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Audiofanzine FR
Published on 11/06/08 at 01:11
(Originally written by manorhead/translated from Audiofanzine FR)
30-watt, all-tube bass and guitar amp (although the guy who sold it to me said it was 60 watts)
Two bass and two guitar inputs, one 8-Ohm speaker output
One ECC83 tube for each instrument, one ECC81 to drive the four EL84 power tubes
No gain control and no reverb. It's a pity!
Bass, treble (with pull function for boosting) and volume controls for each instrument.
My amp has been modified with an additional cooling fan above the power tubes.
UTILIZATION
The setting is ultra easy.
and you'll get a good sound out of every setting.
No need for a user's manual.
The one and only problem with this amp is the lack of scaling for the knobs which makes it difficult to write down your settings (I don't have the genuine knobs) and the bass and guitar inputs aren't labeled. (after a quick check, it seems the guitar is on the right and bass in the middle).
SOUNDS
The sound is the main asset of this sort of amp. It provides a very rich, powerful and warm sound.
For guitar, use a multi-effect (I've got a Zoom 8080) to add the missing effects like distortion and reverb. You get a killing fat sound...
I tested it with a 160-watt, 15" bass cabinet... It blows your mind. The small port makes a good job with a bass guitar.
The original speaker cabinet has a very nice guitar sound but I don't crank the volume because I'm afraid I'll tear the 10" speaker membranes. The output power is enough to feed a 100-watt, 4x12" speaker cabinet.
This amp can keep up with the best amps of the 70's/80's.
OVERALL OPINION
I just bought it, but I'm pretty sure I'll keep this baby for a long time, particularly since the previous owner tuned it really nice.
The thing I dislike most is that you don't have a gain knob nor a reverb.
I don't like the cabinet wood either because it seems too slim.
I love the sound, it's awesome!
I tested a dozen tube amps but this amp head with the original speaker cabinet was a super deal. This same amp new would cost about 4 times more.
I did it! I had a gain knob between preamp and power amp... I didn't get a big distortion sound but a nice crunch. However the sound is too dirty and leaking in the bass channel. I will try other tubes (I'll also add an effect loop...)
Update: I changed the tubes but the sound didn't change a lot. It seems the preamps of this amp are not conceived to be overdriven.
I tested the amp with an electro-acoustic folk guitar (Ibanez V70ce)... Wow, the small bass port really makes sense... The sound is outstanding! I tested the same guitar with another amp and I'm sure the bass port manages this particularly well...
30-watt, all-tube bass and guitar amp (although the guy who sold it to me said it was 60 watts)
Two bass and two guitar inputs, one 8-Ohm speaker output
One ECC83 tube for each instrument, one ECC81 to drive the four EL84 power tubes
No gain control and no reverb. It's a pity!
Bass, treble (with pull function for boosting) and volume controls for each instrument.
My amp has been modified with an additional cooling fan above the power tubes.
UTILIZATION
The setting is ultra easy.
and you'll get a good sound out of every setting.
No need for a user's manual.
The one and only problem with this amp is the lack of scaling for the knobs which makes it difficult to write down your settings (I don't have the genuine knobs) and the bass and guitar inputs aren't labeled. (after a quick check, it seems the guitar is on the right and bass in the middle).
SOUNDS
The sound is the main asset of this sort of amp. It provides a very rich, powerful and warm sound.
For guitar, use a multi-effect (I've got a Zoom 8080) to add the missing effects like distortion and reverb. You get a killing fat sound...
I tested it with a 160-watt, 15" bass cabinet... It blows your mind. The small port makes a good job with a bass guitar.
The original speaker cabinet has a very nice guitar sound but I don't crank the volume because I'm afraid I'll tear the 10" speaker membranes. The output power is enough to feed a 100-watt, 4x12" speaker cabinet.
This amp can keep up with the best amps of the 70's/80's.
OVERALL OPINION
I just bought it, but I'm pretty sure I'll keep this baby for a long time, particularly since the previous owner tuned it really nice.
The thing I dislike most is that you don't have a gain knob nor a reverb.
I don't like the cabinet wood either because it seems too slim.
I love the sound, it's awesome!
I tested a dozen tube amps but this amp head with the original speaker cabinet was a super deal. This same amp new would cost about 4 times more.
I did it! I had a gain knob between preamp and power amp... I didn't get a big distortion sound but a nice crunch. However the sound is too dirty and leaking in the bass channel. I will try other tubes (I'll also add an effect loop...)
Update: I changed the tubes but the sound didn't change a lot. It seems the preamps of this amp are not conceived to be overdriven.
I tested the amp with an electro-acoustic folk guitar (Ibanez V70ce)... Wow, the small bass port really makes sense... The sound is outstanding! I tested the same guitar with another amp and I'm sure the bass port manages this particularly well...