Hansoloist's Ultimate Amplifier Review III: Mad Han Beyond Thunderdome

[hansoloist]

As the ringing in my ears seems to have sufficiently subsided, and my synapses have presumably resumed firing, I once again find myself with that familiar itch to wax poetic about my weekend decent into the realm of sonic madness and greatness. Saturday afternoon found me, once again, braving my way through a delightful mix of familiar and unfamiliar pusher, product and addict with not but my trusty Heatley slung over my shoulder, and my steadfast faction in the flank—an LI born and bred plug me in I’ll make it scream sultan of swampy slide, and a transplanted golden-eared Londoner whose heart’s four chambers, starting with the left atrium and proceeding in a clockwise manner, bare the names sex, drugs, rock and roll. And oh, my brothers, the fruit our journey did bare. The comforting sweetness of the tried and true. The curious tang of the exotic and new. We were pawns and peons at the tables of kings and giants, indulging our every epicurean fantasy in their ambrosial delights. We feasted. We savored. We went back for seconds. Hedonistic heathens and heathenistic hedons looked on us through disbelieving eyes and drew a line in the sand. I have thought long about this day…and I have found it to be good.

I tried and heard dozens of amps at the show and I would love to review them all. However, and rather counter to what the previous paragraph might imply, I simply don’t have the time. Nor do I have a wheelhouse large enough to house every detail of every amp. One should also note that some of my favourite amps at the show I played and reviewed last year (the Sommatone Slick-18 for example) so I'm not going to revisit those, fine as they are. Instead, I’m going to stick with the amps I both played and found particularly memorable.

I am also of the mind that no amp review is complete without a comparison of sorts. With the Gear Page lexicon of tonal descriptives as ambiguous as it is vast, I find a well-conceived and appropriate analogy can be far more successful than a torrent of adjectives. I’ve done food. I’ve done women. In this review, I’ve done beer. And I’ve even taken things a step further, and provided specific recommendations of each type of beer. I figure, if you can’t find the amp to try, perhaps you can find its frothy companion…and get a taste of what it offers.

In no particular order, you have my experience:


Red Iron Amplification

Before I get to the amps, I’d like to take this space to say that Paul Sanchez is a truly kind and generous human being. Pete, Barry and I probably spent the better part of 2 hours in his room putting his amps though their paces, and we were all equally impressed with the machines and the man behind them. Paul, if you’re reading this—a very big thanks to you for your time and, of course, for…well…read on.

The Bronx: An Amp with “Intention”

The first thing that one notices about the Bronx, along with all of Paul’s creations, is that it doesn’t look like anything else you’ve seen. And it’s all about the mesquite. The wood exhibits this lovely medley of brick, burnt orange, chocolate and mauve hues that makes for a truly unique appearance. Couple that with a faceplate that’s loaded with knots, crevices, mineral streaks, and meandering patterns of burrowing insects (no they’re not still there), add minimal and minimalist knobs (volume, treble, bass), and top it off with a matching beveled and deeply etched logo and you’ve got yourself a head-turner. And you haven’t even turned it on. About that…

Most amps sound like something you’ve heard before. Plug in, hit a few chords, and it’s not difficult to hear from where the builder was drawing his/her inspiration. Marshall crunch, Vox chime, Fender warmth, Hiwatt clarity—whatever the tonal trait, you can hear its heritage. But every once in a while, a builder comes up with something different—something whose lineage isn’t so readily apparent. And rarer still is a builder who delivers an apple that seems to have fallen not from its proverbial tree, but out of thin air.

This lack of a link to the classics—and thus many of our comfort zones—is perhaps what makes this amp so difficult to adequately describe. I’d love to be able to say it crunches like a plexi, or roars like an AC30, or thumps like a Major, but I can’t. It truly has its own sound.

What immediately jumps out is the overwhelming bass and low mids—born out of Paul’s philosophy that the lower end of the sonic spectrum is too often ignored by guitarists. Well, this amp effectively says, “Just you friggin’ try and ignore me.” The lows and low mids are abundant—huge, thick and full, and rather cello-like in timbre. A low E chord through this amp is easily capable of rattling your rib cage and that is not at all an exaggeration. This is truly an amp that is felt as well as heard. The resulting girth and body are otherworldly, with broad and clear mids, and surprising harmonic richness, given the emphasis in lower frequencies. There’s also this wild growl in the low mids—a churning of sorts that cycles throughout a chord as it’s ringing out.

The highs are thick beyond compare, and sweet as can be. Every note of my soloing sounded like it was shroud in wool and submerged in molasses. I would have thought a tone that thick would cause notes to peter out and collapse. But these notes opened and sang and bloomed into feedback with ease. There was also this wooly swirl that seemed to weave its way in and out of chords and around notes adding a whisper of a tail to legato lines and expressive vibrato.

Still more astonishing is the amp’s clarity, in spite of its raging lows and low mids—something that might be attributed to the 6550s in the power section. Massive gain and massive bass typically don’t make for a winning brew, but Paul has pulled it off beautifully. Sure it dishes up plenty of lower than low groaning, and there’s a fair amount of compression, but I never found the amp to be indistinct. It rather confidently treads the fine line between full and mud.

After fifteen minutes of wailing, two things suddenly made themselves clear: 1) My ears were not the slightest bit sore 2) I hadn’t touched the knobs once. The volume was dimed, the treble and bass were at noon, and that was perfectly fine with me and my ears. When I wanted big, warm cleans, I rolled the volume back on my guitar. When I wanted crunch, I rolled it back up. Plug in and play has never been so simple.

This amp is an imperial stout—creamy, dark, smoky, intense, brimming with flavor, and easily capable of putting you on your ass. Recommendation: Victory Brewing Co’s Storm King Imperial Stout.

The T-Rex: Usurper of Thrones

Last year I walked away from the Amp Show seeing Komets, crowing the Concorde the overlord of rock. Well, if history teaches us anything, it’s that all things must come to an end—even the reigns of kings.

The T-Rex, sharing the mesquite mystique of its aforementioned cousin, sounds quite different. This is Paul’s “wreck-inspired” offering, and it is all that and more. When I plugged into this amp, the volume was dimed, and the treble and bass—three knobs, that’s it—were both at noon. And, you guessed it, I never touched them.

Starting with the volume on my guitar off, I rolled it up ever so slightly, lightly strummed a big G chord and was greeted with a rich and shimmering clean, with tons of top end glass and wee bit of hair. I immediately noticed the depth and dimension—airy, room-engulfing euphony drenched in overtones and ringing on and on with what I can only call a natural reverb. Even with so little juice coming from my guitar, I could already feel the life and responsiveness under my fingers. But I didn’t live there long. I couldn’t live there long…not with the beast I knew to be lurking a mere twist of the wrist away. So I skipped 3 through 9 and went for broke.

All it took was one A chord for me to tell that this amp was a realm of rock unto itself. The gain was massive. It roared and churned and sizzled and howled like it wanted to reduce the whole hotel to a pile of molten steel, pulverized concrete and crushed glass. The complexity was off the charts—harmonics and overtones leaped from the speakers and swirled around your head like a squadron of Curtiss 02C-2s going after Kong. The low end was full and firm—it was easy to shake the room by thumping on a low E. The midrange was perfectly filled out, big and punchy without sounding cold, and with a nice push in the upper mids that provided a soaring vocal quality for solos, and incredible detail for chording. And the highs, while fluid and screaming and easily morphing into glorious feedback, had a super-sweet top that never felt overbearing. As with The Bronx, my ears never complained once.

Equally impressive was the way the amp compressed. While it certainly had the suck-up-and-explode thing happening, it never lost focus or impeded fast staccato runs. It never mushed out in the low end or sounded congested in the mids. It is perhaps the most perfect marriage of rigidity and sag I’ve ever experienced in a high gain amp.

I never thought I’d hear an amp that beat a Concorde for unbridled hard rock tones, but this does it. It covers the same ground at a much friendlier volume, with a warmer top end, and all while holding together better. How Paul is getting this tone out of a pair of 6L6s is beyond me. And that’s fine. All I know is what my ears and fingers tell me—and they’re telling me I need to have one.

This amp is an IPA—enticingly aromatic, rich, malty, and powerful with a vibrant hoppy bite that sets your taste buds on fire, and a finish that lingers and lingers and… Recommendation: Dogfish Head’s 90 Min. IPA (if you’re really daring, try the 120).


ARK Amps

Model-A28: The Sound of a Deflowering

The last time in my life when I was the first to do anything, I was sixteen and terrified and too busy listening for car doors to fully enjoy the moment. Lucky for me, I didn’t have to worry about my parents coming home too soon while I was wailing away through this latest addition to the Ark amps line.

Yes, I was indeed the first person to play through the A-28: a 2 6v6 monster of an amp with a refreshingly unique functionality. This amp is so new that its head box only exists on paper, though the sketches do look fantastic. For those of you who’ve never laid eyes on an Ark amp, they are works of art. Multiple exotic hardwoods in a variety of vibrant and subdued hues and grains. Patterns, shapes, inlays and cutouts, some soft and round, some hard and angular, others a remarkable blend of both. It’s a vibe that at once echos 30s art deco and 50s/60s sci fi atomic and presents an aesthetic all its own. And the workmanship is flawless—the artistry in the knobs alone will blow you away.

So, with a naked chassis sitting before me, looking quite out of place among its stunning brothers, I went to work.

Matt and Bill are two delightful individuals. The amp features some unique tone sculpting controls, and they were kind enough to work the knobs for me and walk me through what each did and how they interacted with one another. When I first plugged in, the amp was set for clean, and it was gorgeous. It’s an extremely warm and organic tone, with a full and buttery bottom end, ample mids, and super-smooth highs—made for a broad and even sound that filled the room beautifully. Much like the Red Iron Bronx, notes bloomed and decayed with spectral overtones and a natural reverb.

When I had my fill of open chords and fluid melodies, Bill took the amp in a very interesting, and rather wicked, direction. I don’t quite understand how Bill has accomplished this, but there is a knob on the amp that purely overdrives the power tubes. From 1 to 10, it has zero effect on the preamp. Maybe this has been done before, maybe it hasn’t—it doesn’t matter. All I know is that hearing 2 6V6s grinding all on their own is a thing to behold. Gobs of fat, creamy goodness gushed from the speakers, with chunky lows, big broad growling mids, and high end so syrupy sweet it’ll give you a cavity. The clarity and punch were spectacular, and an appropriate measure of compression smoothed it all out without impacting definition and responsiveness.

Bill then slowly dialed the preamp into the mix, and that’s where things really got crazy. Harmonic content and overtones swelled into action, bringing the upper mids to life. The top end started to sizzle and sing. More gain and girth and compression came into the mix, smoothing things out further, giving solos a wonderful vocal and violin-like quality with a bit of squishiness under the fingers—it did the sag and surge thing in spades. Even with the preamp and power section working hard, and delivering a sick amount of gain and grind, the amp held together extremely well, preserving dynamics and allowing the subtleties (though I’m hardly a subtle player) of my playing to come through. And at 28 watts, the volume was perfect.

Matt and Bill, aside from being stellar guys, are a gifted couple of artisans for the eyes and ears, and this particular offering from them is a masterpiece in both sensory realms. In fact, the amps even feel great to the touch—their incredibly well-conceived side handles, while aesthetically attractive, are an ergonomic joy, allowing for easy transportation with one or both hands (trust me, your wrists will be very happy). I don’t know the exact price point (I’m not sure they do at this point either) but I remember their saying it will probably be in the low 2s. You’d be hard pressed to find another amp that does all this can do at any price. If only every first time were as rewarding…and humility-free.

This amp is a Hefeweizen—lush, creamy, lively and distinct, misty in the glass, and sweet sweet sweet on the palate. Recommendation: Ayinger’s Brau Weisse.

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[hansoloist]

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Reinhardt Amps

18 Watter: There's No Place Like Home

What with all the oddities and newfangled tonal experiments about, it was rather pleasant to step into Bob’s room and plug into an old classic done exceptionally well, and even improved upon. Bob, a hell of a nice guy who makes an assortment of sonic beasts, has taken the standard Marshall 18 watter and reproduced its highly-sought-after sound, with a killer master volume to boot.

The cleans on this amp are as expected—full and round with great upper mids and a healthy snarl when you dig in. There isn’t a lot of headroom, but, let’s face it, if you’re looking for headroom you ain’t looking here. The overdrive is everything you could ever want out of a bitchin’ old Marshall. Big growling mids, a low end that’s ample without being boomy, and a super sweet high end. There is no mud to be found here at all—things are tight, well-defined, and dynamic. The harmonic content is nice, and there’s tons of goodness happening in the upper mids—the amp really sings. I could have gotten lost in it for hours, busting out my best blues licks and my favorite Thin Lizzy riffs.

The master volume works extremely well. You do lose a bit of gain and sustain as you back it way down, but it’s easily redeemed with a transparent boost, as Bob demonstrated.

All-in-all, it’s a winner—truly a remarkable tone at any volume, in a compact package, and at a killer price point.

This amp is a pilsner—simple, crisp, comfortable, and easily enjoyed from the early afternoon to the wee small hours of the morning. Recommendation: North Coast Brewing Co.’s Scrimshaw Pilsner.


Glaswerks

Super Overdrive 100: The Last Temptation of Han

When you’re in a room with a variable host of Glaswerks, Bludotones, an Emerald Pro, and a Dumble, you are, as Barry so tersely put (a skill that clearly eludes me), “sipping cognac.” The entire spectrum from horror show to holy grail collapses to an infinitesimal margin of personal inclination and intention within the domain of the latter. Some people in the room preferred the Bludotones, some the Glaswerks, some the Emerald Pro, and others the Dumble. This is as it should be; there is no objective best. What we all did agree upon was that we were in the presence of the ne plus ultra in amplification for that oft-coveted brand of tone.

I’m not much for Dumbles or their various inspired-by offspring. I’ve played a few and I’ve never bonded with them. It’s simply not a tone or feel that suits my style well. That said, I fully appreciate what these amps can do, and I rather enjoy listening to them when they’re being driven by someone who knows how to bring forth their magic. Friday night, I could have listened to the gentleman (Mitch, I believe is his name) playing through the Bludotones, Glaswerks and Dumble for hours. Scott Lerner and Tag, both monster players, were able to easily coax some heavenly tones from these amps as well. And Barry’s unique finger picking style and slide work truly shine through these beasts. But in the end, if the amp doesn’t work for me, I pass.

Barry’s Glaswerks does. There is something happening in the top end and upper mids of this amp that separates it from the pack. Whereas most every other Dumble style amp I’ve played or heard seems to envelope every note in a overabundance of wool and compression, thus softening the attack too much for my tastes, the top end of this Glaswerks is crystal clear. There’s a lovely presence and push in the upper mids that seem to allow the amp to open up, to breathe, to sing.

The cleans are simply gorgeous. Lush and evenly voiced, they drip with overtones, and ring out seemingly to no end. Soft finger picking yielded a mellow, vocal tone, while digging in produced a delightful snap—there’s a spectacular immediacy to the notes. And the journey through the multitude of shades of overdrive was every bit as bedazzling. The amp is capable of massive volume and gain, especially with the tone stack bypassed—one of the dozens of tone sculpting features at hand—and the harmonic content is up there with anything I’ve heard. The tone is smooth, but not overly so, and there’s a welcome hair to the notes that ups the sizzle and grind, without losing definition. Infinite liquid sustain can be had at modest volumes—it wasn’t hard to get notes to swell into feedback with loads of overtones. At the same time, the amp was incredibly responsive and easy to control—it never felt like it was getting away from me, even at extreme settings.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about the amp from my standpoint was how it responded to my heavy picking. Any other Dumble style amp I’ve played (barring Scott Lerner’s Glaswerks) completely fell apart under my attack. To get any reasonably good tone, I’d have to alter my style to where I was barely making contact with the strings. Oh, they came alive, but at the expense of my style. This amp, quite to the contrary, loved where I was coming from. I could dig in and wail as hard as I wanted and the amp seemed to love every bit of it. In a sense, it’s the first Dumble I’ve ever been able to play as me.

As far as tone sculpting—this is a tweakers dream. There are dozens of knobs, dip switches, trim pots, and jacks and I’m pretty sure Scott Lerner adjusted and readjusted them all roughly every thirty seconds in the half hour or so I had with the amp. But you could spend weeks and still not tap into all of its potential.

Did it make a believer out of me? Hell yes. But I won’t be buying one any time soon. Where I live, I need an amp that can get downright nasty. And this one is just a bit too refined for me. But if you fancy yourself a Dumble, look ever so slightly beyond, and you’ll find this amp.

This amp is a Belgian Trappist Ale—crisp, full-bodied, well-balanced, robust, assertive, and bursting with a symphony of flavors…though I’ve only found a few I truly enjoy. Recommendation: Trappistes Rochefort 10.


Tag

Tag: In The Flesh

Now I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “Gee wiz, Han, I wasn’t aware that Tag was an amplifier.” And you would be right. But after 6 years of variably laughing it up and mixing it up with this fellow Garden Stater, I felt a review was in order.

Tag is a lot taller than I thought—I’d say between 6’ and 6’1”. He also looks like he’s in good shape. He has a firm handshake and he looks you in the eye when he’s speaking to you. He is also friendly and a heck of a lot of fun—we had an absolutely delightful chat about 70s metal front men, and the origin of our love for the six string. He is also firm in his opinions, and is not shy about making those opinions known. On top of that, he’s a killer guitarist.

In short—Tag is in person as he is on this forum. And in a world where all too many invent internet personas that bear zero resemblance to the human at the keyboard and spew venom from behind the guise of a screen name, I respect his honesty tremendously.

Tag, I’m up for a beer anytime.

peace
-jeff

[MikeyG]

It's been too long since the last Hansoloist review.

I'm off to bed, but I'm having my wife read this for sheer entertainment value! You rock, Jeff!!

[riverastoasters]

Originally Posted by hansoloist

Some people in the room preferred the Bludotones, some the Glaswerks, some the Emerald Pro, and others the Dumble. This is as it should be; there is no objective best.

No no no! You can't say that just because it's true! We need controversy here in the internets. People might get the idea that they are free to like what they actually like, and not what they read about.

[Leonc]

And this, ladies are germs, is why we love hansoloist!

[Sean French]

Originally Posted by riverastoasters

No no no! You can't say that just because it's true! We need controversy here in the internets. People might get the idea that they are free to like what they actually like, and not what they read about.

[Finaldo]

Nice reviews! I just got on the list for a T-Rex myself. Paul is an awesome guy, I'm really looking forward to getting this amp!

BTW, I'd grab a Dogfish Head 90 (or 120, I'm daring!) ANY TIME. Their beers are GREAT!

[riffmeister]

Thanks Han. You are truly a gifter writer!

Sorry, but I'm swilling a chardonnay....

[jb70]

nice, entertaining and really well-written han!

[gainfreak]

Great review and a ton of fun to read!! It was a pleasure meeting you at the ampshow Jeff!! With that said, I was drinking a la Trappe quad at dinner! One of my favorite sleeper Belgian Trappist Ale's that's not from belguim!!

all the best!!

~R~

[Killcrop]

As I wipe a tear from my eye I remember why I have wasted hundreds, wait- thousands of hours on this board.

If I ever have the chance to meet Tag in person I will insist he signs the control plate of my Les Paul.

Nice review Han.

[The Last Rebel]

I've got to email Paul about this Bronx amp. I talked with him about his amps at the Dallas Guitar Show, he's a great guy. Very approachable and informative, I'd recommend him to anyone looking for a great amp, that doubles as a piece of art.

[decay-o-caster]

Jeez Jeff - you don't need a lick of help with words! Cryin' out loud!

Great stuff - thanks so much for posting this.

[Frankenstrat2]

[VacuumVoodoo]

Perhaps there should be a "Best Review Writer" award presented after each Amp Show.....but, hell no! You would be winning it every time. Your reviews are as close to me reading poetry as I'll ever come.

I think I can speak for all builders, including my humble self, who over time had their creations reviewed by you: we are honored.

"Reviewed by Hansoloist" - The Ultimate Seal of Approval