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Contemplating Line 6 HD147...


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I dunno what to do :rolleyes:

I have a Mesa Single Rectifier Rect-O-Verb Series II Combo at the moment. I like what I get from it but I'd like to hit tones nearer to - for example - 'God Hates Us All'. I find that I simply can't achieve that with the Mesa. I've also been liking the sorta tones provided by Powerballs, Randalls etc.

I have the opportunity to go and play an HD147 (the shop I work at part time has one in stock), but I'm only really there when working so can't really slack off to play :nono:

What to do? :help:

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A lot of sound that comes from a record is often there as a result of the engineer/producers input rather than amps used etc etc. For example, most album by Scott Burns sound the same - as do Colin Richardson's and Andy Sneap's... but then again all three of them usually work with similar sounding bands.

I've never been a huge fan of slayers guitar tone particularly (it's not bad like, but not something I'd aspire to), but if you want to get it - do NOT scoop the mids on your amp. Slayer are well known to have pretty high mid settings on their amps.

Why can't you try it out after the shop shuts?

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slayer do use marshall, king uses a jcm800 and hanneman uses a jcm900. and they sound ace. line 6 amps are nae that good. one option to get slayer tone is to go for a jcm800 and mod it to run at 50 watts so you can crank it, or get a powerbrake for it. powerballs are very very good and you can get a slayerish sound out of them.

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A lot of sound that comes from a record is often there as a result of the engineer/producers input rather than amps used etc etc. For example' date=' most album by Scott Burns sound the same - as do Colin Richardson's and Andy Sneap's... but then again all three of them usually work with similar sounding bands.

I've never been a huge fan of slayers guitar tone particularly (it's not bad like, but not something I'd aspire to), but if you want to get it - do NOT scoop the mids on your amp. Slayer are well known to have pretty high mid settings on their amps.

Why can't you try it out after the shop shuts?[/quote']

I know Slayer's settings, and I like boosting the mids anyways.

slayer do use marshall' date=' king uses a jcm800 and hanneman uses a jcm900.[/quote']

Hanneman infact also uses JCM800s, not 900s. I know all their settings and stuff.

I tried the Line 6 today, and to be honest, I liked a few of the settings. The Marshall Jubilee setting sounded ace (I used my ESP to get best idea of tones). The Bogner Uberschall also sounded great, as did the VH-4 (the emulations obviously!). The Peavey 5150II imitations sounded pretty good too.

I think I'm gonna end up going for an HD147, it seems to do what I ask, and the multiple options for tones is handy.

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Amps

Can't comment on that particular Line6 but haven't found the older ones to be all that beefy - a lot of amps often sound great on their own but in a sweaty club they don't hold up. If got an obscure Hughes & Kettner Vortex head that does the job pretty well - maybe a little ill defined.

My last band the other guitarist had spent is life savings on a nice looking Mesa dual rectifier and cab, all very nice to look at. It got a bit lost in the mix playing live too.

One thing I always have to remind myself with guitar tones is that the cool sounds you get on record are mostly Bass, the guitars are normally quite crunchy up top and mid, and if your playing yourself you probably have the bass turned right up to try and make it sound more like a recording (with bass thundering away in unision). So without a meaty bassline accompanying you you always just sound a bit off from the tone your really looking for.

Offtopic: anyone else heard Diecast - Tearing Down Your Blue Skys. Like a more musical version of hatebreed. much better than the dross all the established bands have been churning out recently...

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I think I'm gonna end up going for an HD147' date=' it seems to do what I ask, and the multiple options for tones is handy.[/quote']

Well dude, its your money, if that thing produces sounds that you like then I hope you're happy with it.

Personally, I've played for ages with the thing and couldn't it to produce a sound I would consider 'adequate', never mind 'nice'. Same for all the Line6 gear really.

For this reason, I'm going to ask you to do yourself a favour. Go back, take a different guitar, and listen...really listen to that Line6 amp before you sink so much money into it and ask yourself "does this really sound *great*?" because for the amount of cash you're about to sink into it, you deserve a *great* sound! And the only Line6 kit I see doing anything like that is the Vetta. Also, try a flextone, or perhaps a POD through a powered speaker and ask yourself "Does the HD147 REALLY sound better than either of these cheaper options?"

NEVER judge based on a price tag thinking "Oh well its so many hundred pounds it must be good even if I'm not floored by its performance right now" because thats what companies like line6 want you to think! So much of what you hear first time round without thinking is psychosematic and you dont realise!

Finally, I have managed to get some Line6 stuff to sound really nice. The weak spot is the cabinet modelling. If you can hook up a line6 amp with the cab modelling off to a real guitar cab I think you'll agree its like wiping 10 years worth of crap off a window and seeing a golden sunset! The difference really is that obvious.

Good luck whatever you do, I've just been bitten by buyers remorse too many times, and that HD147 really is a lot of moolah. A potential expensive mistake in my humble opinion.

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Secondhand

By the way, for anyone looking for an amp in general I forgot to mention my top tip. Don't buy a new amp. For the same money get on ebay and try and find something much cheaper, possibly with valves, if you fancy yourself as a purist (and enjoy that 'just about to start, why's my amp not working' buzz). And you also know how much you'll be able to flog it for if you decide to go for something new later.

There is something satisfy about playing through a nice old cab marshall with a big rip down the side and sounding great when the other guitarist has a shiny new Amp-o-matic2000 and sounds poo.

It's nice to see people take a step back so their ears don't melt - always a favourite with the sound guy, they try the same gag every time - 'if you could just turn it down a bit the audience will hear you fine..'. bah, how ELSE would you make people fall off the toilets from the vibration?

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re

Well dude' date=' its your money, if that thing produces sounds that you like then I hope you're happy with it.

Personally, I've played for ages with the thing and couldn't it to produce a sound I would consider 'adequate', never mind 'nice'. Same for all the Line6 gear really.[/quote']

I could get some tones out of my Spider II that were satisfying to me, but not quite what I was really seeking, if that makes sense? I could make do with them and be happy, but I wanted something it couldn't give. I quite like the HD147 mind, lots more potential, some of the channels just seem to have what I desire hidden in there I think; well, I hope!

For this reason' date=' I'm going to ask you to do yourself a favour. Go back, take a different guitar, and listen...really listen to that Line6 amp before you sink so much money into it and ask yourself "does this really sound *great*?" because for the amount of cash you're about to sink into it, you deserve a *great* sound! And the only Line6 kit I see doing anything like that is the Vetta. Also, try a flextone, or perhaps a POD through a powered speaker and ask yourself "Does the HD147 REALLY sound better than either of these cheaper options?"

NEVER judge based on a price tag thinking "Oh well its so many hundred pounds it must be good even if I'm not floored by its performance right now" because thats what companies like line6 want you to think! So much of what you hear first time round without thinking is psychosematic and you dont realise![/quote']

My other guitars sound quite similar to my KH-2 (well, to an extent) and as that is my no.1 guitar, that is what would be the decider. I've used other guitars through the HD147 before and liked it then, I then decided that I *had* to use the ESP to get the best feel for the tone I'd finish up with. The Flextone is OK, but nothing more as far as I'm concerned, doesn't suit my needs.

I DEFINITELY don't judge on the price tag, thankfully! I judge on what I hear, nothing more. If I think the sounds available to me justify that price tag, then - and only then - will I decide whether to invest or not. With regards to a Vetta, unfortunately I cannot afford one, not for a long time! If I am satisfied by the HD147 for the time being (I know things will change eventually - I'm a gear whore!) then I may look into the Vetta II series when I could afford to!

Finally' date=' I have managed to get some Line6 stuff to sound really nice. The weak spot is the cabinet modelling. If you can hook up a line6 amp with the cab modelling off to a real guitar cab I think you'll agree its like wiping 10 years worth of crap off a window and seeing a golden sunset! The difference really is that obvious.[/quote']

Thus far, I've only tried it through the matched cab. I may have to put it through a Marshall 1960A/AV/B/BV and see how it varies.

Good luck whatever you do' date=' I've just been bitten by buyers remorse too many times, and that HD147 really is a lot of moolah. A potential expensive mistake in my humble opinion.[/quote']

Me too! The Mesa is my fourth amp in 3 years. I think that the Mesa could possibly have been one of those expensive mistakes. I realised great prospects in there and jumped at it but I'm not getting the sound in my head. I kinda guess it's almost like trial and error with regards to finding my tone(s).

Some day!

Hopefully the HD147 will suffice for the time being...

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There was a HD147 in Bruce Millers for quite a long time. I tried out quite a few guitars through it. I failed to get a good tone from any of them other than on the 'jazz' setting with jazz guitars. It didn't sound at all realistic and sounded quite brittle. I tried on many different settings and none really did it for me. I find it hard to believe that it really needs to cranked, concidering it is a digital, solid state amplifier.

Some of the guitars I tried were, mexican strats, Ibanez RG550, Ibanez Artcore, amongst others.

I know these guitars produce far better tones through other amps which cost less.

I am not against amp modellers in the slighest. I have got fairly nice tones through a Line6 POD before. I also use a Sansamp psa-1 amp modeller, Which i reckon is amonst the best out there for amp modelling. www.tech21nyc.com/psa.htm

By the way' date=' for anyone looking for an amp in general I forgot to mention my top tip. Don't buy a new amp. For the same money get on ebay and try and find something much cheaper, possibly with valves, if you fancy yourself as a purist (and enjoy that 'just about to start, why's my amp not working' buzz). And you also know how much you'll be able to flog it for if you decide to go for something new later.

[/quote']

Maybe a good idea. However the valves may be worn out and in need of being replaced. Although replacement valves start at 10 each. So that is an extra 80 you would be adding onto the price. Then if you want someone else to bias it for you (vital for best tone)You could be looking at (I don't know, but someone else here might).

Also, I bought a Marshall 1936 2x12" cabinet off ebay for 50. The speaker drivers need of replaced (that will be my next buy), as they distort at the bottom end at high volumes.

....

If you are after the slayer tone, I woulds advise getting a JCM800 second hand and look for one which has either, recently been serviced (or at least had it's valves replaced) or one which is so cheap that it dosen't matter.

If you have had much better experiences with the HD147, I will assume I was just unlikely but I don't think it will compare the slightest in sound quality to your Recto-O Verb or the JCM800, for that matter.

Another option, maybe worth trying would be a distortion pedal on the clean channel of your Mesa.

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Well I've used my H&K Warp Factor through it, and I prefer the Mesa's own distortion.

I think the fact of the HD147 being readily available and me wanting to offload the Mesa made me plan to jump in too quick.

I'm going to try out a couple of amps that I've been interested in for a while. The main one being the amp I was gonna order previously but didn't (I gave the Mesa another chance) and that is the ENGL Powerball. The other I'll try is a Framus Cobra (if I ever find one).

From sound clips and stuff I think I'm leaning to the PB - I have a friend who plays in a Slayer tribute band and uses a Powerball, so I can hear how he can get good tones in their stuff.

Time will tell though.

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