Anyone Using or tried Class A Power (Tube)

Greg Derksen · Post by **Greg Derksen** » 8 Aug 2000 7:36 am

Any other Steelers out there using Class A
Power, I know that guitarists have been hip
to there sound & audiopliles, but can't
recall any steelers.
Lots of sparkle in the top end, but it
does'nt bite, real sweet. Greg

Bob Metzger · Post by **Bob Metzger** » 8 Aug 2000 11:31 am

Steel guitar is a very demanding application for a tube amp. Class A amps are usually low to medium powered units and they throw off tons of heats and require big, expensive transformers. I'm not saying it's impossible to build a high powered Class A unit, I'm saying not alot of folks have to date. One guy who has is David Funk in Nashville. Steel guitar, like bass guitar, requires lots of power reserves for good headroom. I think most manufacturers feel this is best achieved with solid state components. It would be more expensive to achieve with an all tube/Class A amp, but it might sound fantastic. But it seems like this is a homebrew concept.

Bob

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 8 Aug 2000 12:01 pm

Then how about low power, for recording?

Tele · Post by **Tele** » 8 Aug 2000 2:43 pm

once played a VOX AC-30 with my Dual Professional, sounded great, not even British.
It's also a very harmonic, musical distortion...

Andy

Steve Feldman · Post by **Steve Feldman** » 8 Aug 2000 5:06 pm

Waiting for Bob Hoffnar to chime in here....

He's got a VHT that I believe he really likes.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 8 Aug 2000 8:06 pm

I think that Dan Tyack uses a small class A power amp as a preamp. He pads it down and then routes it into a bigger amp.

It would be hard to get that loud, clean tone at dance band volumes with a class A amp. I can see it in the studio, though.

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<img align=right src="http://b0b.com/Averybob.gif" width=64 height=81>Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs
Sierra Session S-12 (E9), Speedy West D-10 (E9, D6),
Sierra 8 Laptop (D13), Fender Stringmaster D-8 (D13, A6)

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 8 Aug 2000 9:03 pm

I've been using a VHT CL 100 this summer. I can switch it from class A to A/B. Class A sounds great. Class A can work real well for clean tones. Its good to try out everything and see what works out. I get work with rock bands and out music stuff so its good have an amp that can take on different roles. Its been working for the straight country gigs also. The amp gets a great clean growly sound when I dig in.

Its pretty big and heavy and real loud.

I also have an old SS Standel that has something special going on.

Bob[This message was edited by Bob Hoffnar on 08 August 2000 at 10:07 PM.][This message was edited by Bob Hoffnar on 08 August 2000 at 10:09 PM.]

Greg Derksen · Post by **Greg Derksen** » 9 Aug 2000 6:23 am

The amp I purchased is the Mesa Boogie,
Blue Angel, It can be switched from 4 EL84
power section to 2 6V6 and also combining
all 6 for a tonally different tone. So you
can get a AC30ish tone EL84 to a very vintage
6V6 tone. All running Class A.
Bob I never new VHT puts a switch on there
for classAB or classA. I knew Bognar has done
that with there Exctasy Head.
I am having a lot of fun with mine, probably
at the expense of power tubes (Class A ).
Greg

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 9 Aug 2000 8:46 am

My experience so for with EL84 power tubes is that they sound real good but burn out to fast with the steel. I think that the lows coming off a steel pushes them too hard. I could only get 3 months out of them. I like EL34's (saturated) and KT88's(clean, full, loud).

Also when I use the VHT in class A/B it is cleaner and louder than class A. It cuts better that way.

For saturated sounds I switch the amp into class A and put it on half power mode with only 2 EL34's running. It sound berry berry good.

Bob

BTW:
One thing I would like to add is that all this amp stuff for me is pretty indulgent and I have no problem living without all this. When I record or get fly dates I often just use whatever is handy.

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Franklin D-10
[This message was edited by Bob Hoffnar on 09 August 2000 at 09:49 AM.]

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 9 Aug 2000 9:42 am

I've been using the same EL84's in my Boogie since I got it about 7 years ago. They still sound great. How do you get them to "burn out" in 3 months, Bob?

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 9 Aug 2000 2:08 pm

Bobby,
I don't know why. They last forever with regular guitar. The amp with the EL 84's was a 45 watt VHT combo. I ran a single speaker ext cab with it that I think changed the ohms. It was my only amp for a while and I ran it pretty hard. I was playing through it 4 to 7 hours a day and doing the alt C/W van tour thing. I've been blowing up amps ever since I was a teenager. The guy that builds VHT,Stevie Fryette, told me I would have a harder time wearing out his KT88 and EL34 based amps. So far so good.

Bob

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Franklin D-10
[This message was edited by Bob Hoffnar on 09 August 2000 at 03:10 PM.]

Jerry Hedge · Post by **Jerry Hedge** » 9 Aug 2000 8:32 pm

Bob Hoffnar, I think the reason your VHT is "eating" EL84s is because they are running them with too much plate voltage. I have a repair customer that has one of those amps. They get a great Rock guitar sound because they're kicking the heck of the output tubes. The EL34 and KT88 can take more plate voltage safely. My customer's amp goes though a set of tubes very rapidly.[This message was edited by Jerry Hedge on 09 August 2000 at 09:33 PM.]

Greg Derksen · Post by **Greg Derksen** » 10 Aug 2000 6:46 am

The thing I like about class A power is
the slightly compressed attack, also the top
end doesn't jab like class AB even though
you got lots of top end happening.
Its not for everything but its great at
clean tones.
My friends AC30 really eats those EL84 tubes
up, however his Matchless is fairly easy on
tubes, and to my ears even sweeter, ( it
better be, big big bucks).DC30
I looked on the VHT Website, and they make
a 50\50 Power amp that can be switched from
class A to classAB, Heck why not give the option, Plus they warm up the basement nice
in the Winter. Greg

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 10 Aug 2000 11:30 pm

I use two THD small heads, a single ended class A head which I usually use with a 6L6, and an amp which has two EL-84s. Andy Marshall of THD (who know more than anybody I know about this stuff) says that the EL-84 amp isn't truly class A, but acts like one at high gain. I don't understand any of this stuff, I just know what I like. And I love both of these heads, especially the EL-84 head (I recorded all of my Blackened Toast with these amps, with no effects).

For higher volumes, I have always used
high powered transistor power amps (either MossValve or Stewart). But about 9 months ago, I got the tube jag, and started collecting tube power amps (hey, it's cheaper than cocaine). I have two VHT power amps, which I dearly love. For rock and roll, or for medium volumes, I love the VHT 2150 amp, which has two pairs of EL 34 tubes. I always use the class A setting, which is just more musical and warm. I also have the 2190 amp, which has two pairs of KT88 tubes (90 watts a side) which I have used pretty much exclusively recently, because I have been playing gigs which either are jazz, or loud, or both. This amp is A/B, and just doesn't distort at all.

But for another side of this madness, I just did a few gigs with just my POD and the VHT amp, and it sounded pretty darned good.

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www.tyacktunes.com

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 10 Aug 2000 11:31 pm

A clarification: I use the small THD heads either for recording, or as preamps in the bigger rigs.

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www.tyacktunes.com

ToneJunkie · Post by **ToneJunkie** » 13 Aug 2000 12:16 pm

I'm using a Mesa SimulClass 2/90. Great tone. Lots of punch. Can be used as a Class A, Class B or Class A/B. And with 90 watts RMS / 8 ohms each side, they push EV-12L cabs just fine.

Tyack, your tone rules on Blackened Toast! 'Course that's just my plaid point of view...

Cheers

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Robert Hicks - Fessenden S12U

Home Page: http://www.members.home.net/tonejunkie
Email: rhhicks@home.com

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 14 Aug 2000 8:48 pm

Thanks, Tone!

I like it too, but I have that same point of view.

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www.tyacktunes.com

Blane Sanders · Post by **Blane Sanders** » 16 Aug 2000 8:51 pm

The best sounding amp that I ever owned was a "Messa Boogie" 1-12" EV,Combo, w/simulclass 15/60 watt, solid wood cab. 4-6L6's, Sounded great with my Tele & my Emmons, until it blew a fuse one night. I took it to a local music store, with an in house repairman (he was more like a shoemaker with a soldering gun & a scope). The amp sounded terrible from then on, so I sold it at a big loss! But when it was working correctly, it was GREAT! I would usually start out the night playing on class A, & when the stage volume would come up, I just kicked in the other 2 tubes, it would get loud enough to melt your eardrums, if you wanted, and still stay clean & warm, just thinkin about it makes me want to go take a cold shower! Now I play my Emmons thru a Nashville 400, & my Tele thru a Peavey L.A. 400 w/12" EV.