NAD: Ceriatone Chupacabra 100

[peckhart]

Been a while since I got anything interesting. Traded for a mint Ceriatone Chupacabra 100 (thanks tpruitt!). It's cold as balls out and I'm bored so I'll share some initial thoughts.

I have been interested in these for a while and read/listened to everything I could. In my opinion most of the YouTube videos really do this amp no justice. I know a lot of people knock using phone capture videos for tone analysis, but the ones that are done right can give an idea of what is going on with an amp. That coupled with some reputable forum members experience has done me well for picking amps that are pretty good. I really haven't had an amp that I hated or was not close to what I thought I would be getting in quite some time thanks to the internets and blogospheres.
In this case though, written reviews were great but the amp often came across as really loose and fizzy around the edges. I am happy to say that those are just bad representations of the amp and it really sounds killer in person. With the way the gain controls work it can be overdone easily and end up a fizzy mess. The low end is full and punchy and stays together very nicely.

I have been using a Helios 100 as my main amp for a while and really like it. I was just looking for a second similar amp to play at home and have on hand should the Helios be out of commission for a bit. This Chupacabra is right up there with the Helios. It's mean and crunchy with a great growl. Lots of tone shaping controls to influence gain, saturation, EQ from high to lows....liking having a Resonance control again.

I've gotta address the stock tone sucking loop issue as I need to run a volume boost in the loop to control my own solo boosts. And I will hopefully be using it at rehearsal tonight plus doing some A/Bing to the Helios in the coming weeks. Seems like a keeper so far though.

I'm really just echoing a lot of what has already been said about these amps. Excellent bang for the buck. I am a Ceriatone believer for sure.

 

[Racerxrated]

Congrats! I had a Fortin Cali Ceriatone 800 clone, cool amp until the PT went out. But a Classictone replacement did the trick just fine.
I think if you use a rack FX unit, like an Intellifex the loop works better. I think I paid 75 bucks for mine? But the weak spot is definitely the loop on those amps.

 

[Zado]

In my opinion most of the YouTube videos really do this amp no justice.

Absolutely. The only rather faithful vids I've seen so far are the James Lugo LA amp Shootout, and one made by a guy who's a member here. But you can't get the sound complexity and the harmonic content from a youtube vid anyway, and the Chupa
delivers.

 

[scottosan]

Congrats. Most people don’t realize the Helios uses diode clippers as well for the 80s mode

 

[Zado]

Congrats. Most people don’t realize the Helios uses diode clippers as well for the 80s mode

Are diodes now considered a bad thing in an (otherwise) good sounding amp?

 

[peckhart]

Congrats. Most people don’t realize the Helios uses diode clippers as well for the 80s mode

I was using 80s mode for a while, but switched to using the 70s mode. Its a bit more open and its has plenty of gain.

 

[peckhart]

Congrats! I had a Fortin Cali Ceriatone 800 clone, cool amp until the PT went out. But a Classictone replacement did the trick just fine.
I think if you use a rack FX unit, like an Intellifex the loop works better. I think I paid 75 bucks for mine? But the weak spot is definitely the loop on those amps.

The local amp guru by me is going to do something with the loop to make it work. I need this head to be plug and play and want to be able to easily swap between it and my Helios and my pedal board set up with some stuff out front and some that go in the loop needs to be able to connect the same way to either head.
I toyed around with getting a Metro Zero loss board, but I don't really want to mess with it on my own. I trust my local tech as he has always done good work at a reasonable price for me.

 

[Junk Yard Dog]

I am super intrigued by the tone shaping options on a Ceriatone Chupa/Yeti. I've never had an amp with two Gain controls that shape the gain and structure. Why don't more amps have this type of setup? ...Also the Era(saturation, lower lower volume) and bright switches I'm seeing on more amps like the Bottle Rocket and *ahem* Firebolt. I'm thinking of modding an amp to have these options as well.

 

[scottosan]

Congrats. Most people don’t realize the Helios uses diode clippers as well for the 80s mode

Are diodes now considered a bad thing in an (otherwise) good sounding amp?

not at all, it demonstrated that there are probably people that love this amp and don’t even know about the diode clipping. I’m all for the diodes. To me, diode clipping in an3 gain stage amp is the perfect combination of gain and balls. Too many gain stages may “heavy” but I prefer balls. Yes, that’s what I said

 

[peckhart]

I am super intrigued by the tone shaping options on a Ceriatone Chupa/Yeti. I've never had an amp with two Gain controls that shape the gain and structure. Why don't more amps have this type of setup? ...Also the Era(saturation, lower lower volume) and bright switches I'm seeing on more amps like the Bottle Rocket and *ahem* Firebolt. I'm thinking of modding an amp to have these options as well.

Yeah I have had the bright switches on Bogner and Egnator amps, but this is the first one with 2 gain controls. Gain 1 seems to bring on more grunt and thickness while Gain 2 brings on saturation and high end grind.

 

[Beyond Black]

I am super intrigued by the tone shaping options on a Ceriatone Chupa/Yeti. I've never had an amp with two Gain controls that shape the gain and structure. Why don't more amps have this type of setup? ...Also the Era(saturation, lower lower volume) and bright switches I'm seeing on more amps like the Bottle Rocket and *ahem* Firebolt. I'm thinking of modding an amp to have these options as well.

Yeah I have had the bright switches on Bogner and Egnator amps, but this is the first one with 2 gain controls. Gain 1 seems to bring on more grunt and thickness while Gain 2 brings on saturation and high end grind.

Actually, including the "pussy trimmer" on the back, you've got three gain controls. You can leave the front gains low, say 9-10 o'clock to make the amp ultra tight, and dime the PT to make up for loss of gain if you desire more. On the other hand, you can set the front gains really high, say 1 o'clock, to get a much looser, thicker gain structure, and then back the PT way off to lower the gain level. The PT enables you to adjust the amount of gain while retaining the desired gain structure from your front settings. It's coooooool as fuck.

 

[Junk Yard Dog]

Congrats. Most people don’t realize the Helios uses diode clippers as well for the 80s mode

Are diodes now considered a bad thing in an (otherwise) good sounding amp?

not at all, it demonstrated that there are probably people that love this amp and don’t even know about the diode clipping. I’m all for the diodes. To me, diode clipping in an3 gain stage amp is the perfect combination of gain and balls. Too many gain stages may “heavy” but I prefer balls. Yes, that’s what I said

This is interesting, thanks. So are the diodes in the in something like the Chupa/Yeti the Bright Switches or the ERA (sat) Switches?

Can you have a 4 Gain stage amp and still use diodes but turn the gain lower so it doesn’t fizz out?

 

[Junk Yard Dog]

I am super intrigued by the tone shaping options on a Ceriatone Chupa/Yeti. I've never had an amp with two Gain controls that shape the gain and structure. Why don't more amps have this type of setup? ...Also the Era(saturation, lower lower volume) and bright switches I'm seeing on more amps like the Bottle Rocket and *ahem* Firebolt. I'm thinking of modding an amp to have these options as well.

Yeah I have had the bright switches on Bogner and Egnator amps, but this is the first one with 2 gain controls. Gain 1 seems to bring on more grunt and thickness while Gain 2 brings on saturation and high end grind.

Actually, including the "pussy trimmer" on the back, you've got three gain controls. You can leave the front gains low, say 9-10 o'clock to make the amp ultra tight, and dime the PT to make up for loss of gain if you desire more. On the other hand, you can set the front gains really high, say 1 o'clock, to get a much looser, thicker gain structure, and then back the PT way off to lower the gain level. The PT enables you to adjust the amount of gain while retaining the desired gain structure from your front settings. It's coooooool as fuck.

This is what intrigued me about the Gain 1, Gain 2 setup vs one Gain knob. I’m planning to mod an Egnater seminar amp and may take it from one Gain knob to two as it seems with two you get more options!

 

[MetalHeadMike]

Congrats! Been very interested in the Chupa for quite some time myself. Someday maybe.

The D60 has dual gain controls; Pretty cool I guess.

 

[Zado]

Congrats. Most people don’t realize the Helios uses diode clippers as well for the 80s mode

Are diodes now considered a bad thing in an (otherwise) good sounding amp?

not at all, it demonstrated that there are probably people that love this amp and don’t even know about the diode clipping. I’m all for the diodes. To me, diode clipping in an3 gain stage amp is the perfect combination of gain and balls. Too many gain stages may “heavy” but I prefer balls. Yes, that’s what I said

Absolutely 100% agree, mate!

 

[bbaug14]

Before you take the amp to your local guru, you could try putting a pedal with a known good buffer in the loop right at the amp with a very short cable. Adding this buffered output prior to running out to your pedal board may just do the trick.

 

[Racerxrated]

Congrats. Most people don’t realize the Helios uses diode clippers as well for the 80s mode

Are diodes now considered a bad thing in an (otherwise) good sounding amp?

not at all, it demonstrated that there are probably people that love this amp and don’t even know about the diode clipping. I’m all for the diodes. To me, diode clipping in an3 gain stage amp is the perfect combination of gain and balls. Too many gain stages may “heavy” but I prefer balls. Yes, that’s what I said

Absolutely 100% agree, mate!

Jubilees, 2205/10, Jose mod, all great amps that produce great tones. And all use the dreaded diodes. How dare they. Lol