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Rockmonster
Published on 03/28/08 at 21:11
4 12ax7 tubes..PCB.. 3 channels.. Clean, dirty... and more dirty. Shared eq, separate volume on rhythm/lead channels (good to set lead boost) These two channels are very,very close.. Powerful signal..can push poweramps pretty hard. Direct out/XLR direct out, 1/4 outs.. NO effects loop. (Yuck) Mid boost button for distortion channels, bright switches for all 3 channels.
No effects. This is strictly tone shaping and gain.
UTILIZATION
Very simple. Knob turners dream. Buttons reeeeally easy to push. A monkey could figure this out. Getting a good sound.. well, you have to know what you like. This amp has a fair amount of complex mids... I don't know if you can dial these out completely like you could with a Boogie Recto for example. The eq is very responsive..I find myself dialing back the trebles overall since I am always striving for the smoothest sounds possible.. (while having loads of gain) The manual is easy...I think it is like... 3 pages.
SOUNDS
It does suit my style. The sound overall is smooth.. creamy.. and still heavy heavy. I can play metal.. dial back my volume to hard rock-ville.. add some slight overdrive on the front end and it screams. Using Les Pauls, Strats, Tele's, a few other types with this. Carvin T100 poweramp, Digitech GSP2101 for effects.
Overall, I would say the character of this amp is somewhere between a Soldano and Marshall tone.. A bit smoother than the typical Marshall tone.. ( I play next to my rhythm players Marshall TSL stack) but with just as much attack. (and more character)
I need to run the gamut of tones for my originals. From crystal clean to molten gain. I run this thru parametric e.q.'s.. loads of effects.. and it retains its character.
The gain channels are the standouts here. Searing, yet smooth, detailed, but with enough hair on it to let you know it's heavy. The clean channel... uh. Hmmm. Honestly, this is rather 2 dimensional. The least exciting part of the amp, but with a parametric you can get a good approximation of Twin tones. If you are using effects, it is certainly more than adequate. It is not a "bad" tone... just not as good as the distortion channel counterparts.
OVERALL OPINION
I have had 3 of these... Yeah, yeah. I know. I have gotten rid of them, then repurchase them, etc. I am not a pack rat regarding musical equipment. If I don't use it.. I get something else. Been using them for about 6 years now. Something has always stuck with me regarding the tone. It has a certain "alive" quality that I have not gotten with other amps. I still continue to experiment with lots of other gear... You know. We musicians have our ideal tone for about 5 minutes.. then need to buy something else. I do not like the fact that this has no effects loop..I connect directly between this and my poweramp.. but it would be nice to have a little more interface. For the price this is a good value.. considering the preamp options that would actually compare to this.. typically range in the $1000.00+ category. These are hard to find used.. usually in the $600-700 range when they actually show up.
If I decide to sell this one...I'll probably be a yo-yo and buy it again later...my track record has shown that I do... hopefully the 3rd time is a charm..
No effects. This is strictly tone shaping and gain.
UTILIZATION
Very simple. Knob turners dream. Buttons reeeeally easy to push. A monkey could figure this out. Getting a good sound.. well, you have to know what you like. This amp has a fair amount of complex mids... I don't know if you can dial these out completely like you could with a Boogie Recto for example. The eq is very responsive..I find myself dialing back the trebles overall since I am always striving for the smoothest sounds possible.. (while having loads of gain) The manual is easy...I think it is like... 3 pages.
SOUNDS
It does suit my style. The sound overall is smooth.. creamy.. and still heavy heavy. I can play metal.. dial back my volume to hard rock-ville.. add some slight overdrive on the front end and it screams. Using Les Pauls, Strats, Tele's, a few other types with this. Carvin T100 poweramp, Digitech GSP2101 for effects.
Overall, I would say the character of this amp is somewhere between a Soldano and Marshall tone.. A bit smoother than the typical Marshall tone.. ( I play next to my rhythm players Marshall TSL stack) but with just as much attack. (and more character)
I need to run the gamut of tones for my originals. From crystal clean to molten gain. I run this thru parametric e.q.'s.. loads of effects.. and it retains its character.
The gain channels are the standouts here. Searing, yet smooth, detailed, but with enough hair on it to let you know it's heavy. The clean channel... uh. Hmmm. Honestly, this is rather 2 dimensional. The least exciting part of the amp, but with a parametric you can get a good approximation of Twin tones. If you are using effects, it is certainly more than adequate. It is not a "bad" tone... just not as good as the distortion channel counterparts.
OVERALL OPINION
I have had 3 of these... Yeah, yeah. I know. I have gotten rid of them, then repurchase them, etc. I am not a pack rat regarding musical equipment. If I don't use it.. I get something else. Been using them for about 6 years now. Something has always stuck with me regarding the tone. It has a certain "alive" quality that I have not gotten with other amps. I still continue to experiment with lots of other gear... You know. We musicians have our ideal tone for about 5 minutes.. then need to buy something else. I do not like the fact that this has no effects loop..I connect directly between this and my poweramp.. but it would be nice to have a little more interface. For the price this is a good value.. considering the preamp options that would actually compare to this.. typically range in the $1000.00+ category. These are hard to find used.. usually in the $600-700 range when they actually show up.
If I decide to sell this one...I'll probably be a yo-yo and buy it again later...my track record has shown that I do... hopefully the 3rd time is a charm..