The Watering Hole

Making Music
22 posts
Just did a video today of my new amp....a little quarter watt all tube amp.

I mic'd it up with my Avantone CK7 and the camcorder provided the room mics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CA6DHP8nUMw
Love that 'song' - very nice Jon! :)
That was tits Jon.  I was wondering last night if you were still waiting for that amp.  Can you get anything resembling a clean out of it?

I've been thinking about low watt amps too.  Played the ac4tv8, a Mini Colossal and the Champ 600.  Didn't get any tones like that...


Nice!  How loud does it get pre-mic'ed? :)
Tobe:   It doesn't really do clean tones. You can get a "nearly" clean tone from it, but its main purpose is to get a cranked sound at very low volume so both valves are really pushed.  It has a lot of mid-range from the speaker, so I used quite a bit of eq in protools to bring that down a bit.  Although Tris (the guy who makes them) said it would be 45 days for delivery, it has actually taken 5 months, but well worth the wait.  It takes so hime so long to build them as every one is hand built by him !   Excellent build quality too by the way.

Craig:  Even at full volume it is no louder that listening to the television at normal quiet room volume. You can easily speak over the top of it.

A great little amp!
I've just had an email from Tris at mahaffayamps and he has put a link to my video on his company's web site.

http://www.mahaffayamps.com/links.htm  (click the youtube link on this page)

Fame at last  ;D
That is a fantastic recording.  I am jealous that you got that mic...
charger — Apr 05, 2010That is a fantastic recording.  I am jealous that you got that mic...


Yes, and I'm glad you recommended it to me...good call.   It seems to record everything really well whether it be guitar amp or acoustic guitar or voice, good for just about everything and doesn't colour the sound at all.  

I tried recording this amp with an sm57, but the amp has so much mid range to start with the sm57 just made it way too much.

I would like to get another CK-7 at some time to use both as a stereo pair....something for future GAS !

edit: It's funny...once upon a time I loved the pod etc, but listening back to old recordings now, the pod definitely sounds fake....it just doesn't have the extra "juice" that output tubes have.
Jon — Apr 05, 2010I've just had an email from Tris at mahaffayamps and he has put a link to my video on his company's web site.

http://www.mahaffayamps.com/links.htm  (click the youtube link on this page)

Fame at last  ;D


Well done Jon....but couldn't see the link?
it's the YOUTUBE graphic, that links directly to the video (although there is a bit of a problem with it at the moment, sometimes comes up "unknown user" but they are working on it to fix it)
I realise that mate, but I saw no you-tube link (?) :-?

S'OK - they've fixed it - it's there now! (wasn't there before)

Nope, gone again.  Obviously some site problems there.
Crazy - they definitely have some problems!  

On my computer, Opera doesn't see the you-tube link under NAMM, Firefox does!!

But when I click on the you-tube link in Firefox - it sends me to my own Voxman5 channel?!  Seriously (I'm not joshing you)!

In Google Chrome & IE6, the you-tube link shows, but it takes me to a generic page & says 'invalid username'.

Go figure!  :-?







voxman — Apr 05, 2010Crazy - they definitely have some problems!  

On my computer, Opera doesn't see the you-tube link under NAMM, Firefox does!!

But when I click on the you-tube link in Firefox - it sends me to my own Voxman5 channel?!  Seriously (I'm not joshing you)!

In Google Chrome & IE6, the you-tube link shows, but it takes me to a generic page & says 'invalid username'.

Go figure!  :-?


If you look at the source code of that webpage they have all the links to youtube fucked up...even their own facebook link on the links page doesn't work.  I'll speak to Tris again and see WTF he's doing about it.









Jon, great job!  Sounds really good.  Diggin that amp!

Tobe, come on bro, everyone knows you need at least 1 full watt for clean tone.  LOL  
very cool Jon,

dig the tone, and the playing.
Nice
I've had one of those little buggers for about a year but you've managed to pull a much better tone than I've ever been able to raise. Also, mine is actually 55w: the valve section is 1/4 watt then it has a solid state section to boost up the power. Is this how yours is? I've actually been thinking about selling mine to get a Class 5 by Marshall, but after hearing your clip I think I might give the little devil a second chance.
Max — Apr 11, 2010I've had one of those little buggers for about a year but you've managed to pull a much better tone than I've ever been able to raise. Also, mine is actually 55w: the valve section is 1/4 watt then it has a solid state section to boost up the power. Is this how yours is? I've actually been thinking about selling mine to get a Class 5 by Marshall, but after hearing your clip I think I might give the little devil a second chance.



The amp I have is essentially the same as yours except mine uses the 1/4 watt valve section to drive the speaker.  The other models like the one you have are the same valve section but with an FET power amp on the end.

The sound of this amp in the room is very VERY mid range.  I tried micing it with an sm57 but that just boosted the mid range even more so I mic'd it with the CK7 condenser.  Even then, straight off the mic is was still very very mid range, so I dropped the mids dramatically by EQ in protools to get the sound you hear on the video.   Although mid-range heavy, it is a nice amp to play, and has a lovely lively spongy feel.   I look upon this amp as something for recording only as the sound in the room for "live" work (apart from it only being 1/4 watt  :)  is too much mid range.   Of course it does have an effects loop, so it's worth trying a graphic EQ in there, but the little internal speaker will never give great depth, but for close micing and bit of jiggery pokery on the eq it is great.

Also, I managed to get the greenscreen parameters working correctly on the video, here's a b/w version with the greenscreen replaced by an image.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2xGFDdaoaU
Jon, good call.  The micro amps almost have to roll off the bottom because they just don't have the power to handle it.  So, they roll of some top so they aren't all zingy top end.  Kind of like a tube screamer.  Good call #2 not to mic it with a 57.  In the end, very nice tone.  
Love the green screen backdrop Jon - very professional & somehow adds something when you're listening to it making your great playing sound even better - wierd!  

Any chance you could e-mail me the backing track?  

Rich  :)
voxman — Apr 13, 2010Love the green screen backdrop Jon - very professional & somehow adds something when you're listening to it making your great playing sound even better - wierd!  

Any chance you could e-mail me the backing track?  

Rich  :)



maybe at the weekend as I will have to mix it down without the guitar.  I played the bass and created the drums with superior 2
Cheers Jon - no rush - I'm studying for (yet another) exam on Monday so no time for playing til the next weekend anyway.  

Rich  :)