# Good Tube amp for Metal



## Mendez (Mar 14, 2011)

Whats a good tube amp in the $400-600 range? I was looking at the 6505+ 1x12 combo amp, but i just wanted to know if there was anything else out there. I'm kinda new to tube amps so i wanted some knowledge/advice.


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## drenz (Mar 14, 2011)

Anything 6505 related is a great place to start. Or if you want to go a bit cheaper, look into Bugera


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## Tones (Mar 14, 2011)

always gonna recommend the Peavey xxx or the ultra +.
5150, and as stated above, bugeras are great bang for your buck! 333/333xl/6262


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## Mendez (Mar 14, 2011)

The problem with getting an amp head would be having to get an cab though, sorta why i was thinking in about something in a combo. Whats a good combo amp from bugera? I played one a guitar center a while back, sounded pretty good but i didnt pay much attention to it since i wasnt looking for an amp.

Edit: just did a google search on the 333/333xl/6262 and they have combo versions. 

Thanks for the help guys.


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## snuif09 (Mar 14, 2011)

I really liked the 333xl combo when I played on it.
It's really worth checking out.


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## GuitaristOfHell (Mar 14, 2011)

Any used Peavey.


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## beneharris (Mar 14, 2011)

i loooove my 6505+ combo. great little amp, especially for as cheap as you can find them. if you can find one, get the older 5150 model. its a 2x12, and it is built a little bit better, but the 6505+ is no slouch. especially with a simple speaker change, it makes a great 1x12 for any extra heads you may have laying around


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## Dead Undead (Mar 14, 2011)

JCM 800 2204
EDIT:
Peavey Butcher
Ibanez Tubescreamer head (I guess? The gain channel certainly is nice, but might not be "metal enough"
I guess you could make anything a metal amp if you exchange a few parts and put the right pedal in front.


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## hxcdeathcore (Mar 14, 2011)

Used 5150 or Bugera 6262, 6260, or 333XL


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## Kali Yuga (Mar 14, 2011)

Dead Undead said:


> JCM 800 2204.


They're only in that price range when you come across a steal. 

Maybe Peavey VTM 120/60. It depends on what you play, really.


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## hxcdeathcore (Mar 14, 2011)

Ibanez TBX 250 head kicks ass for metal as well.


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## Thep (Mar 14, 2011)

Boss Metal Zone...hehehe


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## geofreesun (Mar 14, 2011)

if you don't need to play loud or with a drummer, i suggest gsp1101~ it's a great unit for practice, u can partially load impulses too. im getting so many cool sounds out of it and they are all very usable.


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## beneharris (Mar 14, 2011)

if you want to go really cheap, you could get a jca20h (or the 22h when it comes out). i can't say enough good things about mine. boosted it really gets mean. 

or the blackstar ht-5. a lot of people are getting more than passable metal tones from both of these


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## Mendez (Mar 14, 2011)

Ah so many amps for cheap . Out of curiosity is the jca20h versatile? I see its real cheap brand new (amp head+ a 1x12 cab), what would be a good speaker to replace the stock ones with? For 350 its sounding pretty good


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## beneharris (Mar 15, 2011)

I wouldn't say its incredibly versatile, but i don't use it for much. i boost it, and use it for cleans mainly. then for a light crunch. you could get a nice bluesy sound out of it too. its WAY more versatile than a 6505+ would be for sure. and i actually prefer the distortion on the JCA. its clearer, and more "fluid" for lack of a better word.

i've got it running with a V30 and it sounds great. if you have one near you go to guitar center and fart around with one. be sure to bring the pedal you will boost it with, and see what you think. for the price the heads cost, you really can't go wrong with it.

just keep in mind that the amp isn't a high gain amp. but it pulls off incredible metal tones if you push it. just don't expect the same bite you would get off of a peavey. 

anyway, just try it, i think you'll see what i mean. its a sweet amp


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## Mendez (Mar 15, 2011)

Damn now i have to try one...i saw one at a GC near me once, I'm going to have to go test one out. I don't really need full blown gain. Although i liked the tones off of the 6505+ i played, real nice. But as long as the amp can pull off a nice heavy crunch for chugs and pull off decent cleans, then its worth to go test it out, especially for the price. Hmm, i dont have any pedals to actually boost an amp tho, what pedal do you recommend?


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## beneharris (Mar 15, 2011)

i boost mine with a bloody murder, but that isn't really a readily available pedal. i would check a ts9 or ts7. 

do yourself a favor and read some of the overdrive threads that have been popping up around lately, there is a lot of good information in there. better than i could regurgitate here. guitar center should have some pedals lying around that you can use i'm sure.


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## Mendez (Mar 15, 2011)

Alright guess ill look around. Either way ill go test the amp and see how my ears like it. If anything i could get the 6505 combo if i don't like it. Im just real curious how that amp would sound boosted now. Thanks for the help


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## Dead Undead (Mar 15, 2011)

beneharris said:


> if you want to go really cheap, you could get a jca20h (or the 22h when it comes out). i can't say enough good things about mine. boosted it really gets mean.
> 
> or the blackstar ht-5. a lot of people are getting more than passable metal tones from both of these



I tried a Blackstar HT-5 and to be totally honest, I disliked it greatly. It just didn't sound right to me, no matter how I tweaked it. It had a slight fizz that was just noticeable enough to make me turn my attention to other amps. Personally I think the ISF control is just stupid. What that reminds me of is a modeling amp, trying to do too much at once. They list those amps as all tube, but I swear I think they're hybrids. The cleans are "meh" too. Hell I've gotten better cleans AND distorted tones from an AC15.


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## beneharris (Mar 15, 2011)

Dead Undead said:


> I tried a Blackstar HT-5 and to be totally honest, I disliked it greatly. It just didn't sound right to me, no matter how I tweaked it. It had a slight fizz that was just noticeable enough to make me turn my attention to other amps. Personally I think the ISF control is just stupid. What that reminds me of is a modeling amp, trying to do too much at once. They list those amps as all tube, but I swear I think they're hybrids. The cleans are "meh" too. Hell I've gotten better cleans AND distorted tones from an AC15.


ah that is good to know. i've liked whawt i have heard but haven't spent a great deal of time with one. thanks for the heads up


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## TemjinStrife (Mar 15, 2011)

I don't know what he's talking about; the HT-5 is an *amazing* amp, both clean, pushed, and dirty. It helps to use a cab other than the 10" HT-5 stock one though for higher gain sounds... a lot of the fizz is in the cabinet, not the amp itself.

The Jet City JCA20 is another fantastic unit, although it won't necessarily do modern metal all by itself. It's hard to say no to a used 5150 or 6505.


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## beneharris (Mar 15, 2011)

TemjinStrife said:


> The Jet City JCA20 is another fantastic unit, although it won't necessarily do modern metal all by itself. It's hard to say no to a used 5150 or 6505.


oh i agree, it needs to be pushed, although not as hard as i had expected.

yeah, OP dont get me wrong, if you can find a 5150 or a 6505+ combo for cheap, get that, you WILL not be disappoint. those will blow your brains out without a boost, and the gain at half. they are popular for a reason


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## USMarine75 (Mar 15, 2011)

Go with the 6505... 

I always see a lot of people saying that they're different, but from Peavey:

"The Peavey 6505 line of amps is *EXACTLY* the same as the Peavey 5150 amps other than cosmetic changes like the logo. The Peavey 5150 is a great amp that is loved by many and other than the name is completely a Peavey product. At this time it does not make sense to modify the amp in any way so other than the name and logo on the front there is absolutely no difference between a 6505 and a 5150."

6505 = 5150
6505+ = 5150 II
6505 Combo = 5150 Combo

"The Peavey 6505 is exactly the same amp as the Peavey 5150!!! A stock 6505 will sound exactly the same as a stock 5150 because Peavey has not made any changes to the amp."



IMO Peavey 5150/6505 are the best amp for the money period. A couple of recommendations... 

change the stock tubes... they're OK but noisy... if you want tight djent and no excessive hiss then swap them out
change out the Sheffield paper speakers ASAP they are terrible.
The Peaveys are great because there are tons of companies that will mod them, making them even tighter with less noise.
Also, you can find good used deals on JSX combos, old XXX, and if you can find a sweet deal on a 3120 (3120=XXX) I'd pull the trigger on that.


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## USMarine75 (Mar 15, 2011)

Also... just wondering... what are you using it for? Jamming... practicing... gigs... arenas? Only reason I ask is the Line 6 Spider Valve amps are hybrid tube/SS amps. I like them a lot... I have an old Line 6 Vetta II that I love! 

And if you're gigging with it and using the clubs PA you will not be able to tell the difference between my Vetta and the real amps it models...its 90% accurate for 80 amps. I can blend them, it has all the effects you could ever need, and cost me $1200. I wouldn't cry if someone destroyed it... but I'd be nervous gigging a $4400 Diezel.

I love tube amps dont get me wrong (I'm a moderate tube snob?)... but if you're playing on 2 and don't have an attenuator... you lose a lot of the true 'tube' characteristics anyways. My Soldano on 1.5 sounds identical to the Soldano model on the Vetta...and the Vetta II was before Line 6 incorporated tubes... Now if you're cranking it and competing with drums and other guitars I find that my Vetta II gets lost in the mix... my Soldano always seems to be louder than everyone else no matter if I turn it down. I haven't gigged the Engl yet so not sure of that, but... I guess it all depends what you use it for.


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## Kali Yuga (Mar 15, 2011)

USMarine75 said:


> Go with the 6505...
> 
> I always see a lot of people saying that they're different, but from Peavey:
> 
> ...


No, it's not the same. Peavey will tell you this because if they admitted the 6505 was built with different parts, in a different factory, then it could potentially affect sales. Talk to any of the popular amp modders out there, and they can elaborate on the differences.


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## USMarine75 (Mar 15, 2011)

Kali Yuga said:


> No, it's not the same. Peavey will tell you this because if they admitted the 6505 was built with different parts, in a different factory, then it could potentially affect sales. Talk to any of the popular amp modders out there, and they can elaborate on the differences.


 
That was directly from Hartley Peavey... he could be lying his balls off, but that was a direct quote.


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## Kali Yuga (Mar 15, 2011)

Okay? You already said it was a quote, and that's what I responded to.


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## USMarine75 (Mar 15, 2011)

Kali Yuga said:


> Peavey will tell you this because if they admitted the 6505 was built with different parts, in a different factory...


 
Aren't they all built in Meridian, MS?


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## Kali Yuga (Mar 15, 2011)

I could be mistaken, and it may be that parts were build in another factory than the original line, and assembled the same place. I can't be sure, but like I said, talk to anybody who mods these amps (Jerry from FJA is always talkative online) and they will be able to get into more details about it.


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## USMarine75 (Mar 16, 2011)

I am stupid


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## Dead Undead (Mar 16, 2011)

TemjinStrife said:


> I don't know what he's talking about; the HT-5 is an *amazing* amp, both clean, pushed, and dirty. It helps to use a cab other than the 10" HT-5 stock one though for higher gain sounds... a lot of the fizz is in the cabinet, not the amp itself.
> 
> The Jet City JCA20 is another fantastic unit, although it won't necessarily do modern metal all by itself. It's hard to say no to a used 5150 or 6505.



Well I wasn't using it with my own gear so that could've had something to do with it, but I still don't like it that much. I'd sooner get an AC15.

But I agree with the Jet City recommendation. It's the best amp in that price range that you can get IMO.


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## beneharris (Mar 16, 2011)

Dead Undead said:


> But I agree with the Jet City recommendation. It's the best amp in that price range that you can get IMO.



it really is. i'm amazed with it, and its getting much more use than my 6506+ is right now.


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## Mendez (Mar 17, 2011)

Well i think I'm going to pull the trigger on one. Had to spend some money so I'm limited to 300~ now. So the jca20h is right on that budget range. I'm just going to get that and buy an overdrive pedal to boost it. Just gonna have to mess around with it, I'm sure it'll be sweet


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## budda (Mar 17, 2011)

Used Mesa DC-5 or any dual calibre series


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## beneharris (Mar 17, 2011)

budda said:


> Used Mesa DC-5 or any dual calibre series


those are kind of hard to find though, aren't they? i've never been able to locate one locally


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## TemjinStrife (Mar 17, 2011)

A Mesa F-series would also be good. They come up all the time on used.guitarcenter.com


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