jokerjkny
Member
- Messages
- 9,592
... and HOLY CRAP!!! 
i had two guitars that needed setups, and thought why not try Mr. Somma. been hearing alot about his amps from all y'all, so figured this would be the perfect opportunity. so, with my rosie/alder strat w/ Fralin VH's in tow, i travelled to Somerville, to hear what all the hubbub was about.
as i rolled up to the handsome white two level home, i was greeted by a really tall, wiry, and very gracious, jimmy somma. besides being struck at how small his shop was, i was amazed at how clean and well kept his workspace was, and trust me i've seen some pig styes. along side his desk, one corner was lined with amps ranging from a funkified looking Danelectro head to an intimidating 100 watt JCM800, while another corner held court his custom creations that wowed all y'all at the last tonefest, while in another corner sat his beloved white korina bodied strat. it wasnt a bad place to call your office.
after getting the guitar work outta the way, we dove headfirst into his amps. first tried the Roaring 20, loaded with a 12" Red Fang. right off the bat, the cleans were a nice mix of the ol' vox and fender chime, but unlike the Dr. Z formula, had more of that chimey vocal voxiness that i much prefer. pretty much had those matchless cleans i have always had in my head, but could never quite find in an actual matchless. but definitely one of the more voxier sounding amps that say their vox "inspired". also, had lots of breathy air like my Alessandro Blue Tick or English. clicking back and forth pickup positions, my strat exhibited this rounded, water beaded, fatness that seemed to be covered in a rich hifi glossy sheen.
then, cranking the amp morphed the tone into this chunkie rippin' raunch that would have made Marc Bolan proud. upper end had that fat, gravelly, rowdy Vox flavor, and the middle mids werent compressed at all. they almost start to break up like a raunchy 6V6 amp, but then lower mids fill out the sound with a hungry man's fat chunkie feel. dare i say, like a cross btwn my Clark Lil Bit's rascally 6V6 flavor w/ heaping helping of plexi thrown in to taste.
and yet, what struck me right off the bat was the incredible note definition. no matter how much gain the amp would put out, i could still tell i was on my middle pickup, or my neck pickup, or in btwn the two!! pretty similar to the sensation i get when playing my Fuchs, which is my "articulation" mental benchmark. no hiding behind this amp.
course, plugging into the Roaring 40 changed all that. while being crunked up with a pair of 10" Ragin Cajuns, it had a decidedly more fendery midrange, and not quite as voxy. still, quite fat, and chimey all at once, and i'm sure that voxy flavor is easily attainable with a 2x12 loaded w/ fangs or blues, but i digress.
bottom line, that added 20 watts made the amp that much more girthy, dynamic, and most of all, punchie! snap a few lines on the low E and A, and your chest is greeted with a few Roy Jones Jr. like body blows. like being snapped at by a ball peen hammer! while some amps simply convey your notes, this amps delivers the notes ASAP/UPS/FedEx. instantly reminded me of a Komet 60 in "Fast" mode.
and while the amp does have a "boost" mode, i couldnt help but agree with jimmy to just keep the amp in boost mode. adds even more touch sensitivity to the semi dirty tones. and like jimmy mentioned, its also much easier getting to the cleaner tone, by simply turning the boost off, and rolling back just a wee bit. course, he can tailor the boost to whatever you like, but i think his default setting is best.
the only niggle i had with the amps was that there wasnt quite enough low end for me. but i'm guessing that have more to do with the fact i've been gigging mostly as a bassist.
also, the amps were propped up against the wall. still, in a band mix, i'm sure as a bassist, i'd actually appreciate the lack of muddying low end from the other side of the drum riser.
so, if any of y'all are in the middle jersey area, do give Jimmy a visit. he's a class act, and a cool dooder to just chill and talk turkey, gravy, and gear. and yes, his amps will most definitely rock you. no doubt, i have a feeling that one his amps like say a 40 watt head in black 'n tan will find their way to a tonefest near you.
i had two guitars that needed setups, and thought why not try Mr. Somma. been hearing alot about his amps from all y'all, so figured this would be the perfect opportunity. so, with my rosie/alder strat w/ Fralin VH's in tow, i travelled to Somerville, to hear what all the hubbub was about.
as i rolled up to the handsome white two level home, i was greeted by a really tall, wiry, and very gracious, jimmy somma. besides being struck at how small his shop was, i was amazed at how clean and well kept his workspace was, and trust me i've seen some pig styes. along side his desk, one corner was lined with amps ranging from a funkified looking Danelectro head to an intimidating 100 watt JCM800, while another corner held court his custom creations that wowed all y'all at the last tonefest, while in another corner sat his beloved white korina bodied strat. it wasnt a bad place to call your office.
after getting the guitar work outta the way, we dove headfirst into his amps. first tried the Roaring 20, loaded with a 12" Red Fang. right off the bat, the cleans were a nice mix of the ol' vox and fender chime, but unlike the Dr. Z formula, had more of that chimey vocal voxiness that i much prefer. pretty much had those matchless cleans i have always had in my head, but could never quite find in an actual matchless. but definitely one of the more voxier sounding amps that say their vox "inspired". also, had lots of breathy air like my Alessandro Blue Tick or English. clicking back and forth pickup positions, my strat exhibited this rounded, water beaded, fatness that seemed to be covered in a rich hifi glossy sheen.
then, cranking the amp morphed the tone into this chunkie rippin' raunch that would have made Marc Bolan proud. upper end had that fat, gravelly, rowdy Vox flavor, and the middle mids werent compressed at all. they almost start to break up like a raunchy 6V6 amp, but then lower mids fill out the sound with a hungry man's fat chunkie feel. dare i say, like a cross btwn my Clark Lil Bit's rascally 6V6 flavor w/ heaping helping of plexi thrown in to taste.
and yet, what struck me right off the bat was the incredible note definition. no matter how much gain the amp would put out, i could still tell i was on my middle pickup, or my neck pickup, or in btwn the two!! pretty similar to the sensation i get when playing my Fuchs, which is my "articulation" mental benchmark. no hiding behind this amp.
course, plugging into the Roaring 40 changed all that. while being crunked up with a pair of 10" Ragin Cajuns, it had a decidedly more fendery midrange, and not quite as voxy. still, quite fat, and chimey all at once, and i'm sure that voxy flavor is easily attainable with a 2x12 loaded w/ fangs or blues, but i digress.
bottom line, that added 20 watts made the amp that much more girthy, dynamic, and most of all, punchie! snap a few lines on the low E and A, and your chest is greeted with a few Roy Jones Jr. like body blows. like being snapped at by a ball peen hammer! while some amps simply convey your notes, this amps delivers the notes ASAP/UPS/FedEx. instantly reminded me of a Komet 60 in "Fast" mode.
and while the amp does have a "boost" mode, i couldnt help but agree with jimmy to just keep the amp in boost mode. adds even more touch sensitivity to the semi dirty tones. and like jimmy mentioned, its also much easier getting to the cleaner tone, by simply turning the boost off, and rolling back just a wee bit. course, he can tailor the boost to whatever you like, but i think his default setting is best.
the only niggle i had with the amps was that there wasnt quite enough low end for me. but i'm guessing that have more to do with the fact i've been gigging mostly as a bassist.
also, the amps were propped up against the wall. still, in a band mix, i'm sure as a bassist, i'd actually appreciate the lack of muddying low end from the other side of the drum riser. so, if any of y'all are in the middle jersey area, do give Jimmy a visit. he's a class act, and a cool dooder to just chill and talk turkey, gravy, and gear. and yes, his amps will most definitely rock you. no doubt, i have a feeling that one his amps like say a 40 watt head in black 'n tan
will find their way to a tonefest near you. 
