Combo Amp for Metallica tone- which one?

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MasterOfPuppies
hi i need an advice to chose another amp in order to use its distortion and throw away multieffect units...then using single pedal boxes for effects. actually i use a marshall jcm 2000 dsl 401 tube amp and to play metallica i plug my multieffect pedalboard digitech gnx1 ( that i like for home playing ). the problem is that is a multieffect and live it has its own limits talking about sound... so i would like to get an amp that could get the metallica distortion sound... which amp do you suggest me to get? mesa boogie?? is the mesa boogie Express 5:50 or 5:25 the right choice? my marshall gain can't get the distoriton i need so i guess i have to sell it and buy a more hi-gain mesa boogie kind of amp... thanx in advance
The Sloth

You'll struggle to find a combo that does THE 'Metallica sound'.

You should be able to get a heavy sound from your combo, I would suggest trying an EQ pedal or a boost pedal to give your amp some extra kick.

MasterOfPuppies

which one? :)

by the way i heard mesas combos on you tube and they seem-sound similar mine marshall...not enough distortion..

then i heard some diezel and sounds better.

i like the distortion of my gnx1 multieffect..but i want to use just the amp for clean and distortion then single effect pedals as effects.

so u suggest me a booster or an eq ok to plug into my amp...

models and names? ;)

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Westley G.

I have found that digital modeling amps are a good choice for combo amps that can get that sweet sweet Metallica sound. Marshall's CODE series and the Boss Katana are great amps.

Mark S.

Mesa Boogie Mark V 25 or 35. Put it on channel 2 and set to Mark IV mode. The Mark IIC+ mode may sound like it should be the obvious choice but the Mark IV mode sounds more like an old Mark IIC++.

If you have some hot passive pickups or EMG’s you should be able to get that Master of Puppets/Justice/Black Album tone in just a minute or two.

 

Dont go to heavy on the gain (no more than 1 o’clock), roll off the bass pretty low (on the knob - not the graphic EQ) and set the graphic EQ to whatever flavor of V shape suits your ears.

The little Mark V’s are what I’d call a very reactive amp. More than any amp out there, the tone variation and attack from picking the strings with different attack means that if you want a very heavy chug, you need to work it on the guitar. Half ass the playing and you will sound half assed. Other high quality amps tend to coddle you and make you sound good however bad you play. The  little Mark V tells it how it is - which can be a very good or a very bad thing.

ESPimperium

A used Mesa DC-3 or a DC-5 combo may be youre thing, maybes a Used Mark IIIC, even a Used Tremoverb or Rectoverb.

The Express isnt what youre looking for, its more like like a Lamb Of God style sound on the 25W one, the Marshall DSL combos have cooling issues, a Marshall TSL may be what youre after, but with a boost and EQ.

The best way to get a Metallica tone is to get a Mark IIIC+ slaved into a JCM800 power amp, or visa versa.

You could even get a ENGL Screamer combo, from what ive heard of the Screamer head and a 2X12 ENGL Pro cab on the soft lead it can get very close to what you may be wanting.

Asmodaus

Man, it's gratuitous to have all of that for their live sound. To the audience, After fifteen minutes it's all blurred into a giant wall of distortion anyway. He could pack one amp and go with it.

Stephy

Why would anyone want to sound like Metallica?

Scott

Why would anyone want to sound like Metallica?

Cos their sound rules. :rolleyes:

idpmofo

Why would anyone want to sound like Metallica?

Stephy is F'n great :cool:

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MasterOfPuppies

when i play metallica' songs i need to sound like them
then i like that angry sound ;)
cheers ;)

Stephy

when i play metallica' songs i need to sound like them
then i like that angry sound ;)
cheers ;)

but why would you want to play metallicas songs? hmm.. I guess I'm just jaded when it comes to music. I like original musicians.

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Steve K.

Try the Hughes and kettner switchblade combo

ash

^There will never be a better or bigger metal band than metallica ever. Period.
Yes I am a fanboy :-)

Stephy

Metallica is amazing. They made a huge empire, so yeah.. bigger that Metallica, prolly not.
But better? come on.

there are better musicians out there, thats for sure.

ash

Probly but don't listen to me I'm obsessed with them. lol

Stephy

fair enough, my metallica loving friend. :)

MasterOfPuppies

i just went to my music store and listened to the mesa boogie express 5:50

yes ok good amp but it wasn't that big distortion as i expected to listen to.

then i listened to the ENGL Thunder 50 and distortion was better.

what do you think about the ENGL amps? are they good?

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sean106OCD

fair enough, my metallica loving friend. :)

Steph, playing metallica helps for practice. Helps build speed and some chords on some songs I was never familiar with and then introduced into a lot of my own songs. :)

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R11GJH

You could go Triaxis and Strat 400 route. I have a Triaxis for recording and it is great for a multitude of sounds (Mark I to Triple rec)

Blake

We're talking about combos here. A strategy 400 is powerful enough to bring down a building.

ENGL's are pretty rad, if you have the cabbage look into a roadking or roadster combo. Those should be pretty close to the metallicas.

Stephy

n00b

Brono

boogie board= helpful and boring
esp forum= hilarious and helpful (sometimes)

thats why ive been at the boogie board for like 3 years and only have 50 or so posts.

I may not have ever seen the 2 girls, 1 cup vids. *FAP*.

fixed

sean106OCD

LOL, I agree about the soap opera stuff. Mostly I like to see what the youngin's are up to these days and keep up on that. It's my little escape from reality. But when it comes to looking for gear advice, this is the last place I look. Most of what I see is rather inane and silly, however the gear some of the guys have is unbelievable, espaecially that Sean106 guy. Plus, if it wasn't for this board, I may not have ever seen the 2 girls, 1 cup vids. YUCK.

That sean106 guy is a bit coo coo in my book :p

chevy Z 302

I'll agree with sean to a point on the met stuff.

i mean thats what got me playing so naturally i wanted to learn alot of it first few years of playing. So i'll do my little warmup routine and bust through some metallica stuff to finish off. Regardless NEM is a cool song to play, alot of their stuff is cool to play to other people who arent guitarists/musicians because they can relate to it and just recognize it. Even if they arent into the band. Now im rambling about nothing

/end post

konan

I'll agree with sean to a point on the met stuff.

i mean thats what got me playing so naturally i wanted to learn alot of it first few years of playing. So i'll do my little warmup routine and bust through some metallica stuff to finish off. Regardless NEM is a cool song to play, alot of their stuff is cool to play to other people who arent guitarists/musicians because they can relate to it and just recognize it. Even if they arent into the band. Now im rambling about nothing

/end post

100% agree!

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Khan k.

For a Metallica tone, amps like the Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier or the EVH 5150 are popular choices. Their high-gain channels and versatile EQ settings capture Metallica's heavy sound. Pairing with a quality cabinet and effects pedals can further refine the signature Metallica tone.

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