tbonesullivan Posted September 25, 2015 Posted September 25, 2015 Well, with the large number of amplifier brands coming out of every direction these days, some brands from the past are also resurfacing. The amplifier section of the sweetwater catalog keeps getting bigger and bigger. Asbara Audio, the company also behind Pigtronix, bought the rights to the Supro name and designs, and for the past 2 years or so has been making new supro amps. They were originally more of a "budget" line of amplifiers as an alternative to Fender, but apparently they had a really sweet sound and they've been recreated. So, anyone gotten to plug into one yet?
JeffB Posted September 25, 2015 Posted September 25, 2015 Yes. Loud. Enjoyable. Only sounded good loud. Less good as I turned down. And that is as it should be. Also, they look good.
DetroitBlues Posted September 25, 2015 Posted September 25, 2015 Yes. Loud. Enjoyable. Only sounded good loud. Less good as I turned down. And that is as it should be. Also, they look good. Most tube amps only sound good when turned up...
Kuz Posted September 26, 2015 Posted September 26, 2015 Most tube amps only sound good when turned up... Not my experience at all. All my vintage Fenders sound great with volume just above 2.5.....
bolero Posted September 26, 2015 Posted September 26, 2015 I haven't had a chance to try a new Supro they look nice! my old 1624T sounds great at low volume fwiw as do all my other tube amps. Except maybe the Gibson GA18
JeffB Posted September 26, 2015 Posted September 26, 2015 Deluxe Reverb on 2, quiet and clean is a nice sound. A Deluxe Reverb on 7 is another great sound. A vox on the clean ch turned down low is also nice. A vox on the TB ch cranked is just fantastic. I liked the supro loud. It was ok down low. I wouldnt buy it for down low. The value in it loud out weighed the value in it turned down low. ymmv I play very loud and I play very quiet. I understand 100w tube amps can sound fantastic at lower volumes. I also know little 20-30w amps can sound great when cranked.
Kuz Posted September 26, 2015 Posted September 26, 2015 From this years PSP, when Fred was playing the Zeppelin stuff, he was using my Brownface Vibrolux and a Rat pedal..... the volume was almost up to 3. It sounded big, thick, and crunchy. I am not saying tube amps don't sound great turned up (they do), but they sound great a lower volume settings as well. AND fwiw, I think many tube amps dime'd can sound too saturated, too compressed, and muddy (but this depends on the amp). For example, a Tweed Deluxe (to me) sounds better at 7-8 than at 10.
big bob Posted September 26, 2015 Posted September 26, 2015 From what I've read Bruce Zinky of the fender custom shop is the the co-creator of the new supro line. His amps have always been built top notch!
JeffB Posted September 26, 2015 Posted September 26, 2015 From this years PSP, when Fred was playing the Zeppelin stuff, he was using my Brownface Vibrolux and a Rat pedal..... the volume was almost up to 3. It sounded big, thick, and crunchy. I am not saying tube amps don't sound great turned up (they do), but they sound great a lower volume settings as well. AND fwiw, I think many tube amps dime'd can sound too saturated, too compressed, and muddy (but this depends on the amp). For example, a Tweed Deluxe (to me) sounds better at 7-8 than at 10. I agree, I use stomps in front of my amp and have it on 1-2 at home and about 4-5 for gigs when i did and it sounded great either way. Better loud to be honest but perfectly satisfactory and good down low. But the amp I use will stay clean right through to ten. It doesnt really break up in a sensational way, it just gets louder. Which is spectacular if thats what you want. I like vox amps but I want them for the sound they have turned up. So no point an AC30 for me unless Im content to have just another clean amp. My Fender amp has a lot of the qualities I like in a DR when played clean but the sound I like from a DR is when the volume is between 5-7 but thats a lot of noise even at a gig. The JTM 45 has a wonderful lowish volume clean and a fantastic crunch but you arent going to get there volume wise at home or at a gig. There is a sound in a JCM800 that happens at a certain volume only, its a mid gain crunch but the volume it happens at is too loud unless you are outside gigging or you dont care about anyone else. My solution is a big amp which stays clean and consistent right through its range and use od's to get the desired crunch. Its not a perfect solution and I would love to have the above amps and use them as per the settings I like but its not practical What I think is important and it is just an opinion, is not just how the pre and power amps breaks up but also how the speaker breaks up and how the pre and power amp break up work with the speaker break up. I think thats why some amps even with a master volume only sound good at louder volume. Ive spent time with people who have some great amps but they have never heard them past home levels. Their jaws drop when I turn them up to where the speaker/s is/are working. Big and warm instead of thin and raspy. All of a sudden they understand that rolling tubes and swapping pickups while fun and interesting in the changes they achieve doesnt come close to the satisfaction of simply turning up to the sweet spot, planting your feet and playing like you mean it. They realize their amp is a absolute tone machine but they cant access it at the low volume inner city and suburban living requires them to play at. I hate Celestion V30's in any amp at home volumes, but at gig volume I think theyre great in most amps. Thats where my original post came from. Sure the ones I tried sounded good quiet but once the pre and power started working with the speaker it was a whole other level of good.
tbonesullivan Posted September 28, 2015 Author Posted September 28, 2015 From what I've read Bruce Zinky of the fender custom shop is the the co-creator of the new supro line. His amps have always been built top notch! That was what I heard as well, Bruce Zinky and David Koltai of Pigtronix got together with the old Supro designs, and brought them back. It is really nice to see older amp lines like this get new life. Hopefully it lasts. We need more amp variety out there.
RJLII Posted September 30, 2015 Posted September 30, 2015 Most tube amps only sound good when turned up... Not my experience at all. All my vintage Fenders sound great with volume just above 2.5..... I'd agree with Kuz. While there is something special about the sound of power tubes all jacked up, a good tube amp can sound mighty fine at low volume. I've found the simpler the circuit the better. I've had the ThroBak 18 watt combo out for the last few days and have really enjoyed it. Most of my playing occurs at night in my 10 x 10 practice room with my wife downstairs watching the tube. I can't turn it up much lest I upset domestic tranquility. No matter, it sounds just fine at "2". A little bit of Timmy or Barber LTD on top for some grit and I'm good to go. On the weekends when she's shopping it gets to breath a little.
Gianluca Posted October 2, 2015 Posted October 2, 2015 Most tube amps only sound good when turned up... Not my experience at all. All my vintage Fenders sound great with volume just above 2.5..... [...]I've found the simpler the circuit the better.[...] all that of the above I think is true a low power tube amp with no pedals turned up and controlled from the guitar is a great tone experience imHo, a not-too-low power tube amp and adequate speaker used at lower volumes makes a good tone too, and simpler circuits are the best thing for the guitar signal path, that is, no dual chan and no FX loop amp tend to keep a good performance with lower background noise I think Supro amps get that done, they're not the only good amps at it, but i like them(from the demo found mainly on youtube) honestly I'd miss the FX loop for the modulation, using the natural drive of the amp is the best saturated tone imHo and I can't find a better way of having some modulations with it without using FX-loop, to me it feels just un-natural to to have, say, a good true analog echo before saturation
DetroitBlues Posted October 2, 2015 Posted October 2, 2015 I've been looking a Fender amps again, this thread has me thinking about a few different things... I'm ruling out the Fender DRRI, I had the real deal circuit clones, and I struggled with them. Had a Supersonic 60. Its Bassman channel was awesome, but the amp could never breathe because it was so loud at 3-4. Even at a gig, I couldn't crank it. It was really heavy too. I didn't see the point in a large, heavey, loud amp, if I didn't need to crank it. So, now I'm considering the Fender 68 Deluxe Reverb. It's "normal" channel is a Bassman tone stack (which makes me wonder if the clones I had could of had that tonestack??) and its tremolo/reverb channel is a blackface Deluxe Reverb. Both channels are tied into the Reverb/Tremolo. To my ears, the Bassman is really thick and does a lot to single coils to fatten them up. Sounds rather tasty to me... My next idea is a Fender Supersonic 22. Basically a suped up Deluxe Reverb. First channel is regular Fender Blackface with a fat switch added. The second channel is much like the 60 with two different preamp gains and TMB controls. The amp has Reverb, though I suspect it's digital. Both are nearly the same in size and weight. The only "advantage" I see in a Supersonic 22 is the effects loop. Some don't like those, but I do when I use modulation if I use the amp preamp section to get dirty. The 68 Deluxe Reverb breaks up sooner than DRRI, so it has its own gain going on which probably doesn't sound that great with Chorus or Delay in front... More food for thought this morning.
Gianluca Posted October 2, 2015 Posted October 2, 2015 [...] My next idea is a Fender Supersonic 22. Basically a suped up Deluxe Reverb. First channel is regular Fender Blackface with a fat switch added. The second channel is much like the 60 with two different preamp gains and TMB controls. The amp has Reverb, though I suspect it's digital. The only "advantage" I see in a Supersonic 22 is the effects loop. Some don't like those, but I do when I use modulation if I use the amp preamp section to get dirty. The 68 Deluxe Reverb breaks up sooner than DRRI, so it has its own gain going on which probably doesn't sound that great with Chorus or Delay in front... [...] exactly what I meant I heard good opinions related to Fender Super Sonic 22 imHo I think it's till too loud, but it's one of the tube amps I thought of as a possible candidate for me
bolero Posted October 2, 2015 Posted October 2, 2015 I will have to hunt one of these Supros down i am curious
Blunote Posted October 4, 2015 Posted October 4, 2015 I've been looking a Fender amps again, this thread has me thinking about a few different things... I'm ruling out the Fender DRRI, I had the real deal circuit clones, and I struggled with them. Had a Supersonic 60. Its Bassman channel was awesome, but the amp could never breathe because it was so loud at 3-4. Even at a gig, I couldn't crank it. It was really heavy too. I didn't see the point in a large, heavey, loud amp, if I didn't need to crank it. So, now I'm considering the Fender 68 Deluxe Reverb. It's "normal" channel is a Bassman tone stack (which makes me wonder if the clones I had could of had that tonestack??) and its tremolo/reverb channel is a blackface Deluxe Reverb. Both channels are tied into the Reverb/Tremolo. To my ears, the Bassman is really thick and does a lot to single coils to fatten them up. Sounds rather tasty to me... My next idea is a Fender Supersonic 22. Basically a suped up Deluxe Reverb. First channel is regular Fender Blackface with a fat switch added. The second channel is much like the 60 with two different preamp gains and TMB controls. The amp has Reverb, though I suspect it's digital. Both are nearly the same in size and weight. The only "advantage" I see in a Supersonic 22 is the effects loop. Some don't like those, but I do when I use modulation if I use the amp preamp section to get dirty. The 68 Deluxe Reverb breaks up sooner than DRRI, so it has its own gain going on which probably doesn't sound that great with Chorus or Delay in front... More food for thought this morning. You really think the BF Fender Deluxe Reverbs break up early? Isn't that what the KBP810 was? Maybe you're thinking about the Tweed Deluxe. If not, maybe you should be.
mad dog Posted October 9, 2015 Posted October 9, 2015 Got to plug into one of the new Supros - the 1624 I think - and have spent time with the Fender '68 Deluxe Reverb too. Both are excellent. The Supro I tried in a store, played several guitars through it at lower volume. Sure sounded good to me. No idea how it does louder. The Fender is a friend's. I liked that one quite a bit. Unlike with the originals, the channels can be jumpered. (They are in phase). Which right there adds a lot of flexibility to the amp. If only Fender would add a good master volume, this would be more or less perfect. MD
DetroitBlues Posted October 9, 2015 Posted October 9, 2015 You really think the BF Fender Deluxe Reverbs break up early? Isn't that what the KBP810 was? Maybe you're thinking about the Tweed Deluxe. If not, maybe you should be. No, I was referring to the new Fender 68 Custom DR... Brian modded that amp a few times to get the preamp dirt out of it... It just wouldn't happen... I'm a big fan of preamp overdrive sounds and satiturated power sections.. However, I've never really played in any situation where I could do that on a regular basis....
Blunote Posted October 10, 2015 Posted October 10, 2015 No, I was referring to the new Fender 68 Custom DR... Brian modded that amp a few times to get the preamp dirt out of it... It just wouldn't happen... I'm a big fan of preamp overdrive sounds and satiturated power sections.. However, I've never really played in any situation where I could do that on a regular basis.... Still, I'm surprised you don't have a Tweed Deluxe. Seems like a perfect amp for the kind of venues you play.
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