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So, almost two years after picking up my first "bargain/vintage" tube head, a Crate Lee Jackson design Stealth, I finally was able to corral another Lee Jackson amp. I've been trying in vain to pick up a VL series amp. Whenever I find one it's either: beat up, needs repair, is the 1001 or 501 (I already have enough single channel heads), or has either just been sold or is priced in the stratosphere....
Until....I went to the local Music Go Round this week to see if they had any 4 x 10 cabs for my GK Bass amp that I picked up for my rehearsal studio. They didn't, but they did have an Ampeg VL-503. They wanted $300 for it. I offered to trade them an old solid state Randall head I wasn't using, and a Digitech Vocal 300 processor, and they let me take this puppy home.
First things first....yes, it has the EVM12L speaker. Nice.
Second- (2) 6550 Power tubes (currently Sovtek) are providing 75 watts. It can also take EL-34's, but then output is 50 watts.
Third-3 discrete channels, each with it's own preamp and EQ. This probably explains why it has FIVE 12AX7's.
Fourth -built in attenuation.
Fifth- It has casters.....which is good because this behemoth weighs 85#....monstrous for a single 12" combo!
I'd heard these amps described as "Boogie killers". Don't know about that, but the clean channel is amazing. Warm, clear, and you almost can't make it break up.
Channel 2 is a fine Boogie/Marshall melange that should cover almost any rock/pop/blues/metal. Seems versatile.
Channel 3 does leads and high gain. Singing. Violin like. Pretty darn nice.
The attenuation works very well, surprisingly enough. It doesn't suck too much tone and sound like a wet blanket over the amp as many do.
I'd also heard that some of these amps were a bit "fragile". Well, so far, after a few hours of toying about....nothing untoward has reared its head. No crackles, no scratchy pots, no earth shattering kaboom. Yet. Knock wood.
So, I'm impressed with the sound of the clean, and lead channels, and I think channel two will come along nicely. The attenuation is top notch, and this beast can get beyond loud. Next up, I'm running it through my Ampeg VL series 4 x 12.
Anyone got one of these? Care to share settings?
For the visually inclined...
Until....I went to the local Music Go Round this week to see if they had any 4 x 10 cabs for my GK Bass amp that I picked up for my rehearsal studio. They didn't, but they did have an Ampeg VL-503. They wanted $300 for it. I offered to trade them an old solid state Randall head I wasn't using, and a Digitech Vocal 300 processor, and they let me take this puppy home.
First things first....yes, it has the EVM12L speaker. Nice.
Second- (2) 6550 Power tubes (currently Sovtek) are providing 75 watts. It can also take EL-34's, but then output is 50 watts.
Third-3 discrete channels, each with it's own preamp and EQ. This probably explains why it has FIVE 12AX7's.
Fourth -built in attenuation.
Fifth- It has casters.....which is good because this behemoth weighs 85#....monstrous for a single 12" combo!
I'd heard these amps described as "Boogie killers". Don't know about that, but the clean channel is amazing. Warm, clear, and you almost can't make it break up.
Channel 2 is a fine Boogie/Marshall melange that should cover almost any rock/pop/blues/metal. Seems versatile.
Channel 3 does leads and high gain. Singing. Violin like. Pretty darn nice.
The attenuation works very well, surprisingly enough. It doesn't suck too much tone and sound like a wet blanket over the amp as many do.
I'd also heard that some of these amps were a bit "fragile". Well, so far, after a few hours of toying about....nothing untoward has reared its head. No crackles, no scratchy pots, no earth shattering kaboom. Yet. Knock wood.
So, I'm impressed with the sound of the clean, and lead channels, and I think channel two will come along nicely. The attenuation is top notch, and this beast can get beyond loud. Next up, I'm running it through my Ampeg VL series 4 x 12.
Anyone got one of these? Care to share settings?
For the visually inclined...