Ceriatone Anyone?

[brianiac5150]

I'm on the prowl for what is most likely thought of and referred to as "the Marshall tone" and have come across Ceriatone amps. In a quick search here, not much to be found. Anyone here have and use these? Unfortunately, unless I'm doing something wrong - which is a complete possibility, their site leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[mjtripper]

They have a very good reputation, try searching for the model name instead of the brand and you might see more. You see a lot of people interested in the one that's like chupacubra or something like that, can't remember the name exactly.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

They have some pretty killer models I'll say! I think build quality is excellent and you can find a lot of clips on the chupa and yeti series on youtube. Their plexi sounds great too.

 

[Racerxrated]

I had a 800 clone that was modded by Mike Fortin with his Cali mod. Sounded good but was noisy..then the PT went out. I bought it used so who knows how it was used before, impedance mismatches etc. They have a good rep though. Lots like them. I tried a Jubilee clone at a Music go round in MPLS. I have a Jubilee..the clone didn't even come close. Not bad but not a jube. If I were you I'd just go for a real used Marshall..you can usually find a decent 80s JCM 800 for less than a grand on ebay, GC online or the forums. You'll probably spend more on the Ceriatone because of the shipping from Malaysia. They're good amps but if I were to pick between an 800 clone or an 800, I'd go Marshall. Just put a pedal in front and you're set.

 

[cyndicate]

They are great value if you can find one used in the US. If you buy new, they are located in Malaysia and you would have to pay for shipping over here which is ~$125+ or something. Used ones also go for significantly less than new prices. They sell both kits and ones built by them, so if you do buy one first figure out who built it. The ones built by Ceriatone are built really well and are all hand wired.

 

[Racerxrated]

If you dig deep in the classifieds I seem to remember a Chupacabra for sale recently..I think if you go for that or a Yeti that's the way to go. A nice Jose mod brand new that's affordable...unless you want a stock Marshall clone. For the same price you can get a real Marshall.

 

[FourT6and2]

Great reputation. Great build quality (if you get one built by them, not a kit build by the customer). Good customer service. Good prices. Not sure how close they come to the real deal, though. If all you want is a JCM800 or something, just get the real thing. But if you want a clone of a Trainwreck or a Dumble or something, go with Ceriatone. I had a Chupacabra (hot rod JCM800) and it was awesome. Great amp, especially for the price.

I had a 800 clone that was modded by Mike Fortin with his Cali mod. Sounded good but was noisy..then the PT went out. I bought it used so who knows how it was used before, impedance mismatches etc. They have a good rep though. Lots like them. I tried a Jubilee clone at a Music go round in MPLS. I have a Jubilee..the clone didn't even come close. Not bad but not a jube. If I were you I'd just go for a real used Marshall..you can usually find a decent 80s JCM 800 for less than a grand on ebay, GC online or the forums. You'll probably spend more on the Ceriatone because of the shipping from Malaysia. They're good amps but if I were to pick between an 800 clone or an 800, I'd go Marshall. Just put a pedal in front and you're set.

Was it built by Ceriatone or built by a customer from kit form?

 

[Racerxrated]

Great reputation. Great build quality (if you get one built by them, not a kit build by the customer). Good customer service. Good prices. Not sure how close they come to the real deal, though. If all you want is a JCM800 or something, just get the real thing. But if you want a clone of a Trainwreck or a Dumble or something, go with Ceriatone. I had a Chupacabra (hot rod JCM800) and it was awesome. Great amp, especially for the price.

I had a 800 clone that was modded by Mike Fortin with his Cali mod. Sounded good but was noisy..then the PT went out. I bought it used so who knows how it was used before, impedance mismatches etc. They have a good rep though. Lots like them. I tried a Jubilee clone at a Music go round in MPLS. I have a Jubilee..the clone didn't even come close. Not bad but not a jube. If I were you I'd just go for a real used Marshall..you can usually find a decent 80s JCM 800 for less than a grand on ebay, GC online or the forums. You'll probably spend more on the Ceriatone because of the shipping from Malaysia. They're good amps but if I were to pick between an 800 clone or an 800, I'd go Marshall. Just put a pedal in front and you're set.

Was it built by Ceriatone or built by a customer from kit form?

Not sure who built the ones I've tried. Like I said, they sounded good but were pretty noisy. The Jube clone didn't do it for me. Also tried the AFD clone, it was decent. But would like to try a Chupa, almost pulled the trigger a few times here on one..yeah I'm sure it makes a difference if Nik builds the amp versus a customer.

 

[FourT6and2]

Great reputation. Great build quality (if you get one built by them, not a kit build by the customer). Good customer service. Good prices. Not sure how close they come to the real deal, though. If all you want is a JCM800 or something, just get the real thing. But if you want a clone of a Trainwreck or a Dumble or something, go with Ceriatone. I had a Chupacabra (hot rod JCM800) and it was awesome. Great amp, especially for the price.

I had a 800 clone that was modded by Mike Fortin with his Cali mod. Sounded good but was noisy..then the PT went out. I bought it used so who knows how it was used before, impedance mismatches etc. They have a good rep though. Lots like them. I tried a Jubilee clone at a Music go round in MPLS. I have a Jubilee..the clone didn't even come close. Not bad but not a jube. If I were you I'd just go for a real used Marshall..you can usually find a decent 80s JCM 800 for less than a grand on ebay, GC online or the forums. You'll probably spend more on the Ceriatone because of the shipping from Malaysia. They're good amps but if I were to pick between an 800 clone or an 800, I'd go Marshall. Just put a pedal in front and you're set.

Was it built by Ceriatone or built by a customer from kit form?

Not sure who built the ones I've tried. Like I said, they sounded good but were pretty noisy. The Jube clone didn't do it for me. Also tried the AFD clone, it was decent. But would like to try a Chupa, almost pulled the trigger a few times here on one..yeah I'm sure it makes a difference if Nik builds the amp versus a customer.

Yeah, who built it makes a huge difference. Especially regarding noise. Layout and lead dress matter. My Chupacabra had zero noise. Zero hiss even. And that was with the gain super high and the diode clipping engaged. I wouldn't generalize about "Ceriatone" based on amps that they didn't actually build. And if you can't verify who actually built it, then...

 

[brianiac5150]

Great information here, friends. Thanks for your time and responses.

 

[boost]

I've got a Ceriatone Expression that I dig. Built well, not noisy at all. How does it compare to a real Trainwreck? Couldn't tell you unless I win the lottery. I'll go out on a limb and say the comparisons said early here about Marshall's most likely apply here too. Similar, but not completely the same.

That said, it's 10 times cheaper than a new one, and about 100 times cheaper than an original. I don't have to worry about it in dive bars and I like the way it sounds and feels. Works for me for what I do and need.

 

[stratotone]

Ceriatone Expression here that Nik built. Super awesome amp and I even had a guy who owns a real 'wreck say that mine sounded ballpark. Build quality is awesome, If I found a Ceriatone locally used at a decent price I'd snap it up personally. Fantastic value for the $.

 

[guitarnoize]

I have a Chupacabra 50, zero noise, great Marshall plexi & modded JCM 800 style tones. I've been using mine for a couple of years never had any issues. Great build quality, I would definitely recommend them.

 

[ibenhad]

Marshall 2061x clone here and it's super quiet and sounds awesome. Don't have a real one to compare it to but I'm sure it is close. Def has the Marshall vibe. Cabinet got destroyed in shipping from the guy I bought it from on TGP and even the chassis got a little tweaked but the amp fired right up and is still cranking 3 years or so later. Nice clean wiring inside too. I would certainly buy more Ceriatone amps.

 

[charveldan]

You can get a used JMP for 1K, if you want Marshall-toan, get a Marshall.

 

[The Traveller]

Here is my 100 watt Yeti built by Nik. It's an awesome amp. Lots of Marshall tones in this amp. Everything form a 60's plexi to modern super high gain stuff. If you have any questions just email Nik. He's a really cool guy and gets back to you within the day.

 

[JediNinjaKnight]

I love my Yeti 50!

Sounds great, and put all my distortion pedals on the shelf...