This is my second day with my newly rehauled Fargen Epic 30 DC. I proudly call this the Epic 30 DC/VOS model As some of you may remember, UPS killed my Epic 30 DC back in September. Ben has been working on restoring it, new jacks, sockets, a brand new transformer that I swear is twice as big as the old one, some new Mogami cable in places, fresh tubes etc. The best part is that he redid the Marshall JTM-45 side of the amp to his current VOS specs.
How do I feel about this thing? It's worth every cent and every waking minute that I've been without that amp. In short, it's incredible. It has that VOS tone, but it has a unique twist: it has EL-84 tubes and pushes out 30w instead of the normal EL-34 equipped 45w one.
What's so special about it? Gearjoneser mentioned that his white chassis Bogner Ecstasy 101B could nail any Marshall tone in existence. This is the way that I feel about this VOS amp. It can be completely open sounding, compressed wherever you want it, aggressive and edgy or laid back and smooth, dark or bright... it's all in there. This amp has something very beautiful and unique: it has plenty of controllable feedback. You hold a note and it just sustains to no end, I've been told it's like the old Dumble Overdrive Specials. From others that have used it, they said it feels and reacts similar to a Trainwreck amp. I've never played either, so I can't comment on those personally, but from the clips I've heard of those amps, I see it being in a very similar ballpark.
Right now I'm running a Ceramic Blue Dog/ Silver Bell combo, I think I'll be ordering a Hellatone 30/ Eminence Red Fang for it and an extension 1x12'' with a Naylor SD-50 to cover all the bases. I'm changing speakers to see if I can get a bit later breakup on the clean side (which is a very interesting mix of a Fender and Vox AC-30).
So far I'm in love; this amp is incredibly versatile and it delivers a sound and a feel I've never experienced before. I thought the Savage Blitz 50 was "it" as far as overdriven tones, but this new VOS circuit came around and I think it dominates it. As far as it being a "bedroom amp", I'd have to say even with the improved master volume, it just isn't designed for it. The amp sounds like God when it's turned up, so it'll really shine at band practice and small to medium sized gigs.
How do I feel about this thing? It's worth every cent and every waking minute that I've been without that amp. In short, it's incredible. It has that VOS tone, but it has a unique twist: it has EL-84 tubes and pushes out 30w instead of the normal EL-34 equipped 45w one.
What's so special about it? Gearjoneser mentioned that his white chassis Bogner Ecstasy 101B could nail any Marshall tone in existence. This is the way that I feel about this VOS amp. It can be completely open sounding, compressed wherever you want it, aggressive and edgy or laid back and smooth, dark or bright... it's all in there. This amp has something very beautiful and unique: it has plenty of controllable feedback. You hold a note and it just sustains to no end, I've been told it's like the old Dumble Overdrive Specials. From others that have used it, they said it feels and reacts similar to a Trainwreck amp. I've never played either, so I can't comment on those personally, but from the clips I've heard of those amps, I see it being in a very similar ballpark.
Right now I'm running a Ceramic Blue Dog/ Silver Bell combo, I think I'll be ordering a Hellatone 30/ Eminence Red Fang for it and an extension 1x12'' with a Naylor SD-50 to cover all the bases. I'm changing speakers to see if I can get a bit later breakup on the clean side (which is a very interesting mix of a Fender and Vox AC-30).
So far I'm in love; this amp is incredibly versatile and it delivers a sound and a feel I've never experienced before. I thought the Savage Blitz 50 was "it" as far as overdriven tones, but this new VOS circuit came around and I think it dominates it. As far as it being a "bedroom amp", I'd have to say even with the improved master volume, it just isn't designed for it. The amp sounds like God when it's turned up, so it'll really shine at band practice and small to medium sized gigs.
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