# 13 High Gain Amp Shootout by Premier Guitar



## Randy (Nov 18, 2010)

The Monsters of High Gain - Premier Guitar

Featuring Bulb and the Trey from TFK.


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## Chickenhawk (Nov 18, 2010)

Yeeessssssss.


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## petereanima (Nov 18, 2010)

No surprises for me, i still like the VH4 and the Pitbull best. Altough both vids were missing something - the VH4 was dialed in a bit too "boomy" for my taste, there is way more aggression going on in Ch3 when you play it...yeah, its a video only, but still..
Also to me it sounds a bit weird every time when Ch4 is used for rhythm stuff. I understand that some may like it, but to me that Channel was for Soli and nothing else, Rhythm just didnt sound and feel "right" on Ch4.. (I just saw that this VH4 was 6L6 loaded, which i find kinda strange..they dont come with 6L6 for years already, but i remember the white tolex one to be a newer one (on 2009 musicfair was a white tolexed one as 1000th production model).)


The Pitbull, when i played it, had also just even MORE aggression in its tone then the vid could catch...

And i'm glad they didnt miss the best part on the Framus Cobra, which is cranking the Crunch Channel and boosting it. For Metal Rhythm - Awesomeness lies there. When i played it, i preferred that WAY over the Lead Channel, which had this Recto-like high-end-"fizz"/"sag" going on, and i dont like that at all. The Crunch Channel is brutally awesome.

Soldano...yep, this is still one of the KINGS of amps, i love it.

I never heard the Diamond before, so i'm glad there is finally a listenable demo of it...but i didnt miss anything it seems.

The Randall was disappointing, damn.

And i still hate the Orange.


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## Sepultorture (Nov 18, 2010)

FUCKING NICE, love it, good job Misha, you the fuckin man \m/

that Nitrox amp and cab are effin tasty


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## Customisbetter (Nov 18, 2010)

I like the Blackstar personally.


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## mayx (Nov 18, 2010)

For me the powerball II wins
the orange and the randall sounded terrible
also....thank you for reminding me why i dislike rectifiers 
the diamond was not bad at all, but there is sometihg i don't like on this amp


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## ralphy1976 (Nov 18, 2010)

VH4 is impressive
Fryette...really cool

and i really really like the style of Ty

EDIT : on the framus video, Bulb plays the clean channel last and it's really cool. I didn't manage to get into bulb's playing accross those videos..i guess i am showing my age!!!


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## petereanima (Nov 18, 2010)

mayx said:


> also....thank you for reminding me why i dislike rectifiers



Yeah, it jumps right out of the vid into your face.  Seriously, i havent played it yet in a while, but daaaaaaamn, the second they started to play, there it was. DO! NOT! WANT!

The funny thing is, i like the sound of a Recto on many recordings. It seems like for me its kinda the same deal like the Orange cabs - hate to play them, love the sound recorded. (used it on the last record)


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## ralphy1976 (Nov 18, 2010)

just re-listened to the fryette and the rythm channel is really cool!!!


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## petereanima (Nov 18, 2010)

ralphy1976 said:


> just re-listened to the fryette and the rythm channel is really cool!!!



It really is!! 


Talking bout Crunch Channels - judging from the vid (i know, i know) the Blackstar has one of the worst crunch-channels i have ever heard, not because of the sound itself, but it sound so clean and processed, there is no "dirt" going on, which i think makes a CRUNCH what it is. it should CRUNCH.


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## ralphy1976 (Nov 18, 2010)

i also really dug the clean channel on total clean, really roomy and peacefull...obviously not for bedroom play!!!! 

EDIT : and the VH4 is surprisingly godo in clean too..not that you would know it pete??!!! oder??!!!


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## Customisbetter (Nov 18, 2010)

Other favorite is the Fryette. Is there a feature that amp doesn't have?


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## petereanima (Nov 18, 2010)

ralphy1976 said:


> EDIT : and the VH4 is surprisingly godo in clean too..not that you would know it pete??!!! oder??!!!



The clean Channel on the VH4 is "interesting", it sounds good in the vid - i must admit: i wasnt really impressed by its Clean when i played it, it was a bit too "hard" sounding and feeling. I'm in a lack of better words to describe it. Now, the intersting thing is - i LOVE the Clean on my Herbert - and at the musicfair, Peter Diezel told me that the circuit of the Clean channel is on both amps actually the same, its just the Poweramp making the difference on the Clean.


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## ralphy1976 (Nov 18, 2010)

i really need to brush up on my german and go to the musikmesse next year!!!!

interesting difference, i like it though...i think because of the clean, the fryette is slightly my favourite, but i agree with you : channel 4 on the VH4 wasn't as "nasty" as expected, quite similar to channel 3 really.


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## s_k_mullins (Nov 18, 2010)

Awesome review! What I wouldn't give to try some of these amps!


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## TimothyLeary (Nov 18, 2010)

the framus seems very nice for chuggah chuggah, with a full sound. My personal taste is fryette and the diezel. just love them


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## petereanima (Nov 18, 2010)

ralphy1976 said:


> channel 4 on the VH4 wasn't as "nasty" as expected, quite similar to channel 3 really.



I personally found Ch4 only useable for soli / leads, not for any kind of rhythm playing. It sounds similar to ch3 but has much more gaincompression going on, it sounds a bit more "fluid", where instead Ch3 has a real dirty, evil, bastard, RAWNESS going on.

It is said that if you play over Ch3 for 6,66 hours, you will grow horns.


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## Rook (Nov 18, 2010)

Mesa's still a win for me, but tbh I'd take any of them lol.


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## Randy (Nov 18, 2010)

ralphy1976 said:


> and i really really like the style of Ty
> 
> EDIT : on the framus video, Bulb plays the clean channel last and it's really cool. I didn't manage to get into bulb's playing accross those videos..i guess i am showing my age!!!



Nah, I don't think so. Ty's got some really groovy style riffs which is part of the reason why I've always liked TFK. A lot of Bulb's riffs are dependent on how he layers the other instruments on a track to capture "what they're supposed to sound like" so it's no surprise if you weren't totally into them alone.


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## Randy (Nov 18, 2010)

As an aside, this hasn't helped curb my VH4 GAS at all.


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## asmegin_slayer (Nov 18, 2010)

Blackstar series 200:
Didn't like it.

Diezel VH4:
Liked it quite a bit

Powerball II:
Very nice! Very clear without it sounding all messy.
Diamond:
Had some fucking low end there!

Framus Cobra:
I had to admit, the crunch channel on the framus was pretty awesome. Everything else was "meh"

Freyette CLX:

Hughes & Kettner Coreblade:
Great features, crunch channels left me more to desire.

Krank Nineteen80:
I was impressed, good sounding head!

Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier:
The mesa is a mesa, sounded good even without the boost imo, but does need some overdrive for lower tuning imo.

Orange Rockerverb 100 MkII:
SOOO MUCH GAIN in the video!

Peavey 6534+:
Pretty kickass! Cleans are left more to desire

Randall RT 100:
It hurt my ears to hear this amp. love the led lights though!

Soldano Avenger:
Pretty impressed with it, loved the 6 string sound more than the 7 string.


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## right_to_rage (Nov 18, 2010)

fryette is awesome sounding! Also the 6534+ has that snarling distorted tone thats perfect for teh djent's and the chugga chuggas. Classic sound


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## Randy (Nov 18, 2010)

Yeah, I'd totally hit up an Avenger+Roland Jazz Chorus and an amp switcher.


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## spattergrind (Nov 18, 2010)

I love this, they should do this more often rather than that damn Paul Riario.

Metal styles FTW!


*I agree, some of the amps sound too saturated....too much gain.


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## TMM (Nov 18, 2010)

Cool article, I'll have to check it out when I'm not @ work, and the vids are blocked.

The only thing that strikes me as funny is how, across makers, they didn't come anywhere near comparing amps of the same caliber. I mean, a VHT 100/CLX stacked against a H&K Coreblade (vs, say, a TriAmp?), or a VH4 stacked against a Powerball II (vs an Invader or an SE)? It seems a little unbalanced, and I hope it doesn't turn anyone off who hasn't tried some of these brands. Of course a VH4 is going to level a Randall RT100.

Nice to see the Avenger in there - I know everyone has heard of the Legendary SLO, but for a straight-ahead, in your face, monster hi-gain channel, the Avenger is actually the better choice IMO (since it's really just a modded SLO's OD channel). Cool to see the Cobra in there, too. I feel like it often gets overlooked when people are looking for an awesome hi-gain head.

About the Nitrox - I've tried it twice now, and just do not like it. It has a pretty cool and unique tone for hi-gain rhythms, but it has the same nasally, overly compressed harmonics that you would find an an Ibanez Thermion, or some lower-gain Mesas (and the DAR Tuzzia), which I hate. Totally kills what otherwise might be a decent hi-gain head for me. They're definitely over-priced, though. There are amps at half their price that perform much better at _everything_.


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## loktide (Nov 18, 2010)

very cool. 

bulb actually dialed in ch3 of the VH4 pretty close to how i dial in mine. i run the gain and deep a bit lower, though.


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## spattergrind (Nov 18, 2010)

haha! Mishas face when the TS9 is on the 6534+....when he does the djent chugs.


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## splinter8451 (Nov 18, 2010)

I was really not impressed with the VH4  it sounded really dead on the first few channels. 

To me the Peavey and Fryette sounded the best, the Mesa was awesome too.


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## slayerrulesyo (Nov 18, 2010)

I could only have Ch 2 and 3 of that VH4 and be completely satisfied for the rest of my life. D


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## anthonyferguson (Nov 18, 2010)

Ha, Misha played I lost my lunch in my pants on the powerball.


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## scottro202 (Nov 18, 2010)

Dude...That Krank sounds freaking sweet.

I also really liked the 6534, and the Fryette. The ENGL didn't do much for me.


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## bulb (Nov 18, 2010)

TMM said:


> Cool article, I'll have to check it out when I'm not @ work, and the vids are blocked.
> 
> The only thing that strikes me as funny is how, across makers, they didn't come anywhere near comparing amps of the same caliber. I mean, a VHT 100/CLX stacked against a H&K Coreblade (vs, say, a TriAmp?), or a VH4 stacked against a Powerball II (vs an Invader or an SE)? It seems a little unbalanced, and I hope it doesn't turn anyone off who hasn't tried some of these brands. Of course a VH4 is going to level a Randall RT100.
> 
> ...



You know the soldano, vh4 and orange were some of the first amps that were confirmed. We were just as surprised to see some of the amps that companies were sening, they should have sent their flagship amps because we told them hey would be up against diezel soldao and orange, and we even requested certain amps but the insisted on sending the ones they did. On top of that there were other companies that wouldn't or couldn't send anything that we all felt would have matched well, but we had to work with what was sent.


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## s_k_mullins (Nov 18, 2010)

Never heard much of Ty's playing before, but upon watching these vids I really dig his style! 
Also, when he demos the Diamond head, I like how he throws in that Clint Lowery/Dark New Day riff...such a killer riff!


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## DrakkarTyrannis (Nov 18, 2010)

The Krank sounded pretty nice, I dug it.

The Mesa is too damn bright but that can be fixed..overall it was a recto, which I love.

The Orange was surprisingly nice. You could pull some really good black metal from it.

The Framus was the best IMO. I don't like those amps usually but in that vid it had the best tone.

And the worst amp was the Engl..thanks for reminding me why I hate the Engl line. I would have been interested in hearing them do the Fireball 100 though.

I dug Ty..nice playing..not bad to look at either. Personally for tone/playing and whatnot I'd prefer more him and less Bulb.


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## technomancer (Nov 18, 2010)

I'm just starting to watch this now, but I literally lol'ed at the opening, "There are 13 high gain amps on the market." Really? 13? So nothing else is high gain but these amps you covered 

I am also extremely tired, so it is very possible I misheard him, but it still gave me a laugh


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## groph (Nov 18, 2010)

I didn't get through all of the vids as I am currently pressed for time, but I liked the 6534 and the Recto the most, with the VH4 coming in third so far, but I still didn't care for it all that much.

The 6534 was good an authoritative, and the boosted Rectifier was pure brutality. I'll probably have to man up and get one someday.

The Powerball II had that ENGL voicing that I hate, but it still sounded awesome, just not something I really go for. The VH4 was a little too compressed and hi-fi but it's probably fun to play through.


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## scherzo1928 (Nov 18, 2010)

I have to agree, the boosted framus was brootal!
and I too would have loved to see a fireball in there...


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## mikernaut (Nov 18, 2010)

I think I was digging the Fryette the most for my tastes. The Framus sounded decent too.

It was also cool to see the Rico Jr's 

I bet Ty and Misha were getting tired of the guitar and pickup run downs at the beginning of each demo. They shoulda just added it as text after the 1st time they said what they were playing.

LOL at Misha's silly shred part on the Randall


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## Bevo (Nov 18, 2010)

The 6534 cost wise and sound wise is an amazing value considering how much some of those amps cost!


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## MrMcSick (Nov 18, 2010)

Blackstar is acceptable. Didn't like the Diamond.Channel 2 and 3 on the Diesel, sick!!!!!!! 4 is too compressed. Engel sounded pretty good. To much low end on the Framus. Love the features on the VHT, didn't like the sound though.

Thats as far as i got so far. I'll check the rest later.


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## traditional (Nov 18, 2010)

Duuuuuuuuuuuude, that Orange with the TS9!
That sounded like everything I need. *searches for nearest music store stocking Orange*
Shame there wasn't like a JVM or the like though, but ah well. (Y)
I agree with most of the posts here about the Diezel though, pretty lacking considering the pricetag it has over here.


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## Stealthdjentstic (Nov 18, 2010)

Useful stuff, thanks!


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## TMM (Nov 18, 2010)

bulb said:


> You know the soldano, vh4 and orange were some of the first amps that were confirmed. We were just as surprised to see some of the amps that companies were sening, they should have sent their flagship amps because we told them hey would be up against diezel soldao and orange, and we even requested certain amps but the insisted on sending the ones they did. On top of that there were other companies that wouldn't or couldn't send anything that we all felt would have matched well, but we had to work with what was sent.



Yeah, oh well, still cool to get to hear so many amps next to each other, and awesome that you got to do the demo!

Finally got to hear the demos, very nice! No surprise to me, I liked the Avenger best, but also thought the Cobra, Powerball II, 6534+, and Rectifier sounded great, each in their own way. I loved your face when you started playing the 6534+ with the boost 

The Orange surprised me, how hi-gain it could get. I guess, though, one of the best ODs I've ever heard was a boosted old Orange OTR120 I got to use in a studio a while ago, so it makes sense. Nothing else really wow'd me... the Diezel & Fryette seemed decent, but not really my thing.


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## tacotiklah (Nov 18, 2010)

I was blown away by how great the Krank sounded. Everything I'd heard about and experienced with Krank told me that they are garbage, but that Ninteen80 sounded fantastic! Very old school sounding, which is exactly my style of playing. 

Also I dug the coreblade (that clean delay tone brought me to 'core-gasm' ( /lame pun)) the Nitrox, and the pittbull.

I was really disappointed with the powerball considering how many other good clips of it that I've heard. (they had crappier mics for the reviews and whatnot, so that may have been why they sounded better than they really were....I dunno)


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## Leuchty (Nov 18, 2010)

6534+ WIN

Recto WIN

Orange...big surprising WIN


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## Sepultorture (Nov 18, 2010)

i thought the nitrox head and cab were a good send to premier guitar, i would love to hear that amp in person


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## Philligan (Nov 19, 2010)

I'm really surprised, I think I like the 6534+ the best  
It seemed to sound the ballsiest without too much gain. Liked the VH4 a lot, too.

On the other hand, some of these could have used a little more gain. I didn't expect the Fryette to sound like it did, I wasn't as crazy about it as I thought I'd be. Seemed kinda spongey, not as dry as I was expecting.


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## Sepultorture (Nov 19, 2010)

Philligan said:


> I'm really surprised, I think I like the 6534+ the best
> It seemed to sound the ballsiest without too much gain. Liked the VH4 a lot, too.
> 
> On the other hand, some of these could have used a little more gain. I didn't expect the Fryette to sound like it did, I wasn't as crazy about it as I thought I'd be. Seemed kinda spongey, not as dry as I was expecting.



trust me it can get get BONE dry when playin it in person


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## Despised_0515 (Nov 19, 2010)

Orange has me GASing... this is bad. My wallet will never forgive me


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## Wookieslayer (Nov 19, 2010)

Lol I wish they didn't use the Greenbacks for the Randall RT100... the cleans sounded nice though. They shoulda used an XL with V-30s or the Orange


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## Andromalia (Nov 19, 2010)

I watched all the vids, I just need a reminder...what pickups are you using already ? 
I like the Framus a lot that said.


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## Sepultorture (Nov 19, 2010)

as tasty as that nitrox sounds, i'd still stick with tried test and true Peavey, love their 6505 line, and heck, orange is good with almost anything \m/


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## Customisbetter (Nov 19, 2010)

I love the insanely varied opinions.


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## petereanima (Nov 19, 2010)

Customisbetter said:


> I love the insanely varied opinions.



 Thats why there are so many different amps available, and why there will NEVER be a total consense in amp/sound-discussions. And i like that.


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Nov 19, 2010)

i really dug the diamond


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## Darren James (Nov 19, 2010)

That Framus was tasty! Although, I don't think I could justify spending 3900 on it. I also liked the Fryette and of course the dual rec. I wasn't to impressed with the Soldano and was a little disappointed with the orange and Engl. Maybe I just didn't like the way they were dialled in.


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## Hate (Nov 19, 2010)

This is pretty cool, thanks.


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## Andromalia (Nov 19, 2010)

Darren James said:


> That Framus was tasty!


A Dragon over here is less expensive than a dual rec. But the dual rec costing 2800&#8364;... Life ain't fair, is it ?


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## PACK018 (Nov 19, 2010)

just what i was looking for..!


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## Duke318 (Nov 19, 2010)

The blackstar and the 6534+ were the best to me. The blackstar for more prog style, the 6534+ for more brootz. ENGL sounded like solid-state shit to me.


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## Darren James (Nov 19, 2010)

Andromalia said:


> A Dragon over here is less expensive than a dual rec. But the dual rec costing 2800... Life ain't fair, is it ?



Couldn't agree more!


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## Abiogenesis (Nov 20, 2010)

Strange that Misha says the Framus was the worst of the bunch, when the crunch channel with a TS in front was absolutely amazing, the best of all imho.


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## jbcrazy (Nov 20, 2010)

All this just confirms (to me) how much the Axe-FX rules... hahaha...

Apologize... 

To be honest, none of them were all the impressive, and I've played all of the heavy hitters at some point in time. It's sad to see no ENGL Invader, SE, or Herbert or even an Einstein. I think those three amps are better than any of these, IMO that I've played in a real world setting.

What's also interesting is, no matter what amp Mischa seemed to be playing... it sounded like Periphery tone, with the right pickup, boost, hands, and EQ it all got in the same ball park. It's all in the tweaking. I'm sure the differences were more apparent to the guys when they were there, compression and what not from uploading videos...

I guess that's the most I've learned from the video. Really impressive none-the-less. Good job Premiere and bulb... and Bernie Rico. Those Ricos look nice.


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## TemjinStrife (Nov 20, 2010)

Abiogenesis said:


> Strange that Misha says the Framus was the worst of the bunch, when the crunch channel with a TS in front was absolutely amazing, the best of all imho.



I bet an SM57 would get rid of all the fizz inherent in that amp when recorded. Really, the crunch channel sounds great on the Cobra, but it's brutally fizzy and can be very over-compressed.


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## Revan132 (Nov 20, 2010)

In my opinion they actually made a lot of the amps sound pretty bland ( I doubt it's Misha or Ty's fault, but rather mic placement and mp3 compression and all that jazz). I liked the 6534+ the most... a testament to why I am a proud 6505+ owner.


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## Kannon (Nov 20, 2010)

While I thought the demos were cool to see (watched all of 'em), I really disliked the recorded tone on most of them, and none of them sounded like what I know they are capable of. Again, I doubt that is Bulb or Ty's fault.

I reaaally wish they'd used something like a Royer R-121 in the room instead of a close-mic'd dynamic.


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## Daemoniac (Nov 21, 2010)

Orange, ENGL and Diezel = win for me (though again I'm a bit sad to see no Herbert or Orange Thunderverb in the mix...)

The Fryette was nice, but I felt like it sounded kind of "thick," like it had a really solid "clank" to the sound that annoyed the hell out of me... Dunno if it's just how it was dialled in or what


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## Key_Maker (Nov 21, 2010)

Is to much want a 6534+ as complement of my 6505+?


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## Hollowway (Nov 21, 2010)

Maybe I missed it, but did they talk about whether Bulb and Trey were playing with the same settings? In many cases there was more of a difference between Bulb and Trey's sound on the same amp vs different amps. I'm not sure if that's 100% attributable to the guitars/pups or if the settings were changed.


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## Cheesebuiscut (Nov 22, 2010)

TemjinStrife said:


> I bet an SM57 would get rid of all the fizz inherent in that amp when recorded. Really, the crunch channel sounds great on the Cobra, but it's brutally fizzy and can be very over-compressed.



Ah maybe thats it but the cobra sounded miles better than everything other amp from what I heard. 

Would make sense taking the mic into account though.


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## Randy (Nov 22, 2010)

Hollowway said:


> Maybe I missed it, but did they talk about whether Bulb and Trey were playing with the same settings? In many cases there was more of a difference between Bulb and Trey's sound on the same amp vs different amps. I'm not sure if that's 100% attributable to the guitars/pups or if the settings were changed.



They didn't mention it but from what I gathered of Bulb's posts on the matter, I believe they each dialed in their own tones. I heard a bit of contention that the amps should've either been dialed in the same, tweaked throughout the demonstration, or that there should've been a wider array of demonstrators. While I agree, the difference between the two of them and the way they have each amp dialed in should be good enough to at least give you an idea what the amp sounds like. Different tubes or EQ adjustments can shift the EQ pretty much anywhere... the character of the distortion is going to sound pretty much the same, regardless, which the videos displayed rather accurately.

My only gripe is that I thought having the intros on all videos was a little long winded, I'd have like to see a more 50/50 Trey and Bulb arrangement, and I was hoping for more lead playing since the bulk of what *I* play involves single note rhythms. 

Still a pretty good shootout IMO, though.


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## Hollowway (Nov 22, 2010)

Randy said:


> They didn't mention it but from what I gathered of Bulb's posts on the matter, I believe they each dialed in their own tones. I heard a bit of contention that the amps should've either been dialed in the same, tweaked throughout the demonstration, or that there should've been a wider array of demonstrators. While I agree, the difference between the two of them and the way they have each amp dialed in should be good enough to at least give you an idea what the amp sounds like. Different tubes or EQ adjustments can shift the EQ pretty much anywhere... the character of the distortion is going to sound pretty much the same, regardless, which the videos displayed rather accurately.
> 
> My only gripe is that I thought having the intros on all videos was a little long winded, I'd have like to see a more 50/50 Trey and Bulb arrangement, and I was hoping for more lead playing since the bulk of what *I* play involves single note rhythms.
> 
> Still a pretty good shootout IMO, though.



Yeah, overall I was pleased that they actually used a couple of metal players, as opposed to some blues guy like you normally see.

The funny thing is I liked Trey's tone better in all of the vids, but it almost sounded like that could be a volume issue, because he was quieter. But it's certainly a difference in the way they dialed them in, because it's pretty clear the differences between them carries over from amp to amp. (And it's weird because I like Bulb's recorded tones typically, just no so much on these vids).


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## Randy (Nov 22, 2010)

Yeah, as I mentioned earlier in the thread, I think he focuses a lot more on "finished product" tones and riffs, such that the one guitar track alone might sound a little weird. A producer's ear, if you will. A testament to that might be all the people who downloaded his old POD patch (when it was up on here) and said "How the fuck does he make _this_ sound like *that*?!"


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## Hollowway (Nov 22, 2010)

Randy said:


> Yeah, as I mentioned earlier in the thread, I think he focuses a lot more on "finished product" tones and riffs, such that the one guitar track alone might sound a little weird. A producer's ear, if you will. A testament to that might be all the people who downloaded his old POD patch (when it was up on here) and said "How the fuck does he make _this_ sound like *that*?!"



Ah, yeah, that makes total sense. Especially because sonically (and rhythmically, musically, etc.) Periphery have so much going on he can't not figure out how everything is going to sit in the mix.


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## jcm900steroids (Nov 22, 2010)

Lets debate the guitars used for a bit, Bulb's sounded much richer (JP 7s PickupSet + mahogany body with bolt on maple neck ?) while Ty's seemed like it was missing something either on clean or crunch (maybe its the Duncan's fault? I can't really say what his guitar is made of). Also bulb switched alot on the PU's position while Ty kept it on the bridge (and it was a tad treebly). What I'm trying to figure is how much were the guitars influencing on the final tone or if it was just how they dialled the amps.


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## Acatalepsy (Nov 22, 2010)

I liked the Orange and Mesa. Kind of disappointed that they chose the worst ENGL (imo) to demo. Would have been nice to see them do the Savage, SE or Invader...

I though the Randall was terrible, much worse than any of their solid states or hybrid amps.


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## Unknown Doodl3.2 (Nov 22, 2010)

Best for me: Orange, Peavey, Diezel, Soldano, VHT

Worst: H&K, Randall

Also notice how the Peavey hung in the crowd of Diezels and Soldanos, and is the 2nd cheapest amp on that list.


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## tr0n (Nov 22, 2010)

Was great to hear the 6534+, I've been seriously considering that bad boy for a while and it sounded bitchin'. That said, I don't think it stood out so much above many others for the kind of tone I'm after. I was really surprised by the Orange, I just wouldn't associate a high-gain tone from that brand but I must say I really liked what I heard.

The Fryette was brilliant too, gonna look into that. It didn't seem too overstated or fizzy, if that makes any sense. A well rounded distortion. And the Framus Cobra is just a bit too mental for my tastes.

As for cleans...well nothing really stood out. I did like the Randall, but as I've been listening late at night I've not got my speakers as loud as normal, so may have to go back and listen again.


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## Wookieslayer (Nov 22, 2010)

tr0n said:


> As for cleans...well nothing really stood out. I did like the Randall, but as I've been listening late at night I've not got my speakers as loud as normal, so may have to go back and listen again.




I liked the Randall cleans for sure. Those greenbacks probably added some warmth, but they did so poorly for the distortion that it made the amp sound like  Shoulda used something else for the "high gain" shootout


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## teqnick (Nov 22, 2010)

The 6534 really surprised me. It sounded like a damn trainwreck, which I can dig. I also really liked the Powerball II, which isn't a surprise as I've liked nearly every ENGL i've had.


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## zimbloth (Nov 22, 2010)

As fun as amp shoot-outs like this are, they really are a huge pet-peeve for me personally. While it can be enjoyable to watch videos like these, and I commend Bulb for doing it, I can't caution enough how little stock I'd put into things like this (for better or worse) when considering buying an amp. The world of audio engineering is a complex one, with truly an infinite amount of important variables. IMO these types of clips rarely portray the amp in an accurate or flattering manner.

I know most of those amps intimately and can definitely say most of those don't really sound like they do in real life. Some of them sound better in the clips than they do in reality, while others sound a lot worse than they do in real life (I won't get into which since I don't want to come off as biased). I am only writing this to caution people to not judge amps solely on clips, it is a recipe for disaster. I'd put more stock into Bulb's thoughts than the clips themselves, as he had the chance to spend time with the amps in real life. 

The only way to _really _know is to get the amp in a familiar environment with your own rig, spend time dialing it in, and then ultimately playing it cranked up in a rehearsal/live/studio environment to hear how it sits in the mix. Even when people try out amps in my store I caution them about this.

Not trying to be Debbie Downer here, nor am I criticizing anyone or anything, again... I just implore people not to go overboard formulating opinions based on clips. The same applies to pickups (I can't even begin to count how many times I've had customers reference terrible amateur clips on youtube when going over things).

Sorry for the rant yall...



Acatalepsy said:


> I liked the Orange and Mesa. Kind of disappointed that they chose the worst ENGL (imo) to demo. Would have been nice to see them do the Savage, SE or Invader...



The Powerball II is cool but yeah I definitely wish they reviewed the Invader 100, that is my favorite ENGL.



Unknown Doodl3.2 said:


> Also notice how the Peavey hung in the crowd of Diezels and Soldanos, and is the 2nd cheapest amp on that list.



Well the 5150 (which is awesome btw) was basically a cheaper clone of the Soldano SLO100, so usually people who like one will like the other. However I do think if you heard a Diezel and a Peavey side by side in real life, the difference would stand out more. You can't capture the way an amp "plays" in clips as well


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## Guitarmiester (Nov 23, 2010)

I'm glad someone said it before me. The concept is good, just poorly executed. A note containing guitar specs would been more than sufficient, rather than repeat the same thing 13 times. 

Most of those clips sounded like ass. While I do like Periphery, I don't like his tone, djent, or whatever you want to call it. Some people are easily influenced by others and will buy and/or praise a product just because Player X played through Amp Y and it sounded sick! Even if I were looking for a high gain amp and wanted to search for some videos to get a basic idea of what an amp is going to sound like before actually playing it, something with a little less chugging would be nice.


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## Mordacain (Nov 23, 2010)

Honestly, the Blackstar was probably my favorite, followed by the 6534+. 

I think I would probably have had them dialed in completely different but the texture of the gain shown through enough that I can imagine what they would sound like with my own settings.


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## cwhitey2 (Nov 23, 2010)

Guitarmiester said:


> I'm glad someone said it before me. The concept is good, just poorly executed. A note containing guitar specs would been more than sufficient, rather than repeat the same thing 13 times.
> 
> Most of those clips sounded like ass. While I do like Periphery, I don't like his tone, djent, or whatever you want to call it. Some people are easily influenced by others and will buy and/or praise a product just because Player X played through Amp Y and it sounded sick! Even if I were looking for a high gain amp and wanted to search for some videos to get a basic idea of what an amp is going to sound like before actually playing it, something with a little less chugging would be nice.


 




Although I only judge an amp on the chuggyness of it . I think a lot of other people do as well. IMO if it can do sweet chuggs then it should be able to to do everything else fine. Im just sick of youtube vids that say 'metal test' on amp XYZ and then shred 70's and 80' riffs on them. Last time i checked we dont live in the 80's. Its just refreshing to find some real tests. Oh and i only watched the sections where Misha played 

i would not buy an amp based on the tests they did because everyone plays a little different and i want to actually hear it before i buy it.


Best for me: Orange, Pittbull, and the Blackstar

Worst: SLO Avenger and the Krank 80's


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## Sang-Drax (Nov 23, 2010)

Bulb's tone is better almost everytime, IMO... except perhaps with the Soldano.

Now really... with that price, the Peavey is simply unbeatable. Its tone gets me every time... fantastic metal amp.

I otherwise dug the Orange, the Soldano, and the Framus - the boosted crunch channel is indeed awesome!


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## ryanlieksguitar (Nov 23, 2010)

Orange killed for me - using a rocker 30 in the studio atm, and was thinking I'd like something similar, only more gain and more versiltile....now I want a rockerverb!

Maybe I'm growing out of my 6505 - power tube dist at reasonable volumes is too big a temptation!


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## vlover (Nov 23, 2010)

I would love to see a House Sound guy shoot out, which guy can make me sound good no matter what amp I play.

I liked the Diezel Ch 3 w/ a tube screamer, the Diamond, and Engl. 

Whats sucky about all these amps is that, 99% are not available in stores around the world. You either have to travel far, and luck out that they are in the used section of your local mom and pop of GC. And when you play them there, you have to factor in is this guitar I grabbed off the self close enough to my own guitar, and this random cab they sat it on work well with the amp. 

These 3000 dollar amps are like mail order brides! They hold great promise of pleasure and expensive, but is probably is just a money pit your gonna sell on ebay til you get the right match.


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## tr0n (Nov 24, 2010)

zimbloth said:


> As fun as amp shoot-outs like this are, they really are a huge pet-peeve for me personally. While it can be enjoyable to watch videos like these, and I commend Bulb for doing it, I can't caution enough how little stock I'd put into things like this (for better or worse) when considering buying an amp. The world of audio engineering is a complex one, with truly an infinite amount of important variables. IMO these types of clips rarely portray the amp in an accurate or flattering manner.



I agree with this, as with any major purchase it's important to try for yourself, but this kind of product demo and comparison does have the advantage of a control. That is, the same player dialling in their ideal tone on each amp, so you can compare distortion characteristics in that sense, and I think that is a lot better than reading a review that talks about 'pristine highs' or 'warm mids' or whatever because those kind of subjective terms mean different things to different people. Being able to hear them for ourselves is a step up and having a controlled comparison is a step further from the magazine style review.

The main drawback is that there isn't actually a diversity in players. When the presenter says a few players and styles what he actually means is...two.


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## Daemoniac (Nov 24, 2010)

^ For those of us who can't try out a lot of these amps it's an absolute godsend. Even if one can't get an exact idea, you can at least get the basic character of the sound if nothing else.


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## zimbloth (Nov 24, 2010)

Demoniac said:


> ^ For those of us who can't try out a lot of these amps it's an absolute godsend. Even if one can't get an exact idea, you can at least get the basic character of the sound if nothing else.



I hear you bro. I don't mind that they don't sound exact, it's more that IMO some of those amps sound _so different_ in real life than they do in those clips, that I felt the need to throw a simple disclaimer out there for the benefit of people like yourself aren't experienced with those amps  

I really don't have a horse in this race. I like most of the amps reviewed, and loathe a few others, but across the board very few of them are accurately represented in the clips. To my ears, anyways. I'm still glad this was made, it's fun as hell to watch things like these. I'm only throwing the caveat out there to encourage people to do their homework when thinking about picking up an amp, as relying on clips often is a dangerous game in my experience. 



tr0n said:


> I agree with this, as with any major purchase it's important to try for yourself, but this kind of product demo and comparison does have the advantage of a control. That is, the same player dialling in their ideal tone on each amp, so you can compare distortion characteristics in that sense, and I think that is a lot better than reading a review that talks about 'pristine highs' or 'warm mids' or whatever because those kind of subjective terms mean different things to different people. Being able to hear them for ourselves is a step up and having a controlled comparison is a step further from the magazine style review.
> 
> The main drawback is that there isn't actually a diversity in players. When the presenter says a few players and styles what he actually means is...two.



Yeah I agree with you guys, it's definitely an awesome thing they did and reading Misha's posts on Facebook a few months back, I have to say I agree with most of his thoughts. It is just my opinion that clips 99% of the time are not very accurate, for better or worse. There are just too many important variables involved that get overlooked with things like this. It's still really cool, I'm more just offering a word of caution not to rely too heavily on sound clips when judging gear. I've found user reviews to be a far more helpful resource than clips believe it or not.


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## 7slinger (Nov 24, 2010)

just wanna throw this out there. the blackstar has an "infinite shape knob" thing, that goes from 1 to 10...

how is that infinite?

it made me laugh

carry on


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## josh pelican (Nov 25, 2010)

That Framus sounded pretty fucking good. I could never justify spending that much on an amp. At half the price, I could snag a Dual Rectifier.


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## petereanima (Nov 25, 2010)

[email protected]

Imho one can get an impression of the soundstructure, but there is so much more to an amp than "just" the sound stripped to the bone...one likes an amp also because how it reacts to the playing, does it feel good to play, etc.etc. - its always more the interaction of player+amp than just the sound of an amp.

The Orange would sound good in the vid, i hated to play it and am intrigued to say: "Worst amp i've ever played". The 6534 sounds boring in the vid, but is a lot more fun to play with!

Just examples.



josh pelican said:


> That Framus sounded pretty fucking good. I could never justify spending that much on an amp. At half the price, I could snag a Dual Rectifier.



Damn, the Framus' are that expensive in the US? f....

You can get a used Cobra for ~1000,- here, Mesa DRs go for 2700,--2800,- new (same as my Diezel for example).


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## josh pelican (Nov 25, 2010)

How much would it cost to ship a Cobra to me? 

The website says the suggested retail price is $4,966 US. On Premier Guitar, it says the street price is $3,973. Fuck me if I spend five grand on an amp. I don't care how good it sounds. I never heard bad things about one, and every time I hear one it sounds amazing... but that's a lot of money.


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## technomancer (Nov 25, 2010)

Yeah and the Cobra goes used for well under $2000. If you want one for some reason you just have to look as they come up fairly regularly.


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## Adari (Nov 25, 2010)

cwhitey2 said:


> Im just sick of youtube vids that say 'metal test' on amp XYZ and then shred 70's and 80' riffs on them. Last time i checked we dont live in the 80's.



Lol, that's definitely true. I hate when these guys say, "it has enough gain for thrash/80s metal, but you can't do modern metal without boosting it." Modern metal uses less gain than old school metal, because the heaviness comes from downtuning, thick mids and heavy-as-shit strings.

The other thing I HATE is when these old guys demo and Engl or Diesel and, after playing some blues licks and clean chords, say, "here's a modern metal tone," and play a few extended powerchords on an e-standard guitar with gain on 10, bass on 10, treble on 7 and mids scooped to zero. Scooped metal is 80s-90s. It's nearly 2011. Practically all modern metal bands have low gain and boosted mids. 

If you want to here a "modern metal" tone, you old fucktard Youtube blues-riffing amp-reviewers, listen to Ola Englund and THINK before act like this is the fucking 1980s.

Rant over.


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## ryanlieksguitar (Nov 25, 2010)

Adari said:


> ranty ranty




I agree completely - to those guys, "modern" = sounding like Limp Bizkit 

Currently in the studio, guy recording keeps referring to my sound as "vintage" because I don't have the gain dimed, and I have a nice big helping of mids. Meh, maybe I'm being picky on that part


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## iff (Nov 25, 2010)

josh pelican said:


> How much would it cost to ship a Cobra to me?
> 
> The website says the suggested retail price is $4,966 US. On Premier Guitar, it says the street price is $3,973. Fuck me if I spend five grand on an amp. I don't care how good it sounds. I never heard bad things about one, and every time I hear one it sounds amazing... but that's a lot of money.



Just pick one up used for ~1200-1300.


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## iff (Nov 25, 2010)

Adari said:


> If you want to here a "modern metal" tone, you old fucktard Youtube blues-riffing amp-reviewers, listen to Ola Englund and THINK before act like this is the fucking 1980s.



Ola's tones are really scooped, mang.


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## josh pelican (Nov 25, 2010)

I was sent a link to a Framus being sold for $1,450. If I was in the market, I would snag it now.


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## Adari (Nov 26, 2010)

nomop said:


> Ola's tones are really scooped, mang.



Depends on which amp he uses.

Also, they're never REALLY scooped - only slightly sometimes.


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## iff (Nov 26, 2010)

Adari said:


> Depends on which amp he uses.
> 
> Also, they're never REALLY scooped - only slightly sometimes.



Dude, I understand that this forum pretty much worships mids but you've got to understand that you generally scoop your mids when you're recording modern metal like Ola's music. You're obviously not scooping like it's the 80's but you don't use the same settings as you would live at all. I'm sure he uses lots of mids live.


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## DevourTheDamned (Nov 26, 2010)

so was it just me, or did they give misha waaaaaaaaay more play time than captain christianmetal?
and didnt he look pretty annoyed that he had to say the pups he had over and over and over lol he just wanted to jam XD


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## Daemoniac (Nov 26, 2010)

Adari said:


> Practically all modern metal bands have low gain and boosted mids.



Really? 

I'll bet you that every single band you're thinking of uses infinitely less mids than you're thinking when they record, though live is always a different story. I'd also be interested to know what actual bands you _are_ thinking of, as 80% of the metal I can think of off the top of my head is saturated and high-gain as hell (barring a lot of these fancypants new "djent" bands).


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## Daemoniac (Nov 26, 2010)

ryanlieksguitar said:


> I agree completely - to those guys, "modern" = sounding like Limp Bizkit



Wes' guitar tone is hardly a "scooped" tone


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## Sepultorture (Nov 26, 2010)

i wouldn't say most bands nowadays use plenty of mids in their sound

but i have noticed more and more bands lately with bass mid and treble all near each other position wise, though they may be more towards the low or high end of their possible EQ positions. i myself keep my bass at noon, my mids are 11-1130 and my treble in the 1-2 o'clock position

now though the mids are lower then the bass or treble, i wouldn't say SCOOPED at all, as i scooped mids as sitting around the 1-2 or almost non existent area. but also you can scoop mids in a live setting of any kind as you would disappear immediately


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## ryanlieksguitar (Nov 26, 2010)

Demoniac said:


> Wes' guitar tone is hardly a "scooped" tone



Once again, my sleepy brain trumps my reasoning! I was meaning to say a typical nu-metal band, Limp just popped into my head first, without too much thought......I can appreciate that's a poor example of what the post I quoted was referring to.


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## marbledbeef (Nov 26, 2010)

zimbloth said:


> Not trying to be Debbie Downer here



Nothing wrong with keeping it real dude! What I find useful is an amp demo by players that are more contemporary (2010) rather than some 40 year old hill billy that tries to plays Keith Richard style through a high gain channel when what you really want to hear is some chug


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## Adari (Nov 27, 2010)

Adding to the scooped conversation, half the bands out there today are boosting with tubescreamers, which boost mids slightly.


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## bulb (Nov 27, 2010)

tubescreamers are pre-eq, so they dont affect the mids of the amp, they merely affect the character of the guitar


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## Adari (Nov 27, 2010)

bulb said:


> tubescreamers are pre-eq, so they dont affect the mids of the amp, they merely affect the character of the guitar



Sorry, didn't realise.


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## TemjinStrife (Nov 27, 2010)

bulb said:


> tubescreamers are pre-eq, so they dont affect the mids of the amp, they merely affect the character of the guitar



Yeah, but you're attenuating the treble and bass of the incoming signal and boosting the mids. While that may not impact the "mids" of the amp, the overall signal is mid-emphasized. Semantics


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## LUCKY7 (Nov 27, 2010)

Mesa head with a Mesa cab against ENGL head with a Orange bottom? Not the most scientific comparo, but an interesting look at the various models. 
Thanks for posting.


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## Pyramid Gallery (Nov 29, 2010)

Very awesome shootout, thanks! Some interesting things to note:

1. Look at the different mic placement in the Diamond video between players, one on the dustcap, the other just off the cap. Pretty big difference in tone with that already, not to mention PUs and settings.

2. Engl has tons of mids (but less highs), especially compared to the Framus and Mesa! Cobra must have had the notch switch on? If not, holy shit! No insult or praise, just sayin. 

3. Fryette cab speakers sound like a midsy celestion 75 to me. Like it's still too hollow. Not sure if I like em.

I like the Diamond a lot so far. Blackstar sounded like shit. Obviously, _just _in these videos, not necessarily in person, and imo.


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## Hollowway (Nov 29, 2010)

Ok, so I personally liked Ty's tone WAY better than Bulbs on all of the demos. As has been pointed out, Bulb probably has his sound dialed in so it would sound good in a mix (and FWIW I love his recorded sound). But, what does that say about what I like? I.e. How would I dial an amp in go get a sound like Ty as opposed to Bulb? More high mids? What?


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## TemjinStrife (Nov 30, 2010)

Hollowway said:


> Ok, so I personally liked Ty's tone WAY better than Bulbs on all of the demos. As has been pointed out, Bulb probably has his sound dialed in so it would sound good in a mix (and FWIW I love his recorded sound). But, what does that say about what I like? I.e. How would I dial an amp in go get a sound like Ty as opposed to Bulb? More high mids? What?



More scoop actually.


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## teqnick (Dec 1, 2010)

After another listen, I think the Nitrox is amongst my favorites. Can't judge the dynamic or feel really, but it seems to have good a fair amount of harmonic content. I also hear a bit fuzz. It seems to be overall voiced a bit dark, which I can dig.


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## Sepultorture (Dec 1, 2010)

teqnick said:


> After another listen, I think the Nitrox is amongst my favorites. Can't judge the dynamic or feel really, but it seems to have good a fair amount of harmonic content. I also hear a bit fuzz. It seems to be overall voiced a bit dark, which I can dig.



i love dark soundin amps, Engl Fireball 100 comes to mind


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## Ishan (Dec 1, 2010)

I liked the 6534+ the best, surprising as I don't usually like EL34 based amps. They were using way too much gain on this one tho


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## Hollowway (Dec 2, 2010)

TemjinStrife said:


> More scoop actually.



Really? Dang, I guess I'm just a scooped EL34 guy cuz I keep coming back to those. 

Although in this video it's difficult to get much of a flavor of anything.


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## Adam Of Angels (Dec 2, 2010)

I just got a Nitrox and seriously didn't even try it - I sent it off to Nick, so there's at least one floating around these parts now.


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## teqnick (Dec 2, 2010)

Adam Of Angels said:


> I just got a Nitrox and seriously didn't even try it - I sent it off to Nick, so there's at least one floating around these parts now.



Hi, I'm Nick and I approve of this message.


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## Customisbetter (Dec 2, 2010)

You guys are bastards.


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## Adam Of Angels (Dec 2, 2010)

Oh yeah, Charles, you know im here to get that video of me fuckin that penguin..

Ship that BFR, Nick. You don't want this beef.


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## teqnick (Dec 2, 2010)

Adam Of Angels said:


> Oh yeah, Charles, you know im here to get that video of me fuckin that penguin..
> 
> Ship that BFR, Nick. You don't want this beef.



Where you at? Where's your trap, you aint hood, knyguh.


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## TMM (Dec 2, 2010)

I'm surprised how many people liked the Nitrox demo. I think this may end up creating a lot of disappointed NGDs, as I thought the Nitrox I played was absolute shit. It's worth noting that I played it with my Oni and through a Diamond cab, both with and without a Bodenhamer Leviathan as a boost, so it's not like it didn't have every opportunity to shine.

... well, 'absolute shit' is a little harsh, but I hated it, for sure. It sounded like the signal path must have been a boosted Big Muff into a decent tube power section... just a mess compared to the definition and dynamics that a good hi-gain tube amp should sound have, especially one costing that much. And don't get me started on the horrendous pinch harmonics.


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## zimbloth (Dec 2, 2010)

TMM said:


> I'm surprised how many people liked the Nitrox demo. I think this may end up creating a lot of disappointed NGDs, as I thought the Nitrox I played was absolute shit. It's worth noting that I played it with my Oni and through a Diamond cab, both with and without a Bodenhamer Leviathan as a boost, so it's not like it didn't have every opportunity to shine.
> 
> ... well, 'absolute shit' is a little harsh, but I hated it, for sure. It sounded like the signal path must have been a boosted Big Muff into a decent tube power section... just a mess compared to the definition and dynamics that a good hi-gain tube amp should sound have, especially one costing that much. And don't get me started on the horrendous pinch harmonics.



Thats how I feel about the Framus Cobra personally. Easily the worst amp I've ever heard. I haven't tried the Diamond Nitrox yet, but I did play the Phantom and thought it was incredible. That's their best I've heard. I'll find out about the Nitrox soon, as I signed up with Diamond not too long ago. If it really sounds like you described (not just a dud), I'll have to have a chat with them about that


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## TMM (Dec 2, 2010)

zimbloth said:


> Thats how I feel about the Framus Cobra personally. Easily the worst amp I've ever heard. I haven't tried the Diamond Nitrox yet, but I did play the Phantom and thought it was incredible. That's their best I've heard. I'll find out about the Nitrox soon, as I signed up with Diamond not too long ago. If it really sounds like you described (not just a dud), I'll have to have a chat with them about that



Just imagine a $3k head that sounds like the tone you've heard on old black metal albums. That was my take on the head.


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## zimbloth (Dec 2, 2010)

TMM said:


> Just imagine a $3k head that sounds like the tone you've heard on old black metal albums. That was my take on the head.



I believe you, but I really want to try one myself. It sounds like maybe you got a lemon. I can't imagine they'd make something that terrible after hearing how cool the Phantom sounded. Also, I saw the guy from Five Finger Death Punch use the Nitrox once and sounded pretty cool.

Then again, maybe it just sucks! I'll find out soon enough


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## TMM (Dec 2, 2010)

zimbloth said:


> I believe you, but I really want to try one myself. It sounds like maybe you got a lemon. I can't imagine they'd make something that terrible after hearing how cool the Phantom sounded. Also, I saw the guy from Five Finger Death Punch use the Nitrox once and sounded pretty cool.
> 
> Then again, maybe it just sucks! I'll find out soon enough



Totally possible... it could just be my taste in amps, too, because I didn't like the Spec Op I tried either (though I disliked it less) for the same reason but to a lesser degree.

To be fair, there were aspects of both amps' tone that I liked, but they were outweighed by what I didn't like about them, as well as the amp alternatives in the same / similar price range. When I tried the Spec Op, it was head-to-head with a Fireball 100, which absolutely smoked it in every way, for roughly half the price. When I tried the Nitrox, it was even worse, because it was head-to-head with my Dual Rackto, an Einstein, a UL-100, a Fireball 100, an Uberschall, a Cobra, and a couple other amps I can't remember at the moment, and it ranked last in the list both IMO and in the opinion of my friend that I was with.


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## NickB11 (Dec 2, 2010)

I commend these guys for putting out this amp shootout...that being said I think that while these demos are fun to watch, there are just way too many variables to be able to determine from a video which amp you would like best. I know the videos were just trying to give us a general idea of what the amp sounds like, but in all honesty I have played many of those amps and they sound so much different in real life. With amps, bring your guitar and go try out the ones you are interested from a trusted dealer. Too many guitar centers you walk into and expect to hear some epic sound come from one of there high end amps, you turn it on, and it sounds like shit...aka bad tubes, etc...I did really enjoy watching the vids though, and thought that they did a nice job, but amps are a beast to try and review lol...just look at guitar world, all there amps sound the same!


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## zimbloth (Dec 14, 2010)

TMM said:


> Totally possible... it could just be my taste in amps, too, because I didn't like the Spec Op I tried either (though I disliked it less) for the same reason but to a lesser degree.
> 
> To be fair, there were aspects of both amps' tone that I liked, but they were outweighed by what I didn't like about them, as well as the amp alternatives in the same / similar price range. When I tried the Spec Op, it was head-to-head with a Fireball 100, which absolutely smoked it in every way, for roughly half the price. When I tried the Nitrox, it was even worse, because it was head-to-head with my Dual Rackto, an Einstein, a UL-100, a Fireball 100, an Uberschall, a Cobra, and a couple other amps I can't remember at the moment, and it ranked last in the list both IMO and in the opinion of my friend that I was with.



I ended up getting the Nitrox and Phantom in from Diamond today. I've come to the conclusion you the Nitrox you played had to have been a dud because it sounds awesome to me. Definitely won't be for everyone but not like what you're describing. I will post some clips ASAP to (try to) back that up, or dude just FINALLY come to the shop and try for yourself


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## metalvince333 (Dec 18, 2010)

zimbloth said:


> I ended up getting the Nitrox and Phantom in from Diamond today. I've come to the conclusion you the Nitrox you played had to have been a dud because it sounds awesome to me. Definitely won't be for everyone but not like what you're describing. I will post some clips ASAP to (try to) back that up, or dude just FINALLY come to the shop and try for yourself


Hey Nick, I was going to get an Axe FX rig but the other day I tried a Fryette 50 CL and tought it was kicking the shit out of my current mesa trem-o-verb, it was so much tighter and the gain was just soooo tasty and thick, even through a marshall 1960 cab, (I have an orange limited edition 4x12 w/v30's). Do you get similar or better tones with the axe fx or should I hop in and get that fry? havent tried the 100 just yet but they have it in store..


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## zimbloth (Dec 18, 2010)

metalvince333 said:


> Hey Nick, I was going to get an Axe FX rig but the other day I tried a Fryette 50 CL and tought it was kicking the shit out of my current mesa trem-o-verb, it was so much tighter and the gain was just soooo tasty and thick, even through a marshall 1960 cab, (I have an orange limited edition 4x12 w/v30's). Do you get similar or better tones with the axe fx or should I hop in and get that fry? havent tried the 100 just yet but they have it in store..



Honestly Vince, I don't use the Axe-FX in a live setting ever, just recording. I know some bands use it live and get great sounds, but I prefer the tone and cut I get from my live tube rig. I also like being locked into 'a sound', if I used the Axe-FX live, I'd be constantly tweaking and driving myself crazy.

The Pittbull 50/CL is a great amp, if you're happy with it I'd definitely go for it.


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## bulb (Dec 19, 2010)

just for the record, despite how it may sound on the recording, the nitrox was very meh, and even the guitar edge guys were disappointed because they said the spec op was amazing, and they were surprised they didnt send us that.

the framus was easily the worst of the bunch too, sounded like a metal zone through a practice amp, but more scooped


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## zimbloth (Dec 19, 2010)

bulb said:


> just for the record, despite how it may sound on the recording, the nitrox was very meh, and even the guitar edge guys were disappointed because they said the spec op was amazing, and they were surprised they didnt send us that.
> 
> the framus was easily the worst of the bunch too, sounded like a metal zone through a practice amp, but more scooped



The Nitrox I've tried sounds pretty good but the Phantom is far and away their best IMO. Crazy tight yet really organic. They probably didn't send you the Spec Op because that model is discontinued.

Totally agree about the Framus BTW. Also agree with your Soldano love, sweet amp.


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