Played a bunch 'o boo-teek amps...

The other day at GC. I was there with my brother who is
searching for a new amp. The manager of this particular GC
(Tommy Roberts of Fulltone Fulldrive TR Edition pedal fame)
is a big boo-teek and vintage guy and a friend of mine, so I
always check out his collection when shopping. Anyway, we
hooked up the following amps and ripped thru them with
Aron's Strat (Kinman Blues pickups), a '56 Les Paul Jr
(original P90's), a 70's Les Paul and a new Fender
Strat-o-Sonic with P90's (my next guitar???).


Dr Z Max 18 Jr head into 2x12 cab - sounds damn good, just
about as loud (if not as loud) as my Maz 38 with a bit more
breakup at a slightly lower volume, but very tight and loud.
It sounds like a Dr Z, which is to say it doesn't sound like
a Vox, Fender or Marshall. That's a good thing, though, and
I like the Maz series amps a lot.

Matchless Clubman 35 head into 2x12 cab - LOUD and pretty
versatile for a "one trick pony" amp. There's a lot of gain
or a lot of clean available in this amp. Like all Matchless
amps you have to be careful to avoid the icepick in the ears
syndrome, and the higher gain settings can be a little harsh
(same with the Maz 18, though the Maz has nowhere near the
gain as the Matchless). I liked this amp and could
definitely see myself with it but for the price. Not as
farty in the low end as some Matchless amps but not as tight
as the Dr Z.

The Komet head into 2x12 cab - After all the hype I was
disappointed. It certainly didn't sound bad, and it got
loud as hell, but it was rather bland for the price. I
preferred both the Dr Z and the Matchless over the Komet. I
don't have much to say about it because it just didn't do
much for me.

Bogner Shiva 1x12 sealed back combo - Again, the amp didn't
live up to the hype. The clean was pretty good, but I
certainly wasn't blown away. There wasn't much gain on the
first channel and I expected the second channel to be much
different, but the second channel was pretty tame. Not much
gain available here either. Overall it was a good sounding
amp but it had no personality of its own and just didn't do
anything for me. I've never played a Bogner that "did it"
for me, they're good sounding amps but there are plenty of
other good sounding amps out there that do more for me.

Gibson Goldtone 30 2x12 combo - Wow. I'm impressed.
Volume, Tone, Reverb and great tone. Now I know these
things are built crappy (I've seen the guts) and I think
they're Trace Elliot design so I question their
roadworthiness. And they're ugly as hell. That said, this
thing sounded really good. If I ever see one on the used
market for dirt cheap I'll take it. Kinda Vox Ac30-ish but
not exactly. Very round, full low end, warm clear highs,
just an overall good sounding amp. From clean to drive with
the volume knob. Maybe this one was a winner, but if they
all sound this good Gibson should repackage this thing and
market it to the right folks. Try one of you get a chance.

Mesa Nomad 55 combo - it sounded like one of the worst Mesa
amps I've ever played. In fact, I think I liked this amp
less than any other Mesa I've ever played. This amp is NOT
for me.

Fender 1964 Vibroverb Reissue - positively the best sounding
reissue Fender I've ever played. LOUD as hell, from clean
to drive it always sounded great. Like all blackface
Fenders it was dead below 4 on the volume knob and too loud
for many gigs when it was on 4, but that's the way it is.
Low end for days, clear highs, a great sounding reissue.
Too expensive. Heavy. You can buy an original for less.

1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb (the real one, not a reissue) - If
you've played a good sounding blackface Deluxe Reverb you
know what I'm talking about. If not, go play one. I'd love
to own this amp. It's perfect in every way in it's
category.

Blonde (62 or 63?) Fender Showman head and 1x15" cab -
Didn't sound as good as the VRRI in my opinion. BIG and
heavy, loud, looks cool but not as cool as a blonde Bassman.
I wasn't overly impressed.

60's Vox AC30 (not TBX) - this one needed a tune up, it
wasn't magic like a great AC30 should be.

60's Vox AC15TBX - good Vox AC15 tone, not too useful for my
stage stuff but a great recording amp. These old Vox amps
are NOT reliable so I have no use for them, but this one
sounded good. It's not the same as a low wattage AC30, the
AC15 has it's own sound. I prefer the AC30TBX when they're
dialed in right, but with their unreliability issues I think
I'd go for something boo-teek instead.


Keep in mind that all of these amps were played for 5-20
minutes each (depending on how much we liked them) at all
volume levels (yes, we cranked them all up to gig volumes,
sometimes 2 at a time and jammed). But they weren't played
in a full band setting. Sometimes an amp that kills alone
sucks in the band mix. Overall, my favorites (in no
particular order) were the Vibroverb RI, the original DR,
the DR Z Maz 18, the Gibson Goldtone and the Matchless
Clubman 35. It was a fun Sunday afternoon but we didn't buy
anything (yet).

res0jmoj@verizon.net wrote...
> The other day at GC. I was there with my brother who is
> searching for a new amp. The manager of this particular GC
> (Tommy Roberts of Fulltone Fulldrive TR Edition pedal fame)
> is a big boo-teek and vintage guy and a friend of mine, so I
> always check out his collection when shopping. Anyway, we
> hooked up the following amps and ripped thru them with
> Aron's Strat (Kinman Blues pickups), a '56 Les Paul Jr
> (original P90's), a 70's Les Paul and a new Fender
> Strat-o-Sonic with P90's (my next guitar???).

Strat-o-Sonic? Nice idea; too bad it doesn't have a trem bridge.

They've got some nice amps at your GC. The one near me used to have
some nice amps, but now it's just the major builders.

> The Komet head into 2x12 cab - After all the hype I was
> disappointed. It certainly didn't sound bad, and it got
> loud as hell, but it was rather bland for the price. I
> preferred both the Dr Z and the Matchless over the Komet. I
> don't have much to say about it because it just didn't do
> much for me.

There's a nice clip of one up someplace, but in general I'm starting
to think that, after you get above $1200 or so, an amp's sound is
inversely proportional to its price. I'm talking in-production amps,
not those relatively few, truly remarkable vintage pieces.

There's gotta be some reason why everybody sells their $4000 Two Rock
within a week of getting it.

> Bogner Shiva 1x12 sealed back combo - Again, the amp didn't
> live up to the hype. The clean was pretty good, but I
> certainly wasn't blown away. There wasn't much gain on the
> first channel and I expected the second channel to be much
> different, but the second channel was pretty tame. Not much
> gain available here either. Overall it was a good sounding
> amp but it had no personality of its own and just didn't do
> anything for me. I've never played a Bogner that "did it"
> for me, they're good sounding amps but there are plenty of
> other good sounding amps out there that do more for me.

I'd really like to hear a Bruno Cowtipper. Some folks say that's the
finest clean sound you can get.

> Gibson Goldtone 30 2x12 combo - Wow. I'm impressed.
> Volume, Tone, Reverb and great tone. Now I know these
> things are built crappy (I've seen the guts) and I think
> they're Trace Elliot design so I question their
> roadworthiness. And they're ugly as hell. That said, this
> thing sounded really good. If I ever see one on the used
> market for dirt cheap I'll take it. Kinda Vox Ac30-ish but
> not exactly. Very round, full low end, warm clear highs,
> just an overall good sounding amp. From clean to drive with
> the volume knob. Maybe this one was a winner, but if they
> all sound this good Gibson should repackage this thing and
> market it to the right folks. Try one of you get a chance.

It sounds simple. Maybe it's simple enough to strip out completely
and rebuild as a PTP amp.

> [...other interesting stuff trimmed...]

--
"Leave the donkeys to their thistles." -- old Persian saying

"Richard" <rh310@hotmail.com> wrote in message

> > The other day at GC. I was there with my brother who is
> > searching for a new amp. The manager of this particular GC
> > (Tommy Roberts of Fulltone Fulldrive TR Edition pedal fame)
> > is a big boo-teek and vintage guy and a friend of mine, so I
> > always check out his collection when shopping. Anyway, we
> > hooked up the following amps and ripped thru them with
> > Aron's Strat (Kinman Blues pickups), a '56 Les Paul Jr
> > (original P90's), a 70's Les Paul and a new Fender
> > Strat-o-Sonic with P90's (my next guitar???).
>
> Strat-o-Sonic? Nice idea; too bad it doesn't have a trem bridge.

No trem is a selling feature to me. YMMV and all that.


> They've got some nice amps at your GC. The one near me used to have
> some nice amps, but now it's just the major builders.

These were all used amps except the reissue Vibroverb. THe store manager
is a big vintage and boutique guy so his store is fullof this stuff. Tons
of old Ricks and Voxes (he's a Beatles fan), tons of vintage Fender stuff,
tons of vintage guitars of all sorts.


> > The Komet head into 2x12 cab - After all the hype I was
> > disappointed. It certainly didn't sound bad, and it got
> > loud as hell, but it was rather bland for the price. I
> > preferred both the Dr Z and the Matchless over the Komet. I
> > don't have much to say about it because it just didn't do
> > much for me.
>
> There's a nice clip of one up someplace, but in general I'm starting
> to think that, after you get above $1200 or so, an amp's sound is
> inversely proportional to its price. I'm talking in-production amps,
> not those relatively few, truly remarkable vintage pieces.
>
> There's gotta be some reason why everybody sells their $4000 Two Rock
> within a week of getting it.

I think you're on to something there. Although the Matchless Clubman 35
sounded pretty damn good, but not $2K good.


> > Bogner Shiva 1x12 sealed back combo - Again, the amp didn't
> > live up to the hype. The clean was pretty good, but I
> > certainly wasn't blown away. There wasn't much gain on the
> > first channel and I expected the second channel to be much
> > different, but the second channel was pretty tame. Not much
> > gain available here either. Overall it was a good sounding
> > amp but it had no personality of its own and just didn't do
> > anything for me. I've never played a Bogner that "did it"
> > for me, they're good sounding amps but there are plenty of
> > other good sounding amps out there that do more for me.
>
> I'd really like to hear a Bruno Cowtipper. Some folks say that's the
> finest clean sound you can get.

Bruno = $$$$$


> > Gibson Goldtone 30 2x12 combo - Wow. I'm impressed.
> > Volume, Tone, Reverb and great tone. Now I know these
> > things are built crappy (I've seen the guts) and I think
> > they're Trace Elliot design so I question their
> > roadworthiness. And they're ugly as hell. That said, this
> > thing sounded really good. If I ever see one on the used
> > market for dirt cheap I'll take it. Kinda Vox Ac30-ish but
> > not exactly. Very round, full low end, warm clear highs,
> > just an overall good sounding amp. From clean to drive with
> > the volume knob. Maybe this one was a winner, but if they
> > all sound this good Gibson should repackage this thing and
> > market it to the right folks. Try one of you get a chance.
>
> It sounds simple. Maybe it's simple enough to strip out completely
> and rebuild as a PTP amp.

Too much trouble. But it's a nice sounding amp for what it is.

res0jmoj@REMOVEverizon.net wrote...
>
> "Richard" <rh310@hotmail.com> wrote in message

> > They've got some nice amps at your GC. The one near me used to have
> > some nice amps, but now it's just the major builders.
>
> These were all used amps except the reissue Vibroverb. THe store manager
> is a big vintage and boutique guy so his store is fullof this stuff. Tons
> of old Ricks and Voxes (he's a Beatles fan), tons of vintage Fender stuff,
> tons of vintage guitars of all sorts.

They've got a few vintage Fenders at the local GC, but nothing
special really.

> > > The Komet head into 2x12 cab - After all the hype I was
> > > disappointed. It certainly didn't sound bad, and it got
> > > loud as hell, but it was rather bland for the price. I
> > > preferred both the Dr Z and the Matchless over the Komet. I
> > > don't have much to say about it because it just didn't do
> > > much for me.
> >
> > There's a nice clip of one up someplace, but in general I'm starting
> > to think that, after you get above $1200 or so, an amp's sound is
> > inversely proportional to its price. I'm talking in-production amps,
> > not those relatively few, truly remarkable vintage pieces.
> >
> > There's gotta be some reason why everybody sells their $4000 Two Rock
> > within a week of getting it.
>
> I think you're on to something there. Although the Matchless Clubman 35
> sounded pretty damn good, but not $2K good.

I don't know how I'd even begin to judge if I got my money's worth
out of a $2000 amp.

> > > Bogner Shiva 1x12 sealed back combo - Again, the amp didn't
> > > live up to the hype. The clean was pretty good, but I
> > > certainly wasn't blown away. There wasn't much gain on the
> > > first channel and I expected the second channel to be much
> > > different, but the second channel was pretty tame. Not much
> > > gain available here either. Overall it was a good sounding
> > > amp but it had no personality of its own and just didn't do
> > > anything for me. I've never played a Bogner that "did it"
> > > for me, they're good sounding amps but there are plenty of
> > > other good sounding amps out there that do more for me.
> >
> > I'd really like to hear a Bruno Cowtipper. Some folks say that's the
> > finest clean sound you can get.
>
> Bruno = $$$$$

Probably sucks, then. You know how hype is.

--
Gonna miss seeing you play, Pete Sampras.

On Wed, 27 Aug 2003 18:28:25 -0500, "Odin" <res0jmoj@verizon.net>
wrote:

>The other day at GC. I was there with my brother who is
>searching for a new amp. The manager of this particular GC
>(Tommy Roberts of Fulltone Fulldrive TR Edition pedal fame)
>is a big boo-teek and vintage guy and a friend of mine, so I
>always check out his collection when shopping. Anyway, we
>hooked up the following amps and ripped thru them with
>Aron's Strat (Kinman Blues pickups), a '56 Les Paul Jr
>(original P90's), a 70's Les Paul and a new Fender
>Strat-o-Sonic with P90's (my next guitar???).

OK, I'll bite; was the Jr. a Special (you said P-90's); if not, how'd
you like it?

>Dr Z Max 18 Jr head into 2x12 cab - sounds damn good, just
>about as loud (if not as loud) as my Maz 38 with a bit more
>breakup at a slightly lower volume, but very tight and loud.
>It sounds like a Dr Z, which is to say it doesn't sound like
>a Vox, Fender or Marshall. That's a good thing, though, and
>I like the Maz series amps a lot.

I'll agree on the Dr. Z. I played a Camen Ghia once and bought it on
the spot (and I'm not an impluse-buying amp guy at all). It gets used
pretty rarely (I'm a living-room wannabe at this point in life), but
that one Tone control covers a lot of ground you won't find anywhere
else. Does the Maz series have that almost-a-wah tonal range?

>Gibson Goldtone 30 2x12 combo - Wow. I'm impressed.
>Volume, Tone, Reverb and great tone. Now I know these
>things are built crappy (I've seen the guts) and I think
>they're Trace Elliot design so I question their
>roadworthiness. And they're ugly as hell. That said, this
>thing sounded really good. If I ever see one on the used
>market for dirt cheap I'll take it. Kinda Vox Ac30-ish but
>not exactly. Very round, full low end, warm clear highs,
>just an overall good sounding amp. From clean to drive with
>the volume knob. Maybe this one was a winner, but if they
>all sound this good Gibson should repackage this thing and
>market it to the right folks. Try one of you get a chance.

Yeah, the Velocettes were not as well-known as they should be. I
played one and almost bought it (it had an upgraded transformer, which
I'm told was a problem on some Velocettes). I didn't buy it, but when
I heard later about the T.E. V's apparent build quality issues, I said
the same thing...if someone re-does these in a solid package, they
could get some big bucks for them...the Vellocettes were going for
around $300 used when they sold off to Gibson.
>
>Fender 1964 Vibroverb Reissue - positively the best sounding
>reissue Fender I've ever played. LOUD as hell, from clean
>to drive it always sounded great. Like all blackface
>Fenders it was dead below 4 on the volume knob and too loud
>for many gigs when it was on 4, but that's the way it is.
>Low end for days, clear highs, a great sounding reissue.
>Too expensive. Heavy. You can buy an original for less.

I blew an hour once playing through one of these...very nice amp.

>Blonde (62 or 63?) Fender Showman head and 1x15" cab -
>Didn't sound as good as the VRRI in my opinion. BIG and
>heavy, loud, looks cool but not as cool as a blonde Bassman.
>I wasn't overly impressed.

I seem to remember playing one of those same combinations once...not
the same era, but a Showman through its 1x15 cab. If I remember,
that's one of the few Fenders meant for an 8-ohm cab, right> If that's
the one, I remember the sales guy plugging the head into a 2x12 cab.
It sounded much better, but they really wanted to sell the cab & head
together. OK, I'm done amp-rambling now. Try a Fuchs, if you get the
chance.

"Mike McKernan" <mikemck333@optonline.net> wrote in message

> >The other day at GC. I was there with my brother who is
> >searching for a new amp. The manager of this particular GC
> >(Tommy Roberts of Fulltone Fulldrive TR Edition pedal fame)
> >is a big boo-teek and vintage guy and a friend of mine, so I
> >always check out his collection when shopping. Anyway, we
> >hooked up the following amps and ripped thru them with
> >Aron's Strat (Kinman Blues pickups), a '56 Les Paul Jr
> >(original P90's), a 70's Les Paul and a new Fender
> >Strat-o-Sonic with P90's (my next guitar???).
>
> OK, I'll bite; was the Jr. a Special (you said P-90's); if not, how'd
> you like it?

Oh, yeah, it was a Special. Pretty well worn. I picked up a bran minty
new reissue with P90s and surprisingly I thought the new one sounded warmer
and better overall. But you never know about the electronics on a vintage
piece until you open them up.


> >Dr Z Max 18 Jr head into 2x12 cab - sounds damn good, just
> >about as loud (if not as loud) as my Maz 38 with a bit more
> >breakup at a slightly lower volume, but very tight and loud.
> >It sounds like a Dr Z, which is to say it doesn't sound like
> >a Vox, Fender or Marshall. That's a good thing, though, and
> >I like the Maz series amps a lot.
>
> I'll agree on the Dr. Z. I played a Camen Ghia once and bought it on
> the spot (and I'm not an impluse-buying amp guy at all). It gets used
> pretty rarely (I'm a living-room wannabe at this point in life), but
> that one Tone control covers a lot of ground you won't find anywhere
> else. Does the Maz series have that almost-a-wah tonal range?

Yeah, it can get that sound, and more. About the only thing the Maz won't
do is heavy overdrive and it won't do a perfect imitation of a Fender clean
or Marshall crunch. And that's probably why it sounds so damn good, it was
designed from scratch as opposed to being designed as a knock off of a
classic amp.


> >Gibson Goldtone 30 2x12 combo - Wow. I'm impressed.
> >Volume, Tone, Reverb and great tone. Now I know these
> >things are built crappy (I've seen the guts) and I think
> >they're Trace Elliot design so I question their
> >roadworthiness. And they're ugly as hell. That said, this
> >thing sounded really good. If I ever see one on the used
> >market for dirt cheap I'll take it. Kinda Vox Ac30-ish but
> >not exactly. Very round, full low end, warm clear highs,
> >just an overall good sounding amp. From clean to drive with
> >the volume knob. Maybe this one was a winner, but if they
> >all sound this good Gibson should repackage this thing and
> >market it to the right folks. Try one of you get a chance.
>
> Yeah, the Velocettes were not as well-known as they should be. I
> played one and almost bought it (it had an upgraded transformer, which
> I'm told was a problem on some Velocettes). I didn't buy it, but when
> I heard later about the T.E. V's apparent build quality issues, I said
> the same thing...if someone re-does these in a solid package, they
> could get some big bucks for them...the Vellocettes were going for
> around $300 used when they sold off to Gibson.

That Goldtone sounded *good*. Too bad about the quality issues, because
for that kinda cash I want something built like a tank.


> >Fender 1964 Vibroverb Reissue - positively the best sounding
> >reissue Fender I've ever played. LOUD as hell, from clean
> >to drive it always sounded great. Like all blackface
> >Fenders it was dead below 4 on the volume knob and too loud
> >for many gigs when it was on 4, but that's the way it is.
> >Low end for days, clear highs, a great sounding reissue.
> >Too expensive. Heavy. You can buy an original for less.
>
> I blew an hour once playing through one of these...very nice amp.

At half price - no, make that 1/3 price, I'd buy one.


> >Blonde (62 or 63?) Fender Showman head and 1x15" cab -
> >Didn't sound as good as the VRRI in my opinion. BIG and
> >heavy, loud, looks cool but not as cool as a blonde Bassman.
> >I wasn't overly impressed.
>
> I seem to remember playing one of those same combinations once...not
> the same era, but a Showman through its 1x15 cab. If I remember,
> that's one of the few Fenders meant for an 8-ohm cab, right> If that's
> the one, I remember the sales guy plugging the head into a 2x12 cab.
> It sounded much better, but they really wanted to sell the cab & head
> together. OK, I'm done amp-rambling now. Try a Fuchs, if you get the
> chance.

Never seen a Fuchs in person. I've considered sending him a chassis to
"Dumble" if I come across a beat Bassman or something for cheap.

In article <z0T3b.3719$CC6.3327@nwrddc01.gnilink.net>,
"Odin" <res0jmoj@REMOVEverizon.net> wrote:

> That Goldtone sounded *good*.

Dann and I checked out a Goldtone at a local Mars, just before they went
belly up. The tone I was hearing was perfect for a tune I was recording
at the time - quite useful. Kinda Elvis Costello/Tom Petty/George
Harrison-ish (pretty obvious stuff from an AC30 inspired thang...).

/-/-/-/-|-\-\-\-\
The One True Robb
\-\-\-\-|-/-/-/-/

On Sat, 30 Aug 2003 01:23:43 GMT, "Odin" <res0jmoj@REMOVEverizon.net>
wrote:

>Oh, yeah, it was a Special. Pretty well worn. I picked up a bran minty
>new reissue with P90s and surprisingly I thought the new one sounded warmer
>and better overall. But you never know about the electronics on a vintage
>piece until you open them up.

Especially when there seem to be so many people who have true vintage
P-90's lying around...like anything else with guitars, you never know
anything until yo play the things

>Yeah, it can get that sound, and more. About the only thing the Maz won't
>do is heavy overdrive and it won't do a perfect imitation of a Fender clean
>or Marshall crunch. And that's probably why it sounds so damn good, it was
>designed from scratch as opposed to being designed as a knock off of a
>classic amp.


Now that you mention, that's pretty rare these days...maybe that's why
I dove into buying an amp I really don't need. I sometimes play an
electric 12-string through that thing, low volume, and it soudns like
God.

>That Goldtone sounded *good*. Too bad about the quality issues, because
>for that kinda cash I want something built like a tank.

True...but for a bedroom/recording amp, I wonder what those Velocettes
are going for these days. Then again, you gig, so you'd have to think
about that more than I would.

>At half price - no, make that 1/3 price, I'd buy one.

Yup again...

>Never seen a Fuchs in person. I've considered sending him a chassis to
>"Dumble" if I come across a beat Bassman or something for cheap.

Or, find an old Traynor w/ a good transformer...still cheap, I think,
maybe still in the $200 range. I've asked Andy to do 2 of them so far.
His "classic" Traynor mod starts with a YBA-1 . I had one of them done
and also a Custom Reverb; both are EL34-based amps. Strangely, I
really prefer the Custom Reverb, maybe just because I've spent more
time tweaking it.

I set the Rock/Jazz switch (aggressive gain) to Jazz, and both the
Gain and OD-In (no pun intended) knobs to 9:00...not very aggressive
for an amp that now says "Overdrive Supreme" on the front. Still, plug
an old Junior into that with those settings and you can go from
Mountain to complex chords just by changing your pick attack. That's a
lot of fun.

Disclaimer: I'm the guy that likes his wah AFTER the overdrive, and I
love my Peavey Classic 30, BUT I swapped the Sovteks back in after
trying JJ's in it. I also sold my 2-pup Les Pauls and bought Hamers.
Open jams are the closest I've come to gigging in many years. In other
words, my idea of "good tone" may not be all that normal.

"Mike McKernan" <mikemck333@optonline.net> wrote in message

> >Oh, yeah, it was a Special. Pretty well worn. I picked up a bran minty
> >new reissue with P90s and surprisingly I thought the new one sounded
warmer
> >and better overall. But you never know about the electronics on a
vintage
> >piece until you open them up.
>
> Especially when there seem to be so many people who have true vintage
> P-90's lying around...like anything else with guitars, you never know
> anything until yo play the things

Either way I was much more impressed by the Fender Strat-o-Sonic with
P90's - I want that guitar.


> >Yeah, it can get that sound, and more. About the only thing the Maz
won't
> >do is heavy overdrive and it won't do a perfect imitation of a Fender
clean
> >or Marshall crunch. And that's probably why it sounds so damn good, it
was
> >designed from scratch as opposed to being designed as a knock off of a
> >classic amp.
>
>
> Now that you mention, that's pretty rare these days...maybe that's why
> I dove into buying an amp I really don't need. I sometimes play an
> electric 12-string through that thing, low volume, and it soudns like
> God.

I can see that amp being great for studio stuff, it was really capable of a
cariety of tomes and gain levels with only the volume knob and tone knob.


> >That Goldtone sounded *good*. Too bad about the quality issues, because
> >for that kinda cash I want something built like a tank.
>
> True...but for a bedroom/recording amp, I wonder what those Velocettes
> are going for these days. Then again, you gig, so you'd have to think
> about that more than I would.

If it has modern cheap construction like the new Fenders and Marshalls I'd
always be worried about a part falling off the PCB as it was loaded in or
out (quite common on new amps). Those new ribbon cables are ****. The new
Mesa PCB amps are still built like tanks. And Peavey always seemed to hold
up fairly well, although I've had a couple of problems over the years with
Peavey amps.


> >At half price - no, make that 1/3 price, I'd buy one.
>
> Yup again...

Wait until some chump ****cans it on ebay.


> >Never seen a Fuchs in person. I've considered sending him a chassis to
> >"Dumble" if I come across a beat Bassman or something for cheap.
>
> Or, find an old Traynor w/ a good transformer...still cheap, I think,
> maybe still in the $200 range. I've asked Andy to do 2 of them so far.
> His "classic" Traynor mod starts with a YBA-1 . I had one of them done
> and also a Custom Reverb; both are EL34-based amps. Strangely, I
> really prefer the Custom Reverb, maybe just because I've spent more
> time tweaking it.
>
> I set the Rock/Jazz switch (aggressive gain) to Jazz, and both the
> Gain and OD-In (no pun intended) knobs to 9:00...

It has an "Odin" setting? I need that amp.


> not very aggressive
> for an amp that now says "Overdrive Supreme" on the front. Still, plug
> an old Junior into that with those settings and you can go from
> Mountain to complex chords just by changing your pick attack. That's a
> lot of fun.

Sounds good. Wanna ship me one for review? I'll get it smoky for you. I
promise not to spill beer in it.


> Disclaimer: I'm the guy that likes his wah AFTER the overdrive, and I
> love my Peavey Classic 30, BUT I swapped the Sovteks back in after
> trying JJ's in it. I also sold my 2-pup Les Pauls and bought Hamers.
> Open jams are the closest I've come to gigging in many years. In other
> words, my idea of "good tone" may not be all that normal.

Peavey Classic series amps are actually pretty damn good sounding amps.
And Hamers are tits.

On Sat, 30 Aug 2003 08:08:09 GMT, "Odin" <res0jmoj@REMOVEverizon.net>
wrote:
>
>> not very aggressive
>> for an amp that now says "Overdrive Supreme" on the front. Still, plug
>> an old Junior into that with those settings and you can go from
>> Mountain to complex chords just by changing your pick attack. That's a
>> lot of fun.
>
>Sounds good. Wanna ship me one for review? I'll get it smoky for you. I
>promise not to spill beer in it.
>
Hey Odin, if I can finally figure out how to ship an amp without
risking a catastrophe, I wouldn't have a problem with letting you
check out one of the heads for a week or so...after all, I can only
use one at a time. Problem is, my last attempt at shipping a head cost
me a ton of bucks. I learned not to use FedEx Ground, but I'm still a
little leery about shipping in general.

"Mike McKernan" <mikemck333@optonline.net> wrote in message

> >Sounds good. Wanna ship me one for review? I'll get it smoky for you.
I
> >promise not to spill beer in it.
> >
> Hey Odin, if I can finally figure out how to ship an amp without
> risking a catastrophe, I wouldn't have a problem with letting you
> check out one of the heads for a week or so...after all, I can only
> use one at a time. Problem is, my last attempt at shipping a head cost
> me a ton of bucks. I learned not to use FedEx Ground, but I'm still a
> little leery about shipping in general.

I can tell you that the only 2 ways to ship an amp and be 99.9% sure of no
damage are to (a) ship it in an ATA flight case or (b) have it
professionally packed. It should be packed in that spray-in foam in a
plastic bag that hardens and forms around the amp which is placed in a
heavy duty box that's much larger than the amp. This costs $50-$100 just
for the packing but it's like a cardboard flight case. I still have a box
with the foam that a Super Reverb was shipped in, I'm saving it in case I
buy a Super Reverb online so I can ship the empty box to the seller and he
can ship me my amp in a safe box. And UPS, as brutal as they are with
packages, is more careful than Fed Ex. Also, when you insure a box for
over $1000 with UPS the driver has to sign a special form so they know it's
valuable and they try not to damage the box to the point of having to do a
damage claim. But the best way to ship and amp is to not ship it at all,
too many things can go wrong.

On Sun, 31 Aug 2003 22:30:40 GMT, "Odin" <res0jmoj@REMOVEverizon.net>
wrote:

>I can tell you that the only 2 ways to ship an amp and be 99.9% sure of no
>damage are to (a) ship it in an ATA flight case or (b) have it
>professionally packed. It should be packed in that spray-in foam in a
>plastic bag that hardens and forms around the amp which is placed in a
>heavy duty box that's much larger than the amp. This costs $50-$100 just
>for the packing but it's like a cardboard flight case. I still have a box
>with the foam that a Super Reverb was shipped in, I'm saving it in case I
>buy a Super Reverb online so I can ship the empty box to the seller and he
>can ship me my amp in a safe box. And UPS, as brutal as they are with
>packages, is more careful than Fed Ex. Also, when you insure a box for
>over $1000 with UPS the driver has to sign a special form so they know it's
>valuable and they try not to damage the box to the point of having to do a
>damage claim. But the best way to ship and amp is to not ship it at all,
>too many things can go wrong.

OK, well on the off-chance you guys wind up lost near the Jersey
shore, let me know and I'll tote out a Fuchs for you to try. By the
way, congratulations on the big day a couple weeks ago.

"Mike McKernan" <mikemck333@optonline.net> wrote in message

> >I can tell you that the only 2 ways to ship an amp and be 99.9% sure of
no
> >damage are to (a) ship it in an ATA flight case or (b) have it
> >professionally packed. It should be packed in that spray-in foam in a
> >plastic bag that hardens and forms around the amp which is placed in a
> >heavy duty box that's much larger than the amp. This costs $50-$100
just
> >for the packing but it's like a cardboard flight case. I still have a
box
> >with the foam that a Super Reverb was shipped in, I'm saving it in case
I
> >buy a Super Reverb online so I can ship the empty box to the seller and
he
> >can ship me my amp in a safe box. And UPS, as brutal as they are with
> >packages, is more careful than Fed Ex. Also, when you insure a box for
> >over $1000 with UPS the driver has to sign a special form so they know
it's
> >valuable and they try not to damage the box to the point of having to do
a
> >damage claim. But the best way to ship and amp is to not ship it at
all,
> >too many things can go wrong.
>
> OK, well on the off-chance you guys wind up lost near the Jersey
> shore, let me know and I'll tote out a Fuchs for you to try. By the
> way, congratulations on the big day a couple weeks ago.

Thanks. If I end up anywhere near Jersey you'll find me in Atlantic City
in a casino.

"Mike McKernan" <mikemck333@optonline.net> wrote in message
news:3005lvol1587dq4ij48d62dctvunktemlg@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 31 Aug 2003 22:30:40 GMT, "Odin" <res0jmoj@REMOVEverizon.net>
> wrote:
>
> >I can tell you that the only 2 ways to ship an amp and be 99.9% sure of
no
> >damage are to (a) ship it in an ATA flight case or (b) have it
> >professionally packed. It should be packed in that spray-in foam in a
> >plastic bag that hardens and forms around the amp which is placed in a
> >heavy duty box that's much larger than the amp. This costs $50-$100 just
> >for the packing but it's like a cardboard flight case. I still have a
box
> >with the foam that a Super Reverb was shipped in, I'm saving it in case I
> >buy a Super Reverb online so I can ship the empty box to the seller and
he
> >can ship me my amp in a safe box. And UPS, as brutal as they are with
> >packages, is more careful than Fed Ex. Also, when you insure a box for
> >over $1000 with UPS the driver has to sign a special form so they know
it's
> >valuable and they try not to damage the box to the point of having to do
a
> >damage claim. But the best way to ship and amp is to not ship it at all,
> >too many things can go wrong.
>
> OK, well on the off-chance you guys wind up lost near the Jersey
> shore, let me know and I'll tote out a Fuchs for you to try. By the
> way, congratulations on the big day a couple weeks ago.

Hi,
I've been lurking in this thread ... do you play out anywhere with that
Fuchs? I'd love to hear one.

Don (in the Philly area)

On Mon, 1 Sep 2003 01:31:04 -0400, "Don Evans" <gtrdonevans@aol.com>
wrote:

>
>Hi,
>I've been lurking in this thread ... do you play out anywhere with that
>Fuchs? I'd love to hear one.
>
>Don (in the Philly area)

Unfortunately, I don't play out anywhere with anything these days, but
I know that you can sometimes catch Scott Lerner out with his Fuchs in
the Philly area. Right now, though, I don't see any dates posted on
his web site (http://www.scottlernermusic.com/).

On Sat, 30 Aug 2003 01:23:43 GMT, "Odin" <res0jmoj@REMOVEverizon.net>
wrote:


>Oh, yeah, it was a Special. Pretty well worn. I picked up a bran minty
>new reissue with P90s and surprisingly I thought the new one sounded warmer
>and better overall. But you never know about the electronics on a vintage
>piece until you open them up.
>


sadly, too true. i've played lots of vintage guitars with vintage P90s
and they're just all over the place in terms of output. Some are weak
and noisey, and some are in your face and righteous.

It's called "insta-pack" and is in two propane-like containers that mix at a
gun. You put the plasic wrapper in and squirt the insta-pack and it starts
swelling.
Too much and you crush your item. Piss off the shipping dept. and you may
find your car interior "insta-packed"

Home Depot sells aerosol cans of it.



"Odin" <res0jmoj@REMOVEverizon.net> wrote in message
news:kGu4b.13670$vm2.8928@nwrddc03.gnilink.net...
>
> "Mike McKernan" <mikemck333@optonline.net> wrote in message
>
> > >Sounds good. Wanna ship me one for review? I'll get it smoky for you.
> I
> > >promise not to spill beer in it.
> > >
> > Hey Odin, if I can finally figure out how to ship an amp without
> > risking a catastrophe, I wouldn't have a problem with letting you
> > check out one of the heads for a week or so...after all, I can only
> > use one at a time. Problem is, my last attempt at shipping a head cost
> > me a ton of bucks. I learned not to use FedEx Ground, but I'm still a
> > little leery about shipping in general.
>
> I can tell you that the only 2 ways to ship an amp and be 99.9% sure of no
> damage are to (a) ship it in an ATA flight case or (b) have it
> professionally packed. It should be packed in that spray-in foam in a
> plastic bag that hardens and forms around the amp which is placed in a
> heavy duty box that's much larger than the amp. This costs $50-$100 just
> for the packing but it's like a cardboard flight case. I still have a box
> with the foam that a Super Reverb was shipped in, I'm saving it in case I
> buy a Super Reverb online so I can ship the empty box to the seller and he
> can ship me my amp in a safe box. And UPS, as brutal as they are with
> packages, is more careful than Fed Ex. Also, when you insure a box for
> over $1000 with UPS the driver has to sign a special form so they know
it's
> valuable and they try not to damage the box to the point of having to do a
> damage claim. But the best way to ship and amp is to not ship it at all,
> too many things can go wrong.
>
>