r/GuitarAmps • u/tunalover32 • 2d ago

7 string

I’m looking into buying my first 7 string, and wondering if there are any good budget options for amplifiers. I’m looking to achieve that aggressive lower tone, but still have punchy leads. Would I be better investing in amp sims or buying a real amplifier? Additionally, I have an old fender mustang I, and wondering how I can get a good metal sound out of that.

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u/GrimgrinCorpseBorn 2d ago

You don't need a new amp just because you're getting a 7-string. You just need to boost mids and cut bass.

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u/tunalover32 2d ago

Oh yeah, definitely. But, I’ve had my amp for about 4 years now, and it was passed down from a friend, so who knows how old it is. It’s starting to wear down somewhat, so I’m just looking for better options right now.

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u/gnarwhale79 2d ago

What amps sims have you been using? That may give you an idea of where to start looking for an amp.

What’s your budget?

What kind of aggressive/metal sound are you trying to achieve? (Examples?) You may be able to look on eqipboard to get an idea.

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u/tunalover32 2d ago

Oh, sorry if I misinformed with my question, I’ve actually never used any amp sims before. Only my fender mustang I, with the trashy fender fuse software. Looking no more than $500 to spend. I’m mostly a jazz kind of player, but I’ve really been leaning towards learning dream theater, trivium, polyphia and that kind of stuff

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u/gnarwhale79 2d ago edited 2d ago

For a practice tube amp, I’m team Marshall DSL. I think you can get a new 1w for right at $400 on Sweetwater and that will do nicely. If you want a bigger one, look into used ones. There’s a 40w dsl at my local for like $550 or so…

Go to https://equipboard.com/ and look up artists who’s sound you like, see what they’re using and get an idea of what to look for.

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u/TheDisappointedFrog 2d ago

Get a processor / IR ampsim, Mooer Prime P1/2 are quite good, Harley Benton have a quad-cortex-like as well

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u/tunalover32 2d ago

Any links, sorry kind of clueless on all this stuff 😅

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u/Burwhale_The_Avenger 2d ago

Start by Googling all they've suggested, perhaps? That'll keep you busy and almost certainly lead to some useful knowledge that can help you with your decision.

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u/arthritisankle 2d ago

Block letter 5150

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u/AlbinoLeg0 1d ago

You could look into a 5150 or 6505 or a mesa amp for those tones but an amp plugin is what I use from bogren, try the free trial and see if its your style, they have a trivium plugin too

https://bogrendigital.com/pages/ampknob-trivium-bundle

You can get really far with a big clean tone and a friedman be-od pedal also, it's hard to beat for modern tones.

Polyphia has a guitar sim too but I haven't tried it. I'm more into Chon for my cleans and they used matchless.

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u/DeadliftsNDragons87 1d ago

Amp sims -

Neural DSP - Fortin Nameless X is geared toward low tuned high gain tones. The Misha and Nolly plugins are good too and have more versatility. Gojira and Petrucci are also really solid options. Neural DSP puts these like 50% off twice a year. Try the 2 week trials of each and see what you like so if they go on sale you can snap it up.

MixWave: Mike Stringer from Spirit box has an amp sim and I have heard great things. They are mostly in Drop F# and Mike is a legit player so I am incline to believe it is a solid option.

Neural Amp Modeler/Tone Master 300: Free amp sims. Not the same as a NDSP modeler but will get the job done. These are snapshots of amps so you are more limited but I have heard some of the new models are pretty good. And it is free open source.

Amped Roots - great free amp sims and I thinking is based on Fluff’s 5150. Really heavy tones that was mean t for drop C but can do some lower stuff too

Real amps- I live in an apartment and don’t play in a band so I can help ya there.