Trainwreck vid.

[midnightlaundry]

I know next to nothing about these amps, but ya, hands down great tone.

Thanks. It's not ultra gain, but it has a lot of mojo that mega gain can't deliver.

 

[PlinytheWelder]

I built an Express type amp amp and the key thing about them is the feel that you
get under your fingers. It's almost like a direct connection from your brain.
Very fast amps.

I've been playing mine for the last 2 hours and have never gotten tired of it.

 

[midnightlaundry]

When I saw the title "Trainwreck vid" I expected to see that hilarious Jack Frost Voodoo Amps demo from a few years ago. I want to see it again so badly that I must be a masochist.

Doh.

That was awesome man!! Great job!

Thanks!

Nice tone on that amp.
Sounds great!

Right on.

 

[midnightlaundry]

I built an Express type amp amp and the key thing about them is the feel that you
get under your fingers. It's almost like a direct connection from your brain.
Very fast amps.

I've been playing mine for the last 2 hours and have never gotten tired of it.

Yeah, they're way faster than a Marshall with the tone stack coming right after the 1st gain stage, and no squishy cathode follower.

 

[leftyaxeman]

Good tone, nice playing.

 

[midnightlaundry]

Good tone, nice playing.

Thanks broseph.

 

[stephen sawall]

I have played on a couple Trainwreck's .... they are pretty amazing.

 

[Mesa\Kramer]

What ever happened to these?

 

[Mailman1971]

What ever happened to these?

Funny you brang this amp up.....I was JUST THINKING of this one a couple weeks back but forgot what it was called.
Remembered the Demo and how killer it was. Then seemed to disappear off the planet?

 

[Mesa\Kramer]

What ever happened to these?

Funny you brang this amp up.....I was JUST THINKING of this one a couple weeks back but forgot what it was called.
Remembered the Demo and how killer it was. Then seemed to disappear off the planet?

Found one for sale here, but the only one i could find.

Pretty awesome for $869

Suprised it didn't catch on better

http://www.humbuckermusic.com/retro-channel-amps.html

Finally found the company website also, but amp is not longer made?

http://www.retro-channel.com/

 

[midnightlaundry]

I have played on a couple Trainwreck's .... they are pretty amazing.

Now I'd like to build a Rocket.

 

[stephen sawall]

I have played on a couple Trainwreck's .... they are pretty amazing.

Now I'd like to build a Rocket.

I was talking about the originals ... real thing.
I also have played on several clones....
A ton of harmonics .....

I would be into building my own.

 

[midnightlaundry]

I have played on a couple Trainwreck's .... they are pretty amazing.

Now I'd like to build a Rocket.

I was talking about the originals ... real thing.
I also have played on several clones....
A ton of harmonics .....

I would be into building my own.

OHHHH... Sorry.

 

[stephen sawall]

The only thing I am sorry about is I did not buy it .... it was before they went way up in price. I think it is very cool you make your own amps.

 

[rupe]

The only thing I am sorry about is I did not buy it .... it was before they went way up in price. I think it is very cool you make your own amps.

You can order a new one. One of Ken's close friends (JM) is now building them in Ken's shop with the family's blessings. The people I know who have tried both say they're the same. I've played both but far too many years apart to make a meaningful comparison...but the new one exceeded my expectations based on my memory of playing an old one.

 

[boost]

The only thing I am sorry about is I did not buy it .... it was before they went way up in price. I think it is very cool you make your own amps.

You can order a new one. One of Ken's close friends (JM) is now building them in Ken's shop with the family's blessings. The people I know who have tried both say they're the same. I've played both but far too many years apart to make a meaningful comparison...but the new one exceeded my expectations based on my memory of playing an old one.

How close does a clone (like a Ceriatone Expression) get to your new Trainwreck? Obviously I expect the Trainwreck to be better, but I am curious as to how well the clones stack up in terms of touch sensitivity, gain, etc.

Also, in all the clips I've checked out, it seems when these things clean up with the volume on the guitar, they just clean up and the volume still seems to be pretty high. Almost like the volume control on the guitar is acting like a gain knob instead. That's very cool IMO. Hard to really tell from just clips without playing one.

I haven't even checked out the new Trainwrecks but I imagine they are pricey and have a serious lead time associated with them. That's why I'm curious if a clone can get in the same ballpark for a bit less money and time, or do you just hold out for the real deal?

Cleaning up with the volume/pickups on a guitar is right up my alley. I'm not a channel switching guy. I been contemplating a Marshall head lately, but I have always liked the Trainwreck tones. Didn't care for the Dumble, Matchless, BadCat, and other boutique amps, but the Trainwreck (and clones) sounded the way I thought an amp should sound and react.

 

[rupe]

I've never played a clone so I can't comment from experience. The clips that I've heard from many of them sound good but not exactly "right" to me...so many variables at play there though that its hard to tell. It's tough to get unbiased info as there are Ken Fischer fanboi's who think nobody can replicate what he did, there are those who feel the new JM built ones are equal (if not superior) to Ken's originals, and there are those who feel a clone gets close enough if not exact..."exact" being debatable.

What I do know is that JM has all of Ken's notes and that a significant portion of the tone is attributable to the fine tuning process and proprietary transformers. Two things come to mind when I hear that...first that it would be hard to replicate the build even with a schematic, but secondly, two of the same model can sound very different based on how the original owner wanted it tuned (JM uses an '85 Express to tune his Express' unless the client is looking for something different).

As for lead times and prices, I don't know for sure where they stand these days. Contact JM...he's a great dude who's happy to discuss the amps and answer questions. http://www.trainwreck.com/?page_id=5

 

[boost]

Thanks Rupe. Good info to know. Proprietary transformers and good ears. That's going to seperate the good amps from the great ones and get you what you paid for.

Any clips out there of yours yet?

 

[rupe]

Thanks Rupe. Good info to know. Proprietary transformers and good ears. That's going to seperate the good amps from the great ones and get you what you paid for.

Any clips out there of yours yet?

I've got a set from a recent gig on DVD but I have no idea how to break it up into manageable segments (its one long clip) and post them.

I intend to record some things in the near future given the time.

 

[midnightlaundry]

That is the great thing about an Express; they clean up great. The tone stays bright and brings out single coil tone. Then it gets fat when you roll it on.