Fryette Deliverance 120 ii or Splawn Quickrod 100 Watt

[ldd-0178]

I have a Sig:X (not quite the same as Deliverance, but similar apparently) and have had a bunch of different Splawns.

It's important to know what YEAR Splawn you are getting, unless you're talking strictly about new ones - and this applies to the advice given in this very thread. Anyone who played a 2007-2012 QR might comment on how dull the highs are, or honky the mids are, but those may as well be completely different amps to a modern QR, or an earlier QR.

One thing I will say, personally, I don't think any Splawn takes a boost particularly well. They have a very specific sound, which I love at times, but the effects of anything in front and the EQ controls on the amp have a more limited range than you might be used to. That signature Splawn sound of whatever circuit version you have is always there, adding a boost is like a slight coloring - so if you don't love the core sound, you aren't going to be happy. I say this in contrast so some other amps I've had (Orange Thunderverb comes to mind) which can sound almost like a completely different amp depending on which boost I use, because the amp is just really transparent. Every amp retains its core tone to some degree, I'm just saying Splawns keep it more than others, likely because they are so mids-forward that most boost pedals which have some kind of mid-frequency bump (like SD1's or Tubescreamer variants), and you can't really dial a Splawn to be "scooped" compared to other amps.

The newer Splawns have the brightness similar to the 2006-earlier ones, but have a very deep sub-bass thing going on that also can't really be dialed out. It's hard to hear on a recording, but you can definitely hear it in the room. If you can stomach the subpar playing, I did a comparison of 3 different years of Splawns in this video and you can hear what I'm talking about with nice monitors or headphones:


So my opinion is that I'm not sure a Splawn is going to be right for what you describe. The Deliverance *should* be a better fit, but if that's not making you happy, what else have you looked at? I don't want to sound like a broken record on this but what you are describing sounds like you should look at a real JCM800 with a couple of boosts, or something like an ENGL Savage (mk1, I haven't played the mk2). Both can be as tight as you can imagine and have tons of upper mid brightness and cut, while remaining "airy" and transparent. The ENGL of course has a lot more gain and switching options, and a slightly different voice (but seriously, it can do a heck of a JCM800 impression in Crunch mode with the Contour switch on).

I really have always wanted a JCM800 style amp with more modern features as most JCM800s are really old, probably need to be serviced, and pretty expensive. I played a 2210 a while back it was cool but I didn't think it was anything special.

 

[Bram576]

I have the deliverance 120 series 1. Amazing amp. But not really sounding like your description.

Is yours the old VHT version? That’s what I have and compared to the new ones they’re pretty different. The old ones sound VERY similar to a pit bull and I think they changed the voicing on the newer ones to sound more polite. A bit more differentiation in the line I think.

 

[motorboy1]

I really have always wanted a JCM800 style amp with more modern features as most JCM800s are really old, probably need to be serviced, and pretty expensive. I played a 2210 a while back it was cool but I didn't think it was anything special.

I have an all options 2020 splawn quickrod paired with a bogner cab w v30s and greenbacks. These have pacific audio transformers since classictone went out of business. I think it sounds great. Can sound thick or stringy depending how you set it. Keep the bass at 9-10 o’clock and your good. I have mids set at 2 o’clock and its punchy and cutting, not honky at all. Effects loop if needed works great. You can get them used under 2k. Lots of youtube videos on these amps, Good luck in your search.

 

[braintheory]

I have a Sig:X (not quite the same as Deliverance, but similar apparently) and have had a bunch of different Splawns.

It's important to know what YEAR Splawn you are getting, unless you're talking strictly about new ones - and this applies to the advice given in this very thread. Anyone who played a 2007-2012 QR might comment on how dull the highs are, or honky the mids are, but those may as well be completely different amps to a modern QR, or an earlier QR.

One thing I will say, personally, I don't think any Splawn takes a boost particularly well. They have a very specific sound, which I love at times, but the effects of anything in front and the EQ controls on the amp have a more limited range than you might be used to. That signature Splawn sound of whatever circuit version you have is always there, adding a boost is like a slight coloring - so if you don't love the core sound, you aren't going to be happy. I say this in contrast so some other amps I've had (Orange Thunderverb comes to mind) which can sound almost like a completely different amp depending on which boost I use, because the amp is just really transparent. Every amp retains its core tone to some degree, I'm just saying Splawns keep it more than others, likely because they are so mids-forward that most boost pedals which have some kind of mid-frequency bump (like SD1's or Tubescreamer variants), and you can't really dial a Splawn to be "scooped" compared to other amps.

The newer Splawns have the brightness similar to the 2006-earlier ones, but have a very deep sub-bass thing going on that also can't really be dialed out. It's hard to hear on a recording, but you can definitely hear it in the room. If you can stomach the subpar playing, I did a comparison of 3 different years of Splawns in this video and you can hear what I'm talking about with nice monitors or headphones:


So my opinion is that I'm not sure a Splawn is going to be right for what you describe. The Deliverance *should* be a better fit, but if that's not making you happy, what else have you looked at? I don't want to sound like a broken record on this but what you are describing sounds like you should look at a real JCM800 with a couple of boosts, or something like an ENGL Savage (mk1, I haven't played the mk2). Both can be as tight as you can imagine and have tons of upper mid brightness and cut, while remaining "airy" and transparent. The ENGL of course has a lot more gain and switching options, and a slightly different voice (but seriously, it can do a heck of a JCM800 impression in Crunch mode with the Contour switch on).

Agreed. For the OP I’d probably say though to look for an Artist Edition over the Savage mk1. I still found the Artist Edition I had to be synthetic sounding for my taste as all Engl’s are, but much better in that regard than other Engl’s and less compressed than other Engl’s with the most uppermid grind of their line-up, tight as they mostly all are and worked very well with boosts

I also AB’ed in the same room once 3 Quick Rod’s from the different era’s plus a Nitro (my least favorite) and agree. The 2012 was the clear worst sounding of the bunch, while the 2018 and 2004 or 5 (can’t remember which of those 2 years) were similar. I liked the the 2004 (or 5?) one more still, but I still really didn’t think any of them sounded or felt good to play. They all had those same tonal issues imo; quacky/peaky mids that don’t growl well, bright, brittle yet somehow muffled at the same time, tight sounding with good chunk on palm mutes, yet somehow felt laggy to play. Just my opinion/experience though. I didn’t think they faired well vs other amps in the room

 

[311splawndude]

Great demo and great playing man

I'm not anywhere near that level of playing yet but my amp/set up/use is totally different. I'm running at half power, treble on 0, JJ tubes w/EL34L and a 5751 NOS P.I. Heyboer Transformers. Bad Monkey (TS type) always on. Gear 2/OD2. High output pickups. 212 loaded with Small Blocks (55w GB type) w guitar in drop C. Can't get this amp to flub out if I tried - which is what I like about it. And the FX loop is stellar.

 

[ClintN667]

I really have always wanted a JCM800 style amp with more modern features as most JCM800s are really old, probably need to be serviced, and pretty expensive. I played a 2210 a while back it was cool but I didn't think it was anything special.

If you have the coin the Headfirsr Atla is hard to beat IMHO. I've owned a Splawn Quick Rod, a Nitro, a friedman jj Jr. , ceriatone Leviathan, Molecular, Monomyth modded 1974+ a modded ceriatone 2204 and Skeleton Key. Out of those the Atla and Skeleton Key are my top 2.

 

[Kelly]

I am using torpedo two notes George Lynch Marshall cab with greenbacks, my cab in the room is a Bogner with V30s and Greenbacks. The amps sounds amazing but I find it competing with the bass in the mix, I've been eqing it with low and high cuts and booting upper mids etc... but it just sits back a little more than I normally prefer.

Hmm, not my experience at all. I've been using the Deliverance since 2006, and it cuts through the mix better than any amp I've ever used.

 

[311splawndude]

what is your budget TS, because if it is more than $2,500 then there are a whole bunch more amps to look at

 

[Eazy-ESP]

Is yours the old VHT version? That’s what I have and compared to the new ones they’re pretty different. The old ones sound VERY similar to a pit bull and I think they changed the voicing on the newer ones to sound more polite. A bit more differentiation in the line I think.

Mines not VHT. I bought it second hand. Not sure what year it is or anything. Love it though.

I tell you the only thing I found strange getting my first Fryette. The tolex is not really black. It’s a very dark blue.

 

[napalmdeath]

The low end for most splawn amps has a "depth" or "sub" bass frequency that isnt tight and doesn't track as quickly as the low mids do.

For some people this isn't a problem at all, but it drives me insane.

The deliverance is just way more complex and sweet sounding in the midrange in my opinion, and while the low mids aren't quite as tight as the QR, the low lows are actually TIGHTER

Ymmv

Boost... I recommend a Buxom Boost, or garden variety SD-1.

 

[DanTravis62]

Boost... I recommend a Buxom Boost, or garden variety SD-1.

Yeah a boost doesn't get rid of the low frequency I'm talking about in splawns, it just accentuates the weird midrange

 

[Briman24]

Just looked into the OR30 this thing looks promising. I used to have a Rockerverb I liked a lot but Orange seems to get kinda fuzzy when getting into high gain stuff which I'm not super big on. Also, didn't know you could snag a reissue 800 for less than 2k.

I heard that the JCM2000 on the green crunch channel boosted sound amazing and those things are cheap, any experience with that?

I have a jcm2000 dsl100 and absolutely love it on the green boosted with my sd1. I also have a 81 jcm800 2203 and honestly the jcm2000 is in the same ballpark. I have had 4 different Splawns and agree with the above comments. To me they are great for rythm playing but when it comes to lead, i didn't like the lag stiff feeling. But Scott is an amazing guy to deal with and his amps are top quality.

 

[ldd-0178]

what is your budget TS, because if it is more than $2,500 then there are a whole bunch more amps to look at

My max budget is probably right at 2800, I got this one brand new for an open box deal for 2300 so great deal on it.

 

[ldd-0178]

I have a jcm2000 dsl100 and absolutely love it on the green boosted with my sd1. I also have a 81 jcm800 2203 and honestly the jcm2000 is in the same ballpark. I have had 4 different Splawns and agree with the above comments. To me they are great for rythm playing but when it comes to lead, i didn't like the lag stiff feeling. But Scott is an amazing guy to deal with and his amps are top quality.

Yeah, I gigged with a JCM2000 in my post hardcore band until it took a dump on me at a live gig and later found out mine had the bias drift issue so I sold it after, but I loved it and thought it was an incredible amp. Unfortunately, I never really gave the green channel boosted a try but I've heard it's amazing and very similar to a boosted 800 and you can snag a JCM2000 for 700 bucks used, however I think they have big reliability issues. Might be worth looking into again.

 

[Briman24]

Yeah, I gigged with a JCM2000 in my post hardcore band until it took a dump on me at a live gig and later found out mine had the bias drift issue so I sold it after, but I loved it and thought it was an incredible amp. Unfortunately, I never really gave the green channel boosted a try but I've heard it's amazing and very similar to a boosted 800 and you can snag a JCM2000 for 700 bucks used, however I think they have big reliability issues. Might be worth looking into again.

The ones from 98 to 2003 had bias drift issues. Get one from 2004 to 2007. Mine is 2006.

 

[Briman24]

The ones from 98 to 2003 had bias drift issues. Get one from 2004 to 2007. Mine is 2006.

I am not 100% on this but I have heard it was only the 100 watters that have the bias issue not the 50 watters. If someone knows more about that ....would love to know if it's true or not because there is a 50 watter for sale locally for super cheap and it's a 2001.

 

[TotallyRadGuitars]

I am not 100% on this but I have heard it was only the 100 watters that have the bias issue not the 50 watters. If someone knows more about that ....would love to know if it's true or not because there is a 50 watter for sale locally for super cheap and it's a 2001.

From what I know, the bias drift was related to the material of the mainboard PCB (which is the same for both 50w and 100w versions). However since the issue is tied to heat causing the board to become conductive, a 50w might not be as hot and therefore you'll have fewer issues with it.

Personally, I have a '00 TSL that is downright scalding hot and has bias issues but sounds incredible... not my first pick for taking to a gig but it's a cool amp to have around. If you're looking for bulletproof gig reliability, I suppose I agree on avoiding any pre-2004ish DSL/TSL, but by a certain logic, you may as well avoid all tube amps for being unreliable. Idk. I'm not gigging so my standards for reliability are different than others though.

 

[TotallyRadGuitars]

I really have always wanted a JCM800 style amp with more modern features as most JCM800s are really old, probably need to be serviced, and pretty expensive. I played a 2210 a while back it was cool but I didn't think it was anything special.

I love the 2210 and 2205, but I have two and they also sound very different from each other. Another case of the "multiple circuit designs with the same model name" issue - 1982 to mid '84 is the "bad" one with less gain, late 84 -88ish is the middle one, 88-90 has more gain and more scooped mids. But even within the same design there's some variability, either from age, components wearing out of spec, etc

When I suggested JCM800 though, I sort of meant a 2204 or 2203. A used reissue 2203x is in your budget range and will sound absolutely phenomenal with an assortment of boosts, and you have an FX loop. Just no clean channel, but same thing for your Deliverance so I figured that was OK.

 

[ldd-0178]

I am not 100% on this but I have heard it was only the 100 watters that have the bias issue not the 50 watters. If someone knows more about that ....would love to know if it's true or not because there is a 50 watter for sale locally for super cheap and it's a 2001.

I read and heard the same that it was only the 100 watters from 98-2003

 

[ldd-0178]

I love the 2210 and 2205, but I have two and they also sound very different from each other. Another case of the "multiple circuit designs with the same model name" issue - 1982 to mid '84 is the "bad" one with less gain, late 84 -88ish is the middle one, 88-90 has more gain and more scooped mids. But even within the same design there's some variability, either from age, components wearing out of spec, etc

When I suggested JCM800 though, I sort of meant a 2204 or 2203. A used reissue 2203x is in your budget range and will sound absolutely phenomenal with an assortment of boosts, and you have an FX loop. Just no clean channel, but same thing for your Deliverance so I figured that was OK.

Some dude offered me the Kerry King JCM800 in mint condition for 2300, I played one back in high school at guitar center but haven't seen or heard from them since. No anything about that?