Nickcha
09-15-2006, 09:11 PM
TONEfest ’06
REPORT
The following is a report I’ve compiled on our 6th Annual TONEfest, this past Aug. 18-19 in Clearwater, FL. This report simply hits highlights that I’m hoping will provide some topics for discussion. I’d like to thank everyone who brought in their amps and had a hand in helping this year. You can check out previous as well as upcoming TONEfest events at TheOriginalTONEfest.com (http://www.theoriginaltonefest.com/ToneFest/ToneFestMenu.htm)
TONEfest Participants
TF participants, we need your comments, recollections and photos on this thread. Your comments will be especially helpful in describing your thoughts about the amps you tried, particularly the ones for which we weren’t able to publish Amp Evals.
Amp Evals
Though we demo’d many amps our attendees only made out Amp Eval forms on certain ones. Evals were done voluntarily and we are only reporting on the amps that received 3 or more Evals.
We demo’d each amp with a Strat and a Les Paul (or a Flying V in a few cases). There were no FX used and we did a brief presentation of the amp’s capabilities with each guitar. Only a few Evals were filled out for certain amps and in such cases I elected to simply share the few comments rather than allow the ratings of a couple listeners represent the amp’s performance in our reporting. I will be inviting our TF participants to add their comments in the discussions here.
Let me stress that these Evals are completely subjective and meant only to prompt questions and discussion. All The amps that came to TONEfest were excellent. When an amp received an “Avg.” rating by listeners it should be considered that the scale of 1 to 5 that we used on our Eval Sheets is obviously using the context of amps present. Therefore even an “Avg.” rating should be considered high when comparing to all amps.
Komet “The Limited Edition 50w” (http://www.kometamps.com/limed.html) (Head played through Guytron 212) – 3 Evals
Avg.>Above Avg. marks for clean tones
High marks for OD and saturation.
High marks for controls layout and sensativity.
Remarks (Positive)“nice singing tone…Perfect distortion mode (cranked)…tremendous saturation of harmonics…Thick…Open” (Negative)…Boxy…no clean headroom”
Custom Audio “OD50” (http://www.suhrguitars.com/OD100.aspx#std) (Head played through Marshall 412) – 6 Evals
Very High marks for clean tones
Above Avg.>High marks for OD and saturation.
Above Avg.>Very High marks for functionality and controls layout and sensativity.
Remarks (Positive)”very sweet cleans…very big (clean) sound…nice clean headroom!...very nice medium OD…versatility!!...complex, responsive to touch…chimey…nice cleans…thick…extra boost on each channel (favorite feature)…compressed but nice harmonic structure (hvy OD)…great versatility amp all around…complex and responsive to touch…(Negative)”Med OD is boxy, fizzy…Hvy OD loses complexity”
ValveTech “Hayseed 30” (http://www.valvetechamps.com/theamp.htm) (AC30-type head w/ Fuchs 112 Alnico cab) – 3 Evals
Avg.>Very High marks for clean tones
Avg.>High marks for OD and saturation.
Avg.>Very High marks for functionality and controls layout and sensitivity.
Remarks (Positive)”very voxey (cleans)…chimey…thick…thick OD…nice & fat (hvy OD)…very versatile…voxey-sounds the business…dark…(Negative)”boxy…no complexity when saturated (Hvy OD)”
Heritage “Victory” (http://www.heritageamplifiers.com/victory.html) (combo) – 3 Evals
Very High marks for clean tones
Above Avg.>High marks for OD and saturation.
Very High marks for functionality and controls layout and sensitivity.
Remarks (Positive)”one of the best sounding amps today…thick…open…sweet…chimey…med. OD is part Fender/part Marshall…deep reverb…nice reverb…very complex med OD…best amp! (Negative)”Hvy OD is kinda raspy when dimed”
Roccaforte “Custom 80” (http://www.roccaforteamps.com/Levant_Custom_80.htm) (80w head through Marshall 412) – 3 Evals
Avg. marks for clean tones
High marks for OD and saturation.
Above Avg.>Very High marks for functionality and controls layout and sensitivity.
Remarks (Positive)”punch w/ balls…sounds great w/ master vol. turned down killer sounding Marshall style…a LOT of gain…fantastic…punchy…thick…open…sweet…(Negative)” too much gain”
Divided By 13 “SJT 10/20” (http://www.dividedby13.com/sjt1020.html) (head w/ 112 cab) – 5 Evals
Above Avg.>Very High marks for clean tones
High marks for med OD and saturation.
Avg. marks for high OD and saturation.
Avg.>Very High marks for functionality and controls layout and sensitivity.
Remarks (Positive)”awesome! clean tones…sweet…chimey…thick…sounds better in 12AX7 mode…great vintage ZZ Top tones & single coil cleans…killer Strat amp…very quiet at med OD level…favorite feature: A/AB switch…great balance in med OD mode…(Negative)”raspy w/ mid-boost on…A/AB switch doesn’t seem to have much effect on tone”
Divided By 13 “JRT 9/15” (http://www.dividedby13.com/jrt915.html) – less than 3 evals
Guytron “GT-20” (http://www.guytron.com/0%7Eindex.shtml) (combo) – 3 Evals
Avg. marks for clean tones
Above Avg.>High marks for OD and saturation.
Remarks (Positive)”one of the better hvy ODs I’ve heard today…open…thick…sweet focus control works nice…(Negative)”boxy…sounds better w/ 212…drive footswitch makes amp sound boxy, no openness”
Guytron “100w Head” (http://www.guytron.com/amp_set.shtml) – less than 3 evals
ValveTrain “Classic 105 Po’ Boy (5w)” (http://www.valvetrainamps.com/classic105PB.htm) - less than 3 evals
ValveTrain “Classic 205” (http://www.valvetrainamps.com/classic205.htm) (combo) – 3 Evals
Avg. marks for clean tones
Low>High marks for OD and saturation.
Avg marks for functionality and controls layout and sensitivity.
Remarks (Positive)”great w/ Strats…tweeds pumped up w/ mids….probably a great studio amp using a mic w/ a lot of proximity effect…(Negative)”thin…sterile…tinny on full OD”
ValveTrain “Power Train 205 Tall Boy (10)” (http://www.valvetrainamps.com/classic205TB.htm) – less than 3 evals
ValveTrain “Classic 315 (15w)” (http://www.valvetrainamps.com/classic315.htm) (combo) – 6 Evals
Above Avg. marks for clean tones
Above Avg.>High marks for OD and saturation.
Avg.>Very High marks for functionality and controls layout and sensitivity.
Remarks (Positive)”cleans up nicely…fat sound…Joe Walsh voicing…Strat!!...very smooth w/ single coils…simple layout…Excellent when pushed….amp’s best tone is med. OD….chimey…thick…sweet… (Negative)”harsh”
ValveTrain “PowerTrain 338” (http://www.valvetrainamps.com/PowerTrain_338.htm) (combo) – 4 Evals
Below Avg.>High marks for clean tones
Avg.>High marks for OD and saturation.
Avg.>High marks for functionality and controls layout and sensitivity.
Remarks (Positive)”warm, very nice clean tones…serious hvy OD…nice & thick w/ Strats…thick…sweet…(Negative)”a tad fizzy”
Blankenship “Leeds21” (http://www.blankenshipamps.com/main/mainframe.htm) (18w head w/ 212 and w/ 210 cabs) – less than 3 evals
Fuchs “Blackjack 21” (http://www.fuchsaudiotechnology.com/html/blackjack_21.html) - less than 3 evals
...more on next thread....
REPORT
The following is a report I’ve compiled on our 6th Annual TONEfest, this past Aug. 18-19 in Clearwater, FL. This report simply hits highlights that I’m hoping will provide some topics for discussion. I’d like to thank everyone who brought in their amps and had a hand in helping this year. You can check out previous as well as upcoming TONEfest events at TheOriginalTONEfest.com (http://www.theoriginaltonefest.com/ToneFest/ToneFestMenu.htm)
TONEfest Participants
TF participants, we need your comments, recollections and photos on this thread. Your comments will be especially helpful in describing your thoughts about the amps you tried, particularly the ones for which we weren’t able to publish Amp Evals.
Amp Evals
Though we demo’d many amps our attendees only made out Amp Eval forms on certain ones. Evals were done voluntarily and we are only reporting on the amps that received 3 or more Evals.
We demo’d each amp with a Strat and a Les Paul (or a Flying V in a few cases). There were no FX used and we did a brief presentation of the amp’s capabilities with each guitar. Only a few Evals were filled out for certain amps and in such cases I elected to simply share the few comments rather than allow the ratings of a couple listeners represent the amp’s performance in our reporting. I will be inviting our TF participants to add their comments in the discussions here.
Let me stress that these Evals are completely subjective and meant only to prompt questions and discussion. All The amps that came to TONEfest were excellent. When an amp received an “Avg.” rating by listeners it should be considered that the scale of 1 to 5 that we used on our Eval Sheets is obviously using the context of amps present. Therefore even an “Avg.” rating should be considered high when comparing to all amps.
Komet “The Limited Edition 50w” (http://www.kometamps.com/limed.html) (Head played through Guytron 212) – 3 Evals
Avg.>Above Avg. marks for clean tones
High marks for OD and saturation.
High marks for controls layout and sensativity.
Remarks (Positive)“nice singing tone…Perfect distortion mode (cranked)…tremendous saturation of harmonics…Thick…Open” (Negative)…Boxy…no clean headroom”
Custom Audio “OD50” (http://www.suhrguitars.com/OD100.aspx#std) (Head played through Marshall 412) – 6 Evals
Very High marks for clean tones
Above Avg.>High marks for OD and saturation.
Above Avg.>Very High marks for functionality and controls layout and sensativity.
Remarks (Positive)”very sweet cleans…very big (clean) sound…nice clean headroom!...very nice medium OD…versatility!!...complex, responsive to touch…chimey…nice cleans…thick…extra boost on each channel (favorite feature)…compressed but nice harmonic structure (hvy OD)…great versatility amp all around…complex and responsive to touch…(Negative)”Med OD is boxy, fizzy…Hvy OD loses complexity”
ValveTech “Hayseed 30” (http://www.valvetechamps.com/theamp.htm) (AC30-type head w/ Fuchs 112 Alnico cab) – 3 Evals
Avg.>Very High marks for clean tones
Avg.>High marks for OD and saturation.
Avg.>Very High marks for functionality and controls layout and sensitivity.
Remarks (Positive)”very voxey (cleans)…chimey…thick…thick OD…nice & fat (hvy OD)…very versatile…voxey-sounds the business…dark…(Negative)”boxy…no complexity when saturated (Hvy OD)”
Heritage “Victory” (http://www.heritageamplifiers.com/victory.html) (combo) – 3 Evals
Very High marks for clean tones
Above Avg.>High marks for OD and saturation.
Very High marks for functionality and controls layout and sensitivity.
Remarks (Positive)”one of the best sounding amps today…thick…open…sweet…chimey…med. OD is part Fender/part Marshall…deep reverb…nice reverb…very complex med OD…best amp! (Negative)”Hvy OD is kinda raspy when dimed”
Roccaforte “Custom 80” (http://www.roccaforteamps.com/Levant_Custom_80.htm) (80w head through Marshall 412) – 3 Evals
Avg. marks for clean tones
High marks for OD and saturation.
Above Avg.>Very High marks for functionality and controls layout and sensitivity.
Remarks (Positive)”punch w/ balls…sounds great w/ master vol. turned down killer sounding Marshall style…a LOT of gain…fantastic…punchy…thick…open…sweet…(Negative)” too much gain”
Divided By 13 “SJT 10/20” (http://www.dividedby13.com/sjt1020.html) (head w/ 112 cab) – 5 Evals
Above Avg.>Very High marks for clean tones
High marks for med OD and saturation.
Avg. marks for high OD and saturation.
Avg.>Very High marks for functionality and controls layout and sensitivity.
Remarks (Positive)”awesome! clean tones…sweet…chimey…thick…sounds better in 12AX7 mode…great vintage ZZ Top tones & single coil cleans…killer Strat amp…very quiet at med OD level…favorite feature: A/AB switch…great balance in med OD mode…(Negative)”raspy w/ mid-boost on…A/AB switch doesn’t seem to have much effect on tone”
Divided By 13 “JRT 9/15” (http://www.dividedby13.com/jrt915.html) – less than 3 evals
Guytron “GT-20” (http://www.guytron.com/0%7Eindex.shtml) (combo) – 3 Evals
Avg. marks for clean tones
Above Avg.>High marks for OD and saturation.
Remarks (Positive)”one of the better hvy ODs I’ve heard today…open…thick…sweet focus control works nice…(Negative)”boxy…sounds better w/ 212…drive footswitch makes amp sound boxy, no openness”
Guytron “100w Head” (http://www.guytron.com/amp_set.shtml) – less than 3 evals
ValveTrain “Classic 105 Po’ Boy (5w)” (http://www.valvetrainamps.com/classic105PB.htm) - less than 3 evals
ValveTrain “Classic 205” (http://www.valvetrainamps.com/classic205.htm) (combo) – 3 Evals
Avg. marks for clean tones
Low>High marks for OD and saturation.
Avg marks for functionality and controls layout and sensitivity.
Remarks (Positive)”great w/ Strats…tweeds pumped up w/ mids….probably a great studio amp using a mic w/ a lot of proximity effect…(Negative)”thin…sterile…tinny on full OD”
ValveTrain “Power Train 205 Tall Boy (10)” (http://www.valvetrainamps.com/classic205TB.htm) – less than 3 evals
ValveTrain “Classic 315 (15w)” (http://www.valvetrainamps.com/classic315.htm) (combo) – 6 Evals
Above Avg. marks for clean tones
Above Avg.>High marks for OD and saturation.
Avg.>Very High marks for functionality and controls layout and sensitivity.
Remarks (Positive)”cleans up nicely…fat sound…Joe Walsh voicing…Strat!!...very smooth w/ single coils…simple layout…Excellent when pushed….amp’s best tone is med. OD….chimey…thick…sweet… (Negative)”harsh”
ValveTrain “PowerTrain 338” (http://www.valvetrainamps.com/PowerTrain_338.htm) (combo) – 4 Evals
Below Avg.>High marks for clean tones
Avg.>High marks for OD and saturation.
Avg.>High marks for functionality and controls layout and sensitivity.
Remarks (Positive)”warm, very nice clean tones…serious hvy OD…nice & thick w/ Strats…thick…sweet…(Negative)”a tad fizzy”
Blankenship “Leeds21” (http://www.blankenshipamps.com/main/mainframe.htm) (18w head w/ 212 and w/ 210 cabs) – less than 3 evals
Fuchs “Blackjack 21” (http://www.fuchsaudiotechnology.com/html/blackjack_21.html) - less than 3 evals
...more on next thread....