There are so many. For metal, the 5150 designs are really the high bar for an accessible metal amp. For everything else, the original Fender Pro Reverb is my favorite without a doubt. Hiwatts and Dumbles are also, OF COURSE, notables as well as the amazing Valco designs branded under Kay, National and Silvertone.
Right now I'm seeing a Soldano weeping in the background. Surprised that there's not a 5150 in the list, not because of recent events but because it's been used and abused by metal guitar players for a few years now.
I'm almost famous for being the only one who's not in love with the 5150. Haha! And yes, there's a soldano SLO60 in the background. Not the greatest amp either if you ask me.
@@KohleAudioKult Yeah I was wondering why you didn't have the 5150. I don't use my sims of it that often (though I do like it for leads), but it's so well known as being a heavily used metal amp.
I have a JCM 900 (original) and following the recommendations on Christian's channel I replaced 2 of the speakers in my 4X12 with an Eminence Governor and Man o War and the result was incredible. Speakers / cabs are perhaps the most important thing in the signal chain... after the player.
I grew up with the Bay Area thrash sound. Most of the bands of that era used JCM800s, often boosted with a pedal. You can’t tell me that mid to late 80s thrash bands like Testament, Exodus, Flotsam and Jetsam, Anthrax, etc. didn’t get some of the most brutal tones ever out of those amps. Suicidal Tendencies, Gothic Slam, Wasted Youth, Nuclear Assault. Lääz Rocket, I could go on.
Thanks ever so much my friend!! I intend to do a lot more with him! I agree! He stands head and shoulders above so many others! He’s super smart and very intelligent!!
My amp didn't make the cut, although I don't know if I'd describe anything I play as metal and certainly not death metal. I am currently playing a Mark V:35 through an 80s Mesa Halfback cab which gives me about all the options I need for everything from clean to high gain. One of the top two speakers (the C90/Black Shadow) died on me, so I had to put in a new one, which actually gave me slightly different tone options to mic up to (newish speaker vs. 80s speaker of the same model). These days I actually mic the newer, brighter speaker with a Royer and the older, darker one with a dynamic (Blue 100i). Another amp that missed the cut, but which I think is underrated (but also expensive) is the PRS Archon. I love my Mesa enough that I've resisted adding an Archon to my collection, but I'm often tempted (and probably will eventually).
Really enjoyed this episode. I am a metal producer as well. I have watched all of Christians videos. Thanks for having him on. He is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to heavy music production.
@@Producelikeapro I'm kinda hoping for an IR pack with Kristian! As far as I know there are zero IRs out there with that beautiful Rupert Neve/SE Electronics tube mic out there
I used to play death metal / grind core in the 90s using a Metal Zone and Marshall JCM 800 on 1960 cabinet... Would be interesting to have a similar discussion on amp sims (especially the free ones). Cheers for putting that together!
@@KohleAudioKult Cool, I'll check the Mesa vs Marshall video on your channel. I think I know who is the winner (and it's not the one I'm quoting above...) :) Interestingly a lot of the amps you reviewed here seem to be in the upcoming Audio Assault Reamp Studio amp sims.
Mesa Recto variant, 5150 variant, and modded Marshall variants are super common but I think something like Diezels and Engls have really unique and distinct sounds.
@@beautague9163 I hear you on that..I love my 50 watt 5150-3 head and matching 2-12" speaker cabinet..I have had about 12-15 other amp heads here and the 5150-3 always beats them out. I have the 6L6 head and about to get the Stealth 50 watt head.
I don't know what we did to deserve Kohle but I'm so happy we have him. I agree with a lot of this picks. Mine would be JCM 2000 DSL 100 Diezel D-Moll Orange Rockerverb but the mk. III Bogner Überschall VHT/Fryette Pitbull Engl Savage or Retro Tube - can't decide I'd kick the Recto out for a Soldano SLO Dover DA-50 Framus Cobra EVH 5150 III
I discovered Kristian doing these studio clips about a year ago as I started to play guitar on a more personal level...the thing I like the most is the way he explains the different ways to combine and blend different tones with so many options as far as amps,speaker tone,pedals,etc......ive learned a great deal just from watching Kristian...I've bought a bunch of different pedals to fart around with I've bought different speakers to change out in some of my combo amps or cabinets .....i learned the proper way to blend distortion/ boost pedals with fuzz pedals for a dirtier mid type tone ...I'm just a guy who really wants to learn about everything involved in music guitars,volts,ohms,tone parameters,blending of tones ,....etc..... i try to soak up whatever information i can basically lol😂🤟🤟🤟🤟🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 Kristian did a video awhile back at hapas guitar company/workshop in Germany showing the ways how they build guitars from scratch and that just blew me away!!!! Those luthiers at hapas are two badass mutha truckas 😝😝😝😝🎸🎸🎸🤟🤟🤟🤟🙏🙏🙏💜
I love Kohle. I have been subscribed to his channel for a long time. He knows his stuff. I was surprised the original Peavy 5150 amp was not on the list. I see it used by a lot of metal players.
The problem with the JCM2000 is that the PCB that the power tubes are mounted on to can slowly turn conductive over time and then you blow the power transformer and they're about 100quid to replace alone, you can pick the amps up for not that much more. It's a factory problem and there's no predicting it, unfortunately. At that point, the only way to save it is to replace the power transformer and either have the board replaced (not sure of the price of replacements), or have it repaired...and that can be quite costly as it's pretty extensive, I know, as I had to do this to my own JCM2000 and have done it for others Fucking great amp, though. Can pick them up really cheap and honestly, great bang for the buck.
Great stuff. Leaned a lot (I don’t play metal). Kristian says for metal that a main challenge is balancing the clarity, especially in the bass, and that intense distortion. For blues and roots music, my main challenge is balance between warmth and clarity.
Been through a bunch of high gain metal amps, but nothing came close to the Marshall JCM800 for me. Some people may find the stock 2203 to lack gain, but there are simple ways of modding them for increased gain.
I think the first and 2nd generation 5150 amps need to be on this list. Also, and this is just my preference is the old Carvin X50B and X100B amps, very versatile and fly under the radar all the time, great amps I run a stereo set up through a Swiss things pedal to 2 amps, my Marshall jcm800 combo 4010 and my Carvin X50B with 4x12 cab. Great full sound! Great video, found it very interesting.
I'm not a big metal fan but Kohel is an awesome player and explained everything so well. I was impressed by the Orange amplifier considering the cost factor. The Brunetti has a very cool sound. The Mesa Boggie Duel Rectifier is still the one to beat though. This was really an excellent video.✌
I love my Revv Generator 120. The aggression switches on the purple and red channels and the bright, contour, and fat switches can really get an amazing metal tone.
I recently pulled the trigger and got my very first really nice amp. I thought long and hard and decided to go for a Mesa Mark V. Dry, agressive, focused and EXTREMELY versatile. I've been dreaming about it for quite some time, now.
The Bat Cat Lynx is the most overlooked and biggest sleeper high gain amp out there. Its the only piece of gear I regret ever selling (was on a boogie kick at the time).
@@KohleAudioKult Those German Beers too.... Germany and Belgium put the rest of the world to shame when it comes to brewing beer! I usually try and get over and do a bit of drinking/touristing in Berlin every year (it's my favourite city) but 2020 says "NO", haha! I loved your shootout video that proved cabs are the most effective part of a guitarist's chain! It was one of the more informative tutorials I've watched over the past year! Recording.... Beer: the two best elements in this thing we call life, haha!
@@Producelikeapro Fantastic content as always, Warren! I'm going to get myself signed up for the academy ASAP! Your videos have taught me most of what I know regarding recording and production! I still find it difficult to imagine you rocking out to METAAAAAAAL though; you're so polite, haha!
Many may laugh but the Peavey Renown of 1984 had a great transistor saturation sound on its lead channel and a clean ‘normal’ channel with 3-way footswitch. In fact when the Bhundu Boys from Zimbabwe were in town they would call me up and borrow my Peavey because the clean channel really suited African music guitar sounds.The lead channel gave a great saturation sound people like ZZ-Top took advantage of. The amp died last year. RIP. Or maybe it will be resurrected . Großartiges video, Dankeschön 😎
Okay, so I'm looking for a bit of advice from those of you guitarists who are in the loop. I've played in a number of metal bands throughout the late 1980s through the 1990s, then life took over, family, kids, etc... I used to own a 50 watt Marshall JCM800, and couldn't begin to count how many live shows I put that amp through. That same amp head also served as my practice amp. Eventually I had to pawn that amp for money, and have been seriously considering psychological therapy ever since just to find out WTF I was thinking! Anyway, I'm now at 55 years old and embarking on my mid life crisis, and want to get into another band. Either that or go out and get a 19 year old girlfriend, but my wife seems to think getting back into a band might be the better option. However, the only amp I own now is a little Yamaha practice amp, definitely not suitable for anything other than practicing alone and recording. Amps have come a long long way since I've been out of the loop, so I'm looking for some advice as I shop for a new amp head to be able to play live with a band. I'm looking to be able to go from an AC/DC sound to a more modern metal tight low end sound like Five Finger Death Punch, and a few sounds in between. Any advice on such an amp head? Or does such an amp not exist?
There’s many Amos with huge consistent low end. The EVH is of course a favourite for that, the Überschall is also amazing! REVV make incredible amps as well that deliver the sound you’re looking for! ENGL have amazing options as well! There’s a lot of great choices
Thank you guys for sharing your passion like this in such a natural and chill way, I learnt a lot in the last couple of months thanks to both of you, it helped me a lot to set up my mind for what may suits my style. Wish you the best from France ;)
Like Kohle says, if you grew up in the 90's, that cheap transistor distortion is ingrained in your musical taste... it is for me, and i love that kind of sound. I got myself a lot of Preamp pedals recently and they all sound great through some power amp emulation and a good IR
I use a EVH 5150 III with a Orange 1x12, love the sound that comes out. Very keen to change it up to a vertical 2 for some more headroom but almost unbeatable IMO
This is helping me A LOT right now, I'm trying to learn guitar, haven't even got equipment yet because I'm lefty in Canada... so this type of discussion is golden for making decisions right now.
Just recorded our bands guitarist with his orange rockerverb for our album and it fits really great! Funny that I described the sound to him like "beautyful creamy distortion". We recorded 2 tracks for both sides each for rhythm guitars pushed with a little tubescreamer to get it a bit tighter in the mids. Had the joy to combine a sm57, md421 and a C414 (I love that one!) to capture a celestian cream speaker. Our music varies from metal to hardcore and punk, so that amp combines all these types of music very nice. And yes, it sings and can combine palm muted riffs with picking and melodies. Cool that you collaborate Warren and Kristian! You bring out great knowledge and your videos are always educating with a lot of entertainment! Thumbs up!
@@KohleAudioKult I think that is true for version 2 and III. The original Peavy amp was better than the later amps, you know the ones shipped with the USA power tubes. Later amps were different as Ed's hearing changed.
For home use with bigger amps, I recommend a volume pedal. A good volume pedal will keep your tone the same, but at lower volumes. Now that I found out how much volume can be reduced with one, I am no longer scared of how loud a bigger tube amp will be in my house. I will use a 2x12 Cab which is all you need for only small and medium sized gigs and if you are on a mic at bigger shows than you will be able to get enough volume anyways. As to 4x12s sounding fuller, in a band mix I don't want too much bass anyways.
The glaring omissions here are the Peavey 5150 (in all its forms) the Mesa Mark IV (V as well) and the Soldano SLO-100 (which is basically a Dual Rec). I also VERY highly rate the ancient Peavey Century (solid state, absolutely CRUSHING brutal old school death metal sounds - before it even existed, somehow - from circa 1980)
Yes, or the Petrucci mesa. Peavey JSX is the most underrated one of all time, and the prs tremonti the most overrated. Also, marshall silver, marshall valvestate, engl fireball, engl savage, HK grandmeister, Peavey invective. But if i ever got a real amp again itd be EVH 50w stealth.
Great video! Missing the Peavey 5150 and the Hughes & Kettner Triamp 2 (another great German company btw). That Soldano in the background should also have made the cut. What was the solid-state amp used in the video? Marshall 8100 Valvestate? Would love a video where Kristian gives his input on rack preamps for metal (e.g., Marshall JMP-1, ADA MP-1, Mesa/Boogie Triaxis, Engl E530, Synergy Syn 2).
Thank you for the guided tour through these amps, Kristian & Warren. Even for a non-metal guitarist, it was fascinating & detail-rich. So many different excellent ways to get the job done!
Gonna have to revisit that tone shift on my DSL. When I try it, it's the kaka button, but sounds pretty cool when you tried it. Also, in this context, that Diezel was fricking awesome.
Cab is most important factor. I put my lunchbox ENGL Ironball amp into my Mesa 1x12 cab then into my larger Orange 4x12 cab and the larger Orange cab makes it a wall of sound. Saves me a ton of money without need to buy a 5k amp head for now.
@@Producelikeapro you're welcome. I saw a large difference from Orange 412 with V30 speakers and the Bogner Uberkab 412 with mix of V30 and Greenback G12 speakers.
Ok I'm sitting here in my living room watching you 2 guys talk about all the aspects of what you're talking about and it totally makes sense to me. Thank you all because I'm a subscriber now and I agree with what you Guys talk about.
Fantastic video! Great to hear all these amps in context with each other... it really shows their strengths and weaknesses. I've watched Kristian's videos before, the point he made about the cab being the most important factor really stuck with me - proper real world experience from a guy that does this shit day in day out. As a 2 channel triple rec owner the contrast between the Mesa and the Diezel was like...whoa...bloody expensive kit but amazing...maybe if I can get better at recording I could own all of them someday :)
The SLO100 and SLO60 are the best metal amps I've heard. Go and listen to Ola Englund's demo of the SLO 30. That thing is a beast. ...At the end of the day, any high gain amp is gonna sound decent going through a MB 4x12.
Is that a warrior guitar as well? He's got one 8f of them too and I looked at that strange as well but that's why I trust him on that shit? Wtf do I know? Lol
Guilty as charged about the impulse responses. When I first got a digital pre-amp pedal and compared its cab simulation against plugging it in the back of many different power amp/cab combinations, I realized how important the cab is.
Gotta try a EVH 5150iii EL34 50w. For $1100 you get 3 channels, 7 preamp tubes, and tons of usable tones. Pair it with an Universal Audio OX Box ($1300) and you have an instant solution to recording amazing heavy guitar tracks.
Again such a great video. I can't tell how much I appreciate your content. I'm watching recording related stuff since 12 years now (and by the way, also produce, engineer, record and mix music totally unsuccessful :P) but with every video Christian did, he skyrocketed to one of my favourite producers. I think this screams for a Pro Mix Academy course. I would love to see that. I can only say thank you both and now I want to have a Diezel even more. Best regards und schöne Grüße aus dem Taunus! ;)
The Soldano SLO100 is the godfather of them all. The Mesa Dual rec and the 5150 are their takes of the SLO circuit with very small tweaks. Surprised that you don't mention it.
Awesome collection of amplifiers. I enjoy listening to the amps and learned a lot about what to listen for on the different models and tones. Thank you Kristian and Warren. I would love to see more collaborative videos of you two guys together in the future.
Well put together video and there wasn't a bunch of bla bla bla talk. Right to the point and so many amps and sounds to tease my brain. Amazing video Warren. My Favorite Yet! You Rock!!!!!
Wow! I've had a bad taste in my mouth with Marshall tube amps, especially JCM2000 and this video changed that! I kept having problems getting enough gain out of the 2000 but after hearing it on this vid, maybe a tube was blown in it or something.
Wiegedood uses Orange amps and they sound like you don't need a bass (which they don't have). Here in Argentina I saw a lot of Orange amps in underground metal, I am a bit surprised that it is not a reference. I would like to see something similar but with inexpensive amps and small combos as for someone just starting out and has no idea which amp to use to make metal. Very good video! I take it as a birthday present! 🤣
Thoroughly enjoyed watching this video, Warren & Kohle. Thank you! What’s really nice is how clearly Kohle communicated each amp’s character/ tonality. With both genuine amp love , and studio/ engineer language, e.g. frequency ranges, etc. On a side note, I’d love to hear any other Wes Borland stories you have, or any of the alt rock/ metal bands and producers you were sharing space with through the 90’s/ early 2000’s. Cheers 🍻!
I'm American but I find British amps the most comfortable to play for hard rock and metal. I just throw a Boss SD-1 in front of a Marshall or Orange or Laney and I feel like I'm in the zone.
My favorite rock and metal amp is the mesa boogie dual rectifier Metallica used for load the house jack built makes the dual rectifier sound even better
Some awesome amps there, really wouldn't complain about having any one of em! I've been playing through a Mesa Dual Rec Roadster for the last 12 years. The 4 channels are what keeps me playing it, lots of versatility. That being said I'm super impressed with the latest EVH 5150 iii, Peavy Invective 120, and the Mark V. One of these days im going to add one of them to my arsenal. Im definitely jealous of the cats with multiple heads and cabs to choose from haha.
Tube Screamer - Orange Dark Terror - FX send to a UAD apollo Unison slot and then bypass the Preamp Stage of your favorite Unison modeled amp and POW! The Stewmac Tube Scream to the Dark Terror tube preamp is a gusher!
After watching this video I feel very proud to own a diezel Herbert and a VHT Pitbull.. it took me a lot if years to purchase but it was worth the effort!
With out watching the video, I’m going to guess some of them... Diezel vex, Marshall JCM, Friedman BE, peavey/evh 5150, Rockerverb, Mesa TC or Mark V or Dual rec and maybe soldano? Edit: Ahhh! I forgot the ENGL!!! And I have one too! Not bad for just guessing. I hope you read this Warren!
@@Producelikeapro Thanks Warren. Would be nice if you can do also with electric bass tone or amps. Its very rare in my opinion bass tone but very important. Keep working,cheers
Awesome! I have the Engl Savage 60 actually! I use a Koch 2x12 cabinet, but I think I need a different cab for a nicer sound. The amp is great though! I know Danko Jones uses orange amps!
