Divided By 13 9/15 a Question

yeah guys ,do tell

 

i got my 9/15 one year ago & will not be selling it anytime soon, if ever. i love this amp & have used it on all my live gigs this past year. previously i used a naylor duel 60 for about 6 years & i still have it. i just love the way the 9/15 sounds & the versatility it offers with just a few simple controls. i switch between the two output sections during gigs depending on the sound i'm looking for. i got that idea from frank simes who i talked to while he was doing the last don henley tour with his 9/15. i've had several musicians & sound engineers, that i really respect, tell me how much they love the tone of the 9/15. i will mention that it is quite loud for such a low wattage amp. i use a dr z airbrake attenuator to tame it some. fred taccone knows his stuff & is a nice guy to do business with to boot. hope this helps.

 

I have mine for about a year too...
I have an affinity for lower wattage(20 to 30 watts) boutique amps and also happen to have developed a preference for 6V6's and EL84's over the years so the JRT seemed to fit the bill perfectly.It would also give me a chance to try the Divided by 13 "sound".
What I didn't expect was for it to become my absolute number one amp!
Apart from the obvious traits this amp posseses,firm bass,good sense of headroom,frequency balance,pedal friendliness,easiness in dialing in and versatility it also posseses an elusive magical quality that is hard to be put into words and what folks here often refer to as TONE or MOJO.
To me that translates as inspiration and freedom of expression.
Ofcourse, these things tend to be a bit personal and what works for some might not work for other people at all mainly because we all have our inspiration come from different musical backgrounds or sometimes we expect an amp to take us where it simply doesn't go which should explain to some extent why people buy and sell amps like cofee...
I hope you'll enjoy yours as much as I enjoy mine!

Ted

 

Do yourself a BIG favor and buy the SJT 10/20 instead of the JRT 9/15.
Trust me on this one..............:AOK

 

Actually, I don't trust anyone when it comes to tone. I'll trust my ears and my preferences over yours. But, I'll never get the opportunity to play a 9/15 side-by-side with a 10/20. So I have to ask questions on this forum like a lot of others.... What is it that you prefer about the 10/20 over the 9/15?

Also, what speaker(s) are you guys using with the 9/15?

 

I agree with you on only trusting your own ears on tone.
You'll NEVER go wrong with that premise HOWEVER, YOU are the one asking for opinions .....I never quite understood this scenario.
Anyway, good luck and I'll let you figure it out.

 

I'm using a Divided 2x12 cab with a Blue and a G12H heritage.It sounds just perfect!
The SJT must also be a great amp.Very intriguing...

Ted

 

Hey Kelly
If you get a chance come up to Gainesville this Friday night for the Blues festival. Delta Moon is playing and the last time i saw them at the Blues Fest in Jax they were using /13. I couldn't tell what model but GREAT tones! A lot of killer slide guitar. Get Kenny (and anyone else too!) and come on up - it's free. Gainesville Downtown plaza. Starts around 7:00. Delta moon will be on later probably about 9:00 or so.

Tony

 

Sorry if my previous post sounded a little antagonistic. It was not intended to criticize.

Like the originator of this thread the 9/15 is one of the amps that has caught my eye as far as the features and sound clips. So, even though I will not blindly take your recommendation to go with the 10/20 over the 9/15, any information that you can share about why you prefer the 10/20 is helpful - particularly if you have run into things that you consider problems or limitations with the 9/15 design.

Yes, I will trust my ears first, but I don't see any contradiction in wanting to learn as much as I can about an amp by reading the experiences/observations of others before making a decision on whether to try one myself.

 

No problem Eric and I would like to clarify that from the 3 Divided by 13 amps I have had the pleasure of playing I feel Fred does not make anything but wonderful amps across the board.
I just feel the 9/15 is less "wonderous" .
I owned both the 10/20 and the 9/15 at the same time and played out with both and at home.
The 9/15 is a better 'at home' amp if you like early breakup with little headroom because the 9/15 has NO clean headroom whatsoever. I found the 9/15 didn't get it done playing out in a group setting without miking it.
Also, the 9/15 sounded much like any other array of low watt EL 84 amps and didn't have the Div. by 13 tonal signature.
I mean, the Dr.Z Carmen Ghia and the 9/15, close call.
With the 9/15 on the 6V6 side it is an improvement but still no match for the 10/20.
The 10/20 is just in another leaugue altogether with the added features of reverb, boost switch etc.
The 10/20 is a much bigger sounding amp, more dimensional and much more versatile. It has clean headroom and the perfect breakup all at your guitar volume knob.
In a group setting the 10/20 has no equal period for this type of amp and
it cuts like no other while the 9/15 didn't cut the mustard for me.
GuitarKelly, hope this helps you out a little.
Good Luck..........

 

Timmo, have you had a chance to play the 10/20 next the FRT37?
I would be curious to your thoughts about headroom after that comparison. I have the 37 and 9/15. May get 10/20, as I've read great reviews. My concern would be I may have 10/20 bases covered with 37 and 9/15.

 

I believe if you have the 37 you have the 10/20 already.
The 37 is a 10/20 just MORE of a wonderful thing.
The 37 is "THE AMP" IF you can actually use it's volume.
I LOVE that amp!

 

Thanks Timmo, that is what I thought. I attenuate sometimes, earplugs if turned up and I am in the same room. My fav is cab miked in islolated room, run in the studio and control volume from there.

 

Hi, now I don't know what guitars you're playing...
For me, the 9/15 only really worked with a Tele.
On both sides, EL84 and 6V6 great Tele tones, not really country picking Tele though...
And then, of course, the speakers...
In the ears of this beholder the Cel. Blue and RI H30 sounded like crap with the 9/15. Both speakers need to be pushed more than the 9/15 can in order to give it up.
The Scumback 25 and Weber 30w Silver Bell worked best for me,
and again, that's with a Tele. Works for jangly strat tones s well, if you're
not looking for a lot of punch.
In a band situation with a hard hitting drummer ? - no way.