Zeppeholic Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 Hello, I need some help on which amplifier head I should get. The output I'm looking for is 100-Watts or above, and I prefer it to be Marshall. The tone I've been looking for is a Blues-Rock sound, like a mix of Zeppelin and Cream, a smooth but heavy blues-rock sound, something vintage-like to capture that bluesy overdrive. The head I've been looking at is a 1959SLP reissue. I don't like a lot of gain or a ton of overdrive, but something thick l hard and bluesy. Thanks guys, I really appreciate it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
american cheez Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Hello, I need some help on which amplifier head I should get. The output I'm looking for is 100-Watts or above, and I prefer it to be Marshall. The tone I've been looking for is a Blues-Rock sound, like a mix of Zeppelin and Cream, a smooth but heavy blues-rock sound, something vintage-like to capture that bluesy overdrive. The head I've been looking at is a 1959SLP reissue. I don't like a lot of gain or a ton of overdrive, but something thick l hard and bluesy. Thanks guys, I really appreciate it 100 tube watts is alotta power. you playin some big venues? most folks these days mic a smaller amp in fact, page was known for doing that long before anyone else i know of Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon S. Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 I'd recommend the Soldano SLO-100 http://www.soldano.com/products/guitar-amplifiers/super-lead-overdrive-slo-100/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeppeholic Posted June 9, 2014 Author Share Posted June 9, 2014 100 tube watts is alotta power. you playin some big venues? most folks these days mic a smaller amp in fact, page was known for doing that long before anyone else i know of Well you see, I don't want to use a pedal for the bluesy sound, I just want it to come from my amp, I have a small Marshall that I have on the crunch channel. I like that setting, it's just too harsh. I'm just looking for a Marshall Head with a mellow-like bluesy sound. Kind of like this in a way: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drog Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Have you ever played a 100w amp? On a club size stage, you will be on 2 and never even use those tubes. Look for something no larger than 30w, maybe a jtm45 2245. My days of large amps are over, they were such a waste. The only good thing with an amp 50w and over, is the headroom for clean stuff. But I run two amps for that, or use an amp with two channels. Just IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyK Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 I agree with the previous poster - 100W is unbelievably loud, and unless you're playing a HUGE venue, you just don't need that sort of volume. If you're playing small to medium pubs / clubs, then a quality 30W valve amp would be quite sufficient. I would highly recommend the Marshall JTM45, which is what I've got myself. I had a couple of modern Marshalls which I didn't like, then I got this beauty, and it sounds amazing. It has no master volume, but is so loud that I got someone to fit one for me. I play with the volume at 5 out of 10 for a gig - the output valves are being driven at that volume too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yaff Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Orange also have a nice range of heads that amy give you the tone you desire. On the Marshall front, you may find the Vintage modern 2266 to your liking, as you can get some great tones from it. But you do need to carefully match it to a cab, as its very sensitive. They also do a 100 version, but as other have said, it will most probably be much louder than you had in mind. Good luch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Zeppelin Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Hi Zep, I have to agree with the previous posts. 100W is insanely loud. I know I have a Marshall 2203 stack that I used for gigs back in the late 80s and 90s. It has the tone you're looking for but the power is never needed. I never cranked mine past 5 in all my gigs even out door gigs and 5 is crazy loud, can't stand in front of the stack at all. I would just get a 2204 head if I were you. Same tone at 50W. Personally I just take my 4104. Same head as the 2204 with two Celestion G12 65s. Sweet amp. If it's a small venue I just take my studio 15 with an extension cab. Plenty of power. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ESPJDR17 Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 LOL@ kuma's avatar ! (post#2) brings back memories from the '90's I'd go with a 50watt or less Marshall head as previously pointed out 100watts of tube power is window shattering. You wanna be able to let 'er breath & stretch 'er legs not castrate the power section to <4 because it's blowing you away. Playing a 100w Marshall full stack makes me think of Ryan Dunn doing the Memorex man scene behind the jet engine! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbrodie Posted June 9, 2014 Share Posted June 9, 2014 Hi Zep, I have to agree with the previous posts. 100W is insanely loud. I know I have a Marshall 2203 stack that I used for gigs back in the late 80s and 90s. It has the tone you're looking for but the power is never needed. I never cranked mine past 5 in all my gigs even out door gigs and 5 is crazy loud, can't stand in front of the stack at all. I would just get a 2204 head if I were you. Same tone at 50W. Personally I just take my 4104. Same head as the 2204 with two Celestion G12 65s. Sweet amp. If it's a small venue I just take my studio 15 with an extension cab. Plenty of power. Good luck! I also agree. For most of my gigs, I rarely need more than 20 watts. I gigged with a 100 watt SF Fender Twin Reverb for over 30 years. It rarely got pushed and I had to use pedals for dirt. I've played out of 100 watt Marshall amps and they're ridiculously loud.If you want to push the tubes, I'd go no more than 30 watts. I use an Egnater Rebel 20 and a 5e3 Deluxe clone that I built with an A/B/Y box I built. If a club owner sees you rolling in with a huge rig, it may be the last time you ever play there. With the great PA systems around now, there's no need for a big rig. Look at it this way. Neil Young plays stadiums with a 15 watt Fender Deluxe that's Mic'd through the PA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacealf Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Depends on what kind of amp if it will be loud. The modeling amps (not tube) are not that loud. If tubes then probably way louder. Might want to try out an Egnator Amp although I have not tried one myself. There are many amps just have to try some out if you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ESPJDR17 Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Personally, if I were looking for a loud head, I'd go with this ENGL Fireball60......of course the Ironball 20/5/1watt is more versatile with the power soak but if you want raw tube power the Fireball or Powerball is the way to go. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifiers-effects/engl-fireball-60-60w-tube-guitar-amp-head?pfm=sp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eracer_Team Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 as everyone has chimed in here already on size and power (I really don't think there is much volume difference in 50~100w). My Egnater Renegade 65/18 doesn't sound a whole lot different in 65w mode or 18w mode, just a bit louder and 18 is darn loud) Tube amp's don't start to 'shine' in the tone until you start to crank that volume knob past 1 o'clock on the dial when the output tubes start to saturate and then you adjust your guitar volume to clean up. You could put an attenuator on the output of any amp but that has a tendency to change the tone a bit. If you can find a place to rent an amp or two before buying would be the best choice. Then you could find out if that bar owner really likes your new amp as much as you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vangoghsear Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Orange also have a nice range of heads that amy give you the tone you desire. +1 on the Orange Amps. I can't speak for their tube amps, but I have a 35 watt SS Orange combo that has awesome OD tones. It has a preamp gain that allows you to add warmth and some OD to the clean channel or push the OD channel towards metal or back it off for classic rock, blues tones. Great for a practice amp and loud enough for small venues. If their tube amps are anything like it, they are probably great. Very good build quality. Worth a look. I also agree that watts don't always equate to volume. I have a 60 watt amp hybrid through 8 ohm speaker, a 50 watt tube through 16 ohm speaker, a 40 watt tube through 8 ohm, the 35 watt SS Orange, a 22 watt through an 8 ohm speaker, a 5 watt tube, 15 watt SS and 10 watt SS. The 22 watt is the loudest amp I own. It is handwired PTP with top shelf components and has a 75 watt handling 12 inch speaker. I can barely put it above 2 before it's too loud for living room playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Sutherland Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 as everyone has chimed in here already on size and power (I really don't think there is much volume difference in 50~100w). My Egnater Renegade 65/18 doesn't sound a whole lot different in 65w mode or 18w mode, just a bit louder and 18 is darn loud) Tube amp's don't start to 'shine' in the tone until you start to crank that volume knob past 1 o'clock on the dial when the output tubes start to saturate and then you adjust your guitar volume to clean up. You could put an attenuator on the output of any amp but that has a tendency to change the tone a bit. If you can find a place to rent an amp or two before buying would be the best choice. Then you could find out if that bar owner really likes your new amp as much as you. I have an 18 watt Marshall clone, and it is a LOUD 18 watts. I have a Weber Mini Mass attenuator that sounds pretty good, although nothing beats the amp at full volume (which I've only been able to do once, at my friends guitar shop). I can't even fathom a 50-watt amp, let alone a 100-watt amp to use at home... to each their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veeman Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Try out a Marshall DSL40C, can be split from 20 to 40 watts, more than enough power, great tone, bothe clean and distorted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Zeppelin Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 Try out a Marshall DSL40C, can be split from 20 to 40 watts, more than enough power, great tone, bothe clean and distorted. I agree with the DSL40C. I'm looking at one to fill in the gap between my 15W and 50W. Also, a previous poster mentioned saturating the output tubes. That does give desireable effect and changes tone. Something I could never do with a 2203 without a brake. Much easier to do with single ended amp like my 5W home made Fenders and quite loud just not enough for a gig. I know a guy who does gigs with a Blackheart 5W amp. Very loud little amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted June 10, 2014 Share Posted June 10, 2014 I have a friend who uses a 100 watt marshall DSL head and I doubt it ever gets above 3 - and he plays dedicated music venues. It is basically unusable at home for practice and a pain to lug to rehearsals. Go for it if that's what you a want but I hope you don't find it frustrating that you can't drive it hard enough to get the tones you desire. 100w of solid state is a different matter but I am assuming you are talking tube. I am considering a great deal on a 2210 but am concerned its just going to be a big space consuming, non-used monument to a great deal! Good luck with your quest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grenadilla Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 I have a friend who uses a 100 watt marshall DSL head and I doubt it ever gets above 3 - and he plays dedicated music venues. It is basically unusable at home for practice and a pain to lug to rehearsals. Go for it if that's what you a want but I hope you don't find it frustrating that you can't drive it hard enough to get the tones you desire. 100w of solid state is a different matter but I am assuming you are talking tube. I am considering a great deal on a 2210 but am concerned its just going to be a big space consuming, non-used monument to a great deal! Good luck with your quest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grenadilla Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 I am also on the lookout for a good tube amp. I play my LP through a Vox VT120+ and it is loud and has effects built in. For a tube head I might like a Vox Night Train 50 or a Marshall DSL 100 ( probably switched to 1/2 power). The Marshall DSL40C seems like The best Tube combo for less than $1000. A 16ohm extension cabinet with 112,212, or 410s would give this combo some authority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick_s Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 I'm going to mention the power too. 100W gave insane levels of headroom clean before distorting. If clean is your bag, go for it. If bluesy crunch is your thing, drop that power need to no greater than 50w. I currently run an Engl Thunder 50 which given a bucker, distorts nicely at some entirely in-obnoxious levels. That said, I can gig my 30w Vox Valvetronix and still be heard (un-miked) against a bassist and 2nd guitarist. Struggles a little with a drummer, but granted, a mic in front of it and boom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmc13 Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 You have probably already made up your mind, but I will tell you if you have ever played a Les Paul through a Marshall amplifier, well, what a sound. If you can afford it look for and older Marshall Plexi which you will likely have to play turned way down. Check for a Master volume which is a normal modification to this amp. If you want something you can move easily, look for a new Marshall Bluesbreaker with wheels. I have a Marshall model 1986(50 watt) with a slant face half stack, from 1978, it is very nice and has a Master Volume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeke Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Hello, I need some help on which amplifier head I should get. The output I'm looking for is 100-Watts or above, and I prefer it to be Marshall. The tone I've been looking for is a Blues-Rock sound, like a mix of Zeppelin and Cream, a smooth but heavy blues-rock sound, something vintage-like to capture that bluesy overdrive. The head I've been looking at is a 1959SLP reissue. I don't like a lot of gain or a ton of overdrive, but something thick l hard and bluesy. Thanks guys, I really appreciate it After reading these responces you guys are gonna think Im nuts! I already own the DSL40C and was actually considering purchasing a 100 watt head with with attenuator. The Marshall head that I like is the JVM410JS, 4 channel (Joe Satriani) This head is new from Marshall and is got the sound of 3 amps packed into one. My DSL40c is great but I thought about bumping up to the 100 watt head for versitality. If anyone is interested in purchasing a DSL40c, I would sell it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeppeholic Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 Haha thanks guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeppeholic Posted June 17, 2014 Author Share Posted June 17, 2014 I'm going to mention the power too. 100W gave insane levels of headroom clean before distorting. If clean is your bag, go for it. If bluesy crunch is your thing, drop that power need to no greater than 50w. I currently run an Engl Thunder 50 which given a bucker, distorts nicely at some entirely in-obnoxious levels. That said, I can gig my 30w Vox Valvetronix and still be heard (un-miked) against a bassist and 2nd guitarist. Struggles a little with a drummer, but granted, a mic in front of it and boom. Yeah, a lowish bluesy sound like the link I put Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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