5150 Iconic....Wow!

[solarburn]

This is cool, reminds of some old-school Sepultura!

Check out Aggy Bas

 

[Bloodrock]

@Bloodrock
After a month has the honeymoon phase
ended ?
Just wondering, this looks like a good option.

Not at all. I've turned on my jubilee once since getting the iconic. It does everything so well. Still loving it.

 

[Moony]

This is an interesting development. With solide state distortion (e.g. JB's MXR5150 or the AmpTweaker pedals) coming so close to the real thing, you only need tubes as the sauce on top, for the final 10% of the the sound *.
No need to use tubes for the 'easy work', only use them where it really matters for the sound and the feel.

I personally like all tube the best.
But I'm also open minded and if something sounds good it is good. Simple as that.
However I'm quite surprised how much love the EVH Iconic gets here - when thinking about the Blackstar HT amps, which are also hybrid design, I remember that there were constantly bashed here for having that "cheap solid state crap" inside.

 

[ibmorjamn]

Not at all. I've turned on my jubilee once since getting the iconic. It does everything so well. Still loving it.

Wow , Jubillee ? Wow

 

[PowerTube44]

I prefer tubes myself, but even back in the 80's there were some great sounding solid state amps. The Roland Jazz Chorus comes to mind, and those can actually kick with a drive in front. The Crate heads from the mid/late 80's were also pretty kickass.

I had a JMF (later bought out by Dean Markley) Spectra 125 combo that was perfect for what I played and it was solid state.

So I have no problem with a good hybrid.

 

[cccc]

I have found you can't rely on You Tube video's . So many don't do the gear justice . There is usually one or two demonstrations that really do a good job but the majority make you think what they're reviewing is much worse than it is .

 

[Moony]

Hm, I personally didn't like the sound of the Iconic in Ola's or Fluff's video.
And those guys are not exactly famous for making things sound worse. It's more the other way round because they use expensive studio gear and have a lot of knowledge how to record amps properly.

But in the end it's just a matter of taste I guess.

 

[PowerTube44]

Hm, I personally didn't like the sound of the Iconic in Ola's or Fluff's video.
And those guys are not exactly famous for making things sound worse. It's more the other way round because they use expensive studio gear and have a lot of knowledge how to record amps properly.

But in the end it's just a matter of taste I guess.

There are certain people on there, like Ola and a few others, that I immediately skip over when looking for amp videos. It's nothing personal against them, but it's because there are two things I don't care to hear: chug and a band mix. I don't care if it chugs, and practically anything can be made to sit in a mix if the EQ is set right.

No, I want to hear the amp standalone. I want to hear the rhythm tone and especially the lead sounds. I want to see if it can fully saturate while maintaining clarity. I especially like it if the player can shred because that's my thing.

While we're on this topic, you know what else I hate? When they use (in my opinion) an inappropriate guitar for the demo.

"Today I'll be demonstrating the new Deathball Skull Crusher, 300 watts of pure, in-your-face devastation. So here, let me plug in the trusty ol' TELECASTER."

 

[Moony]

there are two things I don't care to hear: chug and a band mix.

Me neither - but they don't make the amps sound worse than they are (within those settings).
I liked Ola's video about the Marshall JVM, because there aren't many good ones out there, though I don't primarly play "chug".

 

[cccc]

A few YT video's have knowledgeable people testing amps and gear but there's also a shi_t ton of video's that have people who not only have no business testing high end amps but I would argue have no business to have ever picked up a guitar . Every reviewer should have the decency to know if they are an atrocious guitar player or not , if you know you're God awful please refrain from plugging in and consider letting somebody who is at least semi competent to do the video instead .

 

[solarburn]

Well, I finally got to try the Iconic head. I went to my local GC because their website said that they had it in stock now. I couldn't find it on the floor, so I asked an employee. He checked in the back and sure enough, they had a brand spanking new one in the box. He unboxed it and hooked it to a 5150 2x12 cab.

I really like it. I'm amazed at the clarity for such a high gain structure. It was clear as a bell, even with burning hot saturation. And the best part was that I heard almost ZERO compression. The Resonance control is very effective. The Reverb didn't just blow me away, but that's something I prefer to have provided by the GT-100 anyway. I don't care much for or need the Burn mode. I REALLY like the onboard noise gate.

Is it better than my JCM 2000 DSL 100 with GT-100 and Rev G3? For native high gain, yes it is, especially at low volumes. Clarity is about a match. For warmth, I'll give the Marshall a slight edge. But that might not be a fair statement because the Iconic is a very nice amp and I can only imagine how it would sound at home with my own effects.

I also want to hear it with the matching 4x12 instead of a 2x12. Not an earth-shattering difference, I'm sure, but the 4x12 would have a bit more depth.

So I'm still on the fence. I really do like it, but if it impresses me once I get it home, will the JCM 2000 go away? And/or possibly the Carvin X100B reissue half stack?

Stay tuned...

Even though I play the shit out of my Iconic I have my ORI50H sitting on top of it so I can bounce back and forth between 2 different Marshall voicings. I think the Iconic Marshally.

The ORI50 just has this raw brash vintage tone that separates it from my others. An inherent "wooliness" I find sexy, not offensive .

The Icon is the one I want when I need to shoot my gun off which is all the time. Recently I put my Buxom Boost in front of the OD channel and for shits sakes it started to kerang like a plexi. I still just play straight in. An i have a great romp!

 

[solarburn]

Me neither - but they don't make the amps sound worse than they are (within those settings).
I liked Ola's video about the Marshall JVM, because there aren't many good ones out there, though I don't primarly play "chug".

Rabea has a great JVM revisited vid of his.

 

[Moony]

@cccc

I think it's just up to the viewer to decide if they want to watch the video or not.
There are also many who want to see these "real-world" videos including the talk about the equipment done by the average joe.

Take the "Tone King" for example - he's definitely not the best guitarist in the world, but he still has a lot of viewers and certainly enjoys what he does.
With many so called "guitar influencers" who are oftentimes highly skilled you also have the problem that you tend to see more or less paid advertising clips.
I certainly like watching Pete Thorn's clips as he's a hell of a guitar player - but you never will hear a single bad word about any equipment - he even said that those sh*tty mini amps from BAD (the mini Friedman and Bogner) "sound cool", which is laughable if you ask me.

Rabea has a great JVM revisited vid of his.

Thanks, I know and have also watched it.
It was his amp for years, he also played it in the very early Anderton's years of YT.

 

[solarburn]

I personally like all tube the best.
But I'm also open minded and if something sounds good it is good. Simple as that.
However I'm quite surprised how much love the EVH Iconic gets here - when thinking about the Blackstar HT amps, which are also hybrid design, I remember that there were constantly bashed here for having that "cheap solid state crap" inside.

I didn't like how the Blackstar HT's sounded. Seems like there will always be beef between all tube vs hybrid SS amps. Guitarists love to sneer here and there.

The Iconic sounds phenomenal to my ear buds. Hope it turns out to be durable as well.

 

[solarburn]

@cccc

I think it's just up to the viewer to decide if they want to watch the video or not.
There are also many who want to see these "real-world" videos including the talk about the equipment done by the average joe.

Take the "Tone King" for example - he's definitely not the best guitarist in the world, but he still has a lot of viewers and certainly enjoys what he does.
With many so called "guitar influencers" who are oftentimes highly skilled you also have the problem that you tend to see more or less paid advertising clips.
I certainly like watching Pete Thorn's clips as he's a hell of a guitar player - but you never will hear a single bad word about any equipment - he even said that those sh*tty mini amps from BAD (the mini Friedman and Bogner) "sound cool", which is laughable if you ask me.



Thanks, I know and have also watched it.
It was his amp for years, he also played it in the very early Anderton's years of YT.

I have never liked the tone Pete gets from a vintage Marshall. Always seems harsh to my ears.

 

[Moony]

I have never liked the tone Pete gets from a vintage Marshall. Always seems harsh to my ears.

A matter of taste maybe.
But his playing is stellar!

I really like what Carsten Stepanowicz does with his JVM, here's a clip where he uses his old G-Major (great YT channel btw, you need to check it out if you haven't already).

 

[solarburn]

A matter of taste maybe.
But his playing is stellar!

I really like what Carsten Stepanowicz does with his JVM, here's a clip where he uses his old G-Major (great YT channel btw, you need to check it out if you haven't already).

Well I'm stuck with my ears.

Pete sure can cover a lot of music. Would love to be able to whip what ever song out.

Carstan sounds monstrous in that clip!

 

[Jethro Rocker]

Got an iconic this week and all iconic say is wow! I've owned at least 15 Marshalls over thr years, as well as several of the EVH branded amps. The jubilee an 800 have always been my favorite marshall circuits. I found the other EVH amps over gained,fizzy, too squishy, or a combination of things I just didn't like being a long time marshall fan. The iconic comes with a stock speaker that appears to be based on the v-type but was obviously voiced for the old school VH tones. Using this speaker I got some pretty good VH tones from the amp. Then I popped in my favorite V30... Holy shart! I will say that WITHOUT A DOUBT this Amp is based on a Marshall circuit! Not a Soldano, old 5150, current EVH. Or any of those things Ed used. This is a tweaked Marshall circuit and is easily one of the best ones I've ever played. It comes across as a near perfect hot rodded JCM800 on channel one with the boost on. Channel 2 adds bass and gain while shifting the mid frequency to a more modern metal EQ. Both channels stay tight AF no matter how much gain and all the EQ controls are very interactive. I have to honestly say to me this amp sounds almost exactly like my dream modded Marshall would. The JVM I had was not even close in terms of tone. And that's the marshall flagship. Its even better than the Ceriatones I've owned. Kudos to EVH, they've finally built one of the Marshalls we've all been wanting for years...

Dammit! I never looked at original post cause, well, don't need more amps.
Then I read it.
Dammit.
I might be wrong....

 

[solarburn]

Dammit! I never looked at original post cause, well, don't need more amps.
Then I read it.
Dammit.
I might be wrong....

You will be shocked. Do not think chug. Play your lane. Worst thing happened is chuggy guitarists that play as well as they sing. Not only tat? Let me chug like I do with every amp I play. Cause I can determine one thing? It chugs!

Any SS or tube amp can. Gawd get me in a room with them where they try to say what's up. I say Fuck u. Play a lullabie....hehee

This amp rips. If I bought into these poosies? Fuk me. However i know you're anything like these bought and play prima donnas that play every amp the same way and think some Fuck agrees. I've watched these guys and thought , I just started playing guitar.

Get the head. Rip. Or not?

 

[PowerTube44]

So if you turn the gain down on the Iconic, can it get decent Plexi tones?