Amps that were such a letdown after you played through one ?

bluechargeboy

I had a DSL50 and loved the sound of that thing up loud with not much gain (crunch channel). I played a TSL60 at a gig and was confused how it could sound so different to the DSL, crap and gutless. Maybe it was broken or had a crappy cab.

ICBM

bluechargeboy said:

I had a DSL50 and loved the sound of that thing up loud with not much gain (crunch channel). I played a TSL60 at a gig and was confused how it could sound so different to the DSL, crap and gutless. Maybe it was broken or had a crappy cab.

No, that was working normally. It's actually quite a different amp, unlike the DSL100/TSL100 which are basically the same but with different control networks - although even there, most people don't think the TSL sounds as good.

The TSL60 is the weakest-sounding "60W" valve amp I know of, I think - just thin and gutless as you said.

DulcetJones

Lab Series, in the early 80's I had an L7, 100W 4x10 combo.  Couldn't make it sound good with any guitar(or player).  Traded it for a Traynor bass mate tube amp that sounded way better despite being a 30W 15' speaker bass amp.

Bridgehouse

DulcetJones said:

15' speaker bass amp.

How the heck did you even get it indoors??!!

DulcetJones

Bridgehouse said:

DulcetJones said:

15' speaker bass amp.

How the heck did you even get it indoors??!!

It was designed on a napkin.....

Bridgehouse

DulcetJones said:

Bridgehouse said:

DulcetJones said:

15' speaker bass amp.

How the heck did you even get it indoors??!!

It was designed on a napkin.....

jaysmith

Line 6 Flextone head ..... completely got lost in the mix of a full band, soon got rid of that one !

Telejester

ICBM said:

Telejester said:

If you opened up a blues jr and a computer and set them side by side, you could hardly tell the difference, sadly that's how they build amps these days. Most beautiful innards I ever saw  were my old cornford hellcat head and hiwatt, they knew a thing about amp design and layout.

Sadly Cornford knew how to build amps but not how to make them sound good, although the Hellcat wasn't anywhere near as bad as the Harlequin. The faults with the Harlequin are down to the circuit design, not the build quality - too much gain in the wrong places and caps to strangle the tone everywhere… result, congested muddy sound. Probably second to the Swart for disappointment, given the hype about them.

I've also never played a Dr.Z I haven't hated either. Harsh, strident, clangy and none too well built given the price of them.

I actually owned a harlequin for a short time, phew what a pos that was and it got returned pronto. I wish I had never sold my hellcat head and I sure would love a go on the amp they made for kotzen.

ToneControl

dsl100  - bought one new, 
HT5 - sounds like a pedal through a cheap practice amp
Marshall 5w class A

18/20  Cornell - beautiful build quality, but  the sound was only 7/10 for me

Telejester

Cabicular said:

Gassage said:

Any Blackstar (utter tripe)
Most Marshalls. DSL and JCM900 in particular
Egnater Tweaker

I've got an Artisan 30 head which is possibly the best clean Marshall I've ever had
I've not really like any of the others

Nowt wrong with artisan 15 head, I've heard those sound superb

Alnico

The worst ones were the Vox AC4 C1 and the Blackstar HT-20.
There were many other not-great amps but they were the worst let downs.

Oh no, the JCM600 !
No, that one i gave away to someone i hated in the hope that they would use it and sound shit and they did !
It had EL34 valves so i thought it would automatically be a smaller JCM800.
It was utter rubbish.

That wins it.

Jimbro66

DulcetJones said:

Lab Series, in the early 80's I had an L7, 100W 4x10 combo.  Couldn't make it sound good with any guitar(or player).

I had a Lab L9 and it was one of the nicest sounding amps I've ever owned  -  but only when used clean, which is really what it was designed for.

My biggest disappointment was a Fender 65 Twin Reverb Reissue. Not that it was a bad amp but it was Hi-Fi clean up to ridiculous volume levels and very unforgiving. At that time attenuators were not good and the amp didn't like OD pedals. I traded it for a 4x10 Super Reverb that was great.

Modulus_Amps

Alnico said:

The worst ones were the Vox AC4 C1 and the Blackstar HT-20.
There were many other not-great amps but they were the worst let downs.

Oh no, the JCM600 !
No, that one i gave away to someone i hated in the hope that they would use it and sound shit and they did !
It had EL34 valves so i thought it would automatically be a smaller JCM800.
It was utter rubbish.

That wins it.

I had a JCM600 combo, my first Marshall, sounded better once the speaker was changed, but ultimately got sold and bought a DSL50w head, which I still have but never play... even though it now goes to 11

kjdowd

While I think of it Laney IRT Studio. Great write up - lifeless amp and an awful gain channel

Cabicular

Jimbro66 said:

DulcetJones said:

Lab Series, in the early 80's I had an L7, 100W 4x10 combo.  Couldn't make it sound good with any guitar(or player).

I had a Lab L9 and it was one of the nicest sounding amps I've ever owned  -  but only when used clean, which is really what it was designed for

My biggest disappointment was a Fender 65 Twin Reverb Reissue. Not that it was a bad amp but it was Hi-Fi clean up to ridiculous volume levels

Was that not its job though?
I used one when I was doing the Chilis Band and the headroom was amazing

notonlybutalso

Cabicular said:

Gassage said:

Any Blackstar (utter tripe)
Most Marshalls. DSL and JCM900 in particular
Egnater Tweaker

I've got an Artisan 30 head which is possibly the best clean Marshall I've ever had
I've not really like any of the others

I agree. I used to have the Artisan 30 head and matching 2x12 cab and it was an amazing amp. I agree that all other series' of Blackstar amps are at best bland and at worst terrible, but the artist series are excellent

ICBM

I thought the Artisans were bland and uninspiring too. Quite surprising given the build quality and that they're at least partly based on an AC30. Blackstar seem to engineer all the tone out of their amps in a quest for low noise, or something... and always fit the wrong speakers. They're all too dark and stiff, something like why the Cornfords sound bad to me. With more toneful speakers they can sound better though.

Jimbro66

Cabicular said:

Jimbro66 said:

DulcetJones said:

Lab Series, in the early 80's I had an L7, 100W 4x10 combo.  Couldn't make it sound good with any guitar(or player).

I had a Lab L9 and it was one of the nicest sounding amps I've ever owned  -  but only when used clean, which is really what it was designed for

My biggest disappointment was a Fender 65 Twin Reverb Reissue. Not that it was a bad amp but it was Hi-Fi clean up to ridiculous volume levels

Was that not its job though?
I used one when I was doing the Chilis Band and the headroom was amazing

Selective editing

shaunm

ICBM said:

I thought the Artisans were bland and uninspiring too. Quite surprising given the build quality and that they're at least partly based on an AC30. Blackstar seem to engineer all the tone out of their amps in a quest for low noise, or something... and always fit the wrong speakers. They're all too dark and stiff, something like why the Cornfords sound bad to me. With more toneful speakers they can sound better though.

Did you think the Cornford MK50 sounded bad? I thought that was a magnificent sounding amp.

polotska

Mesa Recto-verb 25. Struggled to get a sound I liked out of any of the four modes.

In retrospect, it shouldn’t have been surprising that it’s a pale imitation of the big Rectifiers—given the low power, lack of a valve rectifier, etc., though I suspect the preamp was revoiced as well.

The reverb was very good, though!