Question:
I will be looking for a new amp soon. I dont know which amp will give me the sound I want. Let me give you my reasoning, and try your best to deductively find an amp you believe would give me the sound that fits these:
-I want crunch, and clear high end.
-I want the bite of high gain without it slurring my chords
-Hughes and Kettner amps are too bassy, not enough high end clarity
-I like the response of Krank amps at low gain on the distortion channel, but not the actual gain itself (its overkill)
-I want to be able to have "overkill" if I wish to have it
-1x12" preferably
-No peaveys, no carvins, no H&K, no fender
-I believe Mesa will give me this, but I have not had the chance to play one
-all tube, no SS, Digital, or hybrids
-Loud enough (clean and dirty) to be mic'ed at a 3,000+ person concert/rally
To humor the long-time posters, i'll give you the rest of the standard information.
-Price range: Not sure. Lets shoot for less than $700.
-I am willing to buy used. Would prefer to save money that way
-I will be using it at youth camps and concerts of anywhere between 50 and 3,000 people
-My style is similar, but not exact, to that of Noah Henson of Pillar, the lead for Chris Tomlin, and Kutless. Very melodic, but biting.
-I play a Paul Reed Smith CE 22, 2 humbuckers (Dragon II's)
-Dont need it soon, but by May.
-Havent had the chance to shop on my own outside of H&K, Vox AD series, and Fender.
Answer:
-No peaveys, no carvins, no H&K, no fender
Why not?
'cause the first thing I thought of when I read your requirements was Peavey.
In fact, I think what would be great if you could get a bit more spendy is a (used, I guess) Peavey JSX.
Answer:
I am thinking a B52 AT series (with either 1 or 2 12" speakers, your choice) might suit you very well. A freakin awesome amp, yet incredibly unknown. 'Nuff said.
Answer:
You could also look for a Rivera R100.
Answer:
And you are correct, it sounds like a Mesa Boogie would fit your style if you could afford one. The B52 has a similar sound to the Mesa Boogie, but in a smaller package, wattage, and with a smaller price tag. A Marshall might get you that kind of sound too.
Answer:
Originally Posted by Rainer. Why not?
'cause the first thing I thought of when I read your requirements was Peavey.
In fact, I think what would be great if you could get a bit more spendy is a (used, I guess) Peavey JSX.
I've played too many and cant stand them.
I am interested in playing a B-52. Veerryy interested. I dont know anything about Rivera. I've heard marvelous things about a boutique brand called Soldano, but I also have seen their prices
Answer:
Originally Posted by SoapbarII I've played too many and cant stand them.
I am interested in playing a B-52. Veerryy interested. I dont know anything about Rivera. I've heard marvelous things about a boutique brand called Soldano, but I also have seen their prices And why no Carvin? (I know, I'm the Carvin "fanboy" around here, but still...)
I picked my MTS up for $350. No regrets.
Answer:
Originally Posted by Building429_Boy And why no Carvin? (I know, I'm the Carvin "fanboy" around here, but still...)
I picked my MTS up for $350. No regrets. You're not the only Carvin "fanboy" around here, just the only one who owns one of their amps. Everyone else just sticks with the guitars.
Answer:
Oh man, the B52 AT-100 or AT212 would be perfect for you. It's a mesa-clone, sorta. It's great. You can even change how well it handles the bass vs. the treble... I have one... I love it.
Answer:
Originally Posted by SoapbarII I've played too many and cant stand them.
I am interested in playing a B-52. Veerryy interested. I dont know anything about Rivera. I've heard marvelous things about a boutique brand called Soldano, but I also have seen their prices
Note: Jon's connection to CGR isn't working, so this post is from him:

"I've played too many and cant stand them. "

If you can get a chance to play a JSX, I'd advise you to try one out. They're quite different than a lot of other Peaveys, and have a lot of the top end clarity and versatile gain structures you were talking about.

"I dont know anything about Rivera. I've heard marvelous things about a boutique brand called Soldano, but I also have seen their prices "

Rivera is comparable to Soldano in terms of quality. The R100 is part of their line of more stripped-down amps which end up being more affordable than their other models (the tone, is a bit more Marshallesque than the Soldanos, which have more of a Mesaesque flavor). Soldano is also a very nice brand, which would do what you want as well, but yes, there's that price thing.

-Jon.Rainer. via Ryan
Answer:
Be careful with Mesa's that have a really big bass that can easily over power everything else. On my Mark iv you never run the bass more than 4 or its just mush. I really do not like the bass on the mesa just to booming and lose.
Answer:
Just to let everyone know, I will be trying these out when I get to go to GC again. *dreads going to GC* So loud in there...
Anyways, what about a Vox AC30? Sounds like it has a lot of crispy-ness to it.
Here's my try-out list so far:
-JSX
-B-52 AT
-Vox AC30
-Krank Chadwick series (the boutique-style head)
-Mesa F-50
-Mesa Dual Rect.
Keep in mind how loud I may need it, too... 50 Watts tube should do it at the most. The 30 would be more ideal, but I wont complain about more headroom.
(BTW, I will put on a toilet paper parade in the front yard of the first person to suggest a PODxt.)
Answer:
Originally Posted by AXguitar Oh man, the B52 AT-100 or AT212 would be perfect for you. It's a mesa-clone, sorta. It's great. You can even change how well it handles the bass vs. the treble... I have one... I love it. Yeh, if I ever bought a new tube amp, it would be like one of my top 2 choices, the other one being a Fender Hot Rod Deville, or a '65 Twin Reverb if I could afford one.
Answer:
Eh...
Vox AC30s, to me, sound very smooth and compressed in their overdriven qualities. Not quite "crispy" to my ears. Though, I love AC30s, one of my favorite amps ever.
Answer:
An AC30? That doesn't seem to me anyway to fit the description you gave:
-I want crunch, and clear high end.
-I want the bite of high gain without it slurring my chords I have played AC30's and I am familar with artists who use them, and they don't usually get that kind of a sound. It's a little more fuzzy, not so crispy, though that's not the right term for the sound I am trying to describe. Someone who knows wanna help me out here?
Now that I think of it, I forgot the wattage thing. When you look for a B52, look for the AT112, cause the AT212 is like 100 watts. The 112 is only 60.