Two-Rock Amp Models FAQ: PLEASE DO NOT POST TO THIS THREAD

[ToneGurus]

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/images/icons/icon3.gif Two-Rock Amp Models FAQ: PLEASE DO NOT POST TO THIS THREAD


It is my hope that Gear Pagers can refer back to this thread for information on the Two-Rock product line, and have a quick reference for what other Gear Pagers have said about the various models. I will paste only people's comments about the operation and sonic characteristics of the amps themselves or comparisons to other K&M/Two-Rock amps. Also, Two-Rock has produced a product comparison chart so you can get more feature detail for the various models, here:

http://two-rock.com/products/compare (http://two-rock.com/products/compare)

This will NOT be a thread about Two-Rock vs. other companies, Two-Rock's business practices, etc. It WILL hopefully be a place where people can get a broad range of manufacturer and user information about the various models, current and past.

Thanks again to Brian Scherzer for creating this section on TGP, as hopefully it will allow vendors (me in this case) the freedom to represent the products to help any prospective buyer of a Two-Rock, new or used. It also promises to alleviate the need to re-boot a "what models do they have" thread every 30 - 60 days, as has been the case as long as I can remember.

Thanks,

Mike



Emerald 50

50 watts, buffered loop, reverb. Internal post OD tone stack. Very refined for its time, good cleans, great Rock-n-Roll overdrive sound. Not as tight or smooth as the Emerald Pro.


Gear Pager Comments:


Quote:
Originally Posted by Sean French

I've owned several TR's.

I would recommend checking out an Emerald 50.To me the gain channel has a more Marshall flavor than any other TR.The cleans are stellar.


Amethyst

Gear Pager Comments:




Sapphire


100 watt version of the Emerald 50.



Gear Pager Comments:


Quote:
Originally Posted by amc

I am still playing a Sapphire 100 that I've owned for many years.
The cleans are big and 3D, the OD leans more to a harder edged Marshall type than the EmPro Dumble-like smoother OD.
The Sapphire sounds great!

amc


Emerald Pro

Successor to the Emerald 50. 50 watts, buffered loop, internal post OD tone stack. Many say this was Two-Rock's (successful) attempt at achieving Robben Ford's Dumble tone. Some distinguish a few "low gain" Emerald Pro amps as being far superior to the "regular" ones. The amp's designers maintain that either version can easily be modified to sound like the other. This amp remains a cult classic in Two-Rock's product history.


Gear Pager Comments:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tag

The E.Pro with a Strat, with the neg feed back loop in the back "down", the mid switch on, the tone bypass switch on, EQ2, and both gain one and two a bit more than 1/2 way up is the woodiest, smoothest, most singing strat tone I have EVER heard. (Neck pup) Use those settings, and just bend and hold a few notes. It will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, and you will get goose bumps all over! That straining, Robben Ford, feedback, phasey sound can be had with no other amp I have ever played. Excuse me while I go plug in for a while! :D

Oh yea...make SURE you try a Telefunken smoothplate in V1! The E.Pro is one of the most sensitive amps to preamp tube changes ever. Going from an RCA 12Ax7 to a telefunken 12Ax7 in the first slot, TOTALLY changes the chracateristics of the whole amp! The better news is both are great! LOL. That amp is a gold mine of tones..none bad.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Tag

It has been a long time since I really let loose on this amp. I was just downstairs playing some KILLER guitar for over an hour through the Emmy, and let me tell you, this amp SMOKES!! It has a certain sound that I have yet to hear ANY other amp besides Genes Dumble and the EL34 Super 100. The only thing, is it seems to have a bit more than even those amps. I am sure it is the low gain circuitry, and the post overdrive tone stack. Its the way the note starts to decay before feeding back. Its like it starts to die, then gets louder again. Its that Robben Ford Straining sound. You just want to bend a note up, hold it, and listen to the amp! It will actually make you play less notes, because you want to listen! It also has GREAT detail on top ofv the note, without getting buzzy. TwoRock really did TOTALLY NAIL it with this amp. There is something very different and special about it. It is soooo smooth and refined. It has the finest grit of any amp I have heard. Everybody says that the great amps all make you want to play and play. Well, my Brunos are the best amps I have ever played, but this TwoRock makes you want to play even more, because of that strange, unique, addicting tone. It does not let the tone of the guitar ring through as much as some other amps, but that is part of what is so great about it. Guitars do sound different through it of course, but it twists them all a bit to impart its flavor, more so than any other amp I can think of. Its SICK!! I just had to say once again, after all these years, that it has lost NONE of its magic. This may be the most unique sounding amp ever built for overdriven sounds. Thanks (once again) Bill and Joe for making an INCREDIBLE sounding amp.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Owens

As far as the Emerald Pro is concerned, It is also one of my five favorite amplifiers. It has a bit stiffer feel to it and is very dynamically responsive. It has plenty of gain on tap and excels at the Robben Ford thing.

RickO


Quote:
Originally Posted by Randy

Not me. I've owned a low gain E-Pro (just one S/N away from yours Tag), a high gain E-Pro, a Custom prototype and a one off Custom reverb. I've also played a couple of stock Customs and Custom reverbs extensively. The E-Pro is my favorite Two Rock to date, but for rock tones, not Ford tones. To my ear any of the Custom series is much closer to Ford tone then the Pros are.


Quote:
Originally Posted by FlyingVBlues

Just to add my 2 cents. I've owned a 1996 Dumble with the Skyliner pre-amp, a TR Custom, a Bruno S100 with 6L6's, a production Emerald Pro and the Indoor Storm Emerald Pro prototype at the same time. The only tone I've ever chased is the one in my head, so I can't say which of these amps produce the best Robben Ford, Larry Carlton, Steve Kimock, Sonny Landreth etc. tone. I can say that after extensive A/B testing the TR Custom came closest to the Dumble I owned. The EM Pro Prototype was pretty close, followed by the production EM Pro and the Bruno. Given the subjectivity of tone, the differences in many variables such as tubes, speakers, cabinets, guitars, environmental factors etc. I'm sure that someone else using the same gear would probably come to different conclusions.

FVB



Topaz

Successor to the Emerald Pro. Available in 100 watts, or with 6V6 output tubes. Many felt that it did not sound as good as the Emerald Pro, either in the cleans or OD. K&M alwayd considered this as strange, as it was the same amp. Only changes were NOS Chinese preamp tubes instead of NOS American pre’s, and the output transformers became available with 4, 8, and 16 ohm taps.


Gear Pager Comments:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Owens

The Emerald Pro is far and away BETTER than the Topaz IMHO! E. Pros are Magic...the Topaz is only excellent. I've played the Topaz extensively and have an E. Pro, (among other TRs). The Emerald Pro really has the low-midrange thing happening if you like that. It is Very Fat and Thick... not thin at all. Great RF tones! Much better cleans and gain tones in my view.

RickO


Quote:
Originally Posted by GM1

I had both, sold the Topaz still have the E Pro. The my ear the E Pro is hands down a better amp....that is if you are looking for a Dumble tone. To me the Topaz was more like a Marshall.....I know Joe at Two Rock says they sound the same but there was no way when I had them both at my studio side by side, they sounded the same. I love the E Pro, I have the same model Tag has which is the low gain version.



Interesting that the only Gear Pager comments you have on the Topaz in your document are negative. I recently picked up a Topaz and for a whole host of reasons, I like it better than the Custom Reverb I had for 4 years. The only downside is the larger chassis/head size. At the very least, the Topaz has closer-to-Blackface cleans (which is better in my book), tune-able overdrive and it's much, much easier to balance the two channels.

Tonewise, I have to rely on memory of the CR a bit, but I think the Topaz gets quite a bit closer to true RF tones.

[ToneGurus]

Opal

Dubbed the "wireless amp", it was K&M's successful attempt at eliminating any wire inside the amp unless it was absolutely needed. The goal was to create as fast and responsive amp as possible. Also had a faster/stiffer power supply. 50 or 100 watts, buffered loop, reverb. Footswitch defeatable post OD tone stack. Built on a shorter chassis than the previous amps. Said to have a more aggressive OD tone than the Emerald Pro.


Gear Pager Comments:

Quote:
Originally Posted by willhutch

Played two gigs this weekend with my new Two Rock Opal. For those who may be interested, I'll share some musings:

The amp has a very sturdy tone and response. It is very responsive and quick. My other main gigging amp (Savage Rohr 15) is cathode biased, tube-rectified and EL84 powered. It has a super thick, spongy sound with plenty of sag. The Two rock is an entirely different beast. It is more open and compresses much less. The two-rock has a very bouncy, energetic feel. While the Savage is way-fat and juicy, the Two-Rock is punchy and muscular.

I like the gain on the clean channel up fairly far. With the whole band, I enjoy the fluidity that some fur adds to the tone. With the clean channel gain at 2-3 o'clock, I could have the gain on the lead channel fairly low (about 10 o'clock) and get a nice OD tone.

I was getting more satisfying tones with single coils than with humbuckers. I think I need some more experience to get it dialed in appropriatly for HBs.

The footswitch has two buttons: one for channel switching and one that bypasses the tone stack giving more gain. This is very useful. You can get 4 levels of gain with this set up: clean channel, clean channel bypass, lead channel, lead bypass. I used them all in conjunction with the guitar's volume knob to get a wide spectrum of gain settings.

One of the greatest tones I got from the amp was to dime the clean channel gain and open the master to about 11 o'clock. This makes for a fabulous lead tone - you have tons of sustain, but it doesn't sound "distorted" and there is little compression. However, I did not use this on the gig as this is not quite the gain structure I want as I run through the setlist. Also - it is very LOUD like this.

The mid boost switch is very potent. Engage it and there is a LOT more body to the tone. I had it off most of the time tonight because it seemed to mesh with the total band sound better.


Quote:
Originally Posted by willhutch

I love the amount and quality of the gain available on this amp. My clean tone has some meat on its bones. I like clean tones that register as 'clean' to the listener, but have enough distortion that chord notes merge into a chewy cloud of overtones that some use the term 'harmonic complexity' to describe. True, when the clean channel is set this way, very little gain is needed from the lead channel. I set the knob at about 9 o'clock. I will do some experimenting with the intrnal trimmers. I'd like to reduce the amount of gain the clean channel feeds the OD channel. I'd also like to try rolling off some of the bass in the lead channel.

Alone, I use the mid-boost. In with the band, I do not use it. I vacate those frequencies for the keys/bass.


Congrats on your purchase. I have had one for a few years and I love the amp. This is a very deep and capable amp. Though I understand analog tube circuits it took me a year to have gain comfortable care and control of the chassis. It is different with each guitar! Here are my learnings from the last few years.

1 - The amp is fast as heck. It's like stuff comes out of it as soon as you think about playing a note. Be accurate with your riffs cuz your ass will be hanging out if you miss. The flip side is that once you get used to the amp you just think about riffs and the come out like gold.

2 - The amp likes to be played loud. This is especially true if you go "Carlton" and simply crank the clean channel (with rear master at noon) to get your tone. The clean channel driven into distortion is a wonderful thing.

3) The lead channel can be a monster. The HRM mode is fat and sweet and HAS TO BE TUNED TO YOUR STYLE. It took me a while before I even knew about the internal trimmers. Wasn't until I heard my buddies EM50 that I new how to adjust them. The point is adjust them.....or have a friend adjust them while you play. Makes a world of difference. I recorded this in HRM mode with a strat. I have a beck.mp3 clip floating around that shows what I like about this mode.

Then there is non hrm or "Bypass mode". This is clear and dynamic mode of operation with more gain and much less distortion than then HRM mode. Super touch sensitive. A lot of people like this mode more than the non bypass hrm mode. I did too until I adjusted the internal trimmers to my liking. (I wish they put them on the outside of the amp!

3) The tone switches are cool. I set them with treble and bass on for twang, add mid boost for meaty twang or go with mid boost only (bass and treble boost off). I set these differently for different guitars. Feel free to mess with these.

4) Speakers speakers speakers. The best, and I mean the best, tone I every go from this amp was when I had the EVM-12L in the the combo cab. Freakin sound smooth and punchy and deep and solid and still had the alnico spank. Right now I use 2 Tone Tubby Alnico's in an open back 2x12 or 6 g12-65's in a marshall slant cab (the same cab used for the beck.mp3 clip). Bottom line is speakers make a difference. Most people seem to like Celestion style speakers with this kind of amp. I like the Tubbys a lot too. I also like big ass alnico like the EVM and Altec. Can't go far wrong with 25 or 30 watt greenback style speakers.

5) The rear master is nice. You have control over yet another gain stage but this, as suggest by the Two Rock Folks, really does sound best at noon. It is also loud as heck at noon with all the front panel controls at noon too. Season to taste. I have been using min with an attenuator to get the distortion I want from the clean channel. The character of that channel really changes as the rear master gets turned up. The reverb also seems to have more effect with the rear master turned up a bit (which is a good thing). We are not looking at Sig reverb levels here however, when teamed with an echo in the loop it is just right.

6) I went whole hog and got a TC2290 delay. When put in the loop of the Opal the combination is magical. It can be tricky setting the levels without a mixer but it really sounds good. If you have an instrument level effect in the fx loop, you can turn down the clean and lead masters (to reduce the signal level going to the loop, and turn up the rear master to boost the gain level back up.

7) Have fun with tubes. It's a pity that the old Two Rock site has not been archived somewhere. I had a kind of blog of my tube usage with the opal over a 2 year period. I was changing and tweaking regularly as I had a good stash of tubes at the time. Right now I am using a combination of Chinese and old stock rca's and Amperex. I love the Chinos in this amp. I move between Phillips 6L6WGB's and Jan Phillips 7581A's. I tend to like the big bottles better.

Number 53 has been good to me. Fantastic tone. Has made me more mindful of my playing. Have fun with yours.

Cheers
Larry



Like everybody has said, take your time and learn the amp.



Custom/Custom Reverb

Custom

K&M's attempt at creating an amp that sounded and played like Steve Kimock's '70's Dumble Overdrive Special. Not a clone. Buffered loop. NO reverb, and NO post OD tone stack. Again built on the newer, shorter chassis. Many players who own these swear by them as all around favorites. Great sag, and open sound.

Custom Reverb

K&M's implementation of a reverb circuit on the Custom. 50 or 100 watts, buffered loop. During the time it was available, it became the runaway best selling model in the company's history. A little more compressed than the Custom, which a lot of players preferred. Really the baseline architecture for the future centerpieces of the company's amp line, the Custom Reverb Artist, and Custom Reverb Signature models.


Gear Pager Comments:

Quote:
Originally Posted by aeolian

I don't own either, but I've played though someone else's Custom Reverb and another person's K&M Custom. I loved the three dimensional tonality of the K&M, especially at slight to moderate overdrive settings. The Custom Reverb had a more blackface like clean (The K&M was more Tweed/Dumble like) and what felt like a quicker but more shreddy/compressed like gain tone (although not as quick as an Opal I've played though). The CR was less Dumble like, but I think more flexible on a gig, it was easier for me to get tones I liked out of the clean/boost/OD without radical changes in volume or feel. The K&M needed to be tweaked between clean and OD to get tones that I preferred. But is still one of my fantasy studio amps. Man you could milk some fantastic sounds out of that amp.


Quote:
Originally Posted by FlyingVBlues

I agree with Aeolian’s description of the tone of the Custom and the CR. I used to own a Dumble, and I thought the Custom was closer in tone to the Dumble than the CR was. I also owned a CR Sig, and the cleans had a wonderful 3-D Blackface tone. My experience with dialing them in was the opposite of Aeolian’s. I found it easy to get a nice balance between the clean and drive channels on the Custom. With the CR Sig it was a little harder for me to get the channel’s balanced. One possible factor that might have lead to the difference in dialing in the amps is that my Custom was a 100 watt amp, while the CR Sig was 50 watts.

FVB


Quote:
Originally Posted by thelionsden

I've had both and I liked the Custom better. More defined less compression. I never should have gotten rid of that amp. Took a while to get used to it and get the right tubes in it..the cleans were amazing and I could get punchy Stevie Ray Strat tones out of it like nobody's business


Quote:
Originally Posted by mountain blues

Shortly after I got my Custom, the Custom Reverb came out as an evolution of the Custom platform. From all the reviews I read, one of the main differences (in addition to reverb) was the compression in the voicing of the CR.

Based on that, I was never interested in the Custom Reverb. The Custom is simply a stunning amp. I agree with lionsden - very detailed, punchy, incredible cleans, beautiful grindy overdrive, amazing SRV-ish strat tone.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Owens

The Custom doesn't have reverb, (believe me, you won't miss it-the amp sounds great). It has a bit less gain than the Custom Reverb and the CR Signature. It also sounds a little less compressed. It is a wonderful amp. It does the Larry C. thing extraordinarily well. The Custom Reverb is similar to the Custom, but maybe slightly "squishier" in feel-also a truly great amp. I use it as my main gig rig.


Onyx

K&M's answer to customers' requests for an amplifier that does not have a shared EQ and gain structure. 2 channels with independent gain and EQ control. 50 or 100 watts. Buffered loop, reverb. Very fast power supply. First channel voiced as if the "bass" and "bright" switches from previous models were engaged, yielding a big, bright scooped Fender kind of clean. The second channel was voiced with more midrange for the Dumbley midrange punch the company's lead tones were noted for. More like the Opal in its quickness and agressiveness than the Emeralds or Custom families. Tone bypass option eliminated, replaced by “solo” switch (footswitchable) with adjustable level control.


Gear Pager Comments:

Quote:
Originally Posted by LSchefman

In playing over the remainder of the weekend (and also, I just had to sneak down there and play over lunch...), I think this is one very cool amp. As I said in an earlier post, Bill set this one up with a different bias adjustment, and it gives the amp a slightly different character. What I like best about it is that transition from clean to gain. I can literally go from relatively quite clean, to very gainy, just by varying my pick attack, and this on the gain channel! On some amps, this is difficult to control, but not on this one. Think it, and it's right there, exactly as you'd want it.

Push the volume up to gig levels, and the thing transitions into very sweet, controllable feedback whenever you like.

At the same time, no one would call this a clone of any other amp; the Onyx has its own thing going on. It's different from the CR, though with the tone controls, I can get that traditional TR sound with a flick of the wrist. Thing is, I can also get the tones of lots of other classic amps, and for that matter, different ones on each channel. F'rinstance, last night I was experimenting with a very rounded Fendery tone on the clean channel, and a Marshally sort of tone on the dirty channel, and achieving this was simple. Note: I didn't have a Marshall on hand to compare it to, the tone was what in *my* head I think of as "Marshally". Then I rolled off the highs, cranked the gain, and got that Mesa-ish thing happening, only better.

I guess I should go on: the way the bias is set up, I can actually get that "crushed glass" thing like you get on the clean channel of, say, a Matchless, or a Bogner Metropolis, simply by working with the tone and gain controls. Very cool. I am confident also that with the right speakers, I will be able to cop the tones of a Fender Vibro-King, heck, I came close with a Mesa 112 with a Black Shadow 90. Scary!

This amp is beyond fun. It's going to be a really useful tool in the studio.

I just love it. If what you want is to get those Carlton/Ford/Mayer tones, cool, I'm thinking a CR is a great option, but if you need a rig that gets you lots of other places, and you need to do it on two separate channels for ease of performance, etc., this is THE amp. At least, for me. ;)

[ToneGurus]

Ruby


Ruby 35 (EL34)

Two-Rock’s take on a variety of different Ken Fischer Designs. Limited to 35 pieces, discontinued due to lack of interest from buying public, although met with rave reviews, including many current and former Trainwreck owners.


Ruby 18 (EL84)



Gear Pager Comments:


Quote:
Originally Posted by phretbored

I had an Emerald, an Emerald Pro, and a Topaz.
Each one sold for what it cost me give or take a few $$$.
It was a lot of fun to try out each one and roll the $$$ into the next one.
I ended up with the Ruby because it's more edgy than some of the other Two Rock models and I absolutely love to roll off the guitar volume and get a cleaned up tone.
The Ruby is sopt on for that!
It turns out that there are way more sounds inside the Ruby than I ever expected which is awesome.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Leonc

Had a Ruby for about a year. Lots of fun. I found playing with it was kind of like playing with a firehose. Lotsa power/gain there...


Quote:
Originally Posted by riffmeister

Me too. We had ours at about the same time, right Leon? Yours had a cooler cab, that's for sure! ;)
And I agree about the firehose analogy......clean to SCREAM from the guitar's volume control, to the max!!


Quote:
Originally Posted by Sean French

Yeah,Glen it's basically an Express clone.The cool thing is that the master volume and tube buffered effects loop can be switched completely out of the circuit.I use the Ruby without the master.The 18 watter I have is almost as loud as my two 50 watt TR's.I would guess it;s actually around 35 watts or so.


Jade

K&M's attempt to intoduce a PCB based amp into the lineup. A great amp with a great higher gain Rock-n-Roll lead tone. Unfortunately it never caught on with K&M's point-to-point biased customer base.



Gear Pager Comments:


Quote:
Originally Posted by Fezziwig

I recently got a 22W Jade and use it pretty much exclusively now for live gigs. I like the fact that it has a little more gain on tap than any of the other Two-Rocks I've played. It can more easily cross-over between a more modern rock sound and classic rock. It can also be dialed in to sound more "fusion-like" if you so desire, ala the other Two Rock models. Won't match those perfectly, but it does an excellent imitation. The clean channel is also very nice. I'd say it sounds a bit like a cross between a 70's Marshall sound, a Vox AC30 sound, and Fender Deluxe. It's got a bit of the Fender chime, a lot of the Marshall grind, and a bit of that driven Vox sound. Whatever it has, I like it a lot. For the 70's original rock and covers we play it's awesome. It's also a small chassis amp, which I like for the NY gigs. The only thing I have yet to do is record with it, but based on some of the clips I've heard I'm sure it will record well.


Quote:
Originally Posted by fatback

The big surprise of the day was the Two-Rock Jade head. I've read some negative things in the past, but ended up liking it's tone the best of the Two-Rocks. Great chewy gain and endless sustain.


Quote:
Originally Posted by burningyen

I have to admit I've never been a Two Rock fan, but the Jade *really* impressed me. It sounded a bit more open and rootsy than the Emerald.



Custom Reverb Artist


An upgraded/evolved version of the Custom Reverb, and at a lower price point. Utilized many upgrades from the Signature series.

[ToneGurus]

Custom Reverb Signature


At first intended as a lower volume, uncompromising implementation of the Custom Reverb, this amp quickly became so popular that it replaced the Custom, Custom Reverb, and Custom Reverb Artist in K&M's product lineup. Enhancements included an improved reverb circuit, and more exacting measuring of each component's value and matching those values within the circuit during the build. Additionally, this amp had additional power supply capacity for the reverb and effects loops so they did not rob power from basic tone generation/response. The resulting tone was startling to to previous Two-Rock customers, and garnered a huge legion of new fans. VERY open and clear tones, clean and lead, with less compression than earlier Custom Reverb models, but retaining the sag that people liked in those models. Within 6 months this amp became the flagship product for the company.



Gear Pager Comments:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick Owens

The Signature... well the Signature is unreal good to my ears. All Two-Rock's respond beautifully to the player, but the Sig is really something that has to be experienced to fully appreciate. It feels and sounds as good, (maybe better), as what I imagine the best Dumble to be. I don't think that RF's Dumble used on "Top Of The Hill" sounds any better. Is it worth the extra money? Absolutely. After ONE note, not having this amp wasn't an option, (and I'm not a rich guy). This is a warning...If you are into this type of tone, do not try this amp unless you are prepared to give up the cash because it will haunt you until you do.

RickO

Anyone who wants to hear what these wonderful amps sound like, click here: http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/...d=3820&alid=-1 (http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=3820&alid=-1)


Quote:
Originally Posted by sws1

Not all TRs are the same. The Custom Reverb Sig I just got does TONS more than just the 80s dumbly tone. In fact, since I've had it, I've never even set it up to get that tone. (Honestly, I don't really want that.) Unfortunately, 99% of the clips you hear on the web are guys doing the jazzy thing. (Well, except for John Mayer.) So you don't get to hear the gamut of sounds in that little box.


Quote:
Originally Posted by KOG

I have posted this before but I think it is worth repeating! This is in regards to the TR CR Sig, but it can apply to most TR's.
The best written articulation of the amps tone was described in the Tonequest review article. These two paragraphs from that article sum it up - IMHO!

"There are tones the Two Rock won’t do... mainly really greasy Lindley/Cooder/Barbeque Bob stuff. The sustain is there, but instead of greasy, porkful tones, the Two Rock is infused with amber sugar maple runnings and truffle oil. It’s just too good to sound like a small, old, cheap amp, but why in hell would you buy one of these for that anyway?

"The Signature Custom Reverb is one of the most versatile and utterly toneful amps we have ever played, and it’s hard to imagine a style of music that the Signature can’t cut with style and a voice that will have your buddies begging to plug in. Again, it will not produce the raggedy-ass beauty of a crude old Valco or Gibson from the ‘50s, but that’s a minor compromise. What it does deliver is pristine, rich clean tones and every possible variation of subtle to completely over the top distortion, while never sounding harsh, too sharp, muddy, or artificially cranked. We couldn’t find a bad tone in it, and we tried."

That's it in a nutshell!

I have had my CR Sig for nearly two years now and I still cannot be pulled away from this amp. Adding Scumback speakers to this amp is absolutely devastating! There are many great amps and TR’s are one of them. However, I have not owned or heard any other amp that can cover the tonal ground of the TR CR Sig. BTW I am not a jazzy/fusion guy - Blues, Classic Rock, Buddy Guy, Jimi, EC, Page, Trower, Townsend, Bonamassa,etc... type of guy. Just one man’s opinion.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Stirner

Actually, of the 4 ODS 100's that I have owned, the finest Overdrive Special that I have EVER heard or played is the TR CR SIG which I currently own. WHY?...it sounds better and cost's a fraction of what an original ODS sell's for. B



Jet

Originally intended as a grab and go small combo. Essentially a Custom Reverb Artist, without any toggle switches for Bright, Deep, Mid, EQ1/EQ2, clean/lead, or Bypass. The 4 tone switches were eliminated altogether, and the clean/lead and bypass functions were accessed via the footswitch. This allowed for a much smaller chassis and less labor required to build the amp, but retaining most of the gig functionality of the Artist. Small reverb tank. Runs either 6V6's for 22 watts or 6L6's for 35 watts. The EQ was based on the "EQ2" of the Artist, and voiced somewhere between the Custom reverb and Onyx clean channel. It was also voiced with an extended low end to compensate for the tiny combo form factor. Reactions to the Jet as an ultra small combo were varied. The convenience factor was huge for some, while others couldn't live without a bigger speaker box sound. So K&M released the Jet in a small head format to pair up with the player's cab of choice. The result was an amp that rivaled or exceeded the Custom Reverb Artist, but in a smaller and lower powered implementation. And the low end defied the amp's demure stature.

Gear Pager Comments:


Quote:
Originally Posted by Oracle

The EQ of the Jet is voiced closer to the EQ2 of the CR but it's definitely not harsh. I have no idea why Two-Rock even uses the EQ1 voicing on the Custom Reverbs.

I just hooked up a Jet head with a 1x12 Sig cab and put a Scumback H75-LHDC in it. It is a great combo. HUGE TONE. The cleans are super chimey and bell like, but there is a slight breakup when you are pushing it with your guitar's volume. Think of Mayers "Who did you think I was" off the Try! CD.

I had the Emerald Pro & the Custom Reverb Sig and while those are both stellar amps, the Jet head and the 1x12 Sig cab is the right match for my needs. The tone out of that rig speaks to me more than any other Two Rock rig I've heard. (again, FOR ME)


Quote:
Originally Posted by Mastervolume

I have owned just about everything and have NEVER liked the tone of Two-Rock amps. Had a K&M custom and a Custom reverb and a Jade and couldn't bond with any of them but this new Jet is something else.

Some of the comments that I heard prior to the amp showing up on my doorstep complained about the lowend of the amp. I don't get that. I have way more than what I need with single coils. I bet a big part of that is dropping the master under 9 o'clock. It just doesn't sound good when the master is that low.

I am shocked at how big this little amp sounds! It is roughly the size of a blues Jr. but sounds freaking HUGE. beautiful Cleans full and lush reverb (I am not a reverb fan but can't seem to turn this one off) The OD will have to wait until I can really open the amp up. Lower volume cranked amp tones are not this amps speciality (buy a badger) but you can tell that it wants to get up and scream.


Quote:
Originally Posted by mykljpao

My search for a grab and go amp for jams and unique rehearsals is, apparently, over.

Back to the Jet....So, this tiny little amp emerges from the huge packing box that Craig sent. 15 x 18 x whatever and it only weighs 31 lbs!! I plug in with a chambered Suhr tele (p90 at the neck) and get the most gorgeous, full, round and glassy cleans...much more organic than the rather hi-fi cleans on my Em Pro. Then, with bated breath I hit the footswitch for the od and get the rich, thick, woody, touch sensitive od with which I am so familiar from my Fuchs amps. Again, not the more focused and grainy od on my Em Pro but a real visceral, fat, chewy od that just sings. Roll back on the guitar tone and the bridge single coil sounds like a humbucker; full on treble and it just cuts like a sword. Back off on pick attack and the notes bloom full and round with just a hint of wool at the edges, a little stronger attack yields edgy, sharper definition, dig in hard and the notes just scream. Harmonics jumping all over the place but easy to control with the slightest amount of damping. Beautifully subtle to spacey, lush 'verb too. The only negative is that there is only so much low end that can be generated from something the size of a large cereal box,lol. (Wheaties ain't got nothin' on the Jet) But, I have an idea....I hook up a rarely used Rivera los lowbottom 12" powered sub cab. Hot damn does that fill out the bottom end. Running off the Jet's fx loop I can basically bi amp the rig sending just the low mids on up through to the Jet. After a few minutes you don't really "notice" the sub until you take it out of action upon which, the bottom just vaporizes. Don't get me wrong, the Jet has a generous amount of low end for its diminutive size but not when you are used to 2x or 4x12 cabs. The TR 65 speaker is articulate, punchy yet smooth right out of the gate and only promises to get better as it is broken in. Granted, using the Rivera sub negates that portability factor but what a kick-ass sound! However, I would have no problem at all, living with the response of the mini-TR all on its own, especially with a profile not much larger than a lunch box. BTW this is the 2 6L6, wolf in sheeps clothing, version spitting out about 35 watts of hellacious tone.

The Jet lacks all the bells and whistle switches, etc offered on its big brothers, so I can only imagine....but for the mission at hand, this little critter kicks serious ass!!


Quote:
Originally Posted by Shades

The Jet Freakin' Rules:dude

I used to carry the Emerald Pro and got to spend a good chunk of time with them when I used to be a Two rock dealer (this was back when the only 2 models were the emerald and the emerald pro) For my own tastes, the Jet is a big step up from the emerald pro. After spending some time with it to both dial it in and tweak it out a bit with bias settings, speaker choice, and tube selection, The cleans are among the best I have ever heard...period. I'm also simply blown away by the lower clean to light breakup stuff (the weak spot for many 2 channel amps IMO) and the whole thing simply "breathes" better than an Emerald Pro IMO. Feel free to email me and I'll give you my detailed take, as well as everything that I tried and what it accomplished.


Quote:
Originally Posted by zaguitart

I have a Jet w/6L6's, and a CR Sig v2. Even with the Jet's tone tweaking limitations, I find that I dial in the Sig in the same sonic territory. Tonewise the Jet does not lack. I think the Jet might sound better at lower volume levels than the Sig. The Jet has the same wonderful touch response as the Sig. The Jet's reverb is more than sufficient.

I have different brand 6L6's in the Sig, and haven't had the chance to try it at high volumes. This is where the Sig would probably excel (50w compared to 35w). I don't think the Sig tonewise would edge out the Jet by a great amount.

[ToneGurus]

Quote:
Originally Posted by bobe

I just played my first Two Rock amp this weekend at the NY/NJ Amp Fest. I played a Jet through a very small cab from an upstate NY maker. THE JET KILLS. I was blown away by the smooth, clean, warm, defined clean tones and the full creamy OD. And, this tiny, crisp little package was unbelieveably loud and non boxy sounding. There was no background hiss. I'm looking for something that can give me cleans and OD and bedroom levels yet can go out for a jam at higher volumes. The OD was very respectable at bedroom levels. Because it was so smooth, I think it could be played a bit louder than most without creating trouble with the wife or ear fatigue.

Jet wins for size, weight, sleek package. Controls are very effective. I played it with a Suhr tele and a very high end custom Les Paul type guitar (can't remember the name). Both guitar's individual character enhanced rather than narrowed. The Jet allowed for great and easy tonal adjustments that got me just what I wanted with a minimum of tweaking. The OD could be shaped from edge of break up, to little hairy/mean, to classic rock, to creamy thick goodness. Finally, the Jet was INCREDIBLY TOUCH SENSITIVE. Even at low levels, pick attack response was like nothing I have ever experienced. It was as if pick attack was all you need. Didn't even need to bring up the volume knob on the guitar to venture into break up of fuzz, depending on set up. Really, the touch sensitivity was just astounding. The notes or chords could be caressed out lovingly and sound that way, up to being shot right out into the chest like a cross bow arrow. The dynamic control and modulation of tone, intensity, feel of playing was communicated by the amp like nothing I have ever played. The [edit] is a terrific amp. I think the Jet is more impressive, polished, and actually gives a player greater tone shaping control and ability to keep that variability all the way down to bedroom levels. Jet has a few features of note: foot switchable channel and reverb and an effects loop. I went to the amp fest with a few other amps on my short list. I even posted on this forum I was not interested in a Two Rock because of price and my natural aversion to anything hyped and raved about. My preconceived notion was that Two Rock must be seducing people susceptable to group think, status, image, etc. I really couln't imagine spending that much on an amp for myself. No amp could be worth that much and justify it's value. Well, I think I am being converted. FYI, I didn't buy it because there are two other amps that would meet my needs and cost less--but they simply didn't blow me away like the Jet. Bob E.


Quote:
Originally Posted by mykljpao

I have, however owned a TR Jet for about a year and use it at least once a week in a live club setting. (Just used it again today as a matter of fact). It never ceases to amaze me! Fantastic, huge, round, warm cleans and chewy, organic od all from an amp that is smaller than carryon luggage. Extraordinarily lightweight as well (which was my initial impetus to buy one). Sounds best with an add-on cab as the physical size limits of the combo don't allow for the best bass response. The od is just SO thick and rich with no hint of buzz or harshness. Controllable feedback and harmonics to spare.......just a wonderful amp with super simple controls.

I've been running mine with a TC G Major in the fx loop although the built in verb is excellent. Can't say enough good things about the amp. I've used it on a GB gig playing standards, open jams and with a solid blues band....very versatile......as long as you are looking for THAT dumbly od sound. Takes pedals very well: I use an ocd for more grit than smooth od.

If you are aiming for that TR / Fuchs creamy smooth od, the Jet is a killer amp in an astoundingly small, portable package.


Quote:
Originally Posted by zaguitart

I'm glad I took the plunge. The Jet is plenty...I picked up a CR sig ver.2 shortly after. A stellar amp, but it doesn't smoke the Jet. My Jet has the bright pull-pot. When I dial in the Sig (with it's full complement of eq options) to my liking, I can get the Jet to sound the same.

I was using 2x12's, Celestion 1265 (Heritage, old version blend) Avatar cab. Bob Burt 2x12 with Two Rock 1265 & 1265R...with much satifaction.

Mike told me how huge the Two Rock Sig 1x12 sounded...had an oppurtunity to snag one off of EBay...loaded with 1265R. I was surprised, it's a big sound...no lack of bottom. I like the versatility of a head.


Quote:
Originally Posted by gregory70

I have the head and the signature 1X12 cabinet and I thought the cleans and dirty were very reminiscient of the CR signature. The reverb isn't as nice and the CR sounds bigger and more meaty, but it is really close and at a more manageable volume.

I tried a Jet combo as well and I didn't like it as much. Sounded great, just a little smaller and less full. For the extra money, get the head and cab.



Custom Reverb Signature, Version 2

After 2+ years of success with the Custom Reverb Signature, K&M discovered newer implementations to the circuit that they felt significantly improved the amp. Many if not all of these implementations came from their work on 3 very limited run amplifiers designed during that time: The Overdrive Signature, Sterling Signature, and Kimock Signature amplifiers. Changes included many components, and an all new custom transformer. The Presence control was replaced by a very useful sweep control, to tune the amp to different rooms and bands without having to change all the other amp EQ settings. As of this writing the V2 Sig is being met with huge acceptance and K&M has been backordered from between one week and one month on this model.


Gear Pager Comments:

Quote:
Originally Posted by jzucker

My two rock is the best fender amp I've ever heard in the clean channel. Big blooming cleans and fantastic reverb. It does the SRV thing better than any of the bowteque fender clones.

The lead channel in my amp is very sweet and nails the d*mble tone but the amp is so much more than that. You could make a living in the clean channel alone. It takes pedals incredibly well too. It's just a fantastic and well conceived amp. It's not a clone and it's not a copy. It's inspired by d*mble but as far as I'm concerned it's gone a step beyond that.

Jaz


Quote:
Originally Posted by Oracle

Just got a 100-watt Signature V2. Not sure how different they are sonically from the Version 1. I did have an Emerald Pro and loved it, however, the Signature (IMO) is so much more articulate and refined. The gain side of the Epro was a bit grainy to my ears. (I'm sure if it was low gain I wouldn't have had that problem, right Tag?) I love the tone of this amp and it still has some "burning in" time to go...still dialing it in and having a blast with it!


Quote:
Originally Posted by riverastoasters

I experienced the CR Sig V2 this weekend and can confirm that it is incredibly refined and very articulate. Last time I experienced an Emerald was years ago. The CR Sig V2 is not an amp I will be getting but it sure was refined and articulate.


Quote:
Originally Posted by SReynolds

Tybone the Sig 2 has a better clean IMO with more punch, chime, clarity, a little better feel, glisten, sensitivity, and the 2nd channel rocks a lot harder if you want . It's got a contour switch and ii's extremly effective n the clean and dirty. You can go from Carltonish to Bad Co. with a clockwise spin of the contour buttom. Best clean to date.


Quote:
Originally Posted by T2tele

As usual, it’s all about individual opinions, here goes mine…

I used to own a CR Sig V1 and I have spent quite a bit of time with a 100 watt V2. I don’t think one actually sounds “better” than the other… just different, some may actually prefer the V1 over the V2… I like’em both!

To my ears, the V2 is a more forgiving amp than the V1, the clean and gain channels on the V2 are more in the vein of my Kimock…, which is ((extremely)) smooth, refined and harmonically spacious. While the V1 has a darker voice and more harmonically complex, the V2 has a different overall feel, more bloom n bounce, with less overall harmonic complexity, a little more laid back and easier to dial in a tone.. “Your” tone.

The reverb on the V2 is improved, more controllable and useable with the send and return controls... killer verb! The contour is very cool; it really works in dialing the amp to the room. The transition from clean to gain channels on the V2 is more like the Kimock.. meaning that the gain channel is more like an extension of the clean channel, with more of a linear gain on tap. With the V1, there’s a bigger gap in tone between the clean and gain channels and the voicing between the two channels are different.

The V2 seemed to have less of the “big 100 watt amp” feel overall compared to the V1, probably because the V2 has less harmonic content/complexity and is voiced is a little clearer/brighter with more upper frequencies present.

The V1 is more revealing and sensitive to a player’s technique, if you’re a player with a lighter touch and good technique, then the V1 can sound fantastic. A player with a less technical approach and a heavy picking hand can sound REALLY BAD? Go checkout Joe Bonamassa next time he comes to town, he plays through a V1 100 watt CR Sig most of the time these days and his tone is as good as it gets live!!

The only reason I sold my beloved V1, is to be able purchase the Kimock. TO MY EARS… the Kimock is the pinnacle in tone; I have never heard anything close to its refinement, balanced harmonic space and “feel”. In my Kimock, I have old tubes installed, I use Scumback speakers in the Sig cab and I have spent a lot of time dialing in my effects to suite my own needs. Weather it’s a V1, V2 or a Kimock.. all the Two-Rock amps are very revealing, expressive and take a little time and effort in finding “your” tone.

V1 or V2… If you can, taste them both and then pick your flavor?

T2

[ToneGurus]

Bump for Bigtone and others, and so this thread doesn't get deleted.

Mike

[ToneGurus]

Bump for 241guy and others, and so this thread doesn't get deleted.

Mike

[ToneGurus]

Bump for Ud Reks and others, and so this thread doesn't get deleted.

Mike

[Ud Reks]

Thanks, still a lot of useful information here. I recalled a great comparison between CRS v1 and v2 last time. A lot of good info here still on the v1.

[A47]

bump