#115305  by cmc64
 
I have found quite a few of these at very reasonable prices in great shape. I listened to a few clips on youtube but they can only give you so much of an idea of how an amp sounds and none of the clips featured a "Jerry-type" player. The amp is available as a combo of just a head. I am interested in the head. it has Classic Fender Spring Reverb, Three channels - clean, drive #1 and drive #2 and It is a combined solid state and tube amp. I believe the clean channel is solid state and the drive channels are tube driven. it has vibrato as well. According to the manual it has an effects loop but the send can be used as a pre-amp out.

I have searched these forums but found nothing about this amp. The reviews I have read on the internet have given the amp high praise (although some have said the amp has a "hum" that is an easy fix - a failing cap or something on the simple side) but I do not know if anyone here has any knowledge of this amp or first hand experience with it. Add a JBL cab - might we have a potential good Jerry amp?

Any thoughts/suggestions? Thanks for any/all input!


--cmc64
 #115321  by cmc64
 
SarnoMusicSolutions wrote:Run screaming...
That's all I needed to know.

Thank you!!
 #115332  by Jon S.
 
The reviews on the TDP are diverse. If it were me, I'd find and play one and draw my own conclusions. Not everyone can afford a $700 preamp + $400 power amp + $120 rack unit. I've seen these heads for sale for $150. When you're hungry and can't afford a steak, a burger starts looking good.
 #115343  by SarnoMusicSolutions
 
I looked at the circuit to this Roc Pro 1000 and instantly it's observable that it's loaded entirely with lo-grade opamps and cheap resistors and cap's and TONS of routing and circuitry. That's everything we DON'T want when seeking a Jerry tone. We want 100% or as close to 100% all tube signal path in the preamp, very minimal circuitry, high voltage, good cap's, good resistors, etc. It's literally at the opposite end of the spectrum of where we find the Jerry magic. It's also a flip-flop reversal of the general topology we're after. We want tube preamp/solid state power as a general JG rule. This Roc Pro is crappy solid state preamp with tube power. Surely the tubes would help warm the Roc Pro 1000's crappy preamp, but for us, SO much of what we want is in that classic Fender tube preamp stage. That's where nearly all the voltage gain and voicing happens, where much of the harmonic sweetness and dynamic feel comes from.

On a budget, the basic Frenzel tube preamp into a used Mosvalve power amp could get someone into an acceptable setup for well under $500.

B
 #115358  by Jon S.
 
As the happy owner myself of a SMS preamp-based rig, I'm sticking w/my original advice. Try it, experiment with the controls and settings, and decide for yourself if it gets you "close enough" within "your budget" (both are subjective calls). This is a no-risk proposition - if after you try one it doesn't work for you, you can consider upping your budget and you'll still have learned about the amp you test drove. And please come back and share your findings!
 #115371  by cmc64
 
Jon S. wrote:As the happy owner myself of a SMS preamp-based rig, I'm sticking w/my original advice. Try it, experiment with the controls and settings, and decide for yourself if it gets you "close enough" within "your budget" (both are subjective calls). This is a no-risk proposition - if after you try one it doesn't work for you, you can consider upping your budget and you'll still have learned about the amp you test drove. And please come back and share your findings!
Thanks to Brad and everyone else who responded - just the kind of info I needed. As far as upping my budget - I would pre a Twin and pick up an MC2300 if I had the cash. My "budget" is "bank account be damned, get it all!". Unfortunately, my job pays next to nothing so I do not have much to work with.

I was going to put a JBL k-110 in my Fender SuperChamp X2 but I just lost the auction in the last two seconds (fat finger syndrome). The are a few other K-110''s available but they have had he dustcap painted black. Is that something I would need to be concerned with? There are also a few E-110's available - how would one do in a 15Watt amp?

Another thought is the Mosvalve - My Fender has a 1/4" line out jack - could I conceivably use the Fender as a pre into the Mosvalve? The Fender has a 12AX7 in the pre amp and two 6v6's in the power amp stage. I have two E-120's on the way (my friend picked them up today and they will ship next week when I get paid and pay him) so I have a 2x12 cab to get together.

Thanks again guys for your help. It is extremely appreciated.
 #115373  by Smolder
 
cmc64 wrote: I was going to put a JBL k-110 in my Fender SuperChamp X2 but I just lost the auction in the last two seconds (fat finger syndrome). The are a few other K-110''s available but they have had he dustcap painted black. Is that something I would need to be concerned with? There are also a few E-110's available - how would one do in a 15Watt amp?

I've never even seen a super champ, but my first concern is whether an E110 would fit as they have a sizable mag on them. To my ears the alnico's sound better... but others prefer the E's. I'm a student of these efforts to acquire Jerry tone and far from an expert... but f you can manage a jbl speaker with a fender sounding front end... and get a good mid pickup on a start (see the thread on converting a SD to single coil)... your making progress. at that point maybe save for a step closer down the road.

I wouldn't discount a weber california... for as close as your going to be with the super champ, that may be enough.

Lastly... not sure where the dude in Michigan gets them, but I bought one of the K110's with a black dust cover and it sounds very good... and very close to the D110 I have and better than the E110's I have. I think I did a BIN for around 110. Just make sure to get either an original cone or a jbl factory re-cone. He has some that are generic re-cones and I'm not sure what those are. When you get it... check immediately for voice coil rub. I don't recall his return policy, but if you ask about voice coil rub ahead of time (email) I can't imagine you wouldn't be able to return it if it arrives with it.
 #115376  by cmc64
 
Smolder wrote:
cmc64 wrote: I was going to put a JBL k-110 in my Fender SuperChamp X2 but I just lost the auction in the last two seconds (fat finger syndrome). The are a few other K-110''s available but they have had he dustcap painted black. Is that something I would need to be concerned with? There are also a few E-110's available - how would one do in a 15Watt amp?

I've never even seen a super champ, but my first concern is whether an E110 would fit as they have a sizable mag on them. To my ears the alnico's sound better... but others prefer the E's. I'm a student of these efforts to acquire Jerry tone and far from an expert... but f you can manage a jbl speaker with a fender sounding front end... and get a good mid pickup on a start (see the thread on converting a SD to single coil)... your making progress. at that point maybe save for a step closer down the road.

I wouldn't discount a weber california... for as close as your going to be with the super champ, that may be enough.

Lastly... not sure where the dude in Michigan gets them, but I bought one of the K110's with a black dust cover and it sounds very good... and very close to the D110 I have and better than the E110's I have. I think I did a BIN for around 110. Just make sure to get either an original cone or a jbl factory re-cone. He has some that are generic re-cones and I'm not sure what those are. When you get it... check immediately for voice coil rub. I don't recall his return policy, but if you ask about voice coil rub ahead of time (email) I can't imagine you wouldn't be able to return it if it arrives with it.
Thanks for all of the info. I have been watching speakerguy2002 (or whatever his handle is) from Michigan and I just bought one of the JBL K-110's with the black dustcap and the original JBL cone kit. I hope it fits in my SuperChamp. There is plenty of room from the front of the cab to the back but the magnet is going to get awfully close to the head and the cage around the tubes. :fingers crossed:
 #121436  by BeyondThePale
 
Hey dudes. I hate for my first post to seem like Im being a smartass, because thats not at all my intention, but a guy earlier responded saying the RocPro was crap & the opposite of what to look for in a Jerry type setup; which is not true. I understand everyone has an opinion on gear but obviously he has read the schems wrong. To my very limited knowledge of Jerrys rig, Fender actually made a pretty good attempt at the basis of Jerrys rig. With Jer preamp tapping his twins' tube preamp (RocPro drive channel is also 12ax7 tube pre; given its not the same circuit as a BF or SF twin, but still tube nonetheless) and then using an external more stable solid state McIntosh power amp (Roc Pro also feeds into its own solid state power section, but also offers an effects loop to send to another power unit as just a preamp signal and/or return using an external power amp.

Also being a one time owner of the Roc Pro 1000 head & 4x12 cab, I would give it a huge thumbs up for its performance in relation to its price. Especially for Jerry sounds. I got rid of mine only for the reason of an "electric-to-acoustic-quarter-life-crisis" ha! But even now listening back to the old recordings we made when I was using it man, I like em. I actually stumbled onto this post while lookin for another one in a google search!

So yea man, not sure if this even relates anymore, but maybe it will give an additional viewpoint from a one time owner that might help somebody else on down the road, where those chilly winds dont blow & the water tastes like wine. ;)~ Great site as well, btw!