Top Hat amps???

[BBLong]

Does anyone here own a Top Hat amp? I saw Live by Request last night with Kenney Chesney and the guitarist using the Top Hat had amazing clean and driven tone. I don't know anything about them, so any and all info would be appreciated.


If you own one, please tell me which amp, and what you love and or hate about it. Again, I know nothing about them other than I have seen them in a shop, and know that they have a model called the Club Royale. I know nothing of models, speakers, wattages, # of channels, nada!

Thanks in advance,
Bob

[cr8z4life]

Ask away.....I own three

Ambassador 35 watt - incredible chimey cleans kinda fendery
takes pedals really well and has great headroom

Top hat tc 18 there are only three of these...it is a 18 watt
King Royale

Emplexador 50 - Marshall...covers quite a few Marshal eras
and tones

The club royale you were talking about is also a great amp...18watts and does the vox thing really well

You would have to tell me what tones your looking for and what you will be using it for to help you with the correct model

[BBLong]

I like Fender clean, Marshall JCM800 gain (early 80's master volume). I play through a Fender Blues Deville 410. I like the clean, but it isn't as clean as I would like, and I like the dirty channel, but not as dirty as I want. I use the two channels and a couple of pedals for more dirt and gain. I would like a combo that has the tones I like. I recently played a Mesa Rectoverb and liked all the tones I got, but there were other issues involved. I also love Riveras.

A dealer in Austin, TX (3 hours from here) carries Rivera, Bogner, and Top Hat. One problem is I have a hard time justifying more than about $700 for any amp. I have never payed more than $500 for an amp (mostly used ones, though), and I find they can hang with other, way more expensive amps.

I was hankering for a Rivera Quiana or Knucklehead. But the tones I heard this guy on Live by Request getting out of his Top Hat blew me away. Great clean and killer gain tone.

Are any of the models 2 channel or 3 channel, reverb? What is the ballpark range on them, pricewise?

I would love to hear an old Rivera Rake. from what I have heard, it might be the amp I am looking for.

Anyway, if you can see the replay of Live by Request on the A&E channel with Kenney Chesney, do so and let me know which model he is playing. When I get rid of 3 of my amps I am going to Austin to buy one of the top end amps and would like to check out the Top Hat this time.

thanks,
Bob

[Jen]

I owned a Top Hat Vibratrem 20 for about 5 years. When I was working primarily with a singer songwriter, playing mostly clean electric guitar with some effects such as chorus & , delay this was my amp of choice. It was reliable, easy to transport ( Just a 1x12 club series amp) and had TONS of headroom, warmth,and bottom end for such a small amp. I bought my amp new in 97, so when you compared the price at the time (700.00 new) as compared with boutique amps of similar quality, this was a great price.

I sold the amp as 2 years ago, I joined a rock band, and needed a channel switcher......I'm also not one to accumulate amps, or gear that does not get played.

I felt the customer service I received from Brian and his wife Joan was top notch. At one time, when there was an issue, Brian went out of his way for me to make it right. I wish they built a channel switcher, because when they do, I'll be back in the fold.