This amp takes some time to really dial in. Once you do though, itis really good and super versatile. Also one of the very few high-gain amps with a great clean tone. Couple of things to note with this amp. Make sure to use the Master Boost engaged on the back of the amp, all of the time, everytime. I run it at around 7. Tightens everything up, more punch and clarity. Also make sure any of the Post Gains for any of the channels are above 7. This makes sure the amp doesnt get too spongey or too "round". Also 6 is the magic number for Pre-Gain, EQ, Presence and Resonance and Post-Gain. Dial everything at 6 and then adjust accordingly!
I think one of the biggest reasons as to why this amp has caught my interest so much is because you don’t need a boost to play rhythm guitar for the crunch channel. It definitely doesn’t hurt to have one on hand if you’re into using boost pedals to shape your tone in a specific way, but at the same time i really like that you don’t actually HAVE to use an external boost pedal to push the front end if don’t want too. It’s just really nice to have the option for an external boost if you don’t want to use any extra gear to help you achieve a great rhythm tone, especially for players like me who prefer the way that the crunch channel sounds for rhythm as the lead channel has always sounded like there’s always a Wah pedal engaged with a boost in front. It’s also really cool because with the external boost, the only dirt pedal you would really need for anything high gain is a RAT or a Big Muff in case you wanna play more sludgy guitar riffs compared to what this amp was designed for. Overall i’ve been dying for a chance to play this amp myself and i’d love to see how versatile it is for playing various styles of heavy music.
I've had the Invective for about a year & a half, and I made a couple serious discoveries about it. Firstly - I use the "Crunch" Channel as my lead channel. It is a little too thick on its own, but I run a tube screamer (on a Pod500x) with the gain set to 0. That instantly stops the sludge while keeping the tone. I use the OD on the amp to boost it, and yes - 7 is definitely the sweet spot with the gain on that channel. The effects sound great, but with this set up - it's probably the single greatest lead tone I've ever heard (including my MkIIC+ Boogie). I use the "Lead" channel for distorted rhythm. When you set it at about 9 o'clock, you get a nice driven plexi sound (very EVH'ish). If you need more, you can add a screamer and it's balls to the wall. You can get the same results by using the amp's OD on that channel as well. Using this set up, I run it with the boost OFF, but run the leads (or any channel I want volume gain) with the boost on - set to about 6-7. This takes care of having to rely on lazy sound guys who don't feel the need to ride faders (unfortunately all too common). I will use the lead channel for more laid back leads, as they don't color the sound of the guitar quite as much - but you still can't go more than about 10-11 o'clock with the gain on that channel. As you said - you can get great cleans out of Ch. 1, and using the amp's OK on that channel - you can get great sounds as long as you're not using the bridge pickup. Still - you can get a great breakup sound doing that. I wasn't too happy with the sound of it until I used Ch. 2 for my leads and Ch. 3 for the rhythm. When I did, I almost shat my pants! Anyways - you've probably gotten rid of it by now, but would definitely suggest you trying the crunch channel set up like I described for your leads. You'll be very happy you did!
Thanks for commenting. You totally read my mind lol. The crunch channel is thicker and smoother for leads and the lead channel has that edge for a crushing rhythm tone
Thanks for this review. I bought this for all the features but can’t dial it to taste. Too flubby and fizzy. I’m ditching mine and going with my Stealth.
I found the trick with the Invective to get rid of that congested sound was to have the master boost always on and set really high(I had mine set to 3 o clock). I wasn’t happy with the one I had until I read about that and it opened right up Edit: I posted this comment literally seconds before you mentioned the master boost lol
Enjoy watching your channel Jarrod. The invective is my favorite of the 5150 lineage. I find the Precision Drive in conjunction with the onboard boost(both knobs at noon) while keeping the gain at 2 o'clock for crunch and 10 o'clock for lead is just ruthless. I think if you did that you wouldn't have to crank those gains so darn high for all the attack you crave. And then you can turn the Precision Drive off for a classic tube screamer style boost. Then turn the onboard boost off for fatter rounder tones. Effectively giving three flavors on every channel. Neither here nor there. Maybe that info could help somebody.
Thanks for commenting. I almost used the external boost along with the internal boost just to see what would happen. I completely forgot to do that. I wish I would have done that in the video.
Another great amp review, thanks! Amp sounds killer! I like that tight dry crunch sound actually. Good value for the price too. Not sure if I could deal with that giant footswitch in gigging situations though. Currently playing very small bar stages and that thing would take up a lot of valuable real estate on stage! :D
As a gigging guitarist I'd take this to clubs before a boutique head that costs more. But I think you'd be Kempering it before lugging any heavy amp. I used to like the Invective but now I find it very dry and a little brittle sounding. Not as sweet and saturated like higher end amps.
I'd keep the peavey and sell the Mesas. Only do out of state sales for Mesas though. That way you are not responsible for burning down a local house. The Invective is what every Mesa aspires to be. And the Invective won't burn down your house. And you don't need a beard to play a peavey.
It’s one of the best amps I’ve personally owned. And I’ve owned quite a few from mesa to peavey, evh to Prs, For a high gain amp it has Great cleans, the blue channel is gnarley as hell !! The pedal is a must have because the features and presets are what really makes the amp stand out from the crowd. The built in gate is great ! I would say just as good as a fortin zuul using the key input while placed in the loop. Unfortunately I had to return the amp. Only because had something come up and needed the cash. I don’t play live at the moment, But if I find myself in need of a live rig again, the invective will be my first choice for sure. The features are dope ! 🤘😆
Completely unrelated but do you like mesa dual recs as much as evh stealth? Haven't come across a dual rec video from you yet... Wondering if you think it holds up or not. Thinking about buying a 100 multi watt version... Hmmmmmm.
@@TONEWARSgearshow Thanks for the quick response! Many rectifier users say that you have to dial it in correctly to avoid that scenario and boost it... or even change up the preamp tubes but I don't know...
@@KaddysJamKave If I were to ever play one of those amplifiers again, I would boost it with the peper's dirty tree. That is a great boost pedal for flubby amplifers. I think that would really help shape the tone and make it sound more modern.
@@TONEWARSgearshow Thanks for the opinion mate, appreciated. The dual sounds amazing and tight from what I've heard on YT videos like Ola England, Fluff from Riffs beards and gear and others... But yeah, they boost it and I guess have spent a lot of time learning the recto. Apparently the EQ knobs are ass backward compared to regular amps like 5150s and dialing a particular EQ knob up or down affects the other EQs. (1 example, for some reason dialing back the treble brings the mids forward) Making it difficult and time consuming to shape the tone the way you want. Anyways... I'm gonna take the chance with the dual rectifier and have the patience to MAKE that thing sound great. Makes things a little more interesting and challenging haha.
I never got on with that amp. I still have it but I haven't plugged it in for probably over a year. Maybe it's just too modern for me. I just never cared for it. I have owned mine for about 3 years now. I'm too lazy to do what you're doing. But I need to.
It's definitely worth giving it a shot. I had fun dialing it in and I think I made it sound better than I ever did. That said, if you have a stealth, why keep the Invective ?
@TONE WARS yes I have the very same one as you do. And I love it. I have some new amps, but most of mine are 90s to mid-2000s. Framus cobra, dragon, Egnater Armageddon, Schecter hellraiser and hellwin. Along with other ones I always wanted when I was a kid but couldn't afford. So now that I can I chase them down. But maybe I will give it another shot.
@C S to me I think the dragon for one, is easier to dial in. I am sure you understand the pain of that when you first got yourself a cobra and the insane amount of low-end that amp has and trying to control it. The dragon has more upper mids kinda like a Marshall on meth. It doesn't seem to have as much gain, but I don't think it's a bad thing. I have always heard it matters what version you have when it came to the cobra. I have a V3, it's the only one I have played, so I don't know about any of that kinda stuff. The dragon clean Channel breaks up a lot sooner. Maybe because the cobra has more headroom. But it also has that framus reliability factor to it. Meaning is not very good. When I would use one of those amps to play out somewhere I always brought a backup. The dragon again to me is looser than the cobra, but that's easy to fix with an overdrive. All in all, I am glad to own both. Cobra is more mesa-like, and the dragon is more Marshall-like.
Honestly, there's no need for any tube amp over 50 watts. Unless you're playing completely clean and don't have a mic' in front of it for more headroom volume. I've owned some lower end Peavey amps, a Vypyr, a Valveking, and a Windsor. Sold them all.
I had been thinking that very idea yesterday; watching guitar amp vids, does anyone really need more than 50 watts with today's technology to amplify a preamp which can be miked or level amplified?
ya 50-60w is loud enough for drums. The 100+watters do have a bit more bass but it's about a grand more just for a bit more bass. Once you stick a 57 in front of it, it doesn't make any difference in the mix at all.
This amp takes some time to really dial in. Once you do though, itis really good and super versatile. Also one of the very few high-gain amps with a great clean tone. Couple of things to note with this amp. Make sure to use the Master Boost engaged on the back of the amp, all of the time, everytime. I run it at around 7. Tightens everything up, more punch and clarity. Also make sure any of the Post Gains for any of the channels are above 7. This makes sure the amp doesnt get too spongey or too "round". Also 6 is the magic number for Pre-Gain, EQ, Presence and Resonance and Post-Gain. Dial everything at 6 and then adjust accordingly!
I think one of the biggest reasons as to why this amp has caught my interest so much is because you don’t need a boost to play rhythm guitar for the crunch channel. It definitely doesn’t hurt to have one on hand if you’re into using boost pedals to shape your tone in a specific way, but at the same time i really like that you don’t actually HAVE to use an external boost pedal to push the front end if don’t want too. It’s just really nice to have the option for an external boost if you don’t want to use any extra gear to help you achieve a great rhythm tone, especially for players like me who prefer the way that the crunch channel sounds for rhythm as the lead channel has always sounded like there’s always a Wah pedal engaged with a boost in front.
It’s also really cool because with the external boost, the only dirt pedal you would really need for anything high gain is a RAT or a Big Muff in case you wanna play more sludgy guitar riffs compared to what this amp was designed for.
Overall i’ve been dying for a chance to play this amp myself and i’d love to see how versatile it is for playing various styles of heavy music.
Having an EVH Stealth… I’d think you wouldn’t need that but it is still full of cool features so I’d keep it.
I've had the Invective for about a year & a half, and I made a couple serious discoveries about it.
Firstly - I use the "Crunch" Channel as my lead channel. It is a little too thick on its own, but I run a tube screamer (on a Pod500x) with the gain set to 0. That instantly stops the sludge while keeping the tone. I use the OD on the amp to boost it, and yes - 7 is definitely the sweet spot with the gain on that channel. The effects sound great, but with this set up - it's probably the single greatest lead tone I've ever heard (including my MkIIC+ Boogie).
I use the "Lead" channel for distorted rhythm. When you set it at about 9 o'clock, you get a nice driven plexi sound (very EVH'ish). If you need more, you can add a screamer and it's balls to the wall. You can get the same results by using the amp's OD on that channel as well.
Using this set up, I run it with the boost OFF, but run the leads (or any channel I want volume gain) with the boost on - set to about 6-7. This takes care of having to rely on lazy sound guys who don't feel the need to ride faders (unfortunately all too common).
I will use the lead channel for more laid back leads, as they don't color the sound of the guitar quite as much - but you still can't go more than about 10-11 o'clock with the gain on that channel.
As you said - you can get great cleans out of Ch. 1, and using the amp's OK on that channel - you can get great sounds as long as you're not using the bridge pickup. Still - you can get a great breakup sound doing that.
I wasn't too happy with the sound of it until I used Ch. 2 for my leads and Ch. 3 for the rhythm. When I did, I almost shat my pants!
Anyways - you've probably gotten rid of it by now, but would definitely suggest you trying the crunch channel set up like I described for your leads. You'll be very happy you did!
Thanks for commenting. You totally read my mind lol. The crunch channel is thicker and smoother for leads and the lead channel has that edge for a crushing rhythm tone
@@TONEWARSgearshow Absolutely. Great sounds - they just got the channels mixed up. :)
I'd gas it because you already have a evh stealth. It's not a bad amp but doesn't really add to your collection. Cheers
My sediments exactly. I totally forgot to mention this in the video.
*an EVH
@TONEWARSgearshow Sediment: Matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid; dregs.
@@dildojizzbaggins6969 oh boy mr grammar nazi to the rescue
This is a great head for gigging if you have a simple pedal setup like I do
So true! It's a dream for playing live.
@@keolahutchinson7687 🤘not to mention, the lights look awesome on stage!
@@ImDumbSry Hell yeah they do.😈
Thanks for this review. I bought this for all the features but can’t dial it to taste. Too flubby and fizzy. I’m ditching mine and going with my Stealth.
Thanks for commenting. I'm glad my video helped you. I very much prefer the stealth over this amplifier.
Love my Invective! 🤟😎
I found the trick with the Invective to get rid of that congested sound was to have the master boost always on and set really high(I had mine set to 3 o clock). I wasn’t happy with the one I had until I read about that and it opened right up
Edit: I posted this comment literally seconds before you mentioned the master boost lol
A Tube Screamer makes it so awesome.
On Premier Guitar ,Monsters of High Gain ,Misha always use a Tube Screamer.
@@BlastbeatsRtreatsHe also uses an Axe FX. He said he uses the invective just for stage sound.
Enjoy watching your channel Jarrod. The invective is my favorite of the 5150 lineage. I find the Precision Drive in conjunction with the onboard boost(both knobs at noon) while keeping the gain at 2 o'clock for crunch and 10 o'clock for lead is just ruthless. I think if you did that you wouldn't have to crank those gains so darn high for all the attack you crave. And then you can turn the Precision Drive off for a classic tube screamer style boost. Then turn the onboard boost off for fatter rounder tones. Effectively giving three flavors on every channel. Neither here nor there. Maybe that info could help somebody.
Thanks for commenting. I almost used the external boost along with the internal boost just to see what would happen. I completely forgot to do that. I wish I would have done that in the video.
@@TONEWARSgearshow You covered a lot of the stuff that can easily be overlooked. 10/10. I appreciate how honest and thorough you are. 🤙
Another great amp review, thanks! Amp sounds killer! I like that tight dry crunch sound actually. Good value for the price too. Not sure if I could deal with that giant footswitch in gigging situations though. Currently playing very small bar stages and that thing would take up a lot of valuable real estate on stage! :D
As a gigging guitarist I'd take this to clubs before a boutique head that costs more. But I think you'd be Kempering it before lugging any heavy amp. I used to like the Invective but now I find it very dry and a little brittle sounding. Not as sweet and saturated like higher end amps.
I'd keep the peavey and sell the Mesas. Only do out of state sales for Mesas though. That way you are not responsible for burning down a local house. The Invective is what every Mesa aspires to be. And the Invective won't burn down your house. And you don't need a beard to play a peavey.
Lol you crack me up Ben
Hilarious comment. Because it's true! 😆
With the shared eq issue, can that be solved with saving presets ? I just ordered one of these and hoping that the presets will be the answer.
What are your updated thoughts on the invective?
It’s one of the best amps I’ve personally owned. And I’ve owned quite a few from mesa to peavey, evh to Prs, For a high gain amp it has Great cleans, the blue channel is gnarley as hell !! The pedal is a must have because the features and presets are what really makes the amp stand out from the crowd. The built in gate is great ! I would say just as good as a fortin zuul using the key input while placed in the loop.
Unfortunately I had to return the amp. Only because had something come up and needed the cash. I don’t play live at the moment, But if I find myself in need of a live rig again, the invective will be my first choice for sure.
The features are dope !
🤘😆
How did this compare with the mini one ? Does it come close?
Yes they're pretty close. The mini is a bit rounder
Completely unrelated but do you like mesa dual recs as much as evh stealth? Haven't come across a dual rec video from you yet... Wondering if you think it holds up or not. Thinking about buying a 100 multi watt version... Hmmmmmm.
I had a triple rec and a roadster on the show a few times.
Too much flub and fizz in those amps for my taste. I prefer the stealth
@@TONEWARSgearshow Thanks for the quick response! Many rectifier users say that you have to dial it in correctly to avoid that scenario and boost it... or even change up the preamp tubes but I don't know...
@@KaddysJamKave If I were to ever play one of those amplifiers again, I would boost it with the peper's dirty tree. That is a great boost pedal for flubby amplifers. I think that would really help shape the tone and make it sound more modern.
@@TONEWARSgearshow Thanks for the opinion mate, appreciated. The dual sounds amazing and tight from what I've heard on YT videos like Ola England, Fluff from Riffs beards and gear and others... But yeah, they boost it and I guess have spent a lot of time learning the recto.
Apparently the EQ knobs are ass backward compared to regular amps like 5150s and dialing a particular EQ knob up or down affects the other EQs. (1 example, for some reason dialing back the treble brings the mids forward)
Making it difficult and time consuming to shape the tone the way you want. Anyways... I'm gonna take the chance with the dual rectifier and have the patience to MAKE that thing sound great. Makes things a little more interesting and challenging haha.
How are we supposed to know how the amp sounds if you’re playing it 10 times faster than the song
I predict this will be a sell before watching video
Dude please play unchained the night in the right timing
I already know ur letting it go
I never got on with that amp. I still have it but I haven't plugged it in for probably over a year. Maybe it's just too modern for me. I just never cared for it. I have owned mine for about 3 years now. I'm too lazy to do what you're doing. But I need to.
It's definitely worth giving it a shot. I had fun dialing it in and I think I made it sound better than I ever did. That said, if you have a stealth, why keep the Invective ?
@TONE WARS yes I have the very same one as you do. And I love it. I have some new amps, but most of mine are 90s to mid-2000s. Framus cobra, dragon, Egnater Armageddon, Schecter hellraiser and hellwin. Along with other ones I always wanted when I was a kid but couldn't afford. So now that I can I chase them down. But maybe I will give it another shot.
@@jrlee243 Which do you like better, the Cobra or the Dragon? I have a Cobra but curious about the Dragon
@C S to me I think the dragon for one, is easier to dial in. I am sure you understand the pain of that when you first got yourself a cobra and the insane amount of low-end that amp has and trying to control it. The dragon has more upper mids kinda like a Marshall on meth. It doesn't seem to have as much gain, but I don't think it's a bad thing. I have always heard it matters what version you have when it came to the cobra. I have a V3, it's the only one I have played, so I don't know about any of that kinda stuff. The dragon clean Channel breaks up a lot sooner. Maybe because the cobra has more headroom. But it also has that framus reliability factor to it. Meaning is not very good. When I would use one of those amps to play out somewhere I always brought a backup. The dragon again to me is looser than the cobra, but that's easy to fix with an overdrive. All in all, I am glad to own both. Cobra is more mesa-like, and the dragon is more Marshall-like.
@Roe Jogan I do love peavey, but not much for this one. I would consider it. Unfortunately, I don't live in the U.S. anymore. I live in Asia.
I don't know, man. The lows just sounds a little fuzzy/muddy to me.
Sell it and buy my MkIV
Heh Heh. You said "knob"
Heh Heh heh heh.
This is my least favorite of the 5150 type amps.
This one is for sale
That one is a sell IMO. Just no reason to exist since you have the stealth.
Also, you don’t really ever seem excited about it. Lol
Honestly, there's no need for any tube amp over 50 watts. Unless you're playing completely clean and don't have a mic' in front of it for more headroom volume. I've owned some lower end Peavey amps, a Vypyr, a Valveking, and a Windsor. Sold them all.
I had been thinking that very idea yesterday; watching guitar amp vids, does anyone really need more than 50 watts with today's technology to amplify a preamp which can be miked or level amplified?
ya 50-60w is loud enough for drums. The 100+watters do have a bit more bass but it's about a grand more just for a bit more bass. Once you stick a 57 in front of it, it doesn't make any difference in the mix at all.
I had this amp. Ch3 is great as is the extra features. CH1 is uninspiring & ch2 sucks. Flipped