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Sound City L100 vs B120


The-Ox
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I would say the L100 would be more Entwhistle as it has passive EQ, more like a Hiwatt. The B120 would have had active EQ but be potentially louder having 6 EL34s compared to 4 in the L100. IMO, the Sound City active EQ was horrible and impossible to get a good sound with.

If I remember correctly, the early Hiwatts that The Who used were modified Sound Citys with only bass, treble and volume controls, no mid control.

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[quote name='bertbass' timestamp='1453638251' post='2961224']
I would say the L100 would be more Entwhistle as it has passive EQ, more like a Hiwatt. The B120 would have had active EQ but be potentially louder having 6 EL34s compared to 4 in the L100. IMO, the Sound City active EQ was horrible and impossible to get a good sound with.

If I remember correctly, the early Hiwatts that The Who used were modified Sound Citys with only bass, treble and volume controls, no mid control.
[/quote]

thanks! I had similar thoughts, the B120 is valve though right? Its a tough call!

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Having owned Sound city 100s, 120s and a 200 watt head, a long time ago I have to admit, The volume of the 120s and 200 is immense, however the active EQ made it impossible to get, in my opinion, a good sound. The Sound City 100, while still certainly loud enough, with its passive EQ made getting a great sound easy. Just like a Hiwatt really and I've had a few of those as well for comparison.

For me the choice would be easy, the L100 but I'm sure others would be of a different opinion.

Hope this helps.

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[quote name='bertbass' timestamp='1453718741' post='2962000']
Having owned Sound city 100s, 120s and a 200 watt head, a long time ago I have to admit, The volume of the 120s and 200 is immense, however the active EQ made it impossible to get, in my opinion, a good sound. The Sound City 100, while still certainly loud enough, with its passive EQ made getting a great sound easy. Just like a Hiwatt really and I've had a few of those as well for comparison.

For me the choice would be easy, the L100 but I'm sure others would be of a different opinion.

Hope this helps.
[/quote]

thank you! Very sound advice, appreciate it!

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[quote name='Pow_22' timestamp='1453724740' post='2962086']
Yup, I could never get a decent sound out of the 120 either. Took it to a tech and had it all revalved and recapped etc and still couldn't get a decent tone at any real volume.
[/quote]

interesting, cheers! Pushing me towards the L100, John did use them after all :)

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The B120 is essentially the same as my L120 Mk IV. The active tone controls on the Mk IV amps each have a preamp valve, which makes them very sensitive. Once I realised this, I was able to get a good tone since I realised only small tweaksof the controls could dramatically alter the sound. The L100 is a rarer model though, so unless the B120 is being sold at a temptingly lower price then I'd go for that.

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[quote name='chriswareham' timestamp='1453798884' post='2962750']
The B120 is essentially the same as my L120 Mk IV. The active tone controls on the Mk IV amps each have a preamp valve, which makes them very sensitive. Once I realised this, I was able to get a good tone since I realised only small tweaksof the controls could dramatically alter the sound. The L100 is a rarer model though, so unless the B120 is being sold at a temptingly lower price then I'd go for that.
[/quote]

Cheers! Interesting point about the active controls

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[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]The active tone control Mk IV amps can in some cases be noisy. There are answers to this on the Internet, varying degrees of success are reported. You may get lucky and have a 'quiet' one, I have no issues with mine. Internal build quality is variable, some are very neat (approaching Hiwatt standards) others less so. [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] You will not lack volume with one of these. A cheap enough L120 can be rebuilt with the Hiwatt pre amp at a fraction of current Hiwatt prices.[/font][/color]

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  • 4 weeks later...

[quote name='ukulelelab' timestamp='1456347388' post='2988195']
I recently picked up a mk2 in a charity shop in Nottingham. Easily my luckiest find. Mk3s are rare but Mk2s are almost in unicorn territory. Arguably even harder to find than mk1s
[/quote]

lucky you!! How much?

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