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Posted by: etrodai Nov 9 2008, 09:28 PM

Hi guys, i'm in the market for a new amp at the moment. I think it's finally time i got myself something serious. My main style of music is metal, i don't really play any other styles seriously, so i don't need something that's gonna be good at everything, i just need something that's gonna rock.

i tried out a 6505 at a local shop and i really liked it, the clean channel really wasn't too great, but that's not really a huge concern for me (although a good clean sound would be a nice bonus). I'm also interested in the engl fireball. These are the main 2 i am considering at the moment. I was just wondering if there were any other amps i should be taking into consideration. I've heard good things about VHT's for example.

With regards to a cabinet, i'm not really too sure what to go for, but i've been offered a good deal on an engl standard 4x12 with v60s. I've been offered it with a spider valve 100 watt head for £550. the cab itself sells for around the £500 mark so it seems a pretty good deal. I'm not really interested in the spider valve, but it's pretty much free with the cab, so i can keep it as a spare or sell it or something. the only thing is the main reason i am considering the cab is because of the deal i'm getting. do you guys think this is a good cabinet or could i get something better?

i don't mind paying a bit extra for better stuff, so if i thought it was really worth it i would save up and eventually get something like a dual rectifier, but if it's not a huge difference i would rather go for the cheaper peavey or engl.

Anyway some opinions would be much appreciated guys.

Thanks,
Andy

Posted by: MickeM Nov 9 2008, 10:15 PM

With the Powerball you'll get cleans aswell.

VHT's are abit on the expensive side I think...

The ENGL cab would be good, a Marshall 1960 with GT75 speakers are great for metal, a very popular choise in the genre and not too expensive.

And since we talking 100W amps and 4x12 I assume it's band rehearsal and gigs, no bedroom playing

Posted by: audiopaal Nov 9 2008, 10:29 PM

The Engl Powerball is flat out awesome
I got it and it rocks, a tad loud though

Posted by: ZakkWylde Nov 9 2008, 11:19 PM

Cheap but good head Valve Head would be the Peavey Valveking.
The Peavey 5150 or 6505 models are THE best metal amps out there imo but you have to adjust the clean sound a bit to make it sound good.
Newer Marshall models like the jcm 2000 or the JVM series handle Metal aswell as other sounds.
Randall V2 is a beast of an amp but not everybody likes it.
Hughes & Kettner Switchblades are allrounders who can do metal pretty well.
Mesa Boogie Rectifiers would be the best possible amps but they are also extremely expensive.
Engl Powerball and Savage or Invaders are incredible Metal amps.
And don't forget Krank, Framus and even Orange amps are good for Metal

Posted by: MickeM Nov 10 2008, 12:34 AM

Don't worry about it being too loud, just play! In due time you'll lose more and more of your hearing which means soon enough you can crank it.

somehow I feel my logic fails me

Posted by: SensE Nov 10 2008, 12:42 AM

I got a question though. Let's say I got an 100W head with a relatively small cabinet, would it sounds good?
Also, Audiopal, are u doing bedroom practising with the ENGL amp? That's insane.

Posted by: tommyboy Nov 10 2008, 05:50 AM

I'm sure it would sound ok, however, the whole idea of larger cabinets 4x12's mainly is they move a lot more air so you get a much better bass response. I can prove it everyday. I've got 2 Marshall 1960 cabinets...but one is a A and one is a B. The B cabinet has more internal space than the A cabinet and produces quite a difference in lows even though it's loaded with the same 4 speakers as my A cabinet.

One thing that people forget is tube amps are rated differently than a solid state amp. A 50watt tube amp is generally equal to about a 100 watt solid state amp. Also, a 100 watt tube amp isn't twice as loud as a 50 watt tube amp. When a 100 watt tube amp is cranked it's actually only about 3 decibels louder than a 50 watter. Personally I think 50 watt tube amps are way more than enough for anybody.

tommyboy

Posted by: SensE Nov 10 2008, 06:10 AM

I do not realize that until you told me this. Thank you for the helpful info here.

Posted by: etrodai Nov 10 2008, 07:23 AM

thanks for the input guys,

I've played the 6505, so i think i need to try and find a fireball to play so i can see what the difference is, then try them against a dual rec to see if i think the dual rec is really worth so much more.

i think i'm going to go for this cab i've been offered, so when i go to try them out i'll try and hook them up to an engl cab with v60s,

cheers guys

Posted by: tommyboy Nov 11 2008, 03:53 AM

No Problem

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Nov 12 2008, 12:24 AM

I think ENGL Fireball is a very good choice. Pair it with a 2x12 GT75s and you got yourself a very very solid metal rig.