OrganicZed
Roadie
- Messages
- 435
I did a local Craigslist transaction and finally snagged a two/ninety/two tube power amp to complete my Fryette rack rig. I technically bought this on the 27th of June, so not exactly NAD, but close enough.
View attachment 1720525717870.jpeg
View attachment 1720525668650.jpeg
As you can see from the QC sticker inside the amp, it was made in December of 2008, just a matter of days before VHT officially rebranded as Fryette. Although the faceplate has the Fryette badge, the board inside still says VHT. Final QC done by Steve M. Fryette. Nice!
The previous owner put in a new set of tubes. He said that they have about five hours of play time on them. He chose a matched quad of JJ KT88s, some new production Mullard 12AX7s, and JJ 12AU7 preamp tubes. Tubes aside, the amp is 100% stock and untouched. The case took a hit on the side at one point and is bent a bit and there is some rack rash, but it is in pretty good cosmetic condition overall. When I auditioned the amp at the previous owner's place there was a moderate level hum. He lived in an older apartment and I suspected there was a grounding issue. It runs very quietly in my setup so that seems to have been the correct diagnosis. Considering I paid $600, there is nothing to complain about. The cost of the glass alone is about $370. I think I got a good bargain on this one.
It sounds glorious with the VHT GP3 preamp through the 2x12 VHT cab with Celestion V30s in the photo. The presence and depth controls are well voiced for adding extra sparkle or low end thump and 98W per channel is ample power for my bedroom rig. I went a little too hard and and had ringing in my ears for several minutes after playing this setup over the holiday weekend. I also played the Fryette GP/DI preamp into it and the results were similarly satisfying.
I haven't tried it through my 4x12 cabs yet, but I'll get around to that soon enough. I want to get it setup with the Axe-FX and my dual VHT Fatbottom cabs for stereo tube goodness. That will be fun.
In summary, it sounds great and I am happy with the purchase.
View attachment 1720525717870.jpeg
View attachment 1720525668650.jpeg
As you can see from the QC sticker inside the amp, it was made in December of 2008, just a matter of days before VHT officially rebranded as Fryette. Although the faceplate has the Fryette badge, the board inside still says VHT. Final QC done by Steve M. Fryette. Nice!
The previous owner put in a new set of tubes. He said that they have about five hours of play time on them. He chose a matched quad of JJ KT88s, some new production Mullard 12AX7s, and JJ 12AU7 preamp tubes. Tubes aside, the amp is 100% stock and untouched. The case took a hit on the side at one point and is bent a bit and there is some rack rash, but it is in pretty good cosmetic condition overall. When I auditioned the amp at the previous owner's place there was a moderate level hum. He lived in an older apartment and I suspected there was a grounding issue. It runs very quietly in my setup so that seems to have been the correct diagnosis. Considering I paid $600, there is nothing to complain about. The cost of the glass alone is about $370. I think I got a good bargain on this one.
It sounds glorious with the VHT GP3 preamp through the 2x12 VHT cab with Celestion V30s in the photo. The presence and depth controls are well voiced for adding extra sparkle or low end thump and 98W per channel is ample power for my bedroom rig. I went a little too hard and and had ringing in my ears for several minutes after playing this setup over the holiday weekend. I also played the Fryette GP/DI preamp into it and the results were similarly satisfying.
I haven't tried it through my 4x12 cabs yet, but I'll get around to that soon enough. I want to get it setup with the Axe-FX and my dual VHT Fatbottom cabs for stereo tube goodness. That will be fun.
In summary, it sounds great and I am happy with the purchase.
Last edited:
….Se’
