I got the board in a pile of stuff in a basket...lol Everything else I built. Replaced and modified 80% of the components.
If you like amps with a zillion knobs (20 control knobs just on the front) and switches and is super sensitive to the smallest amount of knob movement, you will love this beast. This is not your dad's Mesa Boogie...lol
Five switches on the foot switch. Two Celestion G12T-85 speakers in custom cabinet. EL844 tubes that were custom made tubes in 2009 from JJ Electronics in Cadca Slovakia. That reduced the output from each tube to 9 watts from 12 watts for standard EL84's The amp will run with the EL84"s but has to be re biased. Yes...I know I have been crazy for some time now...lol Plug BIAB into this amp and turn it up on 14 to introduce the whole neighborhood to BIAB...lol Billy
Last edited by Planobilly; 04/16/2106:08 PM.
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
They are, in no particular order, my Mesa Boogie Studio 22 watt amp. I used it a lot on stage with several bands and it still kicks after all these years. I also have a relatively new (last year) Positive Grid Spark modeler. Allegedly it has 40 watts out to 2 4" speakers. A number of models in it from breaking glass clean to nasty metal grunge. And everything in between. I think they list 10k different configurations possible with the models and pedals available as factory default. I've just started using this as my main studio amp. And of course, my old trusty Pod2 from Line 6. It has limited models and a few FX and has been a great studio amp as it is totally silent. Direct out only into the interface. I can listen through the speakers in my studio rig or headphones.
Five switches on the foot switch. Two Celestion G12T-85 speakers in custom cabinet. EL844 tubes that were custom made tubes in 2009 from JJ Electronics in Cadca Slovakia. That reduced the output from each tube to 9 watts from 12 watts for standard EL84's The amp will run with the EL84"s but has to be re biased. Yes...I know I have been crazy for some time now...lol Plug BIAB into this amp and turn it up on 14 to introduce the whole neighborhood to BIAB...lol Billy
Very cool. I read the reviews on those tubes and they seem to be quite nice. It seems they retain all the shimmer and punch of the 84's but breakup smoothly at lower volume and have a nice compression aspect to them as well. The review I read mentioned that the amp didn't need to be rebiased to switch the tubes.... plug and play according to the writer. I really like the lower wattage amps and appreciate the qualities they have when it comes to tone and volume and the combination of those two. I recall a certain Carvin I owned for a time. I've been a fan of Carvin ever since I bought one to replace a heavy as heck Ampeg 100w combo. It was lighter and half the power but oh my.... the tone, and the volume was comparable. I later bought a 100w Carvin, their equivilent to the Mesa of the time. With the EV speaker, that amp was just too dang loud. I sold both my Carvins at some point and switched to the 22w Boog.... and haven't looked back since. I'm a fan of low powered amps because if I need too, I can always use the direct out to power as many power amps and speakers as my ears can stand.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
I have the Randall Commander II RG-120-212 I bought new (275$) in May 1979. IIRC....solid state was just coming of age and maybe not so popular with the tube purists at that time.
It's still in very good condition. A great amp, solid state, 2 channel....and would blow off your face if not careful.
As subjective as the choice is I'd endorse my Randall....FWIW.
(EDIT: Planobilly....you must have some great soldering skills. Me...I suck at it. But...if one needs and solder contacts or potentiometer posts melted?....I'm your man :))
I have had a number of amps over the years. They all came and went, except this one which I keep cause I can carry it without hurting my back. BTW, I just looked up pricing and this amp and was pleasantly surprised by how it has held value over the past 20 years.
Oh, I just saw the thread title. Sorry no tubes here.
My amp pales in comparison to Billy's custom tube amp but it more than meets my needs.
It's a Roland Cube 80XL. From the website;
"With over one million CUBE amps sold and going strong, Roland continues to push the envelope with innovative amp technology and design. The latest addition to the top-selling CUBE amp family is the CUBE-XL series, with the CUBE-80XL representing the most powerful and feature-packed of the new lineup. The CUBE-80XL delivers 80 screaming watts of power through its 12" high-performance custom speaker. There are discrete, footswitchable* channels — JC Clean and Lead — with Solo settings for each. Twelve COSM amp models are onboard, including the new Extreme, plus eight effects to choose from, including the new Heavy Octave and COSM vintage Spring Reverb, plus an 80-second Phrase Looper. A 3-band EQ with Presence control is provided for detailing your sound."
It's a great amp but this sumbitch is heavy for a small amp.
A sort of Deluxe Reverb with twin speakers. Cool for studio but not stage.
I went crazy building amps for a while...lol
Billy
Metal Monster from Hell....sure to dom the lights at your house...lol
Last edited by Planobilly; 04/18/2103:24 PM.
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
That Deluxe is sweet. Looks like a custom boutique amp.
Regards,
Bob
Thanks Bob,
I guess it is a custom boutique amp.
Only issue with amps you build your self you never stop working on them...lol
Billy
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
mine is a 60s throwback that cost me £70 in the late 80s. going for silly money on ebay these days.
tube watts are so much louder it seems than solid state watts so i never got the chance to crank it up on stage to get crunch/overdrive. so i'm not sure what the amp sounds like at full volume but it always seemed to stay clean used at stage volume (but with a valve warmth) and i got distortion and fx from a processor.
i also bought this ibanez pedal at around the same time for £35 but that too is now going for silly money.
both are in the attic and i must remember to tell my son what they are worth when they clear the house. as well as my 1971 Martin D35..............
Nice looking amps guys! Especially like the Nomad, I've always wanted a Mesa (bought a Mesa Express 5:25 at one point, but it wasn't for me) - someday I'll have a Mark IIc or Single Recto.
You can see my amps in this pic of my home studio (I don't have close-up pics handy here at work). From top to bottom:
Gallien-Krueger Backline 600 bass amp head - solid state 300-watt (currently waiting for new output transistors to arrive) Peavey Valveking 100 head (heavily modded with the "Mesa" mod and the "JCM" mod) - an absolute beast and very underrated Rivera Knucklehead 55 (1994 version) - covers every sound from Fender Blackface to Tweed to hot-rodded Marshall Carvin MTS 3212 (heavily modded, rehoused into a head vs a 2x12 combo - the speaker cab is behind on the right) - excellent clean, and tube-driven reverb! Currently using only 2 6L6's for 50w output (power transformer sags a bit too much on the heater voltage with 4 power tubes) Epiphone Valve Jr head (not easily visible, soon to be very heavily modded) Akai/Roberts M7 (heavily modded, 2 channel guitar amp with EF86 channel and 12AX7 channel) - very loud for a single EL84 Weber Super Reverb head kit (not functioning, bought it from a guy partially built, going to start from scratch at some point)
Next to the shelf: Traynor YCV40 (with the pirate face in the torn grille, bought it in rough shape and added the face with a sharpie) - currently not working, probably will hand-wire something in it's chassis Under the Traynor is the cab for the Carvin MTS3212 - good speakers, not a great cab (too small) Kustom Defender 50 (a surprisingly good sounding amp stock, but with a terrible reverb circuit driving a proper spring tank)
Not shown: Carvin X100B head, 1990-ish (carpet version) - currently rebuilding the head as the carpet grew some mould in storage, not surprising given the age. Good reverb, good clean, great crunch and drive. Currently using only 2 6L6's for 50w output.
Last edited by Simon - PG Music; 04/19/2111:04 AM.
They are, in no particular order, my Mesa Boogie Studio 22 watt amp. I used it a lot on stage with several bands and it still kicks after all these years. I also have a relatively new (last year) Positive Grid Spark modeler. Allegedly it has 40 watts out to 2 4" speakers. A number of models in it from breaking glass clean to nasty metal grunge. And everything in between. I think they list 10k different configurations possible with the models and pedals available as factory default. I've just started using this as my main studio amp. And of course, my old trusty Pod2 from Line 6. It has limited models and a few FX and has been a great studio amp as it is totally silent. Direct out only into the interface. I can listen through the speakers in my studio rig or headphones.
I don't know why the pics are not displaying for me. Hummmmmmm... I used the PHOTO Icon..... hope you can see them or access the box files.
Back in the day I use to play through a Super Reverb. Clubs were bigger, people were more tolerant of loud blues and Rock. No cops standing in the street with a dB gun checking the volume level. For all the advances in electronics nothing sounds like a Fender cranked up on 10.
As time went by and there were requirements to play at lower volume levels I started experimenting with lower wattage amps. I had a Zinky Blue Velvet at around 25 watts but it was still loud as hell. Great sounding amp. I am trying to find one but no luck so far. I guess I could call Bruce and beg him to build me one. Two Rock makes a good amp but kindy pricey. I also like the sound of a Supro and I want to build one if I can find the proper output transformer.
As I got older I also got really tired of lugging around things like Twin Reverbs, B3 organs. I miss the sound but not the back breaking work. Same with a Les Paul, they can produce a really cool sustained sound that I was never able to get from any other guitar. Well...four sets on Saturday night with that hanging around my neck....no thanks.
We have very good PA systems now days so if the amp is not loud enough mic the damn thing through the PA.
There is really no answer to being jammed up on a tiny little stage without a mic on everything and a in ear monitor system with your own control panel.
No single amp will do everything well. Good excuse to buy more amps...lol
Billy
EDIT: Wonderful news. I just got off the phone with Bruce Zinky and he said he would send me the part to build a Blue Velvet. They don't make that amp any longer but he said he has enough parts left over to put one together. Fun stuff.
Last edited by Planobilly; 04/20/2105:33 AM.
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
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