fusedbrain":328mpr1f said:
lowmantotempole":328mpr1f said:
fusedbrain":328mpr1f said:
northern1":328mpr1f said:
I had a 2012 MTL 100 best sounding amp I have ever owned, mine had the A transformer it was amazing. Much better than any of the MC's I owned or played much less feeling ear fatigue...I sold it mostly because it can't be used in a home environment much, mine didn't have a loop and I didn't want the Wizard loop to tame it. If Rick could get a better volume taper happening I would try one again.
I know SQUAREHEAD on here has owned both 2012 and 2016 he could explain the differences in detail
They are significantly different.
I own this amp now (thanks northern1
) and it is indeed special. Totally different than my 2016 MCII.
I'm curious about the differences between a 2012 MTL and the MTL's being made now as well. I've toyed with the idea of sending my amp to Rick for a loop and updates, but I've held off for now because I just don't feel like I want to mess with a good thing.
Rick has stated to me that he refuses to do any updates to a 2012. Though I would like a loop in mine. I wonder where I can get one installed...
That's interesting. I emailed him in November and he gave me a quote to do the work. I don't want to say what he quoted me, but it wasn't cheap, and it was US$ and I'm in Canada. Aside from not wanting to change the sound of my amp, it was hard to justify the cost. He probably quoted it so high to guarantee it was worth his time and trouble to do the work IDK
You could always install a Metro loop I guess. I think mine is gonna stay just the way it is.
$2,000 to make like a 2016.
I A/b'd mine ,which was a special order, to a brand spanking new 2016, and I preferred mine tonally. The new one had beefed up switching relays, so the switching was quieter when switching manually with the pull pots.There was no pop, although it wasn't that loud. When switching the older one with a footswitch there was no pop at all.
The early MCI I had had a very loud pop when switching. This was because the switching was grounded with the pre tubes, which made it pop so loud. It was not because the relays were a not a large enough value, or beefed up so to speak. The early MCI had bad ghosting also. I did have a 2014 MCII that the switching relays failed. I couldn't get back to the lead channel.
The newest 2016 had heavier relays and the switching was quieter manually. I didn't care. I use a footswitch. With the footswitch, it is seamless and very quiet. The transient when switching was a little more precise as well in the 2016, but it didn't matter to me.
The earlier Wizard; Man the power tubes would cook hot, and the tone was like you hear right before your tubes redplate and one goes south, and then the next one in the pair will plate also, in a 100 watt head. Pure hot glass tone!
But, the ghosting made it not worth it it. This is the in the earlier amp I owned.
As time progressed the Wizards get tamer. This is a good thing in the 2012-2014. You wont blow up your power tubes and the amp is much more friendly so to speak. There was still this tone, regardless of the issues that came with it, that haunted me from the earlier model. So I kept coming back for five amps.
The newest amp has quiet switching. The amp is much quieter at idle as well. . The grounding scheme was changed to make this so. The new amp is tamer still, much close to the 3- 2014 MCII's I owned. Two 100 watters and a fifty watter.
My thoughts about the 2016 was that is was an MTL, but much closer to the 2014 MCII. The master volume taper and gain pot tapers were just like the 2014 MCII's I owned. On my 2013 MTL, the master on 2 is loud. Comparing the 2016 MTL to my 2013: This is a side by side, same cab, comparison for 6 hours of play time:
Master on 2 on mine is the the same as 5-6 on the new one. Maybe linear pots on the older one. Gain pot taper on the new one was about a 30% difference. Gain old one was 5 compared to 8 on the 2016. My 2013 would taper about 5-5.5 on gain to equal 8 on the new one. Sat was a little closer. The new one ghost noted more than mine. The lead scoop was way different, The lead scoop on the 2013 pulled was much closer to the lead scoop on the 2016 on the new one. I preferred the older.
I would have loved mine to be upgraded with the switching relays but nothing more. Quieter would be nice, but not at the expense of tonal changes. I believe master pot tapers affect tone.
Now , with this said, I did not give the 2016 enough time for the transformers to magnetize, nor the coupling caps to burn in enough. It was brand new. Right from Rick.
For the cost I got mine at, the upcharge for me for the new one was not worth it, when A/B'ing for at east 6 hours, for the pluses the new one had. Tonally. I preferred mine. The new MTL was tamer compared to mine. For my tastes the louder noise level,the louder manual switching, did not compensate for the tonal difference, and much less ghost noting on mine.
Grain of salt. If you believe the amp needs more break in and the trannies need to magnetize, maybe the newest is worth it at $4250-4700. Take my comments for what they're worth. I got my 2013 for a good price. They had not caught on yet and there as not much info. about them. With this said I would not trade mine for anything.
Anyway, killer, killer amps regardless.
the loop does something to the output transformers when you switch it on with pullpot or FS... on 2 Wizards I've played with the loop it's like a hum hard to describe it and the tone isn't as good either from my experiences. Best of luck!
