Decision time, Marshall or Mesa

[PRSKILLER]

Time for me to decide whether I want to keep the Mesa Single Rectifier or sell it and get a Marshall DSL 50. I just wanna see what is the general feeling between these two amps.

I`m all into high gain, yet want to have a smooth, creamy lead tone at the same time.

[Baba]

I voted Solo 50 for many reasons.

1. You mentioned hi gain. I think Mesa does that better.
2. Separate EQ on the Mesa
3. Better footswitch on the Mesa
4. Better clean on the Mesa

I personally like the classic Marshall dirty tone, moreso than the Mesa, but with the different modes on the Mesa, and better clean channel, separate EQ, and more footswitchable options, I think it's a better overall head, especially if you're into gain.

[Hanky]

I just traded my Solo 50 back in, and replaced it with the DSL 50. I liked the tones from th Marshall better. Yes the Mesa is more tweakable, but to my ears (Subjective) The gain was to Harsh and metallic sounding. I feel that the clean on both heads have a very warm tubie sound to them and are about neck & neck. The drive channel on the marshall is what sold me. If you lean tward 80's to classic rock go with the Marshall, and don't forget the DSL 50 can do the over the top stuff as well.

[Erik]

I'm not sure of your budget...but I seriously recommend you check out a Road King. Go to the Amps board on Harmony Central (I know...) and see what people are saying about this amp. It appears that people are finally figuring out how to dial this in, and it seems people are flocking to this amp in droves. There have been a few recent threads which have been flooded with settings that just kick.

[PRSKILLER]

I`ve come to find that the Mesa really shines for riffs and is ok for leads. I have in my head the tone that I used to get with my old JCM 800 single 12in combo. Very beautifull sound, had to use a distortion for lower levels but crank her up and that thing would roar, (pedal off). I`m not sure whether to go DSL50 or JCM 800.

I`ve started to hear better things about the Road King after the intial "problematic syndrome" that has been lurking with that amp. But I have Marshall tone in my head and I`m not getting it from my Rectifier and I know I`ll never get it from Mesa.

[Erik]

Good points John. PRSKILLER, I forgot to mention that I have EH12ax7's and Ruby EL34's instead of stock tubes in my Road King. (Unfortunately, I haven't changed the 6L6's...yet.) It did make a big difference...as did certain settings. (Which I posted over at Harmony Central and got a lot of VERY positive feedback) The amp does have a slightly different voicing (but still not Marshall sounding...it can't do that).

Just thought I'd add that...if you really want a Marshall tone, Mesa won't deliver...unless the new Stilleto lives up to the bill. (EL34 based amp)

Erik

[Big Mike]

I must say after having a JCM800, JCMSlash, and DSL50, the DS did not sound much like a JCM800. It does what it does, and as a good amp, but it don't sound like either version of 800 or Jubille I have played.


I would agree, maybe keep the mesa, and find a used 800. Best of both worlds, you can even get an axess electronics head switcher, and run them both into the same cab.

[Phil Macino]

I voted for keeping the Mesa too. I think you would be better off looking for a used JCM....maybe a 2203 and load it with KT-88s.

[Phil Macino]

I just looked on eBay...And there are quite a few 2203s under $800.

[Zach Trowbridge]

Mesa, for sure. I like the lead tone I get out of my Dual Recto better than what I've gotten from my friend's DSL100, and there's no comparison for me on modern rhythm sounds.

[PaulO]

I happen to like the Marshall DSL100 much better than a triplt rect. The clean channel is so much more full, to me. I ended up trading the mesa for a JTM45 head, and kept my DSL100 head. I even went to far as to buy 6 EL34's and loaded up the mesa with them but still thin and brittle sounding. Thats when I dumped the mesa. In fact the music store did not want to take in the mesa on trade because they can't move them. What's that tell ya ....

[PRSKILLER]

Tried a TSL today, sorry to others but this amp plain sucks to me. No DSL to try and after hearing the TSL my recto really shines. I like the idea of picking up a used JCM800 and just keep both. How to get that past the wife is a whole `nother thread. Thanks for the replys:)

[Big Mike]

That's why I have refused to set a date yet with the Fiance!!

Good Luck 'killer!

[PaulO]

PRSKiller -


Please do not think the TSL is anything like the DSL. You gotta find a store that has a DSL in stock. IMO the TSL sounds absolutely crappy. The TSL122 combo version is fraught with technical problems ... see harmony-central for writeups. I tried one in a local store and it even broke in the store. I have tried the head and combo versions and both are terrible. Music store can't give them away.

JCM800 IMO is one dimensional, which is why I would prefer a DSL50 or DSL100 because of the dual channels.

[Jo]

..... But I have Marshall tone in my head and I`m not getting it from my Rectifier and I know I`ll never get it from Mesa.I think you've already made your decision. Go for the Marshall then :D

[PRSKILLER]

Any comments on a David Bray mod 1987x. I heard samples of these and it sounds awesome, think VH.

[tag]

Time for me to decide whether I want to keep the Mesa Single Rectifier or sell it and get a Marshall DSL 50. I just wanna see what is the general feeling between these two amps.

I`m all into high gain, yet want to have a smooth, creamy lead tone at the same time.
Get yourself a used Mesa Mark III. I juats had time to extensivley play the Mark III, Mark IV, Marshall DSL and TSL at GC in the sound proof room for hours. The Marshalls sound muffled, buzzy, and WAY less articulate than the Mesas. The Mark IV was very nasally sounding. The Mark three simply ate the others for lunch. In channel 3, it has so much gain you will NEVER EVER use it all. I have the "blue stripe" which is the highest gain out of them. You can get these heads for $800 loaded!! It can get as smooth as any amp too, if you want that type of tone for certain things (Very Dumble like) It also has the best cleans of these amps, but it is hard to get a balance of a great clean and a killer channel 2. You can always get plenty of gain on channel 3. My favorite lead tone is channel 2 with a humbucker, with the fist gain at about 7. KILLER crunch and smooth singing leads! You can kick on the EQ for a MONSTER boost in volume for solos. The reverb is average, but no worse than the Marshalls. I have the Clleseum head, which has 46L6s, and 2 EL34s. You can switch between these, or use them all together for 150 watts of power! Dont worry, the MV works GREAT. A smoking amp for metal, blues, or any classic rock. I think one of the most underrated heads ever. I am a jazz player mostly now, and for me to spend money on an amp for its overdriven tones, it HAS to be good! Take in to account that I already own a TwoRock Emerald Pro, and still had to buy the Mesa. Get a MarkIII Bluestripe simulclass with EQ and reverb, and never look back. WELL UNDER $1000!!!!!!!!

[lchender]

Having played the current crop of DSL and TSL Marshall amps, I would say keep the Mesa and look for an old Marshall JCM 800 or 900 on ebay. I find the TSL and DSL amps to be muddy and strange sounding in the midrange on the distortion channels. Just my opinion, however. I prefer the JCM 800s and 900s BY FAR over anything Marshall has put out recently. The clean channel on your Mesa single Recto will be much better than what you would get on a JCM 800 or 900 and at least as good as the clean on the DSL or TSL. I quite like the Raw setting on the Mesa for a good medium gain kind for distortion. Then you could go to a JCM for your high gain stuff. In my opinion, if you want a Marshall, don't go with a DSL or a TSL. Good luck on your tone quest.:cool:

[Chiba]

Neither - go for a Koch Multitone 50W head :)

--chiba

[tag]

[QUOTE=John Phillips]I agree with Tag that the Mesa MkIII Coliseum is a great amp, but it's no Marshall. The MkIII actually put me off Mesa for years in some ways - I was a Marshall player at the time, and that second mode was described by Mesa as their 'Marshall channel'. Laughable - it's got almost nothing in common with any Marshall. The entire gain and EQ structure is different. Tag may be able to get good sounds out of it (I admit I struggled, I prefered the Clean and Lead modes), but classic Marshall crunch isn't one of them! :)

John, You have to have one with the blues stripe for channel 2 to have the gain. My channel 2 RIPS. I could get tones EXTREMELY close to the DSL and TSL, but why would you want too?? Buzz city. I would have to turn the presence and treble controls on the Mesa up to the max. YUCK!! My channel 2 has more gain than a DSL maxed. It ROCKS BIG TIME!!

[PRSKILLER]

Yeah I`ve decided against the TSL and DSL. If I do get a Marshall it will be a JCM800 2204 verticle inputs. I tried the JCM900 and never got anything out of it that I liked.

[PRSKILLER]

After further reading and searching in my quest of Marshall tone, I`ve come to like the `59 RI Plexi with the Rich mod or the Bray mod. Tone, tone, tone....and awesome to:) Anyone familiar with these?

[Phatman]

Marshall.. Mesa.. Fender.. Amps from these vendors are massed produced and vary from amp to amp. IMHO, Roccaforte Custom 80 or the HG100 are way better amps for high gain and crunch tones. Hand wired point to point just like they made the amps in the wee old days. Marshall's are too muddy and Mesa have that funky odd honk to them. Both amps rely on too much output trasformer saturation for tone. I would even go with Blockheads or Mojave's. Before I would consider a Marshall. I want to be able to hear each string when playing a cord when overdriven slightly. Can't do that with a Mesa or Marshall (maybe and old ones). You should check out the EVH sound clips at www.mojave-ampworks.com on the Peacemaker 100. These amps rock !

Hey, I had a Dual Rectal Fryer.. JCM2000 and a slew of crappy amps. If its high gain you want.. Roccaforte HG100 is one of the best amps going. If its crunch and chunk you want the Roccaforte Custom 80 is the best. Hand wired point to point amps just have better tone.

I know that many people really like Greenbacks or V30's and they do have their signature tone. I even have a Bogner 2x12 with Pre-Rola greeny's. I really much prefer speakers like the Kendrick Black Frame as it has much better bottom end than the aforementioned. If you don't want quite so much bottom and a little more high mids, then the Kingpin 60 speakers made exclusively for Carr Amplification are perfect. The lower wattage speaker break up to early when at stage volumes. With either of those speakers and a Roccaforte amp who needs pedals ? The only other thing on the road to toneville is great pickups.

In my humble opinion I have found the best hand wound Hum Pup's in the world. They are made by Jim Wagner of WCR www.crcoils.com. If you have been searching for a Hum's that have that brilliant Duane Allman thing going on then Jim's Fillmores are incredible. Do you hate the plunky compressed tone of SD 59's or Dimar.. VPAF's ? Yes, I have had a number of custom Hum's made.. Harmonic Design, Fralin, Holmes.... Et Al... None of them hold a candle to Jim's unique hand wounds. The Fillmore Bridge pup is my favorite hum for the bridge. Fantabulous Rock Tone ! The Wagner Goodwoods are a phatter darker pup's. All of Jim's Pups have a very consistent output for single notes, phrases, and cords. Check out your Hum's... can you say the same ?

Lastly, the golden age of rock'n roll had one thing going on that most folks don't have a good hook into and that is strings. Here is great link to the why's and how's of strings.

http://www.custom-sounds.com/string_articles.htm

I would also like to add that after read the article on strings that the best Pure Nickel Round wounds can be had through www.kendrick-amplifiers.com. Thomastick Infeld which are some of the highest rated Nickel strings don't hold a candle to the big bell tone from the Kendrick Nickel's.

Okay... I say all of this with tounge in cheek. It has taken me years to find all of this out. My tone sucked just like everyone elses until...

[Phatman]

This is my Custom McNaughty with a set of WCR Fillmores.
http://home.earthlink.net/~rdavis81/Phoenix_Patty.jpg

[PaulO]

Nothing beats a guitar guitar player. I've seen and heard some greats. Many have those stock mass produced amps. And they sound pretty darn good to me.


My philosophy is you buy a BMW, and you have a hard time getting it serviced ... and parts are expensive. I have a friend who has one. You buy a Toyotta and it lasts for ever and can get it serviced anywheres.

[YorkeFan06]

Neither. Go get a Randall Vmax.

[Chun13]

what's funny though is that in Europe (particularly in France), a lot of people consider that marshall is really crappy compared to mesa when there's not really a comparison to make.
Both are playing in diferent sound categories. Personnaly I prefer marshall tones, I owned a TSL (which I didn't find crappy), a JMP, a JCM800 and finally the 6100 and really, I find that they all sounded from not too bad to really good, but nothing like "awfully bad" :)

[Phatman]

I used to use Marshall's. That was until I found that Bockheads and Roccaforte's were much much better at what they do. The Roccaforte HG100 is the best high gain amp on the plannet. I am a bit biased in this regards and that is due to the fact my HG100 is a custom amp built by Doug R. for a musician friend. It has 3 CV4004 preamp tubes and a new set of 6CA7 EH's. This amp is a monster and I would take it over any other high gain amp out thier.

The Roccaforte Custom 80 is one of the best amps I have ever used to get the most illusive chunk and chrunch tones. This amp is articulate and responsive. Comparing a Marshall to this amp is not fair. The Custom 80 has a brilliant tone with incredible harmonic content. Marshall's just don't have the harmonics that this amp has. The second thing is Marshalls are very muddy sounding and lack focus. Not the C-80.

The Bockhead Plexi's are a softer vintage style amp. This is where they surpass the Roccaforte's.. IMO. The Blockheads have a more organic tone to them where i would say that comparing a Marshall SLP 100 Watt amp.. circa 72-74 just doesn't have the warmth and the depth of a blockhead. When you hear a the Marshall side by side it sounds as if you are playing the Marshall through a thick piece of construction paper. Everything is diminished as compared to the Bockheads.

The boutique amp industry has flourished because it has advanced and surpassed the amps of yesteryear because they are not mass produced.

The Mojave Peacemaker is a prime example of a great non master volume old school Plexi amp. When you mute the strings when the amp is dimed the amp is dead quiet ! Go try to do that with a Non master Marshall Plexi....

The point is Marshall's are like Fender's.. Mass produced without the loving care of a hand built point to point amp. The advances in tone are nothing short of amazing.

[Phatman]

Channel Switching is a gimmic. First its two channel next its three then 4... So much crap in front of the signal it comes out mayo when it should be mustard. I can get more... better... chunk and crunch tones out of a Roccaforte Custom 80 than any channel from a channel switcher. Their unfocused muddy tone is like comparing a Chevy Nova to a Ferrarri F-40. Yes, no Ferrari is quite alike but for what they do they kick Chevy Nova beautox. Driving a Ferrari is not for the timid because their quarter turn steering is not for the ammature. Similarly the Roccaforte Custom 80 brings out things in your playing that you would otherwise never hear. Roccaforte Amps weren't designed for the weak of heart. They were designed for those who truely have a passion for accuate musical representation. Hey.. everyone has driven a Chevy Nova at one point. The real question is are you ready to step up to a higher level where pick inflection and attack are part of your stock and trade. Granted if you are driving a 15 Kohm ceramic pickup a Marshall channel switcher is right for you. But... if you are the type of person who seeks that tone that was made famous in the late 60's and early 70's the Roccaforte amp is one of those vehicles that will get you to that higher plain.

I have ended my pickup search after finding the best custom pickup maker in this country... IMHO. Jim Wagner hand winds his pickups to sound like... well here I just give you the link and you can check it out for yourselves. Why do I stray and mention pickups. Well.. you can put a two barrel carb and a Ferrarri but you wouldn't drive the sucker in front of your friends. Instead you would put on the best fuel injection system made... Comparing the pickups to the fuel injection system is right because without good Pup's you get what you give. www.crcoils.com can bring you out of humbucker hell. Those SD, Dimarz.. Et. Al. They all have that same distinct plunky sound. The Wagner Hum's don't have that problem. They also don't suffer from being as compressed as most Hum's go. Compression equals suppression of dynamic range. Who wants a pinch note to sound the same all the time ? I want to be able to make my pinch notes sound different with a different amount of attack. You can't do this with a carborator that only has two possitions... open or closed.... how can you expect pickup to give you what you want ?

This reminds me of an old addage... that when you have eaten crap sandwitches for so long... you begin to like the taste.... unless you aspire to be a better musician. Having great gear won't make you a better musician. Some people are happy to be where they are. There are others.. and in this forum I speak to these people who have the passion and a love for music because it is so much more to them to attain greatness. To them.. they should drive the F-40 and to the others... maybe it is better for them to stick with the Nova.

Lastly, I just put two EV SRO 60 speakers in my 4x12 cab. It also has a pair of Tone Tubby Hemp cone speakers in it. The tone tubby speakers are one of the sweetest AlNiCo speakers out there. The EV SRO 60's are a 72 vintage with the paper spiders and single bump in the surrounds. The combination of these two speaker is incrdible. The cab is fairly mid focused but the Tone Tubby's have very sweet highs.. brilliant but not shrill. Put this in front of my rig and dreams do come true.....

http://home.earthlink.net/~rdavis81/Phoenix_Patty.jpg

[PRSKILLER]

Channel Switching is a gimmic. First its two channel next its three then 4... So much crap in front of the signal it comes out mayo when it should be mustard. I can get more... better... chunk and crunch tones out of a Roccaforte Custom 80 than any channel from a channel switcher. Their unfocused muddy tone is like comparing a Chevy Nova to a Ferrarri F-40. Yes, no Ferrari is quite alike but for what they do they kick Chevy Nova beautox. Driving a Ferrari is not for the timid because their quarter turn steering is not for the ammature. Similarly the Roccaforte Custom 80 brings out things in your playing that you would otherwise never hear. Roccaforte Amps weren't designed for the weak of heart. They were designed for those who truely have a passion for accuate musical representation. Hey.. everyone has driven a Chevy Nova at one point. The real question is are you ready to step up to a higher level where pick inflection and attack are part of your stock and trade. Granted if you are driving a 15 Kohm ceramic pickup a Marshall channel switcher is right for you. But... if you are the type of person who seeks that tone that was made famous in the late 60's and early 70's the Roccaforte amp is one of those vehicles that will get you to that higher plain.

I have ended my pickup search after finding the best custom pickup maker in this country... IMHO. Jim Wagner hand winds his pickups to sound like... well here I just give you the link and you can check it out for yourselves. Why do I stray and mention pickups. Well.. you can put a two barrel carb and a Ferrarri but you wouldn't drive the sucker in front of your friends. Instead you would put on the best fuel injection system made... Comparing the pickups to the fuel injection system is right because without good Pup's you get what you give. www.crcoils.com (http://www.crcoils.com/) can bring you out of humbucker hell. Those SD, Dimarz.. Et. Al. They all have that same distinct plunky sound. The Wagner Hum's don't have that problem. They also don't suffer from being as compressed as most Hum's go. Compression equals suppression of dynamic range. Who wants a pinch note to sound the same all the time ? I want to be able to make my pinch notes sound different with a different amount of attack. You can't do this with a carborator that only has two possitions... open or closed.... how can you expect pickup to give you what you want ?

This reminds me of an old addage... that when you have eaten crap sandwitches for so long... you begin to like the taste.... unless you aspire to be a better musician. Having great gear won't make you a better musician. Some people are happy to be where they are. There are others.. and in this forum I speak to these people who have the passion and a love for music because it is so much more to them to attain greatness. To them.. they should drive the F-40 and to the others... maybe it is better for them to stick with the Nova.

Lastly, I just put two EV SRO 60 speakers in my 4x12 cab. It also has a pair of Tone Tubby Hemp cone speakers in it. The tone tubby speakers are one of the sweetest AlNiCo speakers out there. The EV SRO 60's are a 72 vintage with the paper spiders and single bump in the surrounds. The combination of these two speaker is incrdible. The cab is fairly mid focused but the Tone Tubby's have very sweet highs.. brilliant but not shrill. Put this in front of my rig and dreams do come true.....
I`ll be keeping my Nova, thank you very much! You can take you Ferrari and go drive somewhere else.

[Phatman]

:dude: Rock on !

Amps I currently have...

Carr EL Moto 88 Watt
Sunn Model T 150 Watts (cicrca 74 BEFORE fender bought
them out)
Mojave Peacemaker 100
Roccaforte Custom 100 built by Doug R for a friend
Roccaforte Custom 50 built to my requirements
Kendrick Beaumont 1992 1 of 10 (Billy Gibbons owns 2)
Kendrick Texas Austin Gusher 50 W (The brit / tweed
tone)
Blues Boy Custom 5E3 Tweed on of a kind (Mullard 6V6
Coke Bottles.. it doesn't get any better than this).
Bruno Super-100
Blockhead SLP non Master (Way better than the Marshall
SLP I had)

Amp I have had that are worth mentioning...

Bad Cat (all of them)
Sampson (the best amps designed by Mark)
Matchless DC30
Vox AC30 69 (should have kept the speakers... )
Selmer Zodiac
Sound City 120 Watt
Orange 120 Watt
Marshall Major Non master volume (one of the best
marshall ever made, SRV used em too).
Bruno Cow Tipper 45 (should have kept it)
Bogner XTC 101B (I like old 100B much better)
Marshall JTM 45 Plexi (GEC KT66's should have kept this
one too).
Marshall Super Lead 100 Non master 72
Marshall JMP 50 late 70's (think this was a MK 2)
Carr EL Moto 50 Watt

Amps I would like to own one day..

Trainwreck Express
Komet Constellation
Roccaforte Custom 80 (This will be my next amp)
Mojave Coyote 18
Fuchs ODS Special Edition
Dumble ODS early 80's model that my buddy has (I
never have this amp)

Mesa Tripple Rectal Fryer (NOT)
Marshall JCM 2000 (Yeah right... when hell freezes over)

Well back to my Ferrarri's.. See ya in my rear view... for a
second...

The Phatman

[Merrick]

Very nice list of amps with a unique point of view. I think the original post was asking about specific Mesa and Marshall amp qualities.

I'm not familiar with Kendrick. I do not necessarily agree with your theory on channel switching amps, and I guess I'm missing out on stepping to a higher level. I must however inject my opinion in saying that not everyone is an "ammature" just because they like a certain type amp that you dont.

Merrick

[Phatman]

I know everyone hear has had their hands on a really crappie guitar... Neck buzz.. Bad Intonation... Junk pickups... Then, you put your hands on a PRS... Killer neck feel... just begging to be plucked. Some people have no inclination or need to play a high quality guitar. Does a high quality guitar make you a better player... It can... allot more than the hunk ah junk. The only thing lacking in the equasion is the player or more specifically his/her passion. I can guarantee you that most people who play a Dumble ODS either love em or hate em. The people who love them love the attack and nuance that gives complete expressive control. The people who hate them hate them because every little thing they do they hear.... Does playing a Dumble make you a better play... it sure can... As a doctor you aren't going to reach for a dull metal scaple... you reach for the air knife. Cutting precisely where you want to cut and nothing more. Who doen't want to have the best gear to cut through the mix ?

In my previous post... my intent was to point out that point to point boutique amps rule. When you have a fewer number of components in the signal path you don't suffer from the self noise that occurs with a long signal path. PC Board type amps suffer from the less organic tone that point to point people use. Do you thing Larry Carlton, Robben Ford or Eric Johnson use Channel Switchers... ?

Put any current production amp against current production point to point botique amp... is like putting a MIA Fender Strat against a McNaught Phoenix Rising guitar. There is no comparison in tone and playability and overall quality. Quality matters... I choose quality over the Nova's of the world. I don't give a rats patoot if I can find parts for it in two seconds because they aren't quality parts anyway. I choose now to shut the hek up (mispelled purposely for the eh hem... to point out... ). :D

I know some still think I am here just to highjack the thread. Not so... If'n you been read'n you would have found some real jewels that has taken me years to discover. Like Jim Wagner's hand wound pickup.... I have had a set of Holmes 450 / 455's and they suck as compared to the Wagners. I have been looking for 30 years for Pup's like these. Those who crave a Hum with better dynamic range.. you will really dig these Pup's.. You want the best high gain tone with incredible OD without pedals... I play my Roc HG100 with just my Klotz cord. Klotz cable has the lowest capacitance and wins hands down in low noise and low impedence. Best German cable in the world...

How many of you buy the bargan cables cause you don't hear any difference between a good cable and the cheap one ? Then your probably playing one of those channel switchers... Okay I go away... :D

[Erik]

Phatman,

While there is no question that the amps you choose to play are quality, I think the thing you're overlooking is how subjective tone can be. A Roccaforte (or Dumble, or Blockhead) might be your holy grail, but someone else may think it sounds like ass...it all depends on the style of music being played. What do I care what Eric Johnson, Larry Carlton, or Robben Ford play through...especially if I can't stand their music? (I do like them, for the record.) My point is that if someone wants to play modern, heavy music, and a Marshall or Mesa is the exact tone they're looking for...than spending the cash for a Roccaforte would be a tremendous waste of money.

Just like you make assumptions towards people who choose to play those amps, I make assumptions about people who refer to Mesa's as "rectal fryers". It just doesn't seem to come across as very educated.

FWIW, I don't dislike any amp you own or have owned...I'm just trying to illustrate that tone is so subjective. I play a Road King because I need versatility...and I've even had the amp modded to further suit my taste. I now have 4, very different amps at my toes via a channel switcher. I also only have to lug one cab and one head to a gig...and the most important point is that I love my tone.

Erik H

[CU2487]

I agree with Erik. IMO, it doesn't really matter if a tube amp is build with PTP, PCB`s, with Carbon Composite Resistors or not and so on, what really matters is the right all over design of the amp, technically and tonewise not to forget the used speaker of course. Surely, to own a boutique high quality tube amp with the best electronic components one can get at time is not a disadvantage and all the technically details have also an impact to the tone, but it is also no warranty for the player to become happy with such an amp all the time and for ever. Much more important is, that simply the amps tone fits the sound and touch and feel opinions of the player, nevertheless it is a boutique or a mass produced tube amp. BTW, a mass produced amp can also be a high quality amp.


My two cents

regards
Arno