cjwise_17's Metal Amp Rig

This was the first guitar I ever bought at the age of 25 (38 now); and I had never even held a guitar when I bought it. I just knew I had to have it. Little short (long) story: I had known that I wanted to play a guitar ever since I was 10 and heard "For Whom the Bell Tolls" for the first time. When I finally decided to pull the trigger, I knew a couple things: 1) This was not going to be a temporary interest; this was a true passion that had never been realized. Which leads to number 2) I didn't want a crappy beginner guitar that I would outgrow (or get bored with) in the first year or two of playing. I couldn't afford (or justify) buying a high-end guitar for a beginner, however I knew it was a good idea to get something that was not only simple enough to learn on, but was good enough to grow into; and preferably something that looked cool too. I couldn't have made a better choice. On pure aesthetics alone; this guitar is both beautiful and brutal. The black cherry flame-top is just killer, and rosewood fingerboard adds some elegance and refinement. In addition, IMHO, the inlays on the C-1+ are the coolest ones that Schecter has ever done. As far as build quality, I couldn't be more pleased. Solid construction, amazing sustain, very comfortable to play. The only complaint I have is that the bridge feels like it could maybe be a little more secure; but that could be my fault for not adjusting it properly. I swapped out the Duncan Designed HB-102 passive humbuckers for the active EMG JH Set, and now it gets better tone than any guitar I’ve played with the 81/85 combo. In a nutshell, this is a professional quality guitar for an extremely reasonable price. This was my first guitar, and will always be my favorite. Definitely keeping this one forever.

Take the 81/60's and give them steroids. These pickups truly do what James Hetfield himself has said: Gives you the punch of the passive humbucker, but the warmth and power of the active. I've played an 81/85 combo, and trust me: The JH bridge pickup is NOTHING like an 81. In my opinion, it puts the original 81 to shame.

First amp I ever bought before I knew anything about music gear. Decent starter amp. Onboard effects include basic reverb, delay, flanger, and phaser; these effects are all built into a single knob; thus revealing the limitations of a basic practice amp. That being said, it takes effects pedals pretty well considering its size. Good quality construction though; mine has been through hell and is still running. Definitely needs a new input jack socket, but it still works like new. Great starter amp.

This amp is good for hobbiests who want semi professional quality tone and either can't afford, or don't have the room for a couple 4X12 stacks. 15w head, cool onboard fx, four channel, and plenty of volume. The only reason this doesn't get five stars is because Marshall's official product documentation on this amp is extremely inaccurate. The spec sheet states that the factory speakers are rated at 8 ohms when in fact both speakers are rated at 16 ohms. I found this out after I swapped out the factory speakers for a pair of Celestion GTEN30s. Overall very happy with this amp though.

I bought these to replace the factory speakers in Marshall 10" cabs that came with the MG15CFXMS package. Definitely an improvement over the factory speakers; however I definitely still have my eye on the G10 Vintage as they are essentially the 10" version of the Vintage 30's. I don't have any 12" speaker cabs; nor do I see myself getting one anytime soon.

I play bedroom metal. The best clean tones from my favorite records came from the 120 watt big brother of this bad boy. Why would I settle for anything less? I got my Radial BigShot ABY switcher in place for just such an occasion: Roland JC-22 for clean, Peavey 6505 MH for dirty. And tons of goodies in between...OMG my setup is so sweeeeet.

Absolutely amazing little device; and I use the term "little" very loosely. The power, sound, and overall tone character coming from this thing is anything but little. This is definitely one of those instances where great things come in small packages. From squeaky clean and bright to serious crunch, and everything in between, this thing ain't just a one-trick pony. The tone shape knob is probably one of the most clever controls ever. Some of the cleanest clean tones I've ever heard, and the gain...ohhh...the gain...face melting gain, but still provides amazing articulation even at the highest gain settings. The FX loop is a great feature as well. Works with 8 ohm-16 ohm speakers, and definitely has enough power to rock a 4X12. This thing should be called the Micro Beast! Don't take my word for it, pick one up and check it out!

Perfect for practice. Pairs great with the Micro Dark or Micro Terror. Great tone characteristics. Definitely too small to get any true bottom end out of it, but that's not really what guitars are supposed to do, is it?!

UPDATE

As time has gone on, I’ve grown very disappointed with this amp. First off, the FX loop doesn’t work worth a damn. I’ve tried two different reverbs, a delay, and my 10-band EQ; and it doesn’t play nice with any of them. It’s almost like it overloads or something. I’m not an electrician, so I wouldn’t have the slightest idea where to start.

Second, the sound quality has diminished. It’s muddy, and I can’t seem to get my high end mids to make any sort of impact. Even though I run a Maxon OD-9 on the front; level 75%, drive 10%, and tone at 1 o’clock, it doesn’t seem to make much difference. I’ve tried every EQ setting I can think of on both channels: I’ve tried pushed mids, scooped, presence and resonance adjusted accordingly, and I just can’t get a good, sharp tone. I’m sure this is nothing more than a tube issue; I just can’t afford to replace them right now.

Furthermore, Musician’s Friend kinda screwed me on this because I found out they actually sent me a demo model, still charged me full price, and didn’t do anything about it. I’m assuming that some of my problems are related to this.

I’m hoping I can find someone who can help me with this sometime soon. Because of these issues, I can’t do better than 3 stars. I’ll update this again after I’ve had a chance to get it looked at by a professional.

I can’t say enough about this little 20W beast. I never believed it was possible to achieve truly professional tones on a bedroom setup until now. I’m thrilled that I have finally joined the 6505 club! Peavey somehow figured out a way to pack all the features (and a few more) of the 120w 6505 into a small package that can be utilized at lower volumes without sacrificing any tone quality, and has an affordable price tag. The bright switch creates clean tones that are way better than most people give it credit for; and the crunch voicing is seriously cool too. The lead channel is hotter than napalm when the gain is dialed in at 50%; but it is pure Armageddon when it’s dimed. This thing is the real deal and is very much a true 6505. I love the onboard attenuator; it really makes this thing amazing for home players like myself. It really pushes the EL84’s to the sweet spot. This thing truly is a fire breathing beast from hell!

The TS9 and the DS-1 in one pedal with expanded range?! Hell yeah, I’ll take eight! Very good pedal. The only thing that’s a little tough is that it takes manual adjustments depending on what you’re looking for. Tough to adjust in a live environment. But very awesome tones!!!

EDIT: After a couple months, I now truly understand why it’s so much better to have a high gain amp and a little green beast boosting the front as opposed to relying on a dirt pedal through a clean channel. I LOVE this pedal.

Just got this little green monster. Haven’t had a chance to really dig into it yet, but I plugged it in and found a setting I loved within 30 seconds! To be fair; I had a vague idea going into it where I wanted to dial in, but I was so impressed with how much it tightens up my tone. I can’t wait to do a deep dive on this thing! Anyone who knows anything about the history of music equipment knows the importance of the Tube Screamer. That being said, why would anyone settle for anything less than the one that set the standard in the first place? Pick one of these up and discover for yourself why this pedal is a must have for everyone who plays electric guitar!

There's something special about the Roland/Boss Chorus tone. My best friend has had one of these for many years, so I knew what it sounded like; but of course I didn't bother to check his settings. So I'm still playing with the settings, but I have yet to find a setting that I don't like. Sure; companies like Empress, Strymon, and Earthquaker all make extraordinary pedals, but this is definitely another example of why Boss STILL commands respect in the world of guitar effects. Boss is still an industry standard to this day for a very good reason.

I want to preface this by saying I really don't know a whole lot about delay pedals. I know basically what they do, and I know they are an essential part of anyone's pedalboard, but I've never had one to play with. The Carbon Copy continually pops up in almost every top 10 list, and I've seen so many of my favorite musicians rant and rave about this pedal, so it seemed like a no-brainer. I already know how awesome the MXR Reverb pedal is, and I thought the Carbon Copy would be a good compliment to my existing setup. I'm still learning how to use it, but so far, I've already found at least one setting that I really like. It really fattens up the tone when I'm doing chugging riffs. So far, I'm very impressed. (Don't judge me on this LOL) As I'm typing this, I'm reading an article about the best ways to use this pedal, and the effect that it can have on a rock/metal tone. I'm just now reading about something called "slapback delay", and the dial settings to achieve it. Oddly enough, the settings I've stumbled upon by accident and have been using thus far are not that far off from the recommended settings. I can't wait to get home and try this out again!

EQ’s are probably the most overlooked effect for guitarists. That being said, this one is awesome. Good upgrade from the 7-band I’ve been using for the last twelve years.