That Ampeg sounds KILLER! Perfect for death metal. BTW, props for using and bringing attention to wearing hearing protection. I’ve been a metal guy my entire life and I wish that type of hearing protection existed when I was coming up. Great video! 🤘🏼🤘🏼
Thanks dude! Yeah, same. I'm probably going to do a video eventually that's a little bit more serious about it, but it's so important. I was GOING TO do it for the Eargasm collarboration, but I didn't want it to come off like I was only making the video for a sponsor, since it's such a serious topic.
For me it has to be the Marshall. The tone seems to have more body and string definition, which I like. The Ampeg sounds cool, the Crate sounds like it has a blanket on the cab.
In the mix Ampeg and Marshall sounded the best. 8100 might be most versatile work horse from these three. Luckily got one dirty cheap (150€) several years back. Love your content man!
Holy cow. I've owned all of these amps over the years. Out of these 3 the ampeg takes the win. I enjoyed it the most back in the day too. The only reason I got rid of my ampeg was because it was having some electronic issues I was unable to figure out. The guy that bought it from me was a collector of that amp and he said he could fix it. Sure enough he did. My crate amps were always my choice of amp to just get me by till I could get something else I liked more. They were always dirt cheap and were at least reliable. I've owned i think 4 crate amps. My marshall... I actually have no idea what ever happened to it. Lol but I got it at a pawn shop for like $120 in 2002.
When I think about 90s Death Metal the first thing that comes on my mind is the main riff of 'Stripped, Raped and Strangled' That is just mean A good amp for the genre have to sound good on that.
The ultimate thing to do would be use them all on a track, maybe Marshall on the left, Ampeg on the right, then use the Crate for leads. Hell maybe even put the bass through one of them too with less gain 😂 thanks for doing this shoot out! Maybe now just shoot the amps with their pedal clones haha
Would love to see a review on a valvestate bi chorus 8200. Love that one as well with the chorus engaged but turned all the way down. It's pretty sweet
@@TaylorDanley cheers bro, as you said the Ampeg had the best snarl - agreed, but unless your gonna sit in your bedroom for the next 20 years it's gotta be considered within a mix and how it sits with other instruments, and that's where the crate absolutely rules!
To me , The Ampeg will always sound the best. However, I think the mids being turned clockwise ( more) increases the volume and how the gain acts. You can get that baby cooking and scoop the mids elsewhere with an EQ or whatever. If you leave the mids on counter clockwise ( less) the amp don't ever sound right to me.
VH140C wins for sure although the Valvestate is decent. It makes me kick myself for selling mine back in the late 90s. Thankfully we have the FleshRot and VHD pedals and amps, that use the vh140c pre-amp circuit.
Check out Aion Effects VH Drive. It's the most accurate of the VH pedals, as it runs 15v/7.5v like the real VH head. Most of the other pedals run at 9v/4.5v.
Hard choice between the Crate and the Valvestate but I gotta go with the Valvestate i love that bright mid focused tone. Although I gotta say I think I prefer my Valvestate avt50 2000 over the old ones, more bass and mids
I always found my AVT50 to be kinda muddy. It sounds pretty good as a power amp for the Master Effects Martyr though. Actually, to it's credit it sounds pretty decent as a power amp for pretty much anything except the stock preamp.
@skaldlouiscyphre2453 they have a bit of muddiness but a graphic eq in the effects loop worked great for me... until the eq somehow damaged the effects loop lmao. I got rid of it a while ago because of that, miss the sound but it was not very reliable buildwise.
@@burnoutzzz Shame about it dying. Weirdly, mine has been solid as a rock in terms of reliability. I only say weirdly because I've read a lot of reviews mentioning it not being reliable. For the longest time I had a Crate GX15's send connected to the effects return and thought it sounded decent.
@skaldlouiscyphre2453 Damn I should've tried that back before mine died! I have the same Crate, I may give that a try with my Peavey Bandit since I can get pretty damn close to the Valvestate tone with it.
@@burnoutzzz The little Crate should have a jack labelled insert, it's a stereo jack. If you get a stereo to 2x mono Y-cord, one side will be the effects send, the other side is the return (which can be ignored). That should get things working for you.
The ampeg has a high end that some might like, but you can't beat the midrange grind of that Marshall. That's a really well designed EQ in the preamp. You get definition and grind without sacrificing anything that isn't worth it IMHO. I remember playing the valve states as a kid and always enjoyed them. Back then I probably would have thought one of these ampeg heads was just the bee's knees, I'm talking item 9 here.
The only Crate I have ever liked was the Blue Voodoo BV300H. But I love those Ampeg's that were manufactured through St. Louis Music(SLM). I have a Ampeg VL1002 Lee Jackson designed amp.
Yeah in stock form Valvestate is more like a Thrash metal amp. But boost it with Tubescreamer or Boss SD1 (or hell go full cannibal corpse and boost it with Metal Zone) and the amp becomes real mean. Bit shrill as the lack of low end is still a problem but in a mix that isn't an issue, hell it may even be desireable.
8100 with a 10 band eq in the loop and a boost (tube screamer) in the front is glorious! Thickens that amp right up especially with a 7 string tuned to drop G#
Cool vid👍🏻🤘🏻 Imo this is the tru result: No1: Ampeg!!! No2. Valvestate!! No3. ….. No4. ….. No5. Crate! The Ampeg was fat as hell, and the Marshall a bit less, but nice growl. The Crate just sounded more Ac/Dc ”hillbilly” dirty, allovertheplace. But think it will work nicer when playing black instead of death.
The best sounding to me is the Ampeg VH140c. The Valvestate too isn't bad at all (i have a valvestate and use it for everything) but in my opinion for this specific type of genre and that tone, the VH140 handles it better. The story changes if you boost the valvestate with a distortion/overdrive pedal of your choice, in that case i take back what i've said.
if i’m playing like a mix of death and thrash metal u think i should go with the marshall i’m tempted and i might get a boost or distortion pedal with it
If i were tuned in E or Eb I'd take the 8100. Anything else, the Ampeg. I've owned the Ampeg. Sorry i sold it. Had the combo version of the 8100 30 years ago. Just can't bring myself to buy anything that says crate on it after the abortion of a full stack crate DSP i wasted money on in 1992-ish.
It seems really weird to romanticize these amps. We used them back in the day because it was all we could afford. We all wanted Dual Recs and Mark IIc+, but they were too expensive. I had an Ampeg VT-60 and it was alright, but I had to take it in for repair 3 times. I got a crate blue voodoo, but didn't like it.
I don't if this has happened to anyone else but my friend in high-school had a fender roc pro head with matching cabinet and it sounded awesome later my other friend bought one but used a peavey cabinet and it sounded terrible iv looked up the amp and some said it was great and some said it was terrible
That Valvestate 8100 is just, not good :D it was the best in that price range wich was low. I still have it and its just junk compared to full tube amps from same time perioid. Valvestate, dont waste your money in it, buy a plugin that models it or buy load of manure.
Absolutely hate the ampeg. Marshall wins for sure but crate was miles better than the ampeg. Also even though you say the ampeg is louder..... Your db meter says otherwise
Man no offense to anyone here but I hate these videos and posts on old solid state amps. These solid state heads were extremely unreliable garbage compared to real deal USA made tube amps, and now people make videos/posts convincing people to pay a pretty penny for these. It's not worth it people. Get a 5150 that will last your entire life AND sound 5x better. Or get a modeling rig. There is a reason why ALL bands that used these solid state amps that people mention.. Don't anymore. They were virtually all, made with cheap unreliable parts. It is NOT worth it people.
Personally I've always hated the old valvestates in person, but mic'd they always sound so good, and this is no exception. There's something special about that sound. Takes me back to my teens.
It was probably your cab. I played an 8100 through a Mesa cab w/a 200 watt OG usa made EVL 12 and it slayed right there with my Mesa DR and my Fryette Sig X, and I actually preferred it to my JVM head
The Crate GX130c is my go to, I love plugging into it more than any other amp I own. I've never run through the Ampeg as the prices are getting higher and higher. Hopefully one day.
It's a cool amp. I enjoy it more for its nostalgic factor than anything else, but it's also pretty Br00tz. BTW, they are out there for deals, you just need to persistently look and be diligent. Took me like 2 months to find one.
I own the Crate and the Marshall, but have a friend that has the Ampeg and have yet to jam on it myself, but just to pick one in this shootout I'll go with the Marshall due to tonal versatility from what I heard. All 3 amps are great though, so you cannot go one wrong with any of them! \m/
You can get the valvestates, both the 8100 and VS100 a little closer to the ampeg style by using a Metalzone to “clean” boost it, but with the lows boosted a bit. Adds in some of that deep in person thump you feel is missing.
Honestly I'd go for the crate. There was something about it that made it the meanest out of the 3. Second following the Ampeg and third the Marshall which sound like one of those poor bastard of amplifiers you find in the rehearsals room that have seen WAAAY to many things and... If figures. Crate FTW!
It's basically a 220w version of the GX130/GX140 without chorus. It's a bad mf. I have one, but it keeps burning a resistor in the power amp section and I can't figure out why. My GX140C is starting to do the same weird stuff my 2200 did before it started cooking the resistor.
You gotta replace the filter caps and reflow the solder joints in the crate. I got mine for $150 . Did that and it hasn’t acted weird not a single time since doing that.
Alot of the peavey solid-state along with Randall from 80s 90s and early 2000s are great. They defined the early sludge louisiana sound. Every slower bands from new orleans Randall really was the king of solid-state for those times and I still feel like are better amps. Check out the lines after the RG series ( my least favored) any color. The Vmax V2 cyclone ect. Countless killer amps for the same price as the peavey solid-state. I loved the V2 with a DBX 266 gate and a ts9 to tighten it up.... Early 2000s monster or the Cyclone with the DBX 266.
@@symbolic_913 I was talking to Tommy Victor once about his Kemper and he said modelers just can't replicate SS amps very well. He used to play VS8100s and then Crate VTX-350. He's a solid-state guy, so I believe him.
I would go Marshall every time. It cuts through like a hot knife whereas the Ampeg and Crate both had a "blanket over the cab" sound. That snarl also plays better with the HM2.
I got a vh140c and an 8100 and while i agree the marshall has the best note separation, the 140c def doesnt sound like that if you dial it right also i think hm2 sounds a bit harsh through the marshall but the ampeg got a nice balance that complements it well kinda reminds me of gatecreeper with an hm2 in front of it
The Crate and the Ampeg prefer a speaker like the Electro-Voice EVM12L or the Eminence Legend EM12 (EVM clone). Those two heads were originally paired with a set of 30w FST 12" (part# 86-450-xx, xx=ohm rating... 04, 08, or 16) in their respective 120w cabinets by StLouis Music. The FST speakers are very transparent. Any other speaker with these heads sounds muffled, i.e. "cargo blanket over the cab" sound.
Oooooooo it's a toss up between the Ampeg & Marshall w/ the mix (definitely can't go wrong with either one of those when it comes to tracking)..Now this one took a few indepth listens, but the Ampeg for chugs. ..I had a similar version ages ago(2006) believe the head was a Ampeg SS-140-C Chorus Head, that this was just crazyyyy for metal. Have yet to been able to find another one since...Another great 👍🏻 vid buddy
Taylor, you're one of the few youtubers, whose sponsor ads I don't skip, even though since the war began and the sanctions on Russia were imposed I can't buy shit online (and I've wanted to get those earplugs for a while now). Keep the solid state cult alive, nothing beats SS amps for pure brutality. P.S. Ever thought of doing a vid on an H&K Black Spirit? From what I've heard, it sounds a like a tighter GX130C with a more flexible voicing (the distortion is kinda grainy like the Crate and it's got that growly low end to it, too). P.S. 2 Ampeg wins for me.
Dude thanks so much. I try to make them entertaining so you won't want to skip! 😂 I'm sorry to hear about your situation! Oddly they've been creeping on my IG and liking my ish, but haven't reached out or followed me yet 🤣 maybe though!
I know you were partially joking when you mentioned Static-X, but Wayne used a 8100 for recording on their first album only and used MG series for everything else. I honestly didn't believe it the first time someone told me considering how tight his tone is especially on their first album!
chuck schuldiner used the marshall 8100 and made it the most famous amp in this category and i think for a good reason, i have mine since 1996 and it is still the way to go for death metal for me but marhsall used cheap components back then and thats the biggest issue with these amps, i had to buy a broken one for cheap just for spare parts🙄
It would be awesome if marshall reissued the 8100 with the exact same schematics but just with higher quality components. The vh140c is built like a tank tho like mine literally survived a flood. only thing you gotta watch for is the signal being sensitive to dirty fx jacks which can make it cut out. Patch cable or contact cleaner def does the trick. Also it has more than one fx loop so make sure theyre all clean
@@spiritofthetallhills2037 yes !! there is a pedal version of the 8100 preamp section out there but i forgot the brands name sadly 🫣..i think fluff has a review about that on his channel
You should try out the very elusive marshall valvestate bi chorus 8200, it's sick . I put on the chorus but everything down makes it sound nice and thick in the tone
Protect your hearing! Save 10% with code TDANLEY10 bit.ly/3KAPfSJ
🤘
Love that Ampeg. Immediately sounded like classic Dying Fetus
YESSS 💪
That Ampeg sounds KILLER! Perfect for death metal. BTW, props for using and bringing attention to wearing hearing protection. I’ve been a metal guy my entire life and I wish that type of hearing protection existed when I was coming up. Great video! 🤘🏼🤘🏼
Thanks dude! Yeah, same. I'm probably going to do a video eventually that's a little bit more serious about it, but it's so important. I was GOING TO do it for the Eargasm collarboration, but I didn't want it to come off like I was only making the video for a sponsor, since it's such a serious topic.
Ear plugs not only protect your hearing, but they also let you hear everything better at the same time!
also a metal guy my whole life, but my first noiserock concert a few weeks age made me feel i like i knew nothing about volume and ear damage.
The ampeg is such a cool amp it was used by pretty much every death metal band from the 90s and Kamelot
For me it has to be the Marshall. The tone seems to have more body and string definition, which I like. The Ampeg sounds cool, the Crate sounds like it has a blanket on the cab.
It's definitely the most mid present and articulate. Least gain and low end - if that matters
In the mix Ampeg and Marshall sounded the best. 8100 might be most versatile work horse from these three. Luckily got one dirty cheap (150€) several years back.
Love your content man!
I fell in love with the marshall. With a slight saturated booster thats to die for
What do you use to boost it?
Holy cow. I've owned all of these amps over the years. Out of these 3 the ampeg takes the win. I enjoyed it the most back in the day too.
The only reason I got rid of my ampeg was because it was having some electronic issues I was unable to figure out. The guy that bought it from me was a collector of that amp and he said he could fix it. Sure enough he did.
My crate amps were always my choice of amp to just get me by till I could get something else I liked more. They were always dirt cheap and were at least reliable. I've owned i think 4 crate amps.
My marshall... I actually have no idea what ever happened to it. Lol but I got it at a pawn shop for like $120 in 2002.
When I think about 90s Death Metal the first thing that comes on my mind is the main riff of 'Stripped, Raped and Strangled'
That is just mean
A good amp for the genre have to sound good on that.
Yeah I think all these would (and possibly were used) sound good on that.
On the bleeding they used 2 of these amps i think not including the ampeg
My first head was a Crate GX130C. Brings back memories!
The Marshall sounds really great, wouldnt mind having one myself.
The ultimate thing to do would be use them all on a track, maybe Marshall on the left, Ampeg on the right, then use the Crate for leads. Hell maybe even put the bass through one of them too with less gain 😂 thanks for doing this shoot out! Maybe now just shoot the amps with their pedal clones haha
Would love to see a review on a valvestate bi chorus 8200. Love that one as well with the chorus engaged but turned all the way down. It's pretty sweet
The Crate easily - most balanced DM sound and the best in the mix! Great video though Bro!
Glad you like it!
@@TaylorDanley cheers bro, as you said the Ampeg had the best snarl - agreed, but unless your gonna sit in your bedroom for the next 20 years it's gotta be considered within a mix and how it sits with other instruments, and that's where the crate absolutely rules!
I’ve waited for this my entire life
To me , The Ampeg will always sound the best. However, I think the mids being turned clockwise ( more) increases the volume and how the gain acts. You can get that baby cooking and scoop the mids elsewhere with an EQ or whatever. If you leave the mids on counter clockwise ( less) the amp don't ever sound right to me.
The valvestate for the win
I have an 80s Crate and it's the best amp I have ever owned. I traded a Marshall cab and $70 for it.
VH140C wins for sure although the Valvestate is decent. It makes me kick myself for selling mine back in the late 90s. Thankfully we have the FleshRot and VHD pedals and amps, that use the vh140c pre-amp circuit.
Check out Aion Effects VH Drive. It's the most accurate of the VH pedals, as it runs 15v/7.5v like the real VH head. Most of the other pedals run at 9v/4.5v.
Combine the Crate and the Marshall and I bet the tone is going to be absolutely insane.
I love using a GX and 8100 together, they work really well.
Not a big Marshall fan, but I like the overall pleasing sound of the Marshall.
Hard choice between the Crate and the Valvestate but I gotta go with the Valvestate i love that bright mid focused tone. Although I gotta say I think I prefer my Valvestate avt50 2000 over the old ones, more bass and mids
I always found my AVT50 to be kinda muddy. It sounds pretty good as a power amp for the Master Effects Martyr though. Actually, to it's credit it sounds pretty decent as a power amp for pretty much anything except the stock preamp.
@skaldlouiscyphre2453 they have a bit of muddiness but a graphic eq in the effects loop worked great for me... until the eq somehow damaged the effects loop lmao. I got rid of it a while ago because of that, miss the sound but it was not very reliable buildwise.
@@burnoutzzz Shame about it dying.
Weirdly, mine has been solid as a rock in terms of reliability. I only say weirdly because I've read a lot of reviews mentioning it not being reliable.
For the longest time I had a Crate GX15's send connected to the effects return and thought it sounded decent.
@skaldlouiscyphre2453 Damn I should've tried that back before mine died! I have the same Crate, I may give that a try with my Peavey Bandit since I can get pretty damn close to the Valvestate tone with it.
@@burnoutzzz The little Crate should have a jack labelled insert, it's a stereo jack. If you get a stereo to 2x mono Y-cord, one side will be the effects send, the other side is the return (which can be ignored).
That should get things working for you.
Crate all the way. It's got that wonky mid range mojo.
The ampeg has a high end that some might like, but you can't beat the midrange grind of that Marshall. That's a really well designed EQ in the preamp. You get definition and grind without sacrificing anything that isn't worth it IMHO. I remember playing the valve states as a kid and always enjoyed them. Back then I probably would have thought one of these ampeg heads was just the bee's knees, I'm talking item 9 here.
The only Crate I have ever liked was the Blue Voodoo BV300H. But I love those Ampeg's that were manufactured through St. Louis Music(SLM). I have a Ampeg VL1002 Lee Jackson designed amp.
yup that Ampeg sounded sick, but the marshall sounded execelent also
Loved my Valvestate I had back in the day. Sold it when I bought a DSL100 as I stopped using it but I kinda regret it letting it go.
In mix
Marshall
Crate
Ampeg
On their own
Ampeg
Crate
Marshall
I would take any of these amps any day.
Dope vid man new subscriber!! Still love the 8100!
I'm getting those earplugs. Wish I'd been protecting my hearing since my early 20s.
Also the Ampeg blows my mind. Love the Marshall, too.
@@zacharysmithingell5460 it’s a very cool amp, glad I snagged it when I did.
When I had a Valvestate back in the 90’s I could never get that “death metal sound” out of it. Well I didn’t know they were boosting them!
Yeah in stock form Valvestate is more like a Thrash metal amp. But boost it with Tubescreamer or Boss SD1 (or hell go full cannibal corpse and boost it with Metal Zone) and the amp becomes real mean. Bit shrill as the lack of low end is still a problem but in a mix that isn't an issue, hell it may even be desireable.
Hey! are we going to see some laney stuff sometime? some of it's ultra affordable like the ironheart, and you might make it sound really good
Eventually!
I'd probably have to say the Ampeg as well.
in the 90s there where a amp war drama
8100 with a 10 band eq in the loop and a boost (tube screamer) in the front is glorious! Thickens that amp right up especially with a 7 string tuned to drop G#
Just picked up a ..Crate GX140CH... thing rips sounds just like a Ampeg140C
Cool vid👍🏻🤘🏻
Imo this is the tru result:
No1: Ampeg!!!
No2. Valvestate!!
No3. …..
No4. …..
No5. Crate!
The Ampeg was fat as hell, and the Marshall a bit less, but nice growl.
The Crate just sounded more Ac/Dc ”hillbilly” dirty, allovertheplace. But think it will work nicer when playing black instead of death.
The Ampeg is SIIIIIIIIIIIICK
The best sounding to me is the Ampeg VH140c. The Valvestate too isn't bad at all (i have a valvestate and use it for everything) but in my opinion for this specific type of genre and that tone, the VH140 handles it better. The story changes if you boost the valvestate with a distortion/overdrive pedal of your choice, in that case i take back what i've said.
if i’m playing like a mix of death and thrash metal u think i should go with the marshall i’m tempted and i might get a boost or distortion pedal with it
@@colinkeough7229 yeah, definetly. The marshall + boost/distortion pedal combination is the most versatile in my opinion
Ampeg definitely wins.
you should try the peavey supreme
One of these days, it will make it's way through here I'm sure
Ampeg!!
Ampeg 🤘
Crate sounded best in mix
I thought so as well. Still prefer the Ampeg because I'm stubborn lol.
Definite stands out strong
If there was a happy medium where the guitarist tone is high and low
Any Ampeg amp sim models? Or anything similar?
I think The Ampeg sounded the best.
What fretwrap/stringwrap are you using ?
If i were tuned in E or Eb I'd take the 8100. Anything else, the Ampeg. I've owned the Ampeg. Sorry i sold it. Had the combo version of the 8100 30 years ago. Just can't bring myself to buy anything that says crate on it after the abortion of a full stack crate DSP i wasted money on in 1992-ish.
Ampeg and Marshall have it going on , the Crate sounds weird
It seems really weird to romanticize these amps. We used them back in the day because it was all we could afford. We all wanted Dual Recs and Mark IIc+, but they were too expensive. I had an Ampeg VT-60 and it was alright, but I had to take it in for repair 3 times. I got a crate blue voodoo, but didn't like it.
Cool shirt!!! Where did you get it from?
draculabyte
@@TaylorDanley Thank you. BTW: Really cool video. I was considering selling my Valvestate but now I think I will keep it.
The crate is "Crowbar " AF
Pls do some tonex captures of the ampeg yay
Ampeg
All the heavy metal bands now still play with their meds scooped I mean it's so 🤪
Ampeg is simply unbeliveable 🤤🤤
8100
We used Rocktron pro-gaps back in the day...
i love this AMPEG. I will never sell mine
What song is this riff from? 8:04
@@larsa8825 homicidal retribution
cool 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
I don't if this has happened to anyone else but my friend in high-school had a fender roc pro head with matching cabinet and it sounded awesome later my other friend bought one but used a peavey cabinet and it sounded terrible iv looked up the amp and some said it was great and some said it was terrible
1. Marshall.
2. Ampeg.
Can someone figure out Hypocrisy's Penetralia guitar amp/cab?
marshall and ampeg best. crate too midrangey
Those Valvestate head are like 150€ nowadays. Think about that.
Ampeg ftw, by a nose
Ampeg \m/
like for playing pyaemia
That Valvestate 8100 is just, not good :D it was the best in that price range wich was low. I still have it and its just junk compared to full tube amps from same time perioid. Valvestate, dont waste your money in it, buy a plugin that models it or buy load of manure.
Marshall wins!
Absolutely hate the ampeg. Marshall wins for sure but crate was miles better than the ampeg. Also even though you say the ampeg is louder..... Your db meter says otherwise
Marshall has a shit tongue gain
Man no offense to anyone here but I hate these videos and posts on old solid state amps. These solid state heads were extremely unreliable garbage compared to real deal USA made tube amps, and now people make videos/posts convincing people to pay a pretty penny for these. It's not worth it people. Get a 5150 that will last your entire life AND sound 5x better. Or get a modeling rig.
There is a reason why ALL bands that used these solid state amps that people mention.. Don't anymore. They were virtually all, made with cheap unreliable parts. It is NOT worth it people.
Personally I've always hated the old valvestates in person, but mic'd they always sound so good, and this is no exception. There's something special about that sound. Takes me back to my teens.
It was probably your cab. I played an 8100 through a Mesa cab w/a 200 watt OG usa made EVL 12 and it slayed right there with my Mesa DR and my Fryette Sig X, and I actually preferred it to my JVM head
The Crate GX130c is my go to, I love plugging into it more than any other amp I own. I've never run through the Ampeg as the prices are getting higher and higher. Hopefully one day.
It's a cool amp. I enjoy it more for its nostalgic factor than anything else, but it's also pretty Br00tz. BTW, they are out there for deals, you just need to persistently look and be diligent. Took me like 2 months to find one.
The crate has the better reverb and chorus by a landslide. I have both and I put a od in front of the Crate and it slays.
Traded my VH-140C a few months ago. It needed some serious TLC. I bought it used in 94. And I already regret it lol. Great video man!!!
Sorry for your loss! Another will come around I’m sure.
I own the Crate and the Marshall, but have a friend that has the Ampeg and have yet to jam on it myself, but just to pick one in this shootout I'll go with the Marshall due to tonal versatility from what I heard. All 3 amps are great though, so you cannot go one wrong with any of them! \m/
That contour knob is definitely key. It seems that one knob alone would make any tone possible
Missing the peavey supreme 160
Randall as well
They all sound great, but I prefer the Ampeg VH140c. It just has the meanest, growliest sound to my ears.
It's so brutal..
You can get the valvestates, both the 8100 and VS100 a little closer to the ampeg style by using a Metalzone to “clean” boost it, but with the lows boosted a bit. Adds in some of that deep in person thump you feel is missing.
I play an 8100 with an ISP Steve Lukather guitar sub under my EVL loaded Mesa cab and damn, problem solved. Sounds like a wall of thickness.
Honestly I'd go for the crate. There was something about it that made it the meanest out of the 3. Second following the Ampeg and third the Marshall which sound like one of those poor bastard of amplifiers you find in the rehearsals room that have seen WAAAY to many things and... If figures. Crate FTW!
Crazy how different they are..
The Ampeg for sure I'd say. Love that..wow
I had a Crate Excalibur GX2200H that was Brutal AF. It did Death tones surprisingly Well and high wattage.
Underrated amps for sure
Decapitated used it on the 2011 album.
@@Admiral_Bongo That's awesome, didn't know that
It's basically a 220w version of the GX130/GX140 without chorus. It's a bad mf. I have one, but it keeps burning a resistor in the power amp section and I can't figure out why. My GX140C is starting to do the same weird stuff my 2200 did before it started cooking the resistor.
My first full stack way back in 2000 was a Crate Excalibur. Ran a BBE sonic maximizer through it. Had a great sound with it!
You gotta replace the filter caps and reflow the solder joints in the crate. I got mine for $150 . Did that and it hasn’t acted weird not a single time since doing that.
Alot of the peavey solid-state along with Randall from 80s 90s and early 2000s are great. They defined the early sludge louisiana sound. Every slower bands from new orleans Randall really was the king of solid-state for those times and I still feel like are better amps. Check out the lines after the RG series ( my least favored) any color. The Vmax V2 cyclone ect. Countless killer amps for the same price as the peavey solid-state. I loved the V2 with a DBX 266 gate and a ts9 to tighten it up.... Early 2000s monster or the Cyclone with the DBX 266.
That ampeg is very impressive.
They all sound awesome. Sick riffing bro!
Some profiles of these stellar amps would be awesome 🙏🏽💯
@@symbolic_913 I was talking to Tommy Victor once about his Kemper and he said modelers just can't replicate SS amps very well. He used to play VS8100s and then Crate VTX-350. He's a solid-state guy, so I believe him.
I would go Marshall every time. It cuts through like a hot knife whereas the Ampeg and Crate both had a "blanket over the cab" sound. That snarl also plays better with the HM2.
The Marshall definitely has the clarity.
I got a vh140c and an 8100 and while i agree the marshall has the best note separation, the 140c def doesnt sound like that if you dial it right also i think hm2 sounds a bit harsh through the marshall but the ampeg got a nice balance that complements it well kinda reminds me of gatecreeper with an hm2 in front of it
The Crate and the Ampeg prefer a speaker like the Electro-Voice EVM12L or the Eminence Legend EM12 (EVM clone). Those two heads were originally paired with a set of 30w FST 12" (part# 86-450-xx, xx=ohm rating... 04, 08, or 16) in their respective 120w cabinets by StLouis Music. The FST speakers are very transparent. Any other speaker with these heads sounds muffled, i.e. "cargo blanket over the cab" sound.
Oooooooo it's a toss up between the Ampeg & Marshall w/ the mix (definitely can't go wrong with either one of those when it comes to tracking)..Now this one took a few indepth listens, but the Ampeg for chugs. ..I had a similar version ages ago(2006) believe the head was a Ampeg SS-140-C Chorus Head, that this was just crazyyyy for metal. Have yet to been able to find another one since...Another great 👍🏻 vid buddy
8:46 and the poor man’s GX130c is a GX600 lol
Also like Fender M80 for death metal too
Is the vh150 the same as the 140?
I believe it's the same preamp, but no chorus and it's a mono output, not stereo. Probably BETTER for most people
Taylor, you're one of the few youtubers, whose sponsor ads I don't skip, even though since the war began and the sanctions on Russia were imposed I can't buy shit online (and I've wanted to get those earplugs for a while now). Keep the solid state cult alive, nothing beats SS amps for pure brutality.
P.S. Ever thought of doing a vid on an H&K Black Spirit? From what I've heard, it sounds a like a tighter GX130C with a more flexible voicing (the distortion is kinda grainy like the Crate and it's got that growly low end to it, too).
P.S. 2 Ampeg wins for me.
Dude thanks so much. I try to make them entertaining so you won't want to skip! 😂 I'm sorry to hear about your situation!
Oddly they've been creeping on my IG and liking my ish, but haven't reached out or followed me yet 🤣 maybe though!
I know you were partially joking when you mentioned Static-X, but Wayne used a 8100 for recording on their first album only and used MG series for everything else. I honestly didn't believe it the first time someone told me considering how tight his tone is especially on their first album!
Yeah, who needs a fortin!
chuck schuldiner used the marshall 8100 and made it the most famous amp in this category and i think for a good reason, i have mine since 1996 and it is still the way to go for death metal for me but marhsall used cheap components back then and thats the biggest issue with these amps, i had to buy a broken one for cheap just for spare parts🙄
It would be awesome if marshall reissued the 8100 with the exact same schematics but just with higher quality components. The vh140c is built like a tank tho like mine literally survived a flood. only thing you gotta watch for is the signal being sensitive to dirty fx jacks which can make it cut out. Patch cable or contact cleaner def does the trick. Also it has more than one fx loop so make sure theyre all clean
@@spiritofthetallhills2037 yes !! there is a pedal version of the 8100 preamp section out there but i forgot the brands name sadly 🫣..i think fluff has a review about that on his channel
You should try out the very elusive marshall valvestate bi chorus 8200, it's sick . I put on the chorus but everything down makes it sound nice and thick in the tone
That sounds like Marshall's take on the VH-140C or GX-130.