What Should i Buy?

Amp For Rock

Q I play in a cover band doing AC/ DC to Led Zep via Iron Maiden and Metallica. I have a Marshall TSL60, which is great for most things, but spends most of its time with the gain up to 10 and is still slightly lacking when I’m trying to nail the Maiden solos. I’ve got a PRS Archon 25 for practice, which gives me exactly what I need; Angus with the gain at about 4, Jimmy at 5, and Maiden at 8. Before I buy the Archon 50 head, what else should I look at? I’ve heard good stuff about Bognor. Victory seems to feature a lot. I’m not keen on Mesa. James Dieterle, via email

A If you like the Archon, James, go with it! You haven’t said anything about foot-switching and how you like to access the different gain levels, so we’re assuming you’re using the guitar volume and maybe a pedal or two. In that respect, adding a decent booster/OD and EQ pedal to the Marshall will get you to the Maiden and Metallica stuff no problem at all. However, if you fancy a change and you want plenty of gain versatility, we’d offer up these glorious gain boxes for consideration…