That Ampeg sounds KILLER! Perfect for death metal. BTW, props for using and bringing attention to wearing hearing protection. I’ve been a metal guy my entire life and I wish that type of hearing protection existed when I was coming up. Great video! 🤘🏼🤘🏼
Thanks dude! Yeah, same. I'm probably going to do a video eventually that's a little bit more serious about it, but it's so important. I was GOING TO do it for the Eargasm collarboration, but I didn't want it to come off like I was only making the video for a sponsor, since it's such a serious topic.
For me it has to be the Marshall. The tone seems to have more body and string definition, which I like. The Ampeg sounds cool, the Crate sounds like it has a blanket on the cab.
Personally I've always hated the old valvestates in person, but mic'd they always sound so good, and this is no exception. There's something special about that sound. Takes me back to my teens.
It was probably your cab. I played an 8100 through a Mesa cab w/a 200 watt OG usa made EVL 12 and it slayed right there with my Mesa DR and my Fryette Sig X, and I actually preferred it to my JVM head
The Crate GX130c is my go to, I love plugging into it more than any other amp I own. I've never run through the Ampeg as the prices are getting higher and higher. Hopefully one day.
It's a cool amp. I enjoy it more for its nostalgic factor than anything else, but it's also pretty Br00tz. BTW, they are out there for deals, you just need to persistently look and be diligent. Took me like 2 months to find one.
You can get the valvestates, both the 8100 and VS100 a little closer to the ampeg style by using a Metalzone to “clean” boost it, but with the lows boosted a bit. Adds in some of that deep in person thump you feel is missing.
It's basically a 220w version of the GX130/GX140 without chorus. It's a bad mf. I have one, but it keeps burning a resistor in the power amp section and I can't figure out why. My GX140C is starting to do the same weird stuff my 2200 did before it started cooking the resistor.
You gotta replace the filter caps and reflow the solder joints in the crate. I got mine for $150 . Did that and it hasn’t acted weird not a single time since doing that.
In the mix Ampeg and Marshall sounded the best. 8100 might be most versatile work horse from these three. Luckily got one dirty cheap (150€) several years back. Love your content man!
@@symbolic_913 I was talking to Tommy Victor once about his Kemper and he said modelers just can't replicate SS amps very well. He used to play VS8100s and then Crate VTX-350. He's a solid-state guy, so I believe him.
I own the Crate and the Marshall, but have a friend that has the Ampeg and have yet to jam on it myself, but just to pick one in this shootout I'll go with the Marshall due to tonal versatility from what I heard. All 3 amps are great though, so you cannot go one wrong with any of them! \m/
Holy cow. I've owned all of these amps over the years. Out of these 3 the ampeg takes the win. I enjoyed it the most back in the day too. The only reason I got rid of my ampeg was because it was having some electronic issues I was unable to figure out. The guy that bought it from me was a collector of that amp and he said he could fix it. Sure enough he did. My crate amps were always my choice of amp to just get me by till I could get something else I liked more. They were always dirt cheap and were at least reliable. I've owned i think 4 crate amps. My marshall... I actually have no idea what ever happened to it. Lol but I got it at a pawn shop for like $120 in 2002.
Honestly I'd go for the crate. There was something about it that made it the meanest out of the 3. Second following the Ampeg and third the Marshall which sound like one of those poor bastard of amplifiers you find in the rehearsals room that have seen WAAAY to many things and... If figures. Crate FTW!
spoiler: the winner of the chug battle is us the viewer. our days have improved by being blessed by the divinity of riff after riff. cheers good sir, cheers.
Alot of the peavey solid-state along with Randall from 80s 90s and early 2000s are great. They defined the early sludge louisiana sound. Every slower bands from new orleans Randall really was the king of solid-state for those times and I still feel like are better amps. Check out the lines after the RG series ( my least favored) any color. The Vmax V2 cyclone ect. Countless killer amps for the same price as the peavey solid-state. I loved the V2 with a DBX 266 gate and a ts9 to tighten it up.... Early 2000s monster or the Cyclone with the DBX 266.
Oooooooo it's a toss up between the Ampeg & Marshall w/ the mix (definitely can't go wrong with either one of those when it comes to tracking)..Now this one took a few indepth listens, but the Ampeg for chugs. ..I had a similar version ages ago(2006) believe the head was a Ampeg SS-140-C Chorus Head, that this was just crazyyyy for metal. Have yet to been able to find another one since...Another great 👍🏻 vid buddy
Taylor, you're one of the few youtubers, whose sponsor ads I don't skip, even though since the war began and the sanctions on Russia were imposed I can't buy shit online (and I've wanted to get those earplugs for a while now). Keep the solid state cult alive, nothing beats SS amps for pure brutality. P.S. Ever thought of doing a vid on an H&K Black Spirit? From what I've heard, it sounds a like a tighter GX130C with a more flexible voicing (the distortion is kinda grainy like the Crate and it's got that growly low end to it, too). P.S. 2 Ampeg wins for me.
Dude thanks so much. I try to make them entertaining so you won't want to skip! 😂 I'm sorry to hear about your situation! Oddly they've been creeping on my IG and liking my ish, but haven't reached out or followed me yet 🤣 maybe though!
Recently recorded the Crate. Sounded pretty cool but we ended up reamping with a tube amp anyway. I own the Marshall head, I rarely use it on its own. Always with a boost (OD808 or MXR GTOD).
Would love to see a review on a valvestate bi chorus 8200. Love that one as well with the chorus engaged but turned all the way down. It's pretty sweet
I know you were partially joking when you mentioned Static-X, but Wayne used a 8100 for recording on their first album only and used MG series for everything else. I honestly didn't believe it the first time someone told me considering how tight his tone is especially on their first album!
Hell yes please! 😄🤘🤘 I have all 3. The Crate with an overdrive gives the ultimate 90's shred tones, but on their own I give it to the Ampeg, although I prefer the SS140c.
I sold vh140c and ss150 ampegs like loafs of bread at my shop in the 90s, turn the mids off, 7 the bass, dime the high, roll off all on the chorus and leave it on🤘
chuck schuldiner used the marshall 8100 and made it the most famous amp in this category and i think for a good reason, i have mine since 1996 and it is still the way to go for death metal for me but marhsall used cheap components back then and thats the biggest issue with these amps, i had to buy a broken one for cheap just for spare parts🙄
It would be awesome if marshall reissued the 8100 with the exact same schematics but just with higher quality components. The vh140c is built like a tank tho like mine literally survived a flood. only thing you gotta watch for is the signal being sensitive to dirty fx jacks which can make it cut out. Patch cable or contact cleaner def does the trick. Also it has more than one fx loop so make sure theyre all clean
@@spiritofthetallhills2037 yes !! there is a pedal version of the 8100 preamp section out there but i forgot the brands name sadly 🫣..i think fluff has a review about that on his channel
My bandmate has a similar 90s crate and his makes strange noises or just cuts out sometimes, what he tends to do is hit the top of the amp with his fist as hard as he can which ALWAYS works. The amp belongs to his dad since 30 years and even he used the same “fix” xD
The ultimate thing to do would be use them all on a track, maybe Marshall on the left, Ampeg on the right, then use the Crate for leads. Hell maybe even put the bass through one of them too with less gain 😂 thanks for doing this shoot out! Maybe now just shoot the amps with their pedal clones haha
I would go Marshall every time. It cuts through like a hot knife whereas the Ampeg and Crate both had a "blanket over the cab" sound. That snarl also plays better with the HM2.
I got a vh140c and an 8100 and while i agree the marshall has the best note separation, the 140c def doesnt sound like that if you dial it right also i think hm2 sounds a bit harsh through the marshall but the ampeg got a nice balance that complements it well kinda reminds me of gatecreeper with an hm2 in front of it
The Crate and the Ampeg prefer a speaker like the Electro-Voice EVM12L or the Eminence Legend EM12 (EVM clone). Those two heads were originally paired with a set of 30w FST 12" (part# 86-450-xx, xx=ohm rating... 04, 08, or 16) in their respective 120w cabinets by StLouis Music. The FST speakers are very transparent. Any other speaker with these heads sounds muffled, i.e. "cargo blanket over the cab" sound.
You should try out the very elusive marshall valvestate bi chorus 8200, it's sick . I put on the chorus but everything down makes it sound nice and thick in the tone
Bought myself an Ampeg SS150. The difference between SS150 and VH140 is that SS150 low and highs are PRE-GAIN equalizers. So SS150 is a 1978 fully solidstate circuit similar to Randall Satan (which I also own). Oh boy... the SS150 blew away everything on the market that was ever built in terms of brutality. It's has absurdish amounts of usable gain (when maxed) and cutting pre-gain low make it ultra chuggy for 7 string too. I started to use both SS150 and Satan and Satan is used as a "loose gain structure amp" in my rig xD If you ever had a chance to grab SS150 - get. It's different than VH140, you'll be shocked.
To me , The Ampeg will always sound the best. However, I think the mids being turned clockwise ( more) increases the volume and how the gain acts. You can get that baby cooking and scoop the mids elsewhere with an EQ or whatever. If you leave the mids on counter clockwise ( less) the amp don't ever sound right to me.
@@TaylorDanley cheers bro, as you said the Ampeg had the best snarl - agreed, but unless your gonna sit in your bedroom for the next 20 years it's gotta be considered within a mix and how it sits with other instruments, and that's where the crate absolutely rules!
I've owned several of all three of these amps and still have the VH-140c and GX-130c. I liked the VS8100/VS8200s the least of the three (hence no longer own one) and of the other two, they are darn near identical and a lot of any audible differences between them are probably going to mostly come down to variance within the manufacturing tolerances of the components inside them. That said, of the ones that I currently own (and again, I have owned several of each of these) my Crate GX-130c sounds better than my VH-140c - just a tad but still noticeably better. And as far as ultimate 90s death metal amps are concerned - if I had to pick a "Big 3" I would put the Peavey Supreme 160 (blue stripe) in there over the VS8100. The Supreme 160 is a SAVAGE amp.
I just recently bought a Valvestate 8100 head for $200 from a kid selling his dads gear 😅. Cleaned her up a bit, gave it a new tube and it works how it should 👍
Yea I have the vh140c and have been using it for 26 years. Only recently have gone to a headrush and it's not anywhere near as good , but certainly lighter. 😛👍
When I think about 90s Death Metal the first thing that comes on my mind is the main riff of 'Stripped, Raped and Strangled' That is just mean A good amp for the genre have to sound good on that.
I agree with you on this one, man... the Ampeg sounds absolutely killer, but if I had to choose a second I think I'd go with the Valvestate to be honest. Awesome video brother!
Hard choice between the Crate and the Valvestate but I gotta go with the Valvestate i love that bright mid focused tone. Although I gotta say I think I prefer my Valvestate avt50 2000 over the old ones, more bass and mids
I always found my AVT50 to be kinda muddy. It sounds pretty good as a power amp for the Master Effects Martyr though. Actually, to it's credit it sounds pretty decent as a power amp for pretty much anything except the stock preamp.
@skaldlouiscyphre2453 they have a bit of muddiness but a graphic eq in the effects loop worked great for me... until the eq somehow damaged the effects loop lmao. I got rid of it a while ago because of that, miss the sound but it was not very reliable buildwise.
@@burnoutzzz Shame about it dying. Weirdly, mine has been solid as a rock in terms of reliability. I only say weirdly because I've read a lot of reviews mentioning it not being reliable. For the longest time I had a Crate GX15's send connected to the effects return and thought it sounded decent.
@skaldlouiscyphre2453 Damn I should've tried that back before mine died! I have the same Crate, I may give that a try with my Peavey Bandit since I can get pretty damn close to the Valvestate tone with it.
@@burnoutzzz The little Crate should have a jack labelled insert, it's a stereo jack. If you get a stereo to 2x mono Y-cord, one side will be the effects send, the other side is the return (which can be ignored). That should get things working for you.
Thanks so much dude! YES it's on the list, I'm SLOWLY making my way through all of them lol. I actually just bought new grill cloth for my gx600, and I think I'm going to get that one fixed up before I shoot it. Previous owner ruined the old grill, so I'm replacing it and even bought a new badge and everything for it lol.
@@TaylorDanley can't wait for that video! My crate gx600 is pretty munch in mint condition besides one of the speaker out puts doesn't work but that's ok I don't own 2 cabs.
The ampeg has a high end that some might like, but you can't beat the midrange grind of that Marshall. That's a really well designed EQ in the preamp. You get definition and grind without sacrificing anything that isn't worth it IMHO. I remember playing the valve states as a kid and always enjoyed them. Back then I probably would have thought one of these ampeg heads was just the bee's knees, I'm talking item 9 here.
The only Crate I have ever liked was the Blue Voodoo BV300H. But I love those Ampeg's that were manufactured through St. Louis Music(SLM). I have a Ampeg VL1002 Lee Jackson designed amp.
I've got A vh140c 2x12 sitting on top on two celestion loaded Ampeg slant cabs side x side and there is nothing in this existence that touches it. And I've had about every amp out there. Killer vid bro but you know I'm biased lol
I might be biased because I have the 8100 but I liked that mid heavy sound best, I feel like it would let the lower bass tone breathe more. Ampeg is a close second imo..
I thought the Ampeg and Marshall cut thru the mix best, but Ampeg sounded the meanest and best! Someone said that the Crate sounded like someone put a blanket on it and I think that's accurate. It sounded like a cheap amp trying to emulate the Ampeg, but it got lost in the mix at parts.
I used to have a valvestate. Was my first half stack. Sadly I left it in my ex's garage after we broke up and never got it back. She insisted I took it with me. But considering I no longer have it... Yeah.
I love the crate that I got and it sounded really killer, crunch and everything until the noise was really low and distorted and realized it was probably loose wires and but it down and it made a whistle noise when I turned it on and a “ Poof” sound and it died on me, it’s not turning on, probably get an Ampeg that I saw on reverb once I get money, so nobody take it please. The crate was good for only 1 month, got it for 600
The best sounding to me is the Ampeg VH140c. The Valvestate too isn't bad at all (i have a valvestate and use it for everything) but in my opinion for this specific type of genre and that tone, the VH140 handles it better. The story changes if you boost the valvestate with a distortion/overdrive pedal of your choice, in that case i take back what i've said.
if i’m playing like a mix of death and thrash metal u think i should go with the marshall i’m tempted and i might get a boost or distortion pedal with it
Cool vid👍🏻🤘🏻 Imo this is the tru result: No1: Ampeg!!! No2. Valvestate!! No3. ….. No4. ….. No5. Crate! The Ampeg was fat as hell, and the Marshall a bit less, but nice growl. The Crate just sounded more Ac/Dc ”hillbilly” dirty, allovertheplace. But think it will work nicer when playing black instead of death.
VH140C wins for sure although the Valvestate is decent. It makes me kick myself for selling mine back in the late 90s. Thankfully we have the FleshRot and VHD pedals and amps, that use the vh140c pre-amp circuit.
Check out Aion Effects VH Drive. It's the most accurate of the VH pedals, as it runs 15v/7.5v like the real VH head. Most of the other pedals run at 9v/4.5v.
