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Amplifier models list

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Revision as of 00:28, 4 April 2013 by CBoothe (talk | contribs)
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  • Information:
    • Amp models are listed below in alphabetical order.
    • Amp icons: provided by forum member SynFactory, updated by forum member CBoothe01. Source
    • Click here for a list of all stock cabinets. The suggested cabs below are current for firmware 10.


Contents

1987X Normal / Treble (Marshall 1987x Vintage Series)

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  1. Based on: Marshall 1987x Vintage Series, features what many consider to be an “essential” mod to the tonestack of this Plexi. Reissue of the 5ow version of the Marshall 1959SLP ("50w Plexi"). Normal: Normal channel. Treble: Treble channel. Speakers: G12M, G12H, G12L
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 36 37 38 58 60 61 96 101 102 103; 16 34 57 64; 35
  3. Original controls: Bass, Middle, Treble, Volume, Presence
  4. Notes: see Plexi
  5. Manual
  6. Marshall website
  7. Wikipedia
  8. Discussion about the Bright Cap on the 1987x
  9. Try cranking all tone controls
  10. Demo

5153 Blue / Green / Red (EVH 5150III)

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  1. Based on: EVH 5150 III, made in collaboration with Fender. Clean, crunch and lead channels, 100w 6L6 version. Speakers: G12-EVH
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 49 107
  3. Original controls: Gain, Low, Mid, High, Volume, Presence
  4. Specifications and website: "EVH 5150III heads and cabinets deliver the holy grail of tone - a truly clean channel, a super-heavy crunch channel and an off-the-scale overdrive channel you simply won’t believe. You get the incredible tones Eddie Van Halen has chased his whole life, as Eddie himself has defined and designed each of the 5150III amplifier’s three channels. Available in black or ivory, with an unmistakable look and sound that’s pure EVH"
  5. Cliff: "IMO, it's a very good amp. The build-quality is great and the design is very good. It is similar to the previous versions but voiced a bit different. Personally, I think all of the 5150's have more gain stages than necessary which just makes for unnecessary failure points but the "OMG, this map has sooo many toobz it must sound awesome" marketing makes it understandable. It's incredibly heavy though" Source
  6. EVH's personal settings
  7. Cliff: "A 5150 uses a fixed bias with no adjustment. Depending on the tubes used the bias can run from average to cold. The model uses average. Some people like a colder sound. If you prefer your amps biased cold, then reduce the bias parameter to taste" Source
  8. Information about the 5150 amp

59 Bassguy ('59 Fender Bassman)

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  1. Based on: 1959 Fender Bassman, a low-to-medium gain amp designed for bass but more widely adopted by guitarists. 5F6-A circuit, two channels, two inputs, Tweed era. Speakers: 4x10, or 2x12
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 32 33 99
  3. Original controls: Volume, Bass, Treble
  4. Try with a Treble Booster
  5. Fender website: "In early 1952, the Fender Bassman amplified a great new invention - the Fender Precision Bass guitar. At 50 watts, it competed easily with the common instrumentation of the day: horns, piano, small drum kit, and maybe even an electric guitar through a new 10-watt amp. Through the ’60s and ’70s, the original all-tube tweed 4x10” Bassman was popular with rock, country and blues guitarists as a reliably great-sounding and easy-to-use guitar amp. In the ’90s, Fender released an affordable ’59 Bassman reissue amplifier to great acclaim. Many guitarists, tired of experimenting with preamps, equalizers and effects racks, rediscovered the simple pleasure of plugging into a Fender tube amp. The reissue Bassman’s wide stage coverage, touch-sensitive dynamics and full-frequency swirl make it perfect for building great tone with almost any guitar or effect, and it remains a staple of the Fender guitar amp line to this day"
  6. Wikipedia
  7. Fenderguru.com: "The Fender Bassman is a legendary guitar amp known to both guitar and bass players. It was introduced in 1951, primarily targeted for bass guitar players and promoted as a bass amp for the Fender Precision Bass guitar, the first mass-produced electric bass guitar ever. During the different eras the Bassman amp came in many different shapes and configurations. Few other models experienced so many changes in terms of looks and tone. Unfortunately the Bassman was one of the first amps that CBS laid their hands on after buying the company from Leo Fender. A couple of things in the circuitry were immediately changed in 1965 when the AA165 and AB165 replaced the AA864, which by amp idealists is considered the best Bassman circuit of all times together with the legendary 59 tweed 5F6-A circuit. The bassman was a combo amp in the tweed era with the 1×15″ and 4×10″ speaker configurations. From the blonde era Fender made the Bassman as a amp head and 2×12″ closed cabinet. So what does the blackface Bassman sound like? Describing tone is best done with establishing a common and well-known reference point, for example the traditional blackface AB763 amps such as the Super Reverb and Twin Reverb. The Bassman is known for its simple, pure and raw tone. It is 50w loud with power supply and output transformers sized approx. as the Super Reverb and Bandmaster. The bass channel of the AB165 and AA864 is much mellower and deeper than the normal channel of any AB763 amps since it is voiced for bass guitars. The Bassman bass channel features a deep switch that can remove the lowest frequencies, which is practical when you’re playing loud and using different speaker cabinets where you need to adjust the lower bass. The normal channel is more relevant for guitar players. The Bassman sounds “browner” than the AB763-amps, particularly the AB165 model, and it has more preamp distortion and mids when the volume is turned up. The Bassman has significantly influenced the whole guitar amp industry since it was introduced. It’s tone stack, tube configuration, preamp and power section has inspired numerous amps builders including Jim Marshall, the founder of Marshall amps, who used the Bassman tweed 5F6-A circuit in 1958-1959 as template the legendary Marshall JTM45"
  8. Cliff: "Remember that all the models use the "High" input (Input '1' on Fenders). If you want to mimic the "Low" input lower Input Trim" Source

65 Bassguy ('65 Fender Bassman)

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  1. Based on: 1965 Fender Bassman, blackface version with a different circuit design (AB165), two inputs, two channels. Speakers: 4x10, or 2x12
  2. Stock cabinet suggestion: 32 33 99
  3. Original controls: Volume, Bass, Treble
  4. Try with a Treble Booster
  5. Cliff: "Definitely not your father's Bassman. Has a pissed-off Marshall vibe to it" Source
  6. Fender website
  7. Wikipedia
  8. Cliff: "The 65 Bassguy has more gain than before. The 65 Bassguy was matched to a 65 Bassman that Dweezil sent me. It's a vicious amp that sounds more like a Plexi than a Fender. It's the infamous AB165 circuit which is very crunchy and bright and does not sound like your typical Fender. I was told it is stock" Source
  9. Fenderguru.com: "The Fender Bassman is a legendary guitar amp known to both guitar and bass players. It was introduced in 1951, primarily targeted for bass guitar players and promoted as a bass amp for the Fender Precision Bass guitar, the first mass-produced electric bass guitar ever. During the different eras the Bassman amp came in many different shapes and configurations. Few other models experienced so many changes in terms of looks and tone. Unfortunately the Bassman was one of the first amps that CBS laid their hands on after buying the company from Leo Fender. A couple of things in the circuitry were immediately changed in 1965 when the AA165 and AB165 replaced the AA864, which by amp idealists is considered the best Bassman circuit of all times together with the legendary 59 tweed 5F6-A circuit. The bassman was a combo amp in the tweed era with the 1×15″ and 4×10″ speaker configurations. From the blonde era Fender made the Bassman as a amp head and 2×12″ closed cabinet. So what does the blackface Bassman sound like? Describing tone is best done with establishing a common and well-known reference point, for example the traditional blackface AB763 amps such as the Super Reverb and Twin Reverb. The Bassman is known for its simple, pure and raw tone. It is 50w loud with power supply and output transformers sized approx. as the Super Reverb and Bandmaster. The bass channel of the AB165 and AA864 is much mellower and deeper than the normal channel of any AB763 amps since it is voiced for bass guitars. The Bassman bass channel features a deep switch that can remove the lowest frequencies, which is practical when you’re playing loud and using different speaker cabinets where you need to adjust the lower bass. The normal channel is more relevant for guitar players. The Bassman sounds “browner” than the AB763-amps, particularly the AB165 model, and it has more preamp distortion and mids when the volume is turned up. The Bassman has significantly influenced the whole guitar amp industry since it was introduced. It’s tone stack, tube configuration, preamp and power section has inspired numerous amps builders including Jim Marshall, the founder of Marshall amps, who used the Bassman tweed 5F6-A circuit in 1958-1959 as template the legendary Marshall JTM45"
  10. Cliff: "Remember that all the models use the "High" input (Input '1' on Fenders). If you want to mimic the "Low" input lower Input Trim" Source
  11. Firmware 10 release notes: "Completely reworked 65 Bassguy model. This amp has a very peculiar feedback circuit that was not fully modeled before. The feedback is now fully modeled yielding the unique voice of this legendary amp. For best results it is recommended to reset the model by selecting another model and then reselecting the desired model"

Atomica High / Low (Cameron Atomica)

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  1. Based on: Cameron Atomica, a "brown sound" 100 watt amp. Speakers: G12H
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 16 34 57 64
  3. Original controls: Thump (Axe-Fx: Depth), Presence, Bass, Middle, Treble, Master, Gain, Edge (Axe-Fx: Bright), 3-way gain switch
  4. Saturation is engaged at default
  5. Youtube
  6. Cliff: "The Atomica can tolerate high MV because it is a "Jose-style MV". The Jose-style MV imparts a very high source resistance to the tone stack which causes much more insertion loss and therefore lower drive level into the power amp" Source
  7. Demo

Band-Commander (Fender Bandmaster)

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  1. Based on: 1968 silverface Fender Bandmaster, two inputs, two channels. Speaker: 2x12 (Jensen C12N)
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 19, 21, 22, 91
  3. Original controls (Vibrato channel): Volume, Bright switch, Treble, Bass, tremolo controls
  4. Fender website: "The late-'50s tweed-covered Fender Bandmaster guitar amplifier combined great looks with sweet tone and powerful performance. Hailed as one of the true holy-grail amps among guitarists and collectors, vintage examples are rare and highly sought after. The new '57 Bandmaster amp now joins our prestigious Custom series, with all-tube hand-wired circuitry and premium components. We've faithfully reproduced the classic 5E7 circuit, which pumps about 26 watts through three 10" alnico-magnet speakers, and we enlisted Jensen to help create the P10R-F driver (a Fender exclusive), which is voiced for warm, sensitive response. The Bandmaster amp's harmonically rich clean tones are perfect for vintage rock, blues and country styles, and its naturally touch-sensitive overdrive tone sounds electrifying—especially when cranked up"
  5. Wikipedia
  6. Fenderguru.com: "The Bandmaster came with many different circuits during the blackface and silverface eras. The blackface head had a diode recifier, one normal channel and a vibrato channel with no reverb. In the silverface era the recitifier was changed from diode to tube and the vibrato channel got reverb. Hence, the name “Bandmaster Reverb”. As usual the later silverface models were modified to become cleaner and more powerful. The 70W model from 1978 with master volume and push/pull boost had a huge power transformer and big filter caps. It reminds us more of a classic 80w Twin Reverb than a Bandmaster Reverb, and it shared its circuit design with the Pro Reverb and Super Reverb at that time. A noticable difference in the vibrato channel between the early silverface Bandmaster Reverb and blackface Bandmaster is the extra gain stage in the silverface amps. This was also the difference between the first 1964 blackface AA864 Bassman and the following AB165. This gain stage was introduced as a part of the reverb recovery circuit, the V4 12AX7 to be exact, common for all the reverb amps of the blackface/silverface era. Amps with no reverb recovery stage cleaner sounding and will remain pretty clean when you turn up the volume knob above 4. The extra gain stage in the silverface Bandmaster Reverb amps contributes with tube distortion and compression in the preamp section when the amp is pushed. Not only is there more action in the preamp section, the silverface models also has more sag and looser response due to the tube rectifier. The Bandmaster Reverb head will remind you pretty much of the amps in the Pro Reverb, Super Reverb and Vibrolux Reverb where the sweet spot is to be found around 4 on the volume knob. Not all silverface amps were developed in a bad direction. Let’s study the blackface Bandmaster AB763 and Bassman AA864. They are similar in the way that both are clean sounding with just one 12ax7 tube in the preamp stage (vibrato ch in bandmaster and normal channel in bassman). The vibrato channel in the Bandmaster is even more clean than the Bassman because of the vibrato circuitry loading the signal chain and reducing the gain level in the premp section. Hence, the AA864 Bassman normal channel has more preamp “juice” and reaches the sweet spot at an earlier volume knob setting. The Bassman has a slightly bigger output transformer resulting in a firmer tone and more attack. A smaller output transformer will introduce sag and compression in the power amp section. The blackface Bandmaster is therefore ideal for those who look for a pure Fender clean sound without making ones ears bleed. The blackface and silverface Bandmaster is a big sounding amp with a flexible speaker impedance of 4 ohm, allowing anything between one and four speakers (8 ohm each) to be connected via the main and/or external speaker jack. This makes it possible to adapt to small and big stages and gigs just by configuring the speakers"
  7. Cliff: "Remember that all the models use the "High" input (Input '1' on Fenders). If you want to mimic the "Low" input lower Input Trim" Source

Big Hair

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  1. Custom Fractal model. Mids without mud. Revive the 80s metal scene (Spandex not included)
  2. Cliff: "It was a total guess. I just tuned it by ear. It's just my idea of what 80's hair metal might sound like"

Blanknshp Leeds (Blankenship Leeds 21)

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  1. Based on: Blankenship Leeds 21 which is a boutique version of an 18W Marshall Plexi. This particular amp is known for sounding “big” despite being relatively low power. Mercury Magnetics transformers, EL84, two channels. Speakers: 2x10 Jensen C10Q or Alnico Blue
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 3 89 90; 7 11 13 15 20 24 25 28 55 83 93 94
  3. Original controls: Volume, Tone
  4. Cliff: "The model was matched to Dweezil's amp. He loaned it to me because it was one of his favorite amps and I can see why. It's a really cool amp" Source

Boutique 1 / 2 (Matchless Chieftain)

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  1. Based on: Matchless Chieftain, a medium-gain amp, thick, yet crisp, with a fair amount of power amp breakup. Boutique 2: same amp with a boost for more gain and high-frequency emphasis. Speakers: G12M plus G12H
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 26 30
  3. Original controls: Volume, Master, Bass, Treble, Brilliance
  4. Manual
  5. Wikipedia
  6. Based on a Vox circuit
  7. For more preamp distortion, lower Master and use Drive for Gain
  8. Demo

Brit 800 (Marshall JCM800)

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  1. Based on: Marshall JCM800, the vaunted model 2204. Bring the Master up for true 80's tone. Speakers: G12M, G12H, V30, T75
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 36 37 38 58 60 61 96 101 102 103; 16 34 57 64; 41 43 44 47 48 51 53 59 62 63 65 60 70 71 72 104 108; 39 50 73 74
  3. Original controls: Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence, Volume
  4. Marshall website
  5. Wikipedia: Marshall
  6. Wikipedia: JCM800
  7. Try with a TS808 or Tube Drive block (set the Drive block to minimal Drive and full Level)
  8. Cliff: "It is a very bright model. However, it sounds exactly like the amp it was based on. If it is too bright, you can adjust the various tone controls and parameters to reduce the brightness to your tastes. They are designed to be run loud and the brightness decreases as the MV is increased. The sound of 80's hair metal for sure" Source
  9. User comments
  10. Use the Saturation parameter to emulate the famous "Jose Arredondo mod" on the JCM800. Cliff: "The saturation switch switches in a zener diode clipping stage right before the tone stack. This is the Arrendondo Mod" Source
  11. Cliff: "Rips my head off here. I have to turn the presence way down. Check the MV. Too high and will get muddy" Source
  12. Cliff: "That "interference" is due to all the treble peaking used in the design. JCM800s have quite a bit of treble boost. When you first attack the string the note is unpitched. It's basically a brief explosion of noise. The treble boosting amplifies the upper frequencies of this noise burst which is what you hear. However, when you playing in a loud mix that treble boosting helps the sound cut. Modern designs use more carefully crafted treble boosting to retain the cut but tame some of the harshness of the attack. This is accomplished typically by putting a capacitor in parallel with the plate resistor(s) which rolls off around a few kHz. This preserves the treble boost in the upper midrange but softens the attack. I believe the SLO100 was one of the first amps to do this. You can see this in the Axe-Fx II as your Triode Freq parameters. You can soften the JCM800 attack by lowering the Triode Freq values. Most modern hi-gain designs use some form of HF rolloff like this. Another reason is that JCM800s use relatively low amounts of negative feedback (which is why they're so loud). This causes a treble boost in the power amp. Increase the Damping parameter to increase the negative feedback" Source

Brit 800 MOD (modded Marshall JCM800)

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  1. Based on: modded Marshall JCM800
  2. Mod: removed treble peaker
  3. Firmware 10 release notes: "This model is based on popular modified Marshall JCM800. These mods make the amp “heavier” and less strident"
  4. Notes: see Brit 800

Brit Brown ("Brown Sound")

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  1. Custom Fractal model. A faithful recreation of the pure, raw "Brown Sound" - The Modded “#1” Marshall
  2. Orignally named "Brown". Renamed after addition of FAS Brown model
  3. Saturation parameter is engaged by default
  4. Cliff: "Which, perhaps ironically, is not based on a any specific amp" Source

Brit JM45 (Marshall JTM 45)

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  1. Based on: channel 1 (High Treble, Source) of the Marshall JTM 45, made famous by Clapton and others; actually a modified Fender Bassman design with 12" Celestions. 45W. Speakers: G12M, G12H; G12L
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 36 37 38 58 60 61 96 101 102 103; 16 34 57 64; 35
  3. Original controls: Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble
  4. For a cranked tone try diming all tone controls and Drive 
  5. Try with a Tonebender or Treble Booster
  6. Marshall website
  7. Wikipedia: Marshall
  8. Wikipedia: JTM 45

Brit JVM OD1 / OD2, GN / OR (Marshall JVM410)

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  1. Based on the Marshall JVM 100-watt amp, OD1 and OD2 channels, Green and Orange modes. Speakers (combo): V30 plus G12H
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 41 43 44 47 48 51 53 59 62 63 65 60 70 71 72 104 108; 16 34 57 64
  3. Original controls: Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, Gain
  4. Manual
  5. Marshall website
  6. Wikipedia
  7. JVM forum
  8. Cliff: "IMO, the reason the JVM sounds good is the plate cap on the second-to-last triode. That smooths out the tone considerably. The second-to-last triode is associated with "Triode 1 Freq" in the advanced parameters. You can adjust this to simulate adding a cap to the plate. The other thing that helps the tone is the 220K plate resistor on the last triode. This shifts the bias point down vs. a "classic" Marshall. Unfortunately the bias points aren't exposed to the user" Source
  9. Firmware 10 release notes: "Note that the Red modes of this amp are simply boosted versions of the Orange modes and can be reproduced by engaging the Boost switch or increasing the Input Trim parameter"
  10. Demo

Brit Pre (Marshall JMP-1)

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  1. Based on: Marshall JMP-1 preamp, a rack-mount preamplifier version of the Brit 900. OD2 channel. Crunchy “ZZ” tone
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: n/a
  3. Original controls: Volume, Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence, Bass shift
  4. Manual
  5. Marshall website
  6. Wikipedia
  7. Cliff: "I actually used a Marshall tone stack for the model. The JMP-1 is a bit of an odd duck. It has a switchable, fixed tone stack equivalent to the knobs at noon followed by active tone controls. My advice is to simply play around with the tone stack. Try the "Vintage" tone stack as that will simulate switching out the fixed tone stack" Source

Brit Silver (Marshall Silver Jubilee)

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  1. Based on: Marshall Silver Jubilee (model 2555), 100w, slightly darker and higher gain than a JCM800
  2. Notes: see Brit 800
  3. Joe Bonamassa settings

Brit Super (Marshall AFD100)

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  1. Based on: Marshall AFD100 100w dual-mode head. This is a remake of the amp used by Slash (believed to be a modified 1959 Tremolo) when recording Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction album. The real AFD100 has two gain modes: AFD and #34 (based on a JCM800 2203 used by Slash). 6550 tubes. Speakers: V30 
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 41 43 44 47 48 51 53 59 62 63 65 60 70 71 72 104 108
  3. Original controls: Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence, Volume
  4. Manual
  5. Marshall website
  6. Wikipedia
  7. According to the manual Slash sets all controls at around 6 on his amp
  8. This is a very bright amp, turn down Presence
  9. Demo

Buttery (Budda Twinmaster)

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  1. Based (loosely) on: Budda Twinmaster, a late 90s specimen. Relies mostly on power amp distortion. Speakers: G12M, G12H
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 36 37 38 58 60 61 96 101 102 103; 16 34 57 64
  3. Original controls: Bass, Treble, Volume
  4. Manual
  5. Budda website
  6. Wikipedia
  7. Cliff talking about the Gen1 model: "I did the Buttery model by ear. I listened to some clips of Buddas (Matchbox 20, remember them?) and tweaked the model until I thought it sounded like one. Screwed around a little with the tube bias points until it had the right balance of harmonics and called it a day"
  8. Budda is now owned by Peavey

CA3+ Clean / Lead / Rhy (CAE 3+ SE)

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  1. Based on: CAE 3+ SE, a preamp designed by the great Bob Bradshaw. Three channels (clean, rhythm, lead)
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: n/a
  3. Original controls: Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Master, Bright switch, post EQ (punch/presence)
  4. Manual
  5. CAE website
  6. The clean channel is based on a blackface Fender preamp

Cali Leggy (Carvin Legacy VL100)

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  1. Based on: Carvin Legacy VL100 (Legacy 1), 100w, EL34. Speakers: V30
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 41 43 44 47 48 51 53 59 62 63 65 60 70 71 72 104 108
  3. Original controls (Lead channel): Presence, Treble (11kHz), Mid (650Hz), Bass (80Hz), Drive, Volume
  4. Manual
  5. Carvin website
  6. Cliff: "The thing that makes a Legacy unique is the tone stack. It uses a "James" tone stack which is more like hi-fi tone controls (Source)
  7. Audio demo

Cameron Ch 1 / Ch 2 (Cameron CCV-100)

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  1. Based on: Cameron CCV-100, what its creator Mark Cameron calls “one pissed off amp". Speakers: G12H
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 16 34 57 64
  3. Original controls ch 1: Punch, Presence, Bass, MIddle, Treble, Gain, Master, Voicing, Dark, Bright, Gain Style. Original controls ch 2: Bass, Middle, Treble, Gain 1, Gain 2, Bright, Master, Gain Style
  4. Cameron Ch 2 has Saturation engaged by default.
  5. It's a very bright amp, keep Presence low
  6. Demo

CarolAnn OD-2 (Carol-Ann OD-2r)

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  1. Based on: the celebrated Carol-Ann OD-2r. Model was fine-tuned by the highly respected Alan Phillips himself. Overdrive channel, 50W, EL34 or 6L6 tubes. Speakers: EVM 12L or Celestion Classic Lead 80
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 8 12 105 106
  3. Original controls: Master, Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence, Sparkle (clean and overdrive channel), Shift switch
  4. Manual
  5. Carol-Ann website
  6. Alan Phillips: "In the real world the OD2 is very very fussy on speaker choice too. The real world speakers of choice are EVM12L in a 1x12 rear ported and 2x12 with Celestion Classic Lead 80's. I found the 12L emulation did a pretty good job. Some of the others sounded so artificial with that model. Like a Rockman. Coupled with the right cab the emulated model does a good job of representing the basic tonal signature of the amp". And: "It's not a competitive model, it's a live demo of an OD2 as tweaked by me. Damn sight better than sound clips for auditioning to guys that haven't got the ability to get to a Dealer. Clearly it doesn't give you the full experience of the full amp, but is a good tonal taster. I repaired a Soldano SLO for him one day and when he came over my house to pick it up we just decided it would be a good idea to put a CA model in there. Having the actual builder involved kind of closes the loop fully. I'm happy to endorse that model because I put a lot of hours testing it and putting together a ton of technical information, fourier analysis graphs, frequency response graphs, schematics etc that would make validation of a mathematical model much easier. In reality even though the power amp and the preamp are modelled the pre-amp got the most effort. As I said in another thread, I tuned that by putting the axe in to the actual power amp of an OD2 and running that side by side with a full OD2. The final tweaks were made like that using parametric eq blocks that were hard coded in to the model. You could call that the icing on the cake and basically put the same level of tuning into the model as I do with a actual OD2. The only difference was I was using a GUI, not resistors and capacitors"
  7. Video demos

Citrus RV50 (Orange Rockerverb)

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  1. Based on: "dirty" channel of a 50W Orange Rockerverb head, known for warmth and rich harmonics. Speakers: V30
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 53; 41 43 44 47 48 51 59 62 63 65 60 70 71 72 104 108
  3. Original controls on dirty channel: Volume, Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass
  4. Manual
  5. Orange website
  6. Wikipedia
  7. Demo
  8. Demo

Class-A 15W TB (Vox AC-15 Top Boost)

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  1. Based on: Vox AC-15. The heart of this amp’s tone comes from its power section and no negative feedback. 15W, EL84 tubes. Speaker: Alnico Blue or G12M
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 7 11 13 15 20 24 25 28 55 83 93 94; 36 37 38 58 60 61 96 101 102 103
  3. Original controls: Volume, Cut, Bass, Treble
  4. Vox website
  5. Manual
  6. Wikipedia
  7. Wikipedia: "The "Top Boost" (or Brilliance) feature was Vox's optional addition of a circuit that introduced an extra gain stage and tone controls for bass and treble (as opposed to the single "tone" control of early AC30s)"
  8. This amp has no negative feedback (Damping is 0), therefore Presence turns into a Hi-Cut control
  9. Audio

Class-A 30W (Vox AC-30)

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  1. Based on: Vox AC-30, a combo that dominated the British Invasion. Gritty character, warm tone, great feel. 30W, EL84 tubes. Speakers: Alnico Blue or G12M
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 7 11 13 15 20 24 25 28 55 83 93 94; 36 37 38 58 60 61 96 101 102 103
  3. Original controls: Volume, Tone
  4. For authentic tone: leave the tone controls at noon and use Hi-Cut to cut treble
  5. Try with a Tonebender or Treble Booster
  6. Vox website
  7. Wikipedia
  8. This amp has no negative feedback (Damping is 0), therefore Presence turns into a Hi-Cut control

Class-A 30W TB (Vox AC-30 Top Boost)

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  1. Based on: Vox AC-30 TBX (Topboost), created in response to demand for "More treble". Great highs and slightly reduced bass. 30W, EL84 tubes. Speakers: Alnico Blue or G12M
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 7 11 13 15 20 24 25 28 55 83 93 94; 36 37 38 58 60 61 96 101 102 103
  3. Original controls: Volume, Cut, Bass, Treble
  4. Instead of turning up Drive, try boosting the input signal before the amp, for example with Tape Dist or FET Boost
  5. Vox website
  6. Manual
  7. Wikipedia
  8. Wikipedia: "The "Top Boost" (or Brilliance) feature was Vox's optional addition of a circuit that introduced an extra gain stage and tone controls for bass and treble (as opposed to the single "tone" control of early AC30s)". And: "Though widely believed to be a Class-A amplifier, the AC30 is in fact a class A push-pull amp with cathode bias. It utilizes a quartet of EL-84 output tubes. The high bias condition is believed by some to be the source of the amplifier's famous immediate response and "jangly" high-end, though the lack of negative feedback, minimal preamp circuit, simple low loss tone stack, and the use of cathode biasing on the output stage play at least as large a role, if not larger. It's the Celestion "Blue" speakers that are integral to the AC30, and also contribute much to the sound of the unit. The two 12" 15-watt speakers, often overdriven and at the brink of their power handling capability, provide a cutting mid-range speaker sound that is immediate and sharp and a distinction from the Marshall or Fender-style amplifier"
  9. This amp has no negative feedback (Damping is 0), therefore Presence turns into a Hi-Cut control
  10.  Cliff: "I intentionally limited the midrange notch since, IMO, it's a design flaw in that tone stack. But you can recover that behavior by setting the Mid control fully CCW" Source "Furthermore, modern AC30's don't have this flaw. They use a Fender-style tone stack with a fixed mid resistor" Source
  11. Audio
  12. Demo

Corncob M50 (Cornford MK50 II)

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  1. Based on: Cornford MK50 II, a boutique British amp. Plexi-meets-Modern tone with big cojones. 50w, 6L6. Speakers: 60w V30
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 41 43 44 47 48 51 53 59 62 63 65 60 70 71 72 104 108
  3. Original controls: Volume, Gain, Bass, Middle (500Hz), Treble, Volume, Presence, Resonance
  4. Manual (and suggested settings)
  5. Cornford website
  6. The Cornford model in the Standard/Ultra was a RK100
  7. Demo

Das Metall (Diezel VH4)

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  1. Based on: Diezel VH4, a high-gain, boutique amp famous for its powerful, heavy, aggressive sound. 4 channels, 6550 tubes (or EL34 or 6L6). Speakers: V30 or G12-K100
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 41 43 44 47 48 51 53 59 62 63 65 60 70 71 72 104 108; 54
  3. Original controls: Gain, Volume, Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence (4kHz), Deep (80Hz)
  4. Manual
  5. Diezel website
  6. Wikipedia
  7. The Das Metal model was done by schematic and/or by ear (Source). Other VH4 models are based on the real amps
  8. Demo

Deluxe Tweed (Fender Deluxe)

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  1. Based on a Fender Deluxe (5E3) from the 50's, tweed, 15 watts, two channels, two inputs. Speakers: Jensen P12R of Alnico Blue
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 14 81; 7 11 13 15 20 24 25 28 55 83 93 94; 5 6 19
  3. Original controls: Volume, Tone
  4. Increase Input Trim or use Boost for more gain (think Neil Young)
  5. Fender website
  6. Wikipedia
  7. Release notes firmware 8: "Note that this amp only has a single tone control. This is modeled by the Treble control in the Axe-Fx II. The Bass and Mid controls are functional and recreate the amp when set to noon. Also note that this amp suffers from extreme blocking distortion at or near maximum gain. This is common in very old designs. As it is virtually unplayable like this, the model uses a somewhat reduced level of grid conduction to lower the amount of blocking distortion and make the amp more playable at high Drive settings"
  8. Cliff: "I had to make some decisions on the model and what you have is based on what I felt offered the best starting point. You have the tools in the model to mold it to your preference. Add some bright cap, increase the input trim, etc. to achieve your own personal sonic goals. Hit the boost switch or increase input trim to simulate jumping the inputs" Source
  9. Fenderguru.com: "The Blackface Deluxe Amp is often misinterpreted as a Deluxe Reverb without reverb. It might seem so if you take a look at the front panel and the knob functions. But a closer study of the circuit design will reveal that the Deluxe Reverb vibrato channel has the extra gain stage (one half of the 12AX7 V4 tube) common for the Fender reverb amps. The wet reverb signal is mixed together with the dry signal which has gone through the 3.3MOhm resistor, therefore needing a gain boost before entering the phase inverter. This means one less tube in the Deluxe Amp in the preamp section that will contribute to sustaining harmonics, compression and sag. The Deluxe-Amp is therefore cleaner when played high on the volume knob. Still, the clean sound of these amps sound fairly similar goven a common EQ circuitry, phase inverter and power amp section. When the volume is pushed beyond 4-5 where the amps will differ in tone. The Deluxe will remain relatively clean, while the Deluxe Reverb breaks up in a typical blackface manner. Being a middle size Fender blackface amp the Deluxe has not been modified and experimented with so widely as other Fender amps. It’s power, clean headroom, physical size and tonal characteristics have matched the expectations of more players than any other tube or transistor guitar amp of any brand on this planet. It is said that the Deluxe Reverb is the nr 1 most used amp in recording studios. We can understand why. It is powerful enough to cut through in a band with a drummer and reaches the sweet spot at a reasonable volume. It has the typical blackface 60′s sparkling, scooped clean sound as it’s bigger brothers, just with more smooth breakup, sag and compression. The smaller brother Princeton Reverb is rolling off more top frequencies and breaks up earlier with more warmth producing a brownface type of tone. It can not really cut through with Albert Collins’ icy licks like the Deluxe"
  10. Cliff: "Remember that all the models use the "High" input (Input '1' on Fenders). If you want to mimic the "Low" input lower Input Trim" Source

Deluxe Verb (Fender Deluxe Reverb)

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  1. Based on: '65 blackface Fender Deluxe Reverb, great, chimey tone with nice power amp breakup when you push the Master. AB763 circuit, 22W, two inputs, two channels. Speaker: 1x12 (Jensen C12Q, EVM 12L, JBL D120) or 2x10 (Jensen C10N, C10Q, P10R)
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 3 5 6; 8 12 105 106; 21 22; 80 81
  3. Original controls: Volume, Bass, Treble, Reverb, tremolo controls
  4. Fender website: "The 22-watt ’65 Deluxe Reverb amp is for rock, country or blues players who want a moderately powered amp they can crank up at the gig or in the studio. The full, snappy guitar tones heard on many famous recordings from Memphis to Abbey Road were made using the Deluxe amp. Features include dual 6V6 Groove Tubes output tubes, one 5AR4 rectifier tube, four 12AX7 preamp tubes, two 12AT7 tubes, one 12” 8-ohm Jensen C-12K speaker, dual channels (normal and vibrato), tube-driven Fender reverb, tube vibrato, two-button footswitch for reverb and vibrato on-off, black textured vinyl covering and silver grille cloth"
  5. Wikipedia
  6. Fenderguru.com: "The Deluxe Reverb 1×12″ has for decades been one of the most popular amps among all Fender amps, and its popularity is still growing as the demand for low wattage tube amps increases. The combination of size, weight and performance makes the Deluxe Reverb a true road warrior on gigs and practise. Since the year 2002 we have observed, by monitoring the amp market on US ebay, that low wattage amps have increased dramatically in popularity. Nowadays (2012) you can score a big 6L6 vintage Fender amp for the same price as a Deluxe Reverb or Princeton Reverb. We find it irrational. The PA was invented long time before that and guitar tones containing fuzz and distortion have been around since the sixties-seventies. Why has the desire for low wattage amps with 20-25 watts of tube power come up so late? Both the Deluxe Reverb (DR) and Princeton Reverb (PR) “survived” the CBS silverface periods with minor changes. Many people consider the silverface amps just as sonically good as the blackface models. Being almost a blackface amp with a new faceplate (wrong for collectors), the silverface models became popular value-for-the-money amps. Collectors hunt the blackface models and players hunt the silverface for it’s quality and price. The push/pull volume boost was installed in 1977 by CBS. The circuit was then significantly different from the blackface circuit. Hence, the price for this amp is lower than it’s predecessors. The DR is a small/medium-sized amp with an ability to deliver both sparkling clean tones and low wattage breakup at 22W with 6V6 tubes and relatively small transformers (power and output). It has found its way in to more recording studios, clubs and bars than any other Fender amp. It has met many players’ expectations. It is just powerful enough to cut through in practise in a band with a drummer and, unlike some bigger amps, it will reach its sweet spot at a reasonable volume. It has the typical blackface 60′s sparkle with a scooped clean sound just like the bigger Fender brothers, just with more smooth breakup, sag and compression. The smaller brother Princeton Reverb is rolling off more top frequencies and breaks up earlier with more warmth producing a brownface type of tone. It will not cut through the mix as easily as the stingin tone of the Deluxe Reverb"
  7. Cliff: "Remember that all the models use the "High" input (Input '1' on Fenders). If you want to mimic the "Low" input lower Input Trim" Source

Dirty Shirley (Friedman Dirty Shirley)

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  1. Based on: Dirty Shirley amp by Dave Friedman of Rack Systems, 6L6 40w single channel classic rock amp (based on a JTM-45). Speakers: G12M, G12H
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 36 37 38 58 60 61 96 101 102 103; 16 34 57 64
  3. Original controls: Gain, Master, Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence
  4. Website: "Designed to to be a Fat sounding Classic Rock Amp"
  5. Demo

Division13 CJ (Divided by 13 CJ11)

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  1. Based on: Divided by 13 CJ11, which is based on a 1959 tweed Fender amp made in Fullerton, 11w, single channel. Speakers: G12M
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 84 (or another G12M)
  3. Original controls: Volume, Treble, Bass, Master
  4. Divided by 13 website: "When asked, by Corky James, amongest others, "Can you take my favorite 1959 tweed amp from Fullerton and instead of the controls being Volume Tone make it Volume Treble Bass, give it more clean headroom, a wider range of usable overdrive (throw in a little EL 34), make it a little louder with fuller, tighter low end, and put a master volume in it so i can play at all levels and dial in and hit the sweet spot of whatever speaker i am using at the time, mostly a G12M Celestion"
  5. Cliff: "It is a bassy amp. Works best with single coils" Source
  6. Cliff: "That's what a CJ11 sounds like. You increase the LOW CUT FREQ to reduce the fuzziness on bass notes but then it won't sound like the real thing." Source
  7. Demo

Dizzy V4 2 / 3 / 4 (Diezel VH4)

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  1. Based on: Diezel VH4, a high-gain, boutique amp famous for its powerful, heavy, aggressive sound. 4 channels, 6550 tubes (or EL34 or 6L6). Speakers: V30 or G12K100
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 41 43 44 47 48 51 53 59 62 63 65 60 70 71 72 104 108; 54
  3. Original controls: Gain, Volume, Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence (4kHz), Deep (80Hz)
  4. Manual
  5. Diezel website
  6. Wikipedia
  7. This one is matched to a real VH4 Source
  8. Demo

Double Verb (Fender Twin Reverb)

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  1. Based on: Fender Twin Reverb. Known for amazing clean sounds and nice breakup. The Twin Reverb is considered a standard model for players seeking a clean sound. '66 blackface, AB763 circuit, two inputs, two channels, 100W. Speakers: 2x12 (Jensen C12N, JBL D120, EVM-12L)
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 21 22; 8 12 105 106; 6 19; 91
  3. Original controls: Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, Bright switch, Reverb
  4. Fender website: "This amp has seen action in every imaginable venue and remains indispensable to this day. Be it rock, jazz, country or anything else, this is what a clean electric guitar sounds like - or add an upside-down Stratocaster guitar and a fuzz box ... The 85-watt (at 4 ohms) reissue ’65 Twin Reverb features four 6L6 Groove Tubes® output tubes, four 12AX7 preamp tubes, two 12AT7 preamp tubes, two 12” 8-ohm Jensen C-12K speakers, dual channels (normal and vibrato), Fender reverb, vibrato, two-button reverb and vibrato on-off footswitch, tilt-back legs, black textured vinyl covering and silver grille cloth"
  5. Wikipedia
  6. Fenderguru.com: "If an alien came to earth and wanted to hear an American guitar sound, I’d play him my Twin with a set of Jensens. This was stated by a happy Twin Reverb owner on Harmonycentral.com. It could have been our own words. The Twin Reverb is the king of Fender blackface amps. Having two pairs of 6L6, the popular and traditional two-channel AB763 circuit design, a diode rectifier and enormous transformers (power & output), it offers tons of clean headroom and volume for unmiked gigs and really big stages. Where the other Fender amps break up at around 4 on the volume knob, the Twin stays clean up to almost 6 and will hold up against heavy drummers and bass players with clean notes sharp as a knife edge. This is exactly what the amp is made for, being played unmiked in in a gospel band in a 300-seat church every Sunday. It is designed not break up like the other Fender amps. You need to have your expectations set correctly to be able to appreciate the evil Twin. Warning nr 1) Weight. The big transformers and speakers makes this amp weigh around 40kgs, a burden too big for many gigging players who cannot (yet) afford a crew of roadies. Warning nr 2) Volume and clean headroom. If you want tube amp breakup and smoking tones with no pedals you will experience many fights with your band mates and club owners. Just as the other Fender amps the Twin needs to operate in its sweet spot up to sound sweet. After carrying a Twin Reverb on to the stage, the least you should deserve is to crank the bastard. Sadly, we are seldom offered the opportunity to turn the volume above 3 on a Twin Reverb. Instead we have played many nights with a thin and unpleasant tone, even worse with a sparkling, clean sounding strat. If you are one of these players, you should find some mods on this page interesting. With just a few simple tricks you can make your Twin break up earlier like the more versatile Pro Reverb 2×12 and Deluxe Reverb 1×12"
  7. Cliff: "After CBS bought Fender the new engineers set out to "fix" those lousy designs with all that nasty distortion. The first of these amps were late '68 or early '69 IIRC. They increased the negative feedback, changed bias points, added MV, etc. The new designs were much cleaner and much less desirable IMO. Blackface Fenders from the mid '60s are the most desirable because they have that nice breakup. Silverface Fenders are not particularly prized and are often modded to turn them into Blackface circuits" Source
  8. Cliff: "Remember that all the models use the "High" input (Input '1' on Fenders). If you want to mimic the "Low" input lower Input Trim" Source
  9. Cliff: "The model in firmware 10 is based on a '66 Twin Reverb that was tuned up by Andy Fuchs"

Energyball (Engl Powerball)

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  1. Based on: Engl Powerball, a very high-gain German model. Lots of bass. Great for aggressive, drop-tuned riff work. Lead channel, 100W, 6L6 tubes. Speakers: V30 or custom V60
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 41 43 44 47 48 51 53 59 62 63 65 60 70 71 72 104 108
  3. Original controls: Gain, Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence, Depth, Bottom, Open/Focused mode
  4. Manual
  5. Engl website
  6. Wikipedia

Euro Blue / Red (Bogner Ecstasy 20th Anniversary)

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  1. Based on: Bogner Ecstasy, 20th Anniversary model. Blue: Blue channel with Boost/Structure OFF. Red: Red channel with Boost/Structure ON. Speakers: V30 
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 41 43 44 47 48 51 53 59 62 63 65 60 70 71 72 104 108
  3. Original controls: Gain, Master, Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence, Bright switches, Structure switch, Old/New Style switch, Excursion switch, Gain switch, Plexi Mode
  4. Manual
  5. Bogner website: "20th Anniversary Ecstasy: we consider this model to be the new "Flagship" in the Ecstasy line with the most organic and open sound yet. Available as an option to the base model the 20th Anniversary has a plexi panel with gold background and is housed in a slightly larger head shell for an iconic and classic vintage vibe. To further celebrate our 20 year anniversary this series is offered in white tolex with a classic salt & pepper grill at no additional up charge which applies to the cabinet as well if ordered together with a head. All other color and grill options are available for the usual up charge, however the Metal Grill option is not available. The 20th Anniversary is our finest evolution of the Ecstasy line that started with the 100B, then 101B, and Classic Options. However, the 20th Anniversary model features it's own unique circuit and many refinements never before seen. In the past few years many new boutique capacitors have come on the market such as the Sozo brand which focus on replicating the vintage toneful capacitors from the 60's. These new capacitors are very expensive and mostly hand made in their construction so we were intrigued to hear how they sounded. We purchased all the available brands and meticulously went trough the entire audio signal chain of our Ecstasy circuit incorporating these vintage style capacitors into the design"
  6. Wikipedia
  7. It's a dark amp, turn up Presence (or use Bright)
  8. The Bright switch will not only brighten the tone but also adds gain. Its impact decreases as Drive is turned up
  9. Check this site for video demos of the Bogner Ecstasy Blue and Red and pedals. These explain the amp controls clearly (same as the pedal equivalents)

Euro Uber (Bogner Uberschall)

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  1. Based on: Bogner Uberschall, the "High Gain" channel of this 120W head. Heavy grinding lows and insane gain. EL34 tubes. Speakers: V30 plus G12T75 (Uberkab)
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 50 51 52
  3. Original controls: Gain, Master, Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence
  4. Manual
  5. Bogner website: "Uberschall is the German word for Super Sonic and we designed this amp primarily for extreme, heavy and aggressive styles of music. Detuned or baritone guitars crave this amp. Also, be sure to check out the matching Uberkab 4x12 speaker cabinet below. Two versions are available, the UBERSCHALL with it's traditional clean and super high gain channels and the TWIN JET with a semi clean to hot rod gain and super high gain channel configuration. While the super high gain channels are identical there is more flexibility and control on the TWIN JET as well as a additional controls for the power amp section. We unleash mayhem with the super aggressive high gain channel with gain, bass, middle, treble, volume and presence controls. You think you've heard BASS before, no way, the UBERSCHALL can crush on demand. Even with extreme gain and volume this channel stays massively focused and resists mushing out from the heaviest right-hand attack. Power comes from a throaty EL34 output section. Go ahead, try and hide from the UBERSCHALL it will seek you out, relentlessly, while you sleep, in this life and the next... But all will soon embrace the UBERSCHALL and we will wonder how anyone tried to play standard tuning, 7-string or drop tuned guitar without it. Our UBERKAB is perfectly matched for the thunderous UBERSCHALL. This 4x12" straight front speaker cabinet features a black front speaker grill with silver piping and a combination of front loaded Celestion Vintage 30's and G12T75's wired at 16 ohms. This combination unleashes the aggressiveness of the UBERSCHALL amp, plus helps to maximize the low end and give great cutting power to the mids and highs. Our standard Bogner 4x12" cabinet, with Vintage 30's, also sounds great with the UBERSCHALL"
  6. Wikipedia
  7. Bogner: "One of the most unique items is our "Presence" control. It's an amazing combination of a midrange-presence control. As you sweep through its range you will notice an incredible variety of tones this one control allows. For an extremely aggressive sub-harmonic bass and scooped-midrange sound, keep the presence off or very low. A huge 3-dimensional tone can be found by running the presence around 2 o'clock. Pushing the "Presence" control to maximum will allow you to cut a sonic path through the mix by reinforcing your midrange and slightly rolling off the sub-bass. Trust us: REALLY check out the presence control to unleash the hidden secrets of the UBERSCHALL. The "Midrange" control is very interactive with all the other tone controls, you can go from a hollow scooped-mid setting to an aggressive in your face and on your throat kind of intensity. The "Bass" control allows almost a sub-harmonic low-end to be added, at high volumes be sure to keep the bass down a bit to keep your tone focused like a laser beam"
  8. Check this site for a video demos of the Bogner Uberschall pedal. It explains the amp controls clearly (same as the pedal equivalent)

FAS 6160 (Peavey 5150)

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  1. Custom Fractal model. Based on: Peavey EVH 5150. It's an alternative version of PVH 6160 model, more open and less fizzy than the original amp. Also, a virtual choke has replaced the resistor found on the original’s power supply filter. This results in a bouncier feel

FAS Brown

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  1. Custom Fractal model. The original BROWN model from the Axe-Fx Standard/Ultra

FAS Crunch

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  1. Custom Fractal model. Firmware 9: "Our take on the ultimate British-sounding amp. More dynamic and open than a Plexi, but with more gain"

FAS Lead 1

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  1. Custom Fractal model. Neutral high-gain lead with a tight midrange. Presumedly based on the Mesa Boogie Triaxis

FAS Lead 2

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  1. Custom Fractal model. Hot-rodded British lead sound with a tonestack by the one and only Bob Bradshaw. Presumedly based on the Mesa Boogie Triaxis

FAS Modern

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  1. Custom Fractal model. A high-gain hybrid. Equally well-suited to modern rhythm and lead work
  2. Cliff: "This model is my interpretation of the ideal modern metal tone. In the digital realm we are not constrained by the limitations that face tube amp designers so we are free to implement designs that would be nearly impossible with a tube amp. The Axe-Fx II modeling includes a variety of general purpose filters that I can place anywhere in the signal path. So I put some second-order filters in there to tighten up the tone. Implementing second-order filters in a real tube amp is difficult and costly so is rarely seen" Source

FAS Rhythm

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  1. Custom Fractal model. Combines the best features of the British and USA crunch models

FAS Wreck

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  1. Custom Fractal model. The original WRECKER 1 model from the Axe-Fx Ultra

Fox ODS I / II (Fuchs Overdrive Supreme)

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  1. Based on: Fuchs Overdrive Supreme, Overdrive channel, 50w, 6L6 tubes. I: Mid switch On. II: Mid switch off. Speakers: G12-65 or EVM 12L
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 29 56; 8 12 105 106
  3. Original controls (Overdrive channel): High (pull: mid boost), Mid (pull: gain boost), Low, Bright, Deep. Plus: OD-in, OD-out, Master, Accent (presence/edge) 
  4. Fuchs website
  5. Demo
  6. Firmware 10 release notes: "Added “FOX ODS II” model. This model is the same as the FOX ODS I model but with the “MID” switch off"

Friedman BE / HBE (Friedman Brown Eye / Hairy Brown Eye)

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  1. Based on: Friedman amp by Dave Friedman of Rack Systems. BE: Brown Eye, what many call “the ultimate modded Plexi”. HBE: Hairy Brown Eye, the BE amp’s alternate voicing with a gain boost. A killer hi-gain tone in your arsenal. EL34, 50 or 100W. Speakers: G12M, G12H, V30
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 36 37 38 58 60 61 96 101 102 103; 16 34 57 64; 41 43 44 47 48 51 53 59 62 63 65 60 70 71 72 104 108
  3. Original controls: Gain, Master, Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence
  4. Website
  5. Demo
  6. Demo
  7. Friedman BE/HBE was previously named "Marsha"
  8. From a Premier Guitar review: "With all the versatility and power it offers, what really sets it apart is its Presence control. The knob doesn’t simply boost highs and add shimmer, it adds more girth, dimension, gain, and perceptible volume. Taming the Brown Eye’s high-gain settings only required lowering the Presence knob, which softened the high-end response and eased off the screaming gain a bit" Source

Fryette D60 L / M (Fryette Deliverance 60)

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  1. Based on: Fryette Amplification Deliverance 60 in the "Less" resp. "More" mode. 60W, KT88 or 6550 tubes. Speakers: Eminence P50E 
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: ?
  3. Original controls: Gain, Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence, Depth, More/Less switch
  4. Manual
  5. Fryette website
  6. Wikipedia
  7. Fryette was previously named VHT
  8. Audio demo on this page

Gibtone Scout (Gibson Scout)

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  1. Based on: Gibson GA17RVT Scout (1964), 17w, two inputs. Speaker: 1x10
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 3 4
  3. Original controls: Reverb, Tremolo, Volume, no tone controls

Herbie CH2+ / CH2- / CH3 (Diezel Herbert)

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  1. Based on: Diezel Herbert, 3-channel head (ch 2 with +/- modes), 180w. Speakers: V30 or G12K100
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 41 43 44 47 48 51 53 59 62 63 65 60 70 71 72 104 108; 54
  3. Original controls: Gain, Bass, Mid, Treble, Master, Presence (> 3kHz), Deep (120Hz), Mid-Cut
  4. On the original amp channel 2- with gain at around 35% gives you a cranked Plexi tone, and at around 60% JCM800 tone. Channel 2+ gets you into VH4 territory
  5. Manual
  6. Diezel website: "It's main difference from the VH4 models are in voicing, circuit design, and general layout. Overall the Herbert has a more familiar, slightly looser feel than the VH4, without losing much of the Diezel signature definition and tightness. Simply put, the amp is a player's amp, forgiving and ready for whatever one's soul and mood desires"
  7. Wikipedia
  8. Demos on this page

HiPower Brillnt / Normal (Hiwatt DR103)

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  1. Based on: Hiwatt DR103, medium-gain, full sound amp with an unique tone-stack and a chimey, grinding tone. Normal: normal channel. Brillnt: brighter model based on the amp’s "Brilliant" channel. 100w. Speakers: 4x12 Fane
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 42
  3. Original controls: Volume, Master, Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence
  4. Hiwatt website
  5. Wikipedia
  6. Cliff: "I have a 1974 Hiwatt DR-103. The model is based on that. It is one of the Harry Joyce, Hylight era models. Still has the original tubes. Closet find and sounds glorious"
  7. Hiwatt DR103 review
  8. Need more gain? Increase Master Volume Trim

Hot Kitty (Bad Cat Hot Cat 30r)

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  1. Based on: Bad Cat Hot Cat 30r (channel 2), 30w, EL34, cathode bias. Speaker: Bad Cat proprietary Celestion
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 85
  3. Original controls: Gain/Level, Bass, Middle, Treble, Cut, Master
  4. Bad Cat website: "Hot Cat 30 and 30R are both built into the same 17", 16-gauge steel chassis. If Bad Cat has a flagship, this is it. We started with one of the nicest most touch responsive clean channel ever designed and added our 5-way tone selector, enabling the ability to tailor the amp to bright single coils or thick warm double coils. We've added a master volume that can be engaged and utilized to drive channel one into all shades from clean to soft pushed overdrive and beyond. The little secret that loyal users of the Hot Cat have known for years is that the clean channel crunches like the sounds found on vintage 70's vinyl. Channel two is a pure Class A EL34 high gain. The same sweet harmonically rich gain only now with an added mid-range knob to help you dial into a rich scooped thump.
  5. Manual
  6. Demos

Jazz 120 (Roland JC-120)

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  1. Based on: Roland JC-120, the only solid-state-based model in the collection; a quintessential clean tone. 120W (stereo: 2x 60W). Speakers: 2x12 "silver" Roland
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 27
  3. Original controls: Volume, Bass, Mid, Treble, chorus and reverb controls
  4. Manual
  5. Roland website including video demo
  6. Wikipedia

JR Blues (Fender Blues Junior)

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  1. Based on: Fender Blues Jr., a gutsy little classic with dual EL84s, 15W. Speaker: C12N or P12R
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 79
  3. Original controls: Bass, Middle, Treble, Gain, Volume, FAT boost
  4. Fender website: "The 15-watt Blues Junior has long been a favorite grab-and-go tube amp perfect for the studio and small gigs that need a little extra growl and punch. This limited-edition model is covered in two-tone red and black vinyl, with black grille cloth and a top-mount black control panel with front-reading text. Other premium features include warm overdrive, real spring reverb, simple controls and a single 12" Eminence Wizard™ speaker that delivers gorgeous clean tone and warm, full British overdrive"
  5. Wikipedia: "The Blues Junior is a professional tube guitar amplifier introduced in 1995 by the Fender company. It is aimed at achieving the warm, tube-driven tone common in many styles of American blues and blues rock dating back to the 1950s, while remaining both portable and affordable. Fender frequently releases limited editions of the Blues Junior. All have the same electronic components [1] and specifications but have cosmetic changes and often a different speaker, at varying prices. The Fender Blues Junior is most similar to the Fender Blues Deluxe, which adds a "drive" channel, an effects loop, and uses 6L6GC output tubes for 40 watts of rated output.[2] The Fender Blues Junior was introduced after the Fender Pro Junior, but has entirely different circuitry other than EL84 output tubes rated at 15 watts"
  6. Use the JR Blues model with no Damping (no negative feedback) to get the tone of an Egnater Rebel 20. Cliff: "The Eggie is very similar to a Blues Jr. Basically the same preamp with some minor tweaks" Source

MR Z 38 Sr (Dr. Z MAZ 38 SR)

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  1. Based on: Dr. Z MAZ 38 SR, an amp popular with country and roots players. EL84 tubes, 38W. Speakers: Alnico Blue plus G12H
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 7 11 13 15 20 24 25 28 55 83 93 94; 16 34 57 64
  3. Original controls: Volume, Master, Bass, Middle, Treble, Cut, Reverb
  4. Manual
  5. Dr. Z website: "The Maz 38 is one of Dr Z's most enduring designs. It is the perfect combination of sound and power. 4 EL84s with no negative feedback give you a wide pallet to work from. The 38 has enough clean headroom to make for a great pedal platform and gives up the goods for a great drive sound at reasonable levels. The 38 can satisfy many different styles and playing approaches. You are able to dial in mid 60s blackface sounds as well as UK flavored chime. The Dr. Z MAZ-38 is a truly versatile amp for the working or studio musician. Whether your forte' is Blues, Country, Roots, or Rock, The MAZ 38 Senior will fit the bill.
  6. Wikipedia
  7. YouTube
  8. YouTube
  9. Cliff: "It's a low output amp. Turn up the Master"
  10. This amp has no negative feedback (Damping = 0), therefore Presence turns into a Hi-Cut control

Nuclear-Tone (Swart Atomic Space Tone)

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  1. Based on: Swart Atomic Space Tone, 20w, 6V6. Speaker: G12M
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 84
  3. Original controls: Volume, Tone (and reverb and tremolo controls)
  4. Swart website: "This amplifier has 20w of twin 6V6 power in high Class A biased AB and brings some of the most soulful, rich, near three-dimensional tone you have ever heard. This has to be one of the most expressive amplifiers made to our knowledge, and we've tried more than a few. TUBE REVERB and TUBE TREMOLO, something virtually nonexistent in today's marketplace, is just part of the picture. Includes a 12" Custom British Vintage Series BV-25m that screams TONE with body and soul; This amp has excellent breakup (wait till you hear the samples). This all new circuit is housed in a lacquered TWEED pine cab with dark Tweed panels. This amp is in its own league." And: "The idea of the Atomic Space Tone hit me when I was working on a vintage Gibson Scout guitar amp. It had Reverb, Tremolo, and 15 watts of pure rocking vintage tone power but only three preamp tubes and two EL-84 output tubes. I thought to my self - I have never seen an amp that could do so much with so little and sound surprisingly good. But I knew it could be even better. I knew something could be built revolving around my favorite little tone generator, the 6V6. I sent a note of thanks to my cohort for the inspiration for one of the best amplifiers I have ever built and the only thing I have found to equal the soul and amazing tone of the ST-6V6se but with MORE power"
  5. Firmware 10 release notes: "Based on a Swart Atomic Space Tone. As with the actual amp the bias tremolo is particularly effective"
  6. Manual
  7. Clips

ODS-100 Clean / Lead (Dumble OD Special)

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  1. Based on: Dumble OD Special, a coveted but rare amp made famous by Robben Ford. Clean: clean channel. Lead: OD channel. Speakers: G12-65, EVM 12L
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 29 56; 8 12 105 106
  3. Original controls: Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, Master, Presence
  4. Wikipedia
  5. Previous to firmware 10 the ODS models were based on the Bludotone Ojai. Scottl on The Gear Page: "The Ojai is an exact copy of Dumble #102. Robbens tan Dumble. It also requires the Dumbleator and specific capacitance cables to run to and from the Dumbleator (about 180-200pf per cable). This due to the large bright cap on the amp master. All controls are marked in silver sharpie for the exact settings of Robbens tone. The pot tapers are all 30% audio taper, except the treble control, presence, and the OD in/outs which are linear. Robben sets his mids at about 70K from ground. All my clips are recorded with the amp set both on the outside, and the trimmer on the inside, to be as close as possible to the Robben OD tone. One super important element is the correct setting of the internal gain trimmer that sets the amount of attenuation between V1 and V2. It should be between 25K and 26K to ground" Source
  6. Firmware 10 release notes: "The ODS-100 models were redone and matched to a Dumble Overdrive Special, S/N 0213. This particular amp is a 100W “HRM” version. The lead channel was matched with the preamp bypass (PAB) engaged which bypasses the input tone stack. The lead channel was also modeled with the Drive control at approximately 7.0. The Input Trim parameter can be used to increase or decrease the drive. Note that the clean channel has a bright cap on the Master Volume. This causes the tone to get brighter as the MV is reduced and vice-versa"
  7. As noted in the release notes, use Input Trim to add gain to the Lead channel
  8. Cliff: "The ODS100 has two drive controls, one is right at the input, the other is in the lead boost section. Since the Axe-Fx only has a single Drive control, the model has to assume one of them was set at a certain position" Source

Plexi Normal / Treble (Marshall 1959 Super Lead)

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  1. Based on: Marshall Super Lead Plexiglas 1959, the classic amp head that gave rise to “the stack”. Great for crunchy rhythm work. Normal": normal channel. Treble: “High Treble” channel. 100w. Speakers: G12M, G12H, G12L
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 36 37 38 58 60 61 96 101 102 103; 16 34 57 64; 35
  3. Original controls: Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence
  4. Marshall website
  5. Manual
  6. Wikipedia
  7. Cliff: "The Plexi Normal has no treble peaker that's why it's bassy" Source
  8. Cliff (about the Plexi model in the Standard/Ultra): "One of the first mods people make to real 'Plexi' Marshalls is to "clip the bright cap". The bright cap varied over the years, supposedly depending on what was lying around in the shop. The model defaults to the bright cap in the circuit. If you turn off Bright you're effectively clipping the bright cap. The bright cap in Marshalls can be very bright and harsh. However, if you crank the Master you might find the extra brightness helps compensate for the power amp getting darker"
  9. Cliff (about the fizzyness of the Plexi model): "It's the way a Plexi is supposed to sound. That's due to the cathode follower. That raspiness helps it cut through in a mix. I own three of them and they are that fizzy" Source
  10. Cliff: "Don't be afraid to turn the bass all the way down or the treble all the way up. Just like with the actual amp. For example, on the normal channel of a Plexi most people turn the bass way down. Otherwise it's too flubby" Source

Prince Tone (Fender Princeton)

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  1. Based on: Fender Princeton, 5F2-A circuit, a single-ended amp. 5W, Class A. Speakers: Jensen C10N
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 3 77 78
  3. Original controls: Volume, Tone (treble)
  4. Fender website
  5. Wikipedia
  6. Fenderguru.com: "The Princeton Amp is often misinterpreted as a Princeton Reverb without reverb. Just by looking at the front panel and the knob functions it might seem so. A closer study of the circuit design will reveal that the Princeton Reverb has an extra gain stage (one half of the 12AX7 V3 tube) just after the dry and the wet reverb signals are mixed. This means that there is one extra tube stage that can cause preamp gain and contribute to the tone with sustaining harmonics, compression and sag. Hence, the Princeton-Amp is cleaner than the Princeton-Reverb when the volume is pushed beyond 3-4. The volume knob is less sensitive on the Princeton Amp, and you can play them on volume 7-8 still sounding clean"
  7. Cliff: "Remember that all the models use the "High" input (Input '1' on Fenders). If you want to mimic the "Low" input lower Input Trim" Source

Prince Tone 2 (Fender Princeton)

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  1. Another model based on the Fender Princeton, model AA964. This is modeled after an early CBS “Silverface” model, with AA964 circuit, pre-CBS design and components, two inputs, single channel
  2. Notes: see Prince Tone

PVH 6160 Block (Peavey EVH 5150)

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  1. Based on: Peavey EVH 5150 "block", the high-input lead channel of an amp named after the criminally insane. Hi input, 6L6, 120W. Speakers: Sheffield 1200
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 49 107
  3. Original controls: pre- and post-Gain, Volume, Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence, Resonance
  4. Wikipedia
  5. Information about the 5150 amp
  6. Firmware 10 release notes: "Based on “Block Letter” EVH 5150. This model has been renamed “PVH 6160 Block”

PVH 6160 II (Peavey 6505+)

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  1. Based on: Peavey 6505+ (identical to the EVH II), 6L6, 120w. Speaker: Sheffield 1200
  2. Original controls: Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence, Resonace, Gain, Master
  3. Peavey website
  4. Manual

Recto Orange / Red, Vintage / Modern (Mesa Dual Rectifier)

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  1. Based on: late (3-channel) model of Mesa Boogie's Dual Rectifier, a high-gain masterpiece with crushing power and tighness. Orange and Red channels, Vintage and Modern modes. Speakers: V30
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 41 43 44 47 48 51 53 59 62 63 65 60 70 71 72 104 108
  3. Original controls: Gain, Master, Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence/HiCut
  4. Manual
  5. Mesa website
  6. Wikipedia
  7. Cliff: "Real Rectos are bassy/fizzy beasts but that tone works great for certain genres" Source
  8. Firmware 10 release notes: "All Recto models have been reworked. Note that the Orange Modern and Red Modern models have no negative feedback and therefore the Presence control is a Hi Cut control. The operation of this control is reversed as compared to the actual amp. If the amp’s Presence control is fully clockwise the corresponding setting of the model’s Hi Cut control is fully ccw. Also note that the model’s Hi Cut control has about twice the range of the actual amp so fully ccw on the amp is equal to about noon on the model. As noted in the paragraph on MIMIC, the Modern modes are highly sensitive to MV setting. Higher MV settings result in more midrange focus while lower MV settings produce a more scooped tone. It is recommended to experiment with the MV setting to achieve the desired tone while compensating for the level increase/decrease with the Level control"
  9. Demo

Shiver Clean / Lead (Bogner Shiva 20th Anniversary)

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  1. Based on: Bogner Shiva Clean, 20th Anniversary model, 90w. Clean: powerful shimmering cleans. Lead: a sweet, rich-sounding amp with aggressive, English-style midrange punch. KT88 tubes. Speakers: V30
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 41 43 44 47 48 51 53 59 62 63 65 60 70 71 72 104 108
  3. Original controls for Clean channel: Bass, Treble, Volume, Master, Presence, Bright switch (less to none effective the higher Drive is set). Original controls for Lead channel: Bass, Middle, Treble, Volume, Master, Presence, Bright switch (less effective the higher Drive is set but still noticeable). Boost, Mode and Shift controls on the original amp are not modeled
  4. Manual
  5. Bogner website
  6. Audio demos
  7. Wikipedia
  8. It's a dark amp, try turning up Presence or use Bright

Solo 100 Clean / Lead / Rhy (Soldano SLO-100)

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  1. Based on: Soldano SLO-100 (Super Lead Overdrive), noted for its hot-rod chrome chassis and aggressive rhythm tone. Normal (Clean / Crunch) and Lead channels 100W. Speakers: 12" Eminence 
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 45 46
  3. Original controls: Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Master, Presence, Bright switch (Normal channel)
  4. Soldano website: "While setting that standard (we’ve been told) we created a modern classic. Unchanged in over twenty years, the SLO’s remarkable sound, award-winning innovative design, and flawless construction make it simply the finest amplifier money can buy. And the SLO’s tone, construction, and reliability have made it the heart and soul of many of Rock, Metal, and Electric Blues’ most creative and celebrated players. It’s because of this that you’ve been hearing the SLO 100 on your favorite records since 1987. From Clapton to Van Halen, from Warren DeMartini to Lou Reed – and from you to Mike Soldano himself, the SLO is simply the player’s choice. The SLO-100 offers two channels, Normal and Overdrive, each with independent Preamp gain and Master Volume controls. The Normal channel has a Bright switch and a Clean / Crunch gain selector switch. Bass, Middle, Treble, and Presence controls provide the tone shaping"
  5. Wikipedia
  6. Cliff: "The SLO-100 is the loudest amp I've ever used. It feels like there's a small nuclear explosion going off inside when ever you hit a power chord. It's a wicked amp but not something I would recommend for anything but large gigs. If you like the SLO-100 model you might want to try the Recto models too. It's not widely known but the Rectifier preamp is a derivative of the SLO-100. Some minor changes but the basic topology is identical"
  7. Cliff: "I have a really good SLO-100. An original black faceplate version. Pristine condition. That amp was one of the primary amps used in the G2 modeling development. It was by studying that and a really nice JCM-800 that I finally figured out the secret to cathode follower" Source
  8. Cliff: "Many people find SLOs too bright. The "Warren Haynes" mod is a popular mod to reduce the brightness" Source
  9. Emulating Warren Hayes' tone

Solo 88 Rhythm (Soldano X88)

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  1. Based on: the rhythm channel of a Soldano X88R preamp
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: n/a
  3. Original controls: Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Volume
  4. Soldano website
  5. Wikipedia
  6. Cliff: "Solo 88 RHY is based on an X88R since the rhythm channel of an X99 is identical to an SLO 100. FWIW, I have two X88Rs and the model agrees with both" Source

Solo 99 Clean / Lead (Soldano X99)

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  1. Based on: the clean and channels of a Soldano/Caswell midi-motorized Soldano X99 preamp
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: n/a
  3. Original controls: Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Volume
  4. Soldano website
  5. Wikipedia
  6. Cliff: "The rhythm channel of an X99 is identical to an SLO 100" Source

Spawn Nitrous (Splawn Nitro)

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  1. Based on: Splawn Nitro, KT-88 power tubes, overdrive channel, 100w. Speakers: G12M, G12-65, V30
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 36 37 38 58 60 61 96 101 102 103; 29 56; 41 43 44 47 48 51 53 59 62 63 65 60 70 71 72 104 108
  3. Original controls: Resonance, Presence, Bass, Middle, Treble, Master, Gain
  4. Splawn website: "All the Splawn tone with more saturation and voiced for a bigger low end and low mids"
  5. Manual
  6. Clips

Spawn Q-Rod 1st / 2nd / 3rd (Splawn Quickrod)

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  1. Based on: Splawn Quick Rod, 100w, two channels. Channel 2, 1st gear ("Plexi"), 2nd gear ("Hot Rod JCM 800"), 3rd gear ("Super Hot Rod 800"). Speakers: G12M, G12-65, V30
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 36 37 38 58 60 61 96 101 102 103; 29 56; 41 43 44 47 48 51 53 59 62 63 65 60 70 71 72 104 108
  3. Original controls: Presence, Bass, Middle, Treble, Solo, Volume, Gain, Mode
  4. Splawn website: "Signature Splawn tone with lots of bite, strong mids and 3 gear versatility"
  5. Manual
  6. Clips

Suhr Badger 18 / 30

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  1. Based on: Suhr Badger, 18w and 30w models, single channel, EL84. Speakers: V30
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 41 43 44 47 48 51 53 59 62 63 65 60 70 71 72 104 108
  3. Original controls: Bass, Middle, Treble, Gain, Power (controls Power Scaling), Drive (acts as Master with Power at 10)
  4. When increasing Gain, turn down Bass
  5. Suhr website
  6. See website for suggested settings
  7. Manual Badger 30
  8. Manual Badger 18
  9. Adam Cook (firmware 7.01): "Because of the no-negative feedback design of this amp the Master knob is VERY powerful when it comes to altering the tone of the amp. When you crank it up the mids get much more pronounced and you get a real warm fat singing lead tone. But it still responds incredibly well to the volume knob so when you back that down all of a sudden the highs and lows become more pronounced as it cleans up. When I saw Guthrie use this amp his "clean channel" consisted of using a volume pedal to back off the input and his full volume tone was singing high gain. You can totally do that with this amp model now" Source
  10. Demo by Pete Thorn

Supremo Trem (Supro 1964T)

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  1. Based on: Supro 1964T. Speakers: 6" oval speaker, 12" or 15" Jensen
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 89 100
  3. Original controls: Volume, Tone
  4. Youtube
  5. Firmware 10 release notes: "Renamed “SUPER TREM” model to “SUPREMO TREM” to avoid confusion with other models"

Super Verb (Fender Super Reverb)

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  1. Based on: 1964 blackface Fender Super Reverb, AB763 circuit, 40w, two inputs, two channels. Speakers: 4x10 Jensen C10R, C10Q, P10R
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 32 33 88 99 100
  3. Original controls: Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, Bright switch, tremolo controls
  4. Fender website: "This faithful recreation of the legendary Blackface Super Reverb of 1963-1968 is a must-have for vintage enthusiasts and Stratocaster guitar slingers, but players of all styles enjoy its shimmering tone. The 45-watt Super Reverb’s medium output and stage-filling sound make it the perfect amp to crank up for club gigs or the concert stage. Features include dual 6L6 Groove Tubes output tubes, one 5AR4 rectifier tube, four 12AX7 preamp tubes, two 12AT7 tubes, four 10” 8-ohm Jensen P10R speakers with alnico magnets, dual channels (normal and vibrato), tube-driven Fender reverb, tube vibrato, two-button footswitch for reverb and vibrato on-off, black textured vinyl covering with silver grille cloth, and tilt-back legs"
  5. Wikipedia
  6. Fenderguru.com: "The AB763 Super Reverb is a very popular Fender amp due to the huge tone, robustness and the pure tone from the traditional blackface AB763 amp design. The AB763 design is also to be found in some silverface amps between 1967 and 1969. The later silverface circuits were changed further by CBS to become cleaner, harder and thinner sounding, specially if one compares amps at the same volume and EQ setting. If you’re into sparkling clean tones, a silverface can do the job just as well as a blackface amp. The blackfaces have more growl and a distorted, cranked tone. It is heavy to carry with the 4×10″ speakers and massive iron transformers. The height also makes it difficult to carry, making you sweat when hauling it between gigs. It’s a big sounding amp with a potential for being very loud and bassy given the right (wrong) speakers. The nature of the 4×10″ speaker configuration is a directional tone with screaming treble right forwards and backwards and unfortunately little spread. A lot of deep bass is produced by the bigt cabinet while the important mids are fairly low, a scooped tone. Many players are stupid and increase the volume to compensate for the lack of spread and mids. This will introduce even more bass and sharp treble. Playing the Super Reverb is not supposed to be easy… Despite all the difficultness with this amp there will occasionally be gigs, perhaps outdoors or at a big stage, where the amp won’t hurt anyone in a radius of 3 meters. You are allowed to turn the volume beoynd 4 where the amp comes alive. We remember these occasions as our happiest musical moments. The notes bounce off our strings and we are musically and physically connected with the amp just using the pick attack and guitar volume to roll back and switch between rythm and solo. Perhaps a transparent boost pedal to take us into David Gilmour land with sustain, harmonics and a creamy tone. You can physically feel the dynamic response from one of the best vintage Fender amps of them all. But only if you know how to tame this beast"
  7. Cliff: "I modeled the Super with V1 pulled as most people pull V1 so the amp has more grunt. Turn down the MV to make it cleaner" Source
  8. Cliff: "Remember that all the models use the "High" input (Input '1' on Fenders). If you want to mimic the "Low" input lower Input Trim" Source

Supertweed

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  1. Ported model from the Ultra

SV Bass (Ampeg SVT)

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  1. Based on: Ampeg SVT, a bass head used for decades by famous bassists the world over. Super Vacuum Tube bass amp, 300W. Speakers: 8x10
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 66 67 68 109 110m 111 112 113
  3. Original controls: Gain, Bass, Mid (and Mid Frequency), Treble, Master
  4. Ampeg website
  5. Manual

Tube Pre

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  1. A completely neutral, low-gain tube pre useful for “warming up” various sources

Two Stone J-35 (Two-Rock Jet 35)

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  1. Based on: Two-Rock Jet 35, 35w tube amp, 6L6 tubes. Modeled in the lead mode with the “Bypass” switch engaged. The Bypass switch bypasses the input tone stack to give a more focused lead sound. Speakers: G12-65
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 29 56
  3. Original controls: Bass, Middle, Treble, Gain, Master, pull bright/mid/deep
  4. Manual
  5. Two-Rock website: "A peerless small venue or studio amp, specifically designed to deliver killer Two-Rock tone at a lower volume than any other series in the line. It can produce 22W through 2 6v6's or 35W through 2 6L6's. The Jet 22 and 35 have a Custom Reverb-type circuit but are more basic in their features. The Jet does not include the EQ1/EQ2 switch and has a simpler feature layout than the CR V3. It offers the basic EQ settings - bass, mid & treble - and it is closer to the EQ2 or the CR Sig in voicing. Same serial effects loop as the Custom Reverb, and same all-tube spring reverb. The Jet 35 has a pull bright, mid and deep boost, as well as the bypass and lead switches availble by a "pull" pot on the front of the amp"
  6. Cliff: "Yes, it's very smooth but there's this unique chirp or something that I've never heard in an amp before. When you hit the note there's this blast of high end that rapidly decays so it has an almost vocal quality. The frequency shaping is very different than most other amps" Source
  7. Cliff: "The Two Rock is the most unique amp I've ever modeled. Almost like a violin but with this really cool chirp on the pick attack" Source
  8. Videos

TX Star Lead (Mesa Lone Star)

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  1. Based on the lead channel of a Mesa Lone Star. 50/100 watt amp (later editions also feature lower wattages), two channels (Lead channel is modeled), 6L6 tubes (Classic version). Speakers: Mesa C90
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 41 43 44 47 48 51 53 59 62 63 65 60 70 71 72 104 108; 8 12 105 106
  3. Original controls: Drive, Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass, Presence, Master, Voicing
  4. Manual, with sample settings
  5. Mesa website: "Tone! Big as Texas! Wide as the Rio Grande. Clear as the bell that rang over the Alamo. Unstoppable as a rising Texas flood. Yeah, that's some bold proclamation. But the Lone Star® backs it up. Just as our Mark I sprang from the Black Face era and took classic guitar tones to a new level, the Lone Star took the next step forward, crystallizing perfect sound that's haunted you for years. As guitar players, we live for those elusive moments of divine musical inspiration, where you become one with the interaction between your guitar and amplifier and it magically transcends you and your playing to a level well beyond your normal plane. You know the ones…. Those moments of unbelievable gratification where your tone is so amazingly right and the feel of your strings are so perfectly connected to your fingers that you become an unbridled channel of soulful musical expression. These are the moments that truly motivate us as players and keep us coming back to the art of playing guitar! It is in this exact spirit that we have created the Lone Star! The Lone Star is an amplifier of such extravagant tone and seductive feel that we can almost guarantee that you will experience divine inspiration and effortless expression every time you plug into it! It is that amazing! From its innovative custom circuitry, down to its new classic retro/vintage looks, the Lone Star was designed to be the new defining vintage/boutique amplifier from the original boutique amp builder"
  6. Wikipedia
  7. YouTube video: Andy Timmons' Lone Star settings. Try with a BB drive block 
  8. Demo by Andy Timmons
  9. Need more gain? Increase Input Trim

USA Clean 1 (Mesa Mark IV)

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  1. Based on: Mesa Boogie Mark IV (Rhythm 1 channel). A somewhat neutral, clean-sounding model that can pushed into warm clipping. Speakers: Mesa C90
  2. Stock cabinet suggestion: 41 43 44 47 48 51 53 59 62 63 65 60 70 71 72 104 108; 8 12 105 106
  3. Original controls: Gain, Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass, Presence, Bright switch. Graphic Equalizer not modeled
  4. Manual
  5. Mesa website
  6. Wikipedia1 Wikipedia2
  7. The graphic EQ on the real amp is positioned between the preamp and the power amp section. As such it can't be simulated exactly. See the Mother-of-all-pedal-and-effects-emulations thread for the EQ settings
  8. Cliff: "The MK V is basically a compendium of previous Mesa amps. There may be minor differences in tone due to circuit layout but nothing a few tweaks to the EQ can't fix" Source
  9. Cliff: "Increasing the trim isn't exactly the same as increasing the Lead Drive but it's so close that you shouldn't hear a difference. It isn't actually where the gain is applied that makes the difference. Both gains are early in the chain and well before any significant distortion is occurring. The reason the two controls behave different is that the Gain control has a bright cap across it while the Drive control does not. There is a slight Miller frequency dependence on the Drive control but it's insignificant. Therefore... you can treat the Input Trim as the Drive control" Source
  10. Cliff: "Having owned multiple Mark IV's, multiple Triaxis's and a variety of other Boogie products, I can tell that the Mark series in general are a bitch to dial in. Once you figure them out though they are great amps. IMO, the key to a MKIV is to use the TMB to get the feel and the EQ to get the tone" Source
  11. John Petrucci Videos

USA Clean 2 (Mesa Triaxis)

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  1. Based on: Mesa Boogie Triaxis preamp (Green channel), “Vintage Fat Rhythm" (Mark I, Blackface) channel
  2. Stock cabinet suggestion: n/a
  3. Original controls: Gain, Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass, Presence, Bright switch. Graphic Equalizer not modeled
  4. Mesa website
  5. Wikipedia1
  6. Cliff: "I used a Triaxis for, shoot, I dunno, over a decade before designing the Axe-Fx. I have two of them. So I'd say I'm pretty familiar with the tones. To my ears (and my measurement equipment), the Axe-Fx models are spot-on" Source
  7. Cliff: "Increasing the trim isn't exactly the same as increasing the Lead Drive but it's so close that you shouldn't hear a difference. It isn't actually where the gain is applied that makes the difference. Both gains are early in the chain and well before any significant distortion is occurring. The reason the two controls behave different is that the Gain control has a bright cap across it while the Drive control does not. There is a slight Miller frequency dependence on the Drive control but it's insignificant. Therefore... you can treat the Input Trim as the Drive control" Source

USA IIC+ Bright / Norm (Mesa Mark IIC+)

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  1. Based on: Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ Lead, a US-made amp famous for its smooth overdrive sound with pull bright OFF / ON. Speakers: EVM 12L
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 8 12 105 106
  3. Original controls: Volume, Master, Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence, Bright switch pullout, Treble Shift. Graphic equalizer and Gain Boost not modeled
  4. Manual
  5. Mesa website
  6. Wikipedia1 Wikipedia2
  7. The graphic EQ on the real amp is positioned between the preamp and the power amp section. As such it can't be simulated exactly. See the Mother-of-all-pedal-and-effects-emulations thread for the EQ settings
  8. Cliff: "The Drive control on the Axe is your Volume 1 or whatever. if you want more Lead Drive, increase the trim" Source

USA Lead / Lead + / Lead Brt / Lead Brt + (Mesa Mark IV)

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  1. Based on: Mesa Boogie Mark IV. Lead: this model has a tight, focused, hi-gain sound. Great for fusion and rock leads. Lead Brt: Pull Bright. Speakers: Mesa C90
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 41 43 44 47 48 51 53 59 62 63 65 60 70 71 72 104 108; 8 12 105 106
  3. Original controls: Gain, Master, Bass, Middle, Treble, Presence, pull Bright switch. Graphic Equalizer not modeled
  4. Manual
  5. Mesa website
  6. Wikipedia1 Wikipedia2
  7. The graphic EQ on the real amp is positioned between the preamp and the power amp section. As such it can't be simulated exactly. See the Mother-of-all-pedal-and-effects-emulations thread for the EQ settings
  8. Cliff: "The MK V is basically a compendium of previous Mesa amps. There may be minor differences in tone due to circuit layout but nothing a few tweaks to the EQ can't fix" Source
  9. Cliff: "Increasing the trim isn't exactly the same as increasing the Lead Drive but it's so close that you shouldn't hear a difference. It isn't actually where the gain is applied that makes the difference. Both gains are early in the chain and well before any significant distortion is occurring. The reason the two controls behave different is that the Gain control has a bright cap across it while the Drive control does not. There is a slight Miller frequency dependence on the Drive control but it's insignificant. Therefore... you can treat the Input Trim as the Drive control" Source
  10. Lead/Lead Brt models are modeled with Mid Gain off. The + models have Mid Gain switched on
  11. Cliff: "Having owned multiple Mark IV's, multiple Triaxis's and a variety of other Boogie products, I can tell that the Mark series in general are a bitch to dial in. Once you figure them out though they are great amps. IMO, the key to a MKIV is to use the TMB to get the feel and the EQ to get the tone" Source
  12. Firmware 10 release notes: "All Mesa Mark lead models have been reworked and renamed for clarity. Note that the models are modeled with the amp’s Pull Shift knob disengaged. To replicate the function of the Pull Shift, set the Depth to zero. Also note that the gain of these models has been increased by about two as most people set the Drive knob higher than the setting used in the original models. You can fine-tune the gain using the Input Trim parameter in the Advanced menu. Also note that the Presence control (as in the actual amp) is neutral when set to 5.00 (noon). Turning the knob CCW decreases the amount of presence and vice-versa. By comparison, most amps are only able to increase presence and the control is neutral when set to zero"
  13. John Petrucci Videos

USA Pre Green / Yellow (Mesa Triaxis)

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  1. Based on: Mesa Triaxis preamp, LD2 modes Green and Yellow
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: n/a
  3. Original controls: ?
  4. Mesa website
  5. Wikipedia1 
  6. Cliff: "I used a Triaxis for, shoot, I dunno, over a decade before designing the Axe-Fx. I have two of them. So I'd say I'm pretty familiar with the tones. To my ears (and my measurement equipment), the Axe-Fx models are spot-on" Source
  7. Firmware 10 release notes: "Based on Mesa Triaxis LD2 modes. Note that these were modeled with the Triaxis Presence control at maximum as this control is actually a hi-cut control. Also note that the mid control in the model has far more range than the preamp. At a value of 5.0 the responses will match but the amount of mid cut on the Axe-Fx is greater"

USA Rhythm (Mesa Mark IV)

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  1. Based on: Mesa Boogie Mark IV (Rhythm 2 channel), THE California crunch rhythm sound. Rhythm Ch. 2 with “Fat” switch OFF. Speakers: Mesa C90
  2. Stock cabinet suggestion: 41 43 44 47 48 51 53 59 62 63 65 60 70 71 72 104 108; 8 12 105 106
  3. Original controls: Gain, Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass, Presence. Graphic Equalizer not modeled
  4. Manual
  5. Mesa website
  6. Wikipedia1 Wikipedia2
  7. The graphic EQ on the real amp is positioned between the preamp and the power amp section. As such it can't be simulated exactly. See the Mother-of-all-pedal-and-effects-emulations thread for the EQ settings
  8. Cliff: "The MK V is basically a compendium of previous Mesa amps. There may be minor differences in tone due to circuit layout but nothing a few tweaks to the EQ can't fix" Source
  9. Cliff: "The MK IV and Triaxis models were modeled with the Lead Drive set to 5. Increasing the trim isn't exactly the same as increasing the Lead Drive but it's so close that you shouldn't hear a difference. It isn't actually where the gain is applied that makes the difference. Both gains are early in the chain and well before any significant distortion is occurring. The reason the two controls behave different is that the Gain control has a bright cap across it while the Drive control does not. There is a slight Miller frequency dependence on the Drive control but it's insignificant. Therefore... you can treat the Input Trim as the Drive contro." Source
  10. Cliff: "Having owned multiple Mark IV's, multiple Triaxis's and a variety of other Boogie products, I can tell that the Mark series in general are a bitch to dial in. Once you figure them out though they are great amps. IMO, the key to a MKIV is to use the TMB to get the feel and the EQ to get the tone" Source
  11. John Petrucci Videos

Vibrato Lux (Fender Vibrolux Reverb)

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  1. Based on: 1963 Fender Vibrolux Reverb, blackface, 6L6, two inputs, two channels. Speakers: 2x10 (Jensen C10Q)
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 82 90
  3. Original controls (Vibrato channel): Volume, Bass, Treble, Bright switch, Reverb, Speed, Intensity
  4. Fender website: "The Custom Vibrolux Reverb is more a modern interpretation of a classic Fender rather than a reissue; connoisseurs call it a “little Vibro-King.” Turn it up when you want to soar, or turn your guitar down to play clean with this super-responsive 40-watt all-tube amp. The more dynamic your style, the more you’ll love its ability to whisper or scream in response to changes in your pick attack. Features include dual 6L6 Groove Tubes output tubes, five 12AX7 preamp tubes, one 12AT7 tube, two 10” 8-ohm Jensen P10R speakers with alnico magnets, two independent channels (normal and bright), reverb and vibrato (both channels), 4-ohm external speaker jack, two-button footswitch and tilt-back legs"
  5. Fenderguru.com: "The 35w blackface Vibrolux Reverb (VR) is the smallest member of the blackface/silverface 6L6 Fender amp family. Its strength lies in the sweetness and early breakup caused by the smaller transformers than the Super Reverb, Vibroverb and Pro Reverb. The Vibrolux is quite similar to the Pro Reverb 2×12″ except for the smaller speakers and a smaller power transformer delivering less 6L6 plate voltage. Hence, less clean headroom. 10″s provide a more scooped, responsive, punchy and sparkling sound than 12 inch speakers. The 12″s are fuller, warmer, has more mids and a more three-dimensional tonal spread. Like all silverface amps, the Vibrolux Reverb was modified in the CBS periods to increase the clean headroom. The Vibrolux Reverb has become a very popular amp since The ToneQuest Report published the article “Under 40 Watt of Whoop Ass“, awarding the VR as the most preferred low wattage Fender amp"
  6. Cliff: "Remember that all the models use the "High" input (Input '1' on Fenders). If you want to mimic the "Low" input lower Input Trim" Source
  7. Firmware 10 release notes: "Based on a 1963 Fender VibroLux"

Vibrato Verb (Fender Vibroverb)

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  1. Based on: Fender Vibroverb, a 40W combo that's great for clear or grinding cleans and gutsy blues. 6G16 circuit, two inputs, two channels, brownface era. Speakers: 1x15 (Jensen C15N, JBL D130, Eminence)
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 18 31 87 88
  3. Original controls: Volume, Bass, Treble, Reverb, tremolo controls
  4. Fender website
  5. Wikipedia
  6. Fenderguru.com: "Stevie Ray Vaughan’s musical influence has made the Fender Vibroverb the most sought after and hyped of all Fender amps. He played many other amps too, Super Reverb, Dumble and Marshalls. In studio he used dozens of amps that were thrown at him. For some reason the Vibroverb has become the most famous and is now widely associated with his signature tone (though you can reproduce his tone with most Fender amps with the right speakers). On the vintage amp market on US eBay the blackface Vibroverb sells for three to four times as much as the price for other 6L6 Fender amps, sometimes even more than the legendary 4×10″ narrow panel tweed Bassman. Since Fender did not continue the Vibroverb after the CBS takeover in 1965, most likely because players didn’t desire 1×15″ amps at that time, there are only a few blackface Vibroverb amps out there. Given the hype and popularity, these few Vibroverbs are extremly valuable and collectable. So, what is so special with the Vibroverb? First, the 15″ speaker sets it apart from most guitar amps. While most guitar amps have multiple 10″ and 12″ speakers the Vibroverb came with one big Jensen C15n or JBLd130f, the last one with a aluminium dust cap that can be hard to tame. Otherwise the blackface Vibroverb is very similar to the other blackface and silverface AB763 Fender amps. In fact, there aren’t any different features or technical improvements in the Vibroverb that justifies its popularity. It’s all about emotions. But that’s what music is all about; emotions. The Vibroverb belongs to the 6L6 Fender family. It is powerful and loud, but in a different way than the 10″ and 12″-amps. The Vibroverb did not sell very well in 64 and 65. Players probably thought the amp was suited for bass amps, we’re not sure. The Vibroverb did score among steel guitar players at the time. The 15″ speakers are firm in the bass and have lots of sparkle but most importantly, they have an enormous spread carrying the lower mids to anyone on stage. Mid frequencies is exactly what you need on stage in an electrical band. The mids will blend in nicely with the bass, drums, piano and horns. It will not interfer with the bass like a 4×10″ setup does. Of course this is a matter of taste, but a guitar tone with strong mids will contribute to a rich overall melodic footprint in an electrical band"
  7. Cliff: "Also remember that all the models use the "High" input (Input '1' on Fenders). If you want to mimic the "Low" input lower Input Trim" Source

Vibrato-King (Fender Vibro-King)

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  1. Based on: Fender Vibro-King. Speakers: 3x10
  2. Original controls: Volume, Bass, Middle, Treble, Fat switch, tremolo controls
  3. Stock cabinet suggestions: 98
  4. Fender website: "Fender introduced the Vibro-King in 1993 to great acclaim, marking a return to a great hand-wired amp tradition while including a previously unavailable selection of sought-after features. In the two decades since, guitarists and amp aficionados everywhere have prized the enduringly classic Vibro-King as one of the most touch-sensitive amps ever, with sparkling-clean shimmer at lower volumes and powerfully thick overdrive when cranked up. Fender now celebrates those two decades of great tone with the 20th Anniversary Vibro-King. Fender and Jensen collaborated on the amp's trio of warmer-sounding 10" speakers, and a finger-joined solid-pine cabinet increases resonance. Other premium features include all-tube hand-wired circuitry, custom Schumacher® transformers, and much more"
  5. Cliff: "Remember that all the models use the "High" input (Input '1' on Fenders). If you want to mimic the "Low" input lower Input Trim" Source
  6. Cliff: "The model is based on the custom version which has higher plate voltages which causes more overdrive on the power tubes. It’s modeled with the Fat switch on. Turning off the Fat switch reduces the gain by about 4 dB so set input trim to around 0.6"

Wrecker 1 (Trainwreck Express)

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  1. Based on: Trainwreck Express, designed and built by the late, great Ken Fischer. Speakers: G12M, G12H 
  2. Stock cabinet suggestions: 36 37 38 58 60 61 96 101 102 103, 16 34 57 64
  3. Original controls: Volume, Bas, Mid, Treble, Presence, Bright switch
  4. FAQ
  5. Trainwreck website
  6. Cliff: "The Trainwreck depends on power amp distortion. The OT has a high impedance which causes the power tubes to enter clipping early. I would not recommend using that model as preamp"
  7. YouTube clip