# What's the Best Valvestate? Other SS Suggestions Also Welcome



## ellengtrgrl (May 31, 2011)

Hi People,

It's been a while for me (life's been busy & then some). Last month I went through a budget fiasco, that forced me to sell almost all of my gear, and as a result, I wound up stuck with just a dinky little Roland Cube 15XL for an amp.

I've got my finances back in the black, but I don't want to overextend myself. So, I've decided to go SS for an amp. In the spirit of trying something new, at the top of my list are the Marshall Valvestates. Years ago I had a VS100 2x12 combo, that was a great sounding amp - with serious amounts of rip your head off gain, with tight low end to boot. Sadly I had to sell it in late 2000, due to a money crunch. I also had a Valvestate AVT50 head for a few months - another great sounding amp (sadly, it ahd some problems I wasn't able to fix). But, I've also heard good things about the 8080, 8100 series, etc. Valvestates. In your esteemed opinions, which are the best sounding of the Valvestate Series of amps?

I'm also open to suggestions for other SS amps, such as Peavey red strip series Bandits, Ampeg, etc.

Thanks,
Ellen - ttrying to get back her tone


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## Andromalia (May 31, 2011)

8100 and 8200 are the top dogs imho. (8200 having an integretad chorus bit otherwise identical if I remember well)
I played a few more recent ones in rehearsal spaces and wasn't convinced.


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## Shadowspecced (May 31, 2011)

Depends what you're going for really, but an older randall RG-80 or RG-100 is also good, as well as the ampeg vh140c


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## ellengtrgrl (May 31, 2011)

Andromalia said:


> 8100 and 8200 are the top dogs imho. (8200 having an integretad chorus bit otherwise identical if I remember well)
> I played a few more recent ones in rehearsal spaces and wasn't convinced.


 
IIRC, isn't the VS100's model number, 8100?


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## ellengtrgrl (May 31, 2011)

Shadowspecced said:


> Depends what you're going for really, but an older randall RG-80 or RG-100 is also good, as well as the ampeg vh140c


 
Ampegs interest me. There are a couple of SS series around here. How are they (I don't want to waste time if they're just buzz machines). 

As for Randall - maybe. I had an RG-75 that was pretty good.


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## AcousticMinja (May 31, 2011)

Have you tried the Peavey XXL? It's pretty versatile. 3 channels and it has a godly clean channel. Been my favorite SS amp for a long time. I had one and EVERYONE thought it was a tube amp. It sounded great.


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## Spinedriver (May 31, 2011)

ellengtrgrl said:


> IIRC, isn't the VS100's model number, 8100?



I think it started out as the 8100 but changed to the VS100 the following year or something like that. Either way, the 2 amps are pretty much the same and are the best sounding in the Valvestate line.


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## Spinedriver (May 31, 2011)

AcousticMinja said:


> Have you tried the Peavey XXL? It's pretty versatile. 3 channels and it has a godly clean channel. Been my favorite SS amp for a long time. I had one and EVERYONE thought it was a tube amp. It sounded great.



I used to own a Supreme XL (the 2 channel version of the XXL) and thought it was pretty good.


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## ellengtrgrl (May 31, 2011)

AcousticMinja said:


> Have you tried the Peavey XXL? It's pretty versatile. 3 channels and it has a godly clean channel. Been my favorite SS amp for a long time. I had one and EVERYONE thought it was a tube amp. It sounded great.


 
Yeah, I've thought about it. I'm trying to keep things on the very cheap for now. I'm trying to keep my cash reserves from getting drained again -I'm just plain sick of playing through an amp with a puny 8", but I don't want to get some complete piece of junk, just for the sake of having something ampwise with at least a 12" speaker. XXLs are kind of pushing my limit budget-wise (yeah, I know, it's pathetic).

But, I figure that if anybody knows good, high gain tone, it's 7 stringers.


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## ellengtrgrl (May 31, 2011)

Spinedriver said:


> I think it started out as the 8100 but changed to the VS100 the following year or something like that. Either way, the 2 amps are pretty much the same and are the best sounding in the Valvestate line.


 
Hmmmmm, I just might make the trip after work, over the state line to a Chicagoland GC, selling one for $150. I can live with a single 12 for now. IIRC, they have a speaker jack in back, so I can easily go to a cab if I want to. I know I remember my VS102 (the 2x12 version), sounded great. I'd possibly still have it, if I hadn't been so foolish as to lend a former friend (with the emphasis on the word former), a big chunk of change, putting myself in a money crunch, that forced me to sell it for money to pay bills (the worst part about it - she never even paid me back! ).


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## Benzesp (May 31, 2011)

Andromalia said:


> 8100 and 8200 are the top dogs imho. (8200 having an integretad chorus bit otherwise identical if I remember well)
> I played a few more recent ones in rehearsal spaces and wasn't convinced.



Plus the extra 100 watts the 8200 packs


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## 7 Dying Trees (May 31, 2011)

8100/8200, the orginals and best. They've never topped them, in fact, valvestates have just got more abysmall with each iteration. Go find an original, they are awesome, and on my shopping list


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## ellengtrgrl (May 31, 2011)

Well, I bought a VS100 1x12. My cost with shipping and state sales tax (yes, in spite of buying an amp in Illinois, they still charged me Wisconsin [where I live] sales tax) was $184. I can live with that.  Thanks for all of your suggestions!


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## crush_taylor (May 31, 2011)

Ibanez TBX 150 toneblaster head. Absolutely amazing head for a cheap price, and does tight metal oh so well... depends what you're looking for tone wise though I guess, but it can nail almost anything.


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## Spinedriver (Jun 1, 2011)

ellengtrgrl said:


> Well, I bought a VS100 1x12. My cost with shipping and state sales tax (yes, in spite of buying an amp in Illinois, they still charged me Wisconsin [where I live] sales tax) was $184. I can live with that.  Thanks for all of your suggestions!



I've read on here that some have tried using a boost pedal with the VS100 with interesting results. I used to own an 8100 head about 10 years ago but never thought to try it out. Might be something to try out.....


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## petereanima (Jun 1, 2011)

Spinedriver said:


> I used to own an 8100 head about 10 years ago but never thought to try it out. Might be something to try out.....



I used to boost my 8100 with a H&K Tubefactor. Pure awesomeness. Made the Engl useless.


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## sell2792 (Jun 1, 2011)

All of the new Vox Valvetronix amps have proved to be amazing and very versatile. I played one last week that you can adjust the wattage on it (which I find to be very cool and useful) not to mention a million other things.


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## slapnutz (Jun 1, 2011)

What are we looking budget wise? ... I was gonna suggest a used Peavey XXL 2x12 combo.. but I guess now thats out of the question.

Also what about finding one of those SS Randall amps Dimebag used in the Pantera albums?


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## sell2792 (Jun 1, 2011)

The Warheads are supposed to be pretty bad ass, and theirs another similar one Randall made just without the effects.

I'm not tryin' to be a Vox fanboy, but I just read up more on the features of the Valvetronix's and the new Pro they're coming out with.


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## ellengtrgrl (Jun 1, 2011)

Spinedriver said:


> I've read on here that some have tried using a boost pedal with the VS100 with interesting results. I used to own an 8100 head about 10 years ago but never thought to try it out. Might be something to try out.....


 
Hmmm, must try, when the amp arrives tomorrow or Friday! I bet it sounds like World War 3!!!!


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## yingmin (Jun 1, 2011)

crush_taylor said:


> Ibanez TBX 150 toneblaster head. Absolutely amazing head for a cheap price, and does tight metal oh so well... depends what you're looking for tone wise though I guess, but it can nail almost anything.





sell2792 said:


> All of the new Vox Valvetronix amps have proved to be amazing and very versatile. I played one last week that you can adjust the wattage on it (which I find to be very cool and useful) not to mention a million other things.





slapnutz said:


> What are we looking budget wise? ... I was gonna suggest a used Peavey XXL 2x12 combo.. but I guess now thats out of the question.
> 
> Also what about finding one of those SS Randall amps Dimebag used in the Pantera albums?





sell2792 said:


> The Warheads are supposed to be pretty bad ass, and theirs another similar one Randall made just without the effects.
> 
> I'm not tryin' to be a Vox fanboy, but I just read up more on the features of the Valvetronix's and the new Pro they're coming out with.



Guys, she already bought an amp. You can stop making suggestions.


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## Spinedriver (Jun 1, 2011)

sell2792 said:


> The Warheads are supposed to be pretty bad ass, and theirs another similar one Randall made just without the effects.



Just for the sake of information, I believe the 'effects-less' Warhead was the Cyclone.


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## Benzesp (Jun 1, 2011)

8100's killing it back in the 90's


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## BabUShka (Jun 1, 2011)

I've had good luck with Randall RG75 and Vox VT-series.. Imo some of the best SS I've played.


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## Metalman X (Jun 1, 2011)

ellengtrgrl said:


> IIRC, isn't the VS100's model number, 8100?



Two different amps. the VS100 was the next generation of Valvestate. The 100V, or as it's more popularly known, the 8100 was the original. 

truth be told...the 8100 is by far the best, and the VS100 a near second. The VS100 had 3 channels, but no master volume. Also, the 8100 has a more raw, throaty voicing, whereas the VS100 is a tad smoother. This may be partly due to the 8100 having a Master volume...you could get quite a bit more gain with the 8100. Also worth mentioning is that the VS100 has the tube active on all the channels, whereas the the 8100 has the tube only on the gain, and the clean is purely solid state.

The AVT stuff was just meh.

But the Mode Four is very nice, especially if get a deal on it.


I've played most of the valvestate stuff, and even owned both a VS100 and an 8100, FWIW

So, hopefully this helps.


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## ellengtrgrl (Jun 1, 2011)

Egads! I've created a monster!   Thread keeps on going!




Benzesp said:


> 8100's killing it back in the 90's




Ah lurvs muh Prong! Cleansing is a longtime fave of mine, and reading an interview of Tommy Victor back in the 90s, where he mentioned using Valvestates, is what first got them on my gear radar. Here's one of my faves for 8100 goodness off of Cleasing.

One Outnumbered


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## ellengtrgrl (Jun 1, 2011)

Metalman X said:


> Two different amps. the VS100 was the next generation of Valvestate. The 100V, or as it's more popularly known, the 8100 was the original.
> 
> truth be told...the 8100 is by far the best, and the VS100 a near second. The VS100 had 3 channels, but no master volume. Also, the 8100 has a more raw, throaty voicing, whereas the VS100 is a tad smoother. This may be partly due to the 8100 having a Master volume...you could get quite a bit more gain with the 8100. Also worth mentioning is that the VS100 has the tube active on all the channels, whereas the the 8100 has the tube only on the gain, and the clean is purely solid state.
> 
> ...



Thanks for the info. 

I used to have a VS102 (the 2x12 version), in 1999 & 2000. From what I remember it had masters on all the channels (well, maybe not the clean channel). It had some serious head ripping gain! And yes you're right, it did sound a tad bit smoother than the 8080s, and 8100s I'd tried out in '94, '95, and '96 (not as prone to fuzziness tonewise, unless you went nuts with killing all of the mids, with the contour control). 

I also had a couple of AVTs for a short time in 2010 (AVT50 head, and an AVT20 combo for some lower powered thrills). They seemed to be a bit more "hot rodded JCM800" voiced IMO. Frankly, they were kind of tame, compared to the earlier Valvestates I'd either played or owned. And, if you ran too much gain on the AVT20, it was too bright sounding/ice picky IMO. Nah, I don't think I'd get another AVT series Valvestate again.


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## Metalman X (Jun 2, 2011)

ellengtrgrl said:


> Thanks for the info.
> 
> I used to have a VS102 (the 2x12 version), in 1999 & 2000. From what I remember it had masters on all the channels (well, maybe not the clean channel). It had some serious head ripping gain! And yes you're right, it did sound a tad bit smoother than the 8080s, and 8100s I'd tried out in '94, '95, and '96 (not as prone to fuzziness tonewise, unless you went nuts with killing all of the mids, with the contour control).
> 
> I also had a couple of AVTs for a short time in 2010 (AVT50 head, and an AVT20 combo for some lower powered thrills). They seemed to be a bit more "hot rodded JCM800" voiced IMO. Frankly, they were kind of tame, compared to the earlier Valvestates I'd either played or owned. And, if you ran too much gain on the AVT20, it was too bright sounding/ice picky IMO. Nah, I don't think I'd get another AVT series Valvestate again.



all pretty much the impressions I had, yup.

And yes, the VS100's had a gain, than a volume on each channel, but so did the 8100. Difference was, the 8100 had a master volume beyond that...so you could crank gain, AND channel volume, or any varaition thereof (which in itself not only made it a louder head, but allowed you to tweak the overall vibe of the gain) and than use the Master to set the overall amps output. 

But yep...the AVT's...I dunno...I just thought they sounded very weak compared to the earlier Valvestate stuff. Though, never owning one, never got the opportunity to crank one and see if that changed it, but being a SS amp, I doubt it would've made too much difference.

Randalls, as mentioned earlier in the thread, are a totally different animal than the Valvestate stuff. Once I owned my first Randall, a Cyclone (and later on a Century, and an RG100ES), my old VS stuff didn't see much use. But thats just personal taste. I still own a Cyclone, and the V2 is my main amp, but that said, if I had the spare cash, I'd grab up another 8100, or even an 8200, just to have for a different tone now and again when recording.


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## ellengtrgrl (Jun 2, 2011)

I used to have a Randall RG75. It was a decent sounding amp. 

It came down to money more than anything else when I bought the VS100. A couple of days ago, I figured I was in low budgetville. But with an unexpected income tax refund (courtesy of an error I made, when I did my taxes, that was caught by the feds), and a possible profit sharing bonus within in the next 2 or 3 weeks (due to a good months of sales - the bonuses typically are for several hundred dollars), here at work, my options would have been wider. But, after April's budget disaster, that forced me to sell almost all of my gear, a month of being stuck with a little Roland Cube 15XL, and due to the seeming lack af any possible financial windfalls, I decided to keep it cheap, to not stress out my budget. I'll stick with the VS100 for now. I had good results with my VS102, and the VS100, that will arrive today or tomorrow, should suit me fine.

And as for the extra cash I have, and I'm getting - I still have to recover in the 7 or more strings department, since I had to sell my 7-string, this past April, to help pay for an emergency brake job my car needed. I'll use some of the money for another guitar. I just can't decied if I want another 7, go with an 8-string (which I wanted to a couple of years ago, when I got my first 7-string, due to not being able to afford an 8-string), or go out there a ways, and get an Agile 930, since with it's tuning, I can let my inner bass player occasionally come out and play. Any of the above options will leave me with money leftover, that I can put in my new, rainy day fund.


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