Thanks man, I appreciate the views.
The Naked is simply the Naylor SD preamp into a Marshall 100w power section (w/ EL34's obv). So the two sound very close but the Naked is much brighter, more modern, and has more punch.
Dave clearly did some tweaks over the years, with some amps getting a SAT switch and a simple clean channel (like my 2012). My 2018 Naked+ was built on the BE-100 platform and had the four-gain-stage "plus" mode plus a clean channel with Treble and Bass controls. It felt like the negative feedback was increased on that one, too, as it was more compressed and less "raw" than my 2012.
The '83 2204, for whatever reason, is the simplest but best sounding one, though. Single channel, B/M/T, Presence, Master and Gain; that's it. I have two Hot Mods (the George Lynch one and the regular one that I put in it sometimes if I need that Naked+ gain and feel. Dave himself said he was very impressed with this one and said it was "particularly good."
The 50w makes it break up a little earlier so you get more power amp saturation lower on the Master. It also smooths out the highs and makes the mids pop more than my others. (Note that I do tend to prefer 50w amps overall.) I'm going to do a video on it sometime soon.
I'm also planning on asking some questions when Billy is on TT this Friday. I actually met him in Arizona in 2022 when he was on his solo tour. We talked for quite some time about the Naked and his guitars. He was a really, really nice guy and came out just to chit-chat with all his fans.
I follow your YouTube channel too. There aren't many of us Naylor/Naked whores. HAHA!
The one I had was a '79 JMP 2203 (Same amp Billy had modded). I didn't really like it all that much compared to the SD 60's I had owned.
The first SD 60 I had was like Serial #12 or #13. It was one that was made before they made the stacked gain pot design. It was right after they changed the name of the amp from the Superdrive 50 to the Superdrive 60. The Duel and Electraverb Series didn't start until Kyle Kurtz took over. Joe Naylor basically said 'Kyle ran the business into the ground'.
Dave Friedman designed the simple clean and the channel switching for the Duel series. Guy Hedrick from Guytron designed the reverb circuit for the Electraverb.
Anyway, I sent that 2203 to Dave in May of 2008, and I got it back on New Years Eve of that year. He was a busy, busy man. That was a bit before he started producing any of his amps, and I think he had just started showing up over here on Rig-Talk. I think I actually messaged him over at Huge Racks INC. The way you describe the Naked is pretty much spot on. My Duel 100 is pretty close to it, but it's not as bright. The key to me is running V30's with them. That's the speaker that was stock before Joe had Eminence build the Naylor Special Design 50. That happened in '93 as well.
The SD50 speakers sounded good with the earliest version of the circuit before the stacked gain revision. It was a touch brighter, slightly thinner and had less of that thin blanket vibe. Running V30s makes them all sound closer that oldest version.
Anyway, I got into Naylors because of the band Sponge. I loved the tones on Rotting Pinata, but I later found they didn't use a Naylor when recording that album. It was a JCM 900 Dual Reverb for dirty and a Fender Twin for cleans. What got me was the low open C# Sponge and Billy used to hit. Sponge tuned down 1/2 a step in dropped D, and Billy has pretty much always been 1 1/2 steps down.
The Naked is more an amp for tuning down. It just holds together more.
Aside from the Sat switch, Dave has played with one of the values that made each variation a little different. He may have just used 2 different ones that weren't the stock Naylor value or he could've used 3 different ones which includes the Naylor one. I will have to find it on my external hard drive.
I have the specs for the original stock Naked lead channel. I woud love to build it one of these days when I have time or I may get someone to build it for me if my health doesn't permit it. It's not that far off from a 2203. I could care less about the clean on it.
The low input on a Superclub 38, Superdrive 60 and Superdrive 100 sounds way better than the simple clean. It's like a gritty clean with single coils and a light crunch with humbuckers.
I'm kind of all over the place right now. I've been having blood work done this past week to try to track down a problem I've been having. I had to go give a unit of blood earlier today, and I'm kind of weak. The doctor scared the hell out of me when he mentioned the possibility of cancer. I'm going back again this Friday for another test, and I may be giving another unit of blood then. Then, I have to go for 3 different screens next week, and one involves staying 24 hours at the hospital.
If you see me selling things before too much longer, you will know the reason why.
