Tech 21 amphs... Who's played 'em???

[Katastrophe]

I find myself having some significant GAS pains over the Tech 21 Trademark 60 4x10 combo. From what I've heard, the sounds are phenomenal, and quite tubey in nature. I like the idea that they can be expanded by the Power Engine powered cabs.

Problem is, there's no one in my immediate area that carries them, or at least I haven't seen them at the local South Austin GC (about an hour away) for me to try out.

I know I've seen a Trademark on stage with Les Paul, which is a fairly ringing endorsement.:D

Situation: Any amph that I purchase, I'm gonna have to keep for a loooooong time. It's gonna have to be reliable and powerful enough to gig with, yet sound decent at reasonable household volumes. I don't have, nor do I anticipate in the near future, the time or money to deal with the issues surrounding tubes.

I also like the Vypyr Series, and especially like the lower cost. I know from personal experience that the 30 watter is a fantastic sounding amph, and the effects are good.

This is purely an acedemic excercise, since I don't have the cash right now, and financing isn't an option right now.

I'd like to get the opinion of my fellow Fretters on the Trademark series of amphs. What say you, fellow Fretters?

[wingsdad]

I've got a T-60 1x12, got it used, not sure if it's an '04 or '05. The stock Celestion Seventy 80 speaker is nice. Everything you've read or heard is true about the 'tubey' sound, IMO. It's not really a 'modeling' amp, as it's analog, not digital; I'd call it more an 'emulator'. One channel 'emulates' Fender, anything from the classic glassy clean to barky edge of a Twin, to a dirty little Champ or pushed Deluxe; the other, Tech 21 just calls 'Brit', and I guess that means Marshall. I'd just call it Ballsy.

The only FX onboard is the Accutronics spring reverb, and that is a genuine 'verb tank, not a 'compromise' like so many digitally modeled fx can be. Do you actuallyneed onboard FX, or do you have your own pedals, etc? Good FX loop if you like that route. You can't beat the SansAmp balanced DI (with goundlift). You can stick an SM57 in the cone if you care to, but it won't sound any better mic'd than going direct, as the DI emulates the Celestion's character, and you won't pickup any transients or bleeds in a stage or live band studio setting. Room volume? You can work the pre/post gains and strike a happy medium. Or tap into the headphone jack and play silent but deadly. you won't bother a sleeping infant across the hall. (personally tested as true).

Yeah. I love the amp. 'Tubey' without the headaches. For years, I played Fender (Deluxe 'verb, Bandmaster, Tremolux, Bassman), later Peavey (Mace) tubes. I stopped wishing I still had one of those once I got this.

If you want 27 differrent wannabe amps with 42 mediocre fx in one box, then DON'T get a Tech 21 Trademark 60. If you want 2, maybe 6 (if you take some time to figure out the settings) really good amps and only use reverb or maybe a couple of essential outboard fx you really like or prefer to setup a pedalboard, then DO.

[Katastrophe]

Great response, wingsdad! Outside of the included reverb, right now I don't use any effects. I'd like to add a delay here and there (sparsely), with an occaisional chorus and a wah, and that's it. It's kind of funny, after I got my Strat I just naturally started staying away from effects. When my Digitech unit broke I just didn't miss it at all.

I thought it was interesting that they were able to capture the "clean, but with a hint of grit" sound that I've been chasing after recently. Or, at least it sounded that way on the sound clips they had on the website...

[wingsdad]

Well, Kat, if you're minimalist FX, then you're looking at the right amp, IMO. That's why it's cool by me. Yep, a delay/echo or chorus, and the amp is about all for me. (I have a Boss ME-50, but that's just to give me a whole range of them). you've probably looked at the top control panel pic on the website, too.

I didn't mention the footswitch....and the Link function. The website describes how the Link thing can make the footswitch work the reverb & Master Boost 3 different ways. That's pretty clever.

[SuperSwede]

Tech 21 Sansamp technology is my trick of the trade these days.

My GT2 sounds fantastic to my ears, and I wouldnt mind adding one of the Trademark amps to my arsenal as well.

And you should listen to the excellent sound clips from the Trademark 30 that Elias posted earlier, imagine that sound through a 4x10 and you are pretty much there :)

[marnold]

Everybody that I've talked to about the Trademark amps love them. When I was looking at an AD30VT, Marshall MG, or Roland Cube, I also wanted to try one of those. Sadly no one around had them and I didn't want to buy sight-unseen (or perhaps listening-unheard). I'd still like to try one myself someday.

[wingsdad]

You may have to call around to a bunch of GC's or even independent dealers. Here's the Dealer List off their website:

Tech 21 Dealer List (http://www.tech21nyc.com/dealers/tech21_dealer_frames.html)

The Support section of the Tech21 website also links to mail-order and Internet dealers. GC's sibling, Musician's Fiend has them in stock.

I'd seen & tried the T30 (operates more like the GT2 pedal, the matrix of which Behringer reverse-engineered to come up with their line of 'V-Tone' amps', and thus, very different from the T60's operation) and T60 at a GC long before I lucked into mine showing up at my Local GAS Station on a trade-in the night before I went there for a weekly gear prowl desguised as a string purchase. I'd just bought a Peavey ValveKing Royal 8 3 weeks earlier. I traded that nice enuff little amp right back without hesitation to jump on the T60.

[warren0728]

is the 30 watt version as good as the 60? i live in a condo and the 60 would be overkill....would probably sell my ad30vt to offset a little of the cost....

ww

[wingsdad]

Warren-
As good? I'd say yes, but a different 'good'. At almost 12/ the price ($299 vs. $579 new, street price per MF/GC).

The T30 has a 10" speaker and a 3-spring Accutronics 'verb vs. the 6-spring unit on the T60...

EDIT: here's links to the Accutronics Tanks to compare:

The T30's
Accutronics Type 8 3-Spring (http://www.accutronicsreverb.com/Type8.htm)

The T60's
Accutronics Type 9 6-Spring (http://www.accutronicsreverb.com/Type9.htm)

They sport the same decay time. The T30 being a more compact amp doesn't have room for the longer T9 tank that allows 2 springs coupled together as if they're 3 longer springs with extra flex amidships, and thus more depth & dimension...like playing in bigger room vs. a smaller room.

30W Solid State is fine for practice or 'bedroom' use, with the smaller speaker and the less dimensional verb in a small room. But too lightweight, IMO, to use onstage and get decent enough stage volume sound (although DI'd thru a PA, the sound is as big as the PA will deliver to the audience and the verb can be enhanced).

The T30 is a single channel amp, the T60's a 2-channel, switchable. Is a single channel amp as good as 2-channel? There's a debatable point:whatever:

The T30's 3-button 'Matrix' is a tres-cool operating system that will react differently to different pickups and lets you set 'speaker characteristics', frankly, most effective with the DI or headphone out vs. with the speaker out-loud.

What it does do playing 'out loud', is deliver marvelous 'cranked tone' at the lowest of volume levels. The T60 can do the same thing, though. It's all in tweaking the interplay of the settings. IMO, at least to my ears and with my guitars, the T60 also is better at delivering the 'glassier' variety of Fender Clean. Put in amp modeling terms of your Vox, the T30's Fender analog emulation is more vintage 'tweed' than blackface.

The most salient point to either of these amps is that they are emulators, not modelers. In other words, more 'genuine', less synthetic.

[Eric]

I know...this is way way super old, but I figured I'd throw in my opinion anyway.

I bought a used TM60 a few months ago, but most of my playing at band volumes is in church, where we have a PA and they like to keep a pretty clean stage. What I found there is that channel 1 works well, with enough articulation to stand out, but still enough grit to go around as you turn up the guitar volume.

Channel 2 has a nice Marshall sound, but it can at times go missing when playing with a full complement of instruments, particularly if you are staying within certain volume boundaries. I tend toward channel 1 when playing with others, though in a trio I meet with these days, channel 2 does work better. We just bring in amps and turn everything up to match the drummer, so it's a simpler setup where there's enough volume to correct any issues.

The best thing about this amp is that at loud volumes, it's still there and can keep up with you. I feel like band volume is usually where tube amps shine and SS fall flat, so being able to perform well with a band is a really strong point for the TM60.

I'd recommend this amp to pretty much anybody, as it's light, does a good job tone-wise, has some nice features like the XLR out, and has plenty of power to go 'round. The knobs are very sensitive too, so there's a lot of room to discover new tones. I've found a few settings I like, but there are a heck of a lot more tones I could get out of it.

If it has a weakness, I'd say it's that there's not a ton of clean headroom on either channel, and the options if you're trying to do metal are pretty limited. It can do it, but there's not a lot of versatility in the modern-metal arena.

[FrankenFretter]

There's a TM60 on Ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com/Tech-21-Trademark-60-TM60-1X12-Combo-Amplifier-L-K-/310246054224?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item483c1b1950) with a buy it now price of $399.99, or make offer. That seems like a really good price. If I needed another amph, I'd sure be looking seriously at that one.

[markb]

I know...this is way way super old, but I figured I'd throw in my opinion anyway.

I bought a used TM60 a few months ago, but most of my playing at band volumes is in church, where we have a PA and they like to keep a pretty clean stage. What I found there is that channel 1 works well, with enough articulation to stand out, but still enough grit to go around as you turn up the guitar volume.

Channel 2 has a nice Marshall sound, but it can at times go missing when playing with a full complement of instruments, particularly if you are staying within certain volume boundaries. I tend toward channel 1 when playing with others, though in a trio I meet with these days, channel 2 does work better. We just bring in amps and turn everything up to match the drummer, so it's a simpler setup where there's enough volume to correct any issues.

The best thing about this amp is that at loud volumes, it's still there and can keep up with you. I feel like band volume is usually where tube amps shine and SS fall flat, so being able to perform well with a band is a really strong point for the TM60.

I'd recommend this amp to pretty much anybody, as it's light, does a good job tone-wise, has some nice features like the XLR out, and has plenty of power to go 'round. The knobs are very sensitive too, so there's a lot of room to discover new tones. I've found a few settings I like, but there are a heck of a lot more tones I could get out of it.

If it has a weakness, I'd say it's that there's not a ton of clean headroom on either channel, and the options if you're trying to do metal are pretty limited. It can do it, but there's not a lot of versatility in the modern-metal arena.

A great summary of the pros and cons there, Eric.

[Eric]

A great summary of the pros and cons there, Eric.
Thanks very much!

It's kind of funny -- my two staple settings (or at least their starting points) come from the suggestions you came up with shortly after I purchased the amp.