Re: Speaking of British voiced, high-gain...
I guess I should at least describe it for those who are unfamiliar.
It's a very basic amp. For those of you who either skipped the first post or read this forum in Braille, it's a single-channel amp with gain, bass, middle, treble, master volume, and presence. The preamp is 3 12AX7s (assuming the PI is part of the preamp) with 2 EL84s providing the output power. It's all tube, no effects loop, no reverb, no nothing.
The voicing is high-gain and British. It's a Soldano design, and it's a thick PCB construction, manufactured in China. Soldano also is a partner in the company, in case that makes any difference. From what I can tell, the quality control is good. The pots rotate smoothly, and the amp feels solidly constructed. I'm not a huge fan of the blue baffle, but
replacements are available. I'm trying to decide on black or perforated metal.
I've written about it before, but I really don't want to search for my impressions again. I went into Guitar Center last week to play it with my cabinet, and I was surprised how different it sounded as opposed to the speakers the manufacturer pairs with it. The cleans are very full and warm. With the master up a bit, it starts to sparkle, but it won't stay clean long with the gain knob. It does clean up VERY nicely with the volume knob, and it actually acts like a two-channel amp with the bridge pickup rolled up and the neck down.
It will go from pretty clean to thick, raunchy high-gain. There's not a whole lot of variation in the voicing based on the settings, but the entire range of each knob appears to be usable. It's definitely no frills, but the tone is ungodly, and it's HUGE sounding for a 20 watter. I put the master up to about 11 o'clock, and it felt like your ears do when your plane reaches altitude.
One of the things that surprises me is how QUIET the amp is when not playing. The typical high-gain hum is not noticeable, even at pretty reasonable volume and gain levels. The other thing is how well it takes pedals. I set the gain to about 9 o'clock, and got at least four different tones per pickup--low volume and high volume with and without the pedal. Definitely different yet organic for each.
The high-gain is where this thing really shines, though, and I'll have to post back tonight after I get a chance to put it through its paces a little more. I got it for just over $250, so it really was a steal for the tone it's got lurking in there, and with some tubes and a warmer bias, it may sound a good bit better. Stay tuned...
