Can a Torpedo Captor take an overdriven Marshall Super Lead?

[CarlM]

I am considering a a Torpedo Captor for the studio to use with various amps. Among these amps I have a 1976 Marshall Super Lead and a 1972 Marshall Super Bass, which I would like to use. The Captor i specified to 100w, but an overdriven 70's 100w Marshall head will output slightly more. So my question is will I be able to use my two big Marshall heads at the breakup sweet spot with the Captor or will I fry it...

 

[Jason Wilding]

I would say a 70's SuperLead well exceeds the 100w it is rated at.... remember, these numbers are totally random and these usually mean 100w before clipping (overdriving) so I would say it is highly unlikely you will be able to open it all the way and use a Captor... however, I've never in my entire life found an amp that sounds at it's absolute best when everything is turned up... start low, work your way up, I expect you'll find the tone and response you are looking for long before it's all the way open!

 

[CarlM]

I would say a 70's SuperLead well exceeds the 100w it is rated at.... remember, these numbers are totally random and these usually mean 100w before clipping (overdriving) so I would say it is highly unlikely you will be able to open it all the way and use a Captor... however, I've never in my entire life found an amp that sounds at it's absolute best when everything is turned up... start low, work your way up, I expect you'll find the tone and response you are looking for long before it's all the way open!

That you for your input Jason!

I have been playing vintage 100w Marshall heads since the age of 13 (They were cheap used at the time...), so I have some experience in getting them to sound the way I want and I totally agree. Setting everything on 10 isn't always a great idea. I like them best when the power amp section is just pushed slightly into overdrive.

My question was really if the Captor can handle the actual power from a typical 100w (4xEL34) guitar head. I am sure that some one must have tried, either with success or with a fried Captor as the result...

My THD Hot Plates have no problems handling the power from a pushed 100w Marshall head. But I am interested in the Captor to hopefully get a better sounding line level signal to use with speaker sims.

But I have smaller heads which I can use instead, but it would be fun to see how these vintage heads can sound along with som great speaker sims.

 

[Mattik]

Hello! I know this is an old thread, but I can chip in with some marginally related but possibly helpful experience in that I am running an 80’s JCM800 2203 to the Captor X, volume at about 5 (preamp at 7ish) on low input — which without attenuation is incredibly loud, like an airport runway would be the suitable venue for that level of volume. — and at least at this power the captor survives fine. Of course, the high input in these is still much louder...

 

[BZGS]

I don't have a 100w Marshall head, but I do have a 50w Marshall 1987 MKII modded to 1972 metal face spec, which is the lower wattage version of 100w super lead. The in-level button needs to be set to low in Captor X while I turn both volume knobs on the Marshall to the max with a Maxon OD808 sets to max gain and level. I remember the actual power output of a Marshall tube amplifier is 1.4 times the wattage on the panel. That is, a 100w Marshall would output over 140w actual power. In that case, I would be very careful about using Captor X under such a situation.