At long last, My Kingsley Review...

That is great that you are loving it. I have found the D30 to be one of my fave amps of all time. I currently have a head on order since the 2-12 combo was so darn heavy!!! I have really missed the tone in the interim period between Kingsleys.

 

BobbyMack Check your PM's

 

Celestion Blues are "it" for the D30.

 

Great review. I have had a D30 combo for a year now and your review has given me an idea.

I have been using the gain input all along and I use my guitar volume pots to control clean/dirt (I have added caps & resistors to the pots to keep them clear when rolling down the volume). I also use OD pedals when I want more gain.

I have occasionally used the clean input and always though it sounded great too, but I have never used it with the band. I tried it the other night at home and found that it takes OD pedals extremely well. I can't think of a way to describe it other than the overdrive kind of connects with the amp rather than layering on top of the clean signal. The OD pedals sound so natural; really almost like the amp itself. And you can get that input to mildly overdrive by itself without pedals. I think I'll try using it now and see how I like it vs. the other input.

Either way, my search has ended too. I really love the amp, even more after a year.

 

Blues in a Burt is the absolute best recipe for that style amp. My English and Constellation are that style, and they both sounded their absolute best through that cab.

 

Yep, I loved the Deluxe 30 Simon lent me for a weekend. I loved the cleans especially.

taco

 

I'm experimenting with some NOS Telefunken (stunning!) 12AX7s in my Deluxe 32 and I like them much more than Mullards - more detailed and balanced. Amperex are also great. I can never go back to current production tubes now - no comparison.

Also, the Fane AXA12 is an incredible speaker that handles anything you throw at it, with grace. I'm also loving the new version of the George Scholz speaker. Even though they're both 100W, the Kingsley works with them beatuifully.

 

Where are you buying your NSO tubes? I wouldn't mind trying some. What would I look for in Telefunken and Amperex tunes?

I have D30 combo with a Greenback and G12H 30. How are the Fane and Scholz different?

 

eMail Terry Kilgore, aka TubeTramp... terry_kilgore2003@yahoo.com

He's an honest guy and will get you great tubes at reasonable prices, eg: a matched quad of NOS Amperex Bugle Boys for $75! They were labeled otherwise, but they are the real deal. You'll get an education on tubes from him as well. You can also save money by getting strong 'pull's, ie: slightly used, but test like new, and they'll last a loooong time. I've also had good luck on eBay, but you have to be careful and be somewhat knowledgeable.

Look for the Telefunken smooth or ribbed plate and Amperex Bugle Boys. The primary difference I've been hearing between 12AX7s/ECC83s Mullards and Amperex/Telefunken, is that the Teles and Amperex are not as pronounced in the mids, which may or may not be to your liking. I'm finding that the Teles & Amperex are more balanced and detailed across the spectrum, which I prefer. I like the tonal character of the cleans and OD better with Telefunkens. Teles are famous for audiophile applications - clarity, detail, etc - but some may not prefer that in a guitar amp context. I do.

It's amazing how many tonal variations you can get by putting different tube brands in each preamp position. I like mixing them up, as opposed to using just one brand for preamp tubes. I'm also using a Mullard GZ34, which made a big difference over a new JJ.

Both the Fane and Scholz are 100W speakers, so you'll never get cone cry or other such problems. The Fane is Alnico and the Scholz is ceramic. The Scholz is much more efficient, ie: louder, and more detailed in a ceramic sort of way. It has one of the nicest tones when using a bridge humbucker with OD, but then so does the Fane, but with that classic Alnico mojo, yet not too squishy/compressed. Neither speaker has any tonal weak spots and you can really hammer them. They both have a great feel when playing - not sterile or hard - very responsive and fluid. The Fane is rounder, being Alnico, and they both have a great high end - not harsh or ice picky.

The Fane blew away a 50W Weber Alnico Blue Dog I had, which on its own sounded great, but A/B'd with the Fane, it lost out for my tastes. I liked the Fane so much, I bought two. The Fane together with the Scholz is pure magic and very powerful.

 

Wow. Thanks. Great information