Noob to tube

[Cheesebuiscut]

So I started playing in a band again after whats been around a years time and my line 6 spider 3 Isn't cutting it anymore.

With what research I did I came to the conclusion that a mesa dual or triple rec would be the greatest amp ever for me.

Now I'm a broke bastard and jobless atm so I'm curious is there any alternative popular amp that would compete with a mesa and also not break my wallet?

I played some random amps in the store today and the only one that peaked my interest was a 6505 which starts at 1200 so used I figure it wouldn't be too wallet breaking.

Soooo I was wondering if anyone had any alternative amp suggestions to a mesa rec that would satisfy playing in a band and have good enough tone on the cheap~ish.

I've been pretty convinced I should save up for the mesa since according to the amp guy over at the ibanez forum they are the highest quality amps next to like diesel or something. Not to mention that my line 6 is modeling a dual rec which is the sound I liked before I even knew the difference between amp A and B but if I can find an alternative so be it!

TY in advance for any assists

~Cheese

 

[Leuchty]

SAVE, SAVE, SAVE. Keep an eye out for used.

If thats what you like, If thats what you want, then don't settle for less.

 

[SargeantVomit]

Best advice I could say is shop around, try out all the amps you can that you can afford and buy the one you like best. Don't buy what other people like, buy what you like. Why exactly is your Line6 not cutting it anymore?

 

[Benraldo]

used peavey xxx, cheap and will sound good.

 

[Cheesebuiscut]

Well its a 150W combo amp and while its great for my bedroom or jammin with a friend it sounds laughable when sitting next to some of these tube amps.

Also I bought my new ibanez and put Q-tuners in it recently and ever since I did that the amps been feeding back like all hell when trying to get to a decent volume where playing on the 6505 in the store I only had that problem if I stood directly infront of the thing while tweaking the knobs. and obviously the amp gets alot louder alot faster xD

I'm also not completely noobin it like I was a year ago and this amp Isn't the best for shows etc.



I tried a XXX at the store and it sounded god awful even without a comparison test. the high gain channel was just bad and had less gain than the crunch channel. I don't get how peavey thinks its cool to charge the same amount for that amp as the 6505 its nuts!

 

[SargeantVomit]

The feedback issue is probably an EQ issue as well as the fact that you are probably pushing it hard since it's only 150w SS. It sounds like you're looking for volume primarily as 150w SS wont hold a candle to 100w tube volume wise. Start from there when you go head-hunting. Also, concerning the XXX, I tried one and really didn't like it either.

 

[Cheesebuiscut]

The other problem I'm having is that the store I checked out today is really the only place to go and tryout these amps and all it had was a bugera 333xl, a jsx, the xxx, and the 6505.

and the 6505 easily kicked the shit out of the other amps (the fact that the 6505 was sitting on a mesa halfstack where all the other amps were sitting on peavey halfstacks probably attributed something there too) it just plain had a better sound when playing it at the same volume as the others and I mean the thing was at like .1 on the volume and it was loud I couldn't imagine turning it past 2 or 3 for stage volume.

The only amps I was able to sit with otherwise were a mesa dual rec(2 channel) and a mesa dual rec roadster that both belong to a friends band and obv they were both killer.

I'm prettymuch at a standstill when it comes to sitting down and trying things in person since theres not really any other stores etc around me. Thats why I was curious if anyone had a suggestion on here so I could do more research online before maybe getting a chance to try it out or even buying something.

So far its just looking like I should continue scouring ebay and craigslist for a good deal. The only thing is I'm skeptical about buying a used amp because theres just sooooooo many things that can be wrong with a tube amp from what I've read and I'm not really sure what to keep an eye on at this point. I don't want to endup with a repair bill that complete defeated the purpose of going used to begin with ya know xD

 

[SargeantVomit]

Go back to the store and try all the peavey heads through the SAME cab. That way you can judge each of their voices better. A lot of guys are playing peaveys through mesa cabs. The collective opinion on the peavey cabs are that they aren't great. Also, where are you located? There may be guys on here that can direct you to music stores in your area that you missed.

 

[Cheesebuiscut]

At the moment metuchen nj, theres really only 4 places around here that I know of. A mom and pop store that has absolutely nothing for amps, samash (where I went today), a guitar center that doesn't have a whole lot for amps either and another small store I've yet to actually go inside (might be promising)

I am moving come next week but there appears to only be a few guitar centers in the new area (columbus nj) maybe there'll be some nice used heads in one.

 

[XeoFLCL]

I use a peavey Valveking 100, and I get an amazing tone out of it. Alot like Amon Amarth with less bass crossed over with a little Nevermore, this is without a tubescreamer and with the gain boost. Keep in mind, cabs DO MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE! Alot of people over look this and think all cabs sound the same, but I learned not long ago that a cab can make or break your tone. I use an old peavey Cab loaded with Sheffield 1290 75w speakers alongside my Valveking 100 and it works excellently. A good cheap cab however would be a Behringer cab. They're extremely clear, and for the money it's a steal. However, if you can though, get a warranty on it. I've heard a few stories of the speakers blowing on them after little use at higher volumes.

 

[Devour3d]

Have you looked on Craigslist? You can use this site: site mash : ibanez : combined classified and auction listings
which pretty much gives you all Craigslist/ebay postings in any state for whatever you search. There are a bunch of used Dual Recs under $1200

 

[daveycrockett]

I have to agree with "XeoFLCL" VK100 is the way to go, my band is DevilsClub (New Studio Videos Posted) on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads check that out and see what you think of the tone. i got mine for $430 out the door when they first came out and it's my fave amp, our other guitar player uses a 6505 and it's just not as ballsy, on the fact that your feeding back: i'm guessing your using alot of gain and amps all sound bad when you use to much gain, so when you stand in front of the amp roll the gain back untill the feedback stops and adjust as you increase volume,this will work for a while with a band but personally i run a ISP Decimator at all times and my gain at about 3 or 4. the recordings we have on our bands page are at this setting

hope this helps

 

[budda]

you can do better then a VK - i've heard them sound good for metal, once.

you realize that if your cab is sub-par with the head you're using, you're still not getting optimum sound - right?

and a used 5150 is $650 before shipping, or so.

also, EQ works wonders - pretty sure I could get the JSX to play damn nice with a 6505 . If you don't know how to set the amp up, then you wont get the best from it. that said, mesa controls dont interact like your typical passive tone stack amps (peavey XXX and JSX have active EQ's for the distortion channels ).

 

[Stealthdjentstic]

A word of advice though, Buddah is a JSX whore.

I would go with a 5150 personally though, especially since I know someone thats going to sell me one for dirt cheap

 

[budda]

I also make suggestions on what the person wants, especially if my amp doesnt provide what they're after

 

[Stealthdjentstic]

I was just making fun of your love for Jsx's

 

[Cheesebuiscut]

] I tried the jsx but I liked the 6505 over it.

I think I'm just going to keep an eye on craigslist and ebay etc I already found an offer I'm considering (All signs point to yes except the current availability of the money)

 

[budda]

I was just making fun of your love for Jsx's

bring that vox over

to the OP: 5150's are easy to find, just gather the funds.

 

[troyguitar]

If you want a Mesa that's cheaper you can go for something like an F-50 or a Rectoverb. The F-50's go almost as cheap as a 5150.

 

[budda]

buuut an F-50 wont sound a thing like a 5150 or a dual rec .