Which amp?

guitarmansteve77

Hi there,
I'm in the market for a new amp, I'm looking for something that'll give me Plexi style tones in my rhythm playing but a lovely creamy smooth overdriven  lead tone so maybe a multi channel amp? 
I've been looking at the ENGL Steve Morse as it seems to fit the bill but not many about, I'd love a Mesa JP-2C but I think it's a little out of my price range. Any suggestions would be great!
cheers
Steve

bazxkr

If you like the Engl vibe check out the Blackmore signature E650... far more varied than you would think for having Blackmores name on it....fairly straightforward EQ & extremely versatile especially if you pick up the Z5 footswitch

Can do very nice cleans right up to brutal metal dirt..nice tone even at low volume.. I have it going thro a Engl Pro 2x12 with V30s...

Check out the YT demos... you will be very pleasantly surprised I think, they are way cheaper to pick up than the Morse and more out there for sale. Don't think I've ever seen a SH Morse for under a grand...the Blackmores come up around £500/£600...

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/98382/which-amp#latest

Decent demo showing typical sounds switching through it

guitarmansteve77

What I like about the Morse is the lead channel and the mid boost options, also I don't want to go too into the realms of metal sounding amps. I know that ENGL is known for that but the Morse seems a bit more versatile. 

professorben

If you are married to the Engl then I'd suggest looking at the Screamer, it's a lot looser sounding than the more 'metal' offerings, still insane amounts of gain tho, I got mine to sound very close to my jcm800 on rhythm, but still with that liquid lead tone.

but if I were starting from scratch I'd prob get a Jet City, they are better built internally than the Engls, and a shit load cheaper, and prob have more of that classic rock vibe, having the Soldano ancestry.

specifically the JCA50 if you don't really need a pristine clean.

guitarmansteve77

I'm not married to ENGL in any way so up for any suggestions. I'll check out jet city too. 

professorben

guitarmansteve77 said:

I'm not married to ENGL in any way so up for any suggestions. I'll check out jet city too. 

Don't get me wrong, I love my engl, but it might be worth looking around.

guitarmansteve77

Believe me I have done. Just seeing what a few other people think would be a good choice. I was also looking at the Mesa stiletto or Lonestar. 

timmysoft

Mesa Stiletto or Engl Blackmore 

ICBM

Jet City, and cut the bright cap on the lead channel but not the one on the rhythm, that will give you the bright Marshally crunch but a much smoother lead tone.

guitarmansteve77

timmysoft, have you owned a Blackmore? I was looking at them but not sure the lead tone is what I'm after. From the videos I've seen it sounds a bit harsh and fizzy and not warm and clear with a nice mid range. What are your thoughts?

ICBM I just don't think jet city are for me. 

bazxkr

To me the Blackmore is the most 'unlike' Engl amp they do.....you only have to think of Blackmores tones to know what it is capable of. He isn't looking for death metal fierceness. Yes it can get brutal but if you just stay on the clean low gain or soft lead low gain on the Z5 footswitch you can dial creamy cleans or just mild break up via the EQ on the amp...unlike the morse it is very simple EQ too. So in effect you have a couple of options on the FSW to get real dirty that you would not use. The E650 still have a lovely tone & bite at low volume too. Sadly nearly all the demos on Engl amps demonstrate the very heavy side of things and not the cleaner side of what they are capable of.

I'm pretty certain that Darren responding in your WTB post has had both the Morse and the Blackmore amps so could give you the most thorough rundown on clean creamy tones from both. Certainly both can be chalk and cheese just by rolling down the volume on guitar from very quiet passages to full blooded bite.

Not easy to find either of these amps to demo is the trouble...finding both in a shop to do an A/B probably takes some travelling.

bazxkr

Only you know the tone in your head you are after but this guy shows some decent variations on twiddling the E650 Blackmore

p90fool

ICBM said:

Jet City, and cut the bright cap on the lead channel but not the one on the rhythm, that will give you the bright Marshally crunch but a much smoother lead tone.

That's exactly what I did on mine, it's the perfect balance for the shared EQ.

timmysoft

guitarmansteve77 said:

timmysoft, have you owned a Blackmore? I was looking at them but not sure the lead tone is what I'm after. From the videos I've seen it sounds a bit harsh and fizzy and not warm and clear with a nice mid range. What are your thoughts?

ICBM I just don't think jet city are for me. 

I haven't owned the Blackmore although i did have a few hours with one while i pondered an endorsement deal with Engl. It was very 800 like although a bit more hi-fi. The thing i liked about it most was the tones didn't change as you wound up the volumes, it just got louder!

I'm also in the Jet City aren't for me camp. I've owned a few but i just don't really buzz off them at all, they sound great in other peoples hands, just not mine!

GoldenEraGuitars

guitarmansteve77 said:

Believe me I have done. Just seeing what a few other people think would be a good choice. I was also looking at the Mesa stiletto or Lonestar. 

Funny, even though I own a Lonestar and may sell it I still had major GAS for the Stiletto. 

The lonestar does outstanding cleans and the overdrive is utterly amazing. Such a warm and bassy overdrive tone

guitarmansteve77

Is it the head or combo you have? 

GoldenEraGuitars

guitarmansteve77 said:

Is it the head or combo you have? 

I have a LS Classic 1 x 12 combo. Great amp

ICBM

timmysoft said:

I'm also in the Jet City aren't for me camp. I've owned a few but i just don't really buzz off them at all, they sound great in other peoples hands, just not mine!

Just out of curiosity, did you - and the other Jet City-sceptics - have the cap mod done? The guitarist in my band had the 50W one, and before the cap mod it was a bit meh - he needed to set the treble and presence at zero to stop it being too shrill, and then it seemed a bit lifeless. Afterwards, it sounded basically the same as his SLO.

In fact so much so that eventually he didn't see the point in having both and swapped it for an Orange Rocker 30...

timmysoft

ICBM said:

timmysoft said:

I'm also in the Jet City aren't for me camp. I've owned a few but i just don't really buzz off them at all, they sound great in other peoples hands, just not mine!

Just out of curiosity, did you - and the other Jet City-sceptics - have the cap mod done? The guitarist in my band had the 50W one, and before the cap mod it was a bit meh - he needed to set the treble and presence at zero to stop it being too shrill, and then it seemed a bit lifeless. Afterwards, it sounded basically the same as his SLO.

In fact so much so that eventually he didn't see the point in having both and swapped it for an Orange Rocker 30...

Yeah i did try the bright cap mod on the JCA50, it still didn't really grab me! They're great amps and i've heard them sound phenomenal, they just don't do it for me!