D
Deleted member 10619
Guest
I've play tested the Cherry Bomb extensively these past 3 days.
You all know this amp is very nice to look at and I'm sure you also heard the clips provided by Steve Henning; but is it worth buying? I'll make my best to describe my whole experience, as a Cherry Bomb user, with words (a video review is in the works).
Long read ahead
Plex channel
How to set it:
At first it was kind of awkward to set since it is not your common one trick pony clean channel. In order to fully grasp the advantages of this channel you have to set it a bit "hot" and work with your guitar's on board controls to get various tones out. Using the volume pot you can get bell like cleans, early crunch tones and hotter 80's tone.
Features:
- The channel comes with 2 levels of saturation. The higher level gives the amp enough gain and saturation for a heavy but yet articulate rhythm.
- Turn the "internal plex jump" and your tone has a very subtle thickness added and gives the sound a very vintage feeling.
Rod channel
How to set it:
I find this channel very straight forward and to the point. This channel is meant to be played hard. You can also clean it up with the volume pot if you are aiming for some slightly driven cleans. Pure cleans would depend a lot more on the type and quality of the pickups in your guitar.
Features:
- The amp comes with 2 levels of saturation. The higher level gives the amp enough gain and saturation for tight -high gain- rhythm and leads.
- Turn the "solo" and select the level of saturation desired. You can get smooth singing leads or a very heavy compressed rhythm. This option is a clean boost and doesn't color the original sound coming from channel 2.
Overall master
This feature alone makes this amp so different from the rest. You can play at bedroom levels without sacrificing your tone. You can play at the lowest volume possible and still hear the difference while tweaking the rest of the controls. All you have to do is balance the "density" control with the overall master and crank your channel's master volume. The density control will simulate a thick tone while playing in bedroom levels.
Learning curve
The amp is easy to dial in, especially the rod channel. I recommend all users to read the manual before playing. I used the recommended settings and they work great as a starting point.
The plex channel will be a bit harder for players that are not used to incorporate the volume pot/volume pedal to get multiple sounds. It would be easier to set this channel to "clean", but as I said before, you would be missing all of what this channel has to offer tone wise.
My only concerns are that the saturation and internal plex jump switches aren't labeled (ex: 2/off/1, on/off) and that the channel switch when operated manually activates in reverse instead of channel 1 to the left, channel 2 to the right. It is a bit odd at first (you need the manual), but easy to remember since there aren't so many controls to fiddle with.
Sound
This amp is alive. It breaths and growls. You can easily make it sound percussive and scratchy. This amp makes my fingers feel naked and exposed.
Missed a note slightly?
Didn't hit that note hard enough?
Didn't held that note properly?
It will all show. This amp barely compresses your sound (not even in "solo" mode). This is a great thing for players that want expressive playing, cleaner technique and a huge sound coming out (a great trade-off if you ask me). Sorry, but this amp won't play itself like many other high gainers in the market with that "squishy", compressed and forgiving sound.
Also worth mentioning is that this amp hates shitty guitars. The guitar will become completely transparent and reveal all of its flaws. Weak pickups, noisy pots, old strings, you name it.
The pinch harmonics gives a very rewarding squeal when executed perfectly. Chords are big, full and with great note definition.
Played the amp in bedroom and band context.
Bedroom context:
My mom is sick right now and can't stand loud noises. Her bedroom is right next to mine. I selected the lowest setting possible for the overall master and I didn't wake her up while playing (considering that she also wakes up very easily with most subtle sounds).
Band context:
My drummer buddy said that he could clearly hear me and thought the amp was absolutely fantastic (a guy that couldn't get out of his head for 3 years that nothing would surpass my mark IIC+ guitar tone). We played original tunes (progressive rock/metal) at very loud volumes. I feel most of the material got nailed pretty good considering that I wasn't prepared. Cuts through the mix with no problem. Also the cherry bomb design (and sound of course) got a lot of attention from other players around.
Overall
I'm very happy with my purchase. It has been a while since I've bought something that made me feel so satisfied. Mr. Henning offers world class customer service. Won't go into particular details, but let's just say that he will do anything in his hands in order to keep you a happy customer.
If you like what you heard in the clips (like I did) I'm sure you will dig this amp. I still haven't played it with effects (would love to hear it with chorus and delay).
Looking for an amp that gives you unique "plexi" and "rodded" sounds but with one of a kind features? Look no further.
You all know this amp is very nice to look at and I'm sure you also heard the clips provided by Steve Henning; but is it worth buying? I'll make my best to describe my whole experience, as a Cherry Bomb user, with words (a video review is in the works).
Long read ahead
Plex channel
How to set it:
At first it was kind of awkward to set since it is not your common one trick pony clean channel. In order to fully grasp the advantages of this channel you have to set it a bit "hot" and work with your guitar's on board controls to get various tones out. Using the volume pot you can get bell like cleans, early crunch tones and hotter 80's tone.
Features:
- The channel comes with 2 levels of saturation. The higher level gives the amp enough gain and saturation for a heavy but yet articulate rhythm.
- Turn the "internal plex jump" and your tone has a very subtle thickness added and gives the sound a very vintage feeling.
Rod channel
How to set it:
I find this channel very straight forward and to the point. This channel is meant to be played hard. You can also clean it up with the volume pot if you are aiming for some slightly driven cleans. Pure cleans would depend a lot more on the type and quality of the pickups in your guitar.
Features:
- The amp comes with 2 levels of saturation. The higher level gives the amp enough gain and saturation for tight -high gain- rhythm and leads.
- Turn the "solo" and select the level of saturation desired. You can get smooth singing leads or a very heavy compressed rhythm. This option is a clean boost and doesn't color the original sound coming from channel 2.
Overall master
This feature alone makes this amp so different from the rest. You can play at bedroom levels without sacrificing your tone. You can play at the lowest volume possible and still hear the difference while tweaking the rest of the controls. All you have to do is balance the "density" control with the overall master and crank your channel's master volume. The density control will simulate a thick tone while playing in bedroom levels.
Learning curve
The amp is easy to dial in, especially the rod channel. I recommend all users to read the manual before playing. I used the recommended settings and they work great as a starting point.
The plex channel will be a bit harder for players that are not used to incorporate the volume pot/volume pedal to get multiple sounds. It would be easier to set this channel to "clean", but as I said before, you would be missing all of what this channel has to offer tone wise.
My only concerns are that the saturation and internal plex jump switches aren't labeled (ex: 2/off/1, on/off) and that the channel switch when operated manually activates in reverse instead of channel 1 to the left, channel 2 to the right. It is a bit odd at first (you need the manual), but easy to remember since there aren't so many controls to fiddle with.
Sound
This amp is alive. It breaths and growls. You can easily make it sound percussive and scratchy. This amp makes my fingers feel naked and exposed.
Missed a note slightly?
Didn't hit that note hard enough?
Didn't held that note properly?
It will all show. This amp barely compresses your sound (not even in "solo" mode). This is a great thing for players that want expressive playing, cleaner technique and a huge sound coming out (a great trade-off if you ask me). Sorry, but this amp won't play itself like many other high gainers in the market with that "squishy", compressed and forgiving sound.
Also worth mentioning is that this amp hates shitty guitars. The guitar will become completely transparent and reveal all of its flaws. Weak pickups, noisy pots, old strings, you name it.
The pinch harmonics gives a very rewarding squeal when executed perfectly. Chords are big, full and with great note definition.
Played the amp in bedroom and band context.
Bedroom context:
My mom is sick right now and can't stand loud noises. Her bedroom is right next to mine. I selected the lowest setting possible for the overall master and I didn't wake her up while playing (considering that she also wakes up very easily with most subtle sounds).
Band context:
My drummer buddy said that he could clearly hear me and thought the amp was absolutely fantastic (a guy that couldn't get out of his head for 3 years that nothing would surpass my mark IIC+ guitar tone). We played original tunes (progressive rock/metal) at very loud volumes. I feel most of the material got nailed pretty good considering that I wasn't prepared. Cuts through the mix with no problem. Also the cherry bomb design (and sound of course) got a lot of attention from other players around.
Overall
I'm very happy with my purchase. It has been a while since I've bought something that made me feel so satisfied. Mr. Henning offers world class customer service. Won't go into particular details, but let's just say that he will do anything in his hands in order to keep you a happy customer.
If you like what you heard in the clips (like I did) I'm sure you will dig this amp. I still haven't played it with effects (would love to hear it with chorus and delay).
Looking for an amp that gives you unique "plexi" and "rodded" sounds but with one of a kind features? Look no further.
). You'll, of course, tweak them to your own ears, but they do make it really clear how all the switches work and are a great start in getting your sound with the amp...
