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Tube tone in a solid state amp? YES!
If you're unfamiliar with Tech 21 amps, you're in for a surpise. Without using digital modeling or tubes, Tech 21 has figured out how to emulate some classic amps for a fraction of what a boutique amp would cost, and at less than half the weight!
There are three amp styles to choose from (California, Tweed, and British), and three broad tone categories (clean, high gain and hot). From there, you adjust the master level, gain, volume, mids, lows, highs, and (spring) reverb. The tonal possibilities are so endless that users have set up a website on which to share their favorite settings.
I've played a Tele, a Godin with P90s, and a Epiphone Dot thorugh this amp, and was able to get everything from Buddy Guy to Billy Gibbons to Joe Perry out of it. The super-clean Fender tone is the hardest to dial in, but once you figure out that the mid control really works like a volume boost when on the "tweed' setting, you're good to go. For grit, crunch, or scooped-mids, you have a vast range of available sounds, from subtle breakup to full-on screaming distortion.
The Celestion speaker never gets flabby, even with the bass cranked, and the reverb is wet and never too "boinky" unless it's dimed. You'll be amazed at what a slight shift in the tone controls will do - the more you play with it the more you'll discover; it's a twiddler's dream!
The best feature, though, is the direct output via an XLR jack, which allows you to record direct from the amp, keeping the tone exactly like what would be coming from the speaker. No more fussing with mic positioning when you want to quickly record an idea. For live playing it's plenty loud, but an extension cabinet or even power head can be linked to the amp in case you need more stage volume.
I never in a million years would have believed that I'd be singing the praises of a solid state amp, but this USA-made Tech 21 nails the tube tone at half the cost and half the weight, and you don't have to bias the amp or deal with fragile tubes. Go ahead, be skeptical -- I was -- but only until I tried it.
Reviewed by Major Tom on 10/13/2006 who plays Classic rock, country rock, blues rock.
13 people found this review helpful.
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Pricey, but worth every penny
Tech 21's 30 watt solid state combo is a real pleasure to play and, like Tech 21's other Trademark aseries amps, will dramatically improve your opinion of what small, lightweight, solid state "practice" amps are capable of. Incidentally, while no amp can really improve your PLAYING, the Trademark 30 will dramatically improve your TONE and will defintely make you ENJOY playing more, particularly given its amazing versatility, clean lines, and commonsense layout. And while the active three-band EQ, reverb, drive, and, most importantly three voicing switches (to control Tech 21's awesome analog "SansAmp" amp, mod, and speaker settings) provide amazing versatility, the top-panel layout is clean and very intuitive. Tech 21 bills this unit as ideal for direct recording. I'm sure it is, especially as it has all the necessary output jacks. I, howevwer, have only used it to satisfy my need for a low-volume, high quality amp for making music at home. I have to say that I'm reluctant to use it anywhere else, given its price, which is rather high for a 30-watt solid state amp. It is, however, the same price as the somewhat underpowered Trademark 10 was several years ago. In any case, given how much guitarists regularly spend on GUITARS, $300 is a small price to pay. For electric guitarists, amps are often overlooked as an important element in getting good tone and simply sounding as good as you can. For those who are willing to pay, say, $600 or more for a guitar, the price of the Trademark 30 is well worth it for an amp that will complement moderate and high priced guitars and work great for small gigs, playing at home, practicing, songwriting, and recording. Highly recommended.
Reviewed by SnarkyGoat on 10/19/2006 who plays Blues, rock, jazz.
10 people found this review helpful.
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Great Little Recording Amp
I recorded a song for a 'shredder' friend of mine. Being a speed and gain freak, I expected him to roll in with a half or full stack, or even a truck load of amps. To be honest, when he walked in with just his guitar and this little amp, I laughed! I said, "Where are all of your FX, and your big amp?" He just replied, "Wait until you hear this thing." I insisted that in addition to the XLR direct out, we mic the speaker with a Neumann 103 - I never trust most direct outs.
I was blown away, he didn't need a truck-load of amps, this thing has a truck-load of tone! We recorded multiple guitar parts - all with this amp. Rhythm, lead parts, and solo all sang from this amp, and when it came time to mix, we didn't need much from the Neumann. The direct out gave us a great sound, with out any phase worries or proximity problems.
My only improvement would be to add an attenuator for the speaker volume/direct out after the preamp. Allowing you to run the pre hot while keeping the DI/speaker volume down especially for practice.
Well worth the money IMO.
Reviewed by Saxofunk on 3/27/2007 who plays All.
8 people found this review helpful.
1 person found this review unhelpful.
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Amazing little beast!
This is too wonderful for words. Find one & listen to it. 30W, 14pounds, responsive, bright .. what more can you ask? Cleans are wonderfully defined and bright whether using single coil or humbuckers. Overdriven this baby screams with everything from mild growls all the way to wailing shrieks. It emulates a tube sound very well, better than most. It's more expensive than most little 30W modelling amps out today, but it's worth every extra cent you pay.
Buyit.Loveit.Use it.
Reviewed by bobbyvee1 on 7/1/2009 who plays Blues,R&B,Pop,Rock,Folk.
0 people found this review helpful.
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Great practice amp
This is a great amp for a teacher or someone who experiments with many different genres. Best practice amp I've ever played. This is also great for recording. Worth every penny!
Reviewed by Celski on 3/4/2009 who plays jazz, blues, rock, classical.
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