Ampeg Vh140C death metal tone

[Kaintuck]

So has anyone on here tried or had any luck matching the tone of the old death metal tone from the Ampeg VH140C with their Helix?  I've tried, but I've not gotten close....thought someone else on here may have

 

Thanks for any help

[Kaintuck]

I hear what you're sayin,  but I've heard just the amp, and it has a very distinctive sound, such that there are many emulator pedals devoted to getting the "vh140c" sound.  It's a very scooped tone, and you can usually tell one.  Just thought someone may have tried it

[ossianott]

Not heard of it before, but listening to this clip:

 

 

 

Def. Gives me similar vibes as the line 6 2204 mod with the extra mid control tweaked. Probably boosted. Did you try that amp model?

[Kaintuck]

My practice setup is the helix rack runnin into a mesa rectifier stereo 2:100 power amp into 4-4x12 oversized mesa cabs.

 

I have a helix floor that is just used for recording.  Both get great tones, i just wondered if someone had tried getn the vh140c sound

[codamedia]

On 6/1/2022 at 7:16 PM, Kaintuck said:

i just wondered if someone had tried getn the vh140c sound

 

Not my style.... but I just opened up the Helix and dug into to see if I could find that. 

 

The BADONK and the PANANA had the gain, but I could not dial out enough mids. However... if you add a CALI EQ before or after the amp, you could scoop enough of the mids out to get it close. Any EQ could do this, but I like the simplicity of the CALI. Actually... I'm convinced that with some time & tweaking this solution could probably nail the sound. 

 

The Line 6 JCM MOD 2204 came closest with just an amp.... crank the gain, and dial the mids all the way back, then dial the pre-mids back as well. This may do a good enough job of scooping the mids without the need for an EQ.  The low end might not be tight enough for this use though. 

 

[Kaintuck]

Thanks for the replies ossianott and codamedia.  I will definitely try that 2204, and if I can get close enough I will post the preset.  I know i can't be the only one...there are many clone pedals for this amp, not to mention they fetch a pretty penny when they do materialize.  With the mesa cabs, i have low end in spades, just can't seem to get that super saturated vh140c growl, but I've not tried that amp either.  I find my ear gets fatigued fairly quickly, so after a few attempts, i quit and went back to my regular sound.

 

Thanks again both of you, I really appreciate the advice!

[codamedia]

On 6/2/2022 at 4:34 PM, Kaintuck said:

I will definitely try that 2204, and if I can get close enough I will post the preset. 

 

On 6/2/2022 at 4:34 PM, Kaintuck said:

With the mesa cabs, i have low end in spades, just can't seem to get that super saturated vh140c growl, but I've not tried that amp either. 

 

Just to be clear... in my suggestions I think the BADONK or PANAMA would be a better amp choice since they have a lot more gain than the 2204, but those amps would need an added EQ to scoop those mids out - simply lowering the mids doesn't seem to be enough. 

 

Disclaimer... This is not my style of music or playing, I'm just going by the samples I heard on you tube, and loading amps into the Helix to see if I could get close. 

[ossianott]

On 6/2/2022 at 2:16 AM, Kaintuck said:

My practice setup is the helix rack runnin into a mesa rectifier stereo 2:100 power amp into 4-4x12 oversized mesa cabs.

 

I have a helix floor that is just used for recording.  Both get great tones, i just wondered if someone had tried getn the vh140c sound

You're welcome, that wall of mesas must be an experience to play thru. Do you gain any advantage by using 4 compared to using 2? Isn't the directivity is so narrow on these cabs that you almost only hear one cab at frequencies above a certain frequency anyway? Must be awesome anyhow. Which amp sim do you like the best with your setup? I'm a bass player but the guitarists in my band play 8 string for death/thrash metal, they could definitely need something similar to your rig :)

[Kaintuck]

On 6/5/2022 at 12:34 PM, codamedia said:

 

 

Just to be clear... in my suggestions I think the BADONK or PANAMA would be a better amp choice since they have a lot more gain than the 2204, but those amps would need an added EQ to scoop those mids out - simply lowering the mids doesn't seem to be enough. 

 

Disclaimer... This is not my style of music or playing, I'm just going by the samples I heard on you tube, and loading amps into the Helix to see if I could get close. 

 

Havent had the opportunity yet, but i will try all of them.  Maybe boosting the 2204 would get me there as well as eqing the badonkadonk or panama.  Either way thanks a lot!

[Kaintuck]

On 6/6/2022 at 1:58 PM, ossianott said:

You're welcome, that wall of mesas must be an experience to play thru. Do you gain any advantage by using 4 compared to using 2? Isn't the directivity is so narrow on these cabs that you almost only hear one cab at frequencies above a certain frequency anyway? Must be awesome anyhow. Which amp sim do you like the best with your setup? I'm a bass player but the guitarists in my band play 8 string for death/thrash metal, they could definitely need something similar to your rig :)

I did it originally so the bass player and other guitarist if we ever find one can hear me on their side, and since the mesa 2:100 can power 4 cabs, i fugured what the hell lol.  That, and if 1 is good, 4 must be better right??  Im playin a 6 string tuned down to A standard, so if your guys are 8 stringers, it probably would compliment them well

 

I'm using the cali rectifier with the od808 boost and 2 eq's, and it definitely has a lot of gain and low end.  Ive actually dial back the low end a bit when playin with the bass player so as to not fight his sound, but it does sound thunderous either way