Ceriatone King Kong: What Say You?

[braintheory]

I also agree with the others about the cherry bomb I used to own and the guy who bought it from me also got rid of it very shortly after

 

[LP Freak]

But then again, so did the CCV. And I hated the CCV after I actually got one.

... you are not alone.

I wasn’t impressed either so down the road it went.

 

[ejecta]

A lot of people jump on the CCV bandwagon, but have never played one.

If you know the right cock shake you can get your hands on one. You just have to wash your hand afterwards.

 

[psychodave]

But then again, so did the CCV. And I hated the CCV after I actually got one.

... you are not alone.

That’s what makes the world go around.

I have a long list of amps I don’t like. lol. First amp that comes to mind is the JCM800, then SLO, then Diezel amps. Heck, I even got sick of my 2C++ and sold it. I’ve had my CCV for 8+ years. Still going strong.

Completely agree. No right or wrong here. A lot of people jump on the CCV bandwagon, but have never played one. And then there are all the copy-cats... with who knows what tweaks-n-changes.

I agree no right or wrong. I remember the first time trying the Friedman BE. I was completely let down. I wanted the amp to be killer... it’s readily available too. I borrowed a friends Friedman small box amp expecting it to rip. The amp was flat and generic. Even my friend didn’t like it...and he spent like $3k on it. Makes me wonder about all of the hype. Same thing with the Fortin Cali. My friend had one that was cool. I bought one and it was terrible. lol.

 

[kurtsstuff2003]

I've had several CCV's over the years and..I always preferred Marks modded Marshalls but! The CCV is a good amp

 

[ejecta]

The Cameron amps including the mods are ones I'd put in the over hyped category.... easily.

 

[paulyc]

I haven’t played a Friedman yet that touches my Atomica or CCV.

 

[Junk Yard Dog]

I also agree with the others about the cherry bomb I used to own and the guy who bought it from me also got rid of it very shortly after

I had a Cherry Bomb for a very brief period. Kind of an unfortunate situation, but when I got it, I think the crappy room wiring in our old studio I had it in made it shut it off immediately; that happened and I called Steve. It happened twice to another amp of mine, and it was the fuse blown: same room.

I played it for about an hour, and while I thought it did some things well, I didn't feel instantly that it was better or prefer it over my Splawn at the price point. It was an EXCEPTIONALLY well made amp; it just looked like a Ferrari. I sent it back to Steve saying I think it shorted and I could not turn it back on, but when he got it back, he said everything was fine. I think he was annoyed and felt I wasn't being honest and that I was trying to avoid the restock fee and just didn't like it, but he never said such words, and I wouldn't have blamed him for being annoyed.

I think he puts a lot of good work in his amps. I paid the restocking fee and did not feel like I shouldn't have, since he said it worked fine when I got it, so...who knows...

REGARDLESS, the clips of the Bottle Rocket do sound really, really, good. Better than the Cherry Bomb clips online, I think. I think the CB is a great amp for some folks that have raved about it. As with anything, we like things, we don't like other things.

I would certainly purchase from Steve again as he was great to deal with and was very responsive. I'm surprised the BR isn't getting more attention, but again, there's so many great amps out there right now!!

 

[Wizard of Ozz]

But then again, so did the CCV. And I hated the CCV after I actually got one.

... you are not alone.

That’s what makes the world go around.

I have a long list of amps I don’t like. lol. First amp that comes to mind is the JCM800, then SLO, then Diezel amps. Heck, I even got sick of my 2C++ and sold it. I’ve had my CCV for 8+ years. Still going strong.

Completely agree. No right or wrong here. A lot of people jump on the CCV bandwagon, but have never played one. And then there are all the copy-cats... with who knows what tweaks-n-changes.

I agree no right or wrong. I remember the first time trying the Friedman BE. I was completely let down. I wanted the amp to be killer... it’s readily available too. I borrowed a friends Friedman small box amp expecting it to rip. The amp was flat and generic. Even my friend didn’t like it...and he spent like $3k on it. Makes me wonder about all of the hype. Same thing with the Fortin Cali. My friend had one that was cool. I bought one and it was terrible. lol.

I agree with you on the Friedman amps as well. Yet to be impressed by the BE100 et al.

One amp you might like (unless you’ve hit it already) is the Wizard MTL. It’s my go to for the modified Marshall 2203 on roids tone.

 

[LP Freak]

But then again, so did the CCV. And I hated the CCV after I actually got one.

... you are not alone.

That’s what makes the world go around.

I have a long list of amps I don’t like. lol. First amp that comes to mind is the JCM800, then SLO, then Diezel amps. Heck, I even got sick of my 2C++ and sold it. I’ve had my CCV for 8+ years. Still going strong.

Completely agree. No right or wrong here. A lot of people jump on the CCV bandwagon, but have never played one. And then there are all the copy-cats... with who knows what tweaks-n-changes.

I agree no right or wrong. I remember the first time trying the Friedman BE. I was completely let down. I wanted the amp to be killer... it’s readily available too. I borrowed a friends Friedman small box amp expecting it to rip. The amp was flat and generic. Even my friend didn’t like it...and he spent like $3k on it. Makes me wonder about all of the hype. Same thing with the Fortin Cali. My friend had one that was cool. I bought one and it was terrible. lol.

Hmmm...a lot of big names must agree generic sounds good then.

 

[kdmay]

One amp you might like (unless you’ve hit it already) is the Wizard MTL. It’s my go to for the modified Marshall 2203 on roids tone.

FYI - the MTL is nothing like a 2203. It's actually a modded Jubilee if anything, but there are enough differences in it to have it's own thing going on.

Killer amp. I've built one and it kills. Can easily hang with a SLO etc

 

[psychodave]

But then again, so did the CCV. And I hated the CCV after I actually got one.

... you are not alone.

That’s what makes the world go around.

I have a long list of amps I don’t like. lol. First amp that comes to mind is the JCM800, then SLO, then Diezel amps. Heck, I even got sick of my 2C++ and sold it. I’ve had my CCV for 8+ years. Still going strong.

Completely agree. No right or wrong here. A lot of people jump on the CCV bandwagon, but have never played one. And then there are all the copy-cats... with who knows what tweaks-n-changes.

I agree no right or wrong. I remember the first time trying the Friedman BE. I was completely let down. I wanted the amp to be killer... it’s readily available too. I borrowed a friends Friedman small box amp expecting it to rip. The amp was flat and generic. Even my friend didn’t like it...and he spent like $3k on it. Makes me wonder about all of the hype. Same thing with the Fortin Cali. My friend had one that was cool. I bought one and it was terrible. lol.

Hmmm...a lot of big names must agree generic sounds good then.

I couldn’t tell you. Who knows if they are using pedals or effects to make them sound better? I hope they enjoy whatever tone they can get out of them. I never take likes and dislikes from others personally.

Heck, I hated the Trainwreck I played back in 1989. People love those amps.

 

[Wizard of Ozz]

One amp you might like (unless you’ve hit it already) is the Wizard MTL. It’s my go to for the modified Marshall 2203 on roids tone.

FYI - the MTL is nothing like a 2203. It's actually a modded Jubilee if anything, but there are enough differences in it to have it's own thing going on.

Killer amp. I've built one and it kills. Can easily hang with a SLO etc

I think people like to throw the Jubilee 2555 comparison around as it uses led clipping... but my MTL sounds nothing like a Jubilee which I’ve owned several... and the circuit is pretty different (more like an old JMP 2203 HiWatt hybrid). The MTL has 4 gain stages w/o adding the clipping boost. Also the loop in the Wizards is tube buffered... and they run at a much higher plate voltage... and have completely different transformers. Soundwise... the Jubilee has much less gain, warmer, and nowhere near as tight sounding. Much softer and notes will smear together. Even if you boost the Jubilee with an od, it’s nowhere near as mean or tight as the MTL. Really completely different animals.

 

[Junk Yard Dog]

Ha! I love how this thread veered away from the KK, but it has a lot of good takeaways. I've got an itch and going to see what BFG can do with my Eggie head before even thinking of spending more money. ...I can't buy a house, because I love guitars and amps too much!

 

[psychodave]

But then again, so did the CCV. And I hated the CCV after I actually got one.

... you are not alone.

That’s what makes the world go around.

I have a long list of amps I don’t like. lol. First amp that comes to mind is the JCM800, then SLO, then Diezel amps. Heck, I even got sick of my 2C++ and sold it. I’ve had my CCV for 8+ years. Still going strong.

Completely agree. No right or wrong here. A lot of people jump on the CCV bandwagon, but have never played one. And then there are all the copy-cats... with who knows what tweaks-n-changes.

I agree no right or wrong. I remember the first time trying the Friedman BE. I was completely let down. I wanted the amp to be killer... it’s readily available too. I borrowed a friends Friedman small box amp expecting it to rip. The amp was flat and generic. Even my friend didn’t like it...and he spent like $3k on it. Makes me wonder about all of the hype. Same thing with the Fortin Cali. My friend had one that was cool. I bought one and it was terrible. lol.

I agree with you on the Friedman amps as well. Yet to be impressed by the BE100 et al.

One amp you might like (unless you’ve hit it already) is the Wizard MTL. It’s my go to for the modified Marshall 2203 on roids tone.

I had a Wizard MTL. It was modded by JerryP for gain. Amp sounded great...but like all Wizards, it needed volume to sound it’s best. I couldn’t handle concert volumes at home. Haha

 

[psychodave]

Back on topic, I've never played a Ceriatone King Kong, but I'm sure some people like it. Its cheap enough to buy and try out.

 

[harddriver]

Here's a couple of not so impressive clips.

The second one isn't too bad.

But I've still heard clean boosted JMP JCM Marshalls sound equally as good if not better but. The Ceriatone clip is horrible, I can't believe he thought that sounded good enough to post on YT to demo the amp, that has to be one of the worst Lynch tones I've heard from an amp, it's not even close...

 

[kdmay]

One amp you might like (unless you’ve hit it already) is the Wizard MTL. It’s my go to for the modified Marshall 2203 on roids tone.

FYI - the MTL is nothing like a 2203. It's actually a modded Jubilee if anything, but there are enough differences in it to have it's own thing going on.

Killer amp. I've built one and it kills. Can easily hang with a SLO etc

I think people like to throw the Jubilee 2555 comparison around as it uses led clipping... but my MTL sounds nothing like a Jubilee which I’ve owned several... and the circuit is pretty different (more like an old JMP 2203 HiWatt hybrid). The MTL has 4 gain stages w/o adding the clipping boost. Also the loop in the Wizards is tube buffered... and they run at a much higher plate voltage... and have completely different transformers. Soundwise... the Jubilee has much less gain, warmer, and nowhere near as tight sounding. Much softer and notes will smear together. Even if you boost the Jubilee with an od, it’s nowhere near as mean or tight as the MTL. Really completely different animals.

Don’t want to start an argument and perhaps this deserves its own thread, but the Wizard MC and MTL have their origins in the Jubilee. That is undisputed. I can share the circuits if you can read schematics.

I agree they sound very different and as I said, the MTL has enough differences to have its own thing going on. And you’re right about iron, the Wizard uses great MM iron with high plate voltages. 520vdc+. FIltering is very different too and a big part of the sound/feel.

But I do feel the need to correct your statement above. The Wizard MC and MTL share nothing with the 2203 or Hiwatt circuit wise. The MC is 5 gain stages, plate fed tone stack, combined LED/diode clipping (assymertical) and a feedback driven recovery stage. The MTL adds another gain stage to this and changes the feedback stage and voltage dividers, but is close to the MC in many ways. I have built both. KILLER amps, any way you look at it and very unique in their feel and voicing. Highly recommended tones.

And, bringing it back to the original post! The King Kong / CCV DOES share many similarities to the 2203......!

 

[LP Freak]

But then again, so did the CCV. And I hated the CCV after I actually got one.

... you are not alone.

That’s what makes the world go around.

I have a long list of amps I don’t like. lol. First amp that comes to mind is the JCM800, then SLO, then Diezel amps. Heck, I even got sick of my 2C++ and sold it. I’ve had my CCV for 8+ years. Still going strong.

Completely agree. No right or wrong here. A lot of people jump on the CCV bandwagon, but have never played one. And then there are all the copy-cats... with who knows what tweaks-n-changes.

I agree no right or wrong. I remember the first time trying the Friedman BE. I was completely let down. I wanted the amp to be killer... it’s readily available too. I borrowed a friends Friedman small box amp expecting it to rip. The amp was flat and generic. Even my friend didn’t like it...and he spent like $3k on it. Makes me wonder about all of the hype. Same thing with the Fortin Cali. My friend had one that was cool. I bought one and it was terrible. lol.

Hmmm...a lot of big names must agree generic sounds good then.

I couldn’t tell you. Who knows if they are using pedals or effects to make them sound better? I hope they enjoy whatever tone they can get out of them. I never take likes and dislikes from others personally.

Heck, I hated the Trainwreck I played back in 1989. People love those amps.

Yea that’s it, they use effects to make them sound better

 

[psychodave]

But then again, so did the CCV. And I hated the CCV after I actually got one.

... you are not alone.

That’s what makes the world go around.

I have a long list of amps I don’t like. lol. First amp that comes to mind is the JCM800, then SLO, then Diezel amps. Heck, I even got sick of my 2C++ and sold it. I’ve had my CCV for 8+ years. Still going strong.

Completely agree. No right or wrong here. A lot of people jump on the CCV bandwagon, but have never played one. And then there are all the copy-cats... with who knows what tweaks-n-changes.

I agree no right or wrong. I remember the first time trying the Friedman BE. I was completely let down. I wanted the amp to be killer... it’s readily available too. I borrowed a friends Friedman small box amp expecting it to rip. The amp was flat and generic. Even my friend didn’t like it...and he spent like $3k on it. Makes me wonder about all of the hype. Same thing with the Fortin Cali. My friend had one that was cool. I bought one and it was terrible. lol.

Hmmm...a lot of big names must agree generic sounds good then.

I couldn’t tell you. Who knows if they are using pedals or effects to make them sound better? I hope they enjoy whatever tone they can get out of them. I never take likes and dislikes from others personally.

Heck, I hated the Trainwreck I played back in 1989. People love those amps.

Yea that’s it, they use effects to make them sound better

Don’t take this stuff so personally. I get it, your a big Friedman fan and it bothers you others may not like how they sound. They are only amps and we have lots of different ones to choose from.