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is it crazy how saying sentences backwards creates backwards sentences saying how crazy it is?
I don't expect it to be cheap but as Oct says, something like this can be a keeper and if you want Blackface to Vox, Plexi and Soldano/5150 under one hood and for all the channels to be equally good and it replaces several amps, then fair enough.
Next question.
A Mesa MkV sounds fantastic on all three channels - if you want Mesa cleans, Mesa crunch and Mesa lead. But that's not what most people want - they want Fender cleans, Marshall crunch and Mesa lead (or some other combination) and that's much harder to do.
(For what it's worth the MkV is not for me, since I don't really like Mark series crunch and lead.)
"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
I think this is the main issue, the iconic amp sounds are a combination of pre amp and power amp, with most channel switching amps all of the different pre amp circuits have to share a power amp, so there is a compromise.
There are systems like the Synergy that get very close to emulating all of the sounds.
3 switchable valve channels with independent controls, clean (fender blackface and then some - best clean fender sound ever produced wouldn't be off the mark), mean (somewhere around tweed and Marshall sound depends who you listen to - very nice crunch that i think all 3 guitarists in grateful dead ended up using and billy gibbons raved about) and lastly scream (based on the early hotrodded fender amps (early Messa style higher gain sounds as they were a hotrodded fender) and plenty of gain avail in this one. Can be switched via footswitch or some have rare midi board. Some also have a 1+3 switch (nicknames 13th floor by groove tubes) it inserte the clean channel in before the scream one for even more ability to tweak that channels sound.
you wanna go really crazy then pair with the Groove Tubes Dual 75 power amp. 2 x 75w valve amps that can actually have 6l6 in one and el34 in other so even power amp can do fender and Marshall sounds. Match it to a custom wired 4x10 or 12 (wired as two 2x10/12 banks) and you can switch between them with a footswitch. Or even run both channels together with diff valves or same valves in each channel whatever you choose.
go for vc5212 or 5310 left field 5115 Fender clean channel, Marshall crunch channel... EL84 Power Amp with, unusually, fixed bias. Has an output transformer cloned from a tweed fender. Seperate master volumes for each channel so easy to match levels.
Used by Knopfler live and studio from early 90's till quite recently.
Outstanding sound indeed. Side by side with a pre gain fender clean is right up with it. These amps particularly the 1x15's are popular with some lap steel players due to quality of the clean channel and clean headroom avail. imho the couch channel is stunning too and every bit as good.
Quality in terms of engineering yes.
I've never found a channel switcher I like the sound of on both channels. Something like a Hot Rod Deluxe has an exceelent clean channel (with a decent speaker), but I really don't like the drive channel. I always used to use pedals with mine.
I prefer the sound of pedals into a good amp that's clean or on the edge of breakup to any drive channel I've ever come across. I'm not into high gain stuff though. A lot of people who are into that seem to prefer amp gain to pedals.
I’ve A/B’d one (admittedly one of the LE ones with a Jensen speaker) with a boutique tweed 5E3 Deluxe copy, and the Hotrod’s drive channel could near enough nail the sound of it.
The problem is that it doesn’t sound anything like a Marshall...
"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
The shared EQ is a big limitation though.
"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