Shredder
378 posts
Feb 14, 2013
1:01 PM
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How many of you guys have tried this amp? Looks like it might mod for harp well.
"Mark 5F6H", what do you think of this amp circuit'y.for harp mods?
Mike
Last Edited by Shredder on Feb 14, 2013 1:06 PM
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KingBiscuit
223 posts
Feb 14, 2013
1:40 PM
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I tried tried it for a few minutes standing in Guitar Center through an SM58. Sounded Great to my ears. Would feed back if I dropped the mic directly in front of it. Overall, If I hadn't known that my job was ending in a couple weeks, after I was trying it out, I would have carried one home with me.
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Bart Leczycki
84 posts
Feb 14, 2013
2:07 PM
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Hi, I have this amp and I have a few impressions.
-It looks beautiful
-15" speaker sounds pretty bright, not muddy at all.
-sounds good, not great but good
-it's not enough loud for me
-it's inexpensive so we can make mods :o)
All in all I will sell it, because I need something louder (about 30-40W).
If you have any questions about Excelsior, feel free.
Best regards
==============================
www.bleczycki.com
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KingBiscuit
224 posts
Feb 14, 2013
6:01 PM
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When I played the amp I got nice breakup. i had the tone switch set to dark and tremolo off. 13 watts will never be loud enough without pa.
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MN
251 posts
Feb 15, 2013
4:39 AM
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>>>"13 watts will never be loud enough without pa."
Depends on the context. I've played small clubs with my 5-watt Marble Max amp unmiked, with guitar, bass and drums. With that said, the Max is exceedingly loud for its size.
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KingBiscuit
227 posts
Feb 16, 2013
6:19 AM
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@MN....You are absolutely correct. I should have put that in context. I think 13 watts is plenty loud in a lot of settings but then add a guitar player or 3 at the local jam and well...
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1847
1289 posts
Nov 08, 2013
8:57 AM
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yesterday the guitar player shows up to rehearsal
he is sporting an excelsior.
i am looking at it with contempt, we are playing at a low volume
not to impressed . so i walk over and turn it up.
this thing comes alive, very nice indeed. sounds fine with guitar.
so i ask, can i check that out?. i plugged straight in.
i was surprised how well it sounded. what was even more surprising
was when he tells me it has a 15" speaker. not a lot of bass for a 15.
the speaker was an eminence legend. he bought it used
$200.00 out the door. i may have a short sound bite.
four out of 5 star
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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FMWoodeye
813 posts
Nov 08, 2013
9:07 AM
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I've had one for a while. I use it for small venues and rehearsals, anywhere where the Bassman is too much. I changed the pre-amp tubes to 5751's, and feedback is not an issue. I use the Lone Wolf Octave pedal with it.
It's good bang for the buck.
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HawkeyeKane
2145 posts
Nov 08, 2013
9:21 AM
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I found the Excelsior to be too bright when I tested it out....even on the dark setting. Didn't get much breakup outta that 15". The one that surprised me more was the Greta. Little sucker sounds cheesy with it's 4" internal speaker, but plugged into a 4X12 cabinet, it sounds ballsy!
The Pawn Shop amps are great novelty pieces and look really snazzy. I think their cosmetics are probably their best feature though. The amps aren't really designed with harp players in mind, even though Fender claimed the Excelsior was in their initial promo video for it.
Fender has one more confirmable Pawn Shop amp coming out called the Ramparte. A 9W single ended 6L6 2-channel job. That thing looks like it might prove more harp friendly than the Excelsior, but there's no tone control, so a mod may need to be developed.
There's rumor flying around that they also have a 2X10 version of the Excelsior circuit in the works called the Vaporizer, but only one source has a listing, and there's virtually no detailed info on it. If it's true, the speaker configuration may prove a bit more harp-friendly.
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Hawkeye Kane
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1847
1290 posts
Nov 08, 2013
10:07 AM
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I found the Excelsior to be too bright when I tested it out....even on the dark setting.
it is extremely bright. there must be a cap on the imput, that can be removed.
if we cant get more bass with a 15
then 2 10's are not going to help.
i didn't have any trouble getting it to break up
it had sort of harpking king kinda tone minus the bass
seems there is some solid state transistor in the path somewhere.
i could see how some here would not like it at all.
if i had to play thru one at a jam or rehearsal
i would not have any reservations... i would kinda dig it.
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
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HawkeyeKane
2146 posts
Nov 08, 2013
10:21 AM
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New info on the Vaporizer just released on TGP....
Fender's 2x10” 12W Vaporizer tube combo evokes the 1950s-’60s age of the Space Race and blasts you like a ray gun back to that exciting era. The Space Race permeated culture everywhere, from film and television to cars, guitars, appliances and more — everything was bright, colorful and flashy. Garage bands blasted off with guitar music, and legions of musicians who couldn't swing pro gear bashed away on department-store guitars and amps.
Though it presents an out-of-this-world retro look, it houses an affordable, portable tube-driven tone machine with easy-to-use features and effects.
The Vaporizer hosts two inputs (normal and bright) and simple controls for Volume, tone and reverb. The reverb control creates full, wet reverb for moody "late-night" vibe and approximates the sound of playing in a tunnel, and the single-button "wedge" footswitch is used for selecting "vaporizer mode,” which bypasses volume and tone controls for full-strength overload.
Features
Power: 12W tube
Speakers: 2x10" Special Design Vaporizer speakers
Two inputs — 1/4", Normal and Bright
Internal speaker disconnects to allow the amp's 1/4" output to be used with external 8? speaker enclosures
Controls: Volume, Tone and Reverb
Tubes: two x 12AX7; two x 6BQ5/EL84
Single-Button "Wedge" footswitch included
Weight: 37 lb (16.78 kg)
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Hawkeye Kane
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rogonzab
413 posts
Nov 08, 2013
10:46 AM
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Whit 6v6 instead of the EL84 it would be a killer amp.
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Barley Nectar
170 posts
Nov 08, 2013
11:49 AM
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I like my EL84'amps. I like the added grit cut. They will honk also. My two favorite under 20W amps are EL84...BN
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HawkeyeKane
2149 posts
Nov 08, 2013
2:29 PM
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Yeah, this thing is starting to sound like a revamp of a Blues Junior if you ask me....
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Hawkeye Kane
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