Got me one of them Aiken's

[worlez]

An emerald green Aiken Intruder 30watt (el34) arrived in a big brown box this morning. Got it from Woodshed Vintage Guitars in Columbia for about £760 shipped - avoiding the VAT charge as well :)

So far it sounds like it could be really cool - going from my Cornford with a gain, volume, and 2 band eq to a full marshall tonestack with two different gain conrols is a bit tricky, and I'm struggling to dial it in so far. But it seems to respond exactly the way my old 800 combo did, so I reckon I just need to fiddle with it. Anyone got any tips in that respect?

It doesn't seem that loud either - in my room I run it with the master at 12 o clock, which is like my Cornford with the master on 9 o clock.

Anyone else ever played these Aikens? I reckon it could be a winner :) I could use some help dialling it in though - I am really going for Angus Youngs live tone.

Cheers

Al

[nsriley]

Originally posted by worlez
An emerald green Aiken Intruder 30watt (el34) arrived in a big brown box this morning. Got it from Woodshed Vintage Guitars in Columbia for about £760 shipped - avoiding the VAT charge as well :)

So far it sounds like it could be really cool - going from my Cornford with a gain, volume, and 2 band eq to a full marshall tonestack with two different gain conrols is a bit tricky, and I'm struggling to dial it in so far. But it seems to respond exactly the way my old 800 combo did, so I reckon I just need to fiddle with it. Anyone got any tips in that respect?

It doesn't seem that loud either - in my room I run it with the master at 12 o clock, which is like my Cornford with the master on 9 o clock.

Anyone else ever played these Aikens? I reckon it could be a winner :) I could use some help dialling it in though - I am really going for Angus Youngs live tone.

Cheers

Al

I used to have an Aiken Invader 18 watt combo, lovely amp, that I gave up in a trade in a huge downsizing thing I did. It was a sweet amp. I started by putting all the tone controls at 12 o'clock and going from there. Honestly I couldn't get a bad tone no matter what I did! Does yours have the plexi/alum switch? I found my LP's worked the best on alum setting and single coil guitars on the plexi setting. Play around and have fun, they are great amps!!!!

-peace
-nate

[worlez]

I'm still struggling a bit. Im playing through a Cornford 2x12 with a V30 and an H30, Gibson LP standard with burstbuckers - leaving most things flat apart from boosting the bass slightly and cutting the presence, volume 1 on 3 o clock and volume 2 on 11 o clock - ali setting. However, it still sounds a bit fizzy and dry, and a bit muddy also. Anyone got any tips?

Also, with my sparkledrive, I just get this awful harsh buzz, rather than a nice overdrive :confused:

Cheers for the help

Al

[clarkram]

Al, I have a 30w Intruder. You will find (actually you have already found) that the master has a very gradual taper. You get the best chunk and thump with the master between1 and 3 o'clock with 3 o'clock being pretty much full output.

Running in plexi mode will be darker, thicker and ali will be brighter. Blending the 2 volumes controls will give a wide variety of tones. Try volume 2 (dark) at 11 o'clock and volume 1 at 9 o'clock for starters. This should get you to generic marshall land. I have found that the bass/tone controls do not have a large impact, they seem to operate in a fairly narrow range.

Twist the knobs and enjoy. Its a great amp.

Clark

[tedwoods]

Aiken amps are very open and revealing of any mismatches or "inferior" gear anywhere along the line.

My guess is,since the Cornford cab is both front loaded and has a V30-the one speaker the amp simply won't tolerate-that the problem lies there.

Also,a booster instead of an overdrive would react better.The amp has a pretty distinctive overdrive character to begin with,so the pedal mars it to some extent...and you can hear that.
If you intend to use the amp with pedals though,try maxing the master and limiting the preamp volumes.This way your amp becomes a BIG "monitor"amp.

The master on the Aiken is really great...but that,by master greatness standards,means that it doesn't colour the sound or eat up frequencies.It doesn't cater for-nor does any master for that matter-for the added response and compression of a hard working power amp.

When I want to practice with the Intruder 30,I still use the Weber mini Mass-straight or parallel-and turn the master really high...all the way actually ,so it's out of the circuit.The meanest crunch in my life instantly appears and when you step on a booster...beware!

Now all that would apply,assuming the amp runs as it was supposed to run...Have you checked the bias?

Lastly,tube selection,especially the output tubes,play an ever important role in the final outcome.If the amp is equipped with Svetlanas(or winged C's)you might find "them" a little harsh.Many people do,although these particular tubes exhibit other desirable traits.You might then want to try JJ's or another variant and also experiment with the preamp tubes.The JJ's that are in there, assuming the amp is stock,become slightly darker and smooth out-compress when driven hard only(short plates).

Best of luck!

Ted

[reaiken]

Originally posted by worlez
I'm still struggling a bit. Im playing through a Cornford 2x12 with a V30 and an H30, Gibson LP standard with burstbuckers - leaving most things flat apart from boosting the bass slightly and cutting the presence, volume 1 on 3 o clock and volume 2 on 11 o clock - ali setting. However, it still sounds a bit fizzy and dry, and a bit muddy also. Anyone got any tips?

Also, with my sparkledrive, I just get this awful harsh buzz, rather than a nice overdrive :confused:

Cheers for the help

Al

Hi, Al,

First of all, I'm sorry you are not happy with the amp. I've not heard Intruders described as fizzy or quiet, especially the 30W models, as they can get very loud.

One thing to check: the Intruder uses a standard Marshall-style Cliff jack for the effects loop. It has switching contacts that turn the loop off when nothing is plugged in. I recently had an amp returned for repair that sounded thin and low volume, sort of like a transistor radio. It turned out to be a bad jack - the shorting connection was a bit out of kilter, and was barely making connection. Replacing the jack fixed the problem. You might try plugging a cable into the effects loop jack and removing it to see if that joggles anything (or, if you have a stereo cable, plug it in and short the tip/ring together to see if that improves anything.

Another thing - use of Vintage 30's with any Aiken amp voids the warranty. :) Actually, they do tend to sound harsh to my ears. The best speaker is a Greenback. If you have any way to try the amp though a cab with Greenbacks, you should be able to tell whether it sounds properly "Marshally".

Another problem could be the tubes - if you have a set that you can swap out, give that a try.

If all else fails, you can send it to me and I'll be glad to look it over at no charge and ship it back to you.

Thanks,

Randall Aiken

[Sonic Reducer]

Plug it into a 2x12 with greenbacks, forget the pedals because the amps natural overdrive is good on its own, and crank it up.

I'm sure it will be fine.

[worlez]

Randall,

Thanks a lot for your response. I reckon its a cool idea that you post on forums like this - really cool way of contacting customers and getting yours/their input.

I dont think its a problem with the amp per se - I think its more to do with the way I'm dialling it in. I definately agree with the Vintage 30 comments - they are a match made in heaven for Cornford, but I dont think they work with marshally amps at all, hence I'm gonna grab a second H30 or try a greenie.

Any thoughts on the boost pedal situation?

Thanks a lot for your advice.

Al

[worlez]

The pedal thing is so that I can have a nice crunchy Angus Young type rythym sound, and then I can whack the pedal on for a mid/gain/cut boost.

Al

[big hair]

I'll bring my greenback loaded 4x12 round to yours soon so we can test the thing out. :)

[worlez]

Well, after disconnecting the V30 in my cab and running with just an H30, the tone did get better and lost a lot of the fizz, but there is still some there. Its like the high end is very focused and bright, and I can't put my finger on why. I wonder if a greenback would smooth it out enough, or should I go for a pair of greenbacks?

Cheers

Al

[reaiken]

Originally posted by worlez
Well, after disconnecting the V30 in my cab and running with just an H30, the tone did get better and lost a lot of the fizz, but there is still some there. Its like the high end is very focused and bright, and I can't put my finger on why. I wonder if a greenback would smooth it out enough, or should I go for a pair of greenbacks?

Cheers

Al

The presence control on that amp is actually a cut control, like on a Vox, but voiced a bit higher in frequency. You should be able to get it rather dark by turning it all the way anti-clockwise. Did you guy the amp new or used? I think the first few had the original style presence control and we changed to the cut control to improve the tone.

Greenbacks are definitely smoother in the high end than G12H30's, particularly if they are later model Chinese ones, at least, in my experience (I quit using them because they started to sound harsh).

Randall Aiken

[worlez]

Originally posted by reaiken
The presence control on that amp is actually a cut control, like on a Vox. You should be able to get it rather dark by turning it all the way anti-clockwise. Did you guy the amp new or used? I think the first few had the original style presence control and we changed to the cut control to improve the tone.

Greenbacks are definitely smoother in the high end than G12H30's, particularly if they are later model Chinese ones, at least, in my experience (I quit using them because they started to sound harsh).

Randall Aiken

Well I was under the impression that it was used, but when I got it this morning it is absolutely spotless - it still smells of factory, the tubes had that new smell, and it is just completely flawless.

It's serial number 00006.

The harshness I'm getting is almost like fret buzz, but on the very high end, like a completely distorted singlecoil almost.

Havin said that though Randall - you dont arf build one hell of an amp!:D

Cheers

Al:)

[worlez]

Bump :)

Any info on the presence control Randall?

Im considering speakers atm - I'm thinking about either a pair of greenbacks in my 2x12, or one greenback and one H30, or a Marshall 4x12 with greenbacks (but I'd rather stay with the 2x12 if I can). Any thoughts?

Cheers for your excellent help!

Al

[sws1]

Do you get the harshness when both volumes are at 9am? Is it only when the amp is crunching up?

Sounds to me like some sort of tube issue.

[worlez]

The cleans are a bit on the jangly side, but not harsh per se - certainly nothing like the high end 'scratch' or 'grit' that I get when I knock the volumes up. Also - maxing out the gain on either volume yields this awful fizzy shite, almost like a 50 watt marshall under full attenuation.

I'll have a go with swapping the preamp tubes with the ones from me cornford.

Cheers

Al

[reaiken]

Originally posted by worlez
Bump :)

Any info on the presence control Randall?

Im considering speakers atm - I'm thinking about either a pair of greenbacks in my 2x12, or one greenback and one H30, or a Marshall 4x12 with greenbacks (but I'd rather stay with the 2x12 if I can). Any thoughts?

Cheers for your excellent help!

Al

Number 0006 should have it. In fact, I think they all did except for number 0001 that got stolen at NAMM, but I could be wrong (my memory isn't what it used to be!). It's easy enough to tell, though - open it up, look at the back of the presence control pot and check it's value. If it is a 5K pot, it's the original presence control, if it is a 1Meg pot, it is the new one. Also, if you like, you can email me a picture of the inside and I can tell you if it is right. Again, if not, I'll be glad to mod it at no charge to you.

Thanks,

Randall Aiken

[worlez]

Ok, I'll do that. Should I get this nasty high end that I'm experiencing though?

Also, any thoughts on speakers/tubes etc? I swapped out all the preamp tubes and didn't really get much change.

Cheers

Al

[nolenuttt]

I own 3 Aikens-A Tomcat, a 30 watt Intruder, and a Sabre-Simply amazing amps, and Randall Aiken is a true Gentleman-Keep playing with the controls-It's well worth it-I love all of mine-Try your Intruder with 2 Blues in an oversized 2x12 cab-Incredible tone!!

[worlez]

Randall, reading through the thread again there were some comments from you that I missed.

Since I'm in the UK, shipping the amp back to you would be a bit of a bugger, what with shipping costs and taxes and whatnot, but I really appreciate the offer, so thanks a lot. I'm well impressed with your customer service. I also dont think the amp is faulty, I think its how I'm dialling it in and the way I'm playing it. I'm not knocking it at all, on the contrary I really like its vibe and think it's a FANTASTIC, and I know that when I get these little bugs ironed out it will be EXACTLY what I've been after. I'ts also built better than my Cornford, I must say!:dude

I checked the FX loop jack trick, and when I put a mono cable in (which I presume lifts the ground?) I got the effect you described - as soon as I took it out it was normal. I think what I meant by being quiet is that I was surprised at the taper of the master volume, but as I started notching it up it jumped up quickly. I really like it actually - it means I've got a lot more room to play with when I'm fine tuning a lower volume situation.

Thanks a lot for all your help so far, I really appreciate it.

Al

[worlez]

I agree that Mr. Aiken seems like a credit to the amp industry!

Incedentally, my cab is front loaded - what effect might I have switching to a rear loaded cab? Would it be possible to load my speakers from the read in a front loaded cab? I'm guessing not since the speakers would be pulling quite hard on the baffle at their mounting points?

Cheers:dude

Al:)

[Killcrop]

You need a greenback 2x12 and a Tim Pedal and you have one of the top 3 coolest amps ever made IMO.

Les Paul wouldn't hurt either;)

[tmac]

Tubes can make a world of difference. Sounds like something is amiss with one of 'em. I think your tube swap is a good idea - you pretty much know the tubes in your Cornford are good. You may need to check the power tubes also.

[tedwoods]

Excuse me worlez,but do you have The Harlequin?

It's the only amp that fits the two tone knobs description out of the Cornford range...
If the Aiken with 2 EL34's push-pull at 12:00 has the same volume of a single ended EL84 amp at 9:00,as mentioned in your post,then there's definately something wrong...
My Aiken is LOUD at 12:00!

Ted

[worlez]

Originally posted by Dave Leslie
You need a greenback 2x12 and a Tim Pedal and you have one of the top 3 coolest amps ever made IMO.

Les Paul wouldn't hurt either;)

I got my a beautiful Lester - my baby :dude

Al

[worlez]

Originally posted by tedwoods
Excuse me worlez,but do you have The Harlequin?

It's the only amp that fits the two tone knobs description out of the Cornford range...
If the Aiken with 2 EL34's push-pull at 12:00 has the same volume of a single ended EL84 amp at 9:00,as mentioned in your post,then there's definately something wrong...
My Aiken is LOUD at 12:00!

Ted

I actually meant three knobs - thats a typo. I've got the Hurricane, which I'm selling next week. I think it's the taper of the volume control which confused me - a 'comfortably loud' level in my bedroom is exactly 12:00 through a 2x12. Enough to jam with a loud stereo.

Assuming that the tubes are all ok and the amp isn't faulty (which I highly doubt) what options do you reccomend in terms of cabs/speakers?

Cheers

Al

[tedwoods]

Well,obviously a 2x12 with greenbacks or G12H's.
The Celestion Heritage speakers are upon us already through the Marshall reissue cabs and they are killer with the Intruder.
You must already know about Watford valves,a really good source if you also want to fiddle with the amp's tube compliment.
Happy hunting!

Ted

[worlez]

Well after replacing the power tubes with matched EH's and biasing to about 48mA per side, and disconnecting the Vintage 30 in my 2x12 and just running it through the G12H30, I'm getting much better results. But I'm still experiencing a brightness to the high end which I can't dial out. It *almost* sounds like its phasing when I hit a high note - the attack is very very piercing and focused, to the point where its unpleasant. Also, maxing out the gain makes the low end really quite muddy with some fizz to it. Can all this really be attributed to the speakers? I've played around with various preamp tubes to no avail. I've also had a look inside the amp and everything appears to be in order (a really really well wired bit of kit incedentally!)

I don't want to give up on this amp!

Cheers for the advice so far.

Al

[tedwoods]

Do you find the high end piercing even at high volume(3:00 let's say)?

Ted

[worlez]

Pretty much, yes.

Al

[trisonic]

As I intimated before Randall pretty well tunes the amps for Greenbacks, which have a different response to the ones you're using, especially the V30.
However I still think it would be worthwhile getting the amp check out by a competant tech to make sure everything survived the trip over the Atlantic OK

Best, Pete.

[spikeRI]

use of a V30 will void your warranty

now thats funny...