Amp Change
 

Hey,

I currently use all Line 6 amps, I have a 75w combo Line 6 Spider III as a practice and a 75hd Spider III head and cab.

I am considering changing the amp I use to either Peavey or Blackstar as I've been told they both get better sounds than Line 6. Can anyone help me with this issue please?

I was looking at the Peavey Vypyr series and like what I see but I was also looking at the Blackstar HT Stage 100hd with my Line 6 cab, or I could just upgrade the amp head to a 150w Line 6 Spider IV head. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Well first what kind of music do you play? Also imo I think Line 6 stuff is garbage. Granted I have not tried there high end tube amps, but as far as performance live amps they fail to deliver convincing tones.

The band I'm currently in is typically hard rock. So I'm looking for something with an almost Mesa Boogie sound but not costing near as much. I use clean tone a fair bit when practicing as well so it has to have a nice clean tone. Not too worried about effects at this point because I have loads of pedals.

Well not to be cliche but go try a Marshall. There new Haze 40 Combo tube amp is pretty cheap and looks amazing. And you mentioned Peavey, im not sure what size you need but the Peavey Classic series can pretty much handle anything thats not Death Metal.

looking is rather irrelevant. every piece of information you read is going to make the product look good. the ONLY way you're going to find a good new amp is to go to the music store, sit down, and try them all out. tell the staff you intend to buy first and maybe flash some cash at them so they know you're serious and you might be pleasantly surprised at how helpful they become over an afternoon of testing (maybe ask them when their slowest day happens to be first).

also if your band uses a PA system you don't need a stack or that huge of an amp either. a small practice combo can easily be run through the sound system. might not look as cool as having the classic stack looming over you, but most people have clued into the fact that the majority of classic rock stars were most definitely compensating for something or other.

i also recommend the cliched choice of Marshall's. seriously, there's a REASON why they're that popular. if you've never honestly plugged into one and let it rip then you really can't comment on them.

Theres nothing that sounds like a Fender into a Fender clean, and a Gibson through a Marshall. If only you could have it all in one amp/guitar setup.

I owned a Marshall MG15 but didn't particularly like the sound I got. But I have heard a heap of complaints about the entire MG series. I've also tried a JCM 800 and wasn't a big fan of that either.

I can't sit down and try a Blackstar because no store in my city deals with them, Peavey on the other hand. The store that deals with them are wankers. Although I'd like to change amps I think sticking with Line 6 for the moment might do some good. Not a fan of Fender at all. The only other amps I've tried were Orange and Kustom. Don't get me wrong I'd love a Mesa Boogie triple rectifier but I don't exactly have the money for one :(

If your not a fan of Marsh or Fen amps somethings wrong with your amp settings. Nearly every major recording in the last century has utilized one or the other. Between a Fender Twin and a Marshall Jcm 800 there isnt really a sound you cant get with the right guitar.

You through out the Peavey as an option and I play through a Peavey Valve King 212. The reason I went with that amp is the clean channel. It works really well for me and comes in clean which is perfect for my pedal board. I would recommend playing with some of their amps.

One of the absolute best and most versatile rock amps is the VHT Pitbull. They are pretty affordable, too.

Just curious mate, for you heavy or hell even slight overdrive do you stick pedals in front of clean channel or use amps overdrive as well.

I recently bought an old Laney pre AOR pro tube lead 50 head. it sounds so hairy and awesome when you push it, but the cleans are beautiful.

All clean channel with the bright switch on. I use a Boss-OD3 for the crunchy, vintage style overdrive, then a MXR distortion + for the litter and thicker drives, then both together to get a really solid, hard rock distortion, then I use a digitech hotrod distortion by itself for any heavy metal and that gets the job done quite well. Why do you ask, bad luck with them before?

I just am always in a pickle over weather to just get another amp for my metal/heavy playing, or work on finding the right pedals for my fender. I love fender amp clean sound, and refuse to have anything else for most rock songs. But when it comes to metal I get worried that my tone is crap because of my running so many pedals.

The only one I really love it my Big Muff Pie, which sounds amazing but has 0 dynamics to t (like most fuzz pedals), so its not really any good for that chug sound.

Fender clean is amazing. Tube I assume? They got awesome reverb too. And hearts to Big Muff, I've always wanted one. There are so many pedals and combinations, I'm sure you can find something to plug into. I know boss makes the ML-2 metal core and the MT-2 Metal zone. Each offer different tones, but they have a wild, hard hitting sound. Best advice is to play around with pedals and look at what other metal musicians use, although you might get a bunch of on-board Marshall responses. I know, crappy advice, but that is how I got where I am. How many pedals are you running and what kind of guitar are you playing? I have an SG with a P-90 that gets a decent metal tone then a Jackson Dinky with a DiMarzio Super 3 that gets a great, heavy tone.

How serious are you? Why not invest in a good tube amp? The best amp for generic "hard rock" is Orange imo. Marshall can be good, too. Peavey (5150, 6505, etc) and Mesa Boogie (rectifier series) are more geared towards metal, for lead guitar. If you plan on gigging than do not go solid state. Than cannot compare when kicked into higher volumes and, and also on the distortion channels.

If you're set up right, most any amp can kick out sounds for any style.