Class A Combos?

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Class A Combos?

One of our guys made a DC-coupled poweramp...no phase crap going on...but probally to clear for most people, one day I'm going to have build me a 50 watts top coupled that way.

 

[Guitarist]

Re: Class A Combos?

The M/B Lonestar Special, of course!

http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/Lonestar/LonestarSpecial.htm

 

[iceman79]

Re: Class A Combos?

Not sure if it's Class A, but I'd suggest trying out a Zinky Blue Velvet. An amazing little amp that can do Brit crunch and Fender cleans. At just under a grand it's one of the less expensive boutique amps you'll find.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Class A Combos?

the mesa blue angel, with 2 6v6s and 4 el84s that you can mix and match...its as yummy as can be.

 

[Peterku]

Re: Class A Combos?

The Framus Ruby Riot is also a Class A amp you could consider...

+1 It's a very nice amp, although quite heavy.

 

[royd]

Re: Class A Combos?

Ocifer,

so... which are you really looking for? A true class A or a cathod biased amp? They do sound different.

a few more class A's to look at - Emery Superbaby (amazing sounding clips on their website), Carr Mercury, Electrosonic (they also have a true class A with multiple output tubes), Woodcross Bluesbuster...

If you're looking for cathod biased, almost anything with EL84's.

 

[rhmcfarland]

Re: Class A Combos?

Here are some that I like:

Bogner Metropolis (15 and 30 watt)... I have a 30 watt that sounds great
Matchless... many makes & models... the Lightning 15 is super sweet and the
Phoenix is a great plexi-type of tone
Bad Cat... again many makes & models... I like the Cub II a lot for a somewhat
darker tone with airy mids. The others are pretty fat and high gain
Savage Macht 6 and Macht 12... Super cool combos have their own sound
Carr Hammerhead... played one of the older ones... not too strong with clean
tones, but a number of cool grindy tones that are very usable
Orange AD15 and AD30... very nice overdrive tones, very smooth
Marshall 18 watt combo... killer, KILLER tones from these, and there are a
number of boutique variations on this them... Roccaforte has a good one
Watkins WEM Dominator.... Jimmy Page's secret weapon when cutting LZIII
I'm told the Marshall 18 was copied from the Watkins design... someone
was trying to sell one on Ebay just a day or so ago.

I'm sure there's others out there. Class A power has a unique kind of fullness and projection that I like a lot. Even order harmonics are nice for sure. You can hear the Bogner on my websites
| | |
V V V

 

[aleclee]

Re: Class A Combos?

And, many amps run class A during idle and low volume but run A/B when being pushed (Vox AC30).

That's a bit like saying a thief is virtuous when he's not stealing. It's true of all Class AB amps up to some point. If you're so inclined, you can go to Randall Aiken's site and read up on why statements like that are baloney.

 

[Ocifer]

Re: Class A Combos?

Ocifer,

so... which are you really looking for? A true class A or a cathod biased amp? They do sound different.

a few more class A's to look at - Emery Superbaby (amazing sounding clips on their website), Carr Mercury, Electrosonic (they also have a true class A with multiple output tubes), Woodcross Bluesbuster...

If you're looking for cathod biased, almost anything with EL84's.

I'd like something that has a good, complex, clean sound with smooth overdrive characteristics. It doesn't have to have mondo gain, as that's not my style. Just good classic rock crunch, and maybe the ability to take pedals well. I've heard good things about Gibson amps (formerly Trace Elliots) and I think I'm going to go with the Gibson GA20RVT 15 watt amp. I also like how it has reverb included. Tremolo is just an extra that I may mess around with.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Class A Combos?

Lew is really digging his two Matchless amps. They make them in 1x12 form so that you can still manage to carry them around.

Make that three Matchless amps: I just picked up another Chieftan SC-30 so I can use the two in stereo onstage. I'm trading my SC-30 to a buddy for his '54 Fender Super that used to be mine. :dance: Lew

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Class A Combos?

ho