AKARSH SHEKHAR
Amplification and distortion is
an integral part of heavy metal
music. Quite frankly, metal without
amplification loses a lot of its
massive punch. Here are six guitar
amps which will help you deliver
some skull crushing mayhem.
6 Guitar Amps
for Some
Skull Crushing
Metal
Marshall JCM800 2203X
With the impact that Marshall
has had over rock and metal,
it's obvious that we are going to
start our list with an amp from
this legendary firm. The JCM800
family of heads literally owned the
burgeoning metal scene on both
sides of the Atlantic in the ’80s. And
the 100-watt 2203, with its trademark
“punch in the chest” roar, was
the patriarch of the JCM tribe. In
addition to its gloriously aggressive
voice, the head fires through one
channel of no-nonsense, all-tube
(3 x 12AX7, 4 x EL34) brutality.
Diezel VH4
This Teutonic titan is built like
a tank, and its fearsome tonal
firepower made it an instant
favourite with metal’s most
influential players (including
James Hetfield of Metallica and
Adam Jones of Tool) from the very
moment it first reared its head
in the mid-1990s. A quarter of a
century later, the VH4 remains
iconic in the world of metal.
EVH 5150 III 50W EL34
The eye-catching 5150 III 50W EL34
sounds as good as it looks, and if
you’re a fan of Edward Van Halen,
that will come as no surprise. The
living legend is a self-professed
“tone chaser.” The 50-watt tube-
driven head is armed with three
channels that will take you from
beautiful clean to brutal, densely
overdriven carnage and all points in
between. It
also has an
effects loop
and a MIDI
input. Its
dual EL34
output tubes
give it a
distinctly
“British”
flavour, and
if you want
to super-size
this sucker,
it also has
a 100-watt
big brother.
Also, if
you prefer the more “American”
sound that 6L6 power tubes deliver,
EVH sensibly offers those options
too, available in ivory and black.
Peavey Invective.120
In the world of modern metal
where the use of the playing style
known as “djent” is considered
mandatory, Misha Mansoor of
Periphery is deservedly heralded
as a frontrunner by many. Not
surprisingly, Mr. Mansoor
has his own signature Peavey
head: the Invective.120. This
120-watt tube head is an over-
the-top modern metal “djent”
machine that’s equally good at
old-school metal chugging and
some cool clean tones too.
Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier
This amp is loaded with a ton of cool
features, including a switchable
choice of tube or solid-state
rectification, three footswitchable
channels with voicing options,
an effects loop, a 6L6/EL34 Bias
switch, plus a footswitchable
Solo level. As a result, this highly
versatile, diamond-plated 100-watt
all-tube (5 x 12AX7, 2 x 5U4, 4 x
6L6) head is a monstrous, high-
gain force to be reckoned with.
Friedman JJ-100 Jerry Cantrell Signature
In the world of building, modding,
and repairing amps for guitar
heroes, Dave Friedman needs no
introduction — and neither do the
fire-breathing heads, such as the
BE-100 and the BE-50 Deluxe, that
bear his name. One of the many
stars he’s worked with is riff and
tone master Jerry Cantrell of
Alice in Chains (AIC). Enter the
Friedman JJ-100 Jerry Cantrell
Signature 100-watt tube head.
Jerry and Dave spent several years
perfecting this EL34-powered,
100-watt, 2-channel colossus that
captures both the complex cleans
and devilishly dirty yet articulate
tones that have made Mr. Cantrell’s
signature sounds so desirable.
The magic switch labeled “JBE”
can be found on the JJ’s rear
panel, and when activated, that
aggressive Alice In Chains’ beast
of a tone is unleashed. Add to that
Friedman’s critically acclaimed
effects loop, custom transformers,
plus the aforementioned clean
channel, and the hand built JJ is
indeed “lightning in a bottle.”
The
Score Magazine
highonscore.com
39