# 8 string guitar amps



## Devyn Eclipse Nav (Mar 18, 2011)

I'm looking to buy an 8 string sometime in the future, but I have no idea what to do about what kind of amp I should run it through for gigs. I know that Marten Hagstrom of Meshuggah uses Line 6 amps, but I've also thought about just getting a bass amp (all my effects are separate of my amp - distortion is no problem) to play it safe. I also currently own a Peavey Stereo Chorus 212. Would I be able to run an 8 string through that without risk of blowing the speakers? Any help is appreciated.


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## Hollowway (Mar 18, 2011)

Yeah, you should not use a bass amp. Unless you want it to sound like a bass. Your current amp should handle it fine, in terms of not blowing out the speaker. You could look into a different amp with respect to a tone you like (especially for clarity given the low string).


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## sell2792 (Mar 18, 2011)

Don't use a bass amp. Just get the best solid tube amp thats in your price range and fits your style and gets what tones your after.


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## simonXsludge (Mar 18, 2011)

i'm playing a pod X3 live through a cheap rocktron poweramp with 2x150 watts. slays!


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## Chef_Jacob (Mar 18, 2011)

I have two versions of pod, and the low end is as flabby and loose as a Vegas card hookers vagina. It sounds like dog sh*t. There is virtually no definition. You can make it sound ok if you are a god at equalizing, but slays? Mmmmm no. Get an axe fx with a vht power amp, or something like that, engl, uberschal, diezel, there are others as well. I know that some of bulbs recordings were with the pod, but are you that good in post production? And he sure don't use that pos live.... its an awesome piece of equipment for the price and what it does, but 8 strings just don't sound good on it imo.


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## HRKofHOD (Mar 18, 2011)

My best advice would be to try as many amps that are in your price range as you can and find one that you like! I've been in bands for the last 15 years and have used lots of really good equipment and some really crap, and I always sounded pretty good, sometimes awesome hahaha! I've recently got rid of my much loved 5150 and gone back to using a pod xt pro and power amp (still looking for a decent priced power amp). 
I also wouldn't worry too much about blowing speakers, unless they start rattling n farting, then you know it isn't going well!!
At the end of the day, if you get a good sound out of it, it really doesnt matter what it is.......I'd still love an axe-fx though!!!


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## Chef_Jacob (Mar 18, 2011)

It really just depends on your ear.... if you think it sounds good, then fine. It's not about what you use, its about how it sounds to you. I love the pod for anything like drop d or c standard, it can sound really good for a few hundred bucks. But I am ocd about my tone, and i hear all,kinds of sonic characterisics that most people I play with can't hear. And some of them are far better players than I. I agree that you should play on several. Not just jam on them, but try to dial a really good tone out of it. Chances are if you can, then once you get it home, you'll be able to get a great sound with just a little tweaking. And in a few months, you'll have an awesome tone that will melt faces!


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## Chef_Jacob (Mar 18, 2011)

BBut let's face it... a pod just cannot sound as good as a higher quality piece of equipment. place it next to a diezel vh4 or engl invader and tell me they don't wipe the floor with the pod. And the axe fx giveaway you direct recording with the sound and feel of a tube amp. when you play soft or hard, the se fx responds to dynamics like a tube... the pod does not


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## Chef_Jacob (Mar 18, 2011)

sorry guys I am out of town and the auto correct on my phone sucks


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## Alwballe (Mar 18, 2011)

no bass amp. gonna suck donkeyballs.
Pretty much any amp with atleast 2x12 is gonna work, but ofcourse there are better and less good ones.
Line 6 makes sweet amps. and if youre on a budget, the Spider valve MKII har really nice. if u can afford it id recomend the HD100 top with a cheap cab.

And dont think Mesuggah is using the vettas anymore, im pretty sure theyre going with AXE-fx now.


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## HRKofHOD (Mar 18, 2011)

Yeah there using axe-fx's now. I remember seeing them when they were using xt pro's and then vetta's, both times they sounded AWESOME!


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## Philligan (Mar 18, 2011)

Meshuggah (Fredrik at least) are using DAR amps in conjunction with the Axe-FX. Nothing, Catch 33, and obZen are all Line 6, though, and last I heard, their bass player still plays an X3 Pro live.

OP, try everything you can and see what you like most. Avoid bass amps, and personally, I say look into a Pod. They're affordable, can sound awesome, and you have an insane amount of amps and effects to try.


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## shanejohnson02 (Mar 18, 2011)

Chef_Jacob said:


> I have two versions of pod, and the low end is as flabby and loose as a Vegas card hookers vagina. It sounds like dog sh*t. There is virtually no definition. You can make it sound ok if you are a god at equalizing, but slays? Mmmmm no. Get an axe fx with a vht power amp, or something like that, engl, uberschal, diezel, there are others as well. I know that some of bulbs recordings were with the pod, but are you that good in post production? And he sure don't use that pos live.... its an awesome piece of equipment for the price and what it does, but 8 strings just don't sound good on it imo.



I totally agree with what you're saying. The only issue I have is that not everyone can afford (insert high-quality name brand here) amps. For most of us, we just have to work with what we've got.

That being said, axe-fx >>>>>>>>>>>> pod.


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## simonXsludge (Mar 18, 2011)

Chef_Jacob said:


> I have two versions of pod, and the low end is as flabby and loose as a Vegas card hookers vagina. It sounds like dog sh*t. There is virtually no definition. You can make it sound ok if you are a god at equalizing, but slays? Mmmmm no.


 i didn't have a hard time tweaking it to a good sound. this clip showcases the tone that i could get out of it:

the ultimate void teaser (my first recording attempt in logic) by dasXvoid on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

this is recorded through a cheap line6 interface with the PODfarm plug-in for logic. no additional EQ's, compressors or anything else, just the exact same sound i've been tweaking out of my POD. it sounds great live as well, even through a _cheap_ solid state power amp.




Chef_Jacob said:


> But let's face it... a pod just cannot sound as good as a higher quality piece of equipment. place it next to a diezel vh4 or engl invader and tell me they don't wipe the floor with the pod.


see, the second guitarist in my band said the exact same thing and after playing expensive tube amps for years he switched over to the same set up as mine, because it's always been blowing his amps to dust.


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## Chef_Jacob (Mar 18, 2011)

To each his own, but like I said, I've got a 2 pods and they have their uses, but, they aren't great.... your tone is alright..... but ill tell you what, I've got lundgrens in my rg.2228 and it can make anything sound better. All I can say is that your second guitarist must not know crap about dialing a good tone. Of course just cuz you spend a lot of money on an amp, doesn't mean its a good choice for the tone you are trying to dial in. The cleans on the pod are pretty good, and I used my pod 2.0 for all my tones for years, my newer pod as well, but there is no possible way that someone who know what they are doing can make the pod do what a good tube amp that is appropriate for the sound you are trying to get. The only digital system that can even compare is the axe fx. The diezel vh4 with my rg 2228 no.effects no eq slays you tone and makes it sound like a robot farting into a coffee can. No offense, like I said it has it uses, I still own 2, and I use them, but to say it slays? I disagree. Unless you want to sound like a robot farting into a tin can....


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## Chef_Jacob (Mar 18, 2011)

Note, on a budget, you can't beat it.. my previous statement was for the argument that the pod is better than high end equipment, it may be a better value, but it cannot compare to good amps and modelling, no offense to anyone who uses a pod.


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## Hollowway (Mar 19, 2011)

I'm going to have to agree that the pod can sound awesome. My pod 2.0 patch 4D sounds great, and it's what I practice through with headphones. Chef Jacob finds it newsworthy that the $4500 VH4 sounds better than the $200 pod, and has made the majority of the posts in this thread reiterating it, but if you find yourself $4000 shy of that amp, you'll do just fine with what you've got. The low F# doesn't require a special amp or speaker. If you want a particular tone (ie saturated, dry, tight, raw) you'll need to do a little research.


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## saovi (Mar 19, 2011)

shitsøn;2390535 said:


> i'm playing a pod X3 live through a cheap rocktron poweramp with 2x150 watts. slays!



I guess your version of "slays" is different than mine. And yeah I checked out your clip.

I wish you the best though - you gotta use what you can afford. I support that you're doing the best you can with the tools currently available to you. But when money comes in, seriously save up some green for some upgrades - and I mean absolutely no offense in saying this. Good luck.


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## Chef_Jacob (Mar 19, 2011)

Man I didn't pay anywhere near that much. And a mesa dual rec slays the pod too, and I bought mine for 800. I do agree with you that if you want a specific tone, you'll have to do research, and yes you don't need a specific amp for F#, and for a couple hundred bucks, you can't best the pod, but no one said anything about a budget. More power to you if you like the pod, but if you have a little cash, I just think the pod sounds very synthetic, and once you add in a decent amount of saturation, it gets muddy imo. I just got a little defensive on senor shitson post that a pod is the voice of god himself. I don't practice through my vh4, I use the pod or my axe fx. My bad if I happen to have a good job and enough money to buy what I like, jeez. It was not my intention to piss anyone off, I just hate when some tries to sell something I have used and still use as the holy grail when I don't see it. Im not saying the vh4 is the end all, I equally promote all well made good sounding equipment. I just have never heard a face melting tone on a pod, although I am uber ocd. So more power to you, but don't hate cuz I can afford good equipment. And yes he will do fine with what he has, I was merely commenting on following posts.


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## Chef_Jacob (Mar 19, 2011)

saovi said:


> I guess your version of "slays" is different than mine. And yeah I checked out your clip.
> 
> I wish you the best though - you gotta use what you can afford. I support that you're doing the best you can with the tools currently available to you. But when money comes in, seriously save up some green for some upgrades - and I mean absolutely no offense in saying this. Good luck.



That's what I was getting at. Wasn't saying it doesn't work, just that its not THAT good. I guess I wast as tactful.


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## Hollowway (Mar 19, 2011)

Chef_Jacob said:


> My bad if I happen to have a good job and enough money to buy what I like, jeez. It was not my intention to piss anyone off, I just hate when some tries to sell something I have used and still use as the holy grail when I don't see it. QUOTE]
> 
> No worries, man. It just came off like he was saying his Acura was fast, and you jumped in and said Acuras aren't fast, Lamborghini Murcielago's are fast. That being said, I'm still surprised how good the PODs sound given what they are. And we all pretty much agree that there doesn't need to be any specific considerations when going to an 8 string (like using a bass amp), which is what the OP wondered.


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## Chef_Jacob (Mar 19, 2011)

I can see that, its the word slays... to me it basically means that the tone is just face meltingly, brain numbing, make you shit your pants awesome. I took it as my acura is so fast I pull 4g s and blast off into the atmosphere reaching geosync orbit on a single tank of regular unleaded! But yes, when I first got the pod, I nearly crapped my pants at how cool it was being able to get so many options in one package for 200 bucks, and it blew my Marshall head away. So yeah it is super versatile and a great value. I get carried away sometimes and I am very passionate about good tone. So apologies for hijacking the thread.


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## simonXsludge (Mar 19, 2011)

Chef_Jacob said:


> The diezel vh4 with my rg 2228 no.effects no eq slays you tone and makes it sound like a robot farting into a coffee can.


record something with your 2228 then, no EQ's and no effects, and slay my tone! i genuinely wanna hear it.

as stated in the description on soundcloud, the posted clip is my very first recording attempt with the given equipment. pretty much nothing is done with it. so i'm sure this is _not_ the end of the line of what's possible with the equipment we're talking about. it's only the beginning and therefor it sounds pretty damn fine so far, imho. i did not say anything slightly close to _"a pod is the voice of god himself"_ and fail to see that i mentioned the holy grail of sound in any of my posts. for my recording / tweaking i used the word "good", for example, but somebody reads what he wants to read here, i guess?! 

also, i hate to play that card, because it's gonna make me sound like a dick, but i actually gained quite a bit of experience from being a full time musician for the last 6 years. i'm touring on a regular basis and recorded several full lengths and ep's in that time. that doesn't make me a god of tweaking or master of all knowledge, but i've been trying a shitload of tube amps on tour (including a diezel, btw), messed with several in the studio and always ended up playing line6 stuff, live _and_ in the studio, because it sounded no less than equal to expensive tube amps. but i guess that simply means that i'm a retard at dialing a good tone with a tube amp, no?!

from my personal experience you can do a lot with a higher value pod (the X3 live is a 500$ unit btw) and line6 equipment in general, you can get a very good tone out of it and have yourself an affordable and very versatile unit, that makes recording super easy and that is comfy to travel with as well, if that matters. i didn't say more or less about it, but surely nothing supernatural. anyways, unless i get to hear something that shatters all my believes to pieces, i won't be able to take most of your talking all too dead serious. saovi is invited to teach me lessons as well, i'm a happy learner.

plus, i'm sure the OP would be excited to hear more soundclips as well, 'cause they speak louder than words.


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## Chef_Jacob (Mar 19, 2011)

If you read my posts you would know I am out of town. When I get back in country, I'd be happy to show you what face melting tone sounds like  and if you've made better recordings, why wouldn't you post those.... That would have been a much easier way to shut me up rather than having to defend a clip of inferior tone. I don't have my diezel with me, all I have is my pod, cuz its easy to travel with. I don't hate line six, I just think its retarded to say the pod, including the x3, which I own, is better than an invader, or vht or other comparable unit. And if that's what your saying, then the voice of god is exactly what your saying it is. Post some better clips, pawn me and make me look like a Dick, I don't mind  OH and being a full time, "touring" musician doesn't mean your good, or can even hear good tone, not saying you aren't, but those words mean as much as poop in a mason jar without clips, I'm not running around boasting about my ability, I'm just praising good equipment. Man I wish I was home, I miss my diezel.....


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## simonXsludge (Mar 19, 2011)

Chef_Jacob said:


> When I get back in country, I'd be happy to show you what face melting tone sounds like


i can wait. i wanna hear it, so feel free to send me a clip, when ever you're able to. as soon as i have recorded a new and better sounding clip, i will post it.




Chef_Jacob said:


> I just think its retarded to say the pod, including the x3, which I own, is better than an invader, or vht or other comparable unit. And if that's what your saying, then the voice of god is exactly what your saying it is.


_THAT_ is what i am saying, stop making my words bigger than they really are, dude:


shitsøn;2391411 said:


> from my personal experience you can do a lot with a higher value pod (the X3 live is a 500$ unit btw) and line6 equipment in general, you can get a very good tone out of it and have yourself an affordable and very versatile unit, that makes recording super easy and that is comfy to travel with as well, if that matters.




everything else doesn't seem to be worth the discussion, because you're obviously superior to me, as far as your sense of hearing goes, while i can only speak of personal and subjective experience.


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## Chef_Jacob (Mar 19, 2011)

I didn't say anything about being superior.... Your the one throwing around terms like touring musician. We can agree to disagree, I am in no way attempting to personally attack you. If that's the way you take it then my apologies. Enjoy your pod and keep tweaking. Sorry dude. I get a little carried away sometimes. Not trying to make enemies. And yes its easy to travel with, mine is with me now, but so is the axe fx...... have a nice day bro


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## simonXsludge (Mar 19, 2011)

well, never mind then. peace!


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## LamaSabachthani (Mar 20, 2011)

shitsøn;2390535 said:


> i'm playing a pod X3 live through a cheap rocktron poweramp with 2x150 watts. slays!



How do you find those Rocktron (presumably solid-state) poweramps? I have been extremely tempted by them but I'm worried that the sound will be quite sterile and 'cold' (I know Rocktron are industry leaders, but still).

Do you feel as though the tone is just fine and comparable to running through a tubepoweramp? I would get the latter but they are far more expensive.


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## simonXsludge (Mar 20, 2011)

LamaSabachthani said:


> How do you find those Rocktron (presumably solid-state) poweramps? I have been extremely tempted by them but I'm worried that the sound will be quite sterile and 'cold' (I know Rocktron are industry leaders, but still).
> 
> Do you feel as though the tone is just fine and comparable to running through a tubepoweramp? I would get the latter but they are far more expensive.


well, let's say you're getting a lot of value for the money. they do have enough power, definition and balls and i'm happy with the overall sound i'm getting out of it. i was meant to buy a tube poweramp but still wanted to give this one a shot beforehand. then i was actually positively surprised of its performance and decided to keep it.

i have to mention that i never mic my cabs live, though. i'm using the direct out of my pod and i'm going straight into the soundboard / PA, so i'm using my rig as a stage monitor mostly. that added to the decision to keep it and not spend at least 1000 euros on top of the price of the rocktron for a tube poweramp. i'm maybe gonna upgrade one day, but as of now i don't see the need to do so all too soon.

regardless, i'm very satisfied with the sound i'm getting out of it. you should try and find a store that offers the rocktron and compare it with a tube poweramp. you'll see if it works for you.


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## mot666 (Jun 14, 2011)

i also wonder about what amps for eight strings... 

i have a vetta2. its makes some bad metal ass whore sounds when i plug an eight string(my 228) into it.


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## Sponge (Jun 14, 2011)

Check out Orange amps. The Thunderverb200 was built to be used as a bass or guitar amp, and pairs up nicely with their 100 watt celestion equipped 4x12(PPC412HP8). Also great for live application because you have options of having tubes 1-4 on, 1 and 3, or 2 and 4, so if one burns out on you, you can bypass it and still play on good tubes. 

I don't work for them or anything, just found that this combination worked great for the 8 string, and I tune down to a D at DGDGDGBE, where a lot of the 'wall of sound' type of sounds I go for get 3 octaves on 1 fret and none of the EQ ranges get lost behind anything that sticks out like a muddy fart.

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGyZXaDoKHg&feature=related

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGyZXaDoKHg&feature=related


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## celticelk (Jun 14, 2011)

^----The Thunderverb looks cool, but it's a pretty pricey cool.


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## 8stringthrash8 (Oct 3, 2011)

what i do is use a pod xt live and a compressor through a line 6 spider iv 75 and u have a great meshuggah tone right there or u can blow yr life savings on a line 6 vetta ii and a cabinet


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## Jayd41 (Oct 5, 2011)

8stringthrash8 said:


> what i do is use a pod xt live and a compressor through a line 6 spider iv 75 and u have a great meshuggah tone right there or u can blow yr life savings on a line 6 vetta ii and a cabinet


 
Or you can buy a used line 6 vetta ii for $360 with the footswitch 

My 8 string sounds great through my vetta, my dual rec, and my randall.
It is not so swell through a bogner alchemist, a peavey vypyr 60 or a transatlantic.

just my take... you either need a good solidstate amp or a tube amp with big bottle power tubes... el84 and 6v6 will not do an 8 string any justice.


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## Sponge (Oct 6, 2011)

celticelk said:


> ^----The Thunderverb looks cool, but it's a pretty pricey cool.



It is pricey in number, but I always thought of gear as something not to go partial way on. I was very particular about the tone and tried a bunch of different products. In the end, I could have paid half for something else, and been half satisfied, and still wanted the Orange, or just obtain it an budget cut on other things. It was a good decision 

I tend to make more coffee at home too. That stuff can easily run over 100 a month!!


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## AntiTankDog (Oct 7, 2011)

Zeno said:


> I also currently own a Peavey Stereo Chorus 212.


 
I used to have one of those - talk about a killer tone. I still kick myself for selling that beast. Only bad thing about it, way too loud. Even cracked off zero, it's loud. I set to 5 one day, and thought I was going to die.


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