November 13, 2007
New tube amp - 18 watts of goodness!
So, I finally got my Heatseeker HS-18 hand-wired tube amp from Mack Amps. It actually arrived November 5th, so I have had time to play it quite a bit. Honey moon is almost over... what can I say - it is sweet and sounds great! It has a rich, touch dynamic tone. Roll off the volume knob a bit and the tone cleans up beautifully. Crank it up and you get a loud and Marshally grind, but not JCM800-like. No, it's more old school, like the old Plexi Marshalls.
It looks a little different, I would say, but I like it. You can see them purdy little EL84 tubes light in thar when you're playing. Nice touch with that design!
This amp makes me smile. I took it to the jam last week and it sounded great. People were saying I had a Clapton tone. Could be. I used my Maxon SD-9 for the jam, and I guess it was a bit loud... what can you expect when a guy like myself gets a new amph!
You might think this is a quiet little amp, but in fact, it's quite loud. Don't let the 18 watt label fool ya - you can cause some damage with this little beast, especially if you boost up the signal a bit with some pedal.
The amp is light, and together with my Avatar cabinet, it sounds pretty huge. It has a definitive Marshall flavor to it, but there's also a lot of Vox chime in there, IMO.
I'm going to the jam again on this Wednesday, and I'll try my Telecaster a bit then, I think. I used my Fender Strat last week, but I am noticing that all my guitars sound great with this amp.
Video clip
I made a quick video demo the first day I got it. Here it is, with my Fender Deluxe Players Strat. No pedals used at all.
Sweet tones? I think so! Let me know what you think. I know for sure this amp is a keeper for me. I will still keep my Hellhound, which is also great sounding but a little different in tone flavour.
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Comments on this blog entry
Jose, thanks! I think the amp makes the biggest difference. I recommend getting a good tube amp. Look at Traynor, Fender Pro Junior, Blackheart, Epiphone. They have small amps with good tone. If you want a bigger, louder tube amp, Traynor does that too. There are many options out there, just a matter of dollars and preference... :)
Comment added on January 18, 2008Hi Robert, I must say that I like the tone from your amp and wondering to improve my tone should I get new Pickups like nice fenders for my Mexican strat or a nice tube amp? and what tube amps are good for someone on a tight budget?
Comment added on January 16, 2008Hi Jon, I got my hat at the airport in Stockholm.
Regards,
Robert
That was really great. Nice sound amp.
I really like your hat where can I get one or two? I am Swedish also.
Love your site.
Thanks Jon.