It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Subscribe to our Patreon, and get image uploads with no ads on the site!
Base theme by DesignModo & ported to Powered by Vanilla by Chris Ireland, modified by the "theFB" team.
Comments
Yes that sums up what I think as well. It's been really good following this thread and getting a 'real world' gigging perspective.
Owing to my back problems, I'm going to try one if/(hopefully when) I start gigging again. Even if it doesn't work out, it's not a huge outlay and it can always serve as a backup or practice amp.
Interestingly I recently had an AD30 - the more recent one with the chrome grille, which are not quite as well-designed - which I acquired with a blown speaker (and power IC, which had taken it out) so I fitted it with a damaged Weber Silver Bell I'd repaired. It sounded brilliant at home volume but sadly quite harsh and ratty when cranked up, so I sold it.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Then a pint of beer fell into the Tonelab and it was never the same again
I like the idea of a smaller rehearsal amp for the garage, but I think I'd rather pay a bit more for a valve amp now.
Really dislike changing valves...
Re heads, yup they did both an AD60VTH (35lbs) and AD120VTH (40lbs) which had improved circuitry to the original AD60/120VT combos - that circuitry was later brought into the replacement AD60/120VTX. A key difference of the VTX combos wasn't just the closed back, birch ply construction, Celestion Neo-dog speakers and 8/16w impedance switch - there was also a revised better built power-section and valve-reactor circuit that was brought over from the heads and 'tuned' for the Celestion 'neo-dog' speakers. The heads only come up for sale very rarely, partly because they were less popular and partly because folks with a good one tend to hold onto them.
http://www.voxshowroom.com/uk/amp/advth.html
Yup, as above the VTX combos had improved power amp sections brought across from the AD60/120VTH heads and the solder joints were of improved quality (it was one of the things Vox picked up on - the AD60/120VT joints tended to go 'dry-solder' and so the solder material used in the heads and VTX was a little better quality).
Anyone who has completed the software update can use a 4 channel switch with the 50 now, picked one up as a xmas present and works well.
http://www.brightonion.co.uk/katana-preset-footswitch/
The size and weight is a big winner for me at the end of the day
Found a picture of the rear of a head IC. I note it says " 8 Ohm minimum" ! I do hope the amplifiers are totally short circuit proof?
Dave.
After originally scooping the upper mids fairly heavily in Global EQ I decided I was going to have to live with a little Blues Jr-type boxiness if I wanted it to be audible in a mix, so I've reduced the upper mid cut by 4 decibels.
I also boosted the overall volume in Global EQ by 10 decibels, giving me vastly more headroom. I had the master at 4 o'clock before, last night I didn't get above 10 o'clock, which is just crazy, why would they starve it of so much power be default?
So I now have enough power with a kind of usable but boxy lead sound, and a passable but frankly underwhelming rhythm sound, missing that big jangly depth I've always had in the past.
I think I'm really now fighting the cabinet rather than the software, despite the inherent flexibility of the EQ it really does have that resonance at high volume of an extremely powerful Blues Jr, albeit with a nice smooth overdrive.
I need to make up an adaptor to try it with a 4x12 as I suspect that will solve all my problems, apart from the reason I bought it which was portability.
I did have a great lead tone on some songs last night to be fair, and I do need to have a long and delicate conversation with the other guitarist in my band pulling his weight a little more.
If it sounds like I'm overthinking this and being too picky you're absolutely right. I'm holding it up to very high standards and trying to get it working exactly how I want it, but in all honesty I think that's fair, given the stir these amps have caused online.
I'm not trying to be a dissenting voice because it's a good amp and I genuinely like it, and the two or three players who've tried it at moderately loud volume in my house have all been wowed by it.
I'm just pushing it to its limits as a dynamic, musical piece of gear at a very low price - I'm not there yet but it's not far off to be fair.
At bigger gigs it's fine, and someone else's problem, but when we're self mixing from the stage I always just use one patch plus boost, and a master volume pedal.
"I need to make up an adaptor to try it with a 4x12 as I suspect that will solve all my problems,"
p90fool, 4x12s are 16/4 Ohms so is your amp different from the one I found?
Dave.
With my Jet City amp here I can use every subtle inflection from the volume control, even bringing up the tail of single notes, but the Katana is just a bit flat in that respect, though it's still better than any other modeller I've used.
The Katana sounds pretty similar to this at home, but at gig volume everything just flattens out too much, meaning I need a master volume pedal to put myself in the right place in the mix.
Okay dokay! I would still like to know about S/C protection?
Dave.