Man... this must be the most question threads I've had since I first got on The Gear Page... it was so much easier when all I knew was Marshall, Fender and Vox... hehe... I said EASIER... not BETTER. Anyways... I have a Germino LoVo Lead 55 ('69 Super Lead inspired) and I was wondering how much overlap there would be tonally between these two amps... from the clips alone I can tell the Constellation has a bit better note seperation at higher gain levels, a little bit smoother but generally seems to be in the same ball park. There seems to be a lot more sustain and a little bit more gain on tap however, which is great cause I need that. And from the clean tones on the Supernatural track I can tell the cleans are more chimey and airy than the Germino. My big thing is... I need levels of gain around where the Bogner Ecstasy is with a maxed blue channel or a medium cranked red channel but I need a high level of note and string definition for the complex voices of the chords I use... will the Constellation do this? Also... I know the amp feeds back even with clean chords... so does that mean it is a total no go with hollowbody guitars? (cause that would be a bad thing) And I need a great clean out of it... a stunning clean... chimey, airy and 3D... doesn't have to be at gig levels, but enough for studio work. So can the Constellation do this for me, or should I be looking somewhere else? Please forgive the long post... I so thought I knew exactly what I needed to round my stable out... and now... now I'm completely lost. -TJK P.S This must sound crazy eh? The only other thing I need this amp to do is let me walk on water, haha.
Well i never heard the LoVo in person but the clips are quite impressive at the Allman thing on his site. I will not sing all the Connie praises because mine is currently for sale --to pay for my KF50 LTD--and I dont want it to sound like a sales ploy..but it is a great amp..its a Very agressive sound--though not in a metal way--..which I like. Nice seperation and and harmonic sustain. The cleans will go into harmonic feedback as well. That said i have found it really doesnt have much clean headroom..maybe its the tubes im running though. Its is a warm clean with a bit of hair on it..but you cant turn the clean channel up very loud before it ceases to become what I would call "clean" ..certainly its no twin reverb in that sense. One overlooked feature of the Connie is it really is a channel switching amp...which can be quite handy. Though there is only one input, you can change from the cleaner channel --6SN7--to both via footswitch. The 12ax7 channel is where the ferociousness resides...and you blend the 6SN7 channel for different flavor.
Thanks for the reply Martin... I'd heard that about the Connie... some people say with single coils they can get around noon on the clean volume before it starts breaking up... does this hold true for you? -TJK
I dont think so ..by noon its pretty overdriven even on the 6SN7 side..but most of the amps volume comes very early I think, by 9 o'clock its pretty damn loud.
IMHO the Constellation actually has a very nice clean chime to it, dripping with harmonics, that responds particularly well to rolling back the volume on the guitar, with no loss of tone. With this caveat...it's not really designed to be a clean amp, and I'm not comparing this to something like a Vox ac. This is one of the few amps I own where the full range of the guitar volume control is usable and effective. As others stated, you can't get crystal clean out of this amp and still retain its character. You can get cleans with a little edge to them at a moderate volume by rolling the volume back to 3 or 4, crunch by 6 or 7 and full on roller coaster by maxing out. Admittedly, all guitars are different and the previous post is correct that single coils naturally produce a chimier clean more easily. Although this is a channel switching amp, the true character comes out in blending the two channels. When using only one, there is a significant loss in complexity of tone. Even when using the blended channels, I've found that rolling the guitar back cleans up beautifully. It also responds quite differently to singles, p 90s or humbuckings, moreso than simply the difference in the pups. Makes for a nice varied palette.
Awesome... thanks a lot for the reply... and I totally don't mind a little edge on my cleans and I ALWAYS roll the volume back to get mine with my Germino, I just need them to be really harmonically complex Have you tried a hollowbody through the Constellation? How did it handle it? Thats really the only question I have left... that and how to get the funds for this bad boy, haha. -TJK
Well, I've had a LoVo, a regular Lead 55 and a Classic 45. I think the Connie is very different. Not as loud, which is a good thing, and I think it has a lot of gain without pedals, though not a heavy metal amp. Moderate gain sounds remind me of David Grissom's tone a bit. There's a nice "pop" to the notes. The amp cleans up very well, especially with a strat. Last gig I used my two Connies, one set upt for strats and the other for my humbucker guitars. I used a Switchblade to get quick on the fly clean tones, worked great. It definately has the chimey clean thing down and can be used as a two channel amp. Cleans for me are up to about 11:00 on channel one, and I love the bright switch. Most times I just use it as a one channel amp since it cleans up so well. Just got an RSA23 which sounds great but does not clean up nearly as well. I also just got a Top Hat Ambassador that I may use live for all clean to semi clean stuff and then just use the Connie for leads. You can easlily use the Connie alone for most gigs, IMO. The Germinos are "bassier" and not as rich in the mids to my ear. I think the Connies have more gain too, if you want. I love the Connies through 4x12 cabs, currently an old Marshall and a new Divided by 13 4x12 with Celestion Heritage G12H30s. The Connies have an earthy sound quality that I love and the volume is perfect for most gigs, not too loud but still punchy. Works well with gain pedals, though they are not necessary. I tried a Klon, Zendrive, Landgraff, Clay Jones, Sea Blue EQ and a new mosfet FDII, all word great.
Wow GAT... thanks a lot for the indepth info, that really helps me a lot... and good to hear about the amp having those chimey cleans with the volume rolled back... cause that was something I was really concerned about. And what made you get rid of your Germinos? I love mine... but don't find it overly harmonically complex... which is actually something I really like about it because I use it as a rhythm amp mostly. Also, thanks for answering the semi-hollow question... I'm ordering a Koll Super Glide Almighty which is a full on hollowbody with a carved top... probably with p-90s and I was worried about having the Connie squeal like crazy. By the way, that forever sustain on the Santana influenced track, is it easy to get that with the Connie... cause that kills me EVERYTIME I listen to it. Thanks again! -TJK
I have a '78 Marshall with Blackback G12H30's that I would use for a 4x12 sound, but I was thinking about getting 2 oversized 2x12s, one close back with 2 Heritage G12H30's (or one of those and a V30) and then a semi-open with 2 Celestion Blues. -TJK
Can you give me a good comparison between the RSA23 and Constellation? Those are two of the amps I'm really, really interested in.
I agree with the above posts, great discriptions. I usually, at home, have clean channel at ~10-11 o'clock and dirt just a little on. It is great, clean up with gtr. vol, is like kicking off dirt channel with footswitch, and still sounding kick ass complexity. As others have said, not much clean, but sound is mama mia, what a spicy meatball!! Does well with fuzzs (ala fuzzface and your '66), od, landgraff, but with more gainer fuzzes like your Dam MKII, it may get a bit sputtery. I have to get back to people at my house, later. Gary
Hey Gary, how's it going? RSA23 vs. Connie using the same cabs: About the same volume, maybe the Connie is a bit louder. About the same gain, though in different frequencies. A bit more lows with the RSA. Crunchier gain sounds with the RSA, the Connie is more smooth. More low mids with the RSA and more high mids with the Connie. RSA does not clean up as well as the Connie. The Connie gets more chime as you turn down your volume knob. I like the RSA for humbuckers and the Connie for Strats. About the same clean headroom. RSA channel 1 is more Fendery and 2 is more Marshally RSA is more "classic rock" and the Connie is more rock/blues/fusion, or at least it sounds that way to me. The Connie is a bit quieter (background noise) I wish the RSA had a cut knob like the Connie. Both are perfect for most clubs, volume wise. RSA's construction is first rate, Connie's is perfection. Both use weird, hard to find tubes. Both kick ass!!!! If I had to pick just one.....Connie, but both are excellent. Remember, these are just my opinions. I like real fat lead tones, not muddy but not ice picky. I like bell-like cleans with a bit of "hair". Both amps can get that. Both amps push some air, despite their low wattage. Happy Thanksgiving!
"Crystal clear crunchy rock rhythm?" Isn't that an oxymoron? Actially, the Connie has wonderful articulation, even on complex chords, while providing a ton of "classic" gain. It is definitely not a modern sounding amp but provides a complete range of classic R&R tones. The clips actually do the amp justice if you can hear them over a good set of speakers. A word of caution though...I find the amp to be hellaciously loud for its rated 30 watts. I've had to resort to using a Weber Mass, at least in parallel for most club gigs on which I've used the Connie. Unfortunately that tames some of the wild harmonics, but it works quite well; much better than using an attenuator in line with the speakers. I know most who post here about the Constellation don't seem to miss a tone stack but I certainly do. The bright switch and cut control work well to tailor the amp to pickup type but I really do miss some control over the tone besides the guitar tone pot. Not a huge issue, but slightly dissappointing. As a lower powered alternative...try a London 65. Killer classic sounds with tremendous flexibility and damn near the harmonic content of the Constellation. Only 18 watts, but like the Connie, a LOUD 18 watts. Probably perfect for most clubs; just mike as needed. There are SO many great amps being made now. Were all just going to have to suffer through the process of trying each and every one of them....or so it seems at times. Enjoy the search.
I prefer the Constellation over any ÷ by 13 that I've heard. That's not a knock to Fred T. or any ÷ by 13 owner; just my personal preferences. It is extremely loud for it's size and as Komet are never likely to use a Master in any of their amps (nor make a smaller amp) then should you need a quieter amp it is best to look elsewhere. I think it is glorious through Blues (actually it is difficult to think of any other amp based on a similar configuration that doesn't sound better through the same speakers). Best, Pete.
I prefer the /13 cleans, but greatly prefer the Constellation overdrive. Not even close, for me. Actually the Constellation cleans are great, but just don't have a ton of headroom.
Another great EL84 amp is the Custom By cougar Thunderbird. I prefer the T-bird over a Connie becouse it's clearer more Marshall Kerang, wonderful cleans and a LOT of gain on tap. And.. the icing of the cake is a great built in attenuator. A few clips on www.custombycougar.com and on my soundclick page. For me it is the best EL84 amp i have ever played including som great AC30's, 18w Marshalls, MAtchless, Bad cat and so on. AND THE LOOKS of a Cougar amp is fantastic, hand engraved, backskin and hardwood. Tommy Cougar is a genious in tweaking an amp to what you need.
