Smith Custom Amplifiers CS-25 has landed

[tonemandan]

Hi all

I have posted about Smith Custom amps before....I've been gigging with a CS-25 for the last several years. It is set up with 6L6's and an efficient Ceramic Blue Weber for maximum headroom and it has been the best amp I've ever owned. I asked Sam for an amp that I could use with blues and rock gigs that would break up a little sooner and he suggested the standard setup with 6V6's, Alnico Blue speaker and JJ preamp tubes. Well it arrived the other day and I am blown away...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v95/tonemandan326/IMG_3861.jpg

Couldn't resist putting this guitar next to it...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v95/tonemandan326/IMG_3868.jpg

The amp is similar to a Deluxe Reverb Circuit but with more clarity and no flabbiness in the low end. It has a great sounding reverb, a gain control that selectively takes out the tone stack for more gain, and a very cool preamp bias switch that allows you to change the character of the amp between blackface, tweed, and Marshall style. I am really digging the versatility of this amp ( and light weight! ).

Thanks Sam

Dan

[sickboy79]

Very nice! That's one classy looking rig you have there. I'm sure that amp sounds fantastic!

[TDJMB]

Clips of both? It'd be nice to compare the L to the V.

[katuna]

I want one of these bad!

[tonemandan]

I don't have an easy way to make clips but I can tell you that the 2 amps have a substantially different amount of headroom before breaking up. I put a Tung Sol 12ax7 in the 6L6 version and that makes a HUGE difference. That tube really makes these amps sing. Here is a pic of both amps along with a CS-10. I'll tell you about my CS-10 in another thread. Another WAY COOL amp.

This guy is on the cusp of great fame.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v95/tonemandan326/IMG_3857.jpg

Dan

[tonemandan]

I'm suprised no comments about the guitar? It's a '64 and the greatest guitar I've ever gotten my hands on. All original with two early pat # pups. Now I know what all the fuss is about with PAF's and early Pat # pickups.

No Carlton fans here anymore?

:phones

Dan

[TDJMB]

Thanks for the info. As far as the guitar, I was just trying to avoid thinking about it. I look forward to the CS10 post.

[dividedsky]

Still loving the Smiths? The CS-10R is still on my short list.

[tonemandan]

I have 22 amplifiers sitting in my studio right now. The Smith amp is the one that I use on gigs ( mostly that blonde one in the pic ). These are the best amps I've ever played for the styles I do.

Dan

[tonemandan]

PS the CS 10 does not need the reverb. I know...I was the one who asked him to put reverb in them in the first place...but they just don't need it. I never have mine on. This is a terrific little recording amp or to rock out at lower volumes.


Dan

[Oz Hofstatter]

Hey Dan,
The CS-25 with alnico and 6V6 sounds very tempting!!! Maybe, it's the perfect match for this combo.
Congrats for the amp (and veeeerrrrrrry nice guitar......).
Keep rockin.
Oz

[dividedsky]

I have to have on-board reverb. Tried all the pedals in the world and they don't do it for me. I recently talked to Sam and he told me he reworked the CS-10R to make it a better circuit for reverb. No idea what he did but he says he is happy with it.

[rhollyday]

Hi all

I have posted about Smith Custom amps before....I've been gigging with a CS-25 for the last several years. It is set up with 6L6's and an efficient Ceramic Blue Weber for maximum headroom and it has been the best amp I've ever owned. I asked Sam for an amp that I could use with blues and rock gigs that would break up a little sooner and he suggested the standard setup with 6V6's, Alnico Blue speaker and JJ preamp tubes. Well it arrived the other day and I am blown away...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v95/tonemandan326/IMG_3861.jpg

Couldn't resist putting this guitar next to it...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v95/tonemandan326/IMG_3868.jpg

The amp is similar to a Deluxe Reverb Circuit but with more clarity and no flabbiness in the low end. It has a great sounding reverb, a gain control that selectively takes out the tone stack for more gain, and a very cool preamp bias switch that allows you to change the character of the amp between blackface, tweed, and Marshall style. I am really digging the versatility of this amp ( and light weight! ).

Thanks Sam

Dan

Glad you are enjoying the new amp! I purchased a cs-25 head in a 6v6 configuration about 6 months ago and am loving it. It is the best amp I own right now. I know Sammy Smith the builder is a Tele player and built this amp for that guitar, but it also sounds great with my strat as well.

[tonemandan]

Hey Dan,
The CS-25 with alnico and 6V6 sounds very tempting!!! Maybe, it's the perfect match for this combo.
Congrats for the amp (and veeeerrrrrrry nice guitar......).
Keep rockin.
Oz


Thanks Oz. I love that guitar! The Alnico 6V6 Smith is the most versatile combination. I do solo jazz gigs, r+b funk, and classic rock with the same amp. That bias switch he uses is genius to change the character of the amp for different uses. Don't know why no one else does this.

Dan

[Oz Hofstatter]

Dan,
Are you using one or two Alnico Blue in the CS-25 combo?
Oz

[Cody McLain]

Sounds like a great amp Dan.. but that guitar is absolutely killing me. I've got a long list of guitars I would like to own, but a killer 335 is at the very top of the list. And that one looks amazing.. I would love to try one of these amps locally... I'm not into buying without trying first anymore.

[tonemandan]

Dan,
Are you using one or two Alnico Blue in the CS-25 combo?
Oz


The CS-25 is a one 12 combo. The 2 tone one has a 50 watt Weber Alnico blue and the brown croc amp has a 50 watt Weber Ceramic.

I love those speakers. Like many speakers they have to break in for about 15 hours though. I tried an early prototype of the CS25 with 2 12's but it was just too much to lug around. Not necessary either. This amp is WAY louder than a typical Deluxe Reverb.

Dan

[tonemandan]

Sounds like a great amp Dan.. but that guitar is absolutely killing me. I've got a long list of guitars I would like to own, but a killer 335 is at the very top of the list. And that one looks amazing.. I would love to try one of these amps locally... I'm not into buying without trying first anymore.

I bought that guitar from one of my patients who bought it new in 1964. It took me almost 10 years of bugging him to get him to sell it to me. It wasn't cheap but worth every penny.

Sammy sells direct or through Cliff at Destroy All Guitars.

Dan

[Oz Hofstatter]

The CS-25 is a one 12 combo. The 2 tone one has a 50 watt Weber Alnico blue and the brown croc amp has a 50 watt Weber Ceramic.

I love those speakers. Like many speakers they have to break in for about 15 hours though. I tried an early prototype of the CS25 with 2 12's but it was just too much to lug around. Not necessary either. This amp is WAY louder than a typical Deluxe Reverb.

Dan

Dan,
Is not a "overkill wattage" (25w) for the Alnico Blue (15w)?
Oz

[Cody McLain]

You mention it's a good bit louder than a Deluxe Reverb? That's kind of what bothers me.. a DR is perfect for volume, minus the flabby low end, etc. once you get it turned up a bit. I like the idea of the two 6v6 thing to get less headroom, but I'm guessing it's still fairly loud once you get it cookin'.. not just a little hair on a clean sound, but really cookin..

That 335 is killin' me... need to turn away.

[tonemandan]

Dan,
Is not a "overkill wattage" (25w) for the Alnico Blue (15w)?
Oz

The speaker in the two tone amp is a Weber 50 watt alnico blue. He makes that speaker in several power ratings. I have tried both and prefer the 50 watter.

[tonemandan]

You mention it's a good bit louder than a Deluxe Reverb? That's kind of what bothers me.. a DR is perfect for volume, minus the flabby low end, etc. once you get it turned up a bit. I like the idea of the two 6v6 thing to get less headroom, but I'm guessing it's still fairly loud once you get it cookin'.. not just a little hair on a clean sound, but really cookin..

That 335 is killin' me... need to turn away.

You can easily tweak the volume at which the amp starts to break up with choice of preamp tube, biasing, and speaker. In addition the amp has a switch to choose between fixed and cathode bias. It sounds "bigger" than a Deluxe Reverb all around and no farty low end.

Dan

[dividedsky]

From the videos I've seen the CS25 seems to be firmly in the Blackface camp but I can't tell about the CS10. Would you (the people that own them) say they are Blackface with the ability to get Tweedy or more Tweed with some Blackface capabilities?

[dividedsky]

bumps

[tonemandan]

They are a tweak on a Blackface Deluxe Reverb circuit

[jetsnation]

I'm bumping in case anyone else would like to chime in on these amplifiers. I haven't heard of them until today, and judging by the clips, the cs-25 may just be what I'm looking for. Right now, the CS-25 and Nolatone Tango 22
are my lust amplifiers.