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Posted by: Profanity Jan 22 2009, 05:14 PM

My current gear list is this:

B. C. Rich Warlock (metal pack guitar, with a -81 EMG addition)
MT-2 Metal Zone pedal
Guitar Port 2.0 (with Gearbox, Rifftracker and Audiocity)
A Nylon guitar with bent neck.
An unnamed 10W amp with no brand:S
Gigbag (just to make the list abit longer and more impressive:P)

Until now, this has been perfect for me, i just used my warlock on the guitar port when i play at home, and take with me the MT-2 pedal to practice. But soon enough i will play gigs with my band, and then i would want to bring my own gear. My band is also starting to practice at a soundstudio our other guitarist has, and it would be nice to have my stuff there aswell.

I play metal and would like something with the sound of Killswitch or Dethklok. Something with much power, clean enough sound to distinguish the tones from eachother. I like fast melodic riffing:P
I have been thinking of getting a Krank Revolution Series 1, but my band want me to buy Mesa Boogie something, but it cost twice as mutch. I have also been told that i should just get a Pod x3 Live and use that with a clean amp, but i dont know what would be the best.

I'm from Norway, so i got 15.000kr (about 2.200$ or 1.700Euro) i "could" increase it to 30.000kr (about 4500$ or 3400Euro) but i should stay within the first sum.

Could someone help me with this? I have been stuck with this for a long time now:P
It's going to be used for practice and gigs, and soon for school (I'm going rock/metal at a school for the next year)

Posted by: Bogdan Radovic Jan 22 2009, 05:55 PM

I wouldn't go for the POD x3 live + clean amp option..I would recommend a all tube Marshall amp and even better - that Mesa Boogie one your bend mentioned...Its worth the money and will sound great.

Posted by: Profanity Jan 22 2009, 05:57 PM

It's just that i have max 4500$ and only the mesa boogie is 5000$ and then i wont have money left for a guitar or other stuff. If i use more money than that on gear, i wouldn't have enough money to go on that school.

Posted by: MickeM Jan 22 2009, 06:59 PM

How about a Hughes and Kettner Switchblade? You should be able to get a used one for 9000NOK.

Posted by: Profanity Jan 22 2009, 08:56 PM

i liked that hughes and kettner switchblade amp. but i heard there is just one place in norway they sell h&k, and i dont know where:P
is there some place in sweden i can get it?, or first of all, test it?
and what cab should i use?

and what should i use most money on? guitar or amp/cab? what do you think is most important? or is my 5 year old 250$ warlock with EMG -81 on bridge good enough and just go for the amps and sound?

Posted by: Toni Suominen Jan 22 2009, 09:16 PM

With that budget definitely buy a good tube amp. Mesa's (Rectifiers) or Peaveys (5150/6505) will do the job

Cab is an important part of the sound, so buy a good one. Mesa makes good cabs, and a lot of them have V30 speakers, which I recommend. If you have the opportunity I suggest you try some cabs out and see what you like the best.

Posted by: ZakkWylde Jan 22 2009, 09:20 PM

For your second sum (~3400Euro) You could get yourself a realy professional equip: A great guitar and a metal halfstack. AFAIK the German Store THOMANN is cheaper then your local stores and ships to norway so I would try out the stuff you need in Norway but order it from Thomann.

An amp does most of the sound but only a good guitar with a good amp will get you a GREAT Sound and since your Warlock is a fairly cheap axe I would buy not only an amp but a new guitar aswell...

AMPS:

My personal favourite cab of all time:
http://www.thomann.de/de/marshall_mr1960av_gitarrenbox.htm
-looks good, sounds good and doesn't cost too much

Metal amps:
http://www.thomann.de/de/krank_revolution_head_bg.htm
-As you suggested; good metal tone (a bit muddy imo) and a not too bad clean but VERY expensive for only two channels... (Dethklok, Trivium,Late Pantera tone)

http://www.thomann.de/de/peavey_6505_plus_gitarrentopteil.htm
-THE STANDARD METAL AMP sounds extremely tight and heavy at a reasonable price, clean channel is only OK (In Flames, Machine Head, Bullet For My Vallentine tone)

http://www.thomann.de/de/hugheskettner_switchblade_head.htm
-As MickeM suggested, 4channels, very versitaile, built in effects, great for the Price BUT I sounds a bit lifeless IMO

http://www.thomann.de/de/mesa_boogie_dual_rectifer.htm
-The amp your band suggested you; Great tone and also versitaile and used by many bands BUT EXTREMELY pricey in Europe (Lamb Of God, As I Lay Dying, Killswitch Engage, Metallica tone)

http://www.thomann.de/de/engl_powerball_e645.htm
-Great modern sounding Metal amp, 4 channels, versitaile (Necrophagist, Nevermore)

http://www.thomann.de/de/marshall_jvm410h.htm
- 12 channels, extremely versitaile but not as heavy sounding, more oldschool metal (Megadeth, Trivium, Children of Bodom sound)

Posted by: Profanity Jan 22 2009, 10:12 PM

nice post!:D

that mesa is tempting, but its allmost all that i have if i combine it with that cab.

what do you guys think of the switchblade with that marshal cab and a new shiny axe?

edit: and what about a H&K Triamp MKII instead of the mesa dual rectifier? whats the difference between them other than 100 euro?

Posted by: MickeM Jan 22 2009, 10:47 PM

I never experienced the Triamp mkII myself but I understand it's a teriffic amp. Funny think with those H&K amps, the Trimp like the Switchblade I have, are that they are voiced a bit differently on the respective channels. Which in the Switchblades case means the EQ and gain adds different characteristics depending on the channel you're on. British vs US sound and the ulta channes even has slightly scooped mids by default - i.e before you wven start messing with the EQ
Also the Triamp has different texture on the channels. Some british and some US sounding.

I agree with ZakkWyle on the cab. That Marshall cab with GT75 speakers eats my V30 cab for breakfast, lunch and dinner when it comes to metal.

I don't know about the Triamp but if you get the Switchblade you have to get a noise surpressor because the Hi gain channels will scream... I'm always quick on the volume knob for the silent pieces but there's always a squeal before I get the volume under control
Oh, and the Triamp comes with a Redbox too, it's for recording without miking.

Maybe your guitar is still ok? Leaves on amp head and one cabinet and if you get the Switchblade you add a noise surpressor to that
musikborsen.se carries them here, I'm sure they do in Norway too.

Posted by: Profanity Jan 22 2009, 11:51 PM

ok, i just found out that a guy here in norway is selling a 5 year old, almost never used mesa triple rectifier for 2200$! or, 17euro!

should i go for that one and worry about cab and stuff later mabye?

Posted by: ZakkWylde Jan 23 2009, 12:05 AM

It's your preferance in sound when it comes to the cab...I played the Marshall box with Vintage 30 speakers which sounds smooth and works well with all styles while the marshall cab with gt75 speakers is more edgy, which is great for Metal but not as versitaile as the Vintage 30s (on the other hand, the cab with Gt75s is 100Euros cheaper...)

Dunno about the H&K triamp but I know the Switchblade CAN AND WILL deliver Metal as good as any other amp I posted. It is once again your preferance: every Amp I mentioned can do metal but they all sound diffrent in one or another way, that's why testing them out against each other is so important. My impression on those amps was:

-Krank: Muddy and very limited sounding while being too expensive
-Peavey 6505: Extremely tight and direct sounding, almost too harsh for anything else besides metal
-Switchblade: 4 great channels and awesome built in effects but the sound lacks ''soul'' dunno how to describe
-Rectifier: Great american sounding amp but not better than others worth the money you have to pay outside the US (it's much cheaper there) for the money you have to pay for it in the EU, you can get a handmade boutique Amp like a Diezel Herbert which smokes the rectifier^^
-Powerball: Once again a very heavy sounding amp with more gain then you'll ever need but it's very modern sounding amp which might not be your style...
-Marshall: Has it's characteristic sound but it's not as heavy sounding as the others (although it's the most metal sounding Marshall ever built)

Try some of those amps if possible and if not; for your styles you can't go wrong with the Peavey 6505; the Switchblade or the ENGL Powerball...listen to soundclips of those amps on youtube!!!

One of those amps+cab would make ~2000 Euro so there are at least 1000 Euro to send on a great quality guitar that will serve you well for a long time.
I don't know if you prefere a special guitar type/maker/shape/color/Pickups/Bridge. You have to tell us what you want! I'll just list some great metal guitars for about ~1000Euros for you , maybe you'll like one...

Gibson Explorer: Cool shape, Great for rythm, very full and warm sounding
http://www.thomann.de/de/gibson_explorer76_cw.htm

Gibson Flying V: Cool shape, very balanced sounding
http://www.thomann.de/de/gibson_flying_v.htm

Jackson Randy Rhoads: Cool shape, 24 frets, Emg pickup, ORIGINAL FLYOD ROSE TREMOLO
http://www.thomann.de/de/jackson_rr24m_rhoads_bk_w.htm

Ibanez Rg Prestige: Versitaile, easy to play, shredding guitar
http://www.thomann.de/de/ibanez_rg2550zgk.htm

Esp LTD Eclipse: Les Paul style, great tone, emg pickups
http://www.thomann.de/de/esp_ltd_ec1000_stbc.htm

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Jan 23 2009, 12:45 AM

You could do that mate, but be sure to check out the state of that amp, and try it out. It may turn out that you have to do some minor repairing etc, and the costs can go high very qucikly. So be careful with used gear always, specially when it is that expensive. Try this amp heavily on some cab, crank it, listen carefully, turn all teh knobs left right, listen for cracks, check out exterior, and how the amp behaves. IMO Triple Rectifier is THE metal amp, so that head is definitely worth buying if in proper state. Try to lower down the price on 2000e, or at least 2100e. Then you can buy a decent 2x12 cab for starters for another 300-400e and have a blasting tone.

Posted by: Marshmall0wz Jan 23 2009, 12:49 AM

http://www.thomann.de/gb/orange_rk100h_rockerverb_100_head.htm
God this thing sounds AMAZING and is well within you price range. Definitely a metal/rock amp but british. My dream amp. Plus orange is the best Quite cheap and in my opinion WAY better than any mesa boogie rectifier. As for cabs i'd recommend the marshall above that everyone raves about or the ORange 412.

Posted by: Profanity Jan 23 2009, 12:51 AM

for guitars i like the warlock shape wery mutch. it sits nicely on my knee while playing in my room (wich is 98% of the time) and it looks great for that genre. id also like EMGs -81 and -85, even though i actually cant hear the difference between the -81 on my guitar and the stock one i had:P id also like floyd rose bridges and a really thin neck.

here in norway, they wont sell mesa, diezel, krank and h&k, and if they would ship it, they would force you to buy it, as it would be "problematic" for them to sell it to others:S

but if the triple rectifier isnt sold yet, then im going to test that one out for sure!:P

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Jan 23 2009, 01:10 AM

If the rectifier is gone, I would go for the 6505 since it is an awesome metal head with great rhythm and reasonable price.

Posted by: Marshmall0wz Jan 23 2009, 01:41 AM

ORange man. Amazing amps

Posted by: g-forcelover Jan 23 2009, 02:21 AM

Marshall JVM. no other amp will do. that is the single greatest amp ever!

Posted by: Mandos Jan 23 2009, 07:15 AM

I've heard good things about Vader 412 cabs, especially together with Engl amps.

Posted by: Profanity Jan 23 2009, 08:50 AM

it isnt wery constructive to say "its the best amp, buy it" when i asked for a specific sound and flavor, but thanks for the help anyway:)

if that triple rectifier isnt going my way, i think il stay for that switchblade. it sounds really good on youtube at least compared to the other amps i have heard here (youtube is the only place i could be able to hear any of those) but if the peavy 6505+ is really good, might take that one. peavy is at least possible to test in this country:P

il get that cab, and i think i could use my guitar for a little while more, and look for a new guitar sometimes when my economy goes back up again. thanks for the help guys!

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Jan 23 2009, 12:35 PM

No problem mate, we're glad to help in any way. Let us know what you did in the end OK? Cheers!

Posted by: Profanity Jan 23 2009, 03:54 PM

the triple rectifier is too far away, its about 5000-10.000km or something, just got an answer on it, so i think il go for the switchblade. my band dont want me to buy the peavy:P they say its good for a couple of months and then it will fall apart or something.

do you think il be happy with a switchblade with marshall 1960av?

Posted by: Marshmall0wz Jan 24 2009, 09:40 PM

I think that's a great cab. Everyone uses (exaggeration) I personally don't like the switchblade because it seems VERY modern. I like Orange Amps (Rockerverb 50/100) because they are metal amps that are styled boutiquely. Get what you like though, it's all preference.

Posted by: Paulooze Jan 24 2009, 10:40 PM

what abou Peavey 6505 PLUS head (about 1k €) + some box? It was used by Van Halen, so I think you can use it too...

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Jan 25 2009, 12:14 AM

6505+ will definitely not fall apart after couple months from use mate, it is great for metal and everyday gigging. Lot of professional metal players do regular gigs with it.

Posted by: Profanity Jan 25 2009, 06:44 PM

i dont like the sound of orange, i like the sounds of h&k, mesa and krank, and peavy is a mabye, as i have only tried the cheap ones (thats in our rented practice rom, dont know what kind of name it has) thats why i got the Metal Zone pedal to get a more fat sound to my rythms

the switchblade had a great sound on some youtube wideos atleast and lots of effects in it. but im still not sure about what to take. but at least im going from nothing (or gearbox) to expensive live gear.

its just that it IS alot of money:( i dont earn enough to just do this, i have saved for a loooong time:P

Posted by: Profanity Feb 2 2009, 02:26 PM

ok, now i have been looking around and decided that i will get the h&k switchblade with the marshall 1960av cab.

in a store near me, i can get the cab fairly cheap, but it has V50 instead of V30 or GT75, is this going to be anything different? it cost allmost the same as the one from thomann.de linked in this thread somewhere. if this isnt an issue, or have any significant meaning, then il get the cab tomorrow.

i might come with an update on the amp tomorrow, as im going to talk to someone more experienced with buying amps at the store for that one.

Posted by: MickeM Feb 2 2009, 02:43 PM

GT75 is the speaker fot metal I don't know about V50, I think Vintage 30's are great but I just don't know the v50's. Sorry.
Get a noise surpressor too, it's useful for the hi-gain channels on the Switchblade or else it'll squuuuueal.

Posted by: Profanity Feb 2 2009, 02:49 PM

so what should i do then? buy it and then insert gt75 or v30? or should i look around until i find a 1960av with either of those?

and what do you mean by squeal?
doesnt the supressor take away to mutch of the sound? someone told me i should get a gate instead, but that doesnt mean anything if the squeal is for high outputs.
isnt it a quite bad amp if it squeals at high volumes?

edit:
remember im going to use this for a metal core/black metal/metal at all, band. and a cover band on the side

Posted by: Profanity Feb 2 2009, 05:14 PM

i have been looking around for the squeal thing about the switchblade and there is nothing to find on google about switchblade squealing while playing. mabye there is something wrong with your amp mickem?

and what about those v50 thingies? i neeeeeed to know this until tomorrow. please:(

Posted by: ZakkWylde Feb 2 2009, 05:21 PM

Never heard about V50 speakers, try the cab before you buy it, it might be crap!!!

MickeM meant a Noisegate when he said supressor, it's a pedal that goes in your Effects loop of the amp to reduce unwanted sounds like feedback (squeals) and makes your tone more precise and clean which is needed for high gain metal.
Something like a boss ns-2 pedal or an icp decimator would do the trick...

Almost every amp will get that extreme unwanted feedback and extra noise when played loud and with lots of gain, the noisegate helps to keep control over your powerfull amp!

Posted by: Profanity Feb 2 2009, 05:48 PM

ah thanks, so you mean this is not worse than any other amp with this kind of sound then?

just hope they can held that cabinett back until i get the switchblade then so i can test it:P

this is the only info i have about the cab i was watching:

1960 Vintage 1960 Vintage 4x12" kabinettet er utstyrt med Celestions Vintage-elementer som ble spesialdesignet for Marshalls regning allerede i 1986. Med sitt genuine mellomtonefokus fungerer dette kabinettet til både Vintage-forsterkeren og Hi-gain-riggen. • 280W • 4 x 12" Vintage-elementer • Mono 4 eller 16 ohm, stereo 8 ohm • hjul • 760 x 830 x 360 mm • 1960AV: 40.6 kg / 1960BV: 41.4 kg

wich is in english:

1960 Vintage 1960 Vintage 4x12" the cabinett is equipped with Celestion Vintage-speakers wich is special designed on Marshalls account allready in 1986. With it's genuine midletone fokus, it will work for both the Vintage-amp and the Hi-gain setup * 280W * 4 x 12" Vintage-speakers * Mono 4 or 16 ohm, stereo 8 ohm * wheels * 760 x 830 x 360 mm * 1960AV: 40.6 kg / 1960BV 41.4 kg
(or something like it)

is this all you need to see if its a V30 or not? cause thats all that was in the inscription on musikkborsen.no

Posted by: Profanity Feb 3 2009, 08:19 PM

i can get the switchblade from the store too, but DAMN the price went up in the sky!:O
it was 1199€ for it from thomann.de, here it is for 2160€!!!! but i made it to push it down to about 1700€ and get the cab for 850€ (going to test the cab when the switchblade arrives) still wery expensive, but.. it might even be more expensive to get it into norway from deutchland too, + i get to have a waranty:P

if i decide to go for this, il have it next week|=)

what do you think? its 700€ more than i expected but, what can i do:P

Posted by: MickeM Feb 4 2009, 12:20 AM

ZakkWylde explained it above It's only squeling when you stop playing and the guitar is silent.

I think I called it surpresson but noise gate is probably more commonly used. I'm getting a Rocktron Hush floor pedal someday.

It's not a lot cheaper i Sweden, it's 16300 SEK at musikborsen. Since you're in Noway I think they'd add VAT in the customs and possibly a customs tax. Ordering within EU is free.
What you could do to save quite some money is to order it to someone in Sweden or Denmark, no extra added except 15€ for the transport. Take a drive to pick it up and the money you saved is enough to buy a cabinet.
You have warranty from Germany. The only bit is that it'll be troublesome incase there's a problem.


Could be Vintage 30 speakers they mean. Would be good.

Posted by: Profanity Feb 4 2009, 03:11 AM

1700€ is 15.000kr so i actually got to push the prices 1300kr under that:P and since i get it in a store just a short drive from me, its even better. so il go there tomorrow and ask them to order it|=)

if the squeal is only when not playing, then it just reminds me of that horrible randall rh100(something) head in my band room, wich sounds like a steamtrain with a bad digestive problem when i stop playing...:S but if its just hum-noise(?) or the strings making a squeal, then its not a problem. and IF its really bad, il just look around and see if someone want to buy it:P

Posted by: Profanity Feb 4 2009, 05:46 PM

i bought the hughes and kettner switchblade 100w head for 15.500kr (2200$ or 1700€ if you like) it will arrive tomorrow (my 22'nd birthday^^) or on friday.

but i just got a tip from a friend to look for a used mesa or diezel cab instead of that marshall 1960av. im going to use MAX 7500kr (1100$ or 850€) and still designed for metal core type sounding (any metal genre more likely)
anyone know of anything good here? or should i just look for something with v30's or gt75's? found a 1960av'ish ibanez cab cheap here with v30's, wouldnt this be just like the marshall one? only cheaper*