# Best amp for post/sludge/atmospheric metal



## Sephirangel (Mar 31, 2012)

Hi there!

I am new to the forums so hello!

I am looking for a new amp. I tend to play a bit of everything but my band is a doom metal band with a melodic edge and I want peoples opinions in regards to which amps I should be looking at.

I have played a few Engl's and while they are pretty awesome, I can't help feel that they are better suited to tech metal players etc.

Any ideas?


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Mar 31, 2012)

If you can afford Engl, Matamp or Orange sounds like it would suit you. Or if you want something more budget friendly, look into a Laney GH100TI or GH100L.


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## Sephirangel (Mar 31, 2012)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> If you can afford Engl, Matamp or Orange sounds like it would suit you. Or if you want something more budget friendly, look into a Laney GH100TI or GH100L.



I have heard that Laney are a good budget amp for this kind of music. Anyone else had experience with Laney?


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Mar 31, 2012)

I think a few people here have had some fun with the GH100L and VH100R (Basically the same thing, just with a clean channel). 

But for a doomy sound, the GH100TI has to be my favorite.


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## Dead Undead (Mar 31, 2012)

I use a Vh100R and I highly recommend them. Has plenty of gain, and it roars like no other. It is a bit "dry" and it's quite expressive, so you'll hear just what you play. Very versatile amp with awesome features. Love mine tons. I'm running it through an Emperor 2x12 and it's super loud and ballsy.

Look around for old Laney AORs, Peavey Butchers/VTMs, and, of course, old Sunn heads. Original Model Ts have been rather pricey lately, though.

You can also buy doom in a can:






Jus Oborn's (Electric Wizard) distortion tone is pretty much that pedal + a clean Sound City 120. Or Orange/Matamp, or whatever high-wattage amp.


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## Zado (Mar 31, 2012)

+ on laney aor,peavey vtm e sunn


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## Mitochondria (Mar 31, 2012)

Prolly do the trick.


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## mustache79 (Mar 31, 2012)

Peavey 6534+


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## VBCheeseGrater (Mar 31, 2012)

When i see "atmospheric" and "a bit of everything" i think effects - maybe something with some built in effects? Spider Valve, Vyper tube series - When does the blackstar modeler come out?


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## Atomshipped (Mar 31, 2012)

Orange is supposed to be great for that. I love how this sounds:


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## Floppystrings (Mar 31, 2012)

I used to own an ENGL, and I kind of agree with what you said they seem best for faster playing. There is no sag, or warmth.

I suggest, 5150, or Dual/Triple Rectifier, or even the Peavey XXX (around $400 used? can't go wrong).


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## Scattered Messiah (Mar 31, 2012)

Orange.
believe me


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## Wizard of Ozz (Mar 31, 2012)

Sephirangel said:


> Hi there!
> 
> I have played a few Engl's and while they are pretty awesome, I can't help feel that they are better suited to tech metal players etc.
> 
> Any ideas?



As a current Engl owner... I agree. They are best suited for the faster, more technical, more articulate stuff. 


My recommendation would be a Mesa Dual Recto.


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## Dead Undead (Mar 31, 2012)

Floppystrings said:


> I used to own an ENGL, and I kind of agree with what you said they seem best for faster playing. There is no sag, or warmth.
> 
> I suggest, 5150, or Dual/Triple Rectifier, or even the Peavey XXX (around $400 used? can't go wrong).



Dual/Triple Rectos are a good choice as well. Aaron Turner of Isis used, I believe, a Dual Rectifier for Mosquito Control. I'm not certain if he used it on later albums.
I've also seen him using Sunn Model Ts, and, towards the end of Isis' duration, a VHT/Fryette Ultra-Lead.

One guitarist in Pelican uses a Triple Rectifier, the other a Sunn Model T.
The guitarist of Russian Circles uses a Sunn Model T.

The Model T is pretty much _the_ doom/sludge/post-metal amp.


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## 7 Strings of Hate (Mar 31, 2012)

Sunn model t


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## Sephirangel (Apr 1, 2012)

Everyone says model T on a few forums, but they are very expensive! (Suppose because of their rarity and awesomeness).

Again, a few people saying Laney's. My M13 comes with a few fuzzes which sound good.


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## Seanthesheep (Apr 1, 2012)

mustache79 said:


> Peavey 6534+



As someone who owns one......

Hell no.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Apr 1, 2012)

Sephirangel said:


> Everyone says model T on a few forums, but they are very expensive! (Suppose because of their rarity and awesomeness).



Well, if you want a cheaper Sunn amp, theres always the Beta Lead. Its solid state, but it can get some pretty good, sludgy tones.

Case in point:


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## Dead Undead (Apr 2, 2012)

^I have a Beta Bass and it _is_ that tone. Killer sound for doom. 
Sunn Concert Lead is another good one to look out for.


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## signalgrey (Apr 2, 2012)

Orange.

there really isnt another option that is readily available and as versatile


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## JamesM (Apr 2, 2012)

Dunwich Amps (a really small company) makes _perfect_ stuff for this. 

Dunwich Amps | Facebook


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## Remission (Apr 2, 2012)

The Armada said:


> Dunwich Amps (a really small company) makes _perfect_ stuff for this.[/url]



Never heard of these. Dear god, it's like a brothel for my ears.


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## JamesM (Apr 2, 2012)

Pretty incredible, right? I've been told the guy is super down to earth and super cool too.


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## Dead Undead (Apr 2, 2012)

That reminded me of this:



Navtone.
Really small amp maker out in California. Sounds pretty good to me. No idea how to contact the guy though.


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## Wookieslayer (Apr 2, 2012)

Okay aside from the fact that my guitar tech buddy barely missed the opportunity to purchase an old Sunn Model T head from Goodwill for $100 today (he got there when it went on reserve!  ), this thread is putting me in a stoney sludgey mood and I like the GAS that it fuels me  



Also came in here to recommend Laneys!


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## Choop (Apr 2, 2012)

I recommend a Dual/Triple Rectifier, or a 5150/6505 as well! Gainy, huge tone out of these amps. Don't really listen to sludge much, but I know The Ocean used rectos for a while, and Precambrian is one of my favorite metal albums ever!


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## Loomer (Apr 2, 2012)

Well, before I had a brain aneurysm and went solid state, I really enjoyed my Laney GH50L. It's dirt cheap and very good for this sort of stuff. Orange amps are still the tits for the sort of thing though, no matter what.


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## Dead Undead (Apr 2, 2012)

Wookieslayer said:


> Okay aside from the fact that my guitar tech buddy barely missed the opportunity to purchase an old Sunn Model T head from Goodwill for $100 today (he got there when it went on reserve!  ), this thread is putting me in a stoney sludgey mood and I like the GAS that it fuels me
> 
> 
> 
> Also came in here to recommend Laneys!



When I saw Sunn Model T for $100... What? I wish I could find shit like that...


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## highlordmugfug (Apr 2, 2012)

Dead Undead said:


> When I saw Sunn Model T for $100... What? I wish I could find shit like that...


ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff was my first thought.


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## Dead Undead (Apr 2, 2012)

^This, precisely. I couldn't even think straight for a moment.


Also, what about old Laney Klipps?


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Apr 2, 2012)

Dead Undead said:


> ^This, precisely. I couldn't even think straight for a moment.
> 
> 
> Also, what about old Laney Klipps?



Might as well get an Orange. They're pretty rare and expensive, I believe.


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## Wookieslayer (Apr 2, 2012)

Dead Undead said:


> When I saw Sunn Model T for $100... What? I wish I could find shit like that...



yeah I know... I never see them like that either. My buddy is an old school guitar tech for the last 25 years and he frequents goodwills and pawn shops looking for sweet amps. He went to Goodwill yesterday and found a Model T that was sold already for $100! I was like NOOO damn when I heard this  

Oh well lol.


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## Chickenhawk (Apr 2, 2012)

I REALLY wish I would have kept my Laney GH50L, since a couple months after I let it go I decided to start writing an album full of sludgeyness.


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## rug (Apr 2, 2012)

A bit on the pricey side (or not, depending on how much you consider pricey), but the Orange Thunderverb 200 would probably work out well for you. Especially since it's 200 watts...so it's twice as loud as a 100 watt amp!!!! Sludge needs to be LOUD!!!!


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## Atomshipped (Apr 2, 2012)

rug said:


> A bit on the pricey side (or not, depending on how much you consider pricey), but the Orange Thunderverb 200 would probably work out well for you. Especially since it's 200 watts...so it's twice as loud as a 100 watt amp!!!! Sludge needs to be LOUD!!!!


 200W is not twice as loud as 100W... ~1000W is twice as loud as 100W. You will never even crank a 50W all the way for any gig. Lower wattage would actually be better for the sound he's trying to get as it would allow for more power amp distortion at lower volume levels.


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## Leuchty (Apr 3, 2012)

rug said:


> A bit on the pricey side (or not, depending on how much you consider pricey), but the Orange Thunderverb 200 would probably work out well for you. Especially since it's 200 watts...so it's twice as loud as a 100 watt amp!!!! Sludge needs to be LOUD!!!!


 
You, sir, made the list. 

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/off-topic/190912-how-tell-new-forum-member-experienced-one-7.html


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## rug (Apr 3, 2012)

I was wondering if anyone would believe I was serious, and I just got my answer.


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## Leuchty (Apr 3, 2012)

rug said:


> I was wondering if anyone would believe I was serious, and I just got my answer.


 

Well played.


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## spawnofthesith (Apr 3, 2012)

The Armada said:


> Pretty incredible, right? I've been told the guy is super down to earth and super cool too.



I can vouch for this. He posts quite a bit in the doom room thread in the fx forum at HC. Cool dude and very responsive and informative


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## JamesM (Apr 3, 2012)

And his amps sound like absolute sex.


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## casketshrine (Apr 5, 2012)

I own a GH50L. I absolutely love that amp. On contrary to a lot of people who bad mouth this amp for being a 50 watter and not having 'enough gain', it's one of those amps that's almost as loud as a 100 watter with the headroom of a 50 watt amp. It's so fucking loud, I was in my bedroom I cranked it up to 5 and it shattered the window glass behind me. That's where you have to think, if you are planning on playing it at home and you have family you love...this is probably too loud. Gain wise, sure it's not an ENGL Powerball or 5150 but it has very refined awesome distortion. Like a lot of people say, 'its a JCM 800 on steroids'. I use a bunch of OD's with it (TS9/SD1/ZW44) depending on the mood and what's handy at the moment and it sends the amp into total overdrive nirvana without sounding mushy. For sludge/atmospheric stuff, you may want to look into getting some good reverb, delay and pitch fx boxes. When I do play doom metal, Laney fits the bill just perfect. The only thing is, it's a single channel amp so you may want to look at the VH series. Same distortion channel with a dedicated clean channel on the side. 

Other options may be an Orange Rockerverb, JCM 2203KK (those KT88s sound fucking huge but a very one dimensional amp. No FX loop either), Dual Recto etc. They are all going to be more expensive than the Laney though. Hope this helps, just my $.02 on the subject.


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## Dead Undead (Apr 5, 2012)

^Great description of the Laney there. They're loud as fuck.  The VH100R also has a sort of "master volume" feature. There's a switch on the back for an effects loop or preamp insert, and if you set the switch to "Insert" you can use the return level knob as a sort of master volume. It doesn't sound as good this way (naturally, they sound crazy good when cranked) but the tone is still quite usable, I assure you. It's a very useful feature.

I don't even use a boost with mine anymore unless I need it very tight. It certainly does sound great with one in front though.


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## Flip Downey (Apr 6, 2012)

I have a Laney AOR 8 knob, and it is loud as hell. Great for DOOM, I also run a DSL50 with a Pharaoh fuzz. Great tone. Orange th30 is one hell of a doom machine too. Laney's are starting to get too expensive though. I got mine for 300 and now they seem to be like 6-7 now. Because of the badassness.


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## Atomshipped (Apr 6, 2012)

Do yourself a favore and go with Orange.


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## 7stringDemon (Apr 6, 2012)

Off topic but all of these clips sound like shit to me . Is it supposed to sound like that? Because shit, if that's the tone you're looking for, I hear that Line 6 Spider III's are the BEST at it


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Apr 6, 2012)

7stringDemon said:


> Off topic but all of these clips sound like shit to me . Is it supposed to sound like that? Because shit, if that's the tone you're looking for, I hear that Line 6 Spider III's are the BEST at it



You must be new to sludge/doom metal.


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## highlordmugfug (Apr 6, 2012)

7stringDemon said:


> Off topic but all of these clips sound like shit to me . Is it supposed to sound like that? Because shit, if that's the tone you're looking for, I hear that Line 6 Spider III's are the BEST at it


Goes to a postmetal/sludge metal/atmospheric metal thread and is surprised that the clips aren't engl-tight and have grainy and loose distortion?

I'd laugh at you if I didn't feel so bad for you.


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## 7stringDemon (Apr 6, 2012)

I have never heard of sludge metal in my life until today haha. I never said that I hate the tone either. It's just a shitty tone. But it seems that it's supposed to be shitty.

So is calling it shitty a complament? Becaise if I were a sludge metal guitarist, I'd take it as one.


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## Dead Undead (Apr 6, 2012)

What did you expect from something called "Sludge" metal?  Anyway, shitty tone?


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## 7stringDemon (Apr 6, 2012)

I was expecting a bit of mud. I thought it was going to be sludgy because of the vocals though.


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## MFB (Apr 6, 2012)

My vote goes to the Tiny Terror for a solid tube head that does Doom/Stoner/Sludge no problem, and is pretty affordable second hand


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## Lost of All Reason (May 5, 2012)

I have a Laney VC50. It's a 2x12 high gain tube amp. The 50watt version of the 100w Head (VH100) i.e. Valve Combo 50 and Valve Head 100. I absolutely love mine. A lot more character than a 5150 but still has ridiculously absurd amounts of gain. A lot more crunchy mid range outta these guys (I have mine loaded with EL34s but they take 6L6 too and have built in BIAS switch) These are the amps Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth uses only he uses the GH100 which is basically a single channel VH100. The VC50 is every bit as ballsy as the VH100 and really 2x12" is plenty and makes it a very realistic home studio amp as well. I put 2 Celestion G12M speakers in mine and they were a dramatic improvement over the stocks and lent themselves much better to super crunchy metal valve tone.

So another huge Laney +1


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## All_¥our_Bass (May 5, 2012)

7stringDemon said:


> I was expecting a bit of mud. I thought it was going to be sludgy because of the vocals though.


A bit of mud = doom
Tone in these clips = sludge
Sustained muddy dirty guitar 'sound' = drone

Also these clips don't show just how 'bad' some doom/sludge tones can get.

To put it another way, it's the anti-tech/djent in terms of tone.


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## Amerikhastan (May 14, 2012)

If you havent found an amp yet I'm looking to get rid of my Laney GH100TI, which a few people have recommended to you in this thread. PM if you're interested.


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## Pav (May 14, 2012)

Given the ENGL talk, I'll assume price is not an issue at all.

Just get a Mesa Mark V. If you can't get nearly the exact tone you're looking for out of that, you won't get it out of any amp.

That's kind of a big assumption though.


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## Meldville (May 15, 2012)

JamesM said:


> Dunwich Amps (a really small company) makes _perfect_ stuff for this.
> 
> Dunwich Amps | Facebook



This.


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## Theemarkmiller (May 16, 2012)

Dead Undead said:


> That reminded me of this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




This amp sounds dope as duck (damn you autocorrect)


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## Theemarkmiller (May 16, 2012)

7stringDemon said:


> I have never heard of sludge metal in my life until today haha. I never said that I hate the tone either. It's just a shitty tone. But it seems that it's supposed to be shitty.
> 
> So is calling it shitty a complament? Becaise if I were a sludge metal guitarist, I'd take it as one.



One mans trash is another mans treasure. To people who love sludge and doom Isis's tone, where they play only with the neck pickups on their guitars, is amazing. It's huge sounding and crushing. It's not about the clarity. To me sludge is about the feel and atmosphere it creates. And of course how heavy it is.


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## Theemarkmiller (May 16, 2012)

I'll have to back up that Laney gh50L. I had one and it was LOUD. To put it one way, in a band I was in the one guitar player had a orange rockerverb 100 and the other guitar player had a gh50l. The rockerverb had to go up to about 6 to start to catch up with the laney on 2. When I had mine I'd run it clean and then use my cusack screamer fuzz for gain, then if I needed a boost I'd hit the drive on the amp. If you're looking to do the atmospheric thing I suppose you would want a good clean, a heavy distortion and everything in between that. I know Isis was using vht/fryette ultra leads. I have a elmwood Modena right now and it's a great loud amp as well but pretty expensive. (if your in the market let me know  ) 5150 II's can be had cheap and recto's.


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## jcm900steroids (May 17, 2012)

My band is playing around sludge/post metal, using Marshall's. My Blood (Is On Your Hands) by First Attempt Denied on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free the recording's aren't the best (bad quality mics/interface) but I kinda like the tone.


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## signalgrey (May 17, 2012)

im gonna add 
Fryette SIG:X only because some of the dudes in ISIS have been using them.


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## Dead Undead (May 17, 2012)

^Gallagher used a Sig:X through MESA cabs, Turner used a Pittbull UL through Fatbottoms.


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## Tysonimmortal (May 18, 2012)

I've had awesome doom tones from marshalls (DSL100) and a carvin V3, what you might try is boosting the front with an OD and a fuzz pedal.


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## Nonservium (May 18, 2012)

My god that Dunwich Amps "Wizard" model is fan-fucking-tastic!


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## groph (May 18, 2012)

7stringDemon said:


> I have never heard of sludge metal in my life until today haha. I never said that I hate the tone either. It's just a shitty tone. But it seems that it's supposed to be shitty.
> 
> So is calling it shitty a complament? Becaise if I were a sludge metal guitarist, I'd take it as one.



It's a purposefully shitty tone as far as I understand, like controlled shit. Cranking the bass, treble and gain on a Line 6 Insane model would not produce a good sludge tone. I guess the best, if not only way to obtain those tones authentically is through a tube amp cranked wide open and some sort of fuzz distortion or some interesting EQ trickery. Or just certain amps I guess, maybe certain amps just mud up in the right way when they're loud.

The smeared togetheredness and mud of sludge tones basically blur the notes together and make the songs sound like looming hazes rather than an arrangement of articulate riffs like a typical tech metal song.

Anyway, yeah mostly any Orange amp will get you that kind of tone, if the Tiny Terror can do it I'd imagine the Rockerverbs and especially the Thunderverbs could nail those tones. Orange amps are wtfexpensive though so if you could get something similar out of a 5150 I'd go for that. I bet you could, too.


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## dunwichamps (Jun 7, 2012)

thanks for the love guys!


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## idunno (Jun 9, 2012)

JamesM said:


> Dunwich Amps (a really small company) makes _perfect_ stuff for this.
> 
> Dunwich Amps | Facebook





Nonservium said:


> My god that Dunwich Amps "Wizard" model is fan-fucking-tastic!




I got that exact amp off of him! Its amazing, heres two more clips of it. As far as doom goes, dunwich is king.

Dunwich Amps Wizard Demo - YouTube


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## fitterhappier (Jun 9, 2012)

My ENGL Thunder gets a somewhat Doomy tone when I play through my Big Muff Pi - here it is with my ESP LTD SC-200 in Drop A#. Emperor 1x12 cab.

ENGL Thunder 50, Doom Sounds (with Big Muff Pi) by fitterhappier on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free


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