tudor
Well-known member
While I once owned a Groove Tubes Soul-O-30 Reverb Top and didn?t like the sound even after swapping the tubes so many times, I was stuck with my Fenders DRRI (my keeper) and BluesDeVille and swore that I?d never ever walk such narrow paths in the future.
But the BDV had to go because I've needed cash and decided to keep only that stuff I was really playing with.
At the same time some guys over there at JapanAxe started their major cheering offensive about their tube ?half pints?, the Epi Jrs.
I've read all their comments about the stock version, their following modding and pimping ? and I guess I had been seized already by the ?virus? at that time ?
Well ? at the end of May I?ve got mine ? a wonderful Blackheart Little Giant Top ? I couldn?t resist, it was a real bargain ?
It has just what you?d expect from a tube amp, no bells and whistles ? it?s perfect ? for me ?perfect? is something if you can?t remove anything substantial ?
Either playing with 5 watts power or switching to the 3 watts mode ( the 3 watts start to crunch earlier, the 5 watts are louder, of course ), bass, middle, treble and vol chickenhead control knobs, jacks for 4, 8 and 16 Ohm speakers at the rear ? there?s nothing left to be desired ?
OK ? two things, the first one is just a matter of personal taste ? a REVERB !!! I like playing clean with a little bit of reverb ? so an Electro Harmonix Holy Grail digital reverb pedal is doing that for me now ?
Second spec I'm missing is a 'standby' switch ... just for warming it up safely ...
I?m completely happy with that Little Giant.
Of course I began tinkering with the tubes just 2 days later ?
I?ve found a TAD 12AX7-C and a NOS 5751 for the preamp section and a TAD EL-84-STR left in my pool box for the power ? I prefer the 5751 vs the AX7, because I had swapped it into my DRRI some time ago and noticed a tremendous upgrade in sound ( my personal taste )...
... and you remember perhaps that I own two 2x12 cabs with ToneTubby speakers and Weber Blue Dogs ?
So it's looking like this now ...
Wow ? what a beautiful warm, chiming sound with silky highs, clear mids and a nice deep bass growl.
I think it loves the SCs of my strat more than the HBs but it can also depend on the pups ?
Bass on 4 o?clock, middle on 2, treble and vol on full and the sun begins to shine ? you can do that on the 3 watts mode, the amp begins to crunch from 1-2 o?clock ? but not in the 5 watts mode ? it?s simply too loud then.
Ringing, sparkling clean sound at lower volume or in the 5 watts mode ? Mark Knopfler would like it !!
Very pedal friendly, Tonebone Classic(with 12AX7), Fulltone OCD and my 808-clone MEK TD-1 give a tremendous sound for Classic Rock and Rock ballades, all is possible from ?gilmourish? to ?claptonish? to AC/DC ? but NO metal ?
What should I tell you additionally ? ????
OH YES - I love it !!!
It?s providing the same excellent tone and manufacturing quality like my formerly Crate Vintage Club VC50 amp ? obviously I own his little son now ...
Roger
But the BDV had to go because I've needed cash and decided to keep only that stuff I was really playing with.
At the same time some guys over there at JapanAxe started their major cheering offensive about their tube ?half pints?, the Epi Jrs.
I've read all their comments about the stock version, their following modding and pimping ? and I guess I had been seized already by the ?virus? at that time ?
Well ? at the end of May I?ve got mine ? a wonderful Blackheart Little Giant Top ? I couldn?t resist, it was a real bargain ?
It has just what you?d expect from a tube amp, no bells and whistles ? it?s perfect ? for me ?perfect? is something if you can?t remove anything substantial ?
Either playing with 5 watts power or switching to the 3 watts mode ( the 3 watts start to crunch earlier, the 5 watts are louder, of course ), bass, middle, treble and vol chickenhead control knobs, jacks for 4, 8 and 16 Ohm speakers at the rear ? there?s nothing left to be desired ?
OK ? two things, the first one is just a matter of personal taste ? a REVERB !!! I like playing clean with a little bit of reverb ? so an Electro Harmonix Holy Grail digital reverb pedal is doing that for me now ?
Second spec I'm missing is a 'standby' switch ... just for warming it up safely ...
I?m completely happy with that Little Giant.
Of course I began tinkering with the tubes just 2 days later ?
I?ve found a TAD 12AX7-C and a NOS 5751 for the preamp section and a TAD EL-84-STR left in my pool box for the power ? I prefer the 5751 vs the AX7, because I had swapped it into my DRRI some time ago and noticed a tremendous upgrade in sound ( my personal taste )...
... and you remember perhaps that I own two 2x12 cabs with ToneTubby speakers and Weber Blue Dogs ?
So it's looking like this now ...
Wow ? what a beautiful warm, chiming sound with silky highs, clear mids and a nice deep bass growl.
I think it loves the SCs of my strat more than the HBs but it can also depend on the pups ?
Bass on 4 o?clock, middle on 2, treble and vol on full and the sun begins to shine ? you can do that on the 3 watts mode, the amp begins to crunch from 1-2 o?clock ? but not in the 5 watts mode ? it?s simply too loud then.
Ringing, sparkling clean sound at lower volume or in the 5 watts mode ? Mark Knopfler would like it !!
Very pedal friendly, Tonebone Classic(with 12AX7), Fulltone OCD and my 808-clone MEK TD-1 give a tremendous sound for Classic Rock and Rock ballades, all is possible from ?gilmourish? to ?claptonish? to AC/DC ? but NO metal ?
What should I tell you additionally ? ????
OH YES - I love it !!!
It?s providing the same excellent tone and manufacturing quality like my formerly Crate Vintage Club VC50 amp ? obviously I own his little son now ...
Roger