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Author Topic:  Allen Encore Tube Amp Full Review
Greg Cutshaw


From:
Corry, PA, USA
Post  Posted 17 Mar 2018 6:05 am    
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My amp stable is down to two horses. A Telonics TCA-500C combo with a 15" Telonics speaker and an Allen Encore 40 watt tube amp with a Eminence Double-T 12 Travis Toy Signature speaker. I sold a lot of older Princetons, Deluxes, a Vibro Champ, a Walker Stereo Steel and a few nice Peavey amps to get these amps.

Of all the amps I've been able to try the Telonics is by far the best for steel guitar considering the tone, power and features that it offers. It's in a class of it's own. The Allen Encore for what it does, I think beats out all the vintage tube amps I've ever played through. It has really remarkable reverb, a versatile tone stack and even does a respectable job of handling a pedal steel at lower volumes.


Read the full review here:

Allen Encore Amp Review

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George Seymour


From:
Notown, Vermont, USA
Post  Posted 18 Mar 2018 6:05 am    
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How much time you put into the build Greg? How much did it cost completed?
Thanks
George
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Greg Cutshaw


From:
Corry, PA, USA
Post  Posted 18 Mar 2018 9:00 am    
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Cost was $1,539 with shipping.

I spent about 60 hours building and assembling everything. About 85 hours on the review.
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George Seymour


From:
Notown, Vermont, USA
Post  Posted 18 Mar 2018 12:38 pm    
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Thanks for posting that info Greg
I would like to do the same thing some time..but sometimes my desire outpace my actions
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Old Emmons D-10's & Wrap Resound 65, Standel amps!
Old Gibson Mastertones
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Larry Dering


From:
Missouri, USA
Post  Posted 19 Mar 2018 2:06 pm    
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Greg, I thoroughly enjoyed the review and the pictures along with the sound samples. I can't imagine anyone doing a more detailed and thorough review than yours. You have my vote for best in class.
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Greg Cutshaw


From:
Corry, PA, USA
Post  Posted 19 Mar 2018 4:42 pm    
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Thanks for the kind comments Larry!

This is a very weird time for guitar amps. Looking at the tons of posts on the TDPRI amp forum, it appears that the rage now in amps belongs to the Boss Katana's, Monoprice 5/15 watters, class D heads, and many other super low price but high feature amps. There's still a camp that remains true to the boutique and tube amps but it seems to be shrinking in favor of the huge number of bedroom players that want low price, low wattage, high feature amps. I've personally never gotten great tone with the sub $300 amps but am amazed at the great value that they provide and the improvements they have made.

Plugging my guitar or steel into a Telonics, Webb, Stereo Steel, Fender type tube amp has always been resulted into instant gratification with very little tweaking needed to find a great tone. I'm a lot fussier with the tone I hear at the listening position than what the audience hears. Out in the crowd most amps seems to sound about the same especially if they are miked and of course some people are just going direct.

It's great to have so many fine choices!
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Mark Fowler


From:
Minnesota, USA
Post  Posted 26 Mar 2018 2:59 am    
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I find that the guys in my area have all the latest amps and pedals but they also have an incredible collection of great old tube amps that are coming out of their closets and basements onto my work bench to live again.

Gigging guitarists are still using tube amps thankfully so we are listening to good tone. Very Happy

Tube sales is up and biasing is requests are up and I'm retired. Better reopen my business maybe!

Mark
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Greg Cutshaw


From:
Corry, PA, USA
Post  Posted 26 Mar 2018 4:01 am    
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I think the bedroom and home studio players are buying a lot of stuff, both tube and the newer transistor amps with lots of gizmos built in. I've just ordered another Allen amp kit, a Chihuahua with a class A single 6V6 circuit. It's like a Fender Champ with added tube reverb, raw and master controls. The speaker will be a 10" Eminence Copperhead:

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/eminence-patriot-the-copperhead-10-75w-guitar-speaker

I have heard a lot of guitarists using Peavey transistor amps like the Bandit get really awesome tone. Adding a nice compressor really transforms the sound of most transistor amps. Further adding some nice reverb, delay, etc stomp boxes thickens the tone. I like tubes a lot but a lot of the newer transistor amps do a great job on all instruments. My Telonics steel amp will give even classic Fender Princeton Reverb a run for the money on standard guitar. Of course speaker choices and break in have a big impact on any amp.
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bob drawbaugh


From:
scottsboro, al. usa
Post  Posted 29 Mar 2018 5:08 am    
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Greg Cutshaw wrote:
I think the bedroom and home studio players are buying a lot of stuff, both tube and the newer transistor amps with lots of gizmos built in. I've just ordered another Allen amp kit, a Chihuahua with a class A single 6V6 circuit. It's like a Fender Champ with added tube reverb, raw and master controls. The speaker will be a 10" Eminence Copperhead:

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessories/eminence-patriot-the-copperhead-10-75w-guitar-speaker

I have heard a lot of guitarists using Peavey transistor amps like the Bandit get really awesome tone. Adding a nice compressor really transforms the sound of most transistor amps. Further adding some nice reverb, delay, etc stomp boxes thickens the tone. I like tubes a lot but a lot of the newer transistor amps do a great job on all instruments. My Telonics steel amp will give even classic Fender Princeton Reverb a run for the money on standard guitar. Of course speaker choices and break in have a big impact on any amp.


Greg, David Allen amps are very interesting. I like the chiliuahua design a lot. i've also been looking at the Accomplice Jr with a 12" speaker. I think it would make a great practice and small gig amp. Did you have any problems with your build? it looks great by the way.
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Greg Cutshaw


From:
Corry, PA, USA
Post  Posted 29 Mar 2018 5:56 am    
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Bob, I've been playing through the Encore every day and it's been working great. No hum, no hiss and very eerily quiet for a tube amp.

It's real easy to make wiring mistakes and by triple checking my board layout I found a few wiring errors early, long before power on.

It's interesting how the reverb tone control affects the tone of the steel. A lot of what you hear with the reverb on is not the original signal, but the ongoing reverberated signal. The reverb tone control has a huge affect on the overall tone of the amp. The TT-12 speaker could use a tad more treble for regular guitar but is spectacular for steel guitar. I kick the bright switch on for the tele and off for steel.

Allen's parts are high quality and should make for a long lasting amp. I would stick with the TT-12 speaker for any steel applications. It sounds great on all 24 frets of the steel.

Call David if you want something you don't see offered. Most of his amps offer a lot of speaker, output tube and rectifier options. He even offered to spec me out the Chihuahua with a tube rectifier instead of solid state diodes for a slight up-charge making it a bit closer to the Champ design. I opted to stick with the diodes.

The Accomplice kit is only $100 more than the Accomplice Jr. It's basically the Encore without the tremolo circuit. Since I find the reverb tone control so useful for steel (mine is set at about 2 o'clock) I would opt for the Accomplice over the Jr. I'll look at the schematic to see if my setting of the reverb tone control is pretty close to eliminating the reverb tone circuit.
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Greg Cutshaw


From:
Corry, PA, USA
Post  Posted 29 Mar 2018 6:18 am    
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I did check the Encore schematic. At higher settings of the Reverb and logarithmic Reverb Tone controls, the reverb tone circuit is largely negated making the Accomplice and Accomplice Jr. pretty close to the same reverb circuit.
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Greg Cutshaw


From:
Corry, PA, USA
Post  Posted 31 Mar 2018 12:01 pm    
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Another tune using this amp. Steel, Peavey Generations Tele, and 4 string electric mandolin (Low C) played through the amp. Fiddle and Piano are real tracks. I told the piano player not to go too crazy with the riffs but he didn't listen.

Hear Texas Swing


If you're interested in my 4 string electric mandolin home brew hack job with Johnny Gimble's tuning on it:

Electric Mandolin on the cheap
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