METAL Amp Shootout! (50 watts)

[@DragonBiscuit]

The Archon ruled in this comparison. I’m so impressed with the mid-range on the amp. It sounds angry, aggressive, meaty and full at the same time. It’s not overly scooped or fizzy.

[@MontysMotos]

The PRS wasn't even on my radar until I wanted to try out a guitar in a local shop and the MT was the only high gain amp he had and I liked it. Gotta get that guitar first though.

[@Left_Hand_Path]

The mesa sizzle just hits right for me 😮‍💨

[@ehoc42]

Very pleasantly surprised with the PRS Archon and Laney here

[@MontysMotos]

Laney made metal amps, then stopped, then came back with a vengeance.

[@dustinmullings2672]

Dude, just wanted to say thanks for always doing such a great job on your videos. The production is very good, content is to the point, your playing is on point, and you let the demos speak for themselves allowing the listener to decide for themselves. Nice work man!

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Thanks!

[@adamwatson6916]

The JCM 2000s are very underrated amps and are classics in their own right .

[@ayyveezee2079]

You are a hard working dude, i appreciate it. Thank you.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Thank you!

[@briangarmon5102]

The 5150 did actually kick ass!!

[@thelowlifex9437]

Out of the lot i loved the marshall , orange , mesa and laney ❤

[@jaredt3985]

They all sound great in their own way, I’d be happy using any of these. With that said for playing I really like the feeling of Mesa and Orange stuff with those big low ends.

[@stavrosescobar1624]

Great video! I have owned or tried all of these except the Invaders. My two faves are the EVH and the PRS.

[@BaritoneGoatStudio]

ThEy ALL SoUNd ThE SaME… 😂😂😂 J/k I am beginning to become more of a Marshall fan anytime I hear someone who can actually dial one in!

[@mattrector431]

Thanks for the video!! Love them. Would gig all except the Blackstar. Laney was my favorite by quite stretch. Funny since I've never had a chance at one. I've gigged dual rec, rockerverb, and the 5150. Now I got the GAS again. Thanks buddy. lol.

[@StompboxMods]

Installed a 50 watt transformer into my PRS MT-15 and it sounds similar to the Archon and dual rec. Totally crushes!!

[@REDREIGNER]

Really surprised at how well the Ironheart sounds. EVH is killer of course and Boogie sounds "nasty" as always. Cool vid!

[@dickieradd]

Laney won for me. Those are super affordable too even for 120 watt version. I'm tempted.

[@djentlover]

The ironheart won my heart. It has a pretty top end, it doesn't crap out with palm mutes, and chugs have just the perfect metallic midrange. Chords just sound a little too broken maybe, weirdly.

[@steveo4253]

I liked the Archon and EVH best. In stereo would be good !

[@steves12strings]

Can confirm. Have both and matching 2x12s. Individually amazing but together in stereo...unbeatable.

[@LonelyRocker]

Love these videos! It's amazing how much of your personal tone cuts through no matter what amp you play through. Keep these coming!

[@LucasLeCompteMusic]

I liked the amp with the tubes the best.

[@comethmordor]

Thanks for another good video! They all sound great. Love my Rockerverb mkiii but the standout for me in this video was the Marshall.

[@TheFunnyzach]

I think my favorites are the PRS Archon, 5150 EL34, and the Rockerverb mkiii I’d use the 5150 EL34 as the main amp, and then either the archon or Rockerverb with it blended I do really like the fizzy/texture the Rockerverb gets, nothing else quite has that gain structure. When I use amps now (normally a helix user now for live) I use an OR50 Orange and a 6 knob JCM800. The Marshall handles all the high mids and the orange does all the beef and fills out the little bit of low mid the JCM lacks

[@alonsoarias9699]

All of them are good amp, lots of fun!!!!!

[@richardsayfer3979]

Hi, John! I really love your channel, I am a big fan of yours) And I need your advice. I always wanted a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier, but I am afraid it would be too loud for a small apartment. But recently I have heard about a reactive loadbox two notes torpedo captor. I was thinking about plugging an amp to this loadbox before a speakers, but I am afraid this loadbox is too expensive (I have money only for a second hand Dual Rectifier and a second hand Mesa Boogie 4×12 cabinet) Should I buy instead Line 6 Helix Floor? Or do you know any other loadboxes that are cheaper? And do the loadboxes change the sound of the amp so that it gets really unnatural? I just wanna get Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier tone without blowing my apartment😅

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Mesa Rectifiers don't sound great at low levels if I'm honest. Have you considered the Mini Rectifier? A good modeler is a lot of fun too obviously

[@richardsayfer3979]

@@SonicDriveStudio I was thinking about buying Mini Rectifier but someone told me that it sounds not as great as Dual Rectifier. I don't think that it's true, cause Mini Rectifier sounded great in your other videos. Thanks for reminding me about Mini Rectifier, now I am considering about buying it. But I still don't know, which one should I choose. Line 6 Helix Floor or Mini Rectifier?

[@lookformeinthewaves]

@richardsayfer3979 The Mesa Dual Rec I used to have and it’s a beast. The newer ones you can change the wattage output for an apartment setting. Never played a mini but it has a smaller transformer and el84 tubes, not gonna have the low end like the Dual. Hope this helps.

[@richardsayfer3979]

@@lookformeinthewaves Thank you for your advice, you really helped me) Just in my city I don't have any music stores with professional amps and modelers, so I can't estimate how loud there are by myself Actually, there is no new Mesa in my country right now (I don't know why), so I think I will buy a second hand multi-watt Rectifier And also that would less expensive)

[@TobiasHeinzle]

Another vote for the Mesa 🤘🏻 Thanks for another awesome Video 🤙🏻

[@AnimalJohn85]

Awesome work sir, they all sounded fantastic :) The Orange is still the one for me though ;)

[@Procyon58]

Great tones as usual! I just wish that you would've used the same song demo as the previous ones. So that we could see how these sound compared to amps in the previous parts.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

I wanted to switch things up but I thought about it...

[@user-lw9py]

i think the new song better because it use mutes in higher notes. in mutes is more diffrence as in sustains between amp and pickups . i like also some example sequence as Evanescence - Tourniquet the mute at the beginning with more pick noise when a little slide over woundet strings during pick. more pick noise also show more diffrences.

[@decaenofficial]

Great content, you have a Video for almost everything I‘ve been asking myself..

[@AnxoHunter]

You Made all the amps sound great. I Love the PRS, 5150, Invaders and Laney, I don’t like the Blackstar very much. Thanks!

[@alvinmason758]

cassette compared to cd

[@Tristbag]

Mesa ❤

[@germanmu84]

Hola Jon, excellent video as always! I was pleasantly surprised by the Laney, very balanced... the Archon and the DSL very well! But Rockerverb's mids are my weakness. I didn't like the others as much. Greetings from Argentina

[@JF-it3sm]

Super vidéo 👍🏻 merci 1 PRS 2 LANEY 3 INVADERS 4 ORANGE 5 5150 6 MESA 7 MARSHALL 8 BLACKSTAR

[@LeParesseuxDiffuseur]

I have an Invaders 950 badas since 2 days, Awesome Amp !

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Wonderful, enjoy!

[@sebastiengregoire4179]

Man your video rock so much!! love the way you build your video; straight simple, in your face!!! Can't wait to the next one each time!!! realy apreciate all your work!! Keep it on!!!!

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Thanks!

[@20vtechnik]

There is not a bad amp in this video. All have their place. For me, I'll take the Orange.

[@justsomerandomguyman]

EVH takes the win. Perfect balance of cut and saturation.

[@slizher]

Mesa, PRS, Orange and Blackstar.

[@jasoncrump1886]

Appreciate all the work you put into these vids brother. Yooz a pro at this .

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Thank you!

[@robertdonosobuchner3129]

Wow! You made my day! Wonderful riffs, wonderful music, wonderful amps! All amps have their special character and I would use these amps for different music styles. I was really surprised by the PRS, the Laney and the Invaders. I love the character of the PRS Archon and it fits perfect for my taste of music for rock and metal. I love baritone guitars and I think this amp can give me the sounds what I'm looking for. Next time I have to try out this amp! Thank you for this wonderful video! 😊🤘

[@davidelizalde3844]

I liked the Archon and Laney IRT

[@olivierjsp]

Same taste, include the EVH, MK1 IRTH60 my choice since 2014

[@ChernobylAudio666]

That Invader 950 is a is a phat chunky one, dayum.

[@nickwith-seidelin5716]

Was surprised by how good the Invaders amp sounded. I personally found the Archon and Rectifier to sound the best. I have a 5150 III (50 watt) with the 6L6 tubes and personally think that one sounds a lot better compared to the EL34 version. Cheers

[@MangoMeoww]

I have a JCM 2000 DLS 50 and I prefer the green channel crunch with an OD, I like the Boss SD1. The green crunch is much bigger and fuller than the red channel atleast with my setup, but you need an OD pedal to kick it in the butt to get it into to metal chug territory. The red channel sounds smaller and thinner.

[@mikechristy1840]

I just got a DSL100H two weeks ago and it sounds amazing! The 50 sounds kinda flubby in the video, but mine (especially paired with an OD on Ultra 1 channel) is tight and with the resonance dialed in sounds soooooo huge! I haven't played with the clean/crunch channel much yet, so I'll explore them more this weekend.

[@MangoMeoww]

@@mikechristy1840 Damn that's awesome! On my JCM2000 DSL, I much prefer the green channel crunch with a SD1 infront. On my amp, the red channel is so much thinner, it's actually bizarre. On the red channels, both OD 1 and 2 it's like all the fullness and punch goes away haha. Did you try the green channel crunch on your amp? I wonder if the JCM2000 and H are much different?

[@mikechristy1840]

@@MangoMeoww wow, that's really strange about your OD1 and OD2. On my amp they are HUGE and full. And there's so much punch that I have to dial it back. I sometimes find myself blissfully chugging open chords in awe. I only briefly played through the crunch channel when I got it, but I will play around with it more. I have a SD-1, but I've been preferring my Wampler Tumnus Deluxe on the OD1 channel. It seems to tighten up the low end without really coloring the tone. But you've got me excited to play with the clean/crunch channel more.

[@MangoMeoww]

@@mikechristy1840 Oh wow! Maybe the H and JCM are just very different? To clarify, without the SD1 on the green crunch it's a rock tone, the SD1 puts it right into metal.

[@mikechristy1840]

@@MangoMeoww interesting. I'll be jamming on it tomorrow so I'll give the crunch channel some play time.

[@LukeCannotSkate]

Recto is king 👑 One of these days ill get myself a single rec

[@craigdelegato908]

Have had the Laney for a few years now. I never could get what I wanted out of it tone wise with the built in boost. When l I put an SD-1 in front that made a great difference. You really have to tweak this amp to get it where you want it. That would be my number 1 with the EVH and Archon as 2 and 3.

[@Coelus459]

5150 is good to me here. But, I am sooooo glad I traded a guitar I didn’t use for a mint condition Archon MKII. The guy I traded was trying to use it through a peavy vypyr combo. Glad he didn’t blow it up lol. Best trade ever.

[@titan_codes]

The archon, evh, and orange sound the best to my ears. The first two are close in tone

[@maurihrino8158]

The Archon has a very interesting voice, you can tell it's the only amp fitting those tubes! Laney probably the best imo

[@makis7234]

Damn, listening to the Archon 50 was like listening to a Tremonti or Alter Bridge Record. Great comparison.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

It's a killer amp!

[@satarello]

1. MESA BOOGIE red channel in the mix 2. EVH and Archon, when you play alone :) MESA BOOGIe for me is the best...but this is my personal taste, I like the aggresive in mesa red channel mode...great rythm tone in the mix !!!! THe rest of course are very good too...

[@needsLITHIUM]

My favorites were the Laney and the Orange, with the EL34 EVH rounding out.

[@steves12strings]

If I could only pick one, it would be the Archon. But paired with the 5150 (mind you both together still cost less than some of the others individually) and you're unstoppable.

[@guitarlair]

I have the EVH EL34 and the Archon, I've always thought that the Archon sounded a little bit like a combination of the EVH and the Mesa Rectifier. It actually sounds like a Mesa but with the mids in the EVH ballpark.

[@Buica-4]

How amazing a riif works in one amp and other riif works in another. For me i love bright amps

[@DocB_488]

Great vid! Would be awesome to see you get your hands on the new Soldano!

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Thanks! I'm afraid that's not going to happen... too bad!

[@graemedixon6314]

The prs archon hit the spot. I usually favour the 5150 family of amps in these comparison videos.

[@Buica-4]

Just droped coffee in my carpet because the riffs are groovy as f😊

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Awesome! Sorry about your carpet though...

[@soundhealer8661]

Laney for me. I like Invaders too but with less gain. Take care.

[@ryanfraley7113]

The EVH is my pick, followed closely by the Orange and Archon.

[@Angellus502]

Did an eyes closed listen to the back to back. The one i said "GOD NO" to and had to open my eyes was the Blackstar.. why am i not suprised.

[@strungth666]

dude, you bust out some sick riffs when you do these videos.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Thanks! :) 9 new mini songs written for my ENGL SE FE review... stay tuned!

[@strungth666]

@@SonicDriveStudio 🤘seriously though. I headbang through all these reviews. every time. lol and right on! I look forward to it!

[@strungth666]

@@SonicDriveStudio and every time you play that single rectifier, it makes me want to buy one. lol I think you may be right that it's the best sounding one they make. sits in the mix so different than the others. you're one of the reasons I bought my evh el34 50w. ty for doing these videos!🤘

[@yansongzeng7755]

This channel is a GEM! Could you consider showcasing a 90w Mesa mark V?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Wouldn't mind owning a 90w!

[@MeTuLHeD]

The Archon for my tastes. But I gotta say I think The Archon and The EVH would make a HUGE blended tone.

[@Ari_Calamari]

I like them all, but the Laney was the best all over to me. The EVH and the Invaders had the best in your face tone. The archon was pretty balanced. The one outlier here was the blackstar. It just sounded a bit weird compared to the other amps. Probably because it sounded so vintage compared to the others. Isolated, I might not have noticed so easily.

[@conrauxyann5398]

Just about "strings separation", PRS, EVH, Invaders and also Laney (however less impressive) are the best, hands down. Mesa, Orange, Blackstar, & Marshall are just to compressed and/or muddy to have this specific tight sound that clearly details the played strings one by one, like they are played separatly. It's matter of taste, but this is a parameter I often consider as a modern Metal player. Also, all amps are killer (I own a Dual Rectifier and a JCM2000 !!!), that's just a matter of taste and music style played...

[@charlesb7831]

I was surprised that I actually liked the PRS, I didn't think I would lol

[@darreno6036]

its between the Laney and the Mesa for me!

[@coltonbailey5580]

Archon gets my vote. Never heard of invader, but second best. The rest really had too much or to little of something.

[@itnefer4787]

This goes to show that with the right EQ, balanced bass and drums, any of those heads could work in a mix. Moreover, many of the listeners would have hard time picking them apart in the context of a song and decide which one is better, because no one is. That's just the matter of opinions.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

In my opinion it's not just about the listeners though

[@itnefer4787]

@@SonicDriveStudio I should've said "which sounds better". BTW, aren't we all listeners, at least from time to time, who like to enjoy the music :-)

[@SonicDriveStudio]

@itnefer4787 I totally hear you! :) It's just that people often say things like "the audience doesn't care" but that doesn't mean that the player shouldn't or doesn't care. That's all :)

[@briegleruyet4139]

I'm agree with you but some are more or less difficult to insert in a mix. Because of lack of mids I think recto and Black Star should more difficult in complicated situation with heavy bass even if it's beautiful. And sometimes PRS are more fluffy in the mix. I think invader or orange should more all terrain type amps. Differences are not enormous but I always were upset when I heard PRS. But alone, I finally feel it beautiful. So I think I was right about it because of that.

[@romanpleshkov1125]

best review

[@ElmerSchwartz-js2ws]

Would love to see a best of pitting 50Ws against best of 100Ws.

[@jrlee243]

For me, the PRS and the 5015.

[@sleepwait9613]

invaders, jcm 2000, archon: these 3 were my favourite

[@olivierjsp]

My choice since 2014, MK1 IRTH60, I always found that the Archon and EVH models that were released afterwards resembled it. On the IRTH to find your sound you just have to play with the JJ tubes and different OD boosts. On this video my top 3 choice sound position is first EVH, second Archon , third IRTH

[@teamskdm1]

ive personally always wanted to hear a comparison between a single rectifier and evh el34 50w and engl's good ole fireball 60. all are about the same price wise used so be a good comparison.

[@stegerguitars]

thanx....i liked the orange and laney the best for my tastes, but they all sounded great except for the Mesa....which surprised me. i guess cuz its more scooped??

[@valentinpau1434]

Man, I LOVE your channel... There's an amp I would love you to review one day : The Laboga Mr Hector (polish amp brand) I think you might like it 😁

[@Buica-4]

Prs alone ❤

[@JEKFROOT]

That Laney sounds filthy

[@NinecoreNeil]

Are you showing me this guitar all the time so I get another 🤣🤯 Great video

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Haha that Evil Twin isn't too bad either ;)

[@NinecoreNeil]

@@SonicDriveStudio I need every shape now to fill the rack 🤦‍♂️🤯

[@adajay9257]

Based on the demos in this video Mesa was my favourite, followed by PRS. My least favourite was the Blackstar and the Invaders.

[@DaltPlaysGuitar]

Man that Archon sounds noooiice

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Thicccc

[@Mumumumykul]

its the Mesa, EVH EL34, and the Invaders for me.

[@talhafatihuzun]

Interestingly, I also liked the Laney, Invaders, and EVH, but also the DSL compared to the others. The Rectifier sounds really good in a mix, but not fun to play standalone imho.

[@adriantravelian2216]

Hey! How happy are you with the pickups of this one? I have the C1 (same pickups) and I'm not very sure of those pickups, too ice picky and lacks a bit of bottom somehow. What do you think?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Love them so much!

[@jolumaco]

The best sound is achieved in the PSR!

[@ParanormalResponse]

I think the laney and the ARchon are very similar in sound. I would like to hear their clean channels. I have a feeling the archon might win it out. I will have to search it out.

[@strungth666]

I think this video makes it clear to me that I really do prefer el34s. lol and that blackstar sounded good, but you had to dime out the gain to get there. surprised there wasn't much wiggle room on that one. Edit: isolated, I did NOT like the blackstar. lol that EVH, invader, and laney sounded the best to me.

[@woochyna]

Speaking of mid-wattage heads, could you please demo old ENGLs such as Screamer, Thunder, Metalmaster and Rockmaster?

[@jessemuscato]

Orange all day evh second

[@powndrone650]

Oh man that black star is so dark

[@creatio1]

Great vid, as always! Love your tones. Did you use any boost /overdrive in front of any amp? Cheers 😊

[@SonicDriveStudio]

No pedals

[@creatio1]

@@SonicDriveStudio Man, those sounds are so tight even without a boost. Do you find getting such a sound (no pedals) with Amp sims more difficult? Is a difference between how a real thing reacts?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

@creatio1 not if it's a good amp sim

[@creatio1]

And what would be your favorite amp sim (software only)?

[@ericphilpott6702]

Do we have to pick just one ? I could live with all of them easily

[@nachom1971]

Mesa wow!

[@perpetualgrimace]

Archon, Rockerverb, and 5150 III are all winners imo

[@zAvAvAz]

What would really be awesome is if you had a LANEY TI tony iommi signature model. Now THAT would be the totally bad'as.

[@philsalter4363]

Great video! I've got the Laney so it's probably for the best that it's one of my favourites here 😂 Have you considered a video series on blending amps? Trying them to see how they sound together?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

I've done one or two videos on that

[@brandongreaham4362]

Would you do a vid on the new irf leadtop and dueltop by Laney

[@FastRedPonyCar]

My dude, where is the Victory Kraken? Also, don't forget about Splawn. Scott is building the little 50w Nitro Mini now and that thing will absolutely destroy a 50w DSL (assuming things go the same way my 100w Nitro just murdered a Fortin modded 100w DSL years ago)

[@alexeybobr4537]

Orange and Marshall

[@Nitrav.]

Awesome content as always Brother. Your comparison videos are amazing. I am planning to buy an evh but not able to decide inbetween evh LBX 1 and evh Iconic. Which is better option according to you. Your opinion matters a lot.

[@SonicDriveStudio]

I haven't tried the Iconic so I can't comment on that

[@diegozunigagtz4602]

Blackstar the best

[@mediocremetalguy]

What’s your opinion on JCM2000 vs DSL100HR? Is there a differece in in gain structure, low end, and fizzyness?

[@SonicDriveStudio]

I compared them in a video! Check that one out for all that info :)