Avatar 18 Head Review

[vangit]

OK...power is finally back up in Jersey, so I'll post this quick while i still can..

So...not sure if I'm the first around here to get an Avatar 18,or just the first to tell about it. Here we go.....

Packaging, fantastic. Wrapped in a bubble wrap blanket. Amp is very light.
Cosmetics, super clean. Outstanding tolex job and the piping is perfect.

I've have it a week now. Wanted to have some time on it before I posted. I've been playing my Schroeder Chopper (maple top, limbs back) with Lollars. Been playing it through an Avatar 1x12 with Reinhardt M-sc speaker. Right from the get go it sounded very good. Has a great upper-mid "snapy-honk" when picking (really great snap) and the chords are very very articulate. The BMT pots have a great sweep to them so you can adjust the highs and lows easily (but it's still chimy....keep reading). All the pots go to "11". I find myself keeping the gain on 7. Gain around 8 is when gain fizz can be heard. Above 7 is still very clear and articulate, but 7 suits me perfectly for rolling back to clean and use of my pedals.

The amp has a fantastic chime to it. Like I said, very clear and articulate, but it really has a great chime. You can really dial in a great Marshall-Vox thing. It came with JJ pre and rect, and Sovtek powertubes.

The right channel (just tone and volume) has the same voicing as the left channel, just doesn't break up as soon since there is no gain knob. I've played some amps with this similar layout where the "clean" channel is voiced softer. They sound similar to me on the Avatar.

*side note* At the beginning I did have a "hmmmm" thing going on. The amp is very responsive, clear as a bell, but it did feel a bit tight. I know the tubes are new, and I haven't played el84s in a while. But I also realized the speaker is new and the cab was closed. The speaker is the SC, and is a very tight speaker. So I removed the back hole cover of the cab to expose the oval cut out. Definitely opened it up a bit.

So conclusion time. Looks fantastic. Very responsive. Crystal clear and articulate chords even when crunchy. Awesome chime to the highs. Love the snappy pick response. Dave offers a trail period so i don't have to keep it. BUT I AM!!!! Really love the amp. I want to get another Avatar 1x12 and put in a Reinhardt H-Lc

Good new is....review is done and the power in my house is still on!!!

Accurate pic



Flash washed it out a bit on this one