Bogner 20th Shiva and PWE Event Horizon.

[richedie]

I own both of these amps and love them both. I have EL34s in both amps and love em both! How many of you have amps that are similar? Playing these two in the same room, you hear the differences, and I love them each for different reasons. Each has a unique and amazing, top shelf tone.

 

[D-Rock]

I have lot's of amps that essentially cover, or can be made to cover, the same ground.

I also own lot's of pairs of jeans and pants that all cover my legs the same amount.
But I would never own just one pair simply because of that reason.
I like options and variety.

 

[skoora]

I have lot's of amps that essentially cover, or can be made to cover, the same ground.

I also own lot's of pairs of jeans and pants that all cover my legs the same amount.
But I would never own just one pair simply because of that reason.
I like options and variety.

Plus it's nice knowing you won't wear out the crotch of your amp too fast because you can cycle using it

 

[richedie]

I have lot's of amps that essentially cover, or can be made to cover, the same ground.

I also own lot's of pairs of jeans and pants that all cover my legs the same amount.
But I would never own just one pair simply because of that reason.
I like options and variety.

Great points!

 

[TrueTone500]

I own both of these amps and live them both. I have EL34s in both amps but to be honest, they are very similar, they cover a lot of the same ground, thick, forgiving and chewy with great low mids and both sound amazing through V30s.

That said, I am thinking that once I get my Splawn, I may sell the PWE and get something different. Having two or more amps that cover most of the same sonic territory doesn't make much sense and seems like a waste of money.

Anyone else experience this with their collection?

Rich

If you can, try to get a 3 x preamp tube Splawn QR with the loop/preamp leveling control. They have better gain tones than the revised 4 x preamp QR's. I personally prefer the more 1972 Marshall-esque "clean" channel of the early model Splawn's - thought others may disagree.

 

[richedie]

Thanks dude.

 

[TrueTone500]

Thanks dude. Can that QR still get a decent clean? We play bands like REM, Matthew Sweet and Radio Head plus U2 and I need some clean.
How do I know what to look for? Years???
I was getting a new Splawn Street Rod for the lower watts and better low volume playing.

The new Splawn's sound great too! The newer QR's have a more Fender voiced clean channel vs the more Plexi clean in the earlier model. Scott used the '72 Super Lead as his inspiration for the early clean tones. At least that's what he told me... I have a 2005 model, and it nails the early 70's Marshall sound. I don't know about the Street Rod? If that's a 50 watt version of the QR, then you should be good to go.

Marhall style circuits use more negative feedback which gives the amp a tighter sound. A simulated compression type thing... While this is great for gain tones - it's not so good for getting open 3-D clean tones. You can mod the NFB resistor to "loosen" the amp up, but that will have an effect on your gain tones as well... You may actually prefer it.

The VOX AC30 is my all-time favorite amp for cleans, as it uses no negative feedback. If you're getting nice cleans from your new Splawn, then I would pick-up a (version 2) TECH21 "Liverpool" pedal. That thing nails the AC30 tones better than anything out there. If you don't own an AC30, it will make you want to go out and buy one. If you already own an AC30, the "Liverpool" pedal will make you think about selling it.

 

[richedie]

For some of the songs we do, I really need a great clean. Some songs I need gritty clean and the PWE takes pedals so well, I sometimes use an OD to add some other flavor to the amp...

 

[TrueTone500]

For some of the songs we do, I really need a great clean. But I also like a gritty Marshall clean, but luckily Splawns are responsive enough that I can just roll back the gain to get that gritty Plexi clean.

On a side note, I wonder if I should have looked for a used Quickrod, rather than spending close to $2000 on a new Street Rod head. I just saw a 2011 Quick Rod sell for $1200 used and I would have been happy with that even though I am trying to stick with 50 watt heads these days.

Well, that's good thinking - but you are getting a brand new amp. Nothing wrong with that at all. I prefer to go with a 100 watts, and a true half-power switch. That's how my 2005 QR is set up. The difference between a 50 and 100 isn't much in terms of actual volume, so either one should work well for you. The 50 watt heads are nice, as you only have to spend 1/2 the amount for new power tubes. A properly biased amp (if there really is such a thing) can run the same tubes for years. My friend Mark has been using the same EL34 Tesla tubes in his Marshall 100 watt that he purchased in 1985! He plays regularly, with no issues at all.

 

[richedie]

I have been playing since 1985 and have owned more 100 watt and 50 watt amps than I care to count and I disagree. There is a huge difference. Feel is way different, but it is nice to have both and it depends on the build and components. For example, my PWE and Shiva both sound huge and punchy no matter what.

 

[TrueTone500]

I think you've got a good idea what it is you're looking for. 100 watt amps do have a different "feel" compared to 50 watt amps, but the decibel level difference is quite small. Power-tube (even-order) distortion comes-on sooner in a 50 watt amp for sure, but I never get to run my big amps that loud anyway. I would probably be better off using a 1 watt Marshall head.

One of my favorite amps is the Marshall JTM45 30 watt. Nice power-tube distortion at a more acceptable level - but still quite loud. I also love the added sag of a tube rectifier. By example - Mike Soldano's main amp is a vintage JTM45 - not an SLO100. He specifically designed his "Supercharger GTO" preamp pedal for use in front of the NMV Marshall's to help garner some preamp gain (via the PI) at lower volumes. The PWE sounds like a great amp from what players say... Are you sure you want to sell it?

 

[richedie]

Thanks for all the info guys.

 

[TrueTone500]

Nah, I am holding onto the PWE for a while. I do feel a nice, nice difference with 50 watt amps. Enough for me to stick to them.

Good choice! Yes, I will agree with the 50 watt feel thing... I favor my MK50H II, but I still love the Marshall voiced amps too.

 

[richedie]

What is an MK 50 H II? Cornford? I wouldn't kind owning one of those single channel MK amps.

 

[TrueTone500]

What is an MK 50 H II? Cornford? I wouldn't kind owning one of those single channel MK amps.

Yes. There's a blackface MK50H up for sale here on RT. Cornford's have a sound that's all their own. Cornford's are more in-between early Plexi and VOX. The Bogner 100B and the MK50H II sound very close when played side-by-side. I gigged with both for a few months, and stayed with the Cornford.

 

[richedie]

On a side note, one of my dream amps is a Fryette Deliverance 60.

 

[richedie]

Amazing amp......she will never leave me!

 

[guitarmike]

I own both of these amps and live them both. I have EL34s in both amps but to be honest, they are very similar, they cover a lot of the same ground, thick, forgiving and chewy with great low mids and both sound amazing through V30s.

That said, I am thinking that once I get my Splawn, I may sell the PWE and get something different. Having two or more amps that cover most of the same sonic territory doesn't make much sense and seems like a waste of money.

Anyone else experience this with their collection?

Rich

I own a CCV and a BE, both can sound similar to each other. That is a lot of money for the same tones. I happen to like those tones and don't need or want anything else. If I had different types of amps it would be a waste of money because I wouldn't play an amp that did not sound like these 2 sound. I like to sound like me when I play, I do not want to cover other people's tones. I have friends that love going from their Fender amps to their Marshalls, to each his own.

If you like both amps can you keep yours and just buy the next one? If you like a lot of different amp tones maybe you should keep your good amps and buy a modeler for the rest? I wouldn't sell without really thinking it through or you will be regretting it and looking to buy it back.

 

[rlord1974]

I wouldn't trade a PWE EH for a Fryette Sig:X. That's just me though.

 

[squank]

Might be doing a trade with a guy - my PWE Event Horizon for his Fryette Sig X.

Me neither. The EH is one of my top 5 amps ever.