Presenting AmpliTube 5

[carlaz]

Do I hear any love for the MiniPlex 20 (based on Friedman Pink Taco PT-20) amongst the new AT5 gear?

Pink taco is my go-to.

It is in serious danger of becoming my new go-to.

The second I read that part of @carlaz's post I knew it would be the bat signal for you. I do feel we really knocked it out of the park with this amp too.

Definitely.

I'm also surprised that I tend to "get on" with the virtual PRS as I don't tend to really get the same vibe with their hardware. Honestly, I'm probably one of the very few people who don't covet their high-end guitars! The only PRS I've found to fit/sit well with me were their mid and even lower ranges. But that's another story, my guitar tastes and what I find myself feeling right in my hands is extremely diverse, and I'm frankly glad to not covet yet another expensive guitar even though I covet plenty of other expensive ones (or am lucky enough to possess some really special guitfiddles already).

I wouldn't turn away a PRS guitar but, no, I haven't ever really found myself lusting after one, either. I am interested to try the new "based on Archon" amp in AT5 though (as well as the German 34), but I haven't yet because I have been so besotted with the Miniplex 20!

[livesforrap]

PRS guitars are too pretty I don't want to hang one in a frame.

As far as the sim, it's good but it's really high-shy. I find myself really pushing a lot of high end into it, really doesn't feel like I've found a proper matching cab (where the 9000 seems perfect for the pink taco)

I also feel the PRS needs a bit of eq on the front end to cut through. The clean channel is far more present.

The Bogner also needs all the treble, mid and presence UP to cut through, but it's got a nice gain, again, the go-to cab so far is the 9000.

The Diesel is a lot like the Bogner, dark unless you hit the bright switch and turn down the lows, 9000 is again my fav.

[livesforrap]

Oh yeah, forgot to say that the Diezel is much better than the PA offering and is also better than the STL offerings.

The PRS is way better than the waves offering (can't stand them personally) and the "arc" is good from ML sound labs but this is better imho.

[livesforrap]

Hmmmm, looks like PRS has changed and the guitars are more accessible on the high frets. Anyways, just an amend as that is good news.

[carlaz]

I was messing with the Bogner-based and PRS-based amp models today and found that the Mesa 2x12 cab seemed to work better with them (for me) than most 4x12s, which I thought were a bit too dark for my guitar. Some of the Marshally 4x12s with brighter speaker models (e.g. Brit 75s) also seemed alright.

[livesforrap]

I'm going to demo the mesa 2x12 in a while.

[supanorton]

Do I hear any love for the MiniPlex 20 (based on Friedman Pink Taco PT-20) amongst the new AT5 gear?

Pink taco is my go-to.

When I heard that MiniPlex 20 on one of the YouTube videos, I was blown away and couldn't wait to have it. Now that I've got it, I can say it really is that good. Incredible. Everything sounds so good in AT5, and I'm really loving the routing options. I do miss the built in noise gate, but loading the pedal isn't that big a deal.

[livesforrap]

It's amazing how BAD all my other 10 million amp modelers sound

[carlaz]

Because of my unreasoning love for "vintage" British-style amp vibes (and the fact that AmpliTube seems to handily recall the "last used" settings on any given model), I spent some time dropping the British S100 and the JH Gold in and out of a simple chain to compare them. Although I think both models had their origins in intending to model iconic Hendrixy Marshalls, the S100 is of course the older model. The AT5 version of the S100 does away with the ability to swap around different pre-/power amps or EQ stacks the original model had, though it keeps the "inauthentic" master volume control (whereas the JH Gold has very authentic JTM 45/100-type controls, with no master volume).

The current (AT5) S100 is described in the AT5 gear guide as based on "Marshall 1959 JTM100 Super Lead"; it is sort of hard to interpret this -- not least because late '60s Marshalls are themselves sort of difficult to unpick. It is possible that it is/was inspired by the so-called "Black Flag" 100W Marshalls produced in mid-1967, which were sometimes referred to as "JTM100s", though such models predate the move towards the "classic" Superlead circuitry in 1968. Real "Black Flags" would have had EL34 power tubes and dual rectifiers; I am not sure what kind of power tubes or other circuitry the AT5 S100 is intended to be modeling.

The JH Gold is described in the AT5 gear guide as based on a "Marshall JTM45", by which I assume JTM-45/100 is meant, as I kind-of-sort-of imagine that this gear model is closely related to the now-famous "****" Hendrix amp, which is a mid-/late-1966 100W Marshall with subsequent modifications to the circuitry and KT66 power tubes.

All that said, I compared the two models by putting them in the same chain (same cab, etc.), setting all the EQ controls to 5 (i.e. "noon", "12 o'clock"), turning off bridging on the JH Gold and using only the Hi Treble Input turned all the way up, and turning both the Volume and Gain all the way up on the S100 (with Reverb at 0).

Set this way, I have to say that both models sound very similar to me. The JH Gold is actually perhaps a touch brighter in the high end than the S100; I doubt many casual listeners would have an easy time distinguishing them.

If you play the same game with the AT5 version of the Vintage Metal Lead, which is described as based on a "Marshall JMP100", by which I kind of assume is meant one of the first 2203 models of the late '70s, the tone is in many ways similar, but there is noticeably more gain (which would be right for a comparison of the respective physical cab models as well, I think).

Then, if you go to the new MiniPlex 20 (based on the Friedman PT-20 Pink Taco, which is a lower-watt, EL84 version of the "modern plexi" BE-100) and likewise "noon out" the EQ and play with the gain structure, you can actually (IMO) also get close to the S100 and JH Gold, as well as (with more gain) the Vintage Metal Lead -- though the MiniPlex 20 seems a little brighter and snappier, as appropriate for a shiny new AT5 model of a modern "inspired by plexi" amp (which has still a lot more gain available than any of the S100, JH Gold, or Vintage Metal Lead).

So, well, make of all that what you will. I had wondered if the (AT5) S100 might end up a little brighter and more aggressive, like a '68-'69 (or, indeed, later "metal panel") Marshall Superlead, but it actually seems to remain very close, tonally, to the JH Gold.

[supanorton]

So, well, make of all that what you will. I had wondered if the (AT5) S100 might end up a little brighter and more aggressive, like a '68-'69 (or, indeed, later "metal panel") Marshall Superlead, but it actually seems to remain very close, tonally, to the JH Gold.

Thanks for that! Fascinating stuff about those late 60s Marshalls. I loved reading your post. I haven't played with the AT5 S100 yet, but I have had a few plays with the JH Gold and really like it. It's funny because I never would have thought to compare them to the MiniPlex 20, and now I can't wait to try. Between this and the DI with the bass rigs, you're going to keep me busy chasing tones that I wouldn't have otherwise! Thank you, sir! Happy holidays and a happy new year.

[carlaz]

I haven't played with the AT5 S100 yet, but I have had a few plays with the JH Gold and really like it. It's funny because I never would have thought to compare them to the MiniPlex 20, and now I can't wait to try.

Yeah, the JH Gold is AmpliTube's super-authentic vintage Marshall, and I think it sounds great, but it's very much a JTM 45/100 rather than a later "classic" Superlead or Superbass (though it is perhaps a little closer to the Superbass, as the later Superleads got progressively brighter and more aggressive.

I kind of feel like AmpliTube is missing a "classic" Superlead (and Superbass!), though for what it's worth the MiniPlex 20 (not for nothing is it named that!) seems like it can do all the aggressive (and bright) "plexi" vibe that one might want, and then rather more. I'm really digging it.

The Vintage Metal Lead is also worth checking out: my understanding is that the earliest physical units were basically the then-current (i.e. late-'70s) Marshall Superlead with an added master-volume switch, so if you turned the master volume all the way up, it was basically performing as though a then-current Superlead. And the Vintage Metal Lead is at least a bit gainier than the Brit S100 or JH Gold.

Anyway, one could do fun things with the various multi-amp routing options to blend some of the different "vintage/modern-vintage Marshally models", I reckon.

I've also been playing around with this tonal comparison game using the other three main "vintage Brit amps" in the AmpliTube arsenal: the Red Pig (another Marshall, but with circuitry evidently distinct from the JTM/Superlead lineage) and then the HiAmp (i.e. HiWatt DR103) and the Orange OR120 (neither of which are Marshalls, obviously, so they do have their own vibes even if they are "British" rather than "American" styles of amp).

IMO, all of these can be used pretty successfully with bass if you do the "split signal" thing, keeping clean squashed DI for the lows and then driving the high end through one (or two!) of these. (I've actually got some fun, driven bass tones with just the OR120 or HiAmp, too.)

[carlaz]

I'm a little surprised to find myself digging the Silverplate 50. I've been thinking of the Archon as a kind of riff on a Dual Rectifier, and though I like Dual Rectifiers fine, they've never been an immediate go-to for me. But found myself very quickly getting pleasing high-ish gain tones from the Silverplate, and they only got better after I messed around with speakers and cabs a bit.

I'm also a little surprised to find myself struggling a bit with the German 3435 -- "surprised" because some of my modern-day heroes are on record with one Bogner amp or another. I was thinking it player a bit nicer with, say, the Mesa 2x12 than many of the 4x12s, so I just grabbed that from the Custom Shop. Have to mess around with it some more in the days to come.

[supanorton]

Woke up early, made coffee, and went down to my “studio” with all intentions of exploring a bunch of amps. I stumbled on a riff and then had to open Logic, load ModoDrum, and record a few minutes of the riff with one of the funk grooves. I started with the Britt 8000, and it sounded so good with everything around 5, master volume on 10, pre amp around 3-4. Turned the volume to the bridge pickup on my LP down a bit and turned the tone down some too. Great tone for the riff. I also laid down a track with the same guitar and settings with the MiniPlex 20 (I set the gain at 8+), which was great but gave me a very different tone. The 8000 really responds well to my picking and muting. So much response and added tone from my hands. Wow. The MiniPlex didn’t give me as much back, which was actually fine because I just went with it as it took me to a different place, requiring me to play slightly differently, less aggressive. When it was all said and done, I’d only used those two amps with nothing else added and far less amp exploration than I planned, BUT I’ve got two tracks of this pretty cool riff that I’m hoping turns into my next song. AT5 was VERY inspirational this morning!

[grem]

I'm a little surprised to find myself digging the Silverplate 50.

I am also really liking this amp. Stumbled across it the other day and was using it as a lead tone on some of my practice tracks. Wanted to do some automation with this amp and found that there are no automation settings for this amp (and some other new amps) in the parameter section in AT5!!

I am like, WT? You got to be kidding right? Nope, no automation settings for this amp. What is going on here?

Also found that the stomps did not respond to automation. Anyone else seeing this?

[Peter_IK]

Yeah, I wish IK would make that clear

The site has the full price crossed out and regular prices are mentioned in the AmpliTube 5 news since the announcement in late October.