Best Guitar+Amp Combo for Rock/Metal (1 Viewer)

[Jtek74]

I know this is mostly a preference but I was just wondering if there were any fairly common setups ya'll are running. I just got a Schecter Hellraiser C-1 with active EMG81/89 combo and am looking for a good amp to go with it. Playing classic rock (think Zeppelin) and new metal (think Avenged Sevenfold). Any recommendations?
Oh, and what setup are you running?

Jtek

 

[Brennan77]

I've got an American Strat Plus from '95 that I run into a Blues Jr. It's surprisingly versatile. I just got an MXR Carbon Copy Delay for Christmas. I'm not sure that helps you much though.

 

[thunderkyss]

I grew up in the Hair era. Rock/Metal has always been hot rod Marshall territory.

I've never been much for active pick ups, but that's what Zakk Wylde runs in his Les Pauls, through Marshalls.

Very few people really need a 50W half stack, but that's what I'd do (I did). Get a 2204 & 4x12 if you can.

Bugera, Jet City....... good stuff. Not a lot of money.

But, if you're not going to be playing out, get something like a used 11 rack. Play with the different models, find what you like & then go for the real thing if you really have to. You can plug that 11 rack into a PA for playing live...

 

[jumpingoff]

IIRC Jet City is made by Soldano, yes? Pretty good amp and quite affordable. FWIW you may also want to check out the Huges and Kettner Tubemeister series of amps. Also very affordable and very very portable. They are so small your are like ***?!?!?! Like carry on a plane small.

 

[RetroMcBananaFace]

I roll with a Mesa-Boogie Triple Rectifier, 4x12 Celestion 30s. More smooth/groove than crunchy but I go nuts for the Celestions and most other British speakers. Just speaks to me.

I go back and forth between a Yamaha Pacifica 212 (perfect daily beater, Strat body, no better value for the money IMO) and a '84 Gibson Explorer. And a whole bunch of dobros, banjos and other whatnot but that's another thread.

 

[BroKV]

 

[FatCitySaint]

This man is doing it right!

 

[Ken-Bob]

Could use some more info, but the fact that you mention combo makes me think you're looking for something smaller. Nonetheless, I'll give you a few ideas...

First, Zeppelin is a bit different from Avenged Sevenfold. Zeppelin really was rarely as overdrived/distorted as A7F. However, they both seem to use tones that are Marshall-like. For that, the Marshall DSL series is actually pretty good for the money. Of course, if you have more to spend, look into the new Jubilee series or the vintage series.

Of course, you can always find a used Marshall out there and chances are it will be better than anything you buy new (after you get it tuned up at a decent shop, that is )

Finally, it's well worth your while to look into the available pedals. There are so many pedals out there that give you a ton of versatility at a fraction of the cost. If I were buying an rig today, I'd look very hard at something like Fender Blues Deluxe or a used Marshall and top that off with a Wampler Plexi pedal or a JHS Charlie Brown for Marshally tones. If you want more gain, look at the JHS Angry Charlie.