Re: Bludave, review?
I've been waiting to post a review until I have had more time with the Komet. I have only had the Komet a few weeks, but I will give you an idea!
I have played through a boatload of heads and cabinets, but haven't owned one in quite some time. I bought the Komet about 2 weeks ago and I borrowed a Peavy 4 12" cab from a good friend (thanks John). Even though the Peavy cabinet is not really suited for this head the tones that are coming out of this head are incredible. I plan on having either a cabinet made and setup with greenbacks or buying an older 1960AX. Haven't decided yet. To a degree comparing these 2 amps is pointless They are very different animals. The Shiva I own is a 1 12" EL 34 combo with reverb and the Komet is currently equipped with JJKT77's. The KT77's are somewhere in between the EL34 and a 6L6 so I am told. As most of you may know the Komet does not hav reverb.
Prior to me owning the Komet I was using the Shiva exclusively (I have a few other amps as well). The Shiva IMHO is one of the best channel switching amps EVER! It is one of the few channel switchers that I have played through that will give me really good cleans and really good drive tones. I use a Spina modded TS9 and I use this to push the clean channel like a clean boost. It works really well. The Drive channel needs nothing really. It has a wonderful creamy tone in the neck position with a Humbucker and sounds really sweet with a Strat. As I said there is nothing wrong with this amp tone wise. The one I own is a 2004 and it does not have the bright switch like the new ones have and the effects loop is a little flakey, but that does not seem to be an issue as I rarely run anything thru the loop. The loop requires a special cable depending on the effects that you are using. Its not a big deal it requires a few rsisitors in the cable to help boost the signal no big deal! This is a great amp in all aspects. If you are playing anything from country to hard rock this amp will work for you. If you are planning on doing hardcore metal I would look elsewhere......... not enough gain!
The Komet is a completely different kind of amp. Its designed as a one channel amp and is best operated with the volume control on the guitar. IF you choose, a volume pedal works also. Th amp can go from blistering drive to crystal clear cleans simply by rolling of the volume knob of your guitar. The controls are pretyy simple it has High cut which is an additional treble control that will have 0 affect on the other EQ settings, it has bass, middle treble and volume...... Thats it. In the back of the amp it has a mini toggle that can be flipped to gradual to fast. This is what is called the pick attack. In essence it increase volume and adds more gain to the amp. When I first got it I noticed it Hissed a little more than I expected when in the fast setting, but I was assured that this is normal and it has less "noise than my Bogner and my Marshall when they are in the drive channel. It also has a bias dial with a break control, so if you are the type of player that may want to switch out tubes often for different sounds you can buy a matched pair of your favorite tubes and bias them in the amp then lock the bias setting. If you switch them you can just unlock the bias break, readjust the bias to where it was tested for the tubes you are planning onusing and you are ready to go!. Its a great feature (I have not switch tubes yet, but plan on putiing a set of EL34's in sometime down the road).
The tone of this amp is the best and I mean the best I have ever had the previledge to plugging into. It sounds better than any Plexi I have played thru and it sounds warmer and sweeter than any Fender I have played thru. The real bueauty of the amp is I can go from absolute blistering drive to the cleansest warmest tones just by rolling back my volume on my guitar. I have been experimenting with a few pedals (which it also takes very well) I use a Verbzilla with it when I feel I need reverb and I use the TS9 to push it just a tad. This amp needs no help, but this allows me to control the vloume better. Which if there is any drawback (which I don't believe it is, this is a very loud amp. Over all as I said earlier attempting to compare these 2 amps is pointless..... they are very different, but that being said the Komet has a much better charecter to the tone and has considerably better note definition than the Bogner does. It als seems to have less midrange than the Bogner, but I imagine if I spent a little more time EQing the 2 I could get them to sound a lot closer! This was one of the best investments I ever made! My Bogner is not going anywhere I am currently A'Bing them and on occasions playing both at the same time. Talk about a huge sound the Bogner and the Komet at the same Time. WOAH!!!!!!!!!!!
