going, not the pre/power amps.

3.Peavey XXX +gt8/xt pro/gnx4. I also liked this amp. And the same applies for it as the JSX.

4. Carvin V3 +gt8/xt pro/gnx4. Im pretty interested in checking out this amp really. I like the features of it.

Personally, I dont use alot of effects, unless im doing a cover and I need them, or if im just screwing around. I'd probably be happy with just a head for a little while and then get effects later. But in reality id probably get them all around the same time.

Suggestions?

 

[Shannon]

Donnie could give you some info on the Vetta. To my knowledge, all Line6 products are upgradeable by simply DLing updates from their site. So in that aspect, the Vetta would always be up to date.

The one thing I REALLY like about the Carvin V3 is that it's midi capable. You can set up to 24 (I believe) different sounds just by using a midi pedal.

 

[Ken]

Ok so i'll be buying a head soon as I am parting out all my rack equipment. Reason? The rack just leaves me with too many oppertunities for spending money. And I know I would too. And since I really need to start saving for school, i've decided to look into getting (a) head and effects. Now I dont have enough money for anything too up there in price, so i've narrowed it down to a few options...

1. A vetta II head. The reason for this would be it's a head (duh) and has the effects built in. So it's like a 2 birds with 1 stone thing. And the vetta is high up there when it comes to quality and such. The downfall is, eventually it will be replaced or upgraded to a vetta III, or the vettas would become obsolete all together, and at this point I might look into replacing it (Like everyone does with effect units) And if I replace it, then I'll need a new pre/poweramp section aswell, when all im looking for are up to date effects.

2. Peavey JSX + gt8/xt pro/gnx4. I like the sound of the JSX (from what I heard) and whatever head I get, I think i'll be fine with for distortions and cleans, and the effects, if they need replacing, then it's just the effects that are going, not the pre/power amps.

3.Peavey XXX +gt8/xt pro/gnx4. I also liked this amp. And the same applies for it as the JSX.

4. Carvin V3 +gt8/xt pro/gnx4. Im pretty interested in checking out this amp really. I like the features of it.

Personally, I dont use alot of effects, unless im doing a cover and I need them, or if im just screwing around. I'd probably be happy with just a head for a little while and then get effects later. But in reality id probably get them all around the same time.

Suggestions?

You want to start saving for school, and prevent yourself from buying more rack components by buying a whole new setup?

 

[Scott]

Well, selling off my rack setup, which is no where near complete, will give me about 80-90% of the money I need for a new amp. Where as keeping it, will let me keep buying to fill it. Trust me. It's logical

 

[David]

POD XT Live -- Flextone HD II head... that's what I'm doing, I just haven't gotten the ehad yet, and I've been saying I'm getting it for like 4 months, lol.

 

[Ken]

Well, selling off my rack setup, which is no where near complete, will give me about 80-90% of the money I need for a new amp. Where as keeping it, will let me keep buying to fill it. Trust me. It's logical

Hey, whatever helps you sleep at night.

I'm the king of justification. It makes perfect sense to me, now that you've shed some more light on it.

 

[Shannon]

POD XT Live -- Flextone HD II head... that's what I'm doing, I just haven't gotten the ehad yet, and I've been saying I'm getting it for like 4 months, lol.

If you get a PODxt, you will need a poweramp...not a Flextone.

 

[LordOVchaoS]

3 recommendations...

Madison Divinity: GREAT head that pretty much nails Recto tone and tightens it up a bit on one gain channel while the other sounds like a bastard child of a 5150 and a Marshall. SHIMMERING clean channel as well with a tube boost and good reverb.

PODxt Live + Tube Poweramp: Most versatile rig in the world. Buy all the model packs for the POD and you've still spent less than you would on a Vetta and you'll have all the tones and then some with the authenticity of a tube poweramp.

Carvin V3: I want to hear some damn opinions on the thing!

 

[that guy]

i would say the krankenstein heads ....i wish they were around when i was getting my rig together

 

[Scott]

I was also looking at the nifty Hughes&Kettner triamps cause well, they're nifty lookin. But im guessing they will be out of my price range.

 

[Donnie]

Donnie could give you some info on the Vetta. To my knowledge, all Line6 products are upgradeable by simply DLing updates from their site. So in that aspect, the Vetta would always be up to date.

Yes, If(when) the Vetta III comes out, you'll be able to upgrade your software to III specs. Great amp. Also, the Vetta has more than the PodXTs have. Even if you get all the model packs. Plus, there is the 2 amps at once feature of the Vetta. That is the one feature that I find that keeps me with the Vetta.
Check out the Carvin V3 too. I'm very tempted to get one myself.

 

[LordOVchaoS]

Now that you mentioned Hughes and Kettner, you should check out the Warp X. Many say they sound almost identical to Bogner Uberschalls and they are pretty affordable.

 

[Donnie]

Yeah, what he said. Then let us know what it's like.

 

[Scott]

Oh so I have to spend my money to be everyones test dummy eh?

I see how it is...

 

[LordOVchaoS]

That's what buying a new amp is all about

 

[Donnie]

Oh so I have to spend my money to be everyones test dummy eh?

I see how it is...

Yep. Someone's got to do it.

 

[tongueofcolicab]

i own the peavey jsx and all i can say it it's awesome. its crunch channel can be like retro british rock, and the ultra channel isn't as harsh as most amps' ultra channels. the clean channel is really tight sounding and you can definitely feeeel the tubes in the thing. the one thing i had a problem with my first few days was i kept getting a really bad noise coming from it, but then realized it was the effects loop. it's either i didn't set it up right or didn't ground it properly, but whichever one, i simply run amp-effects-guitar. it's easier that way. satriani's clean channel was made perfectly to accomodate pedals, so i think it could really work for you. try it out.

 

[DSS3]

Using a PODxt in the loop for effects WILL kill the tone of the amp; and I've done it with the XXX .


That said, I'd go with a JSX and a G-Major. I'm seriously thinking about selling my 5150 for a JSX right now.

 

[eviltoaster]

Yes, If(when) the Vetta III comes out, you'll be able to upgrade your software to III specs.

ever thought of new processor technologies to come?especially because vetta I was upgradable to the II.

 

[noodles]

I used to own a Triple XXX, but I sold it because it basicly had one usable channel. The cleans totally sucked, completely sterile and lifeless, and the Ultra channel was just too fizzy, like a 5150 but too solid state sounding. The crunch channel totally nailed that hotrodded Marshall brown sound, though. Check out a JSX, I heard they are a lot better amp, and more well rounded.

Review of the Carvin V3 from JCF:

well, my V3 arrived today (obvioulsy by the title of the post), and i must say that my first impression is NOT favorable. i mean, it's a decent amp...it looks cool, sounds better than most things out there in a comparable price range...but after spending a couple of hours fooling with it, i have to say i am NOT impressed.

yes, it has a lot of gain. think XXX amounts of gain. it makes my hot mod loaded soldano astroverb seem like an old plexi marshall. i could get it to do the generic scooped mid death tone with NO problem. with the EQX turned on and the gain toggle set to "intense" it gave me obscene amounts of mosquito-tone with an ample amount of low end woofing. the master EQ section is useable - and quite frankly this is the part i was scared of - and can help sculpt the overall tone quite effectively.

the clean channel out and out sucks. it is dull and lifeless. it sounds VERY solid state, and not in that good, clean loud solid state way either. we are talking generic AM radio quality solid state. think back to those old, silver AM radios that said "solid state" on them and that's what i am talking about. on the clean channel ALL the EQX switch does is make a bad sound get worse.

so far it's like a solid state amp that feels like a tube amp.

to be fair, this is only my intial impression. i will give it some more time.

i used it with two rivera C112 cabs loaded with EVM speakers. i know the amp was voiced around celestion 75's, but i use the EVM's for EVERYTHING and know those speakers very well.

the guitar was my euphoria PC-1 with a dimarziop PAF pro in the bridge.

i'll update you all with more "feedback" as i tweak the amp a little more.

well, the V3 is going back. i moved it to my studio to play with some other cabs, and it blew up. it got a bad cabbage stink smell and caused the speakers in the cab to start pulsing and vibrating. i called carvin and they said send it back. they will send me a new one. maybe that one will rock.