Anyone gig the Tourmaster 4100?

I will be getting one more amp to add to the collection this summer so I have time to research. I have a 20th Bogner Shiva, PWE Event Horizon and BFG modded Dual Rectifier.

I have it narrowed down to Mark V, Electra Dyne, Royal Atlantic, Egnater Tour Master, Splawn Quick Rod or Street Rod. I love the variety with the Tourmaster and price and the functionality of the Splawn with Gear 1,2,3 and OD 1,2 and solo boost - perfect for gigging! But the Royal Atlantic reminds me of a simplified Mark series amp! Problem with the Mark V is that it looks like a space station and would hate to have to deal with that on stage. LOL!

I decided against the Mod 50 because modules used to drive me nuts and I have to remember that.

How are you guys who gig the TM4100, enjoying it live? I am seriously looking at this although I need to know about quality. I already love the Egnater tone. Another posible issue is the line level loop on the Tourmaster.

Since I have three amp heads, I keep coming back to wanting an Egnater, Mesa or Splawn combo because it would be cool having the combo option and maybe an extension 112.

I have played about 20 shows with mine and it has been great for about 2 years. My volume recently dropped to about 50% of what it used to be so I need to get it to a tech. I can avoid the problem by cranking up the effects return and using the effects loop. The loop is completely transparent although I have only tried rack equipment through it. Overall I am real happy with it. Before this I used an Egnater M4 into a Marshall 9200 and the Tourmaster sounds a bit better than that setup. My only complaint besides the recent volume issue is that it is a little difficult to get the volumes on all of the channels balanced. This is sometimes a real pain on the OD channels. The volume taper goes from kind of quiet to really loud around 1:30 or 2:00 oclock. It is a hard amp to beat for the price, especially used.

dogula":1zd6x9wr said:

I have played about 20 shows with mine and it has been great for about 2 years. My volume recently dropped to about 50% of what it used to be so I need to get it to a tech. I can avoid the problem by cranking up the effects return and using the effects loop. The loop is completely transparent although I have only tried rack equipment through it. Overall I am real happy with it. Before this I used an Egnater M4 into a Marshall 9200 and the Tourmaster sounds a bit better than that setup. My only complaint besides the recent volume issue is that it is a little difficult to get the volumes on all of the channels balanced. This is sometimes a real pain on the OD channels. The volume taper goes from kind of quiet to really loud around 1:30 or 2:00 oclock. It is a hard amp to beat for the price, especially used.

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The problems you mention, could be an issue. I sold my Mod 50 partly due to the line level loop that drove me crazy. I als like a built in solo boost and it looks like the TM lacks tha.

The reliability is frustrating becuase the amp sounds so good. What do you mean when you say "line level" for the effects loop? There is a push button on the loop that reduces (or increases) the level of the loop so you should be able to use pedals or rack effects. In addition, you can use the loop like a solo boost. That is how I am compensating for the volume drop.

dogula":3h6nm0td said:

The reliability is frustrating becuase the amp sounds so good. What do you mean when you say "line level" for the effects loop? There is a push button on the loop that reduces (or increases) the level of the loop so you should be able to use pedals or rack effects. In addition, you can use the loop like a solo boost. That is how I am compensating for the volume drop.

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the loop doesn't have a line level switch. im not sure what the dB rating is for it, but it works well for everything i have tried, as it's a tube loop (pedals, rack, stand alone boost)..it has a parallel/series switch....very different. but yes, you can use your loop like a solo boost, this is how i currently run mine (i use a 12bz7 tube in the loop slot for a small bump in gain and output )

re: volume drop, i'd investigate preamp and power amp tubes first.
i didnt gig mine, but jammed with a band for like 4 months. the other dude was playing a marshall mode 4 (blech) and occasionally would play through a spidervalve and another combo.

the tourmaster easily ate all of those amps for lunch volume/cutting wise...even on 10 watts/half power.
they're a pretty middy amp, but not thick mids...thinner in the hi mids register, but you can tailor the tone very nicely with the tone knobs. the first 2 channels alone, there are limitless tones in, and you can boost either of those two to sound really nice. each channel builds off where the one before it left off:
as in
clean1-clean2-od1-od2
each channel has useable vintage/modern switches and contour switches
od1 is where it's at in this amp IMHO. od2 is a little harder to dial in, but, you can get some killer metal sounds out of it if you take the time and learn the amp.

the power grid switching alone is really nice for knocking down the levels for home use. it's a really well thought out, intuitive feature for an amplifier.

tourmaster amps sounds great with 6L6GCMSTR in the power section (i've also tried sovtek wxt 5881 and the stock groove tube 5881s) for band volumes...the ruby tubes stay stronger and hold up better under higher volumes, the 5881s each got mushy after hi volume use for over an hour, but DID sound fine at home levels. when you start pushing those 5881s though, they tend to feel mushy.. i've also ran EH el34s for a few practices, strictly on full power all channels 100 watts mode, and liked it at home/low volume but it also started getting too mushy for my tastes at band volumes. i dont recommend el34s for this amp though. stick with the recommended 6L6/5881/kt66 in the manual. you're going to gain the least amount tonally from this amp with power tube changes anyways, and, like i said, the ruby 6l6 will get you what you need versatility wise, and they're a hardy high volume tube from my experience.

preamp tubes....these amps can use just about any 12v 9pin pinout. i'll save you the trouble.

leave the stock groove tubes in the following slots:
6 loop
7 reverb or if you have any laying around, try an eh12ax7 here...it's a tad brighter and more watery..but not as deep sounding to my ears. sovtek 12ax7wb sounds good here too, if deep, dark reverb is your thing.

if you change any preamp tubes, change:

v5 to a JJ short plate ecc83s. this controls the contour knob on the OD channels
v8 to a sovtek LPS or a mullard cv4024 12at7 if you're not a metal tone guy

DONT put a tung sol in v4, it'll burn out quick.

other than that, season v1-4 to taste

i personally like:
v1 shuguang 12ax7b
v2 RFT
v3 shuguang 12ax7b
v4 sylvania 12ax7

this cocktail gets me a nice, versatile mix for rock, blues, metal, hair metal, etc.

i also did some of my own mods to this amp but thats a whole nother story.
if you get the tourmaster, i can help you beyond that.

be warned though, if you buy one used, make sure you know what you're getting.
i would look for one new...check the serial# and make sure it ends with an "M" as in, it's been modded to the latest factory spec, and has the upgraded power transformer. some of the earlier versions had some power transformer issues.

if you wanna do some more reading, i've posted a ton on the tourmaster right here in this forum....my tube travels, replacing my power tranny, reverb tranny, etc.

good luck on your choice and tone travels.

Sorry, Yeti is right. There is no level switch on the loop but rather a parallel/series switch. You think I would know my own amp. There are levels for both the send and return volume so you should be able to run just about anything in the loop. Regarding tubes, I have replaced all of the power tubes and 5 of the 8 preamp tubes. I don't recall all of them but I remember the phase inverter and V1 for sure. I also took the advice of Yeti and pulled the two inner power tubes and then the outer power tubes to see if the volume problem could be isolated. I still haven't figured it out! I can vouch for getting the amp with the "M" at the end of the serial number. The first tourmaster I played was a combo at guitar center and I hated it because it was way too mushy on the overdrive channels. The "M" tourmasters are quite a bit tighter. I'm not sure if it is tight enough to get away with metal but rock/hard rock tones sound great.

dogula":5g3dk6va said:

Sorry, Yeti is right. There is no level switch on the loop but rather a parallel/series switch. You think I would know my own amp. There are levels for both the send and return volume so you should be able to run just about anything in the loop. Regarding tubes, I have replaced all of the power tubes and 5 of the 8 preamp tubes. I don't recall all of them but I remember the phase inverter and V1 for sure. I also took the advice of Yeti and pulled the two inner power tubes and then the outer power tubes to see if the volume problem could be isolated. I still haven't figured it out! I can vouch for getting the amp with the "M" at the end of the serial number. The first tourmaster I played was a combo at guitar center and I hated it because it was way too mushy on the overdrive channels. The "M" tourmasters are quite a bit tighter. I'm not sure if it is tight enough to get away with metal but rock/hard rock tones sound great.

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yeah, the non M modded ones are mushy, but can still be dialed tight with lower gain levels. at higher volumes, thats not really an issue. i played mine pretty extensively before modding it.
then, i wasn't really sure what i was hearing, so i put my mods on a switch/knob configuration on the back of the amp...so i can really dial it in the way i want. i agree that you wont get engl type / dual rec / mesa mark type metal from it, but, it can do metal, just it's own flavor of it. great amps, and aside from the early reliability issues, if you get an M modded one with the newer power plant, you should be fine.
it can easily do ALL styles of music though, and, i remember a post from micheal wagener saying he kept one in his studio for just this very reason...the versatility and tone are hard to beat for the money.