Metal guys, PAmp+Cab/FRFR? Either/or, or something that's skull crushing heavy!!

Billbill

Billbill

Power User
Im still on the fence about what to spend my hard earned money on but I gotta get something!! Been running my XL+ into a Fender HRD via 4CM and it's got my presets all jacked up due to different ones sounding better either with or without the FXL block. Looking to get some consistency now and rework my setup.
I need something heavy!! (Not literally just tone wise), need some POWER!! That said,
Can anyone recommend a stereo poweramp or 212 cab that's either FRFR or not, or a poweramp ? I had an active FRFR Gemini 2 but it lacked the power for that punch! Any experience shared is much obliged!!!!!!
 
You can choose FRFR or power amp/cab, either is a decent choice and can get ROCKIN'
As mentioned above, 2 FRFR carbs in stereo can be very full sounding.
I used my Axe FX XL with a Matrix power amp into a pair of 4X12's, killer tones.

Really depends on how much room you have and what you want to be carrying around.

More recently I've been using my AX8, direct and then in-ear monitors with a CLR for some sound stage sound.
This is a small, quick set-up that sound great!

You can literally choose from a variety of excellent options. Budget and your back are the determining factors IMO.
Best of luck!!!
 
I use a tube power amp into a 4x12 guitar cab and it's heavy as hell! Sounds better than my 5153 head through the same cab. For heavy ass sound I would use a 6L6 based power amp. I've also got a solid state power amp and it sounds OK but the tubes win for me hands down. I tried the whole FRFR thing and it just wasn't for me although many people like it... Just my .02 cents.
 
I used an engl e840/50 for a while and then switched it out for a matrix gt1000fx. I did like the engl, but wanted to try solid state for the sake of turning power amp modeling back on and knowing that I'm getting the amp model as intended, rather than colored by the engl poweramp. I don't miss the engl, suffice to say...more than enough power in the matrix, punch & feel is all there. I run through a Vader 2x12 on channel A and a pair of orange ppc112's (speakers swapped for eminence legend) on Channel B. Might add a second 2x12 in parallel on channel A just because I already own it and just need speakers, but its definitely not necessary. The other guitarist runs a Mesa MkIV with an engl e530 in the loop through a marshall x-pattern 4x12...personally I think my stack sounds better than his, but they're both pretty brutal.

Never tried the FRFR thing, but I can highly recommend the matrix power amps + your favorite cabs, especially if you're going to be chasing the balls & punch of a half-stack anyways....imho its better to just use the real thing unless you have other reasons for using FRFR (e.g. portability, consistency of patches etc etc)
 
I have not found a FR solution that can do the whole heavy thing at volume. Sure, sounds great in a bedroom, sounds weak as a kitten with a real band. A real cab and high power SS power amp is where I have found my happy place. FR is great for pop, country, blues and rock, but just can’t do what the brutal demands of it. Maybe if you were to literally spend about twenty grand you could get there, but why do that?
 
Thanks for all the great input guys. So what's the general consensus on Orange cabs with them V30 speakers??? I've seen a ton of guys using them for heavier stuff which is pretty cool. Anyone tried orange cabs with v30's????
 
ChainOfThought said:
I used an engl e840/50 for a while and then switched it out for a matrix gt1000fx. I did like the engl, but wanted to try solid state for the sake of turning power amp modeling back on and knowing that I'm getting the amp model as intended, rather than colored by the engl poweramp. I don't miss the engl, suffice to say...more than enough power in the matrix, punch & feel is all there. I run through a Vader 2x12 on channel A and a pair of orange ppc112's (speakers swapped for eminence legend) on Channel B. Might add a second 2x12 in parallel on channel A just because I already own it and just need speakers, but its definitely not necessary. The other guitarist runs a Mesa MkIV with an engl e530 in the loop through a marshall x-pattern 4x12...personally I think my stack sounds better than his, but they're both pretty brutal.

Never tried the FRFR thing, but I can highly recommend the matrix power amps + your favorite cabs, especially if you're going to be chasing the balls & punch of a half-stack anyways....imho its better to just use the real thing unless you have other reasons for using FRFR (e.g. portability, consistency of patches etc etc)
Click to expand...
See below: Orange with V30's?
 
I do own Orange with V30 using it with Matrix GT800FX. My Line6 StageSource L3m kills it.
I get ear fatigue in max 2 hours using the real cab, I can go usually much longer with Line6 StageSource.
 
kisslorand said:
I do own Orange with V30 using it with Matrix GT800FX. My Line6 StageSource L3m kills it.
I get ear fatigue in max 2 hours using the real cab, I can go usually much longer with Line6 StageSource.
Click to expand...
I ran an FRFR mission Gemini 212 cab and personally never noticed any difference in when my ears become fatigued, always about 2hrs regardless of type of cab. How's that orange v30 handle all the frequencies the AxeFx can throw at it?
 
652AB23A-E9BC-409C-8C81-D8465600C265.jpeg
Billbill said:
See below: Orange with V30's?
Click to expand...

I didn't keep the v30's in mine for very long. I think I'm just not a big fan of those speakers and my buddy wanted them so I sold them. The orange cabs are awesome though. I really want a 2x12 rather than the pair of 1x12's, but the pair do sound killer. Orange tends to have tons of low end because of the wood rails they put on the bottom rather than feet and also because they're a little bigger than most brands.

You can't really go wrong with the big names... Mesa, orange, Marshall (NOT the cheaper Marshall crap though) etc etc. There are also good cabs from peavey, Randall, bogner, engl, blackstar and plenty of others. What you want to look for is good plywood construction, stay away from anything made of MDF. 18ply Birch is pretty common on quality cabs, sometimes you'll see higher and lower isn't necessarily a deal breaker on an otherwise good cab. Past that, typically the bigger the cab the bigger the sound, but construction methods do make a difference. And finally speakers...v30 are a great place to start, very common, easy to sell if you don't like them and there's a reason why so many people love them. Personally I prefer eminence legends but soon I'm looking to try out some other options.

In the stack I have pictured the top left 2x12 isn't hooked up. With the Vader and orange cabs running off the matrix it's 100% brutal crushing tone at any volume.
 
ChainOfThought said:
View attachment 46112

I didn't keep the v30's in mine for very long. I think I'm just not a big fan of those speakers and my buddy wanted them so I sold them. The orange cabs are awesome though. I really want a 2x12 rather than the pair of 1x12's, but the pair do sound killer. Orange tends to have tons of low end because of the wood rails they put on the bottom rather than feet and also because they're a little bigger than most brands.

You can't really go wrong with the big names... Mesa, orange, Marshall (NOT the cheaper Marshall crap though) etc etc. There are also good cabs from peavey, Randall, bogner, engl, blackstar and plenty of others. What you want to look for is good plywood construction, stay away from anything made of MDF. 18ply Birch is pretty common on quality cabs, sometimes you'll see higher and lower isn't necessarily a deal breaker on an otherwise good cab. Past that, typically the bigger the cab the bigger the sound, but construction methods do make a difference. And finally speakers...v30 are a great place to start, very common, easy to sell if you don't like them and there's a reason why so many people love them. Personally I prefer eminence legends but soon I'm looking to try out some other options.

In the stack I have pictured the top left 2x12 isn't hooked up. With the Vader and orange cabs running off the matrix it's 100% brutal crushing tone at any volume.
Click to expand...
Damn nice setup! Thx for the info bro
 
Orange cabs are good. I personally use a Randall rs125xl cab with my axe and couldn’t be happier or sound better. Don’t like V30s, but dig the WGS version. I run an eminence legend 15, and tonker and swamp thing 12s in my Randall.
 
Yup 15 is right. The 125 is a 15 on bottom and two twelves on top on an oversized ported cab. Amazing if you can get your hands on it.
Swamp thangs are great speakers for metal, just the right amount of aggression and bottom end IMO. Haven’t really given man o wars a good shakedown so can’t really comment on how they stack up. The tonker is just a tad bit smoother than the swamp, and a hair less efficient. I think you’d be happy with em, I know I am. I’ve ran them in several cabs now for various amps and have always been pleased.
 
I’ve been using a fryette 2/50/2 with my Axe FX for some time, but just recently got an old Matrix M400 mosfet solidstate poweramp. After setting patches up specifically for it (flat response vs tube) it sounds really good. I haven’t compared it to the 2/50/2 yet.

I’m using a Zilla 2x12 with v30 / k100 combo and it’s great. This weekend I also got a g12t75 for an old 1x12 cab I’ve had laying around doing nothing, so I can run stereo with two cabs, into each side of the matrix. Really fun and huge sounding with multiple cabs.

I’ve never been a fan of FRFR, I couldn’t get a good sound out of studio monitors for just jamming, or a PA speaker. Granted it was a while back and not exactly top-end year. Also I pretty much only ever used v30 impulses so it seemed to me I might as well just use a v30 cab.
 
with the matrix 1000fx - I'm using a port city OS 2 X12 - Its loaded with an EV12L and a ASW kts 70. the EV I think is a little more of a neutral speaker than a V30 . The ASW adds a nice bit of sizzle in the higher frequencies. The cabinet is ported in the front and gives a nice tight bass for metal. \m/
 
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