Overdrives for Magnatone Twilighter

[Slideman]

Interesting - on the stereo twilighter video, while it gets very loud before breaking up, he's about just under half way up. On my 1x12....it needs to be up around 3/4 before you get breakup...maybe the preamp tubes? But those amp OD tones are killer with a full band.

 

[Mildwest]

Holy hell that's the deal of the century. Congrats!

Yea. I called my wife and told her it’s a deal you just don’t walk away from.

 

[morgan918]

Yea. I called my wife and told her it’s a deal you just don’t walk away from.

I'm preparing the "This is the kind of amp you don't walk away from" speech. I'm afraid to go try the 1x12 that's local because I know I'm going to leave with it.

 

[AStrangeDay]

Interesting - on the stereo twilighter video, while it gets very loud before breaking up, he's about just under half way up. On my 1x12....it needs to be up around 3/4 before you get breakup...maybe the preamp tubes? But those amp OD tones are killer with a full band.

There is a band called Big Thief were the Singer and the Guitarist both uses a Twilighter mono with a device like the one Neil Young uses to change "presets" on his Tweed deluxe to get the od tone from the amp.
The Twilighter mono does have an extremely satisfying overdriven tone by itself

 

[morgan918]

Well I went to try it today. I didn't leave with it but the gas is even worse now. Really shocked at just huge it sounded, and how loud it seemed. It's got a crispy almost vox thing in the high end (reminds me of the 90s UK AC30 with blues that I had) but mixed with some Fender type tones. The trem/vibrato and reverb are all to die for. I need to move a bunch of stuff to afford it and I'm debating if I really want to let go of my vintage Supro Big Star, but it would probably be worth it. It would become my one and only "clean" amp then that would be band worthy. I'm tempted to just go back and get it, but I really don't want to charge the whole thing.

 

[Slideman]

Well I went to try it today. I didn't leave with it but the gas is even worse now. Really shocked at just huge it sounded, and how loud it seemed. It's got a crispy almost vox thing in the high end (reminds me of the 90s UK AC30 with blues that I had) but mixed with some Fender type tones. The trem/vibrato and reverb are all to die for. I need to move a bunch of stuff to afford it and I'm debating if I really want to let go of my vintage Supro Big Star, but it would probably be worth it. It would become my one and only "clean" amp then that would be band worthy. I'm tempted to just go back and get it, but I really don't want to charge the whole thing.

you will never look back, trust me .

 

[Kristal_McKinstry]

The stereo stuff is insane. I imagine that the in-room experience would be jaw droppingly awesome. Live, you'd have to mic both sides, which would be fine if you're going to use the vibe/trem, but that would just be killer in the right venue. I'm likely just to aim for the 1x12, for more practical stuff like carrying it around and having money to eat

What, you don't want to be 'that homeless guy with the killer amp!'.

 

[Kristal_McKinstry]

Well I went to try it today. I didn't leave with it but the gas is even worse now. Really shocked at just huge it sounded, and how loud it seemed. It's got a crispy almost vox thing in the high end (reminds me of the 90s UK AC30 with blues that I had) but mixed with some Fender type tones. The trem/vibrato and reverb are all to die for. I need to move a bunch of stuff to afford it and I'm debating if I really want to let go of my vintage Supro Big Star, but it would probably be worth it. It would become my one and only "clean" amp then that would be band worthy. I'm tempted to just go back and get it, but I really don't want to charge the whole thing.

What's your definition of clean? I heard nothing clean in any demos. Clarus, Roland, some Fenders are clean. The tone is my ultimate divine, but I don't think I could justify it as a home venue PA for synth, clarinet, and steel drum players.

 

[Trunkard]

Adrienne Lenker from Big Thief does pretty well with a Prince of Tone.

 

[morgan918]

What's your definition of clean? I heard nothing clean in any demos. Clarus, Roland, some Fenders are clean. The tone is my ultimate divine, but I don't think I could justify it as a home venue PA for synth, clarinet, and steel drum players.

Definitely not Roland clean, but below 4ish on the volume it's what I'd call clean, although like i said, it has that sort of voxish bite on the top end. I probably wouldn't use it for keys although I'd like to run my 60s combo organ through it, at least at low volume.

 

[Kristal_McKinstry]

Definitely not Roland clean, but below 4ish on the volume it's what I'd call clean, although like i said, it has that sort of voxish bite on the top end. I probably wouldn't use it for keys although I'd like to run my 60s combo organ through it, at least at low volume.

That I could see. It seems to me the outer limit on clean this amp might do is the Doors, implicitly clean, cool background depth, yet still bathed consistently in a warm OD.

 

[lostbirds]

I really like the earthquaker devices plumes with this amp.

 

[Sleeping At Sea]

Well I went to try it today. I didn't leave with it but the gas is even worse now. Really shocked at just huge it sounded, and how loud it seemed. It's got a crispy almost vox thing in the high end (reminds me of the 90s UK AC30 with blues that I had) but mixed with some Fender type tones. The trem/vibrato and reverb are all to die for. I need to move a bunch of stuff to afford it and I'm debating if I really want to let go of my vintage Supro Big Star, but it would probably be worth it. It would become my one and only "clean" amp then that would be band worthy. I'm tempted to just go back and get it, but I really don't want to charge the whole thing.

Would you say it's different enough from an AC30?
From YouTube videos I hear a warmer and fuller clean and perhaps a bit smoother OD than an AC30. I'm still so keen on one of these but alternatively I would get a Friedman Twin Sister and go straight to crunch. Choices!

 

[morgan918]

Would you say it's different enough from an AC30?
From YouTube videos I hear a warmer and fuller clean and perhaps a bit smoother OD than an AC30. I'm still so keen on one of these but alternatively I would get a Friedman Twin Sister and go straight to crunch. Choices!

yeah, definitely not as glassy as my AC30. For reference, my 15 and 30 were the UK 90s TBX's with alnico blues. They had that super glassy crunch that I adore. The magnatone seems more Fendery to me overall, but the hint of break up tone reminds a bit of the Voxen. It's got that bit of sparkle magic.

 

[Slideman]

Updating my previous response on overdrives - I've been using a Boss OD-3 through the amp and it sounds amazing. Great combo.

 

[Alamous]

No experience on the new magnatones, but I do have a 57' Magnatone 260, and I think the twilighters are sorta similar sounding, my maggie seems to be best when pushed with just lotsa volume and maybe a bit of brightness with the tone knob, because the ol' beast is darker/mellower than most modern amps.