wateroftyne Posted December 12, 2016 Share Posted December 12, 2016 (edited) Hey gang Yep, I've been bleating on about these fantastic heads for a while now (more here), but I've finally got around to doing a video review. Hopefully I don't ramble on too much... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLyBAFiJRJY Edited August 3, 2018 by wateroftyne 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 Class D talk aside, that was a surprisingly interesting watch! I love the startup feature with the logo light change They certainly look like well built little units for the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Forrer Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 Mine has the slanted vents on the front with a purple light behind. I agree with everything you said about this amp. I had been using class D amps for some years, and going back to this A/B design with its big toroidal transformer and very simple eq system was like putting on a comfy old pair of slippers. I even took it apart, because I'm an inveterate tinkerer, to see what it looked like inside. I tell you, it is magic. Every solder join, every heat-shrunk terminal, every component is meticulous and top shelf. Leszek is a magician. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted December 13, 2016 Author Share Posted December 13, 2016 [quote name='Marty Forrer' timestamp='1481594489' post='3193599'] Mine has the slanted vents on the front with a purple light behind. I agree with everything you said about this amp. I had been using class D amps for some years, and going back to this A/B design with its big toroidal transformer and very simple eq system was like putting on a comfy old pair of slippers. I even took it apart, because I'm an inveterate tinkerer, to see what it looked like inside. I tell you, it is magic. Every solder join, every heat-shrunk terminal, every component is meticulous and top shelf. Leszek is a magician. [/quote] Yep - he's a proper craftsman... just incredible for the money. He refuses to outsource to the far east, 'cos he wants to be personally involved at every stage. Long may it continue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sratas Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 I would have liked a full gain and drive run inside the review. Maybe it's not your usual tone, but it could have been interesting and informative. Anyway, thanks for the effort, man. Great playing and talking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted December 14, 2016 Author Share Posted December 14, 2016 [quote name='sratas' timestamp='1481722099' post='3194529'] I would have liked a full gain and drive run inside the review. Maybe it's not your usual tone, but it could have been interesting and informative. Anyway, thanks for the effort, man. Great playing and talking. [/quote] Thanks! I'll do one when I get a chance. You're right, it isn't my usual tone... can you give me an example of something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sratas Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 hi, just dime the gain knob and push the drive button in, let's see what happens to the tone. The R400 seems capable of an outstanding clean tube tone, but with lots of complexity in the midrange. I really like this. And i may add that a colourful clean tone is not achievable with my Walkabout with ease, The Mesa is all about driven tone, from slightly to filthy. If I lower the gain knob on the Walkabout the tone just deadens. Just to clarify, the Mesa Walkabout is the "tone in my head" more or less, and I absolutely love it. I just wanted to check the versatility of the Handbox R400. Is it capable of some sort of grit or grind? Your Maruszczyks are more than capable to push the front end of a tube stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted December 14, 2016 Author Share Posted December 14, 2016 [quote name='sratas' timestamp='1481745254' post='3194849'] hi, just dime the gain knob and push the drive button in, let's see what happens to the tone. The R400 seems capable of an outstanding clean tube tone, but with lots of complexity in the midrange. I really like this. And i may add that a colourful clean tone is not achievable with my Walkabout with ease, The Mesa is all about driven tone, from slightly to filthy. If I lower the gain knob on the Walkabout the tone just deadens. Just to clarify, the Mesa Walkabout is the "tone in my head" more or less, and I absolutely love it. I just wanted to check the versatility of the Handbox R400. Is it capable of some sort of grit or grind? Your Maruszczyks are more than capable to push the front end of a tube stage. [/quote] Oh, it does driven tone - as much as you like. I'll do a quick vid to give you an idea... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted December 14, 2016 Author Share Posted December 14, 2016 OK.. does this answer your question? (Recorded at [i]very[/i] low volume as the kids are in bed...!) [media]http://youtu.be/yyB5S5VrVuI[/media] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machinehead Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 [quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1481749191' post='3194900'] OK.. does this answer your question? (Recorded at [i]very[/i] low volume as the kids are in bed...!) [media]http://youtu.be/yyB5S5VrVuI[/media] [/quote] That's horrible. The clean tone is lovely though. There are two things that put me off these amps - firstly, I'd prefer solid-state throughout, no valves. Secondly, I'd prefer it if it didn't get so dirty. These seem to be super amps at a bargain price. Frank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sratas Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 Well...it should be heard by real. Maybe tweaking it a bit, but this quick demo gives me the sensation that: It can do dirt...sounding so so It can do a slight breakup very well To me it seems that the R400 does a good job in that pushed tube albeit clean tone that is not perceived as actual distortion.this is the tone I love and use with the Mesa (solved the muddy tone issues with two Tungsol 12ax7, the amp changed face, dramatically, much cleaner and transparent), gain up to the point that the preamp starts to fatten up and add tube harmonics but without actual distortion or burp. Also, the actual clean tone of the r400 seems more intriguing and rich sounding. On the contrary, the Mesa excels in the drive tone, that can be tweaked to sound like a full tube reminishent of a pushed SVT. All in all, a very interesting amp, at a bargain price, reassurely built with traditional power stage. I'm following these amps with great interest, but waiting for the WB 100 too...hope that the Handbox owner can find more time for amp development Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted December 15, 2016 Author Share Posted December 15, 2016 [quote name='machinehead' timestamp='1481759600' post='3195002'] That's horrible. The clean tone is lovely though. There are two things that put me off these amps - firstly, I'd prefer solid-state throughout, no valves. Secondly, I'd prefer it if it didn't get so dirty. These seem to be super amps at a bargain price. Frank. [/quote] It got that dirty because I literally dimed the gain to the max, as Sratas asked. You can see the position of the gain dial each time, and the drive is engaged adding another 6db. There's lots of clean tone, which is why I love the amp so much. The tubes? Again, that's what makes it what is - if iit had an SS front end, it wouldn't really be for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Passinwind Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 (edited) Let no good deed go unpunished. Thanks for taking the time to do all of that so thoroughly. Edited December 15, 2016 by Passinwind Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sratas Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 Wot is an enthusiast, he has found its tone in the r400, but this doesn't mean his reviews and samples are less useful. In fact, he did a lot of work and his method of showing tones is one of the best I know. I really appreciate his work. Keep on man, and thanks for all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sratas Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 Wot...I want you to test and review the WB100....or wb 180...with the four kt88...think about it please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted December 15, 2016 Author Share Posted December 15, 2016 Thanks, Sratas. I think I might stick to the talking next time, and leave the demoing to the pros :-) Last I heard from Leszek, he was still refining the WB-100. Hopefully an early adopter will demo one - looking forward to hearing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machinehead Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 [quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1481784586' post='3195055'] It got that dirty because I literally dimed the gain to the max, as Sratas asked. You can see the position of the gain dial each time, and the drive is engaged adding another 6db. There's lots of clean tone, which is why I love the amp so much. The tubes? Again, that's what makes it what is - if iit had an SS front end, it wouldn't really be for me. [/quote] Yes, I saw that. I'm not one for that much dirt, but, like yourself I think, prefer a cleaner sound. Interesting amps and being hand-built from discrete components, something I'm very happy to see on the market in this throw-away age. Thanks for the video. Excellent work. Frank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted December 22, 2016 Author Share Posted December 22, 2016 [quote name='machinehead' timestamp='1481914094' post='3196289'] Yes, I saw that. I'm not one for that much dirt, but, like yourself I think, prefer a cleaner sound. Interesting amps and being hand-built from discrete components, something I'm very happy to see on the market in this throw-away age. Thanks for the video. Excellent work. Frank. [/quote] Thanks, Frank. I'd never use it fuzzy like in the example earlier, but a bit of hair around the edges is nice, especially as the mids are so rich. And, of course, completely clean is an option - and how I usually run it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted September 24, 2017 Share Posted September 24, 2017 Only just caught up on this thread altho i read the initial post at the time. WOT :- i would have to say your way of demo'ing the amp is perfect for me. I like the way you keep the bass relatively simple throughout that allows me to identify the subtle changes in amp settings. I would hope you continue to demo gear in similar fashion. I don't want to see a demo of how great a bassist thinks he is. Its more about what the amp can do for a traditional style of playing or a particular song style. Excellent reviews and i am quite interested in one of the R400 versions. I found the all tube version had a nice tube tone but not as much variation from the EQ. I find that with most of the all-tube amps. I prefer the hybrid tube with SS back end for reliability. Altho its a year after you last posted on this i was wondering how much of the tone is the amp and how much from the TKS cab. I've not used a TKS cab but they do appear very popular recently. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted September 24, 2017 Author Share Posted September 24, 2017 [quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1506249647' post='3377269'] Only just caught up on this thread altho i read the initial post at the time. WOT :- i would have to say your way of demo'ing the amp is perfect for me. I like the way you keep the bass relatively simple throughout that allows me to identify the subtle changes in amp settings. I would hope you continue to demo gear in similar fashion. I don't want to see a demo of how great a bassist thinks he is. Its more about what the amp can do for a traditional style of playing or a particular song style. Excellent reviews and i am quite interested in one of the R400 versions. I found the all tube version had a nice tube tone but not as much variation from the EQ. I find that with most of the all-tube amps. I prefer the hybrid tube with SS back end for reliability. Altho its a year after you last posted on this i was wondering how much of the tone is the amp and how much from the TKS cab. I've not used a TKS cab but they do appear very popular recently. Dave [/quote] Ah, thanks Dave. Much appreciated. TBH, I haven't used the R-400 with anything other than my TKS, so I can't really comment. FWIW, my S212 and S112 don't have a distinctive 'TKS' tone IMO. They just sound like classic bass cabs... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted September 24, 2017 Share Posted September 24, 2017 [quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1506253113' post='3377293'] Ah, thanks Dave. Much appreciated. TBH, I haven't used the R-400 with anything other than my TKS, so I can't really comment. FWIW, my S212 and S112 don't have a distinctive 'TKS' tone IMO. They just sound like classic bass cabs... [/quote] Maybe that's why they are so popular. Too many modern cabs sound a bit thin to me. I'm currently using a Berg HT322 that i bought from fellow BC'er Karlfer few yrs back now. Its bloomin heavy but just sounds fantastic at any volume. Also have an Orange rig which sounds good but again heavy. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted August 3, 2018 Author Share Posted August 3, 2018 After a couple of years' service, one of the preamp valves threw the towel in last week so I took the opportunity to replace them all. It was pretty straightforward - little bit of effort is involved in getting the head out of the case, but nothing too taxing. It's all ready to go for tomorrow night 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deedee Posted December 5, 2018 Share Posted December 5, 2018 On 12/12/2016 at 21:21, wateroftyne said: Hey gang Yep, I've been bleating on about these fantastic heads for a while now (more here), but I've finally got around to doing a video review. Hopefully I don't ramble on too much... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLyBAFiJRJY I’m just looking into these as I think they would tick several of my boxes. They look and sound great. Cracking review, many thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted December 5, 2018 Author Share Posted December 5, 2018 14 hours ago, Deedee said: I’m just looking into these as I think they would tick several of my boxes. They look and sound great. Cracking review, many thanks. You're very welcome! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afterimage Posted December 10, 2018 Share Posted December 10, 2018 Nice honest review you have a excellent Amp there thanks for posting Would love to hear a jazz bass through it cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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