Tommy Detamore
From:
Floresville, Texas
|
Posted 11 Jul 2018 12:25 pm |
|
I wanted to let my steel guitar pals know about a very cool device I demoed yesterday. Alan Durham of Durham Electronics graciously brought over one of his Si Tone Direct Amp boxes for me to try out here in the studio, and I have to say I was mightily impressed.
The Si Tone is designed to take the place of a traditional amp-speaker combination in recording and live situations. It can be thought of as a preamp of sorts I suppose, but as far as I can understand it really has more of an amp-like topology, and as such is dubbed a “direct ampâ€. It features tube circuitry and is hand-assembled using the finest of audiophile-grade components.
The Si Tone has two power modes, “hi†and “lowâ€. The “hi†setting is loosely based on the response of a Fender Twin, and produces a clean, clear, and tight sound. The richness and complexity of the tube circuitry was immediately apparent when I first plugged in my Emmons bolt-on. I recall saying “I like it already†even before we tweaked any settings. The “low†setting is reminiscent of the response of a Fender Deluxe. With my Tele I had a wonderful saggy, juicy feel that I have never before experienced in any “boxâ€. It’s really two boxes in one, with two separate and distinct characters available. (It should be noted that all of my listening was done in the control room using my trusty full-range studio monitors.)
The controls provide a wide variety of tones, and they are interactive, so there is some deep-diving to be had there. That said, it was able to get what I wanted to hear quickly. There are some switches that provide additional tonal options (some “air†on top, some added fatness, etc.) Other niceties include a ground and phase flip switch, a balanced XLR output, a 1/4†thru output, and an IEC power connector (no “wall wart†required). It is designed to either lay flat, or upright as shown in the photo I took, which is a handy feature.
This device is not a “dirt box†per se, although there is some “hair†to be had in the “low†setting. It is instead designed to be “pedal-board friendlyâ€, which is a wise choice given that arguably most players these days rely on pedals for various flavors of “driveâ€, as is evidenced by the plethora of drive pedals available.
This is a very flexible box with a variety of potential uses for direct recording and live applications. It could serve as a sound source that would be replicable from studio to studio, since no outboard preamping is required that might impart any sort of tonal or gain-structuring mismatches. It would make for a great "fly-rig†for traveling light. Live bands using in-ear monitors in particular would be well-served by this device.
For the record, I have no official position with Durham Electronics as an endorser or anything of that nature. I just admire someone like Alan who is so dedicated to his craft, and I wanted to help spread the word about this fine piece of gear. Yes, I am saving my pennies. I gotta have one!
Specs and price from the website:
All Tube Amp (5751 & 12AT7)
330 B+ Voltage
Hand wired
Tone Controls - Treble,Mid, Bass
Hi/Low power switch (feels like 20 or 50 watt amp)
Gain switch
Ground & Phase flip switch
Outputs - Balanced,Unbalanced,Thru
Plugs directly into PA -10db
Preamp in the studio +4db
No cabinet required
Perfect for in ear monitors
Pedalboard plugs directly in
No external power supply needed
Plays, feels, and sounds like a traditional guitar amplifier
Bass model available
120V AC Power
7.60" x 4.38" x 2.39" 3lbs 4oz
Price $949
* Sold exclusively through website
http://www.durhamelectronics.com/sitone
http://www.durhamelectronics.com/product-page/sitone
https://www.facebook.com/durhamelectronics
_________________
Tommy Detamore
Quilter Labs, Goodrich Sound, Source Audio, Neunaber Audio, and Stringjoy Authorized Dealer
www.cherryridgestudio.com
www.steelguitartracksonline.com
Last edited by Tommy Detamore on 14 Jul 2018 8:09 am; edited 1 time in total |
|
