Favorite Amps With A Les Paul For Driven Tone

[rjwilson37]

I am now running my Headrush MX5 in front of my Blackheart Handsome Devil, which gives me anything and everything I need, especially some nice driven tones with my Les Paul's.

 

[rykus]

My pre house fire favorite was a '68 50w Marshall bass head. I have owned a bunch of Marshall's and that one was the one!

Now I got a '73 bass 50 and a '76 MKII bass 50, not quite as nice as the plexi but I love them both too.

That said I got a Komet KF50 that is probably the best amp I've heard although I can't AB it with my old plexi sadly

 

[Brek]

Marshall for me I have a jcm2000 that I can only let rip in a rehearsal room.

 

[goldtop0]

Got this one recently and it's killer with my R8..........tone and drive for days. Put a couple of T731 alnicos in it and she's sublime.
Also my 1974X is great as well, can't beat a Marshall overdrive tone!!

https://imgur.com/6sVZXxP

 

[Jim Klein]

Victory V 30 MK II does it all for me.

 

[Eigen]

I found my tone in a 2203 JMP.

 

[Big Dik]

My '79 Les Paul Custom and my '80 Mesa MKIIB have been

soulmates for a long time.

 

[Drew224]

Orange. They let the character of the guitar come through a little better than a Marshall does and I love the orange gain structure - it's smooth and fizzy at the same time

 

[jeepocaster]

PHAEZ M50X. Into a pair of EVM 12L’s.

 

[Robert Parker]

I'll go with either a 5e3 Tweed Deluxe or a dimed Plexi. There are so many good options, but those two make me especially happy.

 

[CoolRene]

Vox with CmatMods SuperSigna / Marshall Lead 12. All those big Marshalls with 4x12 cabs are less and less usable apart for big venues…

 

[Brian Krashpad]

I do play driven most of the time, but rarely is it to what would be considered "high-gain" by modern standards. More of a '70s/'80s classic rock/hard rock/punk rock tone. I have lots of amps that, while each a bit different (sometimes more than a bit), can do variations on that theme: Vox AC30, Ampeg Reverberocket R212R, '66 Super Reverb (with an overdrive pedal), Sunn 200S (again, w/pedal, unless you can blast at 8-10 on volume), several 5000-series '80s Marshall solid state combos (5002, 5210, 5275), Marshall DSL 40C. Historically my go-to for that sound, though, is this, my MiG 50H Sovtek Tube Midget:

I really only have one amp that's designed to do more high-gain type tones, and it's a sleeper. Peavey Triple XXX Super 40 EFX. Picked up for peanuts locally in a moving sale.

 

[no jimmy p]

My lead guitarist and I got our tones dialed through a Kemper at the studio we start recording in next week!

As rhythm guitar.. I’ve got a Dual Rec/4x12 Mesa panned left, and a JCM800/1960 4x12 panned right. Les Paul with Classic 57s

Generic amps, I know. But who would have known that my two favorites combined into one big sound would sound SO GOOD. At first I was just gonna do the Dual Rec both ways.. told the engineer dude I’d like to hear a JCM800. Put them together and sure enough, heavenly sounds

Just curious whether what y’all’s favorite amps are for a high gain/driven tone, whether you own them or not

my Gibsonette GA-8t , 1960/61 blonde tolex era , rips ....
it doesn't melt faces but it will singe your eyebrows ....

 

[1allspub]

I also had (briefly) a Magnatone Super 15 head. Got it from Sweetwater, but, like the Marshall Studio Classic JCM 800 20w head I had previously, it was FANTASTIC at very loud volume, but suffered at lower bedroom volumes to recreate that fantastic tone. I could have gotten an attenuator (could have done so for the JCM 800 too, I suppose), but after paying $2k for the Magnatone, the idea of having to pay a few hundred more for a decent attenuator to make the amp useable for me was a turn off... so I sent it back and am sticking with my Marshall DSLs (see my previous post).

That said, if I was a gigging musician that Magnatone would be on my shortlist of amps... it's pretty awesome!

That said, one of the things that I have learned is that the speaker(s) in your cab is every bit as important as you amp... OR your pickups. Do not underestimate the affect a speaker swap can have on your tone. I can be pretty monumental. The Greenback my buddy put in my 1x12 cab completely transformed my DSL40's tone. I love me some Greenbacks now! Considering getting a couple for my 4x10 to give it a blended sound.

Soooo... I did end up getting a couple of 10” Greenbacks and put them in my 1965B 4x10.

Verdict... not so much.

Turns out the extra Greenbacks just made everything too middy and tinny. I tried EQing to dial it out, but to no avail. In the end I put the stock (36yr old) G10L-35s back in and the tone is back to its previous gloriousness. Lesson learned... sometimes more is too much.

 

[JoeyB]

My lead guitarist and I got our tones dialed through a Kemper at the studio we start recording in next week!

As rhythm guitar.. I’ve got a Dual Rec/4x12 Mesa panned left, and a JCM800/1960 4x12 panned right. Les Paul with Classic 57s

Generic amps, I know. But who would have known that my two favorites combined into one big sound would sound SO GOOD. At first I was just gonna do the Dual Rec both ways.. told the engineer dude I’d like to hear a JCM800. Put them together and sure enough, heavenly sounds

Just curious whether what y’all’s favorite amps are for a high gain/driven tone, whether you own them or not.

It’s really hard to say no to my SLO 100. This one is from 2010 and came from Seattle with a effects loop bypass mod.

 

[lespaul1648]

Marshall all the way...Silver Jubilee to be exact (which I have) and a Plexi which I want.

 

[timberterra]

Agreed.

View attachment 609708

As a fellow lefty I have to comment on the great LPs! I’ve been really considering picking up a R6 or R4

 

[80smetalhead]

I’m good with any of these at a gig. They are all amazing sounding amps. I choose the one I use based on sound and what type of venue. I prefer the Friedman and Mesa generally. I use the Splawn at gigs where I have to get off stage quickly as an opener. If you haven’t stepped up to the plate to get one of these I highly recommend it.

 

[DECEMBER333111]

Marshall Valvestate

 

[gtimach1]

As a fellow lefty I have to comment on the great LPs! I’ve been really considering picking up a R6 or R4

Thanks. The wine red is a 2012 Traditional which I bought new early in 2013. The Goldtop is a 2018 Classic that I bought used on EBay about a year ago. I have had excellent luck getting left handed Les Pauls. Sometimes, I think that since lefties are rarer, that they put a bit more effort into them. Hopefully, that is the case, because we rarely have the luxury of trying them out in a store.