[Guitarholic]

Hi guys,

I´m looking for a flexible High-Gain Amp. With my main band I´m playing ProgMetal a la Nevermore/SymphonyX/Evergrey/Dream Theater but I´m also
influenced by bands like Scar Symmetry, Meshuggah and Sikth.

No forget about the prices of the mentioned amps. It´s all about tone!!!
The Amp should have a chunky, tight Metal tone (think Nevermore "Godless Endeavor" or Scar Symmetry "Pitch Black Progress") and a crisp, somewhat Petrucci-esk clean tone (think DT "Images and Words" or "Awake"). I´d prefer not to use a Booster Pedal so the amp itself needs huge amounts of gain (If I had to use a booster pedal I´d use a Maxon OD820). In my rack I have a
Furman PL+, a Korg DTR-1, a BBE 362 and a T.C. G-Major. I like that the Herbert and the Engl SE are midi switchable. That´s just great. Makes it a lot simpler.

I´m playing two 7string guitars, both tuned to A. A Caparison Dellinger 7 with Lundgren M7 pickups (which is my main guitar) and an Ibanez Universe UV777PBK.

Thanks for ur help guys. I appreciate every post!!!

[eaeolian]

You might also want to throw the Mesa Roadster in the pile, if you don't need the power tube switching of the RK II. (It's cheaper. ) Given that you're in Germany, either of the Mesas are going to be ridiculously expensive, though. I haven't played the Engl, and I've only heard the Herbert a few times. (I definitely preferred the Mesas to the Herbert, though - it was always lacking something to me...)

[metalfiend666]

I'm in a similar boat to you myself right now. I'm on the hunt for a new high end head and the Herbert, VH4, E670SE and Roadster are all on my list. I'm in the process of locating dealers for them so I can give them all a try in person, and I suggest you do the same.

The midi switching of the Diezel's and Engl are big plus points to me too, though a midi switcher will take care of that with a Mesa, plus I like the 4 channels of the VH4 (assuming they all turn out to be usable) and E670 is very tempting as you can store patches like a modeller. I really like the fact that you can mix pairs of tubes in the Herbert too. Imagine it with a pair of KT88's, a pair of EL34's and a pair of 6L6's. Mmm...

The use of an overdrive isn't really for gain, it's to tighten the amp. Lots of threads here explain that in more detail.

[Guitarholic]

guitarslingerans sent me this message:
"Out of those amps, I'd say, from my own personal experience, the VH4 or the ENGL, however, I'd lean more towards teh ENGL because is has much more flexibility, everything on that amp is MIDI programmable/switchable, including speaker outputs, and you can easily change tubes, and rebias the amp by yourself, without any extra tools, multimeters, etc. Smile


The Herbert is cool if you are playing by yourself at lower volumes, but in band situations, for whatever reason, it gets buried by the other instruments in the band. It's low end dissapears, and all you end up hearing is the actual mid range of the amp, which sounds SUPER thin. So yeah, for the price, the Herbert is NOT the way to go, in my opinion. "

[Cool711]

VH4 is a good option.
I've been looking into getting one for a while.

What about a Bogner Uberschall?

[Guitarholic]

I think the Bogner is too limited with its two Channels...

[ultimeus]

VHT pitbull are great too, or Brunetti 059 or Rivera knukkleheads or Engl invader 100

[Guitarholic]

I tried all of those amps, but I only liked the Herbert, the Roadking and the E670. I´m simply interested in your opinions concerning these three amps.

The VH4 was also on my shortlist, but I found that it was not suitable for the kind of Metal I play. The Herbert and the E670 both have a more "in-your-face" sound.

[Brord]

How about a Brunetti XL R-evo II (120 watt)? Three channel tube amp, with the VERY BEST clean I have EVER heard from a high gain tube amp, it's really amazing, nice thick crunchy sound and brutal lead. Really balanced sound to it, really nice n thick and I like the way it sounds so big. You should really check it out, I believe rock solid amps have them for u US guys.

[Karl Hungus]

I'd go for the ENGL hands down, for being much, much tighter than the Diezel.