NWBasser
May 6th, 2011, 10:14 AM
I was browsing bass cabs and discovered this little gem!
- All point to point wiring
- Hand made in the Pacific Northwest. USA.
- Choice of tolex and piping color to match your cab.
Avatar 18 Watt Info
● 2 channels
● Hand-wired in the USA
● Parallel output jacks
● Selectable 4/8/16 ohm output
● Cathode biased power section
● Tube rectified
● Tube Lineup: (3) ECC83/12AX7, (2) 6BQ5/EL84, (1) 6CA4/EZ81
Channel 1
Channel 1 (the right input) is based on the Normal channel from the Marshall
1974. It is a relatively simple ECC83/12AX7 preamp that features a tone control and a
volume control. It is a very transparent channel that can go from clean to classic rock
distortion. It cleans up really well when the guitar volume is rolled off.
Channel 2
Channel 2 (the left input) is a preamp based on a more modern design than
Channel 1. It’s a higher gain ECC83/12AX7 preamp that features a 3-band tonestack, a
gain control and a volume control. It has a fuller, more modern distortion tone than
Channel 1 and the tonestack and volume controls allow for a wide variety of tones to be
dialed in at various overall volume levels.
Poweramp
The poweramp uses a pair of 6BQ5/EL84 tubes in a Class A/B push-pull
configuration. The power tubes are responsible for the classic overdriven tone that has
made the original 1974 so popular. This amp is no exception and the power section
distorts in a very pleasing way. The more you turn it up the better it sounds!
Construction Notes
This amp is completely hand-wired using quality components. The turret board
construction makes it much easier to modify or replace components than printed circuit
board construction.
Components Used;
● Mallory 150 caps
● Low-noise carbon film resistors
● Alpha pots
● Cliff jacks
● Carling switches
● Heyboer transformers
● Full set of JJ tubes included
Other Notable Features
Starting with the preamp channels, Channel 1 is a very simple, clean preamp. It’s
a single gain stage fed into the phase inverter. The volume knob controls how hard the
phase inverter and power tubes get driven. Higher volume settings here produce the
classic 18 watt power tube distortion.
The Channel 2 preamp produces much more distortion than Channel 1. It has 3
tone controls, a gain control and a volume control. The amount of preamp distortion can
be set to taste and it allows for higher gain tones at lower volume than Channel 1. The
volume control on Channel 2 works similarly to Channel 1 in that it controls how much
power tube distortion is produced. The beauty of Channel 2 is that it gives you the ability
to mix the preamp and power tube distortion levels. Use the Gain control to set the
preamp distortion and the Volume control to mix in the appropriate amount of power
tube distortion. The “sweet spot” mix of preamp/poweramp distortion will vary
depending on guitar and speaker combinations used but once you find it, it can’t be easily
beaten.
The poweramp is equipped with a modification known as the “Ruby Buzz Mod”.
Basically, it’s a modification to the “stock” 18 watt power section that prevents crossover
distortion buzzing without compromising the tone of the power tubes. This is a very
popular modification on 18watt.com. Also included thanks to 18watt.com is what is
known as the “Huge Cathode Bypass Cap”. As mentioned earlier, the power section is
cathode biased. The “stock” 18 watt cathode bypass capacitor is replaced with one of a
much higher value. This helps to stabilize the power tube cathode voltage and lends itself
to a tighter overall feeling than the amp would otherwise have.
All in all this is a great amp for classic rock, blues, country or pop styles. The two
channels offer a wide variety of tones and can be easily switched with the use of an A/
B pedal. Additionally, a “Y” pedal can be used to play both channels simultaneously for
even more tonal variety.
Check www.avatarspeakers.com for a pic. Very intriguing.
- All point to point wiring
- Hand made in the Pacific Northwest. USA.
- Choice of tolex and piping color to match your cab.
Avatar 18 Watt Info
● 2 channels
● Hand-wired in the USA
● Parallel output jacks
● Selectable 4/8/16 ohm output
● Cathode biased power section
● Tube rectified
● Tube Lineup: (3) ECC83/12AX7, (2) 6BQ5/EL84, (1) 6CA4/EZ81
Channel 1
Channel 1 (the right input) is based on the Normal channel from the Marshall
1974. It is a relatively simple ECC83/12AX7 preamp that features a tone control and a
volume control. It is a very transparent channel that can go from clean to classic rock
distortion. It cleans up really well when the guitar volume is rolled off.
Channel 2
Channel 2 (the left input) is a preamp based on a more modern design than
Channel 1. It’s a higher gain ECC83/12AX7 preamp that features a 3-band tonestack, a
gain control and a volume control. It has a fuller, more modern distortion tone than
Channel 1 and the tonestack and volume controls allow for a wide variety of tones to be
dialed in at various overall volume levels.
Poweramp
The poweramp uses a pair of 6BQ5/EL84 tubes in a Class A/B push-pull
configuration. The power tubes are responsible for the classic overdriven tone that has
made the original 1974 so popular. This amp is no exception and the power section
distorts in a very pleasing way. The more you turn it up the better it sounds!
Construction Notes
This amp is completely hand-wired using quality components. The turret board
construction makes it much easier to modify or replace components than printed circuit
board construction.
Components Used;
● Mallory 150 caps
● Low-noise carbon film resistors
● Alpha pots
● Cliff jacks
● Carling switches
● Heyboer transformers
● Full set of JJ tubes included
Other Notable Features
Starting with the preamp channels, Channel 1 is a very simple, clean preamp. It’s
a single gain stage fed into the phase inverter. The volume knob controls how hard the
phase inverter and power tubes get driven. Higher volume settings here produce the
classic 18 watt power tube distortion.
The Channel 2 preamp produces much more distortion than Channel 1. It has 3
tone controls, a gain control and a volume control. The amount of preamp distortion can
be set to taste and it allows for higher gain tones at lower volume than Channel 1. The
volume control on Channel 2 works similarly to Channel 1 in that it controls how much
power tube distortion is produced. The beauty of Channel 2 is that it gives you the ability
to mix the preamp and power tube distortion levels. Use the Gain control to set the
preamp distortion and the Volume control to mix in the appropriate amount of power
tube distortion. The “sweet spot” mix of preamp/poweramp distortion will vary
depending on guitar and speaker combinations used but once you find it, it can’t be easily
beaten.
The poweramp is equipped with a modification known as the “Ruby Buzz Mod”.
Basically, it’s a modification to the “stock” 18 watt power section that prevents crossover
distortion buzzing without compromising the tone of the power tubes. This is a very
popular modification on 18watt.com. Also included thanks to 18watt.com is what is
known as the “Huge Cathode Bypass Cap”. As mentioned earlier, the power section is
cathode biased. The “stock” 18 watt cathode bypass capacitor is replaced with one of a
much higher value. This helps to stabilize the power tube cathode voltage and lends itself
to a tighter overall feeling than the amp would otherwise have.
All in all this is a great amp for classic rock, blues, country or pop styles. The two
channels offer a wide variety of tones and can be easily switched with the use of an A/
B pedal. Additionally, a “Y” pedal can be used to play both channels simultaneously for
even more tonal variety.
Check www.avatarspeakers.com for a pic. Very intriguing.