epiphone316

I have the peavey ultra plus and its great but its a hassle to carry around and it doesn't quiet have enough gain at low volumes. Im looking for a really versatile head that must have good cleans and still be able to do 80s rock to death metal. I only have a budget of around $800 used and the used market where i live is pretty limited. Also the head has to really portable. I was thinking about the evh mini or the carvin v3m, but i wanted to see if there were any better suggestions. Thanks in advance!

Offworld92

5150 III mini eats the V3m for breakfast, over and over. I was seriously disappointed with the V3m, the one I played in the Carvin store was just a fizzy mess.

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HUMANIZER

This isn't 1968. Use the volume knob.

Main Rig
Ibanez | S420 |
LTD | EC-1000 |
Peavey | 6505 | MS412 (WGS) |
Boss | TU-3 | CS-3 | GT-10 | NS-2 |
MXR | M77 |

GeetarHeero

Do you have a cab already? I ask b/c if you have to buy a cab also the 5150 mini will unfortunately be out of reach, even used.

Have you tried boosting the Ultra Plus at low volume (i.e. with an overdrive or even an EQ pedal with volume control)? That would help you get more gain at lower volume and save you buying a new amp.

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Dean VMNTX (EMG set)
Peavey 6505+ 112
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epiphone316

Thanks for the replies! I already do have a cab and ive tried boosting with a ts9 but id still just rather just have more gain and a smaller amp. Does a 5150 mini have more gain than the Ultra?

Blktiger0

The 5153 will blow both of those amps into the next galaxy. I mean, I personally like the Ultra series, but a lot of people prefer the regular Ultra to the Plus. Either way, 5153 > Ultra.

If you don't have a good cab, though, that could be half of the issue. My cab sounds terrible at low volumes. You have to really get the cones pumping for it to sound good, and that's stayed consistent with every amp that I've played through it. In addition, my amp has sounded better at low volumes on any cab I've tried with half-decent speakers.

It's worth seeing if your speakers are the issue.

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epiphone316

I have a really cheap peavey 412 and its not that great, but I'm just GASing for this head and I'm just looking for and excuse to buy it! And by the time I buy a boost and a new cab, i might as well just sell my stuff and get that head and a decent cab! btw I'm planning on selling all the amps and cabs i have to fund it

Blktiger0

If you can get the head and a decent cab with good speakers, then yeah, but if you get that head to run through a shitty cab, I wouldn't waste my time.

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My Rig:
Moser Bastard V
- Pups: Bridge
Epi Les Paul Standard
- Pups: Bridge Neck
Egnater Vengeance
- JCA24S w/WGS Retro 30s
- ZW-45 Crybaby
- MXR 10-Band EQ
- ISP Decimator
(^Those are links^ )

ihartfood

I would just replace the speakers at some point after you get the head, as Peaveys tend to be very well made.

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epiphone316

I was planning on trading my 412 for a 112. Would a good 112 work okay with this? If it had a v30 or something?

Offworld92

Get at least a 2x12. 1x12s sound too thin and have no projection for playing metal. And they almost always never have enough wattage to handle heads designed for metal anyway.

__________________
In your mind, you can fly.

HUMANIZER

This isn't 1968. Use the volume knob.

Main Rig
Ibanez | S420 |
LTD | EC-1000 |
Peavey | 6505 | MS412 (WGS) |
Boss | TU-3 | CS-3 | GT-10 | NS-2 |
MXR | M77 |

Dave_Mc

^ +1 on a 2x12, if possible.



replacing 4 speakers gets expensive pretty darn quickly. might be better to just get a cab which already has good speakers and sell the peavey.

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epiphone316

Is there a 1x12 cab that would sound good for small gigs mic'd? I currently have a 2x12 but it sounds terrible and is really hard to move around. Would it be hard to make a 1x12?

Tom 1.0

Ported Emperor maybe, but that would eat most of your budget just for the cab

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Robbgnarly

From what I've heard the 5153 does not like V30's. Greenbacks,Creambacks/G12H30's all sound good with them. I have also heard really good things with Splawn speakers and these amps (smallblock and big block).

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Blktiger0

I would say he might be okay with G12K-100's

I mean, He wants to be able to do Death Metal, and K-100's would be great for that, plus they work for most rock and metal. Usually they are mixed with V30's, but there are players that use K-100's exclusively, namely, Kerry King of Slayer.

You'll definitely want a 2x12, though. You'll be hard pressed to find a 1x12 that sounds good for metal, but the main problem is that there aren't many speakers that can handle the wattage of bigger amps by themselves. IIRC, the 5153 Mini is 50w, so that makes it easier, but 1x12's are NOT good for metal. They sound tiny, thin, and boxy. Much boxier than 2x12's

__________________
My Rig:
Moser Bastard V
- Pups: Bridge
Epi Les Paul Standard
- Pups: Bridge Neck
Egnater Vengeance
- JCA24S w/WGS Retro 30s
- ZW-45 Crybaby
- MXR 10-Band EQ
- ISP Decimator
(^Those are links^ )

Offworld92

^ Do you know if there is a WGS equivalent of a K-100?

__________________
In your mind, you can fly.

HUMANIZER

This isn't 1968. Use the volume knob.

Main Rig
Ibanez | S420 |
LTD | EC-1000 |
Peavey | 6505 | MS412 (WGS) |
Boss | TU-3 | CS-3 | GT-10 | NS-2 |
MXR | M77 |

epiphone316

I would mainly want a 1x12 for practice, because its not fun trying to carry my 2x12 down 3 narrow sets of stairs. I could make a 1x12 and load it with a wgs speaker. Would that be a good option?

Blktiger0

Not that I'm aware of. If they make one, it's not one of their $70 ones. If they DO, they don't make it very obvious.



It's not going to sound nearly as good, but if you're THAT set on a 1x12, then I would go for a WGS Veteran 30 or Retro 30. They're V30 clones, but they're altered. They don't have such an intense mid spike and they aren't ice-picky. That might make all of the difference to make it sound good with your amp. The HM-75 is the WGS G12T-75. It's got more midrange to it and is less scooped, though. Another great option. The Reaper HP is an option, too. It's a little bit more classic-voiced, though.

You can take a look at their website's products list here:

http://wgs4.com/all-products

__________________
My Rig:
Moser Bastard V
- Pups: Bridge
Epi Les Paul Standard
- Pups: Bridge Neck
Egnater Vengeance
- JCA24S w/WGS Retro 30s
- ZW-45 Crybaby
- MXR 10-Band EQ
- ISP Decimator
(^Those are links^ )

Dave_Mc

+1

When i was looking at them recently I didn't see anything that looked to be an obvious version of a g12k100.

they do a classic lead, which might be worth a look. How close that is to a g12k100, though, i dunno, i've only tried the classic lead.

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