Grateful Dead Music Forum

These were by VHT, but are now under the ownership of the designer. I would think that the bigger one would please anyone going for a loud and clean thang.

Check out:

http://www.sfdamp.com/poweramps.html


Brad

Are you seeing these as a nice back-end to your pre's? If so, what do you think the difference would be in tone between running one of these vs. a SS (good Mack/MossValve/Whatever) at the power end?

Brad -these two power amps seem well engineered and built --didnt ck the specs for signal to noise - slew rate - and intermodulation dist----but I think they are a find -its prices and product dependability-but the 90/90 with matched KT-88s -wow --tubes get pricey - then again its the sound of a tube amp -hearing is believing ---that little 50/50 tube amp could be the second comming of the 60s Versatone -at least in a portable power head ---a screaming 90 watts of kt-88s per channel --loud ----need more power -add another amp -fixed --but the name ---fry ette -----fry it ----lets not go there----the builder cajun ? a southern boy ?----no biggie--y all --cool amps ---thanks Brad -----p

I have a few steel guitar playing customers who use my Revelation tube preamp with the larger VHT (now Fryette) amp. Word on the street is that's the ultimate rig, bar none. The Revelation sounds pretty much identical to my SMS Classic, but has more steel guitar routing features, variable pickup impedance loading (as a tone control), stereo parallel effects loop, swept mid control, etc. But still it's based on the classic Twin Reverb preamp circuit just like the SMS Classic. Steel guitarists like a rig much like bass players and Garcia liked. Warm, sweet front end with lots of clean headroom in the power section. Compared to a solid state amp, this VHT/Fryette power amp will do that tube thing. When run in its clean range, it'll be a bit sweeter and warmer and harmonically richer, and as you reach maximum power, it will gently enter into a musical clipping. Steel players gravitate toward the larger model because of its uses of 6L6 (or similar) tubes. That family of power tubes has a very cleanish and gradual clipping characteristic. The smaller amp appears to use EL34's, more of the Marshall mentality. EL34's clip faster and harder when they go and are a bit more dirty and aggressive when driven past full power.

Brad

I had the opportunity to work on a Carvin TS100 this week. Client wanted it retubed. Came from Carvin with EL34's but I retubed it with General Electric 6L6GC's. I was more than pleasantly surprised at both the build quality and the gobs of clean power.

It's the only one I've seen or played but I recommend anyone to check it out.

Chuckles wrote:Are you seeing these as a nice back-end to your pre's? If so, what do you think the difference would be in tone between running one of these vs. a SS (good Mack/MossValve/Whatever) at the power end?

Not to speak for Brad but my opinion is that it comes down to the question, "what defines your tone?"
Then once you have all those attributes figure which come into play by the poweramp section of the rig.

Some players like a tight SS full range like the macs.
Some like a tight SS guitar range like the Mosvalves.
Some like the bold & tubey 6L6s other the 6V6s.
Others yet need the EL series tubes!!!

If tubes is your thing then I'd suggestion thinking rectification: diodes, tubes or Port Arthur.

Some players like a tube pre w/SS power (many here!)
Other like a SS pre w/tuber power (lots mesa 50-50s & peavey classic 50s)
Most agree ss pre & ss power = less desireable tone
I'm a tube nut and like my tube pre + tube rect/port arthur + tuber power