Milkman "The Amp"

Steve Lipsey · Post by **Steve Lipsey** » 16 Jun 2019 11:07 am

Played The Amp our last night for the first time in a loud electric band - playing lap steel (MSA Superslide). I was surprised at how LOUD The Amp is - it wasn't obvious in practice - at the gig (brewpub with big garage doors open to the outside) I had to turn DOWN the gain until it was just starting to respond - about 8 o'clock on the knob (the Superslide does have huge output from the George L 10-1 pickup).. the instruments were NOT mic'ed, the 4 singers and acoustic guitar were.
I had the Master all the way up (as Tim advises for maximum clean power), but will probably even turn that down from now on, to be able to bump the gain a bit higher into a more linear response zone...
Played through a Jupiter Ceramic 12" in a Mojotone Lite cab. The tone was lovely - warm and full, thanks to the tube preamp and Jupiter combination...
I'd been thinking that I could also add in a PA boost if needed for more volume - I brought an XLR cable - but that was certainly not needed!
Bottom Line, I love this little amp, and I may have found the Holy Grail - that amp that you never, ever think of switching from.
Only caveat to that is I've said that about every new amp that Tim comes up with, and have ended up moving through pretty much all of them over time....but beautiful tone, and 2 lbs. for way more power than I need, with the option of a PA boost "just in case"....this may be the one.
Do you hear me, Tim? STOP coming up with new amps!! Please!!!

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 16 Jun 2019 8:36 pm

Just finished a few out of town shows using "The Amp".

1st gig NYC.
Played a steel show with a Quilter in the back line. The Quilter sounded pretty good but the mids sounded lifeless so I plugged the speaker out put of my "The Amp" into the Quilter speaker and it was perfection.

2nd Gig Amsterdam.

Plugged the amp pre amp out into a beat up little GK bass amps power section. More perfection.

3nd Gig Amsterdam.

Played an improv session with all acoustic guys at a house party. The only functioning speaker was a Bose Bluetooth thing. Plugged into it an it sounded surprisingly good.

4nd Gig Amsterdam.

Played a concert using a powered JBL PA speaker that I borrowed from the DJ. It sounded great.

"The Amp" takes the worry out of random backline amps and can make just about anything sound great. I did a bookstore tour with it last year using only The Amp into whatever stereo or house system was available.

Devon Teran · Post by **Devon Teran** » 17 Jun 2019 9:12 am

This thing sounds awesome. I play guitar, lap and pedal all through one amp when Iâ€™m giggling. Mostly I use a Blues Jr. which does well for club gigs argument here, especially when Iâ€™m micâ€™d.

How does The Amp handle overdrive pedals in front of it? I need to be able to go from light boost to full on fuzz.

For reference I also use a Quilter 250. It sounds great clean and slightly driven, but doesnâ€™t handle the fuzz so well. I would be fine with it, but the Quilter also doesnâ€™t have tone controls and some of my guitars are too dark to use with it.

Id love to replace my Quilter and a few other things with the Milkman

Steve Lipsey · Post by **Steve Lipsey** » 17 Jun 2019 10:36 am

Two options:
Turning up the gain knob on the Milkman can give you nice bluesy overdrive right in the amp - it is tube preamp overdrive. I suspect this is all most of us ever hear, since even with an all-tube amp, unless it is really low wattage, we can't turn them up high enough to get final tube OD without peeling paint from the walls...on The Amp you dial in the level of OD and then turn up the Master to get the volume you want, and yes, backing off the guitar volume does clean it up.

I run my The Amp clean - Master very high and gain to set overall volume, and run a ZenDrive in front of it. I've used most ODs at one time or another, and found this to be "what the Dumble guys bring when they can't bring their amps", which is what I was looking for (the sound of the effect, not the name). It works just fine with The Amp...very sweet and smooth. More violin-like with my Asher Ben Harper, a little more grit with my SuperSlide...that may have more to do with the relative pickup output of those two though...

I believe that Tim Marcus had "plays well with pedals" in mind when he designed the amp - I think I read that somewhere. You can ask him about it, also.

Tim Marcus · Post by **Tim Marcus** » 17 Jun 2019 1:49 pm

this is awesome! I love hearing how useful The Amp is for steel players

regarding overdrive and effects:

check out this video I did with Josh Scott from JHS pedals last summer. I used The Amp and we took the DI into their Apollo for all the steel tones

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SelD2fBqTG4

Joseph Carlson · Post by **Joseph Carlson** » 18 Jun 2019 7:33 am

Would it be a possible to power the amp from the 200 watt plug on the back of a Voodoo Labs Pedal Power +? Iâ€™m guessing probably not. This is from the owners manual:

AC auxiliary. This is a courtesy AC outlet for convenient powering of AC powered effects or a MIDI foot controller. Note the 200 watt maximum rating. Do NOT plug in your amp here!

Anyone know the power requirements for the Amp?

Tim Marcus · Post by **Tim Marcus** » 20 Jun 2019 7:22 am

The Amp has a 260W Maximum power draw. In order to get there, you need to have all preamp controls at 10 and the master at 10. This is not going to sound great with pedal steel

I think you will be fine with the 200W Auxiliary power output on the voodoo supply under reasonable circumstances. I have many customers using The Amp that way.

Another thing to keep in mind: the current draw from The Amp when no speaker attached is very very low. If you are using it as a DI or with headphones you will be in good shape with a 200W outlet

Joseph Carlson · Post by **Joseph Carlson** » 20 Jun 2019 5:51 pm

Thanks for the information Tim. Very helpful.

I'll give it a try when it gets here. My new The Amp pedal is somewhere in the Midwest according to UPS.

Can't wait to try it out. Seems like it will solve a lot of problems for me:

1. Direct recording
2. Going ampless into the PA for a small duo gig I do
3. As a reverb and tremolo pedal on my pedal board
4. Headphone practice amp

I might pick up a little speaker cab down the road for it. For now I'll just bring my half and half for the full band gigs.

Thanks!
Joe

Paul McEvoy · Post by **Paul McEvoy** » 20 Jun 2019 6:19 pm

Has anyone used it for practicing with headphones? I donâ€™t suppose thereâ€™s a way to get an aux like in there somehow?

Devon Teran · Post by **Devon Teran** » 20 Jun 2019 6:50 pm

How are you guys finding it for low volume gigs? I know it can handle anything loud I'd play. I can't help but compare to my Quilter 250. I have to turn that up to 8-10watts before it sounds open and not muddy.

If I'm doing a small room show without a PA can I get a clear enough sound with the Milkman? If so I'm worried it might just be the perfect amp for me.

Paul Stauskas · Post by **Paul Stauskas** » 20 Jun 2019 7:12 pm

Devon Teran wrote:How are you guys finding it for low volume gigs? I know it can handle anything loud I'd play. I can't help but compare to my Quilter 250. I have to turn that up to 8-10watts before it sounds open and not muddy.

If I'm doing a small room show without a PA can I get a clear enough sound with the Milkman? If so I'm worried it might just be the perfect amp for me.

You should definitely try it. Just keep the Gain knob very low and turn the Master near or at the max for a clean sound.

Steve Lipsey · Post by **Steve Lipsey** » 20 Jun 2019 7:21 pm

But at low volume you can turn the master down and push the gain a bit to get to the sweet zone for the tube... so you can be there at any volume

Marc Jenkins · Post by **Marc Jenkins** » 20 Jun 2019 10:29 pm

I have been using mine in live off-the-floor recording sessions with an otherwise acoustic folk band, overdub sessions, and live shows and rehearsals with a rock band. Tone is always stellar!

Joseph Carlson · Post by **Joseph Carlson** » 17 Oct 2019 2:25 pm

I posted this over in recording, but I figured I might get more of a response over here:

I've been trying various outputs on my Milkman the Amp trying to get a good sound for recording direct.

Oddly enough, of the three options (pedal out, XLR out, headphones out) I m getting the best results using the headphone jack.

I'm going into a UAD Apollo Twin and have tried both the mic/line, the XLR, and the instrument in.

Overall, I'm getting the best sound using the headphones out on the Amp into the instrument in on the Twin.

Just curious how others are using the Amp to record direct.

Thanks,
Joe

Steve Lipsey · Post by **Steve Lipsey** » 19 Oct 2019 9:57 am

I'd call Tim Marcus at Milkman and chat with him...perhaps he will chime in here...here's what I've learned, from playing, not recording, but still relevant...

...Tim does warn in the instructions that the XLR output is full line level, a very high signal level, which may be something you need to lower at some point in your setup to avoid overdriving a later stage...

...and getting the gain and volume adjusted correctly is important - I've found that the gain needs to be high enough to drive the internal preamp sufficiently, but not so high as to overdrive it...around 9 o'clock seems to be good, depending on the output of your instrument, of course.

Bud Angelotti · Post by **Bud Angelotti** » 25 Oct 2019 8:32 am

How is the Amp holding up volume wise with a 8ohm speaker and passive volume pedal ?

Marc Jenkins · Post by **Marc Jenkins** » 25 Oct 2019 12:26 pm

Bud Angelotti wrote:How is the Amp holding up volume wise with a 8ohm speaker and passive volume pedal ?

Works well for me for almost all gigs. Iâ€™ll use a second 8ohm speaker if itâ€™s really loud - like 9 piece rock band loud,

Paul Ricci · Post by **Paul Ricci** » 13 May 2021 11:03 am

First post for me on this forum.
I`ve lurked before because I`m a jazz tone based guitarist that is always searching for just the right clean with power.
I tried the FYD Town and Country (after playing John's here) and had my eyes on an Alessandro Italian (2 x kt88) for a minute.
Both the money and the weight of these heads are impractical for me since I travel intn'l for gigs.
The Milkman looks to be a serious contender for me.
Thanks for all the info here.
Signed on for more.

Given the same cab ...would anyone give me an idea of the practical punch on the amp?
Could it compare with a 40 watt Fender BF?
A Pro Rev? Bandmaster?
It`s hard to compare 50 Class D watts with 40 iron tranny watts.
Any comments?
thanks

Marc Jenkins · Post by **Marc Jenkins** » 13 May 2021 1:14 pm

Paul Ricci wrote:First post for me on this forum.
I`ve lurked before because I`m a jazz tone based guitarist that is always searching for just the right clean with power.
I tried the FYD Town and Country (after playing John's here) and had my eyes on an Alessandro Italian (2 x kt88) for a minute.
Both the money and the weight of these heads are impractical for me since I travel intn'l for gigs.
The Milkman looks to be a serious contender for me.
Thanks for all the info here.
Signed on for more.

Given the same cab ...would anyone give me an idea of the practical punch on the amp?
Could it compare with a 40 watt Fender BF?
A Pro Rev? Bandmaster?
It`s hard to compare 50 Class D watts with 40 iron tranny watts.
Any comments?
thanks

Welcome Paul!

I find my Milkman The Amp to be slightly louder/cleaner than my main guitar amp. Which is a 25 watt Princeton-type with 6V6s and larger iron. If I use 2 8ohm speakers, itâ€™s a fair bit louder than the same amp with 6L6s at about 35 watts. Hope that helps.

Paul Ricci · Post by **Paul Ricci** » 13 May 2021 1:49 pm

Marc Jenkins wrote:
Welcome Paul!

I find my Milkman The Amp to be slightly louder/cleaner than my main guitar amp. Which is a 25 watt Princeton-type with 6V6s and larger iron. If I use 2 8ohm speakers, itâ€™s a fair bit louder than the same amp with 6L6s at about 35 watts. Hope that helps.

Thanks Marc,
that`s exactly the kind of real world info I`m looking for to wrap my head around how it performs.
I would assume the Amp 100 gets into the 50w tube world.
Very helpful

Marc Jenkins · Post by **Marc Jenkins** » 13 May 2021 1:57 pm

Paul Ricci wrote:
Marc Jenkins wrote:
Welcome Paul!

I find my Milkman The Amp to be slightly louder/cleaner than my main guitar amp. Which is a 25 watt Princeton-type with 6V6s and larger iron. If I use 2 8ohm speakers, itâ€™s a fair bit louder than the same amp with 6L6s at about 35 watts. Hope that helps.
Thanks Marc,
that`s exactly the kind of real world info I`m looking for to wrap my head around how it performs.
I would assume the Amp 100 gets into the 50w tube world.
Very helpful

I would assume the same about the 100. And would have bought the 100 were it available when I got mine!

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 13 May 2021 6:48 pm

Marc,
I sold my 50 and bought the 100. It works better for me. More control over the gain staging as well as more power. The boost control is pretty deep.

Steve Lipsey · Post by **Steve Lipsey** » 13 May 2021 6:50 pm

I have two 8 ohm speaker cabs, so I can piggy-back both when needed to turn my 50 into a 100....I wonder how that compares to a plain 100...?

Marc Jenkins · Post by **Marc Jenkins** » 13 May 2021 6:55 pm

Bob Hoffnar wrote:Marc,
I sold my 50 and bought the 100. It works better for me. More control over the gain staging as well as more power. The boost control is pretty deep.

Good to know Bob! I actually ordered one but cancelled it in early Covid out of $ worries...

Nathan Guilford · Post by **Nathan Guilford** » 15 May 2021 3:51 pm

I've been using the Milkman The amp (50 watt into a 4 ohm load for 100 watts) for a couple years now. I plug it into a 4 ohm jBL K120 and its really great. I play with a pretty loud Oklahoma red dirt band. Oddly enough, I'd miss the lack of tremolo on the 100 watt version. I used it to kinda simulate an organ on more rocking tunes. Just my two cents here.

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Milkman "The Amp"

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