Two Rock?

[jpistolas]

Re: Two Rock?

John Mayer uses a Two-Rock

There's the reason why they're so expensive and also why not to buy one.

Not really understanding the Randall Smith/Boogie hate. Weren't they sort of the original "boutique" amp maker? Actually, playing in a band while attending Berkley was how he originally got into amp repair. I would say that he'd be more suited for amp design than Jim Marshall or Leo Fender. Plus that whole background in electronics thing can be useful.

As far as using PCB's; Mesa Engineering is an amp manufacturer now, not a couple guys hand wiring tag board. Marshall, Fender & Mesa all use PCBs now along with all other mfgs & some so called boutique builders. It's just more cost effective. But unlike the other mfgs, Mesa seems to have a better grasp on QC. Anyone remember the issues with the early DSL PCB's?

If Boogies have too many knobs there's always these:
:joke: Sorry vinta9e, I just couldn't resist after the knobs comment. The Boogie's mirror opposite! LOL!! The Mark IV & V is about overkill. Along with the Marshall Mode Four & Randall RM's. Must be a serious market demand for knobs I guess.

Yours truly - Randall Smith Jr.
:laugh2:

 

[LReese]

Re: Two Rock?

Looked inside an MkV? Never! Seen pics tho.

I own a MKIV. Its a danged good sounding amp, even for a clean junkie like me. Love the form factor, not the weight.

Those ribbon cables just throw up a red flag. They could be a special spec light years beyond what you would see in a PC.

There are advantages to PCB too, one of which is a more consistent product (due to lead dress). If its done right, no issue. If it gets you a great, roadworthy amp at an acceptable price point then what's the issue?

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Two Rock?

I visited the 4sound guitar shop in Copenhagen quite recently. Very nice guys! And they had some fancy Two Rocks (a studio 22, and some signature version). Actually, I tried Two Rock's Gainmaster 35 in Eddies Guitars in St. Louis like two years ago. I hated that amp. Not smooth at all... I was almost like a bad solid state amp. Now in Copenhagen, the ones I have tried were Two Rock's Blackface takes. I could compare them with Fender's Blackface reissues, Super Reverb, DRRI, and the mighty Twin Reverb! And the winner turned out to be good old Fender Twin Reverb. By a mile! And, I liked DRRI more than the Studio 22.

???

Don't get me wrong. I am sorta big fan of "good" boutique amps and pedals and all... For example, I fell in love with Bruno's Cowtipper 45 or 40 (the one with the Bassman OT). I love Metro's Marshall's. 12000 series! Damn! Or, Mission's 5E3's.

But I don't get the deal with them Two Rocks. Seriously...

Weird!

Peace...

B :beerchug:

 

[Diminished Triad]

Re: Two Rock?

I'm a Two Rock fan. The only reason I don't still own an Emerald is because an AxeFx suited my needs better and I couldn't afford to keep both at the time. Far and away the favorite tube amp of all I've owned. That list includes:

• Rivera Rake
• Koch Multitone
• Fuchs Modded Traynor
• Soldano Decatone
• Soldano Hot Rod 50
• Peters 3CP1

There are some nice amps on that list but the touch sensitivity and clarity of the Two Rock were wonderous to behold. Was it cheap? No, but it wasn't the most expensive amp on the list, either.

I'm not about to debate the merits of point-to-point wiring vs. PCB but there's no question that PTP costs more to build than PCB. If the amp you want is PTP, be prepared to pay a premium. Nobody needs a PTP amp but except for those who use it to earn their livelihood, nobody needs a PCB amp, either. :scratchch

What is the real sound difference between a PCB and PTP amp? Any other reason for PTP maybe? Sounds like PTP really adds to the cost of the amp.....

 

[LReese]

Re: Two Rock?

This might give you an idea!

 

[Diminished Triad]

Re: Two Rock?

This might give you an idea!

Very good, simple explanation.
Thanks!

 

[Jolly_Rancher]

Re: Two Rock?

wow you guys worry too much about PCB and all that sh*t.... just buy an amp that sounds good and play the hell outta it....:smack:

Have a good one folks

It's not THAT... It's about companies that build a name for themselves making quality stuff, and then pulls a bait and switch, yet still charges nearly the same amount for a half-assed product. As a consumer it's irritating and I don't support it.

 

[James Rock]

Re: Two Rock?

It's not THAT... It's about companies that build a name for themselves making quality stuff, and then pulls a bait and switch, yet still charges nearly the same amount for a half-assed product. As a consumer it's irritating and I don't support it.

I think companies doing what is written in the last sentence of that Aiken Amps link is annoying. Amp manufacturers hyping bull**** things. I think most professional guitarists should not be treated like general consumers and should just be told straight up about what the amp offers. I think the eyelet board and turret board kind of construction is the best personally because it is hard to permanently destroy and easy to replace components without damage but for some of the features and cost of newer amps PCB is needed and more consistent for high volume manufacturers.

On the two rock/dumble thing, if that was my taste I would go for the Ceriatone first to try out that style of amp, maybe the Two Rock, Fuchs and Dumbles are better sounding then the Ceriatone clone but the cost is more justifiable to me, then again I don't make a living of this yet and as far as spending money on gear go it stretchs through the pro audio side of things that makes guitar gear look cheap.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Two Rock?

I visited the 4sound guitar shop in Copenhagen quite recently. Very nice guys! And they had some fancy Two Rocks (a studio 22, and some signature version). Actually, I tried Two Rock's Gainmaster 35 in Eddies Guitars in St. Louis like two years ago. I hated that amp. Not smooth at all... I was almost like a bad solid state amp. Now in Copenhagen, the ones I have tried were Two Rock's Blackface takes. I could compare them with Fender's Blackface reissues, Super Reverb, DRRI, and the mighty Twin Reverb! And the winner turned out to be good old Fender Twin Reverb. By a mile! And, I liked DRRI more than the Studio 22.

???

Don't get me wrong. I am sorta big fan of "good" boutique amps and pedals and all... For example, I fell in love with Bruno's Cowtipper 45 or 40 (the one with the Bassman OT). I love Metro's Marshall's. 12000 series! Damn! Or, Mission's 5E3's.

But I don't get the deal with them Two Rocks. Seriously...

Weird!

Peace...

B :beerchug:

It's funny when you see the prices of 40 brands of amps, then you start trying them out and the ones you pick are all over the map price-wise.

I've put Dr. Z's next to production Fenders, and chose the Fender. I've heard Fuch's amps and couldn't get a sound I like...same with a lot of other Dumble clones.....and I love Robben Ford.

At the LA Amp Shows....and I've been to all of them, I've had the opportunity to listen to a ton of the best ones on the planet. No matter the price, the ones I end up liking are usually expensive, but not always. There's some brands that really blow me away that nobody knows, and some popular boutiques that sound like crap to me.

It goes to show you, it's not the price or the work that went into it. It's the magical combinations in design that either hit the nail on the head or not.

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Two Rock?

I agree. The ones I end up liking also have the prices all over the map. And I may end up hating some with very high price tags.

BTW what's up with them D-Clones. I also love Robben Ford. But somehow the D-Clones that I tried were sorta stiff amp lacking that tube smoothness you know...

???

B

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Two Rock?

I kinda get the Two Rock love, but that's because I played one of their flagship models years ago, it was a Custom Reverb I believe and it had a very rich, warm sound with a nice clean channel and very useful gain channel. Admittedly, nothing rock oriented, but from a jazz/fusion standpoint I could appreciate it. I thought it was horribly overpriced, though. The head was something like $3699 and the 2x12'' cab was $1699 and while it was good, it should wreck everything else for that amount of money.

Honestly, I've really fallen out of love for the boutique market. Most of it is marketing jargon and I haven't found most of the stuff to sound heads and tails above the production model stuff. I had a couple "oh ****" moments when trying some stuff (like the Savage Blitz 50, Carr Slant 6V or Top Hat Emplexador), but those didn't happen often. I was a huge Bogner fan until I got sick of the excessive compression and started focusing on vintage Fenders.

 

[SongsForTheDeaf]

Re: Two Rock?

could not agree more, Like you guys I have gone to vintage guitar shops and tried vintage amps, boutique amps and old amp clones and modern Egnaters and Mesas and though I like a lot of the vintage amps and boutique I find I like a lot of modern amps including a Fender USA deville (silver panel) more. Its all preference I guess ?!?!? and not to mention your playing style too and what genre you play

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Two Rock?

Patrick Ewing, NBA player representative during strike negotiation talks many years ago had an epic quote, "We's makes a lot of money, but we's spends a lot of money".

So, I owned a Two Rock for a short while. After playing it a bunch, (before I was building amps), I sold it. I couldn't justify the investment in an amp that I felt wasn't that much better than a tweaked Super Reverb. Just my two cents. Damn fine quality. I actually visited them at their shop and got the tour. It's part of what inspired me to make amps. The other part that inspired me was Dr. Z. Why? He made amps that the common guy could somehow justify pricewise and they are tone rockets.

But, and a BIG BUT, people buy Two Rocks all the time. People with a lot of money that want what

they are nice amps. i dont own one but i also wouldnt pay $2k for an old bf deluxe reverb which i do own. its a great amp but $2k is a lot of money. is it worth it? depends on the player and the pocket

 

[Mad-Max]

Re: Two Rock?

Well, if someone is willing to dish out some major cash for an amp, it must be worth it to them. That's the way I look at it.

I personally have only heard Two Rock amps like once or twice. It seemed pretty standard as far as tone went. Nothing that really jumped out at me.

Honestly, there are SOOO many amps out there in my opinion that really don't deserve the price they have.