TrentBizzle
New member
Hello all you Rig Talkers,
I finally got around to typing up my review of this amp. I hope every one of you gets to play/hear one of these in the near future. They are really amazing amps...So much so that I put an order in the first day I tried it. If any of you are going to the Nashville Amp Expo you should be sure to play the amp while you're there.
Anyways...I'm not in any form or fashion associated with the company outside of owning an amp soon. I am only a gear fanatic who wants to spread the word.
If any of you have questions feel free to message me.
The full review will be attached at the bottom of my post if you'd rather just read the word file.
Sorry for any errors in my writing. I also apologize for the length of it...I had a lot to say.
3rd Power Amp Review
My name is Trent Bailey and I consider myself a tone chaser, as well as a gear addict. My parents will testify to the latter of that statement because they’ve had to deal with my obsession since I was a youngster trying to mimic Ace Frehley from KISS. Throughout my life I’ve been fortunate enough to own many great pieces of musical equipment as well as some that were sub-par. In the past few years I have started to mature in my playing and in turn have moved onto more professional grade gear. The choice to upgrade my set-up has forced me to put a lot of time and research into the products I have purchased. With the growing amount of high quality gear on the market it seems to be getting harder to find something that stands out among the crowd while also providing the features each player needs. The following is a personal review of a product and company that I truly believe accomplishes this.
I first heard about 3rd Power Amplification through pictures and YouTube videos from summer NAMM 2009. My first thought when I saw the 3rd Power Rig was that it looked really cool, but did it sound good? I tend to be a skeptic when it comes to YouTube videos because I rarely find one that represents an amps capabilities. This time around was no different, but I still thought it was worth looking into. I mean it’s not everyday that you see a triangular speaker cabinet. I found the company website, but it provided little more than a spec sheet since the site had just been launched. Still knowing little, I found myself on the Internet forums hoping for inside information from someone who had heard or seen the amp in person. What I got was better than what I had hoped for.
After posting my question on https://www.rig-talk.com I was delighted to receive an email from a 3rd Power representative, Lance Wascom. Lance was kind enough to invite me to the shop to check the amp out in person! In response to this I immediately turned on some Rick Astley jams and did a happy dance. Come to find out I live only minutes from their headquarters. Later that week a friend and I finally made it down to the shop. The rest is history.
The 3rd Power shop is located within the Tour Supply Inc. booth at Soundcheck rehearsal facility. For those of you who don’t know about this facility it is part rehearsal space and part vendor shops. The main portion of the facility is made up of large rehearsal halls for big touring acts to use. Each space is large enough to fit an arena size concert stage and light system in it. The rest of the facility is made up of individual booths for companies such as Fender, Peavey and Shure, to use as either storefronts or artist relation offices. In a nutshell this is the place to be if you are a musician.
After making our way to the Tour Supply shop we met up with Jamie Scott, the founder and designer of 3rd Power Amplification. Jamie led us to one of the big rehearsal halls where the main amp rig was set up for demoing. He walked us through the basic aspects of the amp as well as how they had it rigged up. The rig I played on this day consisted of the prototype head, three of the triangular cabinets, a TC Electronics effects processor, and a MosValve power amp. The rig was set up in a wet/dry/wet configuration with the head running the center cabinet and the two outside cabinets being run wet from the effects processor and power amp.
Jamie explained to us the two concepts for achieving this wet/dry/wet set-up. At the time the amp was configured with a Palmer PDI-09 DI box tapping a signal off one of the speaker outs on the amp. The signal was then run through the TC Electronics unit into the power amp and split back out into the two outer cabs. He also explained how this could be done by using only the line out jack that comes standard on the production model of the amp. For guitars Jamie brought along a 58 reissue Les Paul and his original 80’s pre-serial Charvel.
After going through all of the set-up we finally got to hear a little bit of what the amp could do. Within a few seconds of listening to Jamie play I found myself with a huge grin on my face. The only word that came to mind was WOW.
At some point I came out of my complete daze and caught Jamie’s explanation of how the sound mixes through the 3 cabs. The cabs are loaded with three vintage 30 speakers in each. The speakers are all touching each other within the cabinet box. This creates what Jamie calls a “point source”, which eliminates the off-axis beam of sound that you hear in a 4x12 cabinet. If you listen to a single 4x12 cabinet you will notice that you can pick out each individual speaker and the sound that is coming out of it. On each speaker there are spots where the sound is different. This can lead to phase issues between mics as well as completely different tonalities. In the 3x12 triangle cabinet there is no space between the speakers, so there is a consistent sound dispersing from the speaker. Jamie had set up start and end point spots within the room that designated where he thought the sound trailed off on either side of the cabinets. As we walked from the start to the end points we never noticed a change in tonality or sound dispersion between the cabs. If it had been three 4x12 cabs there would have been obvious spots where the sound was different.
At this point Lance, the guy who originally invited me to the shop, had shown up and introduced himself. We talked a bit while Jamie continued to demo the amp for us, but I was so intrigued with the sound I was hearing that I honestly don’t remember much of what he said. The rig sounded flat out amazing. It was by far the best tone I’ve ever heard out of any amp. The inspiration for this amp comes from one of Jamie’s 1968 100 watt plexi heads, which we later got to see in his workstation. The amp is based on a Marshall style circuit, but includes some patent-pending designs. The thing that first really hit me about the sound was the articulation of every note, especially with the amount of gain that was on tap. I have been used to hearing high gain amps that sound real muddy and oversaturated. This was the exact opposite of that. As Jamie adjusted the settings I never heard any real muddiness or dull spots. Simply put, the amp Sings and Screams at the same time!
I know many gear heads like myself are huge Van Halen fans, as well as “Brown Sound” chasers. I expect there will be some skeptics to this next remark, but the 3rd Power amp literally nails the “Brown Sound”. It doesn’t get close, imitate, or resemble that sound. It IS that sound. I can’t stress enough how serious I’m being with that statement. It is what it is. This amp blows all the 5150’s as well as any tweaked Marshall out of the water when it comes to that early Van Halen tone. In addition to the EVH style tone the amp can also get that earthy super lead sound all the way up to the extreme gain of metal from the 80’s and beyond. From AC/DC and ZZ Top to Motley Crue and Poison; it’s all in there.
By this point I was dying to play on it myself, which Jamie happily let me do. I grabbed the Charvel and went off on what was the best 5 minutes of nonstop playing I’ve ever had in my life. The amp is as fun to play as it is amazing to hear. I noticed how the player’s individual characteristics are more defined on this amp than others I have heard in the past. Just between Jamie and myself I was able to pick out the differences in technique, even after we played some similar styles. This is really a player’s amp. By that I mean that it allows for one’s individuality to be heard even when EQ settings are set in ways specific to certain styles. The amp was simply a joy to play. I know the phrase has been used before, but it feels like it plays itself.
My friend and I spent the better part of an hour playing the rig. The time went so quickly that I failed to realize that I hadn’t messed with the settings at all. I stuck with what Jamie had dialed in and just went to town. I was fortunate enough to play the prototype head, which was used during James Lugo’s high gain amp shootout earlier this year. The amp was then called the Tritone, but has since had the name changed. The prototype was simply amazing, but Jamie stressed that the production model was better yet. Unfortunately the production model was on the bench when I made my first trip to the shop. I would get to play it during my second visit though.
Trip number one ended after close to three hours. We found ourselves shaking our heads in disbelief as we made our way out of the shop to the car. As soon as I sat down in my house I immediately started to rationalize what I could do to fund a purchase of the head. My friend and I have played through lots of amps at stores here in Nashville, but even he agrees that the 3rd Power amp is the best we’ve ever heard. It didn’t take long before I was back on the phone with Lance to place my order for an amp. I was hooked!
There are a couple special things about this amp that I have noticed, or have been brought to my attention. The amp is a single channel head, but it does have a few cool features that make it an ideal product for lots of players. First of all there is the line out jack, which allows for a direct out for live or studio use as well as making the wet/dry/wet possible. There is also a lead boost function that allows for a solo channel on top of the normal master. The cool thing about it is that the lead level is proportionate to the master. If the master is set to five and the lead is set to two then the overall level when the lead boost is engaged would be seven. If at some point during a gig you were to change the master volume from five to six there would be a proportionate increase in overall volume to eight. So hypothetically you could go even louder than 11!
Another really cool feature included in the 3rd Power head is what is called the ‘Tone Stack’. This switches between the Bold and Smooth setting of the amp. I found the Smooth setting to be based more in the classic rock realm. This is the more plexi-based tone of the amp. When I engaged the bold mode I noticed a more modern edge added to the plexi sound. From what I understand the bold setting has a midrange boost added. This made the amp feel fuller during heavier style playing. I would say the bold mode adds some definition to the notes.
One of the biggest surprises to me was the brilliant clean tone that I was able to get just from rolling back on the volume. I was honestly shocked when I could get great sparkling cleans from the amp while still being able to get that saturated gain by just the slight turn of a volume knob. This concept made the amp that much more appealing to me since it basically creates three channels within a one-channel amp. This is obviously more difficult to control than an amp with three separate foot switchable channels, but I believe the overall tone is better than any multichannel amp out there.
I could go on all day about the 3rd Power amp and how great it is, but one of the biggest selling points for me was the personalities as well as expertise of the creators. I can’t say enough good things about Jamie and Lance. They have been more accommodating and helpful than anyone I have ever dealt with in the music industry. Both of them have been very gracious with their time and help while I was around. From the quick email responses to their more than welcoming attitude, these guys have been nothing short of awesome. In addition to being extremely helpful the two are just really cool, down to earth guys that have no problem telling it like it is. I consider both of them my friends, and hope to do business with them for a long time to come.
In an attempt to sum all of this up I will say one thing about the amp…It FREAKING ROCKS! There is no doubt in my mind that anyone who hears it will be instantly hooked like I was. The amp is a joy to play and the company is a pleasure to do business with. I like to think I know a good thing when I see it. This is definitely GREAT thing.
In Tone We Trust
Trent Bailey
I finally got around to typing up my review of this amp. I hope every one of you gets to play/hear one of these in the near future. They are really amazing amps...So much so that I put an order in the first day I tried it. If any of you are going to the Nashville Amp Expo you should be sure to play the amp while you're there.
Anyways...I'm not in any form or fashion associated with the company outside of owning an amp soon. I am only a gear fanatic who wants to spread the word.
If any of you have questions feel free to message me.
The full review will be attached at the bottom of my post if you'd rather just read the word file.
Sorry for any errors in my writing. I also apologize for the length of it...I had a lot to say.
3rd Power Amp Review
My name is Trent Bailey and I consider myself a tone chaser, as well as a gear addict. My parents will testify to the latter of that statement because they’ve had to deal with my obsession since I was a youngster trying to mimic Ace Frehley from KISS. Throughout my life I’ve been fortunate enough to own many great pieces of musical equipment as well as some that were sub-par. In the past few years I have started to mature in my playing and in turn have moved onto more professional grade gear. The choice to upgrade my set-up has forced me to put a lot of time and research into the products I have purchased. With the growing amount of high quality gear on the market it seems to be getting harder to find something that stands out among the crowd while also providing the features each player needs. The following is a personal review of a product and company that I truly believe accomplishes this.
I first heard about 3rd Power Amplification through pictures and YouTube videos from summer NAMM 2009. My first thought when I saw the 3rd Power Rig was that it looked really cool, but did it sound good? I tend to be a skeptic when it comes to YouTube videos because I rarely find one that represents an amps capabilities. This time around was no different, but I still thought it was worth looking into. I mean it’s not everyday that you see a triangular speaker cabinet. I found the company website, but it provided little more than a spec sheet since the site had just been launched. Still knowing little, I found myself on the Internet forums hoping for inside information from someone who had heard or seen the amp in person. What I got was better than what I had hoped for.
After posting my question on https://www.rig-talk.com I was delighted to receive an email from a 3rd Power representative, Lance Wascom. Lance was kind enough to invite me to the shop to check the amp out in person! In response to this I immediately turned on some Rick Astley jams and did a happy dance. Come to find out I live only minutes from their headquarters. Later that week a friend and I finally made it down to the shop. The rest is history.
The 3rd Power shop is located within the Tour Supply Inc. booth at Soundcheck rehearsal facility. For those of you who don’t know about this facility it is part rehearsal space and part vendor shops. The main portion of the facility is made up of large rehearsal halls for big touring acts to use. Each space is large enough to fit an arena size concert stage and light system in it. The rest of the facility is made up of individual booths for companies such as Fender, Peavey and Shure, to use as either storefronts or artist relation offices. In a nutshell this is the place to be if you are a musician.
After making our way to the Tour Supply shop we met up with Jamie Scott, the founder and designer of 3rd Power Amplification. Jamie led us to one of the big rehearsal halls where the main amp rig was set up for demoing. He walked us through the basic aspects of the amp as well as how they had it rigged up. The rig I played on this day consisted of the prototype head, three of the triangular cabinets, a TC Electronics effects processor, and a MosValve power amp. The rig was set up in a wet/dry/wet configuration with the head running the center cabinet and the two outside cabinets being run wet from the effects processor and power amp.
Jamie explained to us the two concepts for achieving this wet/dry/wet set-up. At the time the amp was configured with a Palmer PDI-09 DI box tapping a signal off one of the speaker outs on the amp. The signal was then run through the TC Electronics unit into the power amp and split back out into the two outer cabs. He also explained how this could be done by using only the line out jack that comes standard on the production model of the amp. For guitars Jamie brought along a 58 reissue Les Paul and his original 80’s pre-serial Charvel.
After going through all of the set-up we finally got to hear a little bit of what the amp could do. Within a few seconds of listening to Jamie play I found myself with a huge grin on my face. The only word that came to mind was WOW.
At some point I came out of my complete daze and caught Jamie’s explanation of how the sound mixes through the 3 cabs. The cabs are loaded with three vintage 30 speakers in each. The speakers are all touching each other within the cabinet box. This creates what Jamie calls a “point source”, which eliminates the off-axis beam of sound that you hear in a 4x12 cabinet. If you listen to a single 4x12 cabinet you will notice that you can pick out each individual speaker and the sound that is coming out of it. On each speaker there are spots where the sound is different. This can lead to phase issues between mics as well as completely different tonalities. In the 3x12 triangle cabinet there is no space between the speakers, so there is a consistent sound dispersing from the speaker. Jamie had set up start and end point spots within the room that designated where he thought the sound trailed off on either side of the cabinets. As we walked from the start to the end points we never noticed a change in tonality or sound dispersion between the cabs. If it had been three 4x12 cabs there would have been obvious spots where the sound was different.
At this point Lance, the guy who originally invited me to the shop, had shown up and introduced himself. We talked a bit while Jamie continued to demo the amp for us, but I was so intrigued with the sound I was hearing that I honestly don’t remember much of what he said. The rig sounded flat out amazing. It was by far the best tone I’ve ever heard out of any amp. The inspiration for this amp comes from one of Jamie’s 1968 100 watt plexi heads, which we later got to see in his workstation. The amp is based on a Marshall style circuit, but includes some patent-pending designs. The thing that first really hit me about the sound was the articulation of every note, especially with the amount of gain that was on tap. I have been used to hearing high gain amps that sound real muddy and oversaturated. This was the exact opposite of that. As Jamie adjusted the settings I never heard any real muddiness or dull spots. Simply put, the amp Sings and Screams at the same time!
I know many gear heads like myself are huge Van Halen fans, as well as “Brown Sound” chasers. I expect there will be some skeptics to this next remark, but the 3rd Power amp literally nails the “Brown Sound”. It doesn’t get close, imitate, or resemble that sound. It IS that sound. I can’t stress enough how serious I’m being with that statement. It is what it is. This amp blows all the 5150’s as well as any tweaked Marshall out of the water when it comes to that early Van Halen tone. In addition to the EVH style tone the amp can also get that earthy super lead sound all the way up to the extreme gain of metal from the 80’s and beyond. From AC/DC and ZZ Top to Motley Crue and Poison; it’s all in there.
By this point I was dying to play on it myself, which Jamie happily let me do. I grabbed the Charvel and went off on what was the best 5 minutes of nonstop playing I’ve ever had in my life. The amp is as fun to play as it is amazing to hear. I noticed how the player’s individual characteristics are more defined on this amp than others I have heard in the past. Just between Jamie and myself I was able to pick out the differences in technique, even after we played some similar styles. This is really a player’s amp. By that I mean that it allows for one’s individuality to be heard even when EQ settings are set in ways specific to certain styles. The amp was simply a joy to play. I know the phrase has been used before, but it feels like it plays itself.
My friend and I spent the better part of an hour playing the rig. The time went so quickly that I failed to realize that I hadn’t messed with the settings at all. I stuck with what Jamie had dialed in and just went to town. I was fortunate enough to play the prototype head, which was used during James Lugo’s high gain amp shootout earlier this year. The amp was then called the Tritone, but has since had the name changed. The prototype was simply amazing, but Jamie stressed that the production model was better yet. Unfortunately the production model was on the bench when I made my first trip to the shop. I would get to play it during my second visit though.
Trip number one ended after close to three hours. We found ourselves shaking our heads in disbelief as we made our way out of the shop to the car. As soon as I sat down in my house I immediately started to rationalize what I could do to fund a purchase of the head. My friend and I have played through lots of amps at stores here in Nashville, but even he agrees that the 3rd Power amp is the best we’ve ever heard. It didn’t take long before I was back on the phone with Lance to place my order for an amp. I was hooked!
There are a couple special things about this amp that I have noticed, or have been brought to my attention. The amp is a single channel head, but it does have a few cool features that make it an ideal product for lots of players. First of all there is the line out jack, which allows for a direct out for live or studio use as well as making the wet/dry/wet possible. There is also a lead boost function that allows for a solo channel on top of the normal master. The cool thing about it is that the lead level is proportionate to the master. If the master is set to five and the lead is set to two then the overall level when the lead boost is engaged would be seven. If at some point during a gig you were to change the master volume from five to six there would be a proportionate increase in overall volume to eight. So hypothetically you could go even louder than 11!
Another really cool feature included in the 3rd Power head is what is called the ‘Tone Stack’. This switches between the Bold and Smooth setting of the amp. I found the Smooth setting to be based more in the classic rock realm. This is the more plexi-based tone of the amp. When I engaged the bold mode I noticed a more modern edge added to the plexi sound. From what I understand the bold setting has a midrange boost added. This made the amp feel fuller during heavier style playing. I would say the bold mode adds some definition to the notes.
One of the biggest surprises to me was the brilliant clean tone that I was able to get just from rolling back on the volume. I was honestly shocked when I could get great sparkling cleans from the amp while still being able to get that saturated gain by just the slight turn of a volume knob. This concept made the amp that much more appealing to me since it basically creates three channels within a one-channel amp. This is obviously more difficult to control than an amp with three separate foot switchable channels, but I believe the overall tone is better than any multichannel amp out there.
I could go on all day about the 3rd Power amp and how great it is, but one of the biggest selling points for me was the personalities as well as expertise of the creators. I can’t say enough good things about Jamie and Lance. They have been more accommodating and helpful than anyone I have ever dealt with in the music industry. Both of them have been very gracious with their time and help while I was around. From the quick email responses to their more than welcoming attitude, these guys have been nothing short of awesome. In addition to being extremely helpful the two are just really cool, down to earth guys that have no problem telling it like it is. I consider both of them my friends, and hope to do business with them for a long time to come.
In an attempt to sum all of this up I will say one thing about the amp…It FREAKING ROCKS! There is no doubt in my mind that anyone who hears it will be instantly hooked like I was. The amp is a joy to play and the company is a pleasure to do business with. I like to think I know a good thing when I see it. This is definitely GREAT thing.
In Tone We Trust
Trent Bailey
