i did it again (new boogie)

edwardbloom
Arena Rocker

Posts: 484
Likes: 644

i did it again (new boogie) Jun 17, 2023 11:10:02 GMT Sinster, laristotle, and 2 more like this

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Post by edwardbloom on Jun 17, 2023 11:10:02 GMT

meaning, i did not stick to my plan.
2 years ago i bought my transatlantic 30. it's a fantastic amp, and i totally love it. i was supposed to get an amp for cleans to run alongside of it. except, that's not what i did.
no, instead, i saw a good deal on the transatlantic 15 with a 1x12 widebody cab and i bought that instead.
it's actually the amp i wanted first. i bought the 30 because the deal was real, and there were no reasonably priced 15s at that time. i have the luxury of playing loud here without causing problems, so having the big amp works for me. when i bought it, i decided that i absolutely love it, and if i got the chance i would buy another before they began to fade away. now that i have the 15, it is indeed the exact thing that would have worked for me when a smaller amp was necessary.
funny thing is, this amp does sound like the bigger one, and yet, it also doesn't. i can't explain what the difference is, but there is a difference. maybe it's the cab, i'm not sure. i just know that this works on many levels. i can play the lunchbox through the cab, or i can pair the cab with the 30 combo for more loudness. or i can put the cab under the special 6, because it makes that amp sound soooo much better.

highdeaf
Retired Bluesman

Posts: 966
Likes: 1,693

i did it again (new boogie) Aug 12, 2023 18:19:30 GMT edwardbloom likes this

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Post by highdeaf on Aug 12, 2023 18:19:30 GMT

Congrats. Just a great, great amp.

I ignored them for a while because of 'two tone controls'. Eventually got over that bias and found a nice new one just as they went MD. I love it. It and my LSS will be the last two tube amps I own when I finally realize all I really need is the Kemper.

Not a bad voice in this guy. And pretty punch for a 2XEL84 amp. Channel switching. Power scaling. Love it. Enjoy!

edwardbloom
Arena Rocker

Posts: 484
Likes: 644

i did it again (new boogie) Aug 20, 2023 21:13:00 GMT Sinster and stratosphere like this

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Post by edwardbloom on Aug 20, 2023 21:13:00 GMT

when i bought the amp, it had a bad power switch, and the standby switch was bad too. it probably took a fall at some point in the past. i had them replaced with the correct ones from boogie. it took a while to get them, they also re-tubed it. i got it back a couple weeks ago, but i wanted to spend some time using it before i gave an updated opinion on it. since i've got it back, i've played it alot.

there are some differences between this amp, and the bigger 40w combo. the biggest one is, no loop, no reverb. i didn't think i would miss them much, but i guess i got used to having them. especially the reverb. the only thing i run through the loop on the other amp is my delay, so i don't HAVE TO have it, but it's nice to have. the reverb, i do miss it. i'll probably try to buy a reverb pedal and see how that goes.

this smaller one does have some behavioral differences. the biggest one is the top boost feature. it seems to do less with the bigger amp. or, at least...the smaller amp, it seems it does more. i like using it on the small one, but i rarely use it on the bigger one. on the 40w, i use the cut more than the top boost. in 5w mode, the amp still gets pretty loud though the 1x12 cab. it has no problem at all doing loud. the advantage (for me) is that in 5w mode, it hits the sweet-spot for my living room while still at a reasonable level. both amps have 3 gain settings. tweed, hi 1 and high 2. i do use the tweed setting on the 40w, but it seems weaker on the smaller amp, i doubt i'll use it much with that head. the high 1 setting is supposed to be the marshall sound. the smaller amp is definitely more marshall-y than the bigger one, but the bigger one sounds good too. high 2 is the mesa sound, which i really like. you don't have to run the gain up to megadeth levels if you don't want to, it does less than that and sounds really good. it's just a tighter sort of gain than high 1.
lastly, the tone controls also behave differently between the 2 amps. on the 40w amp, they seem to like being in their sweet spot, i have them set there, and i don't move them much. the advantage of the smaller one being a head is, i can set it on a table next to me and have the cab across the room. that allows me more access to the knobs, so i play with the tone controls more. there are definitely a few places where it makes a sound i would never use. the extremes of both controls really stand out more than the bigger amp. i guess i am saying that the sweet spot for the big one is a smaller sweep of the knobs than the 15w head. over all, i really like this smaller head for my living room use. the plus side of no loop is 2 less cables to run, but if i could wave a magic wand, i would have it on the small head too. i love being able to put it on the table next to me. i'm pretty happy with it, but i'm glad i had a year with the bigger one first, so i know what the differences are.