Ceriatone AFD

[Detroit ABA]

Looking for opinions/details on the Ceriatone AFD, there doesn’t seem to be many recent threads or reviews. It’s my understanding it has the Chupacabra Plexi channel but the other channel is based on #34?

 

[PurityS.L.G]

I got to play one against a real Marshall AFD and they were similar for sure but the Marshall was much brighter in a bad way. I though the Ceriatone was slightly better and darker sounding. I had a chupa for a couple of years and I wouldn’t say the 70’s mode was all that similar to AFD amp but also not worlds different either. AFD had more juiciness to it imo. It was closer to a real Silver Jubilee IMO.

As a big Slash fan, I think the man is deaf to some degree because all of his sig amps are bright and tinny as shit and his playing/recording tone suck mosquitoe ass too.

 

[Zado]

Well brighter mean more cutting, so maybe that was on purpose.

 

[T Wilcox]

Looking for opinions/details on the Ceriatone AFD, there doesn’t seem to be many recent threads or reviews. It’s my understanding it has the Chupacabra Plexi channel but the other channel is based on #34?

The AFD 35 has nothing to do with the Chupa. The Chupa is based on a Jose Arredondo modded marshall and the AFD #35 is based on the actual amp that was modded by Frank Levi (#36) while working at S.I.R. The AFD does not use diode clipping like the Chupa.
The Marshall AFD does not even resemble the original circuit AFAIK
I built a preamp of this circuit and enjoyed playing it quite a lot but moved on to other designs since

 

[hellzington]

I got to play one against a real Marshall AFD and they were similar for sure but the Marshall was much brighter in a bad way. I though the Ceriatone was slightly better and darker sounding. I had a chupa for a couple of years and I wouldn’t say the 70’s mode was all that similar to AFD amp but also not worlds different either. AFD had more juiciness to it imo. It was closer to a real Silver Jubilee IMO.

As a big Slash fan, I think the man is deaf to some degree because all of his sig amps are bright and tinny as shit and his playing/recording tone suck mosquitoe ass too.

My YT is just for fun (i.e., I'm not a pro) but I literally just made a video about this last week. Might want to check it out? Slash's amps are definitely bright but I think people use them the wrong way.

 

[ClintN667]

I don't know but I love ceriatone amps. I just had an all access plexi 50 and sold it cause I have other bills but I miss that and my other ceriatone amps. I have a 100 plexi on order that will take about 48 weeks to get here

 

[hellzington]

I had a Ceriatone Son of Yeti and I couldn’t sell that thing fast enough. One of the worst amps I’d ever heard. Tried all the modes, all the options, etc. and couldn’t get a good sound out of it using my Mesa vertical 2x12. Maybe something was wrong with it, who knows, but I would never take another chance on them.

 

[lespaul6]

That ceriatone afd is not the real deal.. it uses a post phase master in order to squish the high end and make it usable for people like the above who play in their room and clip the bright caps off there amps while running the treble and presence on zero. How anyone can claim to be a fan yet totally misunderstand his base tone is beyond me.

 

[Kyrpajyra]

I had a Ceriatone Son of Yeti and I couldn’t sell that thing fast enough. One of the worst amps I’d ever heard. Tried all the modes, all the options, etc. and couldn’t get a good sound out of it using my Mesa vertical 2x12. Maybe something was wrong with it, who knows, but I would never take another chance on them.

What was wrong with the sound? Isn't it supposed to sound like Yeti?

 

[PurityS.L.G]

My YT is just for fun (i.e., I'm not a pro) but I literally just made a video about this last week. Might want to check it out? Slash's amps are definitely bright but I think people use them the wrong way.

Very nice. Thanks for sharing man

 

[Detroit ABA]

Thanks for the replies, was just looking for insight into what to expect from this amp if I were to pick one up. I have a Molecular and a Splawn and this is the other amp that interests me, understanding there may be overlap vs what I already have.

 

[lespaul6]

Thanks for the replies, was just looking for insight into what to expect from this amp if I were to pick one up. I have a Molecular and a Splawn and this is the other amp that interests me, understanding there may be overlap vs what I already have.

I think your Molecular will get you close enough based on the clips Ive heard.. Ive never played one. What makes the voicing unique on the AFD/34 style amps is the use of a .1uf cap on the 10k cathode follower.. its that alone that gives it that aggressive top end bite and "slash" sound.

My amps in order of brightness would be my stock 2203 then the 2555 jubilee and then the AFD.. the AFD actually has a darker voicing to it with that crushed glass on top. good luck on your tone quest

 

[hellzington]

I think your Molecular will get you close enough based on the clips Ive heard.. Ive never played one. What makes the voicing unique on the AFD/34 style amps is the use of a .1uf cap on the 10k cathode follower.. its that alone that gives it that aggressive top end bite and "slash" sound.

My amps in order of brightness would be my stock 2203 then the 2555 jubilee and then the AFD.. the AFD actually has a darker voicing to it with that crushed glass on top. good luck on your tone quest

I have a Cameron Atomica (the amp the Molecular is based on) and and AFD100, and I feel like they're very different. Maybe the "Low" mode might be in the same ballpark, but to me they do not cover much of the same ground. The AFD is much brighter, less compressed, open and raw. Tons of Marshall "kerrang" and bright top end that sits super well in a mix. The Atomica/Molecular is darker and more compressed with more lows and low mids (not as much as a Diezel or something but much more than a stock Marshall). It's much "slicker" or "greasier" feeling because it has a lot more negative feedback in the circuit compared to the AFD. In "High" mode with the diode clipping, the Atomica/Molecular has a lot more gain than the AFD100 as well.