26 posts
With the on board speaker
I have mixed feelings about the Alchemist 1-12 combo. First off I can see how all of the reviews on the thing both pro and con are correct. The clean channel is nice but not real great, the drive channel is rather lifeless at lower volumes, even on the 20 watt setting. The tone controls work just OK.
Now for the pros, once you turn it up above in the house levels, the thing comes alive in the overdrive channel. Lots of nice overtones into feedback easily even at moderate volumes it gets brighter and punchier and will work well at club/band volume levels. I have not found much that I like about the clean channel yet. I may have to check the BIAS on the thing to see how it is set.
There is something about the tone, I don't really know how to describe it other than dull and lifeless sounding. This is at comfortable volume levels in the living room.
Truthfully I am not real impressed just yet, but I will give it a few days of trial before making a decision.
Of course I am used to the Hot Rod Deluxe which works well at every volume level. It may also be the speaker, I have never met a Celestian that I liked very much. I may have to plug it into an extension cab with my favorite speakers (EVM12L's) and see what I think of that.
With an EVM12L in an extension cabinet.
Absolutely a big difference. it has to be the fact that the Celestian is not broken in yet, and it may have to do with the fact that I have a Weber beam blocker in my HRD with an Eminence Tonespotter. Which approximates a similar tone to the EVM12L.
But the drive channel came alive on first try, and the clean channel got a bunch better with the EVM12L.
I have to say it is a good thing I plugged it in the EVM12L or the thing would have probably gone back posto hasto.
Now I have to give the speaker some time to break in, and maybe get a beam blocker as well
You know this amp has gotten mixed reviews. One thing I DO NOT like about combos, is that they are heavily influenced by speaker choice, AND it usually takes hours to break a speaker in. So even if it is a good choice (for your tastes) it may not sound great initially, and if its a speaker you don't like, the amp could be perfect and you'd never know without switching it. I know, one handle to pickup.... but that's why I've gravitated to head/cab setups. I can find more than one speaker that I like, based on tones I'm looking for, and mix and match speakers to amps, to taste.
This amp seems to have some people who love it. Maybe bury it under some blankets and pound the speaker for a few hours and see if it gets any better.
yeah the thing is probably going back sometime this week. Dark and lifeless at lower volumes is my opinion. Although I have to give it a fair try for a few more days.
Yeah, any combo sounds worlds different through a cab sith an EVM12L ... I think that is the speaker God plays guitar through when he is rockin out. On his more chill days I think he digs the Hempcone speakers.
My Vetta for instance, sounds pretty good as is with it's Line 6/Celestions. But, put the thing through my Carvin 4x12, whoa!!! Sweet. Use boh together, fucking HUGE!!!
I think Howie's right, Dave... I know you like the convenience of a combo, but you are finicky about your speakers (I think most of us are, I know I am for damn sure, so not slamming you here), so I think going with a head would be the ticket for you...
I am thinking Omega Mods on my HRD $250 plus about 50 bucks shipping, if I like them I will purchase another used HRD as a backup unit for $400 which is what they go for in this town. I love the HRD with stomps, I would love it more without them. So that may be my next option. The Alchemist is a rock amp for sure, no metal or hi gain, but at band volumes it rocks, it is just not made for all volume levels. It is made to play at band levels, and it sounds great there, even with the Vintage 30. But I live in a very close community with neighbors 20 feet away on both sides and the sound travels right through my mobile home easily. I like the neighbors on both sides so I can't blast it.
I will play with it for the weekend, and then see. I think it is going back, as I can not find anything about the clean channel that I do like so far. I played all of my guitars through it except the SG which is todays trial.
I'm personally not a big fan of the Alchemist in any form. All the thought of the amp sounding lifeless is spot on to me.
I'd still go to a Mesa dealer and fire up a Lonestar. The only thing ya got in it to try it is the gas and the drive through Phoenix traffic. ;)
would love to hear my Demonizer throgh a 4x10 HRD.
80 bucks to ship it back, it is gone.
spaivxx — Mar 06, 2009would love to hear my Demonizer throgh a 4x10 HRD.
My twin tube rocks the heck out of my HRD, so would the Demonizer I assume.
spaivxx — Mar 06, 2009Yeah, any combo sounds worlds different through a cab sith an EVM12L ... I think that is the speaker God plays guitar through when he is rockin out. On his more chill days I think he digs the Hempcone speakers.
My Vetta for instance, sounds pretty good as is with it's Line 6/Celestions. But, put the thing through my Carvin 4x12, whoa!!! Sweet. Use boh together, fucking HUGE!!!
Can I say again how funny I find it that you've got an old Carvin 4x12 similar to the one I have and sometimes run it together with your Vetta? It is a HUGE sound...and it complements it well, surprisingly enough.
Bringing this on topic I was less than impressed with the Alchemist I tried at the store - I even cranked it and it just didn't have a lot of personality to it. It sounded nice, but it also sounded like something was sort of missing. I liked the overdrive better than the clean, but nothing about the Alchemist screamed "BUY ME" like when I tried the Rebel 20. That little bitch is FUN! It's my go-to amp at the store when I'm trying out new guitars.
Tripper
man thats a bummer. ive hard great things about the omega mods. just get an axe-fx and be done with it :D
The — Mar 06, 2009man thats a bummer. ive hard great things about the omega mods. just get an axe-fx and be done with it :D
I don't like the sound/feel of modelers, I have heard great things about that item. But for the price of the Axe FX, I will stick with what I have. I am standing pat until I see the thing has arrived at zZounds anyways.
Tripper — Mar 06, 2009
Bringing this on topic I was less than impressed with the Alchemist I tried at the store - I even cranked it and it just didn't have a lot of personality to it. It sounded nice, but it also sounded like something was sort of missing. I liked the overdrive better than the clean, but nothing about the Alchemist screamed "BUY ME" like when I tried the Rebel 20. That little bitch is FUN! It's my go-to amp at the store when I'm trying out new guitars.Tripper
I tried to like it truth be told, but for the money it was not what I expected. It did some things nice, but not well enough to keep.
Sorry to read about your experience, Harv, but despite the negative vibe here, I'm still gonna to give the Alchemist *Head* some attention tomorrow (Egnater stuff as well), haven't personally played through one yet, seeing lots of better samples surfacing, especially on youtube. The closest GC happens to also have an old 1960A cab there so I'll be able to run it into that (unless they have something/anything there loaded with better Celestions, like v30s), that should give me a decent idea of what it could sound like at home if the gas bursts.
Obviously it has loads of gain on hand, a little compressed sounding though (?), I like the tone much better when he swithces guitars...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjv-uHpw18c&feature=related
As far as it not having much "personality", heh, we'll see if that holds up in person, I'm a pretty bland guy so I don't know, could be extra trouble for me, lol, doubt I'll be able to inject any of that into the sound myself. (-;
Reason I'm looking is I still don't own anything with really nice cleans and over the top gain if need be (the honeymoon ended quickly with the DistX pedal in front of the Marshall), sounds like this covers those two areas well, and even if it can't do bluesy/medium/brown sound crunch (maybe it can, dunno), I kinda got that covered anyways. (=
(the honeymoon ended quickly with the DistX pedal in front of the Marshall),
??? The OCD???
Well, I never said it was a bad amp, and in fact it rocks at higher volumes, it does everything I would want turned way up. However at home when others are trying to listen to TV etc. it was not for me. Plus everyone knows that tone is subjective, talk to 5 different guitarists and you will get 5 differing tastes in tone.
The OCD is killer in front of the JCM800, was recording stuff last night actually with that setup, its a permanent match really, don't see playing the Marshall without that pedal ON, but I'm merely using it now to tighten the low end and just juice the sound a bit, definitely not trying to push it into super saturated areas, those two get too noisy together for that! )=
I hear ya, DBM, I know you didn't say it was bad, several others here and there were saying "heh" about it, though I'm not sure they specifically gave the head a shot through a great cab loaded with their fav spkrs, etc, but newayz, I've got nearly $200 invested in that HT-Distx pedal, nice credit towards whatever, so I will give the Bogner a shot and see.
I never put a single pedal into the thing. I was and am still looking for an amp that I could take out without anything but the channel switcher which fits inside the amp, and a guitar/cable/tuner. Now however, I am thinking what the heck my HRD without any pedals sounds good enough. Although I was having sweet dreams about the Mesa Lonestar, what a f**kin amp. It would cost me $1,949 shipped, pay now wait 10-12 weeks. I am still very tempted, that amp is the closest thing to tone heaven (my taste in tone) I have ever tried.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXZ8T_IKWU0&fmt=18
Gorgeous.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJZqiF-9D38&feature=related
Damn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44Zj9rdq2jE&NR=1
Wish I had the money...
Yep Charger that is what they sound like at very loud volumes. I said it rocked at band volumes, and it does.
At bedroom levels, or in my case volume levels which do not leave the house, it was rather lifeless on the drive channel, the clean channel was very nice at all volume levels. The last (bottom) one you posted is the 2-12 model, I have heard that those sound better than the 1-12.
charger — Mar 27, 2009Wish I had the money...
I do and then some, I just put it in the bank yesterday, don't want the cash laying around when I go to Northern Cali. I am still tempted on the Lonestar, man that amp works at every volume level. I never turned the one up at GC Tuesday, but at low volumes it worked great, similar to the Alchemist, but richer tones. and more tonal options, and the verb which is so-so on the Alchemist, was lush and sweet on the Lonestar. My opinion the 1-12 Lonestar is well worth the extra $400 at $1899 vs the $1499 of the 1-12 Alchemist. Plus the Lonestar is a Mesa. I never had a single problem with any Mesa Boogie I ever owned and I used to rock them real hard too.
to everything ya said Harv!!
charger — Mar 27, 2009http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJZqiF-9D38&feature=related
Damn.
Something cool and useful for the newbs to Bogner amps (like myself :)), they threw the settings up on their site for all these pro clips!
http://www.bogneramplification.com/videos_alchemist.php