Even with hand-wired custom made pedals these amps sound like complete shit. So what did you have to do to get your to sound like it does? Or did Epiphone have it done before they shipped it to you guys to test? This is very misleading.
I have owned two of these amps for several years now. What I do quite understand is that even after trying many many different tubes viether of my amps sound even close to this one. So what did you guys do to mod. the amp before you presented it? Do not tell me that you have done nothing no one believes it. These amps sound great clean. But they sound like complete shit when you want to use the gain channel. I have tried every overdrive or distortion pedal out there including hand-wired.
@slysendice , and who says that ? It's all about HOW you use it. If you use a JCM 800 with the volume at 1 it will not sound much better than anything
Couple of things: Reverb is vintage and dark, most people dont find it usable, i didnt either, so make sure you like it if you want to use it!
The cleanchannel is bright as hell, atleast the one i owned was. Even with a lespaul on neck pickup, its VERY bright.
Overdrive is great, has lots of vintage character. But will not do high gain!!! You can get ac/dc amounts of gain, but you might have to crank it a little in order to get there. Has NO FX loop. The Cab is simply great
Hey guys....going to be buying this cab soon... Just wondering though...will be upgrading my guitar head soon aswell....should i get the epiphone so-cal head...or a blackheart bh100?? I'm into hard rock and punk (ac/dc, guns n roses, ramones, greenday...etc)
@stuie1993 I bought this head last week and before I bought it I had a blackheart head! So the epiphone socal works better than blackheart if you want to play ac/dc, guns, ramones, etc...
@TarantinoRocker93 where did you buy it?!! i want one and cant find it. i played it a long time ago and didnt have the money, and ive been dreaming of this amp for the past few years... hit me up @ aequitasmgmnt at gmail dot com
@Nightrain97GreenDay Allora, se vuoi ti dico il sito dove potrebbero avere un'altra di queste testate!E' un gibson store.. io ho avuto la fortuna di conoscerla tramite questo negozio, poi ho fatto una passeggiata a lecce, l'ho provata e l'ho acquistata! Buona fortuna.. la testata è meravigliosa un suono stupendo!
@Nightrain97GreenDay Ti avviso però, la testata nel distorto non spinge tantissimo, o meglio non vanno molto in saturazione le valvole, quindi ti consiglio di aggiungerci un boost per avere un suono più marshalloso XD
@Nightrain97GreenDay Guarda io ci ho attaccato un distorsore(precisamente l'MT-EM della Modtone) e il suono spacca, caldissimo e potente, e fidati, avendo suonato e risuonato un marshall JCM900 il suono è abbastanza uguale! Poi comunque vabbè uso anche un chorus per gli arpeggi, comunque l'equalizzatore è molto fedele, il reverbero a molla fa la sua porca figura e il suono è di un caldo allucinante! meraviglioso davvero.. non lo darei via per nulla al mondo!!!
@TarantinoRocker93 I bought this head (whit its cabinet) 2 months ago.. and it work very good! I can easily play 60's rock (beatles, led zeppelin,); spychedelic music (pink floyd) and hard rock.. Its sound is very hot and the clean tone is like a sexy.. I've got an epiphone les paul standard and this couple(epiphone lp - socal head) it's Amazing! In a short time I'll buy a gibson les paul traditional and I'm thinkin' that I'll play anything I want xD If you want,I'd like to keep you updated! :D
Discontinued. I'm very disappointed that this amp is getting very hard to find. I wanted to replace my Bugera V55 with this, but priority is not high. The voicing is very similar, but I love the real spring reverb and the contour knob on this amp. I had a contour knob on my first Marshall SS. It was great. I'd love to have that on a tube amp. I'm also partial to the EL34 tubes. The demos I've heard sound great. I hope I can still pick this up when money is not tight.
@Srinivassa Look for Legacy Hammerheads on eBay. They are the same amp. Also sold as a Grainger Hammerhead. Im waiting for people to get sick of them and sell them off second hand. I want another one so I can run two in stereo. Two 50 watt heads beat one 100 watt head any day of the week! You can have more mid or gain on one, or add the reverb to just one. Plus, you have a backup when one fails.
Good advertising job - but please try this before buying, I grabbed one because it was so cheap without putting it through its paces - now have put it aside with the view to mod it cause the tone is sooo bad. Tone is very very dull (prob due to excessively large grid feed resistors), lacks the usual sparkly chime you get from a valve amp, reverb tail is too big, the power out from mine is lower than a normal 50W head since the OT Z is wrong (have scoped it), seems to have less gain than a 1987
Right gentlemen, that comment is over a year old now. I have successfully changed my setup to my preferences so I don't need any further replies. Thank you for your help :-)
i know from experience, If you replace the tubes with mesa boogie and sovtek tubes the amp turns from crap to fantastic. if you want to know the combo of tubes and where to put them send me a message.
Sounds pretty good...not to crazy about the 50 watt thing...the gigs my band plays sorta needs that 100 watt full stack thing..epi should put out a 100w version
so what should i get if im in a band doing gigs: epihpone so cal 50, the vox night train or the orange tiny terror, they will be run through 1 4x12 cabinet oh and heres another question, what cab should i get? im strung out for cash so keep it cheap, i had my eye on a hayden peacemaker slanted cab, what are your thoughts on that?
Does any one know if the speaker connections on the back are parallel? I'm trying to run two 8ohm cabs, but can't decide whether to plug into the two 4ohm jacks instead (because the two 8ohm cabs parallel would be 4ohm total). HELP, can't find a fucken manual anywhere.
Does any one know if the speaker connections on the back are parallel? I'm trying to run two 8ohm cabs, but can't decide whether to plug into the two 4ohm jacks instead (because the two 8ohm cabs parallel would be 4ohm total). HELP, can't find a fucken manual anywhere.
both are nice amps. ive owned both. both are a great value. If you need or can use a 100 watt amp and especially the marshall thing (not a bad copy)buy the windsor. If a 50 watt would be better and you want a bit more feature, awsome reverb and a fairly unique sound ( for a 50 watt, EL34 based head) get the SO CAL. You will need a good cab with some dcent speakers to get the best out of either one.
I would get the so cal then if i were you. Its a great sounding amp.a couple years ago I bought one, and my buddy bought one the the original bugera models. he wound up sending that thing back and got one of these.
I have one of these as well as a JCM900 and 5150 II. This amp is "nicer" IMHO. Lots of different sounds including hi-gain. Crank it and you get beautiful EL34 crunch. Check out the tone test video I uploaded.
I have to agree with you. the 900 IMHO is kind of like a giant tiny terror. You get its OD sound and thats it, and only ITS sound not very versatile. The 5150 reminds me of a carvin x100b, in fact i would probably buy the carvin becasue its almost a 1000 dollars cheaper and US made. the SO cal is a great sounding amp. its little bit on the tame side but thats also good. its quiet and always under control.
I just bought this amp set a few months ago. I do love the clean sound it offers. But, being a metal player, the distortion just doesn't have the "Chunk" sound that most people look for. If changing the preamp tubes can fix this problem, Which would be the best buy?
I am really interested in getting some tones like funeral for a friend or a day to remember and like this is hell tone. would this be a decent amp for this?
You have to buy some pedals, you have to try some overdrive pedals, if you are searching for metal tones you have to try the wylde overdrive from mxr, it's a very great pedal and with valve it works very good, else you can try to turn up the volume at the maximum and hear what happens. :)
@Bodomius put a pedal in front of it, I'd advise a Boss Distortion pedal, I use a Boss DS-1 and it gives a great metal tone, good for Metallica and stiff like that
@Bodomius 1st, make sure all eq settings are cranked up to 10 because that can seriously effect the gain level. 2nd, make sure you are on the distorted channel. 3rd, if that doesn't work, try a distortion or overdrive pedal between your guitar and amp.
Nice Review, Bro... I Been An, "Acoustic" Player For A Bit, I Had My Ibanez-1st Gem, Stolen Back, In 92. Yellow-Black-PickGuard, Pink-MultiColor Pyramids, Up Frets... I Miss Playing, an Electric... Please Look Up My Name, Joshua Ryan, In Dayton Ohio... Thanks Again, For Your Review...
Its a fantastic amp for surprising people who assume that a stack means your going to be acrazy and loud. Its excellant at getting a good sound at low volume levels, the 4x12 cab helps to evenly distribute the sound rather than just over power the room. One thing to be aware of is that if your using single coils you may need to add an overdrive/distortion pedal for really high gain stuff.
I just got one of these, I was a little apprehensive but I've been blown away by how clean and noise free the amp is. The transformers must be really good quality as I can stand right in front of the amp without getting a ton of mains hum going through the pickups, even with my strats single coils. - This more than makes up for the lack of an effects loop as providing your pedals dont hum you'll get a good clean sound.
balckhearts are crate amps, and any crate amp ive ever heard was very lame and cheapy sounding.epiphone amps sound great. Ive owned this one and a valve junior, unfortunately they both broke down within 6 months. I also had a BC 30 , which is the cream of the epi amp lines. the BC-30 is equivalent to any of its type, for more money. It sounds much better than any Marshall combo except their "heritage" BTW this so-cal 50 sounds very good at low volumes with just the MV. get some nice tubes.
You need to listen to the Crate Blue Voodoo before you crap on the Crate Amp. Yes they have made some junk but the Blue Voodoo is one of the best sounding amps ever made. You won't find many amps that have a much cleaner sound the the BV. For some reason their dumb asses stopped making it.
I feel the same way about Crate & when the Valve Sr. was delayed once again I went with the So Cal 50 over the Blackheart Handsome Devil & I'm glad I did!!! The So Cal is a great sounding amp & so far very reliable after 4 months of giging out with it, despite a few power 'interuptions' due to tripped breakers from our PA at a couple gigs. I'm still learning all this amp can do & the shared EQ between channels is not that limiting, many nice sounds!!! Curious, what problem did your So Cal have?
actually, i was dubious about getting something with such a crap name. But it still kicks the brains out of MGs, LCs, Epis or bugeras. so i bought it.
this thing might be all tube and everything, but overall it has nothing on the Valvestate 8100. and also, blackheart kicks the brains out of epiphone stuff.
Does anyone know what impedance the cab has? I've been looking for a good cab to go with solid state heads plus I'm interested in this head too. Anyone know? Thanks.
Personal for many years, ive been using a Marshall MG15MSII, which works amazing, great tone, and has withstood a 900 people gig i played at caird hall in dundee a couple years back
ok, I have a question for anyone who has this amp.
A) What type of tubes are the preamp tubes? I know the power tubes are EL34's.
B) What happens if I take the reverb chamber out/unplug the two cords from it? Frankly I cant stand the reverb on this thing and it rattles like a sonofabitch when I take it to gigs.
i agree with likkamatt, i mean ive played gibson guitars, and theyre awesome. but i play epiphone and for the price difference, epiphone is worth it and soon ppl will realize it even though you hear a lot of, just buy gibson!!
ohh and i used this amp to play blues and nothing more and maybe calssic staff but if you want to play like greenday or others dont get this amp better marshall.
I run a Radial Plexitube, EH Metal Muff, Line 6 MM4, and BBE Sonic Stomp in front of this and a Marshall Vintage 30 4x12 behind it and can get pretty much any sound I want.
I play everything from Classic Brit rock to Black Sabbath to yes, even Green Day and Blink 182.
I've found that using Channel 2 (with the Gain almost off and the Contour around 10-11 O'Clock) and the Interactive EQ -- rather than Channel 1 -- as my "Clean" channel sounds much better for the sound I'm after.
ermmm i used this head man this head is how can i say i dont want use bad words ..... but save up money for a marshall JCM 2000 i can say or to something else or laney man or there is much more expensive amp like mesa and others BUT DONT GET SOLID STATE GET TUBE AMP , epiphone have bad electronic and cheap quality
yeh man ... i would advise getting a distortion pedal though, maybe a boss ds-2 or if you want the marshall sound (both tom delonge and billie joe armstrong use marshalls) get a marshall jackhammer pedal
I believe it is a device that convert AC(alternating current) to DC(direct current).
Now regarding solid state rectifiers, they aren't bad or anything and honestly there's not much of a difference performance or tone wise between tube or solid state rectifiers. It's just that tube rectifiers converts the current differently.
Now don't get these confused when it comes to amps. Tube amps and solid-state amps are completely different when it comes to tone.
oh ya i know the difference between a tube AMP and a solid state. i used to have a MG series marshall which as you probably know is solid state. now i have a valve king. i always knew tube amps rocked i just couldnt afford em. i still cant! haha
a tube rectifier has alot more sag in the bottom end, sounds alot more vintage. also the tubes burn up fast from what i hear. a solid state rectifier provides the tighter bottom end that most people think of when they talk about the mesa rectifier series. so to me a solid state rectifier sounds like the better way to go
ANGSTHYRKH- you put some pedals or a processor behind this amp and it will BLOW YOU AWAY. I have one and it FUCKING ROCKS. Just needs a little extra push over the cliff
The 1960a costs more than the head itself. For the money you could get a Bugera 6262 120 watt head and an Avatar 2x12 with any speaker combination of your choice. Just saying.
This SoCal sounds quite vintage-y. I'm not sure if the Bugera can do indie-rock sounds. I've seen some video reviews, and the Bugeras are very nice, but they're slightly too bitey for what I'm after.
I grabbed a used SoCal for $299 and a used Marshall 4x12 (with Vintage 30s) for $499. $800 and I'm loving it.
I tried the 1960A, a 2x12 (with Vintage 30s), a Peavy Winsdor 4x12, and a B52 4x12 before settling on the Marshall Vintage.
BTW, the 8 ohm Vintage 30s break-up much earlier than the 16 ohm ones and I think that has a lot to do with the tone I'm getting (very "old school" IMHO).
Man, this one got me very interested... wonder if I should get this one ore the Valve King... This one is even cheaper than the VK and it's 50 watts which suits my needs better than the 100 watts of the Valve king... but then again I'm more into the metal / etc realm... hmm... which to choose... Can't decide :(
Because 50 watt on a solid state amp are normally enough for small and medium sized clubs. But this is a whole tube amp and will sound much louder than a solid state one - because tubes compress the sound and add harmonics. This is the theory. Then there is the fact that I regularly gig a Vox 30 watt tube amp and regularly have to turn it down.
I agree, Sister :) I love the sound of the AC30 but thats what you get with it, also in order to overdrive it you have to turn it right up, and that is often way too loud for most venues. This Epi would be much more versatile, but for around the same price there are also the Sound City amps that are not bad, so try them all.
I have this amp. it's good but it makes this really weird buzz sound when you palm mute. It could just be my eq but I've neverr been able to dial it out.
Even with hand-wired custom made pedals these amps sound like complete shit. So what did you have to do to get your to sound like it does? Or did Epiphone have it done before they shipped it to you guys to test? This is very misleading.
orcustrex 1 month ago
I have owned two of these amps for several years now. What I do quite understand is that even after trying many many different tubes viether of my amps sound even close to this one. So what did you guys do to mod. the amp before you presented it? Do not tell me that you have done nothing no one believes it. These amps sound great clean. But they sound like complete shit when you want to use the gain channel. I have tried every overdrive or distortion pedal out there including hand-wired.
orcustrex 1 month ago
"Dirty Channel"! Never heard of than one before, hahaha!
Thank you for the review. I'm looking for a low budget tube amp, and this was helpful.
jeanounou 2 months ago
@jeanounou This amp has since been discontinued by Epiphone. If you're still looking for a budget tube amp, check out Jet City or Bugera.
Sodacake 2 months ago
Cheap and good sounding: This is great!
Alexislebaroudeur 6 months ago
Comment removed
TarantinoRocker93 9 months ago
just bought this head
MolotovTNT 9 months ago
studio amp-check
StephenFiorentini 10 months ago
does this sound like a jcm800?
holyass242 10 months ago
@holyass242 Definitely not. Marshall JCM 800's sound much better than this
slysendice 10 months ago
@slysendice , and who says that ? It's all about HOW you use it. If you use a JCM 800 with the volume at 1 it will not sound much better than anything
luigiperso 10 months ago
and also, 'better' means nothing....it's just preferences
luigiperso 10 months ago
I owned this head.
Couple of things: Reverb is vintage and dark, most people dont find it usable, i didnt either, so make sure you like it if you want to use it!
The cleanchannel is bright as hell, atleast the one i owned was. Even with a lespaul on neck pickup, its VERY bright.
Overdrive is great, has lots of vintage character. But will not do high gain!!! You can get ac/dc amounts of gain, but you might have to crank it a little in order to get there. Has NO FX loop. The Cab is simply great
loosefinger 1 year ago
First time I ever heard spring reverb. Jesus it's awesome!
FeralArtist 1 year ago
Wonderful sounding piece of kit
StephenFiorentini 1 year ago
How does it work live?
TarantinoRocker93 1 year ago
Hey guys....going to be buying this cab soon... Just wondering though...will be upgrading my guitar head soon aswell....should i get the epiphone so-cal head...or a blackheart bh100?? I'm into hard rock and punk (ac/dc, guns n roses, ramones, greenday...etc)
stuie1993 1 year ago
@stuie1993 I bought this head last week and before I bought it I had a blackheart head! So the epiphone socal works better than blackheart if you want to play ac/dc, guns, ramones, etc...
TarantinoRocker93 1 year ago
@TarantinoRocker93 where did you buy it?!! i want one and cant find it. i played it a long time ago and didnt have the money, and ive been dreaming of this amp for the past few years... hit me up @ aequitasmgmnt at gmail dot com
leafinfirerob 1 year ago
@leafinfirerob I'm italian, I bought it in a Gibson store ;D
TarantinoRocker93 9 months ago
@TarantinoRocker93 io non l'arrivo a trovare da nessuna parte! tu l'hai ordinata o era già là?
Nightrain97GreenDay 9 months ago
@Nightrain97GreenDay Allora, se vuoi ti dico il sito dove potrebbero avere un'altra di queste testate!E' un gibson store.. io ho avuto la fortuna di conoscerla tramite questo negozio, poi ho fatto una passeggiata a lecce, l'ho provata e l'ho acquistata! Buona fortuna.. la testata è meravigliosa un suono stupendo!
TarantinoRocker93 9 months ago
@Nightrain97GreenDay Ti avviso però, la testata nel distorto non spinge tantissimo, o meglio non vanno molto in saturazione le valvole, quindi ti consiglio di aggiungerci un boost per avere un suono più marshalloso XD
TarantinoRocker93 7 months ago
@TarantinoRocker93 sisi io uso pedalini! cmq grazie!
Nightrain97GreenDay 5 months ago
@Nightrain97GreenDay Guarda io ci ho attaccato un distorsore(precisamente l'MT-EM della Modtone) e il suono spacca, caldissimo e potente, e fidati, avendo suonato e risuonato un marshall JCM900 il suono è abbastanza uguale! Poi comunque vabbè uso anche un chorus per gli arpeggi, comunque l'equalizzatore è molto fedele, il reverbero a molla fa la sua porca figura e il suono è di un caldo allucinante! meraviglioso davvero.. non lo darei via per nulla al mondo!!!
TarantinoRocker93 5 months ago
@TarantinoRocker93 I bought this head (whit its cabinet) 2 months ago.. and it work very good! I can easily play 60's rock (beatles, led zeppelin,); spychedelic music (pink floyd) and hard rock.. Its sound is very hot and the clean tone is like a sexy.. I've got an epiphone les paul standard and this couple(epiphone lp - socal head) it's Amazing! In a short time I'll buy a gibson les paul traditional and I'm thinkin' that I'll play anything I want xD If you want,I'd like to keep you updated! :D
TarantinoRocker93 11 months ago
@stuie1993 Go for the epiphone, its a beast when it comes down to vintage styled tone
thatguyfromthatday 1 year ago
Discontinued. I'm very disappointed that this amp is getting very hard to find. I wanted to replace my Bugera V55 with this, but priority is not high. The voicing is very similar, but I love the real spring reverb and the contour knob on this amp. I had a contour knob on my first Marshall SS. It was great. I'd love to have that on a tube amp. I'm also partial to the EL34 tubes. The demos I've heard sound great. I hope I can still pick this up when money is not tight.
Srinivassa 1 year ago
@Srinivassa Look for Legacy Hammerheads on eBay. They are the same amp. Also sold as a Grainger Hammerhead. Im waiting for people to get sick of them and sell them off second hand. I want another one so I can run two in stereo. Two 50 watt heads beat one 100 watt head any day of the week! You can have more mid or gain on one, or add the reverb to just one. Plus, you have a backup when one fails.
EpiphoneGear 1 year ago
Good advertising job - but please try this before buying, I grabbed one because it was so cheap without putting it through its paces - now have put it aside with the view to mod it cause the tone is sooo bad. Tone is very very dull (prob due to excessively large grid feed resistors), lacks the usual sparkly chime you get from a valve amp, reverb tail is too big, the power out from mine is lower than a normal 50W head since the OT Z is wrong (have scoped it), seems to have less gain than a 1987
fatShowPony 1 year ago
Right gentlemen, that comment is over a year old now. I have successfully changed my setup to my preferences so I don't need any further replies. Thank you for your help :-)
Bodomius 1 year ago
i know from experience, If you replace the tubes with mesa boogie and sovtek tubes the amp turns from crap to fantastic. if you want to know the combo of tubes and where to put them send me a message.
Speedoman1978 1 year ago
Sounds pretty good...not to crazy about the 50 watt thing...the gigs my band plays sorta needs that 100 watt full stack thing..epi should put out a 100w version
thatguyfromthatday 1 year ago
@thatguyfromthatday believe me, this amp can get as loud as hell!
JosSlagers 1 year ago
@JosSlagers Maybe ill look into it, do you happen to know if it has one or 2 speaker outputs?
thatguyfromthatday 1 year ago
@thatguyfromthatday it has two 8 ohm outputs, two 4 ohm outputs and one 16 ohm output
JosSlagers 1 year ago
@JosSlagers Oh sweet, if I got this I would need a pedal to reach a great sort of 80s metal tone?
thatguyfromthatday 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@thatguyfromthatday No you dont. Dont lie about it
superchampable 1 year ago
@thatguyfromthatday dude, 50 watts of tube power is only 3 decibels quieter than 100 watts.
nbfan 1 year ago
so what should i get if im in a band doing gigs: epihpone so cal 50, the vox night train or the orange tiny terror, they will be run through 1 4x12 cabinet oh and heres another question, what cab should i get? im strung out for cash so keep it cheap, i had my eye on a hayden peacemaker slanted cab, what are your thoughts on that?
MeanGreenMovies 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Does any one know if the speaker connections on the back are parallel? I'm trying to run two 8ohm cabs, but can't decide whether to plug into the two 4ohm jacks instead (because the two 8ohm cabs parallel would be 4ohm total). HELP, can't find a fucken manual anywhere.
echoheadache 1 year ago
Does any one know if the speaker connections on the back are parallel? I'm trying to run two 8ohm cabs, but can't decide whether to plug into the two 4ohm jacks instead (because the two 8ohm cabs parallel would be 4ohm total). HELP, can't find a fucken manual anywhere.
echoheadache 1 year ago
if u turn the cleans volume up will the sound break up?
MeanGreenMovies 1 year ago
@MeanGreenMovies obviously, depending on the guitar and the pickups, but eventually, yes:D
catinahat93 1 year ago
@MeanGreenMovies Yes alot! This amp fucking blows
gatler05 1 year ago
What a great review... Finally, an awesome player jus gettin down to business.
betyoucantreadthis 1 year ago
@grahamccollins holy shit! paul plays for mastodon?!?! that's sick!!!!
threecheerer 1 year ago
Thank you! Well done sir. Your video post was a great help in my near future purchase. .... "ROCK-ON!"
STMARGO 2 years ago
cool almost compressed sounding could be a cool southern rock/ hard country cab
yourguitarist89 2 years ago
sounds pretty good
GitarenEnBananen 2 years ago
This or Peavey Windsor? I'm looking for punchy, midsy, Marshally.
StreakingInJanuary 2 years ago
@StreakingInJanuary
both are nice amps. ive owned both. both are a great value. If you need or can use a 100 watt amp and especially the marshall thing (not a bad copy)buy the windsor. If a 50 watt would be better and you want a bit more feature, awsome reverb and a fairly unique sound ( for a 50 watt, EL34 based head) get the SO CAL. You will need a good cab with some dcent speakers to get the best out of either one.
solerso68 2 years ago
Yeah. I wish Bugera made a 2203 and 2204 copy. I'd pick one up, right off the bat! I only need 50 watts.
StreakingInJanuary 2 years ago
I would get the so cal then if i were you. Its a great sounding amp.a couple years ago I bought one, and my buddy bought one the the original bugera models. he wound up sending that thing back and got one of these.
solerso68 2 years ago
@StreakingInJanuary
Peavey Valveking, Peavey Classic 30 or Laney LC50 maybe?
Lol927837 2 years ago
Having this guy play doesn't do the amp any justice at all
ParanoidGallows 2 years ago
what model of guitar is he playing.........i know its a jackson
stonefreak1962 2 years ago
looks like an old dominion
Geetarfrik 2 years ago
yea it is thanks
stonefreak1962 2 years ago
Mark Morton from Lamb of God signature ax.
Pimp ain't it?
@stonefreak1962
navdave 2 years ago
I have one of these as well as a JCM900 and 5150 II. This amp is "nicer" IMHO. Lots of different sounds including hi-gain. Crank it and you get beautiful EL34 crunch. Check out the tone test video I uploaded.
EpiphoneGear 2 years ago
I have to agree with you. the 900 IMHO is kind of like a giant tiny terror. You get its OD sound and thats it, and only ITS sound not very versatile. The 5150 reminds me of a carvin x100b, in fact i would probably buy the carvin becasue its almost a 1000 dollars cheaper and US made. the SO cal is a great sounding amp. its little bit on the tame side but thats also good. its quiet and always under control.
solerso68 2 years ago
the amp sounds too chessy, but ill take the Mark Morton Signature Dominion
Acsendency93 2 years ago 2
ya but perfect for thoses who arent into gain which this lacks severly but for 60s rock and cuntry and new metalica lol,it will be fine
metalmusiqcrzy 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
you can have it
solerso68 2 years ago
I have this head on my 68 bassman cab and it wails
planetcaravan93 2 years ago
sounds great. this cheap tube amp illz
MCWhitefang 2 years ago
I just bought this amp set a few months ago. I do love the clean sound it offers. But, being a metal player, the distortion just doesn't have the "Chunk" sound that most people look for. If changing the preamp tubes can fix this problem, Which would be the best buy?
evilgoldhan 2 years ago
What about try a good overdrive or tube screamer pedal? If you use those kind of pedals and high gain, you will have a good metal tone in my opinion.
Kokki66 2 years ago
Comment removed
Kokki66 2 years ago
This, just replace the preamp tubes with Tungsol 12AX7's.
StreakingInJanuary 2 years ago
not all. but most "new" like the cheap stuff, and the supersonic realy sucks balls. some of the reissue stuff is good but all way overpriced
solerso68 2 years ago
best sounding reverb ive heard on an amp thats not a fender made after 1980. dont even talk to me about the new fenders.
solerso68 2 years ago
how much is it?
airsplat1295 2 years ago
Great head, good speakers, but gay presenter.
cowboytonydee 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
sounds like a crappy cheap tiny combo
someprat 2 years ago
I think some of that is the way it's mic'd, a 50-watt head wouldn't sound that thin in real life
OfficialMikeMotter 2 years ago
it doesn't!
planetcaravan93 2 years ago
I am really interested in getting some tones like funeral for a friend or a day to remember and like this is hell tone. would this be a decent amp for this?
bamimaninja 2 years ago
Not enough gain and too "spoungy" IMO for that sort of thing (without pedals, that is).
OfficialMikeMotter 2 years ago
I don't know If anyone can help me but I have this amp and I have noticed one thing that bothers me.
Theres not enough distortion, how do I get that metal tone? When I play on it, it's too Clean. How do I make it more heavier?
Bodomius 2 years ago 2
You have to buy some pedals, you have to try some overdrive pedals, if you are searching for metal tones you have to try the wylde overdrive from mxr, it's a very great pedal and with valve it works very good, else you can try to turn up the volume at the maximum and hear what happens. :)
Rickirockit 2 years ago
@bodomius
try a tube driver man, most distortion pedals muddy up the signal alot, the driver will boost your amps signal and give it an extra cut
fuckitsmike 2 years ago
Aaah right. Thank you very much.
Bodomius 2 years ago
no problem at all mate
fuckitsmike 2 years ago
sell it and get a 6505+
kcajk 2 years ago
well considering that the So Cal in australia is 600 bucks and the 6505+ is over 4 grand...............
KvSwooo 2 years ago
@Bodomius put a pedal in front of it, I'd advise a Boss Distortion pedal, I use a Boss DS-1 and it gives a great metal tone, good for Metallica and stiff like that
TKDGSA 1 year ago
@TKDGSA
That comment is over 8 months old :L I received many comments about getting pedals etc, but thank you anyways :)
Bodomius 1 year ago
@Bodomius lol, yeah, maybe if I actually bothered to look at the time stamps, but oh well :-D
TKDGSA 1 year ago
@Bodomius what type of metal glam metal or more thrashier?
iori666 1 year ago
@Bodomius
Boss SD-1. Its worked well for me :)
lespaul12001 1 year ago
@Bodomius 1st, make sure all eq settings are cranked up to 10 because that can seriously effect the gain level. 2nd, make sure you are on the distorted channel. 3rd, if that doesn't work, try a distortion or overdrive pedal between your guitar and amp.
DTPVH 1 year ago
@Bodomius try throwing a TubeScreamer in between the guitar and amp
xxNailFirexx 1 year ago
@Bodomius try throwing a TubeScreamer in between the guitar and amp. TubeScreamers are made specially to overdrive tube amplifiers
xxNailFirexx 1 year ago
is this amp good for hard rock
mohawkdutch 2 years ago 2
got my so cal head yesterday and put it on my marshal cab and it is amazing
handmajor 2 years ago
Nice Review, Bro... I Been An, "Acoustic" Player For A Bit, I Had My Ibanez-1st Gem, Stolen Back, In 92. Yellow-Black-PickGuard, Pink-MultiColor Pyramids, Up Frets... I Miss Playing, an Electric... Please Look Up My Name, Joshua Ryan, In Dayton Ohio... Thanks Again, For Your Review...
IXanderDaExiler 2 years ago
Amazing amp. Check out my videos to hear. I have the Legacy Hammerhead 50 which is the same amp rebranded. Very nice EL34 sounds.
AlienKinetics 2 years ago
Amazing sound !!!
0zzyfan44 2 years ago
yeah totally
lillepackerd 2 years ago
Its a fantastic amp for surprising people who assume that a stack means your going to be acrazy and loud. Its excellant at getting a good sound at low volume levels, the 4x12 cab helps to evenly distribute the sound rather than just over power the room. One thing to be aware of is that if your using single coils you may need to add an overdrive/distortion pedal for really high gain stuff.
danielread123 2 years ago 2
I just got one of these, I was a little apprehensive but I've been blown away by how clean and noise free the amp is. The transformers must be really good quality as I can stand right in front of the amp without getting a ton of mains hum going through the pickups, even with my strats single coils. - This more than makes up for the lack of an effects loop as providing your pedals dont hum you'll get a good clean sound.
danielread123 2 years ago 2
balckhearts are crate amps, and any crate amp ive ever heard was very lame and cheapy sounding.epiphone amps sound great. Ive owned this one and a valve junior, unfortunately they both broke down within 6 months. I also had a BC 30 , which is the cream of the epi amp lines. the BC-30 is equivalent to any of its type, for more money. It sounds much better than any Marshall combo except their "heritage" BTW this so-cal 50 sounds very good at low volumes with just the MV. get some nice tubes.
solerso68 2 years ago
You need to listen to the Crate Blue Voodoo before you crap on the Crate Amp. Yes they have made some junk but the Blue Voodoo is one of the best sounding amps ever made. You won't find many amps that have a much cleaner sound the the BV. For some reason their dumb asses stopped making it.
VolsSmokey 2 years ago
I feel the same way about Crate & when the Valve Sr. was delayed once again I went with the So Cal 50 over the Blackheart Handsome Devil & I'm glad I did!!! The So Cal is a great sounding amp & so far very reliable after 4 months of giging out with it, despite a few power 'interuptions' due to tripped breakers from our PA at a couple gigs. I'm still learning all this amp can do & the shared EQ between channels is not that limiting, many nice sounds!!! Curious, what problem did your So Cal have?
jdc395 2 years ago
actually, i was dubious about getting something with such a crap name. But it still kicks the brains out of MGs, LCs, Epis or bugeras. so i bought it.
gothdude94 2 years ago
this thing might be all tube and everything, but overall it has nothing on the Valvestate 8100. and also, blackheart kicks the brains out of epiphone stuff.
gothdude94 2 years ago
is "94" the year you were born? just curious
solerso68 2 years ago
yeh =] that makes me 15.
gothdude94 2 years ago
Does anyone know what impedance the cab has? I've been looking for a good cab to go with solid state heads plus I'm interested in this head too. Anyone know? Thanks.
kidnamedchicago 2 years ago
It's got four 16 Ohm drivers, so it's either 4 Ohm or 16 Ohm, and it may have inputs for both options.
EnvyInc 2 years ago
Double checked, 16 Ohm only.
EnvyInc 2 years ago
Thanks for that. it should go well with a kustom quad head then. :)
kidnamedchicago 2 years ago
Not sure it would be so easy to crank and so hot with a less especially chosen guitar ?
jp6l6 2 years ago
Personal for many years, ive been using a Marshall MG15MSII, which works amazing, great tone, and has withstood a 900 people gig i played at caird hall in dundee a couple years back
but this, this sounds so fresh
StephenFiorentini 2 years ago
ok, I have a question for anyone who has this amp.
A) What type of tubes are the preamp tubes? I know the power tubes are EL34's.
B) What happens if I take the reverb chamber out/unplug the two cords from it? Frankly I cant stand the reverb on this thing and it rattles like a sonofabitch when I take it to gigs.
tfrost1988 3 years ago
This is just a Grainger Hammerhead with a new badge.
vesbryd 3 years ago
JUST UNDER A GRAND!! you can get these in the uk for £393 (about $510) head and cab!!
russefireballs93 3 years ago
i agree with likkamatt, i mean ive played gibson guitars, and theyre awesome. but i play epiphone and for the price difference, epiphone is worth it and soon ppl will realize it even though you hear a lot of, just buy gibson!!
swishitjoey 3 years ago
is this amp worth it's price?
does it have a good eq that really changes the sound?
FlightOfAChimaira 3 years ago
Comment removed
FlightOfAChimaira 3 years ago
or get BUGERA or get peavey 6505
padawan007 3 years ago
this amp isnt one of those high gain ones. completely different. And WAY less expensive.
tfrost1988 3 years ago
ohh and i used this amp to play blues and nothing more and maybe calssic staff but if you want to play like greenday or others dont get this amp better marshall.
padawan007 3 years ago
I run a Radial Plexitube, EH Metal Muff, Line 6 MM4, and BBE Sonic Stomp in front of this and a Marshall Vintage 30 4x12 behind it and can get pretty much any sound I want.
I play everything from Classic Brit rock to Black Sabbath to yes, even Green Day and Blink 182.
I've found that using Channel 2 (with the Gain almost off and the Contour around 10-11 O'Clock) and the Interactive EQ -- rather than Channel 1 -- as my "Clean" channel sounds much better for the sound I'm after.
jblittlefield 2 years ago
ermmm i used this head man this head is how can i say i dont want use bad words ..... but save up money for a marshall JCM 2000 i can say or to something else or laney man or there is much more expensive amp like mesa and others BUT DONT GET SOLID STATE GET TUBE AMP , epiphone have bad electronic and cheap quality
padawan007 3 years ago
Line 6 Half Stack or this?
ledsabbath165 3 years ago
Is this good for Blink 182 and Green Day covers? Anyone please? I gotta know before i buy it next week.
jka1989 3 years ago
Yes it's suits your style, not 100% though but hey, it's a lot cheaper..
maximizebux 3 years ago
yeh man ... i would advise getting a distortion pedal though, maybe a boss ds-2 or if you want the marshall sound (both tom delonge and billie joe armstrong use marshalls) get a marshall jackhammer pedal
LiamBamBam 3 years ago
I think you'll find Tom uses a mesa.
blinksawesome 3 years ago
hey can someone explain to me what a rectifier is? i have no idea? is a solid state rectifier bad?
Acidrain1993 3 years ago
I believe it is a device that convert AC(alternating current) to DC(direct current).
Now regarding solid state rectifiers, they aren't bad or anything and honestly there's not much of a difference performance or tone wise between tube or solid state rectifiers. It's just that tube rectifiers converts the current differently.
Now don't get these confused when it comes to amps. Tube amps and solid-state amps are completely different when it comes to tone.
aznedvin 3 years ago
oh ya i know the difference between a tube AMP and a solid state. i used to have a MG series marshall which as you probably know is solid state. now i have a valve king. i always knew tube amps rocked i just couldnt afford em. i still cant! haha
Acidrain1993 3 years ago
a tube rectifier has alot more sag in the bottom end, sounds alot more vintage. also the tubes burn up fast from what i hear. a solid state rectifier provides the tighter bottom end that most people think of when they talk about the mesa rectifier series. so to me a solid state rectifier sounds like the better way to go
BurnThisMutherDown 2 years ago
Mesa Rectos are very loose for a metal amp.
acdcrocks0323 2 years ago
Don't worry about a Solid State rectifier.
It's still an all-tube class A circuit with one, and Fenders been putting them in their amps since the silverface days (67-73ish).
mooghammondb3 3 years ago
Are you talking about the valveking? The Valveking is Class A and Class A/B. There's a knob on it called "texture" that lets you swap.
likkamatt 3 years ago
Would this be good for using just the clean and putting it through stomp boxes?
peregranner 3 years ago
This sounds absolutely fantastic. Epiphone is coming out with nothing but awesome stuff lately it seems.
Chasehead 3 years ago
Epiphone are gonna pass Gibson soon... lol
likkamatt 3 years ago 8
Ive got that amp, Im ready to play it on Crimbo xD
Bodomius 3 years ago
does this amp also have a noise reductor???
FlightOfAChimaira 3 years ago
nope, it doesnt need one though, unless youre planning to use it on 4/4 gain and level past 3/4
and that, my friend, rips your eardrums to shreds ;)
so its pretty silent
loosefinger 3 years ago
these jacksons guitars are completely sterile clean sound wise... Humbuckers suck big time except for gibsons in clean mode.
Thmscr 3 years ago
What kind of Jackson is Paul playing?
TheGamingGuitarist 3 years ago
paul is playing the mike morton signature jackson with a seymour duncan jb in the bridge and 59 in the neck
leafinfirerob 3 years ago
Great Eminence speakers?
ANGSTHYRKH- you put some pedals or a processor behind this amp and it will BLOW YOU AWAY. I have one and it FUCKING ROCKS. Just needs a little extra push over the cliff
ten8goa 3 years ago
Put some Groove Tube EL34's and get a Marshall 1960a cabinet and an effects processor and that would be a serious budget rocker
ten8goa 3 years ago
The 1960a costs more than the head itself. For the money you could get a Bugera 6262 120 watt head and an Avatar 2x12 with any speaker combination of your choice. Just saying.
SparcoRX7 3 years ago
Do you own a 6262 yourself?
This SoCal sounds quite vintage-y. I'm not sure if the Bugera can do indie-rock sounds. I've seen some video reviews, and the Bugeras are very nice, but they're slightly too bitey for what I'm after.
If you own the 6262: can it do any vintage tones?
Animatronica 3 years ago
Yea, it has a setting on the clean channel that says "Crunch" that does vintage tones quite well.
SparcoRX7 3 years ago
I grabbed a used SoCal for $299 and a used Marshall 4x12 (with Vintage 30s) for $499. $800 and I'm loving it.
I tried the 1960A, a 2x12 (with Vintage 30s), a Peavy Winsdor 4x12, and a B52 4x12 before settling on the Marshall Vintage.
BTW, the 8 ohm Vintage 30s break-up much earlier than the 16 ohm ones and I think that has a lot to do with the tone I'm getting (very "old school" IMHO).
jblittlefield 2 years ago
The fact that you are prepared to spam Youtube doesn't do much for your credibility...
nomtai 3 years ago
what tubes are in this amp if i get it should i get better tubes
BUbba123bub 3 years ago
Man, this one got me very interested... wonder if I should get this one ore the Valve King... This one is even cheaper than the VK and it's 50 watts which suits my needs better than the 100 watts of the Valve king... but then again I'm more into the metal / etc realm... hmm... which to choose... Can't decide :(
Angsthyrkh 3 years ago
how loud can this thing go? loud enough to play some gigs with it?
CamillaBelle4Ever 3 years ago
oh yes.
babymicrobe 3 years ago
and how do you know?
CamillaBelle4Ever 3 years ago
Because 50 watt on a solid state amp are normally enough for small and medium sized clubs. But this is a whole tube amp and will sound much louder than a solid state one - because tubes compress the sound and add harmonics. This is the theory. Then there is the fact that I regularly gig a Vox 30 watt tube amp and regularly have to turn it down.
babymicrobe 3 years ago 2
Becaus anyone with a modicum of knowledge of the subject would know that?
sistermicrowave 3 years ago
should i buy this? or the vox ac30?
vitorp69 3 years ago
The AC30 has a signature sound and would be nowhere as versatile, but if you like that sound its ace. Try them both.
sistermicrowave 3 years ago
I agree, Sister :) I love the sound of the AC30 but thats what you get with it, also in order to overdrive it you have to turn it right up, and that is often way too loud for most venues. This Epi would be much more versatile, but for around the same price there are also the Sound City amps that are not bad, so try them all.
babymicrobe 3 years ago
thanks for the info =)
vitorp69 3 years ago
which new soundcity amps have you tried?
purenectar 3 years ago
The SC40C, which imho is pretty good for the money.
babymicrobe 3 years ago
could you describe exactly what the sound city SC40 was like? the cleans, overdrive, reverb, speakers, etc? please :)
purenectar 3 years ago
did he use an effect?, because the cable in the guitar is red, and the cable in the amp ist black so there is something
Tirado123 3 years ago
I have this amp. it's good but it makes this really weird buzz sound when you palm mute. It could just be my eq but I've neverr been able to dial it out.
tfrost1988 3 years ago
does a noise gate help?
evilotto77cheese 3 years ago