need amp opinions

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neonmadness

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 2, 2006
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I've narrowed down my amp choices to 2, and since we've got alot of experienced guitarists here on mfk and this is a big investment for me i was hoping i could get some opinions and maybe a pros and cons list for each. The amps ive chosen r the line 6 spider 111 150 hd(650$) and the Randall Rx 120dhs(600$). I've played the Line 6 and love it, but tho ive never played the randall and still havnt figured out a way to ive heard alota great things about it. i play mostly heavy metal, and i play small gigs. Any opinions are appreciated

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Yuuuup. what he said ^^
IMO, line 6 is on the bottom of the totem pole. They have alot of effects, they are reasonably priced and they are loud. But, their downsides- they hum loudly when on, their effects have alot to be desired, they are heavy, and you will have to spend alot to get a clean sound from a pedal.
You'd be better off with the randall half stack.
But, I'm an all tube kind of guy, and I really like yorkville Traynor's tube series. the ycv80 series is 80 watts of tube with all the bells and whistles, and its still under $1000. For alot less, you can get a 50 W combo and Mic it to a PA system and will get similar results, and completely blowing your expectations.
just my .02
 
Go Randall! I suggested you that amp earlier and I guess you took my advice. When I first started out about 10 years ago with guitar that why I had to use and I loved it and actually i just sold the one I had 1 year ago. I am an all Marshall kinda guy. All JCM 800 2203 heads with Marshall TX cabs with greenbacks. I love my amps. Great tone and power. Never had a problem with many tubes blowing just when their cranked on a stage with a PA they pop and smell like absolute crap lol. Line 6 is all poo IMO. To much concentration on modifying tones and such making every sound way to articficial with no natural tone from your guitar. Same with Crates and sometimes Krank amps. Marshall is pure natural tones aside from the MG series. Randall gets my vote!
 
I use a Fender with 4x12, and I have to say I am satisfied, but I am no expert.
 
ewurm;1221216; said:
I use a Fender with 4x12, and I have to say I am satisfied, but I am no expert.

Tell me it's a MH500! Sick amps great channels and the mids can scoooooppp sooo much on those heads even more so than Randalls.
 
If you really want to pour some money into this, get a Mesa, you won't be disappointed. I play a Line 6 Flextone III, it's pretty decent. I really want to get a tube amp though.

With your current choices, I'd go with the Randall.
 
I'd go with the Randall over the Line6 being that those are your two choices.

I agree with everyone else about going with an all tube amp eventually though. Transistor amps have gotten way better these days, but they still haven't been able to get the warmth and depth of tone of a tube amp. The only drawback about a tube amp is that they require a bit more maintenance and care. For one, the tubes need to be replaced from time to time. In addition, the amp would have to be rebiased to ensure that the tubes and amp are being used to their best capacity. Also, the rule of thumb is that you have to make sure you check that your head is connected to speaker cabinet and that its impedance is compatible with the head, otherwise you could do some damage to the electronics and ruin the head.

Currently, my main amp is a Hughes & Kettner Tube 100 head with a Boss GT-8 effects unit controlling it. What attracted me to this amp, besides the tone and versatility was the fact that it's MIDI controllable, which means my effects unit can be used to switch the amp channels. It sure beats the hell out of tapdancing on effects pedals and a footswitch. I've had this thing since the early 90's and it's been faithful since day one. If If it died tomorrow, I'd probably look into (besides trying to source another one) an Engl Powerball or a Diezel amp. These amps are more of a high ticket item, but their tone and versatility is amazing. I've had Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifiers, Ampeg VL-100's and Marshall JCM-800 heads through the years. I sold them all because they were very one dimensional and "what you see is what you get". If you plan on playing with a single tone, they're great. Besides original bands, I was also playing in cover bands, so I needed something with a very wide range of tones.
 
so i guess its pretty much agreed that the randalls the better amp. Ill check around all my local music stores and see if i can find one to try out. If i cant find one, im willing to order one on faith, but r there any amps that are similar to it that i can try as a reference?
 
I don't care what it does, I just care about the wattage, lol.
 
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