R
Racerxrated
Well-known member
Well, I had high hopes for this and.....
It's KILLER! This amp has 2 things that I don't hear, usually, with newer amps unless you spend a bunch on a Wizard or others in that higher price range....really great feel, and PUNCH like a nice Superlead, Coliseum, Triple Rec, the Rev C Recto I had....It has HUGE low end, but I can dime it and it stays tight. No flub, bloat, mud etc. Some didn't think it had very good clarity, but my usual EQ with other amps is to dime the presence, drop the mids to 9-10am, and treble up to taste...and that way the clarity is just as good as almost any amp I've owned. Maybe not the best, but it has very good clarity that way. I'm playing through a 1989 Marshall Vintage 8 ohm cab, and they are a bit brighter than a Mesa V30 cab, but not as bright as the newer Marshall vintage cabs.
Another nice surprise is, it has a really fast response which makes it super easy to play....almost as fast as a non eq 2C+. The 'plastic' thing that some heard in the demos? Non existent in person. VS the EVH stuff, more recently I had a 100w EL34 Stealth and that same plastic thing was there. Even though the demos, don't seem to have it. It also doesn't get loud, it PUNCHES you like a Wizard, HiWatt, Superlead etc does. I'll have to check the plate voltage when I get a chance...I'll bet it's pretty high. The PT is about the same size as what I had in my old C+ Coli. It's enormous.
All in all, I hoped it would be good, but to me it's GREAT. It's also super quiet, hardly any hiss with the gain at noon. The tubes were also biased perfectly at 30ma. The only other amp that it competes with price wise, is the Randall RD100, and that thing is garbage imo. I had one 10 yrs ago, couldn't return it fast enough. Then next amp to compete is the $700 more EVH big boys, which have a totally different tone BUT to my ears it's just not close when you compare the punch, thickness to the notes, feel and response...this amp smokes the EVH. IMO only; I know lots of you love those so I'm not criticizing them but this amp just has things I value more I guess.
I can honestly say that, if this amp was a single channel amp for 1850 it would still be killer. This lead channel absolutely smokes. The clean is also very good, arguably the best I've heard in a high gainer short of a C+ clean. The OD channel is pretty mid heavy and I think works well for a live lead channel. All have that same great feel, too.
I'm gonna have to set up a youtube to do a proper clip, gotta do a Morin clip too but at the very least, if you guys/girls get a chance to play one locally do it. This Lead channel alone is worth the price of admission.
I should mention that I'm straight in, and no boost needed..it already sounds like a triple recto boosted with a mod to make the lows super tight...
It's KILLER! This amp has 2 things that I don't hear, usually, with newer amps unless you spend a bunch on a Wizard or others in that higher price range....really great feel, and PUNCH like a nice Superlead, Coliseum, Triple Rec, the Rev C Recto I had....It has HUGE low end, but I can dime it and it stays tight. No flub, bloat, mud etc. Some didn't think it had very good clarity, but my usual EQ with other amps is to dime the presence, drop the mids to 9-10am, and treble up to taste...and that way the clarity is just as good as almost any amp I've owned. Maybe not the best, but it has very good clarity that way. I'm playing through a 1989 Marshall Vintage 8 ohm cab, and they are a bit brighter than a Mesa V30 cab, but not as bright as the newer Marshall vintage cabs.
Another nice surprise is, it has a really fast response which makes it super easy to play....almost as fast as a non eq 2C+. The 'plastic' thing that some heard in the demos? Non existent in person. VS the EVH stuff, more recently I had a 100w EL34 Stealth and that same plastic thing was there. Even though the demos, don't seem to have it. It also doesn't get loud, it PUNCHES you like a Wizard, HiWatt, Superlead etc does. I'll have to check the plate voltage when I get a chance...I'll bet it's pretty high. The PT is about the same size as what I had in my old C+ Coli. It's enormous.
All in all, I hoped it would be good, but to me it's GREAT. It's also super quiet, hardly any hiss with the gain at noon. The tubes were also biased perfectly at 30ma. The only other amp that it competes with price wise, is the Randall RD100, and that thing is garbage imo. I had one 10 yrs ago, couldn't return it fast enough. Then next amp to compete is the $700 more EVH big boys, which have a totally different tone BUT to my ears it's just not close when you compare the punch, thickness to the notes, feel and response...this amp smokes the EVH. IMO only; I know lots of you love those so I'm not criticizing them but this amp just has things I value more I guess.
I can honestly say that, if this amp was a single channel amp for 1850 it would still be killer. This lead channel absolutely smokes. The clean is also very good, arguably the best I've heard in a high gainer short of a C+ clean. The OD channel is pretty mid heavy and I think works well for a live lead channel. All have that same great feel, too.
I'm gonna have to set up a youtube to do a proper clip, gotta do a Morin clip too but at the very least, if you guys/girls get a chance to play one locally do it. This Lead channel alone is worth the price of admission.
I should mention that I'm straight in, and no boost needed..it already sounds like a triple recto boosted with a mod to make the lows super tight...
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When these get up to Canuckistan you need to try one. You might like it.
