Ditched the Splawn Quick Rod

[markD]

wow - that sucks. sorry. I have had that happen to me before (soldano SLO100) except I was able to recoup the cash easily since the SLO has a great resale. hopefully you will find something to your liking....

[Nightbat]

Thanks. I'll doubt I'll be heading that way, but I appreciate it.

I already know that I can get the sound I like from a JCM 800 because i used to have one, but honestly, I don't want to buy something that old.

Didn't they reissue it a a few years ago?

[Axewielder]

I demo'd a JCM2000 DSL-100 at the GC and bought it, only to slowly get disgusted with it over the next couple of years. I've also had the worst luck with guitars that I demo'd first, which is kind of odd. So, sometimes you can never win.

All that being said, the digital recordings of the Axe FX II on the web are EXACTLY what you can expect if you buy one.

[PowerTube]

I demo'd a JCM2000 DSL-100 at the GC and bought it, only to slowly get disgusted with it over the next couple of years. I've also had the worst luck with guitars that I demo'd first, which is kind of odd. So, sometimes you can never win.

All that being said, the digital recordings of the Axe FX II on the web are EXACTLY what you can expect if you buy one.

Yeah. I think this happens to everyone sooner or later. I also see your point about Axe-FX recordings; all of my Line 6 stuff records exactly like it sounds in the room.

What did you grow to dislike about the DSL?

[roodyrocker]

Wow, sorry to hear that about the Quick Rod. But if you didn't like it, you didn't like it. As far as buying amps unheard unfortunately most places carry limited selections. And when you get into more high end stuff they carry less and less of it. I've had very good luck buying before trying. No one around me carries Bogner, Friedman, Splawn, Bad Cat, Soldano, etc... But I loved all the ones I bought. As for the Vetta, well to those who like it that's fine I'd never buy one over any of the above mentioned amps. The SLO is a fantastic amp but many don't think it sounds its best till turned up to about 6.5 to 7 and that IS brutally loud. If you like the JCM 800 but don't want an old one, they did reissue it and added an effects loop to it. I still like my Splawn Quick Rod but I really didn't buy it for a clean channel. If you want an amp that does everything well perhaps you may want to look at a Bogner Ecstasy. However the price point on new Ecstasys or even SLO is nearly double that of a Splawn. I highly doubt you'll find a place locally to try them if they don't even have something as common as a JVM either. Oh yeah. as far as a used DSL (JCM 2000) that's what I've been gigging lately. It works out fine for live situations and easy amp for sound guys to deal with as far as FOH goes.

[chrisolson]

QR's have a "distinct" mid-range. It's pure love/hate.

That's an amp you could have easily moved without getting the colon-stretch from GC.

[PowerTube]

Wow, sorry to hear that about the Quick Rod. But if you didn't like it, you didn't like it. As far as buying amps unheard unfortunately most places carry limited selections. And when you get into more high end stuff they carry less and less of it. I've had very good luck buying before trying. No one around me carries Bogner, Friedman, Splawn, Bad Cat, Soldano, etc... But I loved all the ones I bought. As for the Vetta, well to those who like it that's fine I'd never buy one over any of the above mentioned amps. The SLO is a fantastic amp but many don't think it sounds its best till turned up to about 6.5 to 7 and that IS brutally loud. If you like the JCM 800 but don't want an old one, they did reissue it and added an effects loop to it. I still like my Splawn Quick Rod but I really didn't buy it for a clean channel. If you want an amp that does everything well perhaps you may want to look at a Bogner Ecstasy. However the price point on new Ecstasys or even SLO is nearly double that of a Splawn. I highly doubt you'll find a place locally to try them if they don't even have something as common as a JVM either. Oh yeah. as far as a used DSL (JCM 2000) that's what I've been gigging lately. It works out fine for live situations and easy amp for sound guys to deal with as far as FOH goes.

Yeah. Like I mentioned above, I went ahead and came to grips with it quickly and admitted to myself that I just didn't really like it. There have been times when I would keep telling myself that I just loved it and keep trying to believe that for a year or more.

I would love to try a lot of the amps you mention above. The Ecstasy sounds awesome in the videos I've watched, but they really are pricey.

As for the SLO, I've also only heard them in videos and honestly, they haven't done a lot for me. I think they sound vaguely like the Quick Rod but not quite as stiff.

I also want to try the 5150 III 100-watt. The 50-watt sounded pretty nice in the store.

[PowerTube]

QR's have a "distinct" mid-range. It's pure love/hate.

That's an amp you could have easily moved without getting the colon-stretch from GC.

Possibly, but I really hate dealing with eBay tire kickers. Plus, the cab weighs just under 100 pounds so shipping would be outrageous.

[VitaminG]

Not sure if you've tried or thought about the Randall's but I love mine. Went from a TSL100 to Splawn to Carvin CV3 to Randall RM100 and have stopped there. I did re-tube mine after reading on the randall forums and man what a dif it made. Anyway after reading your review on the Splawn it reminded me of why I ditched it besides being so loud (which it needs to shine). Anyway good luck!

Get an RM100 and you can have a SLO100, Quick Rod & 5150 III in the one head.

[warlok]

Love my Randall RM amps.. Just sayin'..

[PowerTube]

I'm sure the Randall is nice. But I have to say that the Vetta has me covered in the "many amps in one" category. Another issue is that no one near me sells Randall and I absolutely refuse to buy another amp I haven't plugged into (unless I own the exact same model already and know what to expect). That's the same reason I won't order a Carvin, even though they have a 10-day return policy. Who needs the hassle of sending it all back if I don't like it?

At this point I'm thinking about the Marshall JVM205H and a 1960B straight cab. I like tubes and I like relatively simple. If I could find one to try out somewhere.......

[Larz]

You could always grab something else used from GC online and then if you don't bond within 30 days return it to your local store? Not 100% but I think that would work with their return policies.

Same with buying something from their online or platinum inventory, have it shipped to the store and try it out, even if you can't plug into it, first.

But I'm sure you don't feel like doing that at the moment.

[PowerTube]

You could always grab something else used from GC online and then if you don't bond within 30 days return it to your local store? Not 100% but I think that would work with their return policies.

Same with buying something from their online or platinum inventory, have it shipped to the store and try it out, even if you can't plug into it, first.

But I'm sure you don't feel like doing that at the moment.

My original plan was to get a Splawn from them, but one never showed up until after I bought mine. Believe me, I would MUCH rather have gone this route and gotten 100% of my money back.

But even with the return policy, I hate doing it that way.

[z1n]

Sounds like you need to go to GC or whatever store you can drive to and don't leave until you pick whatever amp they have that you like. That seems to be your only choice unless some peeps here on the forum that live near you would let you demo their stuff. I'm in Dallas and would gladly let you try my Randall

[PowerTube]

Sounds like you need to go to GC or whatever store you can drive to and don't leave until you pick whatever amp they have that you like. That seems to be your only choice unless some peeps here on the forum that live near you would let you demo their stuff. I'm in Dallas and would gladly let you try my Randall

Thanks for the offer.

By the sheer laws of probability, a JVM is bound to show up locally so I can at least put this to rest.