GenoBluzGtr
Platinum Supporting Member
- Messages
- 3,396
I picked up a Roaring 40 today. What workmanship! A fine amp by any standard!
It sounded great, but not quite what I expected, but after a tube swap (it had all JJs in it, but I think they were pretty used up, (I replaced the because of some sever filament rattle) and when I put in some spares it really opened the amp up!!!
Amazing tones, as bright or as dark as you like, the 'presence' control makes a huge difference, and the interactive volumes make it one of the most flexible and useful single channel amps I have ever played.
It will definitely reduce or eliminate my pedal board right away (guitar volume manipulation combined with the 'boost' function on the amp footswitch provides 3 excellent tonal options), since I can get a nice "almost fender-y" clean with my Fat Strat on a single coil with the volume backed off a couple of notches, then flip to the bridge humbucker for a beefy, meaty, grindy-but-smooth overdriven rhythm; dime the volume for more gain and a slight bump in presence and volume; kick on the boost and you get just bit more volume but a noticeable increase in gain (perfect for leads!)... Amazing amp...
Now, if I can just figure out the best tubes for this type of amp... I have never had a 'real' EL84 amp before, so I am at your mercy for recommendations there. It's a combo, so hardiness and resistance to filament rattle is important, although with the Vox-style chassis, they are hanging in direct line of the speaker like most other amps.
I like midrange, I like deep, chimey cleans, and I like smooth grinding, chewy overdrive.
Any recommendations would be appreciated... if you could provide your tonal impressions along with the recommendation I would be grateful as well.
Thanks,
Geno
It sounded great, but not quite what I expected, but after a tube swap (it had all JJs in it, but I think they were pretty used up, (I replaced the because of some sever filament rattle) and when I put in some spares it really opened the amp up!!!
Amazing tones, as bright or as dark as you like, the 'presence' control makes a huge difference, and the interactive volumes make it one of the most flexible and useful single channel amps I have ever played.
It will definitely reduce or eliminate my pedal board right away (guitar volume manipulation combined with the 'boost' function on the amp footswitch provides 3 excellent tonal options), since I can get a nice "almost fender-y" clean with my Fat Strat on a single coil with the volume backed off a couple of notches, then flip to the bridge humbucker for a beefy, meaty, grindy-but-smooth overdriven rhythm; dime the volume for more gain and a slight bump in presence and volume; kick on the boost and you get just bit more volume but a noticeable increase in gain (perfect for leads!)... Amazing amp...
Now, if I can just figure out the best tubes for this type of amp... I have never had a 'real' EL84 amp before, so I am at your mercy for recommendations there. It's a combo, so hardiness and resistance to filament rattle is important, although with the Vox-style chassis, they are hanging in direct line of the speaker like most other amps.
I like midrange, I like deep, chimey cleans, and I like smooth grinding, chewy overdrive.
Any recommendations would be appreciated... if you could provide your tonal impressions along with the recommendation I would be grateful as well.
Thanks,
Geno