What Amp Are You Playing Today?

I was playing my Tone King Imperial Preamp through a pair of Fender FR monitors (one 10 and one 12) and compared them to the TKIP into my Catalyst CX 100.

The V3 FR monitors sounded better to me, more like a tube amp. The Catalyst had a more solid state tone but less so than my Cube 60 or a Jazz Chorus 120. It actually sounded really good, and playing it by itself I never would have come to that conclusion but playing it back to back against the FRs there was a noticeable difference in tonal quality.

But in the Catalyst's defense it was markedly louder than even the two FRs together. I'd been wondering if the FRs were loud enough to do a gig with in a medium sized venue without sound reinforcement but have no such qualms about the Catalyst.

So for playing at home I'll use the Fender FRs but if I want a grab and go amp for playing with others, particularly when playing Funk, R&B, and Metal, I may just take the Catalyst.
 
This was Sunday
IMG_7814.jpeg
 


Seriously cannot get enough of this Megalith Gamma. I really didn't think I'd like it this much, but this has the feel of the 101b I traded away for it, but with the most brutal tone I've ever heard.
 
MirrorProfiles said:
Spending some time with the Pittbull today. I'm not sure I'd call it dry like it often gets attributed but it's definitely fast with the transients. Definitely feels very "Marshall" to me - a nice amount of low end thickness in the preamp which you can use a pedal to tighten up more if needed (I prefer this over amps that cut too much and dont really allow you to tune it further).

What's quite funny is the VH4 on the surface seems like it would have a lot more tonal variation, but so far I've found that aside from adjusting the mids the rest of the amp has a fairly narrow range of tones (at least to what I want it to sound like). The Pittbull seems to have a much wider tonal palette - the EQ does a lot, the master volumes change the tone a good amount, the switches have a lot of impact. The control layout somewhat reminds me of an ENGL where there are a lot of buttons to alter the voicing in various positions of the amp. Tonally it has little in common with an ENGL - it's much more on the raw/natural side of things (I think of ENGL as more refined/processed sounding). Very cool amp.

Not sure where I stand on the VH4. Channel 2 was a really pleasant surprise but I can't make my mind up about the rest.
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Your Pittbull assessment is spot on, at least for the 50/CL and 100/CL I had. Top end a bit more refined than most Marshalls but still in the ballpark. Very effective controls. And much more raw and aggressive in the mids than an Engl. Now the Deliverance was like that but with slightly looser lows and more clarity on the top. That amp… I miss that amp.
 
I currently have my Tone King Imperial Preamp feeding both my V3 Archangel Fender FR-10 & FR-12 in stereo as well as a Catalyst CX 100. I turn on the one or the other depending on my mood.

I prefer the tone of the Fenders but the Catalyst brings the volume, When played by itself the Catalyst sounds really good and only suffers slightly in comparison when A/B'd directly with the Fenders.

I like the idea of using the Catalyst as a grab and go amp for the TKIP, FM9 or eventually an AM4 when I get one. It's relatively light and I considered it a bargain at the original price I paid for it.

The Fenders are wonderful for studio work and are usually my modeler amplification of choice when playing at home. It's nice being able to switch between the two and I'm developing an appreciation for both.
 
Today was a NAD for me. I took delivery of a Landry LS100G3 head that I found the GC Used site. It’s one of those Fender-style clean, modded JCM800 dirty amps. I’m not familiar with hot rodded Marshall-style sounds outside of modelers so it was a nice experience briefly hear it in the room.

This particular example has a spring reverb tank, so I wasted a bunch of time listening to the decay on the clean channel.

IMG_4570.jpeg
 
Had to cancel a show tonight due to weather, so I have my amp at home for the first time in a while, the Uber Ultra and man.....still loving this amp.

Put a Sovtek LPS in the Pi and yes, it does what it does.

I also got a couple of the China B "silver dragons" or whatever theyre called and yeah they're cool but not much of a noticeable difference at all compared to the stock JJ.

Assuming they show up I also have a trio of new JJ High gain, balanced, low noise, matched, all the options coming today. Curious if those will make any impact.

Have a Lynx coming early next week but today it is the Uber.
 
I think that coffee mug is ready to be soaked in vinegar overnight, followed by soaking in a vat of lye for a few days.
 
jonathanthomas83 said:
This is amazing, is the Twin Reverb a custom head unit or is it a production amp? Excuse my naivety. Any chance you could tell me more, I'm after something similar. Looks like we also both run SRL's!
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Yeah, I love this amp. It's a '71 and I ordered a Mojotone head shell for it years back. I've only gone through it and changed old caps where needed, other than that it's a stock AA270 circuit. Still have the combo cab but I like having it as a head. I bought the amp from an old bandmate for $300, about 17 yrs ago.

Nice amps you have as well. :beer
 
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