trinityamps.com

I'm thinking Phil was maybe referring to the "DR" in DR103 as opposed to Dual Rectifier?? I'm so confused!! But both have been mentioned a ton with respect to the Triwatt so it's hard to know!! Interesting comments re: the Dual Recto though!

Yeah my two favourite ways to use the Triwatt when I last had it were 1) OD out of the circuit with bright/normal dimed and MV wide open, or 2) OD engaged and at about 2:00, bright/normal just up from off, and MV wide open... I have been known to like very "rock" tones...

Which of my clips are you talking about Emo? It's been a long time but maybe I can shed some light as to why it's doing that "octave fuzz" thing...

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Brent Bodrug
Producer-Engineer/Songwriter

www.slyfichapel.com

Ah - DR. Hotta get my head on straight here.

The "octave-fuzz"clip I was referring to was #18 (according to my comments from that clip thread anyway...).

Sorry, yes, within the context of the TRIWATT forum I assume "DR" by default means a Hiwatt DR, unless otherwise specified.

Yes, it is very different. Having always been a dyed in the wool Marshall kind of guy, the Hiwatt feel took me a little while to get used to. But it's not due to the 6V6s (or KT66s) but Dave Reeves' original Hiwatt design approach. Basically, Hiwatts are the closest to hifi amplifiers of any of the guitar amps. That's also why they make real good bass amps. If OTOH you ever play a 6V6 Plexi, you'll find it feels and responds exactly like a regular EL34 one, just not as loud. Which takes us back to the fact that it's more about the design topology than the type of power tubes.

Bear in mind that those clips were done with an earlier version of the prototype Triwatt, which was using different transformers. In particular the PT in use in that particular version was producing voltages that were a little too low for a good Hiwatt vibe, and made the amp somewhat more squishy than it was meant to be.

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Great tones come in small glass jars!

Just had a listen to that old clip #18 - the guitar is just a stock SG Special (490R/T 'buckers), so I don't think the guitar is doing anything out of the ordinary... And yeah, that was an early prototype rev, and frankly (sadly perhaps), a lot of the quality that you hear in that clip I was unable to reproduce in the last rev I had at my studio (the Triwatt ended up in a much smoother saturated place by the end). I think overall, the final rev will be more suitable for most people's applications, but I have expressed to Stephen and Phil that I would like to bring some of that quality back in my personal Triwatt... so, I believe relatively soon the three of us will be getting together to try to recover some of that. Once we find it, we'll post whatever the mod is and it'll give everyone another flavour to experiment with...

In the meantime, a boost pedal should get you close!!!

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Brent Bodrug
Producer-Engineer/Songwriter

www.slyfichapel.com

You didn't get to hear the final version. It's much closer to the one we tested out the first time at bgroup studios, which you liked so much. The voltages are now almost dead-on the same, and that's the #1 thing affecting how these amps respond and sound.

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Great tones come in small glass jars!

Cool - Stephen and I have been back and forth on finding a time for me to pick it up... look forward to it, anxious to try it again...

_________________
Brent Bodrug
Producer-Engineer/Songwriter

www.slyfichapel.com

Just to clarify, I wasn't saying I missed that octave-fuzz trick. I actually like it better as it is now...really fuzzy without the octave-ish effect. If I want the octave-fuzz thing I have an Octavia clone to handle that.

With that said, if the difference (or some part of it) was the B+ voltage from the PT, would it be possible to do something to retard the B+ to get the "squishiness", or is the "squishiness" a side effect of how the PT is reacting to the current draw? Or maybe both?

Phil, I made the comment about the 6V6's because in other amps I've tried it's pretty obvious (to me) that the 6V6 doesn't compress as much as an EL-84 (like the sIIIV6 for example). I've noticed the same thing in my Traynor CS100 (EL-34's vs 6L6's) and even in my 2204 when I use KT-77's instead of EL-34's (and I've grown to LOVE the KT-77's in that thing, might I add).

The TRIWATT prototype (and a Tweed Deluxe BTW) is now in Tristan Avakian's hands for an extended audition. Tristan is lead guitar player for "We Will Rock You" here in Toronto and also toured with Cirque du Soleil.

If you're in Toronto, go and see the show before it closes, June 28th!!

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Stephen
Web: www.trinityamps.com. Facebook: facebook.com/trinityamps. Twitter: @trinityamps

That particular PT was sagging badly under load, and we ended up rejecting it. So that was a major factor. We're using a zener on a switch right now to reduce the voltage right now, for the 6V6s. So you could try adding another zener into the circuit, to reduce the voltage even further. Don't know if it will get you the octave fuzz effect though....

OK, I'm with you now. EL84s are pentodes, while 6V6s are beam tetrodes. Beam tetrodes are generally known to be stiffer/tighter than power pentodes. Same way with KT77s being stiffer than EL34s. It would be interesting to see how you find KT66s relative to 6V6s, since both are tetrodes, although they're not equivalent power-wise. But in this case, I believe the Hiwatt architecture is the major reason for these amps being so tight and fast.

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Great tones come in small glass jars!

OK folks...I haw have my Triwatt cab & it's loaded up with BBQ Ceramic Thames.

Before I get going, let me say the 2x12 Triwatt cabinet is S-W-E-E-T! I wanna go on a Jac smiley binge here! Construction is top notch (practically industrial). I'm very proud to say I had a hand in designing this thing. Naturally, Stephen did all the hard stuff! I planted the seed & he came through big time.

One other nice touch that I wasn't anticipating...Stephen wired the cab to run in 2x12 mono or 1x12 stereo. That will be useful as I suspect my sIII will be finding a home on top of this cab also. A/B/Y with a Triwatt & sIIIV6? Sounds like a pretty sweet rig to me! I wonder how the two amps will sound running in stereo...

But I digress...

First, some eye candy. Full frontal...


Now, all buttoned up...


And finally, a hot backless number for those nights when you just HAVE to own the room...


Now, the real fun stuff - a tone review of the cab with the Fanes.

I'll use my V30 loaded cab as a reference point since most of us are familiar with the character of those speakers. First, the Thames is much more "hi-fi" overall than the V30. The top end is much more extended and detailed, especially when overdriving the amp. So much so that there is stuff going on up there that I couldn't even hear before. It doesn't sound brighter, just much more detailed. At extreme settings it also adds to the "Mesa-ish" quality that I mentioned before. Note that it doesn't have the "tearing" quality that I didn't like with the TTA clips.

The upper mid is much more relaxed than the Celestion. I just spent over an hour wailing through the thing sitting 4 feet away and my ears weren't even ringing (for long) when I was done. It's loud but not fatiguing. The other impact is the amp sounds much less intense - still very tight and very fast, but it's not like a demon breaking it's chains now even wound WAY out. I seriously digg it. And thanks to the more open top end it doesn't sound "dark". The mids also have a more vowely tone and it doesn't sound "honky" at all regardless of where the mid knob is positioned. The overall result is the mid knob now feels more subtle in it's response, and the clarity of the mids never disappears even on zero.

The bottom end is just plain fantastic. I was just playing with the bass at noon with my JS Moore SG with the channel vols & master all dimed. The bottom end stayed tight but it was so "there" that the head was actually moving on top of the cab! But it didn't sound overwhealming. That's a testament to how deceptively loud this amp really is. I can't imagine how huge it would be through a 4x12. Mind blowing perhaps...

Now, I dropped the master down to about 9:00 & engaged the OD on about 2:00. Freakin AWESOME! Heavily overdriven, that Mesa-ish burn happening, HUGE tone, and all at a volume you can talk over. Gotta love that!

I then plugged in my other SG (GFS Mean 90's) to see how it would fare on the clean side. Very nice. Surprisingly open & round. I guess the more relaxed mids & "hi-fi" feel of the Thames makes it more akin to the old Jensens used in early Fenders. It reminded me a lot of that tone in with some settings. Again, as I've noted before, the amp is far too tight to cop that entirely, but it makes for a wonderful clean tone that any rock guitarist would be happy with.

I pumped it up a little to get some bluesy grit happening. I do like it, but I prefer a more saggy sort of amp for blues. That syrupy OD. Something the old sIII does quite nicely, thank you! When I pushed the amp harder it got that P90 "bark" happening. Cool. With the channel vols rolled back a bit it sounds very reminiscent of PT on the "Killburn '77" Blu-ray (the show used for many of the clips in "The Kids are Alright". That, my friends, is a good thing!

Overall, the Triwatt cab with Thames drivers is more relaxed and "civilized" than my V30 loaded cab. It doesn't have the edginess and is less intense. It's also easier to listen to as high volumes, but it's still quite loud. The V30 certainly has it's place, and I do love them with some amps, but for this amp the more laid back speakers seem to shine.

And now...time to get something to eat. It's 9:30! How did the last 4 hours disappear like that...

Excellent. Excellent. Great review. And that was with brand new speakers.

They'll soften up overtime a bit I expect. Was it with closed or backless?

Looks a gorgeous rig!

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Stephen
Web: www.trinityamps.com. Facebook: facebook.com/trinityamps. Twitter: @trinityamps

Actually, I had Ted break them in for me, so they're not "green".

I did all this with the back closed...wanted a more direct comparison with my V30 cab. I may noodle with it open later tonight or tomorrow.

And yes - it's a looker for sure! I'll have to get covers too...gotta keep the freakin cat off these babies!

Just dont let your cat knock the triwatt off the cab... like my dog did to mine

AJC

Coco: How much for one of those 2X12 cabs? :}

I don't think the cat is quite as hefty as your dog! And if she ever gets to that point, running & jumping probably won't be possible...

She has knocked over my VJ a couple of times...a testament to how robust my re-build is I guess. No issues.

Just a quick FYI for y'all. I tried it with the back opened on the cab late last night. A little less focused in the bottom end (as expected). Mids were a bit more "airy". Was a little more 3D overall. Sounded really sweet running clean with my P90 SG.

BTW, I've replaced the Mullard in V1 with a JJ. I was getting some hum and I suspected it might be a tube. I was right. Tonally it's a little less detailed & a bit darker. It doesn't have the same sweetness in the top end. Not quite as nice for clean stuff but probably a little better for heavy overdrive. I think I'll dig through my box-o-tubes & see if I have another Mullard or a TS available.

I don't know what it is about tubes shipping to NL. I've had that hum problem with 3 TS's & now a Mullard. Two of the TS's were bad when they arrived, and the other TS & the Mullard were fine at first & developed the hum later on. Odd. It hasn't happened with any other tubes.

This is a lot like how the amp sounded through Brent's Hiwatt/Fane 4X12. Those who know me from the past will know that I'd always been a died in the wool Marshall+Celestion guy. This whole Hiwatt/Triwatt + Fane journey has been an amazing eye-opener for me. I've now found a whole different way of getting a big rock sound.

It sure is!

Also don't let any of the cats try to leak over your Triwatt stack, like ajc's dog. That would make it smell real bad. Train them to use a Fender for that.

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Great tones come in small glass jars!

GREAT looking rig Emo! And it obviously sounds FANTASTIC!!

_________________
Brent Bodrug
Producer-Engineer/Songwriter

www.slyfichapel.com

Just wait 'til you discover the whole Mesa/V30 thing!!!! Just kidding, I can't imagine that would be your tone...

Yeah, it's amazing how different but equally satisfying and ADDICTIVE those two different camps can be...

_________________
Brent Bodrug
Producer-Engineer/Songwriter

www.slyfichapel.com

Yeah me too. It sounds big all right. Must be absolutely massive through a 4x12. It's a very different feel from my Marshall/Celestion setup, which just blows your head clean off.