[quote name='BruceBass3901' timestamp='1388655029' post='2324334']
I believe walbassist got to play with the CTM 15 quite a lot so he may be an authority on this little amp
[/quote]
Hi guys
Here's my tuppence worth.
1. I didn't notice any crackling pots on my head.
2. Mine wasn't hissy at all with the gain knob fully ccw, but it did increase as you turned the gain up. Not so much to be unpleasant though.
3. I [i]loved[/i] the tone with the gain knbob fully ccw, but the moment it was turned up the tone seemed to change quite dramatically. As you say, it becomes much more upper-mid and treble orientated. I guess that's just the way it is.
4. Not sure about swapping out the EL84s for something else, certainly no idea about re-biasing. I tried a set of JJs in mine (12AX7 and 5751s in the pre, EL84s for the power) and they sounded good, but certainly didn't change the core tone to any extent.
Cheers
Gareth