New Amp: KSR Orthos 2

I saw this pop up on Guitar Center’s used listings one morning (I’m sure some of you are tired of reading that exact statement, but it’s how I get most of my gear!) and jumped on it. I have wanted a Rhodes Colossus for a long time, probably since I first saw that Keith Morrow video with the different Seymour Duncan pickups compared back to back. The tone was incredible, as well as the riff - like a 6505 with a tighter bottom, I thought.

Anyway, the Orthos 2 isn’t exactly a Colossus, but I can stomach the cost a lot better. I lucked out and ended up with a 100w version, with extremely heavy transformers and a very cool color LED lit front logo and metal grille. This LED changes colors depending on which channel, and which master volume you have selected, and even cooler, you can flip a few small dip switches on the rear panel and change which color each channel is. Want your clean channels to be blue and green, and the drive channels yellow and red? You can do it - or any combination of them. You can also do LED’s completely off, purple, white, etc by choosing a combination of RGB per channel. It’s a really minor feature at the end of it, but it sure is a cool one.

Another really interesting feature, is that technically this is a two channel amp. The first channel is for cleans, and the second for leads/overdrive. Nothing unexpected there, but it also has two master volumes. Also not that unique, but what is special is that each channel has a few switchable options, and which options are currently in the signal path depends on which master you are using. For example, if you are on the Lead channel, using Master 1, you can choose to have crunch mode engaged, bright switch off, and “feel” knob turned to something like “4.” Then, when you hit the switch to go to master 2, you can have the bright switch turn on, and the feel knob set to “6” instead. So even though it’s technically a two channel amp, and each channel has its own EQ section, you can get some different textures, gain amounts, and of course volume level by switching masters.

Speaking of the “feel” knob, this is a 6-way rotary control that has a drastic effect on the distortion tone. I am having trouble finding the rhyme or reason to each setting - it’s not as simple as “feel 1” is less gain than “feel 6.” I find that “4” and “6” seem to have the most saturation, so I really liked those when I first plugged in. Now that I’ve had some more time with it, I’m really liking the feel set on 2, especially with crunch mode engaged on master 1, for a classic rock tone without too much bass, then I leave the feel on 6 for master 2 (crunch mode is automatically off on master 2) and that’s my high gain lead channel. Talk about a great way to set up a “2 channel” amp, in a way that has effectively 4 usable sounds that all have a uniform sort of language when playing.

New Amp: Orange AD30HTC

I’ve been on a hot streak of collecting amps, but I haven’t gotten a new Orange in a while. Since I mostly buy my gear based on how good of a price I can get, not necessarily what I want most, I’ve been looking at the AD30’s for a long time, ever since I played one in my local store (I didn’t buy it at the time since I felt it was overpriced).

Since first playing one, I’ve gotten my hands on the OR50, RV50III, TV50, DD50, and spent considerable seat time with the TH30 and Rocker 30, but I was still keeping my eyes peeled for this unique amp. Finally, after a long wait, I spotted this amp for a great price and snagged it.

The most notable different of this amp, compared to other Oranges, is that it is a Class A amp, and each channel has completely independent preamps, with two tubes each. The power section has a quad of EL84’s, as well as a GZ34 rectifier tube. This gives the amp a really distinctive feel, with the sag of the tube rectifier but the punch of a Class A power amp - not too distant from that of a Vox AC30, except the Orange preamp design and voicing is quite different. Both channels are identical, as far as I can tell, so you can set them up however you like - clean/clean, clean/overdrive, or two different levels of overdrive. The tone is bright, cutting, and a lot less like the “Fuzz” sound that Oranges are commonly associated with. You could get something close by manipulating the EQ controls (no presence or resonance, just a 3-band here), but where it really excels is bright, loud, classic rock tones. It really excels in the elusive edge-of-breakup tones and there are even situations I would choose this over a JMP or JCM800!

New Amp: ENGL Fireball 60

After picking up a few ENGL’s, and being especially impressed with the Savage, I’ve been on the lookout for a few others to try out. I’ve always wondered what exactly makes them all different in terms of tone design - features are easy to read off of a website or manual, but for example, why are there so many 4 channel ENGL heads with seemingly very similar features?

The amp at the forefront of my list was the ENGL Powerball - but when I spotted this Fireball for an incredibly low price, I couldn’t resist.The Fireball shares much of the same DNA as the Powerball, with a nearly identical design in the lead channel, just missing a few features, and of course no crunch channel/modes, and a shared EQ with the clean channel. While I’m a big fan of crunch tones, and still hope to find a Powerball, there is something of an instant gratification with this amp, and I can see why it is so well liked. Simply plugging in with all of the controls (including gain) at halfway, and it’s a powerful, ripping metal tone right off the bat. It has a little less of a nasal quality compared to the Invader, and much more bass-heavy than the Savage. I’ve read comparisons that the Fireball/Powerball lack mids and thus have trouble cutting through, but so far I’ve been very impressed.

Even better, I bought the amp without any pictures from Guitar Center, and a relatively recent one with the new smooth shell covering arrived, and in mint condition! It’s a rarity to acquire something in such good shape from a GC used section, especially for a far below average price, so I’m very happy with the whole situation.

New Video: "New Gear Episode 3: Rivera Bonehead, Ceriatone AH 50 Deluxe"

I’ve been sick for the last week or so but a number of great new pieces of gear showed up at my house. I finally was able to play them after feeling a bit better and as usual, I’m very pleased with the new gear.

First up is a late 90s Rivera Bonehead, an amp designed either for or with Steve Lukather, and very similar to a Knucklehead Reverb. This amp is 100 watts, 3 channels, and has a really thick and full tone. The bass is quite loose but the transition from clean to distortion is very smooth as they share the same core tone and thickness. The clean channel, as expected from a Rivera designed amp, is a highlight with 3 pull switches and really fantastic tones. The drive channels both feel like they have a similar amount of gain, but with separate EQ’s they can be set up differently. They can nail a classic rock tone quite easily, and pushing into metal territory there is a characteristic grittiness to the tone that reminds me of the last time I played a Knucklehead - my best guess is the circuit is very similar between these just with some value and voicing changes in the Bonehead. All three channels also have a footswitchable boost which adds more volume and gain, as well as tightening up the bottom end on the gain channels, although it’s no substitute for a proper bass-cut boost pedal like a tubescreamer or SD-1 for more aggressive/modern metal tones. Overall, a very exciting amp and quite a bit different sounding from any other amp I have in the arsenal.

Next is a Ceriatone AH50 Deluxe, which is a point to point clone of the Friedman BE50 Deluxe. This amp has a much more sparkly clean channel, with a bright switch to make it even snappier. The two gain channels have that classic Marshall bark but with more gain, and adding the saturation switch on the rear panel pushes it well into modded Marshall gain territory although it may still need a boost pedal for heavier styles. The most noticeable difference after playing the Rivera is that this amp has far less bass and more upper mid cut on the gain channels. In fact, it feels almost anemic in the low end in comparison and I think this amp could probably use a bit more bass and low mids to thicken it up - but then I suppose the aggressiveness and tightness would be sacrificed. Still, I’m finding myself running the bass on 10 just to keep it thick sounding, and while I love the core tone it’s just a tad too thin sounding at my first playthrough. I’m going to keep tweaking though, and I can’t wait to compare it to the Ceriatone King Kong 50 that I also have - that amp has very aggressive gain and bright switches on the gain channel so I’m excited to test the two back to back. Two amps both designed to do that modded Marshall type tone but accomplishing it in different ways - awesome.

And the last thing - I picked up a new Mesa Mark IV medium head. Finally! I know have way too many Mark amps at this point but I really regret selling my original 1997 Mark IV medium head and this new one dates from 1999 and is a very close replacement - and sounds just as awesome as I remember my old one being. The combo amp has been sent back to Guitar Center, but I will sure miss that Celestion C90 speaker and will probably one of those speakers for comparison tests too.

New Video: "New Gear Episode 2: EVH 5150 III 100w Head"

I picked this amp up for a good deal after hunting for a 50w for a while. I really loved the early version 50w 5150 III I owned before - I regret selling that amp and when I came across this 100w model, I couldn’t resist. The blue channel on this amp has less gain than the 50w model but I understand that’s only 2 value changes in the circuit, so I may make that modification but for now I think the blue channel sounds great already.

It was quite dusty and grimy when it arrived, so I cleaned it up and it turned out quite nicely with no major tears in the tolex or other damage. It’s loud but has a good master volume, and so far I only have two minor complaints. The first is that the power and standby switches are on the rear of the amp, so I have to reach behind it - since I use shelves for my amps, it’s a little difficult to do but not a major problem. The second is that it didn’t come with the footswitch but that’s more of a Guitar Center / Used Purchase issue than anything else… now to hunt down a footswitch online.

New Video: "New Gear Episode 1: Kramer Baretta, Mesa Mark IV, Peavey XXX"

A few things lined up recently and several things I purchased all happened to arrive on the exact same day - so I took this opportunity to start a new series of videos. They will probably be a bit inconsistent since it depends on when/how often I get new gear, but I think it’ll be cool to do a more casual video whenever I get some cool new piece of gear and talk about it briefly before doing a comparison video or deep dive review.

Of course, this is a lot at once this time as I got both a guitar and two amps all at once. Here’s the video, but keep scrolling for some pictures and some other thoughts on the gear.

First item: a 1987 Kramer Baretta. This one sat on Reverb for a long time and had a few price drops, and I have to give the seller a lot of credit for an accurate representation of the guitar. It is playable, but the frets have been leveled and it is probably due for a refret job very soon. The body has some surface scratches made very clear by the black finish but no major damage, and the neck is really sharp. Sadly, the original JB is missing and replaced with a very cheap pickup from Amazon or similar, and the original floyd rose is missing too - but luckily it was just replaced with a more recent German made OFR. The pickup was wired very strangely - sounded like a single coil or like it had a short - so I swapped that out for a black/white SH-10 Full Shred that I’ve had waiting for a guitar just like this for a while now and it sounds fantastic.

Second: Mesa Mark IV… again. I’ve been really missing my Mk IV head, so I’ve been on the prowl for another. This was listed on Guitar Center used as a head, but sadly it is a combo on arrival - I’m a bit disappointed by that but in a rare act of customer service, the person shipping the amp at GC actually called me and let me know that it was a combo in advance and asked if I wanted to cancel the order! I really appreciate that but I went through with it anyway, since it was described to be in excellent condition.

And wow! That was not a lie either - it is in truly impeccable shape with the original cover too. Sadly the footswitch is missing - that’s very disappointing because they are pretty expensive to replace but we’ll see what I can do about that. This is the “short” combo which means some controls are on the rear panel (like the mid gain/harmonic mode switch) and the factory speaker is a Celestion Black Shadow. I’ve heard lots of praise for this speaker but never tried one - my initial impressions are very positive though. This particular amp also has a very high serial number, much newer than the head that I had, and puts the date closer to the 2008 end of things (likely this was made 2006-2007 or so). Mark IV production ended in 2008 so it’s nice to have one that is a full decade newer than the one I had before, as far as component life goes.

Last: I’ve been looking for a Peavey Triple X or JSX for a little while but waiting for the right deal to come up - these amps were regularly available for 250-350 bucks or so for years so I found it hard to justify paying the current prices of 500+ for them. Luckily, I spotted this one online for only $299, which is about as good as it is going to get amp shopping in 2022, especially for a USA made tube amp like this. I’ve only played it a little bit, but it is super gainy and sounds really great so far. Bang for the buck, this is hard to beat, and I’d argue that in the right hands a skilled player with an amp like this could sound just as good as any expensive boutique amp (within the limitations of what the amp is designed to do of course - high gain). The active EQ really broadens the range of the amp as well, and even though it’s super cheesey, the front panel “girls” grille has grown on me in more of an ironic/nostalgia kind of way (these amps were all over the place when I was first learning to play guitar).

New Amp: Mesa Stiletto Trident V2

I had been eyeing this Trident on Reverb for quite some time when I finally decided to take the plunge and made an offer. I’ve really wanted to try a Stiletto but really hated the standard headshell’s reptile-skin look, so this beautiful wine red tolex and weave front grille unit really appealed to me.

Sadly, yet another UPS shipping debacle came about with this amp as it was carelessly dropped from so far that it shattered several of the power tubes and all 3 rectifier tubes, as well as cracking the headshell on the bottom side. Talk about a BIG let down!

Luckily Reverb came in and set things straight with a partial refund to cover the damages, but it’s really a shame UPS isn’t being held more accountable. I know I move a lot of gear around but it’s astounding to me just how much of it is damaged! That said, I would’ve packed this amp a little differently than it arrived - I pack my outgoing gear with the assumption that IT WILL be dropped, instead of hoping it won’t be.

Now the issue is waiting for Mesa to make a new headshell - when I called, they weren’t even taking new orders because they are so behind on custom cabinet orders and materials. For the time being, I’ve clamped and glued the box pretty well and at least made it workable, although I’m not sure I’d trust it out on the road - fine for my studio use though.

As for the tones, it’s quite good as expected, with that core Rectifier type DNA to the tone but with a little more attack in the palm mutes. I haven’t had much time to sit with it since I was basically holding it waiting to see if I’d need to mail it back to Reverb - but now that things are all set straight I’ll get to dive in more soon. A part of me expected to hear some similarities to my Triple Crown but it’s really quite different so far - definitely less “British” than that amp. Of course, I still need to order a lot of tubes - with 6 power tubes and 3 rectifier tubes, it’s going to be a very expensive retube job!

New Amp: ENGL InVader 150

I snagged this first-generation InVader 150 from Guitar Center’s used listings, which included the very fancy Z-12 MIDI footswitch. I’ve been looking at ENGL’s for a while but I’m a bit unsure of what they all should sound like - but the Invader, SE, and Savage are all at the top of my list to try, especially after my positive experiences with the Raider 100 combo amp.

I haven’t had much time to open it up, but so far my impressions are very positive. There is a lot of online chatter that does not praise this amp - many players say to go get a Savage instead. I certainly plan to add a Savage to the collection, but it’s hard to say much bad about this amp.

It has four channels, and each is voiced very differently and I think that’s one of the things that works against this amp in the “initial impressions” phase. Most players who leave comments online have usually only played the amp in question for a few minutes in a store or with a friend and that’s not really an informed opinion - I know because I did the same thing before I started spending more time with my gear (a privilege not everyone has, of course). If I found this amp in a store and just wanted to check out its metal tones, I’d probably go to Channel 4 and start ripping, and I might walk away thinking it was a bit flubby and loose, with the feel of something like a Rivera Knucklehead without the aggressive growl. It’s a killer lead channel though, very thick and full for solos. And that’s exactly what the amp designer was after - channel 4 is built for thick, middy lead lines! Channel 3 is the aggressive, punchy metal rhythm tone!

So after ripping on Channel 3 and playing with the very dynamic EQ, I see why some might feel like Channel 4 isn’t their thing - if you took both of these channels and stuck them into two different amps, they might’ve sold better.

I also saw another misconception about the bright switch online, where it only works on channels 1 and 2. This is not true - it works on all channels, but the written manual is not clear about this. I contacted ENGL directly to confirm this and it’s true - on channel one, it’s clean, and the bright switch makes it… brighter. But on channels 2, 3, and 4, they described it as more of a “tone” or “mid boost” switch. The way it changes the tone of those channels is completely different - i.e. it’s not boosting the same frequencies, it is different per channel you are on.

And that’s probably the best way to talk about the switching - with the Z12 MIDI footswitch, you can store your settings for each channel - which includes if the bright switch, hi gain mode, fx loops, master A or B, etc are all on. Since that footswitch has lots of buttons, you can get 8+ different sounds from the same amp - you’re just stuck with the same EQ for the 4 main channels. That’s pretty cool - versatile AND a great sound.

Overall, I’m very impressed with this amp. I see that in the V2 they have renamed the bright switch on the front panel to “tone” - I’m not surprised, and if I had to guess there are only marginal circuit differences in that amp. I still plan to add a Savage and maybe a few others - so far I haven’t had an ENGL I didn’t love.

New Amp: VHT Pittbull 45

Recently, I’ve been trying to get rid of combo amps and focus more on heads. With my studio setup, it’s easier to collect and stack the heads and just run long speaker cables to a cab positioned by my mics than move around combos - so one amp I never thought I’d own is a Pittbull 45. When this head popped up on Guitar Center’s used section, I jumped on it - only 165 or so head versions were ever made of this amplifier.

This one dates from 1996 and is actually amp #0007 made - James Bond would be proud (even if it has an extra zero). This means it’s very early in the run and uses an EL84 powered spring reverb circuit - very cool. It is definitely one of the most lush and amazing sounding reverbs I’ve heard in an amp but it has one major drawback - it clearly affects the tone when engaged, even if the mix is turned down. Luckily it’s footswitchable but there is enough of a volume and tone change I think it’d be hard to really make the best of live. I’m just recording at home and can work around it no problem - but it’s no surprise to see that later Pittbull 45’s had a revised tube reverb circuit powered by an EF86 tube - likely similar to my 50/CL’s EF86 tube reverb.

In addition to the EL84 for the reverb, this amp is powered by a quad more EL84’s (for 5 total) and sports a 5AR4 tube rectifier. The feel of this amp, especially the clean channel, is just plain inspiring. Later models had a Class-A mode switch on the rear but this particular amp is restricted to Class-AB. I would love to play one of these in A mode but I really find it hard to believe it could get much better than this.

The drive channel is much less like the modern VHT/Fryette tone you might expect - it’s warm, bright, and full with incredible touch sensitivity. With the gain rolled down, the footswitchable “boost” has a more pronounced effect too - great for punchy solos or even enough gain for classic metal. This is a pretty stark contrast to my 50/CL which can hit metal tones right off the bat, and adding the boost is only a small push further. That amp is also far darker and tighter - still one of my all time favorite tones - but certainly less capable of accurately portraying some classic rock tones.

One other surprise is that this amp is VERY loud, and hard to tame. There is no overall master volume unlike my 50/CL (which sounds great even at low volumes), only the channel volumes which really only open up in the first quarter turn - which is quite loud at that point. Luckily, squeezing a volume box into the FX loop makes it much more manageable and keeps the volume tamed for home recording just fine.

I’m not sure exactly what I expected from this amp but the lower gain and brighter tone really blew me away - another one of those “best kept secrets” and probably an amp very few would realize makes such a perfect vintage rock machine (especially with the “Pittbull” line being mostly considered to be “metal” amps). I can’t wait to find even more tones in this one.

New Amp: Marshall JCM900 4100DR Reissue

I’ve heard very little in the way of good reviews of the “dual reverb” series of JCM900 amps, but after picking up an SL-X and then later going through multiple Mk III’s, I really just had to find out for myself. I missed the boat on picking up 900DR’s for $300 or $400 on craigslist, but when this one popped up on Guitar Center’s used section - and even better, a nearly brand spanking new Reissue model - for not much more than a 20 year old one, I couldn’t resist.

That said, I’m not afraid of an old amp, and I understand components and suppliers may have changed since the original run, but this amp will sound 95% the same as an original run. I’m not going to pay the $2900 (!!) these cost new, but for 900 bucks, I really couldn’t turn it down.

Okay, so now it’s in my hands… and how to put it tactfully…. I am not a fan of this amp. It’s bright, lacks punchy bass, and just overall falls flat next to the SL-X, 2203x, and 2210 that share the shelf with it right now. What it does do incredibly well however is that raspy 90s punk powerchord thing - which it does nail perfectly. Of course there are ways to make it sound better, such as an EQ in the loop, or a boost pedal in the front and the gain on the amp turned down. I’ve also read that disconnecting the diodes can improve the sound, but I really think from looking at the circuit that it’s more of an EQ issue than anything specific to the diodes - my 2210 is one of, if not my absolute favorite amp and that has diodes too.

Now I don’t want to sound too harsh, it’s a fine amp for that specific sound that it does, it’s just not a sound I would choose for myself. It’s aggressive and bright, but I can see why these were so lamented, especially since I have a 2ch Mesa Recto here too, it’s direct competition at the time, and that amp is superior even for mid-gain sounds, which neither of these amps were really designed for. Still, I’m holding onto it because it does complete the collection - with this amp I now have every main line Marshall head in recent memory, and it’s very useful for comparison and context on how circuit designs changed over time - this was an extremely innovative amp design wise for its time.