NAD_Uberschall Rev Blue

MetalHeadMike

Well-known member
I have wanted to play an Uber for far too many years, so I picked one up and have to say these things are insane.

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I've been gassing for an Uber since about 2007 and can't believe it took this long for me to finally give one a shot. I have to admit upon first plugging in when it arrived I was a bit underwhelmed. Part of it was probably that I had built it up for so long in my head that expectations were just set too high, but the bulk of why it was somewhat underwhelming was due to the tubes that were in it I believe. JJEL34 and all JJ preamps except for the Sovtek LPS in the last slot.

I've never noticed major tone changes in most my previous amps when swapping tubes be they power or preamp tubes. I was all set to give up on the Uber and move it on down the road, but something in me said to give it a shot with this amp. I'm really glad I did, because after popping in some JJ KT77 power tubes and a bunch of Chinese 12ax7B preamp tubes it's more or less everything I thought the Uber would be. It sounded like a fairly generic metal tone before swapping tubes and did not have near enough attack nor clarity for me, and now it has more of a unique character I think, and it's tighter and more articulate for sure. I'm happy :D

I was in contact with several buds on here and the cool dude who sold me the amp, and they all made some great eq suggestions urging me to spend some time with the amp given its reputation for having such a strange eq response. I think I had that aspect dialed in and while the eq is fairly unconventional, I think the tube change is what yielded most of the desired tone change.

This amp is capable of the most ridiculously saturated yet articulate tones! It also gets a great thunderous roar with the gain dialed back between 10--->11 o' clock. There's a surprising number of variations on the core tone considering there's not a bunch of switches and extra knobs. Oddly when pushing the gain beyond noon it not only becomes ultra saturated and thick but the amp seems to get tighter in its attack as opposed to turning to mush. There is an amazing amount of clarity possible and a nice sag to the power section. I am "clean" boosting with a ts9 as I do every amp and without the boost the amp is essentially unusable for my tastes. However with the boost it's simply awesome.

This amp has one of the thickest and deepest low end frequency responses I think I've come across. Wicked metal tones. It rumbles the world around you as if a wrecking ball has struck the building.

SUPERSONIC INDEED :rock: :rock: :rock:
 
Glad you're enjoying the Uber! They are completely over the top, but you're right... the wealth of different but equally great tones is astonishing. The EQ might be unconventional, but it's also a really powerful tool. I agree about your choice of tubes, too. They really did make a world of difference with this amp. Those KT77s are amazing in it, just what it needed, IMHO. The preamp tubes make a really big difference, too. Seems to love most if not all varieties of Chinese 12AX7s. It's truly a masterpiece of an amp!

I can see why some people compare them to older Rectos, but that's only one of the things the Uber does well. I've gotten some killer high gain Marshall tones, too. And, I found the clean channel to be quite useable, although I've hear a lot of complaints about it. It's a metal amp, how much time does anyone spend on the clean channel, anyway?? ;)

Too bad you had to let the Shiva go, but completely understandable with that Wizard. All three of those amps just make you grin when you play them... at least the two I have. Can't wait to get a Wizard!

Now, you've got to at least try a good Mark III Blue Stripe... ;)

So have you hooked both the Uber and the Wizard up at the same time?? That combo might demolish buildings (all the more reason to try it, I think). ;)

In any case, congratulations! You've got another world class heavy weight of an amp there!! Glad to see you're still being smart and using the high tech cooling, ventilation, jet fuel delivery, and heat sink system!! :LOL: :LOL:

Rock on!!
 
Ubers are so fun to play. My only gripe is that I wish the gain could be dialed back for more of a rock tone without sounding wimpy.
 
ChurchHill":302ijafo said:
Glad you're enjoying the Uber! They are completely over the top, but you're right... the wealth of different but equally great tones is astonishing. The EQ might be unconventional, but it's also a really powerful tool. I agree about your choice of tubes, too. They really did make a world of difference with this amp. Those KT77s are amazing in it, just what it needed, IMHO. The preamp tubes make a really big difference, too. Seems to love most if not all varieties of Chinese 12AX7s. It's truly a masterpiece of an amp!

I can see why some people compare them to older Rectos, but that's only one of the things the Uber does well. I've gotten some killer high gain Marshall tones, too. And, I found the clean channel to be quite useable, although I've hear a lot of complaints about it. It's a metal amp, how much time does anyone spend on the clean channel, anyway?? ;)

Too bad you had to let the Shiva go, but completely understandable with that Wizard. All three of those amps just make you grin when you play them... at least the two I have. Can't wait to get a Wizard!

Now, you've got to at least try a good Mark III Blue Stripe... ;)

So have you hooked both the Uber and the Wizard up at the same time?? That combo might demolish buildings (all the more reason to try it, I think). ;)

In any case, congratulations! You've got another world class heavy weight of an amp there!! Glad to see you're still being smart and using the high tech cooling, ventilation, jet fuel delivery, and heat sink system!! :LOL: :LOL:

Rock on!!
^^^
Thanks bud! I realy like what the KT77 bring to this amp. I will try it with the E34L as well at some point. I thought about a marriage of the Uber and Wizard, I need to figure out how to do that. Yeah gonna have to sweep that chimney, its probably getting sooted up with all the fire and smoke these amps put out :LOL: :LOL:

errrrrl":302ijafo said:
Jesus dude, you are on a roll! Grats man! Post some samples!
^^^
Thanks dude! I know man but there will be some of the others hitting the classifieds here shortly to compensate. I'll see about some clips of both maybe this weekend.
 
Bxlxaxkxe":3ns0iqng said:
Ubers are so fun to play. My only gripe is that I wish the gain could be dialed back for more of a rock tone without sounding wimpy.

I run a Paul Gilbert Detox EQ with output way low into my Uber dirty channel and I think it works out OK for this. Give it a try I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
 
Bxlxaxkxe":1qrcdmya said:
Ubers are so fun to play. My only gripe is that I wish the gain could be dialed back for more of a rock tone without sounding wimpy.
^^^
I didn't buy it for rock n' roll, but out of curiosity I'll have to whip out the LP and see what rock tones its capable of.

PRS":1qrcdmya said:
Congrats! Thats a great amp.
^^^
Thanks man! It's turning out to be a keeper I do believe.

Racerxrated":1qrcdmya said:
errrrrl":1qrcdmya said:
Jesus dude, you are on a roll! Grats man! Post some samples!
Right??

Congrats!!
:rock:
^^^
I know, I know right! I quit my career back in 2013 and went back to school and completely changed gears and finally graduated last May and landed a new job back in September. I have been back to work for 9 months now after being a broke dick college student for 4 years. This is my way of rewarding myself for my 4.0 GPA ;) , or maybe its my way of dealing with mid life crisis :LOL: :LOL:
 
I always come back to the Uber, i like the way they react to my playing. Try some EH 6CA7's if you can, they sound the best in my amp. I compared them to JJ's E34L and KT77's.

Congrats man, it's a killer amp!
 
Metal1977":g2yvqw7d said:
I always come back to the Uber, i like the way they react to my playing. Try some EH 6CA7's if you can, they sound the best in my amp. I compared them to JJ's E34L and KT77's.

Congrats man, it's a killer amp!

Thanks man! I am digging it for sure :rock: I will definitely put the EH 6CA7's on the list to try.

What characteristics do you like better with those tubes in the Uber vs. the JJ E34L or KT77?
 
MetalHeadMike":39kzbaeh said:
Metal1977":39kzbaeh said:
I always come back to the Uber, i like the way they react to my playing. Try some EH 6CA7's if you can, they sound the best in my amp. I compared them to JJ's E34L and KT77's.

Congrats man, it's a killer amp!

Thanks man! I am digging it for sure :rock: I will definitely put the EH 6CA7's on the list to try.

What characteristics do you like better with those tubes in the Uber vs. the JJ E34L or KT77?

They all sound good!

I got mine with E34L in it, i think it's the typical sound you should expect from the Uber. More mids, my guess is you could get more crunchy rock tone out of it with these tubes and the gain knob dialed back.

Then i tried the KT77's, to me they sound too much like a Recto in the Uber. Not a bad thing but i have only 2 amps, a Recto and a Uber. Kind of a 6L6 more than a EL34.

The Electro-Harmonix 6CA7's are more Metal to me. A big low-end but tight and smooth highs. More polish or produced sound than the KT77's, if it's what you want.

Mine is a Rev 2 but it shouldn't make that much of a difference.
 
Metal1977":ay98z94d said:
I always come back to the Uber, i like the way they react to my playing. Try some EH 6CA7's if you can, they sound the best in my amp. I compared them to JJ's E34L and KT77's.
6CA7s are the next tube I want to try in mine. One of my friends, who builds amps, swears by these tubes, but I've been dragging my feet. So far, for me, the KT77s are the best in mine (early rev 2). I can see the Recto comparison, though (and you're right, not a bad thing).
 
ChurchHill":16ekq3hh said:
Metal1977":16ekq3hh said:
I always come back to the Uber, i like the way they react to my playing. Try some EH 6CA7's if you can, they sound the best in my amp. I compared them to JJ's E34L and KT77's.
6CA7s are the next tube I want to try in mine. One of my friends, who builds amps, swears by these tubes, but I've been dragging my feet. So far, for me, the KT77s are the best in mine (early rev 2). I can see the Recto comparison, though (and you're right, not a bad thing).

You should definitely try them :rock: Make sure you buy the Electro-Harmonix.
 
Metal1977":ggjw0b6p said:
I got mine with E34L in it, i think it's the typical sound you should expect from the Uber. More mids, my guess is you could get more crunchy rock tone out of it with these tubes and the gain knob dialed back.
^^^
I think I might pop some E34L in there today.

indespise":ggjw0b6p said:
Man, you're really working your way through the high gain monsters. What's next on your list to try?
^^^
A two channel Peters---->Bodyhammer/Firehammer EDIT: After talking with James he informed me that two different channels are not possible.
James is gonna be calling me today to discuss what I'm after. I've been intrigued by his amps for a while now, and so far from several email conversations it sounds like both of these designs will be right up my alley.

Then someday I'd like to try a Driftwood Purple Nightmare, and eventually I will get another Herbert. I had one a couple years ago, but only for about a month before returning it to GC. It had issues. But that amp has haunted me since and I will have another someday.
 
MetalHeadMike":3qnfcmmx said:
Metal1977":3qnfcmmx said:
I got mine with E34L in it, i think it's the typical sound you should expect from the Uber. More mids, my guess is you could get more crunchy rock tone out of it with these tubes and the gain knob dialed back.
^^^
I think I might pop some E34L in there today.

indespise":3qnfcmmx said:
Man, you're really working your way through the high gain monsters. What's next on your list to try?
^^^
A two channel Peters---->Bodyhammer/Firehammer
Peter is gonna be calling me today to discuss what I'm after. I've been intrigued by his amps for a while now, and so far from several email conversations it sounds like both of these designs will be right up my alley.

Then someday I'd like to try a Driftwood Purple Nightmare, and eventually I will get another Herbert. I had one a couple years ago, but only for about a month before returning it to GC. It had issues. But that amp has haunted me since and I will have another someday.
I’m also very curious about the Body Hammer. I used to own a Peters FSM and heard the Body Hammer is supposed to tighter and more aggressive, so that sounds pretty promising.

I used to own a Driftwood Purple Nightmare and wasn’t too impressed to be honest. It was too polite sounding. It didn’t have the growl of my other amps or get as tight. It was definitely a solid, high quality amp, but there just wasn’t anything particularly amazing about it. I think your Wizard would smoke it

Some guys also rave about the cleans on the Driftwood, but I thought the cleans on my mark iic+ and wizard mtl are much better
 
braintheory":3up2y2gw said:
I’m also very curious about the Body Hammer. I used to own a Peters FSM and heard the Body Hammer is supposed to tighter and more aggressive, so that sounds pretty promising.

I used to own a Driftwood Purple Nightmare and wasn’t too impressed to be honest. It was too polite sounding. It didn’t have the growl of my other amps or get as tight. It was definitely a solid, high quality amp, but there just wasn’t anything particularly amazing about it. I think your Wizard would smoke it

Some guys also rave about the cleans on the Driftwood, but I thought the cleans on my mark iic+ and wizard mtl are much better
^^^
Well I just got off the phone with James and had about a 2 hour conversation about amps and life in general. Great guy! The Bodyhammer sounds bad ass, but he also will be making what's called the Firehammer which is kind of in between the Firejack and the Bodyhammer from what I gather. Lots of great choices!

Good to know about the Purple Nightmare! I don't like polite sounding amps :no:
 
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