NAD and a sweet budget 4x12 :)

[Phantasmagoria]

Well...I was missing a 50 watter/SS head in my arsenal. (I've got a 15W lunchbox tube head, a 120W tube head & a 100W Tube preamp/SS power amp hybrid..)

So when I saw one of these going for about 1/2 it's price on ebay (230V version) ...I snapped it up

Ships from Russia..so I have a bit of a wait ahead before it actually arrives. Can't wait to check it out though. Most of the demo's out there are either djenty rubbish or clean, but I found a couple that feature some pretty sweet 80's/classic metal/thrash/death metal & lead tones...



Anyway..I thought I'd pick up a cheap cab to go with it & headed down to a store yesterday to check some out...ended up with this monstrosity haha...

It's a Laney LX412 B (straight) camo cab loaded with Rocket 50's. I know there's a ton of hate for those speakers haha..but frankly, I thought the cab sounded pretty sweet, meaty & tight with the Jim Root Terror & CR120h (120 watt Orange Crush pro) that I plugged into it at the store and I'm hoping it will with the Stonehead too :bigthumb:

 

[Hank-]

Re: NAD and a sweet budget 4x12

The amp looks good. Seems unusually big for a ss amp.

Not sure about laney lx cabs but their lv cabs sounded horrible with their own all tube gh series stuff at a store near me, build quality was shoddy as well. Anyways, would like to hear that amp though someday.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: NAD and a sweet budget 4x12

Have'nt tried the LV cab but it might have been the amp. That thing is pretty harsh/bright with not much bass available to dial in. I've played one and did'nt like it at all. The Oranges, & presumably (judging by the clips) the Stonehead are'nt lacking any bass.

It's a pretty small amp actually....less than a foot's width across I think (they weigh about 11 pounds) ..just an unconventional shape/design and ^ that's a large pic lol.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: NAD and a sweet budget 4x12

In what colour did you get the amp?

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: NAD and a sweet budget 4x12

haha..no..not green to match the camo cab (it's black like the one in the pic)

I got the camo finish because the regular black tolex one was out of stock. (though to be honest I'd probably have gone with camo anyway )

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: NAD and a sweet budget 4x12

Hehe looks cool....

 

[kramersteen]

Re: NAD and a sweet budget 4x12

Camo:usa:

 

[Securb]

Re: NAD and a sweet budget 4x12

Yeah know, this is why I dig you man. This is such an out of the box setup. There are enough guys out these with a Superstrat, TS and a JCM 800. I totally respect dudes like you that innovate and try new things. And that setup is going to look cool, like a missile control system for a warzone.

 

[Wormhelmet]

Re: NAD and a sweet budget 4x12

I have a bright yellow one. Had it about a month now.

Frickin awesome amp. I can nail a plexi sound on crunch channel or go screaming 6505 type metal if needed on lead channels. Brilliant cleans. I like AMT stuff

Congratulations on yours! You are gonna love it.

 

[Wormhelmet]

Re: NAD and a sweet budget 4x12

They redesigned power amp section recently. Now universal supply good for 85V to 250V

Just need correct power cable is all.

I run mine through a Marshall 212 vertical slant cab

I should mention also there is some serious Russian voodoo going on with the design. It feels that spongy tube feel and reacts to pick dynamics and volume knob changes like tubes too. Very satisfying to play.

 

[Wormhelmet]

Re: NAD and a sweet budget 4x12

Both Stonehead and Mahaffay HiLo Plexi fit on my 212 top. I just swap speaker cable when I want to change. Thats how i knew the stonehead could nail that classic sound. I can get nearly identical sound to the plexi, but didnt know until I actually had the Plexi to reference and A/B. Lots of Metal videos on the Stonehead, but someone should make people aware at how good it does classic rock too.

It's got the rubber feet on both bottom and side of it, so you can set it up on its side if a space issue.

 

[Wormhelmet]

Re: NAD and a sweet budget 4x12

If you have any questions when you get it, I can try to answer them. Support from AMT is good though with email. Just have to remember time difference for them. I bought three AMT two button footswitches for it. Takes TRS cables for the footswitch. Gives me 6 buttons - clean, crunch, lead 1, lead 2, master A or B, and fx loop on/off. Channel switching is flawless with AMT footswitches and TRS cables. I haven't tried any other footswitches.

I asked them directly about needing a load on the power amp if recording and they assured me the amp does not have to be connected to a speaker to run. Cab sim out affected by Master volumes is why I asked. I can use the cab sim out with no speaker attached to get super quiet recording direct. I asked because some solid state amps do require a load, but most don't. I wanted to be sure before I tried anything, i haven't actually recorded anything yet because so much fun just playing it.

If you want to trade settings too, I'm up for that when you get to know the controls a bit and dial some sounds in you like.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: NAD and a sweet budget 4x12

Thanks dude! That yellow one looks sweet!! Glad to hear you're liking it so much. There actually are'nt that many actual (print) reviews out there for them . Damn..that's a LOT of AMT stuff you've got there :lmao: ..very cool! If you don't mind my asking ...what speakers are in that Marshall cab? And how would you say this amp was for classic metal/death metal type stuff..or even doom?

Yeah I read somewhere that the newer ones had universal voltage/power inputs. I'm actually lucky I found a 230V one on the Bay. That's probably the reason why it was priced cheap! (US buyers would stay clear)

I'll pick up a couple of those footswitches when I can..probably going to need those. That's interesting to know about the no-load recording. I was actually wondering about that but then I thought ..maybe not. I read somewhere you could'nt connect a 4 ohm cab (only 8/16) and assumed that probably meant some sort of load was actually nessessary...

Anyway, thanks for sharing man. I'm really keen to check this thing out No probs trading settings, I'd like that ....just need some time to get a hang of it first though..

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: NAD and a sweet budget 4x12

Yeah know, this is why I dig you man. This is such an out of the box setup. There are enough guys out these with a Superstrat, TS and a JCM 800. I totally respect dudes like you that innovate and try new things. And that setup is going to look cool, like a missile control system for a warzone.

Thanks man! Nice of you to say so :beerchug:

Don't get me wrong, I totally respect the conventional stuff/amps/guitars/tones and everything...but I've always personally been drawn more towards quirky/unconventional (and ..not going to lie ..cheap :lmao: ) stuff when it comes to my own gear

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: NAD and a sweet budget 4x12

@ Kramer/Vasshu: Sorry guys, my like button is'nt working (wtf) ...so I'll just send you a whole lot of mojo instead :beerchug:

 

[Wormhelmet]

Re: NAD and a sweet budget 4x12

Thanks dude! That yellow one looks sweet!! Glad to hear you're liking it so much. There actually are'nt that many actual (print) reviews out there for them . Damn..that's a LOT of AMT stuff you've got there :lmao: ..very cool! If you don't mind my asking ...what speakers are in that Marshall cab? And how would you say this amp was for classic metal/death metal type stuff..or even doom?

Yeah I read somewhere that the newer ones had universal voltage/power inputs. I'm actually lucky I found a 230V one on the Bay. That's probably the reason why it was priced cheap! (US buyers would stay clear)

I'll pick up a couple of those footswitches when I can..probably going to need those. That's interesting to know about the no-load recording. I was actually wondering about that but then I thought ..maybe not. I read somewhere you could'nt connect a 4 ohm cab (only 8/16) and assumed that probably meant some sort of load was actually nessessary...

Anyway, thanks for sharing man. I'm really keen to check this thing out No probs trading settings, I'll just need some time to get a hang of it first though..

Yeah, 8 or 16 ohm only. I have stock Celestion 70/80's in the cab. Eventually will upgrade to neodymium for weight loss, but I use an MXR ten band eq in the loop. Eq is for bringing out how i want it to sound in my face. Whatever frequencies I feel need pumped, get pumped, or cut depending on what sound I go for. I eq for speakers, so when changing amps, i still get correct speaker response I like. Stonehead only 50 watts and Mahaffay only 33 watts, so not pushing the 70/80's at all really. Both amps sound great to me. The Stonehead is extremely versatile and can not only pull a lot of different sounds, but excels at them too. Its a lot of amp for the price. Can't wait to read about the feel of it while playing. You'll notice how good it feels to play.

AMT support gave me the info on the no load bit. I had to double check a lot of things as they sent a European cord. That was when I found out it takes from 85V to 250V and just need the right cord to fit your outlet (on the new ones). They were prompt responding to questions too.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: NAD and a sweet budget 4x12

Dude...you're making me feel better and better about buying this amp by the minute. Wish it would get here quick!! :lmao:

That little Mahaffey sounds great ..just checked the demo out..very plexi-like. My little Chinese 15 watt tube head gives me some killer crunch/AC/DC type tones as well.

 

[Johtosotku]

Re: NAD and a sweet budget 4x12

I'd never heard of the amp but now that I've seen it I'm definitely interested. If I saw one around at half price I'd jump on it right away.

 

[Phantasmagoria]

Re: NAD and a sweet budget 4x12

I was actually looking around for a Dark Terror when I came across this.. been gassing for one ever since they first came out a few years ago. It was just a tad over half-price so I snagged it asap..the Dark Terror can wait :lmao:

 

[Hank-]

Re: NAD and a sweet budget 4x12

Wow that thing is small judging by the yellow amp on the cab

Those lvs sounded muffled rather than harsh or bright, like a carpet over the speakers lol, still the lx is probably different with the metal grille, that missile control comment is spot on, would look awesome on stage!