wesmont wrote:
Dont get me wrong I am in NO way bashing the 18 watt. The Trinity Plexi TMB 18 watt i have here is awesome. However, I think the 2061 is a pretty viable amp in its own right.
Don't get me wrong either.
The 2061 is a great little amp in its own right. But the 18W simply beats it on tone - note the comment from Mike Doyle I posted earlier. I also don't agree with the superficial generalization that it's more Plexi like, because tone-wise it just isn't. IMO those comments you posted are really somewhat the exception, and of course there will always be people who think differently.
Here's another very telling post:
wannatone wrote:
I had an accidental experience that pointed out the direction where to go.
At some point my brother visited me and was sitting in the office, when I plugged into my 18 Watt to noodle a bit. He came and mentioned, that sounds really great. Then I told him about all the famous Holy Grail vintage gear... plugged them all in and played (as there are a '57 Bassman, '59 Bassman, '60 AC30/4, '66 JTM45, '66 JTM100...) til he stopped me, telling that none of those came close to my 18 Watter...
wesmont wrote:
Koss59 wrote:
I have both, the 1974x is great for rehearsals and small jazz/blues gigs the 2061x through a 4-12 is amazing and holds its own easily with a loud rock band, all those classic tones are there. I can see people using the 1974x a bit in home but never the 2061x as it's just too loud.
That's not a valid comparison. He should play his 18W through a 4X12 and then see how loud it is. The difference of 2W power is barely enough to be heard. The difference is mainly in the speakers, as illustrated in this post.
bitsandvolts wrote:
I was able to pump my 18 watter through my 1X12 full blast...without much pain... Playing the thing through my buddy's 4X12 was another story. I couldn't get past 7 without wanting to reach for the guy's hotplate.
wesmont wrote:
Loopmaster wrote:
I have both and the 2061 can be balls to the wall AC/DC whereas the 1974X is more like a Bluesbreaker. Just my opinion
Gain and distortion wise both amps are in the same league. The difference he's seeing may be more to do with the speakers. Like I said before, the 18W totally nails AC/DC and has that distinctive Malcolm/Angus Young edginess in its tone, more than the 20W has.
wesmont wrote:
Tuna wrote:
This amp has a tighter sound than the 1974, my guess would be the diode rectifier in this amp versus the tube rectifier in the 1974X, as well as the non aged Celestions. (I think the new ones are coming with the new preaged G-12H.)
I would basically agree with what he says. The 2061 and its cab look great He's also realised the importance of the speakers - and the cab itself also plays a huge part in how the amp sounds and feels. You will never get the same punch from an open-back combo that you will from a closed-backed cab. The rectifier will also make a difference, as we were discussing before, but not quite as much as you may think.
Here are a few more posts about loudness:
deadbeat32000 wrote:
I tell you now, my 18 watter is loud. I am used to playing my Rivera Knucklehead 100 watt, but since I have completed my 18 watt, it is all I need. I eat the other guitarist for lunch volume wise and he has a 1969 Super Reverb! ... I only have the volume on 6 or 7 and it is a bit too loud. The bass player keeps telling me to turn down but I do not. ...
csbradley wrote:
So how loud is the 18 Watter? Well its loud enough to play over a drummer and another guitar player, and have a couple of cops show up at your door. But it was a fun night
Roudyrockr wrote:
Personally I think the 18 watt in a 2X12 with high efficiency speakers is extremely loud. I took the one I just built with the 2 private jacks to a little amp fest along with a Fender Cybertwin and a couple of other solid state amps in the 100 watt range. We were in a room that was about 15x30 and you couldn't stay in the room with the 18 watt on 2 much less above that. Everyone was blown away by the tone and response of the amp but they couldn't handle the volume. It's just damned loud!
stax wrote:
I built my Ampmaker 18w 9 months ago just for a project, never thinking it would put my 45w Fender pro into retirement, but i have used it every gig since. (apart from a blues club in Amsterdam where no guitar amps are alowed
Our drummer uses the Big Figure's (Dr Feelgood) original 70s kit and he hits em hard but lack of volume from my 18watter has never been an issue.
EBE wrote:
If your band is too loud for an 18watt, your band is very loud. A dimed 18watter will be WAY too loud for a small to medium tavern. In a medium club with raised stage it can still be too loud. It all depends on the drummer and if the other guitar player is playing a half stack.
Tilt your amp back some; that is usually the fix I need to hear myself. Norm
Keith2112 wrote:
With an efficient speaker, an 18 watt is very loud. If you crank an 18 watter and it is not loud enough, your bandmates must be insanely loud. Our bass player uses an SVT with the full 8 speaker cabinet and I have no problem being heard with my 1x12 and I come no where near to cranking it. Granted our drummer is not a heavy hitter and our bass player does not have it cranked, but there is no issue with being loud enough.
E-rex wrote:
..if my 18 watter through a 4x12 isn't loud enough then I don't wanna be a part of that much noise. I respectfully disagree though that a cranked 18 watter is too loud for small/medium clubs. If thats the case, then the drums are going to be too loud as well and it must not be a rock & roll bar. I crank mine most everywhere we play...sometimes I use a 1x12 detuned cab but non-the-less it is cranked and people love it. By cranked I mean about 8 on a scale of ten...but it doesn't get any louder after about 4 or 5 anyway.
jas wrote:
I must agree - 18W is plenty loud! I've played all sorts of 50W & 100W heads, cabs, etc, and as soon as I plugged into the 18W and fired it up, people stood up and took notice! I play in a 300 seat auditorium, and I can quite easily drown out a very loud drummer, bass player and the PA, though I know the PA is lacking horsepower.