# Best Budget High Gain Amp Head



## shoot2thrill (Oct 24, 2009)

Im looking for a head thats not that expensive that can get high gain without the use of pedals. I prefer tube but if is is SS and sounds good ill look into it. Im 16 so im on a budget but i need more wattage since im in a gigging band, and i need more gain. I prefer new as well, but if its a used amp it needs to be in good condition..im looking to get it when i aquire more money around christmas. Thanks


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## The Rhone (Oct 24, 2009)

marshall Valvestate 8100, great head pick them up for under £100 if you look around.


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## TomAwesome (Oct 24, 2009)

The default budget high gain amp suggestion is a used 5150/6505, and it's hard to go wrong with that. The 8100 mentioned above is solid state (well, it has one tube, but it's basically solid state), but it sounds great, and it's even cheaper.


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## shoot2thrill (Oct 24, 2009)

i was thinking 5150 myself

what about madison divinity? some people have told me they sound good for the price?


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## AVWIII (Oct 24, 2009)

> marshall Valvestate 8100, great head pick them up for under £100 if you look around.


+1 The 8100 is surprisingly nice, especially for how cheap they are these days. I was using one as a temp. head until I picked up my mesa and it cut through the mix really well, especially with a clean boost in front. You just have to be careful with the treble and gain. It can get a little fizzy if you use extreme settings with both.


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## Thin_Ice_77 (Oct 24, 2009)

The Rhone said:


> marshall Valvestate 8100, great head pick them up for under £100 if you look around.


I bought one on eBay last week, got it for £82.


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## kazE (Oct 24, 2009)

Bugera or 5150's are good choices.


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## Necrophagist777 (Oct 24, 2009)

Bugera, 5150, XXX are the usual suspects. If you get a XXX see if you can find one that has been retubed with JJ's. I have them in mine and it's a huge improvement in tone.


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## highlordmugfug (Oct 24, 2009)

I'm getting a Crate GT3500H in a few weeks. I got it for $199.99 plus shipping, it was like $239.99 in total. It's a 350 watt solid state, and Scott Hull used one in Pig Destroyer, I'm not sure when, but I love his tone on all their material. When I get it, I'll let you know what I think if you're interested and still looking.


shoot2thrill said:


> Im looking for a head thats not that expensive that can get high gain without the use of pedals. I prefer tube but if is is SS and sounds good ill look into it. Im 16 so im on a budget but i need more wattage since im in a gigging band, and i need more gain. I prefer new as well, but if its a used amp it needs to be in good condition..im looking to get it when i aquire more money around christmas. Thanks


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## technomancer (Oct 24, 2009)

It's also worth noting that ALL of the amps listed perform better with a boost in front, so you really might want to reconsider that


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## Necrophagist777 (Oct 24, 2009)

technomancer said:


> It's also worth noting that ALL of the amps listed perform better with a boost in front, so you really might want to reconsider that



+1 to that. I use an Xotic BB Preamp to boost my XXX and it really adds some sizzle. I have even used a cheaper digitech bad monkey and that worked well too. I feel naked without a boost in front


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## pink freud (Oct 24, 2009)

Check this out once it becomes available:

JCA100H - Jet City Amplification

Soldano designed, hard to go wrong with that!


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## christpuncher66 (Oct 24, 2009)

GT3500 is brutal and loud. no boost needed, trust me.


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## highlordmugfug (Oct 24, 2009)

technomancer said:


> It's also worth noting that ALL of the amps listed perform better with a boost in front, so you really might want to reconsider that


Speaking of boosts, can anyone tell me about the boss DN2 while I'm here? I'm going to be getting one of those thursday, and I'd like to try it out with the two new heads I'm getting too, what can I expect?


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## Mattmc74 (Oct 24, 2009)

An 8100 has been said a few times and I happen to have one if interested.

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gear-for-sale-trade-wanted/98696-marshall-8100-a.html


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## Cheesebuiscut (Oct 24, 2009)

Can anyone elaborate on the 8100 for me? Tried looking it up on youtube and found a bunch of horrible videos but a few got me really intrigued.

I've always hated marshall tone but from the few crappy clips I heard on youtube it didn't sound much like a marshall. 

I'm mainly curious what you could compare it to tone wise and how loud it is / how well it cuts / how good the features are. Oh and if everyone thinks its a solid amp (Not going to explode on me one day)

I've been using a line 6 spider 3 150 watt all this time and it just barely cuts it come band practice (and sucks to carry) and I'm pretty sure I won't be able to replace it with anything fancy any time soon so this has peeked my interest.


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## technomancer (Oct 24, 2009)

christpuncher66 said:


> GT3500 is brutal and loud. no boost needed, trust me.



IIRC that's the one with the preamp channels from the Ampeg VH-140C, and yeah if that's the tone you're after it doesn't need a boost... it's the only amp on the list that doesn't though the VH-140C still sounds a bit better IMHO.



Cheesebuiscut said:


> Can anyone elaborate on the 8100 for me? Tried looking it up on youtube and found a bunch of horrible videos but a few got me really intrigued.
> 
> I've always hated marshall tone but from the few crappy clips I heard on youtube it didn't sound much like a marshall.
> 
> ...



Go listen to some Death. Chuck used a Marshall 8200, which is the stereo version of the 8100. They're pretty damn cool amps.


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## Mattmc74 (Oct 24, 2009)




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## warlock7strEMG (Oct 24, 2009)

used 5150/6505 is what u want. can be had for around $400-500. i see u listen to Impending Doom so if thats any indication of the type of tones u are interested in, then this amp will serve you well. its pretty much guaranteed to give u badass tone no matter what type of metal you play. this would be my first choice.....

but if you wanna go even cheaper, the Valve King head isnt a bad amp at all and can get pretty damn heavy too. put a Tubescreamer or Digitech Bad Monkey in front for a clean boost and you ll be good to go. as a matter of fact the first time i saw Impending Doom one of their guitar players was using a Valve King head on either a Mesa or Vader 4x12 cab and it sounded good!!!


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## Cheesebuiscut (Oct 24, 2009)

technomancer said:


> Go listen to some Death. Chuck used a Marshall 8200, which is the stereo version of the 8100. They're pretty damn cool amps.



Can you link me anything specific? or did he use it for everything?

I'm watching a few random videos but just want to be sure. How well do you think the 8100 handles a live / band situation? Do you think its loud enough / cuts well enough?

That Isn't you is it matt? That was the first video to catch my interest. Oh and what's your opinion on all this since you have the amp being questioned


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## Thin_Ice_77 (Oct 24, 2009)

Cheesebuiscut said:


> Can you link me anything specific? or did he use it for everything?
> 
> I'm watching a few random videos but just want to be sure. How well do you think the 8100 handles a live / band situation? Do you think its loud enough / cuts well enough?
> 
> That Isn't you is it matt? That was the first video to catch my interest. Oh and what's your opinion on all this since you have the amp being questioned


I have band practice with mine tomorrow, I'll let you know.


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## technomancer (Oct 24, 2009)

Cheesebuiscut said:


> Can you link me anything specific? or did he use it for everything?


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## Ketzer (Oct 24, 2009)

I use a Madison Divinity II at the moment, it will be phased out by next week by the rack I'm building, and I'm letting it go cheap. They've got quite a bit of gain, I've never found a boots that really makes it any better, either. EL34-powered, so it's got the marshall snarl to it, but it's a lot bassier, with a hell of a lot more gain. clean channel isn't amazing, but it's better than the 6505+ by a pretty wide margin.


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## budda (Oct 24, 2009)

im going to add peavey XXL to the list - 3 channels, modes, 100W, and if you need more gain you're off your rocker and probably sound really harsh lol.


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## TMM (Oct 24, 2009)

ART DST-8080 (if you can find one). Nothing compares at < $1000.


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## robotsatemygma (Oct 25, 2009)

Basically everything have been said that I can think of. But no one mentioned...

B-52 AT-100. Pretty nifty lil head there. 
Crate Blue Voodoo
JCM900

Bugera is gaining rep fast and I'll be able to attest for it pretty quick here.

Edit:

Marshall JCM2000 DSL50/100.


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## Necrophagist777 (Oct 25, 2009)

JCM 900 has amazing cleans if that is important to you at all.


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## SHRC7 (Oct 25, 2009)

Bugera 6260 or 6262


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## Leuchty (Oct 25, 2009)

SHRC7 said:


> Bugera 6260 or 6262



+1


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## ChrisPcritter (Oct 25, 2009)

Peavey Ultra 60 or 120. For inexpensive used they rival the jcm 900 with better reverb at half the price and a ton of gain..


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## Bevo (Oct 25, 2009)

I think he is looking for something cheaper than $500..much cheaper.

Old peaveys are amazing..actually all old amps, they don't have the flash of todays amps but can get the job done better than any SS amp out there.

Check out Peaveys all tube VTM and Butcher, they can be had super cheap but will need a boost. Used TS-7 $40.

Also check out the Randall RH150G3 or any version of that line up, the others have higher wattage. 
It has a tube same as the 8100 but the rest is all SS.


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## DrakkarTyrannis (Oct 25, 2009)

I'd say XXX


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## bigchocolateman (Oct 25, 2009)

Find a used Randall V2. I've seen them on guitar centers used part for like 650,
On sam ash they are 900 new. Those have super tight tone.
Not as much gain as a 6505/5150 but they are super tight and have solid definition.


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## Mattnh79 (Dec 21, 2009)

warlock7strEMG said:


> used 5150/6505 is what u want. can be had for around $400-500. i see u listen to Impending Doom so if thats any indication of the type of tones u are interested in, then this amp will serve you well. its pretty much guaranteed to give u badass tone no matter what type of metal you play. this would be my first choice.....
> 
> but if you wanna go even cheaper, the Valve King head isnt a bad amp at all and can get pretty damn heavy too. put a Tubescreamer or Digitech Bad Monkey in front for a clean boost and you ll be good to go. as a matter of fact the first time i saw Impending Doom one of their guitar players was using a Valve King head on either a Mesa or Vader 4x12 cab and it sounded good!!!



 that+vader 2x15+maxon od808=awesomeness


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## etiam (Dec 21, 2009)

Surprised no one's mentioned Carvin, what with the love of that company around here. I've been practicing on one for a while now at rehearsal and have enjoyed its sound. Can be had used quite cheaply, too. 

Peavey is, as has been mentioned, the default for good value, heavy metal tube amps. It's the truth. 

Bugera sounds good, but be careful about the build qualilty. They're owned by Behringer and go for as inexpensive a build as they can--the results sound pretty good, admittedly, but may not hold up during gigging.


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