ilovefuzz.com

Yeah Marshall valve states get bagged for no good reason.
They're a decent sounding amp.
And they can be had for cheap.

There is a valvestate that is stereo that I liked

theAntihero wrote:There is a valvestate that is stereo that I liked

Would that be the VS265? I think that one was stereo

The 8100 (mono) and 8200 (stereo w/ chorus) original Valvestates were pretty popular guitar heads for underground bands in their time. Tons of DM bands used the 8100, and I'm pretty sure Helmet rocked the 8200's for a while. Cheap powerful and reliable, decent sounding amps. I'd snag an 8200 almost as fast as an Ampeg VH150 or SS150. A cheap 8080 combo would be cool too.

might have to take a look at one

I pulled the trigger on the Quilter mini 100 ... full report coming ... one downside of the 101 is there is no line out so I may have to pick up an ADA GCS-3 ...

I had an 8200 many many years ago. I didn't know shit about guitar tone. It sounded alright in our little 8x10 metal room storage unit where we practiced. You couldn't hear shit in there anyway. I played one show with it and even my tone deaf ears were like, this shit is weak as hell and sounds like shit. I sold it immediately. It really didn't have the power to keep up with a full live band. Maybe some people can make them sound alright. I could see it in the studio maybe. Weird shit works in a studio sometimes. But for me, it was garbage and deserves its reputation as such.

yeah the MG stuff is garbage, and the later valvestate stuff doesn't have that same sound, but the 8100, 8200(and their combo equivalents) are outstanding. Mine is the VS100 which is almost identical to the 8100, I think it has like 1 or 2 extra buttons that I've never fucked with. The CR120 slays, though. I need to get another 412 cab so I can run a full stack with it. Also, going to try jumping the FX loop as someone suggested.

ShaolinLambKiller wrote:I love the crush, got two of them. I had been wondering overall about those Carvin SS's if they were any good.

I busted out the SX today from storage and was really impressed but the distortion doesn't sound good at low volumes ... it gets much better as you raise the volume; therefore, it's not a good "bedroom" amp ... I put the overdrive channel at low gain for a warm fat sound and a Hardwire SC-2 valve distortion pedal in front and it was awesome! Sounded Marshally. Unfortunately, they don't make the heads anymore, they only make the combos.

well I'm certain the used market has some laying about. that's where I get almost everything anyway.

I picked up my first Peavey Bandit today from a pawn shop for $159 before taxes. I was surprised at how big it was. No scratchy pots and the reverb works fine. It's a made in the USA red stripe model with the Sheffield speaker. I'm really impressed by the tonal variety. I've got an Envoy (brand new) waiting for me at a Fedex location so I'll be able to compare the two amps. I think I'll skip the Bandit for this generation (Bandit produced since 2008) and wait for the next iteration. I believe the series two lasted from 1988 to 1995. It looks like we're due for a new Bandit soon. The red strip Bandit seems to be the most feature rich Bandit. It actually has one more feature than the newer model. You can plug in an outside signal and kill the bandit preamp at the same time. It basically becomes a powered speaker. This would be good for multifx pedals. Why didn't Peavey keep this feature? Any of you folks part of the Bandit/Envoy/Studio Pro army? These amps fill a weird niche in the market. They are very cheap ($350 new), very loud, sound great, but feels almost beginner. I can imagine the cost of manufacturing these guys are low since the design has been around for ages and the cost of sourcing the parts is low.

The older bandits are where it's at. Stole one from my high school's band room a long time ago and it's been a great kick around amp that gets passed around between friends still.

waltdogg wrote:The older bandits are where it's at. Stole one from my high school's band room a long time ago and it's been a great kick around amp that gets passed around between friends still.

Barring the sound, the greatest feature of these Peaveys are the NUMBER OF FEATURES. They were obviously designed with performance in mind. Having both a bandit and envoy at your disposal can create some great sound opportunities.

grindonomicon wrote:The 8100 (mono) and 8200 (stereo w/ chorus) original Valvestates were pretty popular guitar heads for underground bands in their time. Tons of DM bands used the 8100, and I'm pretty sure Helmet rocked the 8200's for a while. Cheap powerful and reliable, decent sounding amps. I'd snag an 8200 almost as fast as an Ampeg VH150 or SS150. A cheap 8080 combo would be cool too.

I had the 8080. Definitely balls out for a 1x12.

Iommic Pope wrote:

grindonomicon wrote:The 8100 (mono) and 8200 (stereo w/ chorus) original Valvestates were pretty popular guitar heads for underground bands in their time. Tons of DM bands used the 8100, and I'm pretty sure Helmet rocked the 8200's for a while. Cheap powerful and reliable, decent sounding amps. I'd snag an 8200 almost as fast as an Ampeg VH150 or SS150. A cheap 8080 combo would be cool too.

I had the 8080. Definitely balls out for a 1x12.

Yeah, that's the 8100 in combo form - same guts in the 8080/ 80v and 8100/ 100v. I was looking to add an 8080 or one of the Ampegs as a lighter guitar combo amp. Owning the Genz Benz bass combo has made those GA$ feelings go away though - with a fuzz-od-dist of choice, it will crush either of them. And run any 8 ohm cab with serious power too.

In a couple weeks, I get to help a young friend find an inexpensive quality first amp head for his grindcore band. Woot!

Anyone use the solid state Ampeg SVT350? OK for guitar pedal platform?