Fab Amp Mtealhead review

[fabamp]

Re: Fab Amp Metalhead review

[ QUOTE ]
Damn, what a shitstorm. All I care about it how this little fucker sounds.

It looks pretty cool.

How about a soundclip, El Kabong?

My next purchase is definitely an amp as I have been without a tube amp for way too long. I don't have the cash for a big purchase, so this new wave of inexpensive home built specials is very interesting to me.

Of course, I saw Blues Saraceno make an old little Silvertone absolutely scream with S.D.'s new pedal....but I ain't Blues Saraceno!!

Mike

[/ QUOTE ]
Glad you like the looks, thanks go out to EL Kabong on that.
Sorry for the poo, It always seems to happen(well at least on HCAF) when a supportive Fab thread appears. Certain insecure builders would jump in and try to discredit an individual’s purchase. The one thing in common with these early Fab Flamers was the fact that non of them had ever played a Fabamp. Hence maybe the need to purchase one?!? Pete is only the 5th amp builder to buy a Fab, Victoria Amps were the first but they were not flamers, just curious. They blew the stock speaker, did not like the handle and started the joke that I cut down my own trees to make their solid wood cabinet, I can live with that. I think they can too for 200USD including shipping. After a bit I would give into the HCAF flamers increasingly vulgar innuendo, such good trolls they were. I felt compelled to answer to their misrepresentations. As soon as I did hordes of their groupies would jump in, regardless of the facts(no inference to this BB or it’s members)usually cleverly editing my entire post in there quotes much like Pete does above. After about 8 months of abuse one client had major shipping damage twice over but rather than allowing me to pay for the final repairs at a shop 20 miles from his house, he shipped the amp 2000 miles to another builder. Strange but true and the resulting BS was such that I just moved on and now try to let the amps speak for themselves. With that in mind here are some clips of pedal friendly early amps I made for less than 200USD. The new amps can have the same signal path but the NOS tubes are no longer stock but extra options. They were based on the 1959 Marshall or Tweed Bassman, i.e., my Splexi or Mesender.
Hope you enjoy the clips.
http://www.capecraft.com/splexi1.mp3
http://www.capecraft.com/splexi_vh.mp3
http://www.capecraft.com/lead_wanking.mp3
El Kabong won't have time for clips for a few months at least.

Rob

[jgcable]

Re: Fab Amp Metalhead review

Well, the tone of the clips are pretty good. The playing... well... thats another story. IMHO.. if you are serious about promoting your amps I would suggest finding a guitar player who can actually play. That playing was sloppy and a poor choice for showcasing custom made amps.

[Twisteramps]

Re: Fab Amp Metalhead review

Folks, I've been here for years, Fab's been here for hours. Believe him if you want - but you've been warned.

Pete

[fabamp]

Re: Fab Amp Metalhead review

[ QUOTE ]
Well, the tone of the clips are pretty good. The playing... well... thats another story. IMHO.. if you are serious about promoting your amps I would suggest finding a guitar player who can actually play. That playing was sloppy and a poor choice for showcasing custom made amps.

[/ QUOTE ]
Thanks for that, and glad you like the tone. I am always looking for new clips and players.

[Hotrod]

Re: Fab Amp Metalhead review

[img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] Don't worry Pete, most of this board is probably behind you and trust what you say/think as you have proven yourself time and time again. This guy is one of the many reasons I don't hang out at H/C or many of the other boards. They're full of trolls/spammers and any other jerk who just wants to go online and start crap at will. I think Fab may want to watch his step a bit and just try to become a positively contributing member if he wants to stay around. His knowledge and experience *may* be beneficial to some, but not if he keeps contributing to threads in a negative way. This is probably one of the best run boards out there and its members won't tolerate the juvenile antics of the H/C board. My humble opinion. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[MBreinin]

Re: Fab Amp Metalhead review

OK, I listened to the clips. I thought the playing was fine to showcase the amp's abilities. It wasn't Yngwie, but damn...it certainly wasn't horrible. Yeah, get George Lynch to demo them and you may sell some more...but it wasn't as if the player was a hack.

The amps sounded good. I have a tendency to despise a real dry tone, I can't help it. I am a reverb and delay kind of guy. Probably because they cover your mistakes!!!! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] Still I dug the tone.

Pete, I am certainly not taking sides here. I know you have been here much longer than Fab, much longer than me as well. I don't want to get involved in your prior arguments and I don't know the history. I know you build amps, and I have been to your website. I respect you as a player/JCFer.....

I do know this Fab, I have seen the pics of the amps and I personally would be proud of building that. Of course, I am an electrical moron, I can barely solder a pickup. If you sold the amps in those sound clips for $200, you sold a fine value....and I am sure that you got RAPED at that price based on the amount of time you invested in those amps. Hell, when I get an hourly client I charge them $100-$150 an hour...and I am sure it took you more than an hour or two to put them together.

Mike

[khabibissell]

Re: Fab Amp Metalhead review

I don't want to get into the middle of this either, but I like the sound of the amp, and the price is definitely attractive. I have also been impressed with the tone on the clips Pete posted of his homebrew amps and pedals. When you buy something from a small builder/business owner, whether it be a guitar, an amp, whatever, you are taking a chance... it's that simple. And length of stay on any internet message board does not equate to being trustworthy. Look at all the drama with Kevin Easton. Even good old Vince had a long stay here and a ton of supporters and he turned out to be a shitbird.

One thing I don't like is people coming into or maintain a membership in an internet community/message board/fansite/etc... solely for the purpose of pimping their wares, whether it be used or new equipment.

My $1.50...

[spknoevl]

Re: Fab Amp Metalhead review

Interesting topic here. I bought a 2 channel Metalhead/Splexi 5 watt head from Rob about 6 months ago. Lookswise, it looks pretty decent. Maybe not as nice as some of the pics already posted here but other boutique amps like Allessandro ($2000 and up) are comparable. I buy the amp for the tone, not the aesthetics. I don't know of any of custom amp maker that makes amps of the same quality for such a reasonable price.
I recently sent Rob a mp3 of a tune from my upcoming CD that should probably be up on his website in the next few weeks. In the meantime, if anyone's interested you can hear it at this link: http://www.fusionweb.dk/music/Drive2.mp3
All the guitar parts were recorded using the Fab amp and I stepped on a Keeley Katana Boost for the single-line stuff.

[MBreinin]

Re: Fab Amp Metalhead review

[ QUOTE ]
Interesting topic here. I bought a 2 channel Metalhead/Splexi 5 watt head from Rob about 6 months ago. Lookswise, it looks pretty decent. Maybe not as nice as some of the pics already posted here but other boutique amps like Allessandro ($2000 and up) are comparable. I buy the amp for the tone, not the aesthetics. I don't know of any of custom amp maker that makes amps of the same quality for such a reasonable price.
I recently sent Rob a mp3 of a tune from my upcoming CD that should probably be up on his website in the next few weeks. In the meantime, if anyone's interested you can hear it at this link: http://www.fusionweb.dk/music/Drive2.mp3
All the guitar parts were recorded using the Fab amp and I stepped on a Keeley Katana Boost for the single-line stuff.

[/ QUOTE ]

Great tone, I really liked that lead tone with the stomp pedal driving the amp.

Mike

[spknoevl]

Re: Fab Amp Metalhead review

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Interesting topic here. I bought a 2 channel Metalhead/Splexi 5 watt head from Rob about 6 months ago. Lookswise, it looks pretty decent. Maybe not as nice as some of the pics already posted here but other boutique amps like Allessandro ($2000 and up) are comparable. I buy the amp for the tone, not the aesthetics. I don't know of any of custom amp maker that makes amps of the same quality for such a reasonable price.
I recently sent Rob a mp3 of a tune from my upcoming CD that should probably be up on his website in the next few weeks. In the meantime, if anyone's interested you can hear it at this link: http://www.fusionweb.dk/music/Drive2.mp3
All the guitar parts were recorded using the Fab amp and I stepped on a Keeley Katana Boost for the single-line stuff.

[/ QUOTE ]

Great tone, I really liked that lead tone with the stomp pedal driving the amp.

Mike

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks. I've always preferred the sound of a boost pedal over a distortion or overdrive pedal. Much smoother sounding and less grainy. Really pushes the amp into nice power amp distortion. The Keeley replaced my old MXR Micro Amp pedal. It's just so much smoother!

[El_Kabong]

Re: Fab Amp Metalhead review

I am on this forum because I enjoy old Charvel guitars from the 80's. I found Fab Amp on the internet. I had an amp built that I enjoy and I thought it would be of some interest for board members. I had no intention of turning this into a flame war. My apologies.

I would love to post clips, but I am swamped with work. It is open campus weekend for prospective students at my univeristy and I am the head of the section of my department. I will be working all weekend.

[MBreinin]

Re: Fab Amp Metalhead review

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Interesting topic here. I bought a 2 channel Metalhead/Splexi 5 watt head from Rob about 6 months ago. Lookswise, it looks pretty decent. Maybe not as nice as some of the pics already posted here but other boutique amps like Allessandro ($2000 and up) are comparable. I buy the amp for the tone, not the aesthetics. I don't know of any of custom amp maker that makes amps of the same quality for such a reasonable price.
I recently sent Rob a mp3 of a tune from my upcoming CD that should probably be up on his website in the next few weeks. In the meantime, if anyone's interested you can hear it at this link: http://www.fusionweb.dk/music/Drive2.mp3
All the guitar parts were recorded using the Fab amp and I stepped on a Keeley Katana Boost for the single-line stuff.

[/ QUOTE ]

Great tone, I really liked that lead tone with the stomp pedal driving the amp.

Mike

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks. I've always preferred the sound of a boost pedal over a distortion or overdrive pedal. Much smoother sounding and less grainy. Really pushes the amp into nice power amp distortion. The Keeley replaced my old MXR Micro Amp pedal. It's just so much smoother!

[/ QUOTE ]

What was the rest of the setup like? Cabinet, guitar? That is a really nice fat lead tone you have going there. I really dig it...not oversaturated...just fat and tasty.

Mike

[spknoevl]

Re: Fab Amp Metalhead review

It was my standard recording setup: Swamp Ash Carvin neck and body with Duncan 59 double-screw humbucker running into the Keeley boost, Keeley Compressor, Metalhead amp, attenuated with a Weber Mini Mass, into an Avatar 2x12 cab with Emminence V12s and miked with a SM58. The delay and reverb were added at the board. Live I attenuate the head down to line level and run into a Rocktron Intellifex, ADA power amp and out to 2 Avatar cabs. I have another 59 double-screw pu that I'm looking to find a home for. I'm looking for an older San Dimas model if anyone has one for sale.
One of the reasons I like the boost over a distortion or overdrive pedal is because it does fatten up the sound without getting grainy in the top end or muddy in the bottom end. Guys like Satriani and Holdsworth have a really smooth fat sustaining sound yet don't seem to lose definition on the instrument.

[Tetsuo]

Re: Fab Amp Metalhead review

[ QUOTE ]
Folks, I've been here for years, Fab's been here for hours. Believe him if you want - but you've been warned.

Pete

[/ QUOTE ]

No need to defend rep... we know you here

Fab not the best way to come to these forums but hey stick around and show us more of your builds. You seem to have the idea of charging a fair price and that should be commended hopefully your intentions are good.

[Endrik]

Re: Fab Amp Metalhead review

that amp look brett cool IMO, not a fan of marshalls but it sounds decent.

does FabAmp makes any Boogie Dual Rectifier sounding amps?