high gain amps with acceptable cleans

[RSRD]

i need to try out more hi gain amps, but need to know where to start. It has to be at least 2 channels. It has to crunch and chug, but still get some semblance of a nice clean. I hear alot about the VHTs.

~t

 

[wsaraceni]

im only going to say it once.


get a hot cat 30r and you wont have to worry about a thing

 

[pureoldsound]

Voodoo amps has 2 channel amps one clean and the other dirty....

Check the HEx, Witchdoctor, the new EM100, CP100

www.voodooamps.com

 

[Slick51]

My VHTs do it well (Pittbull 45 and 50, though I've sold the best ones I had from Stevie; the 50/CL. I've had four of those, and will probably have one again). So does my Rivera Knucklehead Reverb 55 with a clean and two gainy chs.

And in the 'bang for the buck' department, the Carvin MTS. This bad boy can be found on fleaBay for $325 or so, and is a really nice amp, with a really clean side with fine reverb, and in-your-face gain on the other side.


Just a thought...

Slick51

 

[Tom Gross]

Mesa Tremoverb

 

[WinstonN]

James Peters Dual.

 

[riverastoasters]

Originally posted by Big Country
i need to try out more hi gain amps, but need to know where to start. It has to be at least 2 channels. It has to crunch and chug, but still get some semblance of a nice clean. I hear alot about the VHTs.

~t

Well check out those VHTs. I don't know them that well and I know one guy that loves them.

But also check out Bogner Uberschall. It chugs along just fine. I am not a huge fan of the clean, but some people are.

Then there is Rivera Knucklehead II. It's a little more chug oriented than the Knucklehead Reverb and has a typical Rivera clean, which many people really like.

 

[Impulse 101]

Guytron.

Why compromise?

JT

 

[908SSP]

Marshall DSL100 has a remarkable clean channel. Something you just don't expect but it is there never the less. You can crank the gain and get into some real nice crunch and back off the guitar to make it clean again just doesn't figure they could do that but they do. Mean while it has a high gain channel a foot switch away.

 

[Tom Gross]

Mesa Tremoverb

 

[Tag]

Originally posted by Tom Gross
Mesa Tremoverb

You took the words right out of my mouth. Very high gain and very nice cleans. Also the Mark III Blue and red stripe, and the Maverick as well.

Other killers....
Orange Rockerverb. VERY nice cleans and very high gain!
Bruno Super 100 HUGE cleans and as much gain as any other amp I have played besides a Dumble ODS.
Two Rock Emerald Pro and Opal.
Fuchs ODS
Bogner Shiva, but some do not think that is high gain.

 

[LSchefman]

The Tremoverb will indeed do it in blues mode, but won't compare to a good boutique or vintage amp on cleans. The Tremo was my main studio amp for years, and now it's my son's. I still record it on lots of his tracks.

The TR Onyx will do a clean sound that's much better, and will get quite gainy, though it won't get quite as insanely nasty as the hundred watt Tremo can get on the Red channel, modern high gain mode. Frankly, that's the only mode on the Tremo that I don't care for.

In my humble opinion, the cleans honestly do not compare.

 

[troublehead]

Marshall DSL's
Peavey XXX
Entire ENGL line

 

[tjs]

Soldano has some pretty decent cleans for an amp primarily known for its outstanding lead sound.

 

[Ced777]

VHT CLX

 

[haslar]

The Orange Rockerverb has really, really nice cleans, I agree with Tag.
It also can produce high gain sounds, but it's not at all a neo-metal kind of sound, it is much more suitable to alt.rock and indie stuff.

The VHT CL100 is one hell of a brutal beast, esp. with the EQ option. It does have acceptable cleans, also.

The Carvin Legacy has excellent cleans as well as lead sounds, it is well worth investigating.

 

[Silvertrain]

The Diezels I've played had great cleans, I preferred the Herbert over the vh4. I've heard the einstein trumps those two at clean though.

Mesa Maverick is a good suggestion for something a little cheaper. I liked the Heartbreaker I played awhile ago too.

Soldano Lucky 13 had a great clean and good OD (though certainly not SLO quality).

Bad Cat hotcat 100 might have the headroom you need, I own a 30 and it doesnt have a great deal of clean headroom on the clean input.

VHT CLX

Aiken Sabre

 

[HeeHaw]

Originally posted by 908SSP
Marshall DSL100 has a remarkable clean channel. Something you just don't expect but it is there never the less. You can crank the gain and get into some real nice crunch and back off the guitar to make it clean again just doesn't figure they could do that but they do. Mean while it has a high gain channel a foot switch away.

I'll second that. + the DSL has enough mids to cut right through in a band situation.

 

[RSRD]

thanks for all the suggestions so far. One thing I would like to point out. By High Gain I mean a very heavy OD channel. While some really nice amps are being suggested they really don;t fall into the heavy riffage quality OD that I am looking for. Amps like Tremoverb, VHT, Uberschall....thats the heavy I am referring to.

 

[B Vance]

Budda amps!!! Check them out. A friend of mine has one and it has the best natural overdrive and distortion out of any amp I have ever heard or played out of. Great cleans too. The gain channel maintains the integrity of the instrument too. When slammed with a TS or a Bad Monkey you get into the heavy territory.