Tube Works

The Mosvalve MV962 is a stereo solid state power amp made in the late '80s/early '90s to offer a more realistic take on the tube power section in a solid state power section. Tube power amps are great, but are subject to the consistency issue of the air around you and how your ears hear them, whereas solid state gear tends to sound more consistent. They can also be quite heavy when mounted in a rack, which is another selling point for something like this Mosvalve. It's a stereo rig that puts out about 80 watts of power per side. Each side (A and B) has volume and presence controls available. I believe it runs at 8 ohms impedance. UTILIZATION Getting a good sound out of this power amp isn't difficult. I'm definitely a fan of the Tube Works gear, and this is no exception. Granted, I do prefer a real tube rig, but for what the MV962 is, it sounds decent. When I had mine I tended to run it about flat as far as the volume and EQ went, and just did my tweaking from my Mesa preamp as far as master volume or tone. One nice selling point for the Tube Works is that it definitely did have a bit of that tubelike compression that you really don't hear often in simulated attempts at tube tones. I hear it in their amps as well which is cool. SOUNDS This power amp sounds decent overall. I used it with a Mesa Boogie Studio Preamp (basically Boogie's famed Mark IIC+ head in a preamp) and a cheaper Ibanez Tone Blaster TB412A angled cab with generic Ibanez "Power Jam" speakers. I got the rack rig as a package deal because I wanted to try out rackmount gear and compare it to the nicer heads I'd owned. I was definitely happy enough with the Mosvalve power amp for what it was. It certainly doesn't have the fully tubelike sound that one would get out of something like a VHT/Fryette or Mesa Boogie tube power amp, but for what it was it sounded good. I used it in a band setting for gigs and recordings and it held up really well for reproducing my glassy cleans and thick smooth drive tones accurately and clearly. OVERALL OPINION All in all I think the Mosvalve MV962 is a decent power amp to grab if you're on a budget and just want something simple that sounds great and consistent. They aren't made anymore but you can find them used for $200 and under all over the web. If you're a total tube purist you might not dig this, but for someone who just needs power, it's a great one to look into for sure.

The Tube Works RT2100 is a 1x12 combo dual channel guitar amplifier that contains the infamous MosValve technology of the eighties and nineties. The Genz Benz owned company used the MosValve technologies to simulate the tones of a tube power section at any volume. It's a two channel amp with clean and drive channels. Each channel has it's own EQ and the drive channel contains unique cascading gain controls labelled drive (amount of saturation) and stack (changing the tonestack to suit different styles of playing). There's also onboard reverb and an effects loop. The featureset is pretty standard, but it overshadows needless features for great tone. Each side is capable of about 100 watts of power and it serves well in jam and gig settings. UTILIZATION Setting up this amp is a fairly standard process. Other than the cascading drive controls it's a very typical amp and will respond as such. I find it has a bit more of a US voicing as opposed to British, though that classic UK roar can be heard peeking through the sound spectrum at times. The EQ controls work fairly well on each channel to shape a variety of tones, and the overall smooth and refined character is pleasing to the ear; it's not rough or grating sounding. It's definitely aired towards more of the classic vibe of tones. The overall tonal centre is rooted in traditional stylings which make it a cool amp for things like blues, classic rock or fusion-y lead. SOUNDS This amp sounds great with a variety of different guitars. Using a Strat yields some really rich yet chimey clean toned that are great for funk or soul music. It can also do some great classic cleans a-la Hendrix or Mark Knopfler. Using a humbucker loaded guitar gives the cleans more bite and hair, rendering it an excellent choice for blues or early rock n roll sounds. Switching to the drive channel brings forth a smooth yet articulate voicing. Single coils seem most at home with more articulate lead work a-la Eric Johnson or Yngwie, and humbuckers work well for an even thicker yet still very smooth lead tone. It doesn't quite have the low end grunt or saturation for modern rock or metal tones, partly due to the strong midrange voice of the drive channel. OVERALL OPINION All in all I think the Tube Works RT2100 is a fantastic buy for someon looking for a portable, well priced, and great sounding amp that combines tubelike tones with solid state reliability. They can be had for about $250 used which is a real bargain for anyone who wants their amp's brand-name to be Good Tone.

The Tube Works 901 Real Tube Overdrive is a pedal designed for use with electric guitar. The 901 has a pretty simple make up, with 1/4" connections for input and output and requires a nine volt power supply. The pedal is made up of analog parts and does have a real 12AX7 tube inside of it. The pedal isn't rack mountable as it is a stomp box. UTILIZATION Using the Tube Works 901 Real Tube Overdrive is a breeze, as all of the parameters will be familiar for most users. The 901 has knobs for drive and output levels, as well as a three band equalizer consisting of low, mid, and high knobs. As you can easily tell, there isn't much that you need to know before hand in order to use the 901, so I don't believe that you need the manual around in order to figure everything about it out. SOUND QUALITY The sound of the Tube Works 901 Real Tube Overdrive is extremely thick and full, definitely sounding like what you would think a tube pedal will sound like. I've used the pedal in tandem with a Fender Jazzmaster and a '65 Fender Deluxe Reverb amp for recording purposes, which in my opinion is an ideal set up for using a pedal like as they just blend well together. Even if you don't have a tube amplifier to use with the 901 Real Tube Overdrive pedal, it will definitely still give you that kind of feel. There is a good amount of control over the different tones that you can possibly make with the pedal, but in general you're getting a fat and warm tube overdrive sound with the 901. OVERALL OPINION Having a real tube overdrive pedal in your rig can really give you an extra thickness that would otherwise not be possible, and this is exactly what you get with the Tube Works 901 Real Tube Overdrive. I'd recommend the pedal for both users with and without tubes amps, as even though it sounds better on a tube amp, it will also help to warm up your solid state sound. While there are a number of different tube pedals that I'd recommend checking out in addition to the 901 like the Chandler Tube Overdrive and the ToneBone pedals, the 901 is definitely one you should check out as well...

I bought this amp at Music Castle in Michigan (I think they are in Royal Oak) for about 250$. I bought it because I was looking for a better amp than my Gorilla Practice Amp that I borrowed from a friend. It was louder and cheaper than all of the other solid state amps but it was used, worn down and someone spilled beer on the back of it. First off it has tubes!!! Its got 2 channels, Distortion and clean. They both have their High, Mid and Low and Master Volume Knobs. The Distortion channel also have a Drive Knob. Its got a very nice distortion sound, Sounds like a DOD FX69 Grunge Stomp Box (But the DOD doesn't sound grungy at all). Its very loud, I can wake up the neighbors quite easily at night. It has a foot switch to switch channels and reverb (You can also switch channels on the amp). Its also got an effects loop (Which I never use) Two Speaker outs and a line out. Its a good amp for playing small clubs though. The clean channel is really a solid state channel and has no tubes what so ever but its still loud. The big problem with this amp is that it mixes the clean and distortion channels while you are on the distortion channels. It sounds pretty crappy for me while they are mixed (I play hardcore punk and crap like that) So when im giging I just turn the clean channels volume all the way down. I can't play something clean and then switch to the distortion channel, otherwise it won't sound distorted at all. Line out sounds pretty dry when I put it into my computer to record litte riffs and stuff and not nearly as loud as the amp. Reverb sounds pretty flat and not very noticable. Very Sturdy, Very reliable except for the foot switch, I think its going to go bad in acouple years. I've dropped it acouple times and no harm has been done to it. Nice amp if your not all about Metal or stuff like that. I think I got a pretty good deal on it too. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Bought this gem from musicians friend after hearing a local legend (SLINK RAND), play through a friends small marshall combo at practice. I had also heard it through a plexi and was blown away!! Paid $90 US. Nice tweakable unit great over a clean channel for classic twang to classic rock. Or if you feel a bit froggy crank it and explore what it offers. would like it to clean up a bit more...thinking about a blue tube as well. TANK TOUGH WITH OWN POWER SUPPLY. I would recommend for someone wanting some crunch without noise...as long as you dont crank it. If you chose to crank watchout might get painfull...ears will bleed this pedal can crank!!!! This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this little ( well, not really little! ) gem back in 1988-89 to replace a Washburn "Stack-in-a-Box" distortion pedal that bit the big one. I bought(what I believe) to be one of the first units in the Seattle-Tacoma area from Performance Music. A local music store ( no defunct ) owned by my good buddy Al. I liked the idea of a real tube ( 12AX7 ) in the unit. I paid about $70.00 back then, list was about $120 if my memory serves correct. I love the fact that you can get just about any amount of distortion you want out of this. From a clean boost, to a metallica roar and every thing in between. I like it best set to a bluesy grind. Great sustain and natural warmth. It's also fun to max the drive and go into heavy metal bliss once in a while. It has a level and drive with bass, mid and treble controls. It is hard wired with an AC plug ( nice touch ) so you never have to worry about your batteries going dead. Built like a brick Sh_ _ house. Nice job of hand wiring inside the unit. I have tried several different 12AX7's in it and also a 12AT7 to see if it made a difference. The 12At7 turned it into a fuzz tone!! Pretty cool, but not what I wanted. I ahve an old RCA 12AX7 in it now. I have read most players who own these put in a NOS 12AU7. I will try that next as soon as get my hands on one!. I dislike nothing about this unit. From the solid construction to the excellent sounds it produces, this is a keeper. After all, it is over 12 yearss old and it looks like new and sounds better than ever. I have tried at least 20 different units from Fab Tones to Tube Screamer to Valve Tones to Boss, DOD, Blah...blah...blah ( you get the picture ) and none have replaced this unit yet. 5 years of every night ( when I used to play out ) stompin on it and it still looks and performs like new. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a Hot Box, Burn Unit, Klon, etc. would more than meet the challange, but look at the $$ difference were talking!! For the coin, you would be hard pressed to find a better sounding, better constructed unit. See above If you can find one, buy it!! I can't wait to find a NOS 12AU7 and pop it in. They are supposed to warm it up and lower the gain a bit. Since I play the blues more than any other type of music, The warmer low gain grind just may be my ticket to sonic shambala. When I put one in, I'll follow up this post and let you know how the experment went!! This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com