Headfirst Alta 100 24 hour review

Absolutely great sounding amp. My congrats, Jason! (y)
You obviously also know how to boil water so that the molecular structure becomes hexagonal - if you know what I mean by that :cool:
 
Congrats Alex! I love, love, LOVE the Alta. Such a great amp; I really feel like Jason has captured something special with this circuit. It's like a "best of" Marshall style circuits in a different vein than the BE100. Maybe the way to think about it is the BE-100 is all the Marshall style sounds based on a 1959/1987 and the Alta is all the Marshall style sounds based on a 2203. I foolishly sold my first one but was more than stoked to buy my second and it is a keeper!

I'm planning to do some comparison videos for fun too!
 
hellzington said:
Maybe the way to think about it is the BE-100 is all the Marshall style sounds based on a 1959/1987 and the Alta is all the Marshall style sounds based on a 2203.
Click to expand...
I see this a little more differently and think I heard from the video clips (difficult with YT compression) that the Alta can represent both worlds.
What I still don't understand to this day is why so many guitarists prefer the BE-100. I already had a few in the house, but when playing I always felt the impulse to kick the amp so that it would develop a little more dynamics 🤷‍♂️ 😊
 
hellzington said:
Congrats Alex! I love, love, LOVE the Alta. Such a great amp; I really feel like Jason has captured something special with this circuit. It's like a "best of" Marshall style circuits in a different vein than the BE100. Maybe the way to think about it is the BE-100 is all the Marshall style sounds based on a 1959/1987 and the Alta is all the Marshall style sounds based on a 2203. I foolishly sold my first one but was more than stoked to buy my second and it is a keeper!

I'm planning to do some comparison videos for fun too!
Click to expand...
I think the Alta represents the actual Marshall tones better than Friedman. Now Friedman has its own flavor which is great…I can’t put it into words but every Friedman amp I’ve owned (small box, ww small box, ss-100, ceriatone modded be/hbe) all had this similar characteristic that is inherent in the Friedman sound. It’s like a pleasant graininess in the drive and a somewhat rolled off high end (again pleasant).

To my ears the Alta captures that angry bite that you get from a non master volume Marshall AND the sweet flavor of a jtm45. I do feel the Friedman hits that saturation a little bit better but again, that’s kind of its thing and the Friedman strong suit.

I’ve been contemplating moving on from my ceriatone with the be/hbe mods now that I got the Alta and have it up fsot on tgp but ultimately wouldn’t mind hanging on to it because it still has that one Friedman flavor in the drive that I just can’t seem to nail with the Alta….BUT the Alta has like 6 other flavors that the Friedman can’t come close to
 
uzeurillus1on1982 said:
Yes I am still in the "honeymoon phase" with this amp HOWEVER I have owned enough tube amps over the years to know a special one when it comes along. In fact I'm kinda picky when it comes to Marshall style maps. I currently own a AFD 100, JCM slash 2555sl, 1959 reissue, 1989 2203, and last but not least Ceriatone JMP50 with friedman be/hbe mods. I have owned a friedman small box, friend ss-100, jtm45, helios 100, helios 50, 1988 2205, and a vplex 50. Needless to say I have a pretty good idea of what a Marshall should sound like! Out of all of those amps the friedman modded ceriatone is my gold standard. That has the best pure tone and is what I typically compare every amp to. I sold the small box 50 because it sounded too close to the ceriatone. I also returned the SS-100 for the same reason, although it had a really nice clean channel.

With that said the Alta 100 is my desert island amp. In fact I'm confident to say that 6 months from now I'll probably only have the slash signature amps. I never thought I'd consider selling that Ceriatone but here we are. The alta has taken the #1 spot. It has better cleans than the jtm45 and the small box and the 1959 - and yes it has several different clean tones you can coax out of it (see videos below). I can honestly get it to sound pretty dam fendery too.

I would be super happy with the amp if it only had channel 1. With the bright caps and a OD pedal it gets me all the tones I need and then some - but channel 2 is really the meat and potatoes of this amp! The base tone of channel 2 is just perfect - that overdrive guitar tone that I have in my head. Jason talks in his videos about how he voiced this amp to where it sounds good with all the knobs at noon. I can says he's 100% right! You can't dial this thing in to sound bad! It's not like a 2203 where the tone stack barely does anything or like a mesa mark v where if you don't have it dialed in it sounds AWFUL...it's like a perfect median....all the knobs make a noticeable difference throughout the sweep BUT none of them are going to make the amp sound like crap no matter where you set them. It's really amazing actually. None of the modes (bright cap, clip, 2nd master, mondern/vintage) will drastically change the core tone - they simply just give it more. I stole this statement from someone who commented on one of my youtube videos btw because he is right!

Channel 3 is not a clone of channel 2 - it dose have a little extra in it. It is the quintessential lead channel. IMO you're not gonna be doing a lot of riffing on it because it doesn't have the clarity of channel 2 (and channel 2 gets as heavy as you'd need it) but man does channel 3 SING. It sustains for days. The best part is none of it is too over the top to where you'll have a ton of noise and/or feedback. The noise floor is surprisingly low for an amp with this much gain. And just like the tone stack, the gain controls are completely usable throughout the entire sweep. I have yet to get a bad tone out of this amp.

If all this weren't enough there's a few more features I'd like to point out. First is the second master. Anyone that has owned a silver jubilee knows that when you engage the rhythm clip the volume drops significantly. The alta's clip feature is no different. The second master solves this problem. I also use it has a boost for the clean channel because the 2nd bright cap adds some volume so I'll use the second master when I'm not using the 2nd bright. It's levels are just about perfectly matched to where it will equalize your volume for both the clipping and the bright cap on the clean. The clipping is only on channel 2/3 so that doesn't pose a problem on channel 1 and the brights don't have that volume effect on channel 2 and 3 I'm assuming because of the gain.

Second is the response knob. I LOVE THIS FEATURE. It really gives the amp a whole different vibe depending on how you set it. I prefer the response up just because I tend to prefer BRIGHT tones. Turned up the amp is brighter and looser. Jason gave me a tip: turn the response down and crank the presence all the way up! Really tightened up the amp (not that it didn't sound KILLER loose) and the presence kept it bright enough for my tastes. Once again - I haven't been able to get a bad sound out of this amp.

Third is a surprising one considering I wasn't interested in it at all when I first scoped out the amp. MIDI! It is so cool and so easy to program and use. I got a tech21 mongoose foot controller (jason recommended) which has 5 buttons and you can program over a 100 different banks of 5, although I think you'd run out of ideas at like 20. Don't let the midi turn you off either, if it's not your thing simply don't use it, you can still control the amp the old fashioned way with the buttons on the front panel but I gotta say I'd be shocked to hear if ANYONE ever complains about this after using it. It really is awesome and couldn't be easier to use. You simply put the footswitch on what preset you want to store, set the amp how you want it and press "STORE" on the amp. Switch to a different preset on the foot controller and repeat. SO EASY and so useful.

So to wrap this up if you're in the market for a new amp and the Alta sounds like it may be for you pull the trigger - it is simply incredible. Jason Tong is also super accessible - we chatted the whole time through the process of my amp being built. He even sent me pictures of the amp as it was coming together which was really cool. Can honestly say you won't get better service from anyone else. I ordered my amp on January 7th and it made it to me from down under by January 25th. Not even three weeks! What's funny is I didn't even know you could order one of these, I thought there was a wait list. I had emailed Jason asking him a question about modding my 2203 and while we were chatting I mentioned how I was looking to find an Alta used but wasn't having any luck...next thing I know I got my new favorite amp. Thanks again @burger









Side note:
I was not paid in any way shape or form to review this amp- I’m an average nobody, I get to life the rest of my life like a schnook and pay for all my gear!
Click to expand...

Dood thanks for adding to my gas!!! :geek: Seriously great clips -better than others out there! Questions. Looks like a Marshall basket weave cab? Greenbacks or? Also recorded with iPhone I hope?? So many go thru DAW's and add IR's ect = NOT what it will sound like in my room...
Thanks and KILLLER tones!!
 
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cragginshrd said:
Dood thanks for adding to my gas!!! :geek: Seriously great clips -better than others out there! Questions. Looks like a Marshall basket weave cab? Greenbacks or? Also recorded with iPhone I hope?? So many go thru DAW's and add IR's ect = NOT what it will sound like in my room...
Thanks and KILLLER tones!!
Click to expand...
I recorded this using a gls sm57 knock off ($20) running into a tc helicon go interface (another $20). The cab is a Marshall 1960a with 2 greenbacks and 2 Marshall branded v30’s both from the late 90’s. The Marshall speakers are mic’d.

I can’t recommend this amp enough. I own several high $$ amps and this smokes them all

Great job @burger
 
uzeurillus1on1982 said:
I recorded this using a gls sm57 knock off ($20) running into a tc helicon go interface (another $20). The cab is a Marshall 1960a with 2 greenbacks and 2 Marshall branded v30’s both from the late 90’s. The Marshall speakers are mic’d.

I can’t recommend this amp enough. I own several high $$ amps and this smokes them all

Great job @burger
Click to expand...
Right on dude!
I get amazing results just going with an iPhone in the room. Hope to have mine in a few weeks and will do several videos including live use late spring into summer :m17:
 
I have all of these tones covered in multiple amps but I am gassing hard for an ALTA
i believe this is a future classic
congrats OP ! that shit sounds bangingly great
I'm having a hard time convincing myself that i don't need one.
 
uzeurillus1on1982 said:
Yes I am still in the "honeymoon phase" with this amp HOWEVER I have owned enough tube amps over the years to know a special one when it comes along. In fact I'm kinda picky when it comes to Marshall style maps. I currently own a AFD 100, JCM slash 2555sl, 1959 reissue, 1989 2203, and last but not least Ceriatone JMP50 with friedman be/hbe mods. I have owned a friedman small box, friend ss-100, jtm45, helios 100, helios 50, 1988 2205, and a vplex 50. Needless to say I have a pretty good idea of what a Marshall should sound like! Out of all of those amps the friedman modded ceriatone is my gold standard. That has the best pure tone and is what I typically compare every amp to. I sold the small box 50 because it sounded too close to the ceriatone. I also returned the SS-100 for the same reason, although it had a really nice clean channel.

With that said the Alta 100 is my desert island amp. In fact I'm confident to say that 6 months from now I'll probably only have the slash signature amps. I never thought I'd consider selling that Ceriatone but here we are. The alta has taken the #1 spot. It has better cleans than the jtm45 and the small box and the 1959 - and yes it has several different clean tones you can coax out of it (see videos below). I can honestly get it to sound pretty dam fendery too.

I would be super happy with the amp if it only had channel 1. With the bright caps and a OD pedal it gets me all the tones I need and then some - but channel 2 is really the meat and potatoes of this amp! The base tone of channel 2 is just perfect - that overdrive guitar tone that I have in my head. Jason talks in his videos about how he voiced this amp to where it sounds good with all the knobs at noon. I can says he's 100% right! You can't dial this thing in to sound bad! It's not like a 2203 where the tone stack barely does anything or like a mesa mark v where if you don't have it dialed in it sounds AWFUL...it's like a perfect median....all the knobs make a noticeable difference throughout the sweep BUT none of them are going to make the amp sound like crap no matter where you set them. It's really amazing actually. None of the modes (bright cap, clip, 2nd master, mondern/vintage) will drastically change the core tone - they simply just give it more. I stole this statement from someone who commented on one of my youtube videos btw because he is right!

Channel 3 is not a clone of channel 2 - it dose have a little extra in it. It is the quintessential lead channel. IMO you're not gonna be doing a lot of riffing on it because it doesn't have the clarity of channel 2 (and channel 2 gets as heavy as you'd need it) but man does channel 3 SING. It sustains for days. The best part is none of it is too over the top to where you'll have a ton of noise and/or feedback. The noise floor is surprisingly low for an amp with this much gain. And just like the tone stack, the gain controls are completely usable throughout the entire sweep. I have yet to get a bad tone out of this amp.

If all this weren't enough there's a few more features I'd like to point out. First is the second master. Anyone that has owned a silver jubilee knows that when you engage the rhythm clip the volume drops significantly. The alta's clip feature is no different. The second master solves this problem. I also use it has a boost for the clean channel because the 2nd bright cap adds some volume so I'll use the second master when I'm not using the 2nd bright. It's levels are just about perfectly matched to where it will equalize your volume for both the clipping and the bright cap on the clean. The clipping is only on channel 2/3 so that doesn't pose a problem on channel 1 and the brights don't have that volume effect on channel 2 and 3 I'm assuming because of the gain.

Second is the response knob. I LOVE THIS FEATURE. It really gives the amp a whole different vibe depending on how you set it. I prefer the response up just because I tend to prefer BRIGHT tones. Turned up the amp is brighter and looser. Jason gave me a tip: turn the response down and crank the presence all the way up! Really tightened up the amp (not that it didn't sound KILLER loose) and the presence kept it bright enough for my tastes. Once again - I haven't been able to get a bad sound out of this amp.

Third is a surprising one considering I wasn't interested in it at all when I first scoped out the amp. MIDI! It is so cool and so easy to program and use. I got a tech21 mongoose foot controller (jason recommended) which has 5 buttons and you can program over a 100 different banks of 5, although I think you'd run out of ideas at like 20. Don't let the midi turn you off either, if it's not your thing simply don't use it, you can still control the amp the old fashioned way with the buttons on the front panel but I gotta say I'd be shocked to hear if ANYONE ever complains about this after using it. It really is awesome and couldn't be easier to use. You simply put the footswitch on what preset you want to store, set the amp how you want it and press "STORE" on the amp. Switch to a different preset on the foot controller and repeat. SO EASY and so useful.

So to wrap this up if you're in the market for a new amp and the Alta sounds like it may be for you pull the trigger - it is simply incredible. Jason Tong is also super accessible - we chatted the whole time through the process of my amp being built. He even sent me pictures of the amp as it was coming together which was really cool. Can honestly say you won't get better service from anyone else. I ordered my amp on January 7th and it made it to me from down under by January 25th. Not even three weeks! What's funny is I didn't even know you could order one of these, I thought there was a wait list. I had emailed Jason asking him a question about modding my 2203 and while we were chatting I mentioned how I was looking to find an Alta used but wasn't having any luck...next thing I know I got my new favorite amp. Thanks again @burger









Side note:
I was not paid in any way shape or form to review this amp- I’m an average nobody, I get to life the rest of my life like a schnook and pay for all my gear!
Click to expand...



I was looking at these.

Then I saw the Evil Joe.


I think the ALTA has alot of options I'd never use and I don't dig the red lights laid out like that.

Evil Joe might be my next amp.
I've been on the Tong-Wagon for a while though. Guy is very knowledgeable and still very accessible. I just can't get over how ugly the the damn Alta is. Looks don't make sound. But I'd have to change those red led to different colors or something for sure.
 
ChuggNorris said:
I was looking at these.

Then I saw the Evil Joe.


I think the ALTA has alot of options I'd never use and I don't dig the red lights laid out like that.

Evil Joe might be my next amp.
I've been on the Tong-Wagon for a while though. Guy is very knowledgeable and still very accessible. I just can't get over how ugly the the damn Alta is. Looks don't make sound. But I'd have to change those red led to different colors or something for sure.
Click to expand...

I think the Alta looks great.
I guess we all have different tastes, though… 👍
 
SQUAREHEAD said:
I think the Alta looks great.
I guess we all have different tastes, though… 👍
Click to expand...

I'm a color guy. I'd throw some yellow, green, purple up on those lights. Really that's the main thing. And that's an easy fix.

Just don't think I'd use all that. I usually set an amp up for punishing rhythm and live there 99% of the time.

Lovely map though 👌
Lots of marshall in a box.
 
novosibir said:
I see this a little more differently and think I heard from the video clips (difficult with YT compression) that the Alta can represent both worlds.
What I still don't understand to this day is why so many guitarists prefer the BE-100. I already had a few in the house, but when playing I always felt the impulse to kick the amp so that it would develop a little more dynamics 🤷‍♂️ 😊
Click to expand...
The Atla is everything I wanted from a BE and more. I'm actually moving some gear to grav another one.
 
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