mtmartin71
Gold Supporting Member
- Messages
- 5,196
...that is the question!
I have a 2061x that I picked up on Ebay. Overall, I really dig it. I especially dig it opened up to a nice crunch with my Gretsch which has some PowerTrons. Awesome sound. At that same setting, it's cleanish with my Strat so I use pedals, but in the 6 range on the volume, I love the sound. Problem is, even at 20W, the amp is too dang loud with it's matching 2x12. I tried a Hot Plate with it and I need a -6db setting because -4 is not quite enough and -8 take too much of the punch off for me. I did get a chance to use the amp on stage in one of the small clubs we tend to play and I could only get the volume to a little over 2.
Where I'm at now is determining whether to keep this amp. I think the only way for it to fit my gigging environment is to potentially power scale it. Does power scaling work very well with a NMV amp? Do I have to lose something from the stock amp i.e. give up a control or jack or can I just punch a hole in the back and have the control there? Since the reissues have already settled into the $1000 used range (where I bought it), will this kind of modification hurt or help its value? How much does a typical power scale retrofit cost for an amp of this type (ballpark)?
The alternative for me is to sell it and get something that power scales so I can get that power tube breakup sound (which I dig vs. all preamp). The Reeves Custom 18, Reinhardt, and Fargen Mini Plex II have my attention as all of them add more features to the amp they're inspired by. But I'll be damned if that Marshall stack doesn't look wonderful together. I think it depends on how much it would cost to sell and buy new vs. making the changes to my 2061x. I also struggle with the resale hit I'm going to take on those amps unless I found one used.
Would value your opinions...
I have a 2061x that I picked up on Ebay. Overall, I really dig it. I especially dig it opened up to a nice crunch with my Gretsch which has some PowerTrons. Awesome sound. At that same setting, it's cleanish with my Strat so I use pedals, but in the 6 range on the volume, I love the sound. Problem is, even at 20W, the amp is too dang loud with it's matching 2x12. I tried a Hot Plate with it and I need a -6db setting because -4 is not quite enough and -8 take too much of the punch off for me. I did get a chance to use the amp on stage in one of the small clubs we tend to play and I could only get the volume to a little over 2.
Where I'm at now is determining whether to keep this amp. I think the only way for it to fit my gigging environment is to potentially power scale it. Does power scaling work very well with a NMV amp? Do I have to lose something from the stock amp i.e. give up a control or jack or can I just punch a hole in the back and have the control there? Since the reissues have already settled into the $1000 used range (where I bought it), will this kind of modification hurt or help its value? How much does a typical power scale retrofit cost for an amp of this type (ballpark)?
The alternative for me is to sell it and get something that power scales so I can get that power tube breakup sound (which I dig vs. all preamp). The Reeves Custom 18, Reinhardt, and Fargen Mini Plex II have my attention as all of them add more features to the amp they're inspired by. But I'll be damned if that Marshall stack doesn't look wonderful together. I think it depends on how much it would cost to sell and buy new vs. making the changes to my 2061x. I also struggle with the resale hit I'm going to take on those amps unless I found one used.
Would value your opinions...