How many people like the Marshall MG 100HDFX Halfstack?

ripdime · Newbie Alert Joined: 15 Feb 2007 Posts: 4

^topic^

herb · Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 7:13 pm Post subject:

That would not be me.

SAguitar · Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 7:17 am Post subject:

Welcome to the Forum!

Sorry, Rip! Not me, either! My personal preference is Fender tube amps, because they work great for the styles of music I play. Cool

JCP · Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 5:40 pm Post subject:

Before I answer, do you own one or are you thinking of buying one? I don't want to offend if it's the former.

I'm probably much older than you (53), but I've played hard rock and classic metal like Sabbath for 30 years, and have tried every pickup you can think of, as well as many, many amps such as Marshalls, Mesa's Fenders, Vox, etc..

I'm going to stick my neck out and tell you that there is no replacement for tubes, period. If you're looking at that amp (or already have one), I assume you're a rocker. The bottom line is, everyone has their own opinion/taste, and if your amp sounds good to you, perfect. But if you're like most of us, you're on a lifelong quest for tone.

If you don't already own that amp, write back and I'll make some affordable suggestions for getting you into a tube amp that you'll love. If you already have one, rock on and crank it up!

SAguitar · Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 7:51 pm Post subject:

Howdy, JCP, and welcome to the Forum! Cool

It's always great to have another guy around with some "experience!" Very Happy

JCP · Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 5:42 am Post subject:

Hello SA, nice to meet you. I put up a "new to the forum" thread w/a little info about me. As I said there, I feel like I already know some of you, as I've lurked here for quite some time. (Had problems getting registered) Great bunch of people, and I'm pleased to be able to communicate w/you now!

JCP · Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 5:57 am Post subject:

Ripdime, After thinking about your screen name, I can pretty well guess the tone you're after. Actually, while with Pantera, Dime used Randall amps, and they were a solid state amp. If you're after his tone, find out which model he used , and there you go. Actually, as solid state amps go, that one is more highly regarded than the MG you mention. Very reliable. I think you would find that amp to be pretty much a one trick pony, however.

But Dime later went to Krank amps, which are tube designs. The word is that his were modded. I can ask Sterling Winfield, their engineer, as we know those guys pretty well. (Sterling has engineered for my artist, Michael Harris)

Chasing your hero's tones can be elusive at times, as so much is in your fingers. Many stories of Eddie Van Halen allowing other players to try out his rig in the early days because everyone loved his tone, and of course, they always sounded like themselves..

SAguitar · Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 8:55 am Post subject:

ripdime · Newbie Alert Joined: 15 Feb 2007 Posts: 4

thanks to everyone that has helped me.
yes, i am looking to capture my hero, Dimebag Darrel's tone. i have got alot of the setup that he had. I own the Dean from Hell, a Devil Yellow, and a Slime Bumblebee razorback, and now the Dixie Rebel Flag ML. They have all got Dimebuckers, which he used, except for the DFH which has a Bill Lawrence in it. i have passed on from the MG series in search of the amp for me to capture that Dime sound. i noticed that i can buy a Krankenstein amp and that was what Dimebag himself designed, but i was wondering when he moved on to those. I know that he used Randall for at least Cowboys From Hell, but i dont know how long he used them. I would really like the amp he used for "Vulgar Display Of Power". I tried getting that REALLY heavy sound out of my new Line 6 Spider III amp, but it just couldn't do it. If he was still with Randall, I will probably buy that. If he was with Krank, I will spend a little more money, just to get that sweet and heavy sound. if someone could supply me with some info, it would be greatly appreciated.

SAguitar · Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2007 8:27 pm Post subject:

Ya gotta remember, a lot of what you hear on the recording is what went on in that studio. It's the amps, yes, but also the different mics used, and their placement, and board, and any equalization, effects, and other tricks they use that produce what you hear when it's done. Dime could have recorded that for 4 different producers in different studios, and it would have come out different every time. That's why they change producers and studios every now and then, to get a "new" sound.

In short, what I'm sayin' is you can play through any one of those amps, and you're not going to nail Dime's tone. Sorry, but his fingers had a lot to do with it too! Very Happy

The Volitan · Labrador Joined: 25 Apr 2005 Posts: 303

JCP · Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 1:22 pm Post subject:

ripdime, you're getting lots of good advice here. Volitan is obviously a fan very familiar with Dime's equipment. I played thru some of those older randall amps, and they were the best solid state amps I had ever heard.

Overall reviews of the Kranks haven't been so good. Go to harmonycentral and read the reviews. Again, I have heard that Dime's amps were different than production models.

I don't know what you're playing thru right now, but a bit of general advice in getting that type of tone is putting an equalizer in the signal chain, or FX loop, and "scouping" the midrange. Your settings on your equalizer would look like a U or V shape, with the mids cut back. Be aware that you'll need to do lots of experimentation, as the guitar is a midrange instrument. If you're playing in a band, you'll find that if you scoup the mids too far, you'll be buried in the mix. Metallica made that discovery, as they were really scouping mids heavily around "Justice", and found that they'd gone too far, and actually got a thicker, chunkier sound by bringing some of the mids back in, while still pushing the low end. Say what you will about the Black album musically, sonically, it was really crushing for the time. Dunno what Bob Rock was thinking with that snare sound on St Anger....

Also, Dime frequently used dropped tunings, which is key to that really heavy bottom end. I know Dime frequently used C# tuning, as did Tony Iommi before him in Black Sabbath. Altho drop D tuning is popular, C# tuning is dropping all the strings a full step and a half. I have 3 SG's that I have set up just for playing Black Sabbath with Iommi pickups and dropped tunings. So, even at my age (53), I still get a kick out of chasing my heros tones.

Volitan, you're right, Dime fans are probably pretty rare here. But diversity is one of the things that makes this site a great one. The guys here who aren't into your style of music will quickly and politely say so, and not try to BS you on subjects out of their relm.

I'm probably the oldest hard rock/metal fan here. I was very lucky to have gotten to know Dime pretty well, as he was a big fan of my friend and associate, Michael Harris. Dime was a gentle, generous guy, and not nearly so scarey as some might assume from his appearance and nickname Smile

(In fact, I don't think there was a mean bone in his body) We've got video of Dime playing with Michael on stage a couple of times, and it was a great experience for all. His death was an unspeakable tragedy.

I hope both of you guys will stick around here, 'cause Herb won't talk Tony Iommi with me! Very Happy

Seriously, the reason you need to hang here is the wealth of knowlege available. A guy like Herb may not be into heavy metal, but those jazz & blues cats can teach all of us a lot about our craft, and specifically, here, Gibson guitars. We all have the common bond of MUSIC.

Ripdime, good luck with your tone quest.

JCP · Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 1:32 pm Post subject:

BTW, Dime did, indeed, use Marshalls earlier in his career. I live in the Dallas area, and designed and installed all the neon sculptures in the club 'Dallas City Limits'. That club, and the Basement, were two of Pantera's favorite clubs, and I saw them playing Metallica and Black Sabbath covers there around 1987-88. (They had gone metal by then, never saw the 'glam' version of the band...)

The Volitan · Labrador Joined: 25 Apr 2005 Posts: 303