hey man, nice gear. 
Next thing to do is beef up your downstroke and alt picking chugs. 
Thanks...
I do believe in what you said that its the amps that carry a metal sound. All of them are tube because they have a certain softer quality to the level of distortion and drive that solid state amps and pedals CANNOT get. And I find solid state stuff harsh compared to driving the preamp distortion of these high gain amps which are designed for metal from the ground up. The other reason, I have choices for so called metal amps is that each amp has a unique voicing like there are numerous metal pedals with unique voicings too. So, its not a matter of just prescribed settings because there are different flavors of metal. The other recent discovery I have is that the cabinet design and material has a very very very large effect on the sound for metal -- more important than pickups I would say. For metal, nothing beats an amp and speaker cabinet combination. Its a simple BUT expensive set up. Notice that majority of the so-called known metal guys do NOT use a solid state pedal with word 'metal' ? At best, to my horror, they have boost pedals in front of their 'metal' amps.
So here is a rundown of my 'metal' amps:
Diezel Herbert -- killer third channel for modern metal rhythms ... rated at 180 watts tube with an ability to switch tubes to 6550s or KT 88s to yield 300 watts tube. Also, has a lovable Channel 2 plus that sounds like a real tricked out marshall on steroids. Very flexible contour knob that does scooped metal so well all the way up to a fat elevated mid range. It terms of voicing it has a unique but slight compression and midrange that is nice to hear.
Excerpt description of the third channel from tone merchants: "The third channel is the fire-breathing monster that we've come to expect out of this long-awaited masterpiece. From 80's metal to saturated fat shred lead sounds to the most intense over-the-top detuned Nu-Metal and ultra fast doomsday death metal sounds, the Herbert dishes out some of the gnarliest, some of the most menacing, some of the biggest and some of the punchiest distortion sound EVER from a guitar amplifier. "
"From here, you flick the gain/voicing switch to "plus" and observe the Herbert morph into the brighter Marshall-like territoty with more punch and definition while retaining warmth in the midrange. It's not quite the 3rd channel of the VH4, but it was never meant to mimic the 3rd channel of that amp. With some tweaking, I was able to simulate some early-VH-esque sounds. With the gain cranked, the 2nd channel delves into the 80's metal sounds -- think Ozzy, Motley Crue, Whitesnake, etc. The Herbert's second channel can cover decades' worth of classic sounds on its own. Always toneful with a throaty midrange, this is the channel that will surprise many Diezel fans. Peter has allowed you to dial in some great low-to-medium gain sounds with more punch and definition on the bottom. I really love the fact that the Herbert can get some very nice classic rock sounds as well after these tweaks performed by Peter.
The third channel is heavy on the gain but very sweet sounding with a lot of cutting mids. This channel is superb for all-out shred a la Shawn Lane and Buckethead and over-the-top pummeling Nu-Metal rhythms and super fast Death Metal riffs. Still featuring a super fast transient attack that slowly and surely evolves into a pleasant sponginess, this channel exhibits remarkable tonal balance and tactile response with touch sensitivity. With the gain at around 1 o'clock, the treble at 2 o'clock, the mid at 3 o'clock and the bass at around noon, you get a juicy yet tight and liquid high-gain sound that's perfect for that Satriani, Vai, Petrucci sort of a sound"
Bogner Uberschall (Version 1) -- Another flexible and killer lead channel for rhythms... It is more open sounding with that fat and juicy Bogner mid range. This is what I call a fat metal sound. It also has droning overtones in the bass register which is perfect for down tuning.
Excerpt from Bogner Website "we then unleash mayhem with the Five-Mega Ton SUPER AGGRESSIVE high gain channel with gain, bass, middle, treble, volume and presence controls. You think you've heard BASS before, no way, the UBERSCHALL will shatter your rib-cage, you better put 911 on speed dial! Even with extreme gain and volume this channel stays massively focused and resists mushing out from the heaviest right-hand attack. Have some other crazy effects? Put them through the Tube buffered effects loop. Power comes from a throaty EL34 output section.
Go ahead, try and hide from the UBERSCHALL it will seek you out, relentlessly, while you sleep, in this life and the next... But all will soon embrace the UBERSCHALL and we will wonder how anyone tried to play Standard tuning, 7 String or Dropped low tuning guitar without it"
VHT Ultralead Pitbull - It does tight 80s thrash metal and punch to boot -- gotta love that built in graphic EQ that does not add any noise. It can sound really stiff but with the right guitar it gets a sharp and focused sound.
Excerpt from Tone Merchants & Fryette website "The flagship of the Pittbull line, the Ultra-Lead now features Gain-Stacking in the Lead and Rhythm channels. Preset your channel gains for subtle, biting clean, robust, chunky rhythm, or searing, pummeling overdrive, then let the footswitch do the rest. The cleanest, quietest effects loop in the world just got better with the addition of a switchable parallel mode. Mix the true amp sound with your favorite effect or process the entire pre-amp signal. The choice is yours. This head also features a Graphic EQ section for those wanting to kick in a scooped death metal sound or an ultra fat lead sound with extra mids."
"The Pittbull Ultra-Lead is a powerful, yet extremely versatile amplifier well suited for players of any style who are unafraid to own center stage. Uncompromising personality has made this amplifier the top choice of world class players from all genres of music. The Ultra-Lead's KT88 power section provides stunning clarity and definition whether playing clean or at maximum gain. The low and medium gain sounds are balanced and spacious, while the clean tones can be pristine, chunky, crisp or edgy. The wide range of sounds is limited only by your imagination."
Soldano SLO 100 -- Still my favorite of the bunch because it can do 80s to early 90s metal. Love the crunch sound. The sound is defined and yet open. Its a very expressive,revealing and touch responsive amp. In fact, it can be unforgiving specially for first timers -- Ibanez Guitar guys into multi-effects units beware because it really will reveal your technique if you plug straight. Another trick I learned to maximize its sound is to pair it up with Vintage 30s with the correctly designed and made cabinet. This smoothens out the sometimes over top upper mid cut of the Vintage 30s.
Excerpt from Soldano website: "The 100 watt SUPER LEAD OVERDRIVE is the amplifier that has set the standard for high gain tube distortion. Unchanged in over fifteen years, it remains the unmatched benchmark for modern lead guitar tone and amplifier quality."
Soldano Hot Rod 50 -- Voiced after SLO? Not really exact. Its more compressed. Its not as hi-fi or revealing and its very strong in the midrange. I like using it for shred instrumentals because its easier to play than the SLO.
Marshall 30th Anniversary Head (Not in Picture) -- I like its third channel for thrash and deathmetal because it has a really defined and chunky sound which is not too over the top. You could say that less gain is actually more.
Excerpt from Marshall -- "LEAD is what channel 3 is all about. This channel has a switch for two gain alternatives. The first, a smoldering saturation, is preset to the channel. The other is a searing gain boost that shoots screaming solos beyond the limits of any previous sonic experience. Besides awesome gain, Marshall includes a mid-shift selector to transform the middle control into an expansive "contour" control. Where other high-gain amps turn muddy and lose definition, the 30th anniversary model tonal shaping helps you to retain the definition that articulates every note."
Marshall JCM 900 SLX (Not in Picture) -- If I ever needed to do 90s Anthrax, this would be the amp to use. The distortion in this amp should have been designed into the whole JCM 900 line. Too bad. It goes a step further from the JCM 800 series but retaining the clarity and definition with more crunch and punch.
Excerpt from Marshall -- "Produced during the 1990's, the JCM 900 Mark IV SL-X (Super Lead X-tended) amp was an evolutionary link in the Marshall Master Volume series. By adding an extra ECC 83 (12AX7A) valve, Marshall engineers created a gain-drenched front end that combined twin gain controls, from 0-10, and another that went all the way to 20!"
I still have a list of more 'metal' sounding amps to buy. I appreciate them because I plug straight and I rely on their tube preamps to generate the drive and distortion I need.
