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Most iconic hard rock/metal amp & speaker?
- Thread starter agedhorse
- Start date
- Feb 12, 2006
- 61,086
- 5
- 221,205
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
IMO, iconic can be associated with an era.
For example, the '56 Vette is an iconic "sports car" of the 1950's but if you were to ask what would be considered iconic in the 2000's you will get a different answer.
For example, the '56 Vette is an iconic "sports car" of the 1950's but if you were to ask what would be considered iconic in the 2000's you will get a different answer.
Black Sabbath used to have all-Laney amplification when they started out. I think exclusively 4 x 12 stacks.
If you specify the 2000's then I agree but icons are timeless in their own right. I think what confuses us bassists is a lot of vintage gear is still being used. In the case of the SVT they still make them! Way back then is still now. Stuff that is less common and out of production that was the shizzle back then can still be called iconic in my understanding of the word.
So now I am not sure what the original question really meant.
As a Laney user I'd vote for that ;-)
I think Iommi used an AC15 (not even an AC30) to record Paranoid.
Which means there is no iconic bass amp in Heavy Metal / Hard Rock.
Even the mighty SVT (and valve amps in general) went right out of fashion in Heavy Metal / Hard Rock, throughout the latter half of the 80's, and most of the 90's...
... But at the same time, became more popular in Indie Rock / Grunge / Soft Rock.
IMO, this is only accurate if you focus on the various forms of pop-metal that were on the radio at the time. There was a whole sub-set of 60s/70s style rock/metal bands that sat under the radar, which eventually evolved into what became 90s grunge and alternative (and stoner, sludge, industrial, death, black, doom, nu, etc).
Keep in mind that the early 90s bands started around the mid 80s.
I mentioned them both in my original post in this thread (Newsted as an SVT user, Burton primarily associated with Mesa Boogie).
I think probably the most visible Ampeg endorser of that period would have been Billy Sheehan : his technical ability aside, I feel Hair Metal is more iconic / memorable for it's antics, than the music - though I've no doubt his endorsement shifted a fair few amps, and caused impressionable teenagers to lust after Ampeg.
Last edited:
- May 20, 2000
- 3,200
- 1,917
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Aguilar Amplification, Spector, Dingwall, Tech 21 NYC, Darkglass
I've noticed a lot of black metal and death metal bands mainly from Europe using EBS reidmars I think that's how it is spelt.
American radio is very different to UK radio - but in any case, we're talking about live touring rigs, not necessarily what was used in the recording of the radio hits.
As I said in my original post ; most of the times I encountered SVT's with Heavy Metal bands, it was with American acts.
And yes, that was part of the point I was making in my previous post - that whilst most Heavy Metal bassists were moving over to Solid State amps in the mid 80's : at the same time (also the mid 80's) valve amps - particularly beat up old Ampegs, Hi-Watts, Marshalls, Orange, Sound City etc were being hoovered up on the cheap, by young bands in emerging new genres / sub-genres.
Those genres / sub-genres would go on to eclipse that style of NWOBHM, but by that point (as mentioned in my original post) Heavy Metal had become so fractured into sub-genres of sub-genres, that it's probably impossible to say what bass amp is an iconic / essential element to each sub-genre.
Though yes, absolutely; when Grunge, and Alt-Rock blew up in '92 - pretty much every band with a record deal had a brand new SVT, or Mesa Boogie (and if they didn't, it was either Trace Elliot, Hartke, or GK solid state amps).
But of course, none of those are Heavy Metal / Hard Rock.
Melvin's, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Tad... probably more that I can't remember...
This part I agree with whole heartedly, and is why I believe that we keep seeing retro revivals every so often. Everyone who's selling off their tube amps and lead sleds to buy a digital box is potentially feeding the next generation's sound.
As many others that could be thrown into suggestion...the obvious answer is the Ampeg SVT.
I don't even own one and I know it to be true.
I don't even own one and I know it to be true.
Without scanning through the rest of the tread, pardon any repetition of response, I would say that one would really have to define the genre more succinctly. NuMetal guys like Korn or that I'll might say SWR, or SVT. Stoner metal people might say Green or Orange or Science. Classic hard rock guys might say ACC 360/361 or something like that. Punk rock dudes probably say Peavey Mark IV. I think you get the picture. Sub genres have such extreme divisions based upon what some icon of their genre plays. There will always be imitators. Then there are those that carve their own path. I think that with bass it is less easy then with guitar to identify what is the most iconic for a variety of genres. Guitar rock is 75%, LP/Marshall JCM/JMP. Throw some strats and teles and Fender amps in there, but you get the picture. Much easier to define it for guitar.
While I wanna agree with you being a Darkglass owner, I don't know of a single heavy music bass player in all of the Boston area that has a Darkglass amp, (myself excepted). So many internet dudes, no one out there playing them, at least around here. I don't think they have the market penetration you think they have. Maybe ImI wrong but I've never seen a single one in New England.
You may be right? I've only seen a few guys out in LA using them and to be fair they're a newer company(about a decade maybe?). I'm more referencing some of the big name endorsers they have this early on as an indicator that they are on the right track(Alex Webster, periphery, Karnivool, faith no more, Bryan Beller, etc.). That's why I say they are on their way to possibly attaining iconic status for heavier styles.
