Played a Splawn Quickrod with KT88's - Initial Impressions

[Junk Yard Dog]

Reposting...

I played a 2013 QR with KT88's through a Splawn 4x12 with Creambacks. Here are my initial impressions after about an hour of play time.

-It definitely smokes. TONS of bass and thump, presumably from the KT88's and the cab helping. I thought the Creambacks sounded really good.
-It is loud; which is great. I ran it at full and half power. I also ran it with the Loop Volume engaged about halfway as well. Sure, that sucked some of the punch and ovreall tone, but it did the job for playing in an apartment (which I live in).
-Definitely has a bit more grind and not as smooth as my EVH, which I like and want a bit more grind and roar.
-My BFG modded Egnater Seminar Head (4 stages of gain) definitely is slightly more organic and raucous/grind-y than my EVH.
-Loved the clean channel. It's LOUD and clean enough for me. I NEVER use a clean channel anyway; always back off the guitar's volume knob and get the clean I want. So convenient for me.
-It responded very well to my Strat and Les Paul and I could hear the dynamics of the pickups. ...Though, it seemed like my EVH is on par with this characteristic.
-If you run up the Presence, and run the Treble at 0, it seems to add more Midrange 'oomph', which is cool.
-Gear 1 didn't get me the more convincing Plexi tones that my BFG Modded Egnater head does, but that head is also JTM45 based.
-I bet with a good boost and the Gain up on the Clean channel, you'd more convincing Plexi tones...Herein lies the benefit of that clean channel for me.
-Cleans up really with the guitar volume.
-It does not seem as bright and spanky as my EVH 5153 50w, which is great!
-Gear 2 is pretty awesome. I found myself using OD2 on this one...
-Gear 3 is equally great. About as much gain as I would want, but I still felt it could be slightly tighter, so a boost to get to my EVH Channel 3 tightness would be needed. I just think the EVH is super tight on that channel.
-Solo boost was underwhelming at a certain volume point, around 11 o'clock. You'd want to put a micro amp or some boost in the loop at this point. The Solo boost works better at lower volumes. My BFG is just like this in character, but even at 12 o'clock on the BFG, the Solo boost more significant than on the QR that I tried.
-I think you really need to spend a bit more time with it to get all the dynamics down from the EQ, volume, Gears, OD options. There's a lot to play with, which is great. I got the rock, hard rock, and metal tones I love, so I see it can do what I want it to do and put a smile on my face.
-String articulation and clarity was great. I think I get that pretty good from the BFG and somewhat from my EVH.
-Definitely not as compressed and saturated as my EVH; which I like.
-I would agree with Scott and a few others that the Drop B+ option would suit me well. Although these newer ones have been deemed "darker" "more saturated", you still have to fight for those notes a bit. At times I wanted a boost, but only slightly, just to tighten it up and a bit more sag, so I think the B+ is the way to go for me.

Overall, I thought it was a great amp. I did not have time to put my EVH on top of it to really compare and contrast. It made me realize between my EVH and BFG Egnater, I do not NEED a Splawn right now; but I still would like to own one in the future.

I think the Splawn is worth the money, but I've got two great amps already, at a lower price. That said, I plan to own one in the not so distant future as I start playing more gigs.

...Still can't decide between QR or Pro Stock AND Kt88's vs EL34's. Cheers!

 

[flimz]

Thanks for that detailed review! Ive often wondered what KT88s would sound like in my quickrod. And Im also on the verge of ordering a 4x12 from Splawn. I think ill probably go with the small blocks.

The only thing Im confused about in your review is...you want it tighter but you also want more sag? Arent these things gonna work against each other? Doesnt the "sag" create a naturally "looser" feel?

 

[Les Zombie]

i liked the 88s in mine, i ran it like that for a while and thought it was great.

 

[Marshall Freak]

I never really understood the desire for the KT88's in that kind of amp. All 3 QR's I've had have WAY more than enough bass response, and the extra headroom and tone of the KT88's are going to make it even more dry and unforgiving feeling. .. IMHO from what I have played through with KT88 amps. Not that their bad tubes, just IMHO not needed in this type of amp. Especially when you go to replace them.

From reading your other thread, I think you'll like the EL34 version better. Nice review, I'm probably going to be looking for a Street rod or a B+ QR later this fall.