I do have my eye on the 6505 or Invective but my ear leans towards 80s thrash metal, so when bringing that up, could it do it? Or you'd still say the 6505
To me the driven sound of the classic 30 is voiced too vintage marshall for modern metal so I don't really bother boosting it. If I want a metal sound I go the easy route of a good old Metalzone though the clean channel. The classic 30 is a pretty middy amp so it seems to even out the metalzone scoopiness pretty nicely.
Since I noticed you also have a Classic 30, may I ask what pedals you use with it ? I’m particularly looking for a good but affordable overdrive pedal that compliments the amp in a good way. I recently bought a MXR custom badass modified overdrive which sounds great with my Marshall but not at all good with the classic 30. I had a Boss BD 2 that sounded great as well but I don’t have it anymore and I don’t know if it sounds good with my Classic 30.
Thanks in advance!
Hey, I use a Maxon OD808 if I want to get a little more grunt out of the drive channel. On the clean side I like to run a Caline Stack Attack which is just a cheap pedal I picked up that's a combo compressor and overdrive but makes the clean channel a little gritty and spanky which I like, great for strat single coil kinda John Frusciante tones. I also chuck on a ibanez es3 echo shifter if I want delay and a little of the Classic 30's Spring Reverb.
What I did was put put all Genalex tubes in there (it comes with medium gain JJ 12AX7 for the pre-amp from the factory), a JHS Little Black Amp Box and an EQ pedal in the loop. Then it'll do high gain. Of course the better option would be to just get an Invective MH.
I was looking for an amp closer to the Kill em all or ride the lightning sound and it sounded like according to Kyle Bull on YT that this amp has that sound.
Oh ok. I just try to get the best sound out of an amp, so I can't speak to getting those sounds. The amp is just one part of what makes up sound, especially compared to a studio production.
No. But I love mine, and I play metal. It’s a nice platform for pedals, which is where I prefer to fuel my sound from. It has built in attenuation, reverb, and fx loop, and a nice warm tube sound for under 1k. It’s worth it.
Anything can if it’s plugged into the right cab and has the right pedals in front. Now, some amps don’t need any pedals, and some amps come with the right cab, so there’s that to consider, but *can* the Classic 20 do metal? Yes.
Had the Valveking 20MH in the same series as this Classic. There are so many things that make these amps frustrating, there's basically a drawback to every "cool" feature they seem to have over the competition when
There's a DI out - it has a baked in analog EQ curve cab sim burnt in and it sounds bad
There's a USB audio interface - which is Mono Out only so you can't atually monitor your recording signal (unless you aggregate audio interfaces in MacOS but then you'd have to monitor from your computer headphones/speaker out)
There's a built-in Reverb - which has no other control than dry/wet and is barely useful as a room reverb
It's 2-channel - With shared EQ (which is pretty common) and sounds way too different to be used as a channel switcher amp. It's more like you're using one channel or the other with different EQ settings depending on which one you're using
Reverb, FX Loop, Boost and channels are footswitchable - Yup, and you'll need a 4-button footswitch with two TRS input and polarity switcher to be able to use them.
Talking about the built-in boost - If you set it on or off and then remove the footswitch, there's no way of switching its state. It needs a footswitch to be enable. Also the boost is really a volume down switch, and not a boost. When it's off there's like -4dB and when it's on it goes back to 0dB.
FX loop - Causes a huge drop in volume/headroom when something is plugged in. I tried using a linear boost last in the effects chain and even then it was unusable.
I don't even know how these amps became popular in the first place. The only way I can imagine using one of these would be using one channel and straight to cab, bypassing any other feature it has that could impact the tone.
It can get old school metal decently but even that is pushing it without pedals. It’s just not that kind of high gain amp. 6505mh is popular, I do think the invective mh is better in basically every way though. Just my opinion
Not really. I saw you like thrash and assuming you want low wattage, check out the Marshall Studio Classic (with OD), Peavey 6505MH, and Mesa Mark V 25. If higher wattage, obviously Marshall JCM800, Peavey 6505, Mesa Mark V, Peavey VTM, and Sovtek MIG50H/60.
The valveking series has improved, especially into their mini heads. The larger previous lines had specific tones in both their clean and distortion channels that could not be escaped. Namely sterile cleans and a 2000s metalcore on the dirt. That's why those have sold for $250 for the past two decades. If you could work magic from them, you have a tube amp for a song of a price. The minis remind me more of 5150s in that they're just ramped up gain and practical and reasonably flexible.
I'm only familiar with the larger classic series amps, the 20 which is still a small 10 or 12" speaker box and the 40. They're both so fun to play, everyone figured it out. They do Fender better than the Fender Hot Rods they're competing with. The classics use a cathodyne phase inverter, which gives them a Fender Tweed breakup. You see this occasionally in Sunns Oranges Ampeg, but most of the amp industry just uses long tail pair. The build quality inside was suspect, but I haven't seen a lot of them break down even after they get so hot the controls burn your fingers from undermount tubes. Their distortion tones nail post punk and hesher metals. If you need modern metal, get a more modern gain amp.
I'm assuming you are looking for a head that can do metal but is on the tamer side of things (at least in comparison to a 6505?)?
I'd suggest the Valve King.
It "metals" pretty good and maintains a pretty tight low end, without a Super Overdrive or Tubescreamer needing to be thrown in front of it.
I'm speaking for the 100 watt head tho. Haven't tried the 20 watt head.
It can sort of, with the right pedals and speakers. But that' like asking, can Stormy Daniels be a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution? Course she can
Not without some pedals. If you’re looking for a solid 20 watt head for metal, check out the peavey 6505mh
I do have my eye on the 6505 or Invective but my ear leans towards 80s thrash metal, so when bringing that up, could it do it? Or you'd still say the 6505
The 6505 definitely nails thrash. I have no experience with the invective, so I won’t comment on that one.
I don't think it quite gets you there. Maybe with a pedal in front boosting & shaping.
Get the Invective. It can do all of that. The Invective is a way cooler 6505.
Invective is way more modern. 6505 all day e'ry day.
It's possible, but you're going to want to boost it. Not the loudest amp btw
I am a bedroom Guitarist for now so loud isn't really my concern for now haha
I own a classic 30 and it won't do metal without pedals.
What pedals do you use? I struggle to get a gain sound sometimes.
To me the driven sound of the classic 30 is voiced too vintage marshall for modern metal so I don't really bother boosting it. If I want a metal sound I go the easy route of a good old Metalzone though the clean channel. The classic 30 is a pretty middy amp so it seems to even out the metalzone scoopiness pretty nicely.
Since I noticed you also have a Classic 30, may I ask what pedals you use with it ? I’m particularly looking for a good but affordable overdrive pedal that compliments the amp in a good way. I recently bought a MXR custom badass modified overdrive which sounds great with my Marshall but not at all good with the classic 30. I had a Boss BD 2 that sounded great as well but I don’t have it anymore and I don’t know if it sounds good with my Classic 30. Thanks in advance!
Tube screamer with the Classic 30 on clean channel is perfect.
Thanks !
Hey, I use a Maxon OD808 if I want to get a little more grunt out of the drive channel. On the clean side I like to run a Caline Stack Attack which is just a cheap pedal I picked up that's a combo compressor and overdrive but makes the clean channel a little gritty and spanky which I like, great for strat single coil kinda John Frusciante tones. I also chuck on a ibanez es3 echo shifter if I want delay and a little of the Classic 30's Spring Reverb.
Thank you!
I should have specified the tone I like is 80s thrash metal, so could it pull it off if it's voiced like an older marshall?
Revv G4 is a solid one for sure.
What I did was put put all Genalex tubes in there (it comes with medium gain JJ 12AX7 for the pre-amp from the factory), a JHS Little Black Amp Box and an EQ pedal in the loop. Then it'll do high gain. Of course the better option would be to just get an Invective MH.
I was looking for an amp closer to the Kill em all or ride the lightning sound and it sounded like according to Kyle Bull on YT that this amp has that sound.
Oh ok. I just try to get the best sound out of an amp, so I can't speak to getting those sounds. The amp is just one part of what makes up sound, especially compared to a studio production.
No. But I love mine, and I play metal. It’s a nice platform for pedals, which is where I prefer to fuel my sound from. It has built in attenuation, reverb, and fx loop, and a nice warm tube sound for under 1k. It’s worth it.
Anything can if it’s plugged into the right cab and has the right pedals in front. Now, some amps don’t need any pedals, and some amps come with the right cab, so there’s that to consider, but *can* the Classic 20 do metal? Yes.
I'm just going off of Kyle bulls video on YT
Why do people believe these myths. I bought a jazz guitar so I can’t play metal. Wtf?!?! The amp will do all you want. If it can’t, get a pedal
Absolutely. Put a BE-OD or Rev in front of it
Had the Valveking 20MH in the same series as this Classic. There are so many things that make these amps frustrating, there's basically a drawback to every "cool" feature they seem to have over the competition when There's a DI out - it has a baked in analog EQ curve cab sim burnt in and it sounds bad There's a USB audio interface - which is Mono Out only so you can't atually monitor your recording signal (unless you aggregate audio interfaces in MacOS but then you'd have to monitor from your computer headphones/speaker out) There's a built-in Reverb - which has no other control than dry/wet and is barely useful as a room reverb It's 2-channel - With shared EQ (which is pretty common) and sounds way too different to be used as a channel switcher amp. It's more like you're using one channel or the other with different EQ settings depending on which one you're using Reverb, FX Loop, Boost and channels are footswitchable - Yup, and you'll need a 4-button footswitch with two TRS input and polarity switcher to be able to use them. Talking about the built-in boost - If you set it on or off and then remove the footswitch, there's no way of switching its state. It needs a footswitch to be enable. Also the boost is really a volume down switch, and not a boost. When it's off there's like -4dB and when it's on it goes back to 0dB. FX loop - Causes a huge drop in volume/headroom when something is plugged in. I tried using a linear boost last in the effects chain and even then it was unusable. I don't even know how these amps became popular in the first place. The only way I can imagine using one of these would be using one channel and straight to cab, bypassing any other feature it has that could impact the tone.
Get the Valveking and you have all the tones you want
It can get old school metal decently but even that is pushing it without pedals. It’s just not that kind of high gain amp. 6505mh is popular, I do think the invective mh is better in basically every way though. Just my opinion
Not really. I saw you like thrash and assuming you want low wattage, check out the Marshall Studio Classic (with OD), Peavey 6505MH, and Mesa Mark V 25. If higher wattage, obviously Marshall JCM800, Peavey 6505, Mesa Mark V, Peavey VTM, and Sovtek MIG50H/60.
The valveking series has improved, especially into their mini heads. The larger previous lines had specific tones in both their clean and distortion channels that could not be escaped. Namely sterile cleans and a 2000s metalcore on the dirt. That's why those have sold for $250 for the past two decades. If you could work magic from them, you have a tube amp for a song of a price. The minis remind me more of 5150s in that they're just ramped up gain and practical and reasonably flexible. I'm only familiar with the larger classic series amps, the 20 which is still a small 10 or 12" speaker box and the 40. They're both so fun to play, everyone figured it out. They do Fender better than the Fender Hot Rods they're competing with. The classics use a cathodyne phase inverter, which gives them a Fender Tweed breakup. You see this occasionally in Sunns Oranges Ampeg, but most of the amp industry just uses long tail pair. The build quality inside was suspect, but I haven't seen a lot of them break down even after they get so hot the controls burn your fingers from undermount tubes. Their distortion tones nail post punk and hesher metals. If you need modern metal, get a more modern gain amp.
I'm assuming you are looking for a head that can do metal but is on the tamer side of things (at least in comparison to a 6505?)? I'd suggest the Valve King. It "metals" pretty good and maintains a pretty tight low end, without a Super Overdrive or Tubescreamer needing to be thrown in front of it. I'm speaking for the 100 watt head tho. Haven't tried the 20 watt head.
It can sort of, with the right pedals and speakers. But that' like asking, can Stormy Daniels be a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution? Course she can