Splawn Nitro? Anyone have experience with one?

[cyndicate]

Thoughts? Seem to be hard to find used.. I had a older QR previously, great amp, bad master volume but sounded awesome. How different is the Nitro?

 

[glpg80]

those nitros are beast dude.

they sound amazing cranked but you have to dial them in. splawn's shop is literally 35 minutes from me on I-85 south.

i had the chance to play a QR and a super comp - which is basically the nitro's lead channel in a head.

i loved the tone i was pulling from it but i didnt think the amplifier was for me. i like my 5150's better because i could do the scooped mids or the marshall growl whereas the nitro has this heavy tone that no matter how much you tweak you cant change it.

still a beast amplifier. but for me i like diversity more.

also, i didnt like the QR at all that i played. sounded very sharp and harsh, didnt know if it was the small GC practice room or the speakers it was being ran through.

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

About 6 months ago....I saw a lot of nitros on the block, people wanting QRs instead. I like some clips I have heard with the nitro using KT88s. Now I see no used Nitros...like they aren't being produced or something... Kinda weird

 

[glpg80]

About 6 months ago....I saw a lot of nitros on the block, people wanting QRs instead. I like some clips I have heard with the nitro using KT88s. Now I see no used Nitros...like they aren't being produced or something... Kinda weird

scott works by a supply/demand.

he doesnt build them for stock, this allows him to do repairs if he needs and tweak to each persons tastes for each model. but i do agree, you dont hear alot about them. even around here, you would think everyone would be playing splawn amps, but ive only seen 2-3 in many years and local GC's.

 

[Shiny_Surface]

even around here, you would think everyone would be playing splawn amps, but ive only seen 2-3 in many years and local GC's.

Splawns were never an "amp to get" on Rig Talk since it's been online from what I can remember. The most "buzz" they've created around here are the "wierd mids" pics that some have under their signatures.

 

[glpg80]

even around here, you would think everyone would be playing splawn amps, but ive only seen 2-3 in many years and local GC's.

Splawns were never an "amp to get" on Rig Talk since it's been online from what I can remember. The most "buzz" they've created around here are the "wierd mids" pics that some have under their signatures.

so THATS what those signatures mean

i didnt make myself very clear - i meant here in NC - his main shop is one county down from where i live. but im glad you told me that!

 

[Shiny_Surface]

i like my 5150's better because i could do the scooped mids or the marshall growl whereas the nitro has this heavy tone that no matter how much you tweak you cant change it.

They aren't that heavy sounding based on the criteria that many link the definition with Uberschall/Herbert type voicings though (imo). They are like a Quickrod with a bit more saturation and bottom end at least to me, and I prefer them to Quickrods for 80's metal stuff actually . They sound great for Zakk Wylde type riffing more than what many would consider "modern metal" these days in my opinion.

 

[Shiny_Surface]

i didnt make myself very clear - i meant here in NC - his main shop is one county down from where i live. but im glad you told me that!

That must be pretty cool being close to where they are made.

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

Definately weird if using KT77s...those tubes' mids are horrid. Splawns with a nice set of Old Teslas and some Jan phillips12ax7wa's = awesome. Like mine!

 

[glpg80]

i didnt make myself very clear - i meant here in NC - his main shop is one county down from where i live. but im glad you told me that!

That must be pretty cool being close to where they are made.

i've called him up before asking for wierd value resistors for amplifer repairs ive done. he's a great guy. but to tell you the truth he lives off a section of highway that not many people live around. he's in a town thats so small you can literally see from one end to the other of it all on one road

his shop is really small from the outside as well - just a hole in a wall. been meaning to give him a call so i can tryout some of his cabinets

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

His cabs will kill those 5150 cabs of yours...you might wanna hold onto your head and play it outta one of his cabs...

 

[Mailman1971]

I owned one of the 1st Nitro's built. Had the KT-77's in it. I guess I was expecting something different. It sounded good but wasnt for me. I thought it would have more of a modern metal tone. It was a hyped up Marshall sound with more low end.
Dont get me wrong....sounded good for what it was. I sold it after 2 days just since I knew it wasnt what I was looking for.

 

[glpg80]

His cabs will kill those 5150 cabs of yours...you might wanna hold onto your head and play it outta one of his cabs...

very true, but theres little neunces (sp?) that i dislike about my 5150. that and i want something that will compliment my style a little better.

lets just say, i can afford splawns cabinets used a hell of alot more than i can new ENGL cabinets. and what you said just makes me want to go try them out in the future. they look to be build extremely well and top notch. plus they look cool.

i might go dig up some specs later on today and figure out what they are made of and general research now that you mention it

 

[Shiny_Surface]

Splawn cabs are Marshall clones without the cost cutting. They are a good bang for the buck cab imo.

 

[AmpliFIRE]

It's funny that you said your QR had a bad master volume. The master on mine sucked hard as well (it was either off or balls out LOUD). I've heard others rave about his master though. I wonder if they're different on certain amps...? Either way it was a cool amp though

 

[RedB4Black]

I had one with KT77s. I didn't like it at first due to the "weird mids". I got an eq for the loop and it was alot better. I ended up selling it. I bought the same amp back earlier this year to give it another spin. This time with el-34s. I liked it alot better. I think what helped the most with the harshness from the upper mids was putting an 12AT7 in the phase inverter. It did wonders for this amp. Never did try it with KT88s.
I had it side-by-side with my VH4. They are similar amps. Tight and not really saturated. The VH4 was more compressed and thicker sounding though. The Splawn still had the "weird mids" albeit tamed by the 12AT7. I ended up selling it again. It went to Russia this last time though so I doubt I'll get it back for a third time.

 

[cyndicate]

It's funny that you said your QR had a bad master volume. The master on mine sucked hard as well (it was either off or balls out LOUD). I've heard others rave about his master though. I wonder if they're different on certain amps...? Either way it was a cool amp though

I think now there is something called the Loop MV? Maybe thats what others are raving about, but the older ones didn't have that I think. Is that pretty much the same as putting a volume pedal in his loop

 

[cyndicate]

even around here, you would think everyone would be playing splawn amps, but ive only seen 2-3 in many years and local GC's.

Splawns were never an "amp to get" on Rig Talk since it's been online from what I can remember. The most "buzz" they've created around here are the "wierd mids" pics that some have under their signatures.

The weird mids thing will probably never go away, So whats the story with the Nitro voiced to have the "weird mids" ,

 

[strungup]

It's funny that you said your QR had a bad master volume. The master on mine sucked hard as well (it was either off or balls out LOUD). I've heard others rave about his master though. I wonder if they're different on certain amps...? Either way it was a cool amp though

It depends on the year of the amp. The newer ones have a different taper from what I am told. I have not played an older one but the master volume worked very well on the splawns I have played. The oldest splawns I have tried was 2007 or 2008 though....

 

[Shiny_Surface]

The weird mids thing will probably never go away, So whats the story with the Nitro voiced to have the "weird mids" ,

The Nitro's mids don't bother me as much as the QR's, that's just personal preference though.

I also like the more ballsy sound it has, even for playing the older styles the QR is supposedly optimized for. It's not as thick or saturated as an Uberschall or anything like that, but it will track your playing very fast and spit the notes out as quick as you can get them out of the guitar. It's still a clear sounding amp that doesn't sag or get very hazy/smeared sounding in the distortion. OD2 can get make the tone a little "spongier" feeling under the strings though.