C
Cast of Shadows
New member
In response to the original poster with his amp question...
What kind of sound are you looking for? Do you just want to have Clean, Crunch, and Lead for live performance, or do you want to have a few different sounds to choose from at all times? The reason I ask is, for me, the biggest decision i ever made in guitar gear was going rack instead of going with an amp head. Some of the Mesa Boogie heads out there have a TON of options, that can be switched with various switches and knobs on the back of the amp heads, but is that really practical in a live situation for you?
If you're looking to go rack, or thinking about it, go around to some local guitar shops or pawn shops and try out a few of these units, they're my own preference and maybe you'll find something you like too. FYI, you can usually get a great preamp and poweramp used (in mint condition) for about what you'd pay for a nice new Mesa Dual Rec head.
Here's the Pre-amps I recommend checking out:
Mesa Boogie Tri-Axis - HUGE tube sound, 99 presets
Rocktron Chameleon - This is my preamp, love it, been using it since the mid 90s... does EVERY sound I need.
Rocktron Voodoo Valve - same as the Chameleon, only with a 12ax7 tube in it.
Rocktron Piranha - Sounds OK on its own... sounds absolutely killer if you run it through one of those BBE sonic maximizers.
Poweramps to check into:
Mesa / Boogie 2:90 - footpedal switchable DEEP, 1/2 DRIVE, and MODERN Settings... Deep fills out the low-end, 1/2 Drive cuts the power for low volume practice, and Modern gives it a little more punch and clarity. By far my favorite poweramp. Only drawback is where they put the fuses on this thing. If you blow a fuse during a gig, you have to remove at least 2-4 power tubes (which would then be hot from being on) to access the fuses.
Mesa / Boogie 50/50: 100+ watts of Mesa tube power. Great sound, comparable to the Dual Rectifier in actual "loudness". The ground lift is another nice feature.
Marshall had a great power amp a few years back, I believe it was called the 9112 or the 9110... I can't remember exactly, but it was a very warm sounding poweramp.
Rocktron's Velocity power amps are good too, but not even half as warm as the Mesa power amps.
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Were you also asking about the actual speaker cabinets? If you were, it really doesn't matter which cabinet you get IMO, it matters what speakers you get. The Marshall JCM series cabinets, along with the Mesa Recto cabinets, and Crate Blue Voodoo (celestion equipped only) are fitted with the vintage Celestion speakers. They are a staple of rock music and I personally haven't found another speaker I like more. I don't know much about the orange amp, but I'd check to see if they have celestions in their speaker cabs as well. The High-end Marshalls and Mesas DEFINITELY do.
Hopefully this helps a little. Let me know what you decide to do
~Vince LuPone
Guitarist/songwriter
http://www.castofshadows.com
What kind of sound are you looking for? Do you just want to have Clean, Crunch, and Lead for live performance, or do you want to have a few different sounds to choose from at all times? The reason I ask is, for me, the biggest decision i ever made in guitar gear was going rack instead of going with an amp head. Some of the Mesa Boogie heads out there have a TON of options, that can be switched with various switches and knobs on the back of the amp heads, but is that really practical in a live situation for you?
If you're looking to go rack, or thinking about it, go around to some local guitar shops or pawn shops and try out a few of these units, they're my own preference and maybe you'll find something you like too. FYI, you can usually get a great preamp and poweramp used (in mint condition) for about what you'd pay for a nice new Mesa Dual Rec head.
Here's the Pre-amps I recommend checking out:
Mesa Boogie Tri-Axis - HUGE tube sound, 99 presets
Rocktron Chameleon - This is my preamp, love it, been using it since the mid 90s... does EVERY sound I need.
Rocktron Voodoo Valve - same as the Chameleon, only with a 12ax7 tube in it.
Rocktron Piranha - Sounds OK on its own... sounds absolutely killer if you run it through one of those BBE sonic maximizers.
Poweramps to check into:
Mesa / Boogie 2:90 - footpedal switchable DEEP, 1/2 DRIVE, and MODERN Settings... Deep fills out the low-end, 1/2 Drive cuts the power for low volume practice, and Modern gives it a little more punch and clarity. By far my favorite poweramp. Only drawback is where they put the fuses on this thing. If you blow a fuse during a gig, you have to remove at least 2-4 power tubes (which would then be hot from being on) to access the fuses.
Mesa / Boogie 50/50: 100+ watts of Mesa tube power. Great sound, comparable to the Dual Rectifier in actual "loudness". The ground lift is another nice feature.
Marshall had a great power amp a few years back, I believe it was called the 9112 or the 9110... I can't remember exactly, but it was a very warm sounding poweramp.
Rocktron's Velocity power amps are good too, but not even half as warm as the Mesa power amps.
----------------------
Were you also asking about the actual speaker cabinets? If you were, it really doesn't matter which cabinet you get IMO, it matters what speakers you get. The Marshall JCM series cabinets, along with the Mesa Recto cabinets, and Crate Blue Voodoo (celestion equipped only) are fitted with the vintage Celestion speakers. They are a staple of rock music and I personally haven't found another speaker I like more. I don't know much about the orange amp, but I'd check to see if they have celestions in their speaker cabs as well. The High-end Marshalls and Mesas DEFINITELY do.
Hopefully this helps a little. Let me know what you decide to do
~Vince LuPone
Guitarist/songwriter
http://www.castofshadows.com
