Satan has arrived....to St Paul

[benduncan]

Capitol Guitars called me yesterday, I knew why before I picked up. They received a box....

Unnecessarily long tweaking video below. It may not be the best representation, I was a little afraid to blast the thing, and it's not miked(Zoom q3HD for video and audio). Click the youtube icon in the lower right hand corner if you want to see time links for everything, in the description.

If needed, some bathroom reading material:

To be honest, as I was heading down there, I was afraid that I had over hyped this amp, and I NEVER do that I was thinking "How could you even compare this thing to a Pittbull that is $3000+ new? Let alone think about trading them". So I was feeling kind of cynical by the time that I got there. I had some trouble dialing it in, wasn't really feeling blown away. Then I remembered that it took me six months to get my PEQ settings right, lol. I just said "screw it", stopped thinking so much and just played/turned knobs. Then it started to come alive, haha

You really have to work the low/hi filters, mid knob, and kill switch to get it just right. I don't think that the 500t was the best pickup for this amp. I tried another guitar with a Nazgul also, which sounded better, but it seemed a bit bright. Probably because the strings were lighter and it was in standard. The amp was a little heavy in the lower mids for my taste, I would need a PEQ/EQ in the loop(as I do with almost every amp), but this thing is awesome. It has the most percussive/punchy midrange that I think I've ever heard. Makes me wonder what it would sound like with my Mesa, which has the punchiest lowend that I've ever heard

The clean was excellent. I'd pick it up if I weren't moving to a different state soon Well, that will give me a chance to try the 667 too My position on selling/trading my VHT has evolved. After playing them both, they are a lot more different than I initially thought, so I'd like to keep the VHT and get the Satan. Now if I were only evil enough to have the dark lord bless me with enough money

PS, at the time of this posting, the very amp is one of two Satans on ebay, for $1996.66. The other is up for $2600

 

[charveldan]

Sounds almost as good as a Willie Blades amp ...

Gold chicken head knobs would really hit that off.

 

[benduncan]

Sounds almost as good as a Willie Blades amp

You'll have to fill me in, I typed that into google and he came up:

 

[charveldan]

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=143498

 

[benduncan]

Oh, yeah! haha, I had forgotten

The Satan may sound almost as good, but it can't even hold a candle to the Blades in the looks department. and no cup holder? wtf?!

 

[Mizati20]

Hate every demo I've heard of this amp, can't put my finger one why... even Ola's demos I don't like... like there isn't enough saturation or something, even Ola runs the gain wide open...

 

[Badronald]

Yikes. Didn't like that at all. Weak.
Sorry man.

 

[benduncan]

Hate every demo I've heard of this amp, can't put my finger one why... even Ola's demos I don't like... like there isn't enough saturation or something, even Ola runs the gain wide open...

In my vid, it sounds fizzier that it did when I was there, so hating my camera mic demo is fine In real life though, the amp does sound pretty similar to Ola's demos. So if you don't like those, then maybe it's just not your thing?

As far as saturation goes, it kind of feels saturated and dry at the same time, if that makes sense. It's much easier to play through than my Pittbull, but it's still percussive. The filters affect the total amount of gain, but I was running the gain about half way, for the most part

 

[benduncan]

Yikes. Didn't like that at all. Weak.
Sorry man.

The tone or the playing? If it's the tone, then there may still be hope. If it's the playing, I'm doomed

 

[Badronald]

The playing is fine.
The amp just doesn't seem to have the thump of say my Triple Rec or a VH4.

 

[FourT6and2]

Two things I think hurt the sound of that vid: G12T-75s and mic placement. The Zoom's mic is literally right in front, on-axis. With camcorders or webcams or phones, I've found it sounds better to have the mic off-axis by about 45 degrees to the side of the cab. You get more of what it sounds like in the room. And less of that fizzy static coming right off the center of the cone.

 

[benduncan]

The playing is fine.
The amp just doesn't seem to have the thump of say my Triple Rec or a VH4.

I haven't played through a VH4 in years, but I'd agree that a triple rec has more low end

Two things I think hurt the sound of that vid: G12T-75s and mic placement. The Zoom's mic is literally right in front, on-axis. With camcorders or webcams or phones, I've found it sounds better to have the mic off-axis by about 45 degrees to the side of the cab. You get more of what it sounds like in the room. And less of that fizzy static coming right off the center of the cone.

Make's sense to me. I just kind of threw it down without thinking, hah. I don't have very much experience with camera audio

 

[RJF]

I thought it sounded great. Sounded a lot like a UL to me, super punchy and tight low end. Im sure it would sound even better through a VHT FB cab, Uberkab, Diezel cab, etc... rather than a piece of shit marshall cab.

 

[benduncan]

I thought it sounded great. Sounded a lot like a UL to me, super punchy and tight low end. Im sure it would sound even better through a VHT FB cab, Uberkab, Diezel cab, etc... rather than a piece of shit marshall cab.

It's not as similar to the UL as I thought it would be, but I defiantly hear a resemblance. It has a much cruncher midrange, to my ears, like a hotrodded UL, if that's possible, heh. Or maybe if you had the right boost. And it was a lot more forgiving/easier to play through.

I don't have loads of experience with the mark series, but to me, it seemed kind of like a cross between a UL and one of the marks. The fullness/moderness of the UL with a midrange kind of like a boosted mark....maybe?

As for the cab, I'm not sure how much of the vid you watched, but when I turned the volume up a little, something in the cab started to rattle

 

[Mklane]

I might try one in a couple months, when everyone starts off loading them

 

[Devilinside]

Two things I think hurt the sound of that vid: G12T-75s and mic placement. The Zoom's mic is literally right in front, on-axis. With camcorders or webcams or phones, I've found it sounds better to have the mic off-axis by about 45 degrees to the side of the cab. You get more of what it sounds like in the room. And less of that fizzy static coming right off the center of the cone.

Yep! I'm actually if it sounds like then dead front it prob sounds quite crushing

 

[benduncan]

I'm actually if it sounds like then dead front it prob sounds quite crushing

My brain explodes when I try to read that sentence

 

[VC4Ever]

I thought it sounded pretty killer.

 

[RJF]

I thought it sounded great. Sounded a lot like a UL to me, super punchy and tight low end. Im sure it would sound even better through a VHT FB cab, Uberkab, Diezel cab, etc... rather than a piece of shit marshall cab.

It's not as similar to the UL as I thought it would be, but I defiantly hear a resemblance. It has a much cruncher midrange, to my ears, like a hotrodded UL, if that's possible, heh. Or maybe if you had the right boost. And it was a lot more forgiving/easier to play through.

I don't have loads of experience with the mark series, but to me, it seemed kind of like a cross between a UL and one of the marks. The fullness/moderness of the UL with a midrange kind of like a boosted mark....maybe?

As for the cab, I'm not sure how much of the vid you watched, but when I turned the volume up a little, something in the cab started to rattle

I don't get the whole "unforgiving" thing with the UL. I find it easy to play through, it keeps everything tight and neat.

 

[7 Stringer]

I'm actually if it sounds like then dead front it prob sounds quite crushing

My brain explodes when I try to read that sentence

Was thinking the exact same thing