two rock review (custom, opal, and onyx content)

I've got an opal, and I pretty much agree with your description. Although I like to have the reverb at 1/3 to1/2. I thought the reverb improved when I put a Tele 12AX7 in the reverb hole. The clean channel is a tad flat, but the lead channel is great. I haven't owned the others, but the Customs I've heard did seem to have a cooler clean channel, but less exciting lead. The CR I tried was a bit too soft... The Onyx I heard had a more Marshally lead channel. I don't know if it was that particular amp, but it wasn't doing the smooth flame-thrower thing that I like about my Opal. Just to muddy the mix, an emerald-pro I tried once had very nice cleans and super-smooth lead. That was the amp that made me want a TwoRock.

 

Joel,

If the Onyx that you played/heard, was the one at my shop, that amp has Chinese tubes in it.

And you, my brother, know a thing or two about tubing these amps!

Mike

 

Oddly enough, I thought the exact opposite. I liked the Opal's cleans better and the Custom's over drive better. I ultimately decided on a custo, but I have to save that the Opal is a great amo. I also liked the Jade quite a bit. I would certainly consider one in the future.

cmn

 

Sell both and get a low gain Emerald Pro. It has better cleans than the Custom, (bigger, less compressed, less middy) and better overdrive than the Opal. (Smoother, thicker, and not as raspy) To me, it is still the best channel switcher I have ever played or heard. The cleans are much more open than the Opals, and the reverb is WAY better. You also get NOS tubes, and a series\ paralell loop. You get the dwell switch in the back so you can go from Robben Ford smooth, to a more Marshally grind, and also the internal trimmers. Ultrasound still has them in stock, with the original (pre topaz) transformers. VERY, VERY good! Can you tell I still love the amp after 4 years?

 

To be honest I played the Onyx and was really close to buying it. I didn't because the sale ended and the next one I could buy jumped in price $1500. I AB'd it with the Opal and I liked the Onyx's cleans a lot better. I also played a Blackface (Not sure what year) Twin Reverb amp. I liked the Onyx's cleans better. I am not sure what people exactly mean by "glassy" or "dark" but I know what I like and the Onyx's cleans seemed to a full spectrum clean, each frequency seemed to be equalized perfectly at all the knobs at 12 o'clock, so you could tweak it more to your specifics. I have tried a Dr. Z Route 66, Blackface, Soldano Lucky 13, Orange Rockoverb, Bogner Shiva, Fuchs ODS 100, Hiwatt D504, O'brien, and Blackface. The Onyx had the best clean IMO. I have never played a Custom, so I can't compare. I hope that helped somewhat. I've only played for 4 years, but I do know a good amp when I hear one. Just take this with a grain of salt.

 

Tag, I've been meaning to ask you what do you think the difference between the Emerald 50 and the Emerald Pro is?

I doubt that I'll get rid of my Emerald 50, it's an awesome amp. But I remember reading about you raving on the pro so much, that I thought that I'd ask.

Yossi


PS, I hope that this doesnt hi-jack your thread zooom

 

The Emerald 50 and Emerald Pro are very different sounding amps. The Emerald Pro was specifically designed to nail Robben Fords tone. The Emerald was a lot "rougher" sounding to me in overdrive, and not as open in the cleans. You really need both.

 

Tag,

What Emerald do they have at Ultrasound. I thougt that the drive channel was way more aggresive / pronounced on the top end. i only had a few minutes with it. but it left a really sharp impression. I really feel like the Custom's drive is much warmer.

cmn

 

They have several Emerald pros and Topaz. Both high and low gain. What room did you play it in? I do not know if they have and Emeralds anymore. They had a used one at GC last year.
If the drive vchannel was aggresive, it does not sound like you played an Emerald Pro, but an Emerald. The Emerald Pro is the smoothest amp I have ever played. WAY smoother than a Custom, which is almost dead nuts on with genes old C.Cross Dumble. The E.Pro was dead on with Genes Tan Dumble.

 

There were only 10 low gainers made, and all went to Ultrasound. If they were not bought from Ultra, they are not low gainers. I do not even think Joe knows which #s were hi and low gain. The high gain ones can be converted to low, and vice versa very easily. The Lower gain model sound way better to my ear. I had bough mine, then a wekk or two later, Ultra got in a brand new batch of E.Pros. On the box, written in magic marker were "Low gain" on some"High gain" on others. Gene said he would give me full credit on mine ( Thanks Gene! ) if I wanted a Hi Gain model. I A\Bd them, and but liked mine much more. The low gain was much smoother, while still having plenty of gain. The higher gain would be better for a metal head, but you lose so much tone imo.
I cant BELIEVE they still have some of these, brand new in a box!

 

>>Enter the onyx - will this amp solve my dillemma? i've heard it's supposed to have the best cleans of all the two rocks (most fendery, anyway). how does its drive channel hold up in comparison? to the custom & opal?<<

Procos has owned all three, he would be a good person to ask; and I've owned the Onyx and Onyx Sig models. We had a tone fest at my studio with Chuck's Onyx, Opal, and my Onyx Sig through TR cabs with TR and other Emi speakers.

I also regularly play my Onyx through a Mesa 112 3/4 back speaker with a Mesa Black Shadow 90, when I want a single 12.

Chuck's Opal was the amp that made me want a TR in the first place. I like the cleans on the Onyx better, and the cleans on the Onyx sig even better than the reg. Onyx.

As to the lead channel, they're really all great sounding, if a bit different. It is true that the Onyx can take you into high gain territory, but it's also good with less gain, and it's very touch sensitive. To be honest, after Chuck and I compared the gain channels on the Opal and the Onyx, yeah, there was a difference, but it wasn't huge. A bit of fiddling with the controls on either amp could take you into the other amp's territory.

A really nice/useful thing about the Onyx is that you have two separate EQs, one for each channel.

I like a bright clean channel, but I prefer a warmer, more rolled-off treble on the lead channel. I also like a bit of "hair" on my cleans, so I set the gain different from the gain channel. I also use more reverb on my clean channel. It's nice to have separate controls for each. Finally, the boost control works differently, and I think is slightly cooler, on the Onyx.

Finally, I don't think you can go wrong with ANY TR, they're really all good.

 

per two rockthe only difference is like a resistor or two?

 

Z, ya got the impedance thing bacKwards, pullin' two tubes doubles it....

 

I spoke with Joe this week-2 parts(and I quote "hardly worth the difference").

 

Take it a step further...sell both and get a Fuchs TDS. It has an independent clean channel with a full complement of EQ and tone switches...and then you also get a crunch channel....and then the classic D-style overdrives which, IMO, sound better than any Two-Rock I've heard. The latest stuff coming out of the Fuchs shop has topped anything I've heard coming out of Two-Rock these days...fuller, smoother, richer...much more flexible.

 

oh my!... rather bold

 

Les are you the only Onyx Sig owner in existence?? I've never seen or heard of another.