tsp17

yeah, the Tube Shop was solid. So far I have had very limited success with NOS tubes. maybe it is user error but I find they fail at a much higher rate than my experience with new production tubes - both preamp and power sections. I've not liked JJs at all until they came in this 3rd Power amp. they sound great in this amp. they sound a little different but as good as TAD 6L6GC and Telefunken 6L6GC.

didn't measure, but manual says 395 plate voltage. ended up with TAD 6L6gc. surprisingly the OEM JJs were just as good. I might put them back in. happy about that as they are cheaper and easier to get. I did also like the Telefunken 6L6GC a lot. really good. Most high-def of the bunch.

Really nice! A lot like the ones you used to spec @skydog52,

well- the JAN 6L6wgb were disappointing. kind of dull and lifeless even after rebias. then when removing them the center plug with the notch on it snapped off of one. Fortunately it did not get stuck in the socket. So, I put in some telefunken 6L6gcs. really good. very hi-def. TAD6L6WGC-STRs also very very good. I'll leave the TADs in for a while. They came as a matched pair but are a good 5 mv apart. Sounding good so far. I might go back to the JJs. They sounded great, so if its not broke, don't fix it.

Primary purpose: 3rd Power Wooly Coats Extra Spanky . Plate voltage 390 per the manual. It came with JJs which are not usually my favorite, but in this amp they sound pretty darn good. I’ve got a box of other 6L6’s that I’m going to swap in and out to see what I like best. TAD, Tungsol, Mesa Boogie 5881 (I like those a lot in my Mesa Boogie Express 5:50+) Im really impressed with this amp. Best 1x12 combo amp I’ve ever had.

just realized that my thread title is subject to another interpretation. LOL. 🤦‍♂️

New New Old Stock Tube Day Looking forward to trying out these JAN 6L6WGBs. Got them second hand. Look to be in good shape.

Very very nice guitar. Congratulations.

yep- they are really well made quality instruments. I've tried a bunch and bought and sold a couple. I did play one once at an old store called Buffalo Brothers here in San Diego County that I almost bought and probably should have (there's one that got away). I just haven't found one that I connected with like a Heritage, Guild or my Commons.

they seem like quality instruments to me. especially for the money. I've got a Korean made Comins that is one of the best made guitars I've ever played. Eastmans (Chinese made) on the other hand - are quality, but I've yet to play one that I thought had soul. Hopefully these Ascent H's will prove worthy of the brand.

with you there my friend. my list of things that I wish I'd kept, or should have snagged, lives in my head rent free. very happy with what I have now, but there a few items that in hindsight ....

the best part was this old English Bulldog snoring away on the tattered old couch while folks came in and out and played guitars. People were talking so you can barely hear him snoring due to the chatter in the room (if you listen closely at the end), but trust me- it was classic.

seems like a nice product for the money for sure, and yes- SOP now. makes me a little sad, but gotta remember: "Its not personal Sonny, its strictly business." I was in London recently and I always go down to Denmark Street and Soho when there to check out the old historic (and new) guitar shops and studios. Dawsons had both US and Ch. made Heritages. They told me that they are owned by the same company that owns Heritage Kalamazoo, so they are the London distributor for both factories. The Chinese ones were downstairs in the main showroom. The good stuff was upstairs in the “private” room that was roped off. Some very nice new production instruments from both places.

thanks guys. I knew i was asking the right crew. much appreciated.

i’ve always heard that amp wattage and speaker wattage capacity “shouldn’t” be too far apart. For a rough example and rule of thumb (subject to what you like to hear) a 35 watt tube amp would call for a speaker capable of 50-75 watts. just my non-tech understanding of the prevailing view. I have multiple amps mated to speakers (either in combo or cabinet) that will take up to 250 watts. I have a 2x12 cabinet with a pair of 250 watt 8 ohm speakers that sounds amazing with a 50 watt amp. So what am i not understanding here? I just put the same 250 watt rated speaker in a 35 watt combo amp (3rd Power Wooly Coats Extra Spanky). Sounds pretty good so far (needs to break in). Very touch sensitive, but really good first five or so hours on it. Thinking about experimenting with something lower wattage. I’m a big believer in Duke Ellington’s saying that “if it sounds good, it is good”, but curious about what difference it might make to more closely match the amp wattage to speaker capacity, e.g., try a 60-70 watt similar speaker. thanks, Tad

Last pic shows the new speaker installed. Not sure it is the right speaker for this amp, but sounding better the more i play it. Might try a Neo Creamback to warm it up a bit. Will give this one some more time to break in. VERY transparent, but needs to time to warm. We’ll see.

First gig last night with this little powerhouse went well. Sounded very good. Plenty room filling for a medium sized wine bar/restaurant. Saxophone player said: "great tone! I love that guitar." He didn't know that this amp was new and less than half the size/weight of my other rig (head/cab combined). I pulled the back panels today to try a different speaker. Eminence Neo Deltalite 2512. I've been using these speakers for a while in other amps. transparent, tight bass, maybe a little on the dark side, but pretty neutral. They take a little break in so we'll see how it goes. definitely sounds cleaner now. not sure better, but definitely more guitar sound and less speaker coloration. was good before, but not spot on, so I thought I'd try something that I like in other amps. Here's some interior pics to show the guts. it is roughly the size of a Princeton Reverb with beefier components for higher wattage and headroom, so the interior is super clean and very efficient use of space, tight! so much so that to get the speaker out I had to remove some tubes and the reverb tank.

gorgeous. I bet that plays wonderfully.

Interesting...my 550 has a beefier neck than any of my other H guitars. It is a joy to play (I am in my 60's). My main gigging instrument for louder gigs. Can also do quieter. Expensive- but Benedetto era Guild Artist Awards I've played have had had really nice feeling non-slim necks. Felt similar to my 550. I have wanted one for some time, but too big a price tag for me. Comins Craft series (Korea) are really great, excellent value for the first rate quality, and have nice wider necks. I have one of the chambered 14' models. Fantastic instrument., especially at that price point. The 16" laminate model is also really nice, light and comfortable to play. Both sound fantastic (to my ear) plugged in. Neither have a big acoustic voice. If've found that most 25" scale archtops have a more girth in the neck. @MartyGrass and @Gitfiddler might be good sources of information here...guys?

@dvnmjcNIcely Done! Some nice KB voicings there.

Very cool!

these pics give a little better sense of the color and the nice layout. some good user friendly details: bias points and pot on the back panel, tube dampening rings on the tubes, 2 4ohm outputs so i can add another cabinet (looking forward to trying that.)...Dylana Nova Scott founder and still tinkering owner of 3rd Power knows her stuff and what musicians need. I believe she's got a patent on the Hybrid Master. Really good feature, very useful. I'll pull the back off and post some interior shots later.

Thanks. I am liking it more and more. First gig with it is 3/14, so we will see how it performs. Sounds great in my living room. I think it will be my new go to gigging amp. It is definitely a buyer’s market. I made an offer on it and they gave me an even further discount (return customer good will i suppose) as they are having some trouble moving new amps right now. I didn’t order it custom, it came with nice upgrades: “buggy whip” (kind of wine color) tolex and cane grille. It is a cool look. It did not come with a cover so i just ordered a Studio Slips.

I wouldn’t dare lift 60lbs. Good for you for still being able to do it! Up until recently i was going with head/cab just to split up the weight. Around 40 lbs each. I’m very happy to have found a single combo package under 35lbs. Plenty loud for the venues i play at 35 watts.

Yep- I’ll be 65 this year and have a bad back. Still lugging a tube amp. Really glad I finally found a reasonably ‘light’ one that I like at sub 35lbs.