# Making an Amon Amarthish Rig?



## ozzman619 (Nov 10, 2011)

I recently started a new band, and we have come the to conclusion to play in B standard and drop B, my current amp sounds like garbage with these low tunings so ive decided to invent in a new amp, and i figured why not craft up a rack at the same time to just complete my rig.

Im looking for an amon amarthish tone, so i narrowed it down to a couple amps, right now im thinking
-6505/5150
-Krank Rev or Rev+
-Mesa Dual Rectifier

so with those amps in mind what kind of rack gear would i need, off the top of my head im thinking
-Furman power conditioner (kinda a no brainer)
-Korg DTR-1000 (again another no brainer)
-ISP Decimator 
-AKG wms 450 (i really hate cords)

but what else would i need to get there sound right now the rack isnt doing anything to my sound (other the the decimator), so how can i get an amon amarthish tone, or does it just come from the amp? like i heard some people say a compressor but honestly i dont even know what they do so any info on some rack gear would help.

not sure if my guitars are important but im currently using
-Gibson explorer with EMG 81's (18 volt mod)
-ESP LTD KH-602 with again EMG 81's (18 volt mod)
-Dean ML79 With dimebucker
-Ibanez rg350 with evh frankenstein humbucker
-Ibanez Iceman with some Dimarzios


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## KAMI (Nov 10, 2011)

tbh, I would replace the AKG wireless with a line 6 wireless and then just get an axe fx or pod hd pro, a power amp (if your going to run it through a cab) and a phonic ppc9000e power conditioner


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## Bevo (Nov 10, 2011)

What amp do you have?

I heard good Amon tones with a 6505+ and a good noise gate, this was a tribute band. The stage was pretty minimal just a tuner in front of the amp.

It's in the fingers I think, your guitars are fine.


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## groph (Nov 10, 2011)

Out of the amps listed I'd go with the Dual Rectifier because I think Amon Amarth used them extensively and they have that sort of fat tone Amon Amarth uses as well. A 6505 could almost certainly do it as well, Bevo is probably correct with the "its in the fingers" thing, you'll sound like you through any amp you play but I still think the general characteristics of a Dual Rec will suit the sound the best.


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## rectifryer (Nov 10, 2011)

Considering AA uses 5150s and 6505s entirely on their newest album and alot in past albums, I would go that route. 

Gibson explorers as well....

Strangely, it does sound like a mesa. :/


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## groph (Nov 10, 2011)

rectifryer said:


> Considering AA uses 5150s and 6505s entirely on their newest album and alot in past albums, I would go that route.
> 
> Gibson explorers as well....
> 
> Strangely, it does sound like a mesa. :/



Did they? I thought they used Rectifiers on their older stuff and live. Then I heard they used Hughes and Kettner Triamps, then they got that Krank endorsement for Twilight of the Thunder God, I dunno.

With Oden On Our Side is my favorite Amon Amarth tone by a long shot.

Your pick attack makes such a huge influence on the tone anyway though, so OP is going to have to try the amps out and decide on whichever one reacts best.


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## rectifryer (Nov 10, 2011)

I am trying to double check my source and it has dissappeared.


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## Miklagaard (Nov 10, 2011)

the order of their amps was Mesa-H&k-Krank-peavey (current)

so i would go with the 6505/5150 if your trying to recreate their tone


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## wlfers (Nov 10, 2011)

^ The last two shows they used 6505s. Unless they were 6534s..


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## rectifryer (Nov 10, 2011)

Where the hell are you guys finding this?  I cant find it anymore! I thought it was on their site!


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## Mitochondria (Nov 10, 2011)

I am currently running a Jackson sl2h with a Bareknuckle MM in the bridge through a Krank Krankenstien with the 4 6l6 rubys, and in the preamp a Tung-Sol reissue with a JJ ECC83S and a 9th generation Shuguang 12AX7C's in V3 and a Sovtek 12AX7LPS (Doug's Tube Recommendation). Then i throw a Zakk Wylde overdrive in front and i think i nail the Guardians of Asgard tone... you can pick up a Gen1 Krankenstien off the bay for around $500. FWIW.


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## wlfers (Nov 10, 2011)

rectifryer said:


> Where the hell are you guys finding this?  I cant find it anymore! I thought it was on their site!



I dont remember where I saw any of their old rigs, but I can tell you about the last two shows because I looked on stage


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## incinerated_guitar (Nov 11, 2011)

They talked about using 5150s live on a guitar world video. Dont rely on those facts also being true for the studio. Chances are they use a lot of amps in the studio...including engl


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## sinnersmoon (Nov 11, 2011)

I`ve got Fate Of Norns sound easily with the setup:

Jackson WRXT with active pickups -> BOSS SD-1 -> Mesa Dual Recto -> Orange cab


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## Dvaienat (Nov 11, 2011)

I'd go with the Dual Rectifier. It has the tone of the early Amon Amarth albums, best build quality and best tonal quality, in my opinion. Your rack gear sounds good. I'd add the ISP Decimator because Rectifiers are known to give feedback. 

Your guitars sound fine. Around 90% of your tone comes from the amp, so the guitars and pickups you use are not that important.


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## Andromalia (Nov 11, 2011)

I'd say, other than the amp: 

-Use a 24.75 scale mahogany guitar with 60-13 strings
-I think you 'll need a touch of reverb, nothing extravagant though.
-Pickups they use are the stock 500T, so you want a decently hot pickup and not too much gain on the amp. An X2N would likely be going overboard though. ^^ EMGs will likely be to compressed for this. Failing a 500T, a DiMarzio super distortion would likely do the trick; possibly the adequate BKPs too but I never owned any so can't tell. A SD Full Shred in the bridge managed it well too.

So, the best bet is a pickup swap for your explorer or ML.


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## Aevolve (Nov 11, 2011)

NatG said:


> I'd go with the Dual Rectifier. It has the tone of the early Amon Amarth albums, best build quality and best tonal quality, in my opinion. Your rack gear sounds good. I'd add the ISP Decimator because Rectifiers are known to give feedback.
> 
> Your guitars sound fine. *Around 90% of your tone comes from the amp, so the guitars and pickups you use are not that important.*


Wrong sir, wrong. 

90% of your tone comes from your fingers. As far as gear goes with tone, your amp/guitar/pickups all play equal parts. You can make an amp sound completely different depending on the guitar/pickups used.


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## groph (Nov 11, 2011)

PeachesMcKenzie said:


> Wrong sir, wrong.
> 
> 90% of your tone comes from your fingers. As far as gear goes with tone, your amp/guitar/pickups all play equal parts. You can make an amp sound completely different depending on the guitar/pickups used.



I don't think he's "wrong," in my opinion you'll sound similar no matter what you use, within reason.

I doubt anybody has calculated the percentages each bit of gear and the player contributes to the overall tone. The more gain you pile on the more similar tones will end up sounding anyway, besides some subtle voicing differences that the general public wouldn't be able to discern, most high gain amps that I've heard sound basically similar. 5150's are generally sort of buzzy and grainy, Rectifiers have kind of a unique sounding crackle and sizzle, most ENGL's have a quacky midrange while Marshalls tend to have a lot of bite and a "crushed glass" kind of character (describing sound is almost useless) but really, on the whole, high gain amps sound very much alike and there are a million variables that make up a tone.

I guess if you wanted an Amon Amarth kind of rig you'd simply copy what their rig is, but I wouldn't expect their tone automatically. Obviously you won't get it out of a Fender Twin and yes you'll sound different playing through a Twin and a Dual Rectifier but through comparable amps, you'll probably sound almost the same. Check out Ola Englund's videos on YouTube, he has by far and away the best demos of high gain amps and he has pretty much the same tone in every video barring small differences between amps. You need to find the one that reacts the best to your playing. Once you've reached a certain skill level, you're going to sound pretty much the same through anything. I erroneously counted the Peavey JSX amongst amps that I didn't like because the bottom end was a bit too round for my tastes. Then I realized it was just my friend's picking style. I was blown away by the tone coming from a tiny little Yamaha 10 watt practice amp, that's because this other friend picks extraordinarily hard (he drives a 6505 into insanity, needs to lay off the gain a bit to compensate). I sounded similar through my Randall RM100 with the Ultra module (which by the way sounded kind of Amon Amarth-ish) and through my Peavey Bandit 112 solid state combo. It's just in how I dial an amp in. The metallic clank that I can't EQ out of the tone is just my picking technique.

Went a bit off topic. Not trying to say that all high gain amps sound identical because they don't. Amps have unique characteristics and different dynamics, there is one out there that is right for anyone. 

To the OP, tone advice is such a dead horse issue. Just try the amps out and pick the one that feels right to play. You'll sound almost identical through all of them.


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## rectifryer (Nov 11, 2011)

PeachesMcKenzie said:


> Wrong sir, wrong.
> 
> 90% of your tone comes from your fingers. As far as gear goes with tone, your amp/guitar/pickups all play equal parts. You can make an amp sound completely different depending on the guitar/pickups used.


 Dont confuse tone with technique. Your fingers have absolutely no control over the harmonics and overtones that represent the timbre of an instrument in *any specific situation*. You cant palm mute your way on a 15w ibanez amp/entry level guitar to sounding like a mij ibby/boutique amp. 

Your noble notions lead one to believe that this is the case. I really hope you are trolling. In that case 1/10 for being unoriginal.


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## Aevolve (Nov 11, 2011)

rectifryer said:


> Dont confuse tone with technique. Your fingers have absolutely no control over the harmonics and overtones that represent the timbre of an instrument in *any specific situation*. You cant palm mute your way on a 15w ibanez amp/entry level guitar to sounding like a mij ibby/boutique amp.
> 
> Your noble notions lead one to believe that this is the case. I really hope you are trolling. In that case 1/10 for being unoriginal.



Not being literal as far as percentages go by any means. And I also intended to imply "completely different" within reason. I'm not saying you can technique your way from a line6 into a Mesa.
Simply saying that the way you play and pickups/guitar used impact your tone in a much more dynamic way than he was implying. The amp still plays a large role in tone.


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## rectifryer (Nov 11, 2011)

Fair enough. I just see that response too much! Fucking internet communication.


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## cyril v (Nov 11, 2011)

Just throwing it out there, but Amon Amarth use different set-ups on like every album... a little searching shows they started off with Dual Recs and since then have used Krankenstein, H & K Triamp, and of course 5150s. When I saw them live a year or so ago, they were using 5150's.

Besides that, another ingredient to their tone is the Maxon OD808 which is ALWAYS on, and they also use the Maxon PT999 for cleans and distorted effects.


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## Dvaienat (Nov 11, 2011)

PeachesMcKenzie said:


> Wrong sir, wrong.
> 
> 90% of your tone comes from your fingers. As far as gear goes with tone, your amp/guitar/pickups all play equal parts. You can make an amp sound completely different depending on the guitar/pickups used.


 
Nope, the opinion of tone coming from the player is a misconception. Often people holding this opinion mix up style with tone. If I play through several different amps, I'm still going to have my _style_, but the tone will be different. Likewise if I play one amp and then another player plays it, both will have the same tone, but the notes played, or the style of the player if you want to call it that, will be different. 

With regards to different pickups/guitars being played through an amp, they do not alter the structure or voicing of the amp, they just influence it. A mahogany guitar makes the tone darker and a little nasal, and an EMG pickup would make the tone more sterile and clear, for example.


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## Shadowspecced (Nov 11, 2011)

Saw them live a couple months ago, their tone wasn't anything special in my opinion, but was pretty faithful to the album tones! They were using 6505's. Although, I think the majority of their sound comes from the low tuning with the short scale and loose, flat pick attack.

Also, I got a concussion from some 6'6 guy in a viking hat the night Thor came out, at the concert. Pretty badass


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## ozzman619 (Nov 11, 2011)

thanks for that video Cyril V, i have been trying to find a video of him running through his rig for a while so this was big help. i think im going to go with the 6505 (or 6505+) and the od808, because its a pretty cheap and effective, i would like to get my hands on a dual rectifier but where i live used they are $1000 used at the cheapest, where i have seen 6505s for $750 so with the money i save ill grab a od808, thats for all the help guys


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## jeremyb (Nov 11, 2011)

PeachesMcKenzie said:


> Wrong sir, wrong.
> 
> 90% of your tone comes from your fingers. As far as gear goes with tone, your amp/guitar/pickups all play equal parts. You can make an amp sound completely different depending on the guitar/pickups used.



Yeah I can get some totally brutal tones out of a ukelele played acoustically!


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