NAW - Jule Monique 700

[JapanAxe]

Yes, had it a week and only just got round to posting, but I have reasons...

 

I first tried a Monique 9 years ago when I was buying my Demeter head from Bass Gear (I miss that place, even if my wallet doesn't). Barrie (@molan) had one there (might have been Dave Swift's), a birdcage-style preamp with a separate 700W Class D power amp. I never really fancied that form factor but to my ears it was the one amp that sounded even better than the Demeter. The Sensitivity knob is basically a more/better control - the higher you turn it, the richer the harmonic content. They didn't have one in stock, and it would have cost a fair chunk more than I was paying for the Demeter, but always hoped I might be able to get one some time.

 

That time was last week after a used example of the rack version came up on here. I've spent some time with it, trying it through my BF One 10, BF Super Twin, and using the preamp for recording. My conclusion is that it's bloody lovely, and just as good as I remembered. I came home today after a rather disappointing day out, plugged my NG2 into the rig you see below, and played along to a Bowie compilation - instant happy place.

 

You'll see that there are two power switches. The first (with big blue jewel light) is for the valve preamp. This runs two 6SL7 valves (like an old Ampeg B15) and a 12A_7 (lettering had worn off). The valve on the left is an EZ81 rectifier. The second switch (with small blue LED) is for the Hypex 700W Class D module. So for recording, just switch on the preamp - perfect. The head came housed in a wooden sleeve with two handles on the top. That wasn't going to work for me so I removed them and installed one on the left 'cheek' of the sleeve and fitted four rubber feet on the right to allow it to be stood on its end. The previous owner is a pro player and has had plenty of use out of the amp so there were a few scuffs to the Tolex, which I have disguised with a black paint pen. It now looks jolly smart, and I'm finding I can live with the tiny overhang above the Super Twin! Sadly I have all lead guitar gigs for the rest of the year, so unless I get some dep jobs in I'll have to wait till mid January to use this in anger.

 

I've now got 'too many' bass heads again (recently bough a Fender TB600) but screw it, I'm keeping them all!

 

[msb]

I have the birdcage version of Monique. When I bought it , I mentioned one was on the way (in another forum) and Jule contacted me to say he wasn’t aware of my order but he would make it right. I immediately told him I had bought a used one , he told me I could have kept him going for a week or two. I’ve since had several keyboard contacts with Jule , and he seems to be a wonderful character. I like him.

Monique is truly a thing of beauty. I was running a Bergantino Forte amp , something that’s renowned for having clean transparent power , it’s a good back end for Monique. I use the effect return channel rather than the regular input to bypass the Forte pre and tone stack. Monique gives me that tube warmth and saturation , and there is magic in the sensitivity knob. Yes indeed. I want a rich old school thump , with warmth , and some serious slam. I want things to feel deep. I love what Monique does. 

I am a believer.
 

Paid more than I wanted to , and today have no regrets whatsoever. Knowing what I know today I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

[JapanAxe]

I've been in touch with Jule about sourcing a couple of front panel screws and he was very quick to come back with the information I needed.

 

Had the amp out this morning, playing along to a CD on my '73 P - so nice!

[msb]

There are quite a number of Ampeg inspired preamps out there , Broughton in Toronto make several. Arkham in Southern Maine have made some beauties , and amps too. In Quebec there’s Jo Chiou , but he’s stopped manufacturing for the time being. He’s got a great YouTube channel for tone nerds.  Some of Jo’s creations are out there , but are difficult to find. The Noble DI pre , was inspired by that tone too. I don’t know how big Broughton is , but the rest are simple one man shops that have found a worldwide audience. I find that inspiring. 

I think Jule’s Monique is the queen of them all though. There is something about that tone. 
 

Now I have various Class D heads that try and emulate that tube thing. And they are good sounding gear. GenzBenz , Darkglass , Aguilar , GK , I’ll just dial in a touch of the drive but they do not do what Monique does. 

[JapanAxe]

I've ended up with 3 gigging amp heads that all have a full valve pre-amp coupled to a solid state power section. And my practice amp head is an all-valve B15-derived design.

 

They're all in my signature...

Edited November 27 by JapanAxe

[msb]

I gig every weekend , but spend far more time with practice amps than my gig gear. I keep them separate. So I’ve acquired a bunch of heads in the 200-500 watt range for home use. I’m sure they would cover most gigs I do , but I have just used them for practice. My practice volume is not loud , but I’ve always felt the only way to develop your tone is to plug in and hear it.

Probably my favourite practice head is a Darkglass e500. It’s a digital head that runs software containing about two dozen pedals and effects , and forty something cab sims. The software is fairly intuitive , it’s easy to create presets. You can make the amp do almost anything. 
We also care for my 99 year old mother-in-law , so I have a little practice nook set up in her house too. 

[Owen]

"The Sensitivity knob is basically a more/better control".

 

Beautifully put.