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Topic: Which Quilter should I get?? |
Tim Toberer
From:
Nebraska, USA
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Posted 31 Jan 2023 8:24 am |
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I have only recently gotten back into electric instruments and up till recently I have been not a pedal guy but, I really love idea of the Quilter pedal amps. So I have decided to ditch the weight of tube amps and get a Quilter.
I am not sure which one for sure as I think all the lower watt amps look suitable. I like the simplicity of the MicroBlock 45, but the InterBlock and the SuperBlock have FX loops and the SuperBlock has reverb and a tweed model.
I could live without the reverb and the tweed 57 cause I plan to get a El Pescadaro octal pedal with reverb.
I guess I haven't ruled out the 101 either. How important are FX loops?? Leaning towards the SuperBlock or MicroBlock. Super has more features, Micro has simplicity and less than 1/2 the cost. I guess I might be a pedal guy after all. |
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K Maul
From:
Hadley, NY/Hobe Sound, FL
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Posted 31 Jan 2023 8:56 am
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Some things work better in fx loops than others. I’ve done both ways but I often just put the effects into the amp input and it works just fine. I love Quilters and have several. It depends on how much power you think you’ll need but they are all very clean and sweet sounding.
_________________
Kevin Maul: Airline, Beard, Clinesmith, Decophonic, Evans, Excel, Fender, Fluger, Gibson, Hilton, Ibanez, Justice, K+K, Live Strings, MOYO, National, Oahu, Peterson, Quilter, Rickenbacher, Sho~Bud, Supro, TC, Ultimate, VHT, Williams, X-otic, Yamaha, ZKing. |
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Bobby D. Jones
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 31 Jan 2023 3:39 pm
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| The Quilter Tone Block 202 is a neat amp. With the switch that allows the amp to produce old Fender amp sounds. |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 31 Jan 2023 8:07 pm
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How loud and clean do you need to be?
I personally use the Tone Block 201. 200 RMS Watts, sounds great, weighs around 4 pounds. I have two of them and paid around $250 each. They were discontinued in favor of the 202, so you have to kinda' scrounge to find one, but they do pop up. The 202 is probably nominally better, and the Bass/Middle/Treble tone stack is no doubt more intuitive for many players. But it also costs a lot more and the 201 does everything I need. I pretty much run the 201 in its 'flat' (FullQ) mode and I've had no problem getting what I need out of the other fairly minimalist tone controls. I don't need the on-board reverb, I have good reverb pedals. I run these amps into a lightweight but high-power speaker cabinet. Both the 201 and 202 have an effects loop, which I rarely use. I have a MicroBlock 45, and have tried some of my friends' 101, Superblock 45, etc. For me, fine for guitar, but not enough clean headroom for pedal steel unless the stage volume is relatively low.
The main point of an effects loop is for time-based effects like delay, reverb, modulation effects like phase, flange, chorus, and so on. Back in a day, the expectation was line-level, not guitar-level, signals, and that is still often an issue, although some effects loops work OK with guitar-level signals. Gain-based effects like overdrive, distortion, compression, and so on are usually put between the guitar and front input. But I functioned for decades just fine with time-based, guitar-level effects pedals in front, and putting some effects in the loop and others in front would complicate my already complicated multi-instrument setup even more. My main use of effects loops is to sometimes bypass the preamp and use something like a Sarno Revelation preamp straight into the effects return. |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 1 Feb 2023 3:06 am
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My vote is for the TB202. Best steel amp I've had since a Twin Reverb in the 70's.
Pricey but all amps, worth anything, are pricey.
_________________
GFI Ultra Keyless S-10 with pad (Black of course) TB202 amp, Hilton VP, Steelers Choice sidekick seat, SIT Strings
Cakewalk by Bandlab and Studio One V4.6 pro DAWs, MOTU Ultralite MK5 recording interface unit |
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Tim Toberer
From:
Nebraska, USA
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Posted 1 Feb 2023 6:53 am
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| Dave Mudgett wrote: |
How loud and clean do you need to be?
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Actually that's the thing, I really don't need much juice. The most I plan to do is maybe jam with a few people, but primarily its just a practice amp. I know people around here love the 202's but really that is way more power than I need. I guess you never know down the road? I play lap steel and I like it a touch dirty. The amp will double as my guitar amp. The Superblock does have an XLR which would make it pretty versatile. I will keep an eye out for a 201. I haven't looked at those.
I think I get the effects loop thing now and it makes sense to have one, wether or not I actually use it. One reason I thought of is, I could bypass the preamp and use a Boss acoustic preamp for my acoustic stuff. I am not sure how well that would work, but I really would like to have just one amp.
Thanks for all the insight. It sounds like I can't go wrong with Quilter. |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 1 Feb 2023 4:14 pm
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Lap steel players frequently differ in amp choice from pedal steel. Pedal steel players tend to want more headroom because of 1) the wide frequency range of a typical D10 E9/C6 pedal steel setup, 2) stylistically, pedal steel players are frequently looking for pretty clean sounds, and 3) most pedal steel players use a volume pedal to keep a large amount of gain in reserve to increase sustain possibilities. The longer I've been playing, the more my volume pedal baseline tends to be around 1/3 of full volume or less.
For me, amp choice for lap/console steel is different than for pedal steel. I generally go smaller for lap/console. My favorite is a '53 Fender 5B6 tweed Pro. That is old-school, with a tube rectifier, octal preamp tubes, and a pair of 6L6 power tubes into a 15" Jensen. But I often use a tweed Deluxe or, you may find this strange, the Peavey Backstage or Studio Pro 40/50. These smaller Peaveys are great little amps that take pedals really well and can be found for dirt cheap.
But even for pedal steel - for informal jamming at a relatively low volume and practice at home, you may well not need anything like 200 RMS Watts. The Superblock 45 or 101 may be just fine.
You may even find the MicroBlock 45 OK. But realize that the tone controls are extremely limited on that one. I use that on a pedal board with a bunch of effects that I can use to shape things to my liking. But I'm not sure it saves much - it goes on a pedalboard anyway and I still need to bring a lightweight speaker cab. That's about the same as just bringing the pedal board and one of the smaller Peaveys.
If I were you, I'd go try some amps out. It's one thing to get a rough idea what to look for, but you likely won't know what works best for you until you try them. The Quilter stuff is pretty ubiquitous these days. |
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Tim Toberer
From:
Nebraska, USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2023 7:00 am
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| Dave Mudgett wrote: |
For me, amp choice for lap/console steel is different than for pedal steel. I generally go smaller for lap/console. My favorite is a '53 Fender 5B6 tweed Pro. That is old-school, with a tube rectifier, octal preamp tubes, and a pair of 6L6 power tubes into a 15" Jensen. But I often use a tweed Deluxe or, you may find this strange, the Peavey Backstage or Studio Pro 40/50. These smaller Peaveys are great little amps that take pedals really well and can be found for dirt cheap.
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I guess I wasn't very specific about my particular needs, partially because I am not even sure yet. I am more of a tinkerer and am getting into building steel guitars for fun. I did a lot of research when I first wanted to get into this and built a few amps thinking it has to be tube. I have 3 amps now and none of them seem to be that versatile. Space is becoming an issue and I want to focus more on building instruments so some amps have to go. I love the tweed Deluxe, but its too loud and I never play it. the tweed Princeton is amazing but it is really just a toy.
I had the realization that these Quilters seem like they might be as close to a magic bullet as I will find. With pedals you can get almost any sound you want as long as you have the headroom. I want the option to play quiet and dirty as well as loud and clean. Long story short I think you all have answered most of my questions. Thanks for the detailed responses! |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 2 Feb 2023 8:37 am
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There are lots of posts on the Quilter Facebook page of "tubies" abandoning their Fender tube amps in favor of the TB202.
The lead guitar player that I worked with for over 20 years was a must have Fender guitars and amps. He played a Strat Plus (with blue Lace Sensor pups) and a 65 BF Pro Reverb. After he heard and tried my Quilter Travis Toy 12 combo amp (including a TB202) he was ready to buy a TB02. He developed some medical issues and had to give up bands so it never happened, but he still talks about the amp.
In the Pedal steel and bass world, headroom is key. Not the issue with a lead guitar.
_________________
GFI Ultra Keyless S-10 with pad (Black of course) TB202 amp, Hilton VP, Steelers Choice sidekick seat, SIT Strings
Cakewalk by Bandlab and Studio One V4.6 pro DAWs, MOTU Ultralite MK5 recording interface unit |
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J Fletcher
From:
London,Ont,Canada
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Posted 2 Feb 2023 9:46 am
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My take on this Quilter thing . You can dial the 200 watt output down to 5 watts , or anywhere in between. Might as well get the reverb too , sounds good , could come in handy and it simplifies things . Only weighs about 4 lbs so weight is not a factor .
Jerry |
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Bobby D. Jones
From:
West Virginia, USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2023 11:07 am
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| With a Eminence EPS-15C speaker in a custom Birch Cabinet and a Tone Block 202, A 25 pound mound of sound. My back is so happy, A great steel amp that is lighter than a lot of players seat. |
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D Schubert
From:
Columbia, MO, USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2023 12:42 pm
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I have several Quilter amps, and I'm not sure I'd part with any of them.
US Superblock for DI with or without speaker. 101R and 10" slanted DockBlock cabinet, simple and light 50W fender-ish sound with reverb. 200 watt MicroPro 8, many (almost too many) voices. Often use that with a extension cabinets for steel or guitar.
All these amps have a common feature that I find extremely valuable -- the MASTER volume just gets you louder or quieter, no interaction with all the other knobs.
_________________
GFI Expo S-10PE, Sho-Bud 6139, Fender 2x8 Stringmaster, Supro consoles, Dobro. And more. |
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Tim Toberer
From:
Nebraska, USA
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Posted 2 Feb 2023 2:33 pm
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| J Fletcher wrote: |
My take on this Quilter thing . You can dial the 200 watt output down to 5 watts , or anywhere in between. Might as well get the reverb too , sounds good , could come in handy and it simplifies things . Only weighs about 4 lbs so weight is not a factor .
Jerry |
You guys are making a pretty good case for the 200w. |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 3 Feb 2023 2:38 am
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| Quote: |
| ... I love the tweed Deluxe, but its too loud and I never play it. the tweed Princeton is amazing but it is really just a toy. ... |
OK, let's talk reality here. You say a 14-Watt tweed Deluxe (I assume something you cloned?) is too loud, and a 5-Watt tweed Princeton (I assume also a clone) is great but you're worried it's a toy.
So - what makes you think you need more loud and clean than the tweed Deluxe? Any of these Quilters, and especially the 200 Watt versions, are capable of a LOT more loud and clean than a tweed Deluxe. And IMO, a tweed Deluxe is one of the absolutely finest amps ever made for slide guitar and lap/console steel. Gig volumes are not a problem at all. It will not stay super pristine clean at high volume settings, but they can get pretty loud and clean at relatively low volume settings. And mixing the mic and guitar channels gives a lot of possibilities tone-wise.
On the tweed Princeton - if you love the tone but it doesn't have enough oomph, then why not put it in a box with a 10 or 12" speaker? To my tastes, the primary limiting aspect of a tweed Princeton is the 8" speaker. With a 10" or 12" speaker, I think they're perfect for low volume situations. And a tweed Deluxe can peel your hair back if you push it, but they sound good at a lower volume too.
Look, the Quilters are excellent amps. But I almost never use my 200-Watt Quilter for lap/console or standard/slide guitar. It's not that it can't be used, but the master volume is just a master volume, which reduces the upper limit on how much power can be produced, same as the master volume on other amps. You can run it at "5 Watts", but it's more or less like running a post-71 Twin Reverb with the master volume on 2. And running it with a speaker that is capable of handling those 200 RMS Watts is not necessarily gonna sound good at 5 Watts. IMO. I personally prefer to run amps at least more in the middle of the volume range, using a speaker that is suited for that volume level. I think it's important to scale the amp size and speaker handling to the situation.
To me, all of this is different for pedal steel in a higher-volume situation. So I bring the TB 201 and a 1x12" 300-Watt speaker cab for pedal steel, and a tweed Deluxe (a real '54/55 5D3) for guitar, slide guitar, and lap/console. None of these are heavy in any way - nothing like a Twin Reverb, Session/Nashville 400, or the other 'usual suspects' that pedal steel players have been using for decades. And you can see the Peavey Studio Pro 50 there too - on this date, it was a backup, but sometimes I use it as the main amp - from a gig a few months ago:
And remember that with these Quilter heads, you need to bring a speaker cabinet. Unless you're plugging straight into a PA. |
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Tim Toberer
From:
Nebraska, USA
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Posted 3 Feb 2023 7:17 am
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| Dave Mudgett wrote: |
| Quote: |
| ... I love the tweed Deluxe, but its too loud and I never play it. the tweed Princeton is amazing but it is really just a toy. ... |
OK, let's talk reality here. You say a 14-Watt tweed Deluxe (I assume something you cloned?) is too loud, and a 5-Watt tweed Princeton (I assume also a clone) is great but you're worried it's a toy.
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Yes clones. Fun Projects, but I am done building tube amps. These are great amps and they have the sound I love. I had a larger speaker in the Princeton and oddly think I prefer it with an 8" as kind of a toy grab and go amp. It was in a Deluxe size cab, but I am gonna build a smaller one for it and experiment with some 8" speakers.
The Deluxe actually has the beefed up trannies and is the finest sounding amp I have ever played, but I just haven't bonded with it. The controls are somewhat limiting and just kind of odd. It goes from 0-60 in a small twist of the dial. My ears ring for days every time I play it like it should be played. An attenuater would help, but I think I have decided to let it go. I very much prefer 3 band EQ.
On a tangent for kicks I actually got an old Frontman 15 Reverb (grill Model $15) and did some tests through the same cabinets. Same schematic as the Bronco. Surprisingly it sounds really darn good and I am able to dial in very similar sounds. It kind of shattered my idea about tube amps. Very natural sounding breakup on the clean channel.
I am planning to do the same comparison with the Quilter before I sell the Deluxe, but some things will have to go. Thanks again Dave, you have been extremely helpful! |
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Jim Pollard
From:
Cedar Park, Texas, USA
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Posted 3 Feb 2023 8:39 am
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| For me the Quilter MicroPro Mach 2 has been the swiss army knife that does most everything. I've used it for both acoustic and electric guitars. I've used it as a PA with an acoustic guitar and a mic. I've used it for lap steel and lastly for pedal steel. The only one where I've not quite got it dialed in is pedal steel. I can't quite get as smooth of a tone as I'd like. Probably what I really need is for everyone to leave the house for a bit so I can turn things up and get my tone to where I would actually be playing live. I also have a Toneblock 200 though so if I just can't get it done with the micropro I'm pretty sure the toneblock through my 2x10 cabinet will get me there. Just have to wrestle the toneblock back from the buddy I loaned it to! All that said, with either of these amps I'm usually going direct out to the PA so it's really just about making my ears happy on stage. |
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Tim Toberer
From:
Nebraska, USA
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Posted 3 Feb 2023 9:19 am
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This is everything I have mentioned. Getting a bit crowded. |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 3 Feb 2023 11:01 am
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| Quote: |
This is everything I have mentioned. Getting a bit crowded. |
Ha! You should see my downstairs music area.
Beefed up transformers in a tweed Deluxe do change the character. Probably makes it even better for steel, to me. But if it doesn't speak to you, that's the way it is. I'll say this - speakers can make a huge difference in them. If it's blowing you away with too much clean, might try a less clean/efficient speaker. I have a Celestion Gold in mine right now, very nice, but very efficient and really makes the amp bark. I need that for the gigs I'm doing now. They aren't cheap, though. I had a Weber 12F150 in it for a long time, I like it a lot with that. But if you don't push it too hard, a period-correct vintage Jensen P12R or P12Q will sound great too. Or even a 60s C12Q - had one of those in it years ago when I was using it mostly for blues.
OK, I see you have a pedal steel too. Quilter should be great for that. |
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Tim Toberer
From:
Nebraska, USA
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Posted 3 Feb 2023 4:24 pm
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| Dave Mudgett wrote: |
Beefed up transformers in a tweed Deluxe do change the character. Probably makes it even better for steel, to me. But if it doesn't speak to you, that's the way it is.
OK, I see you have a pedal steel too. Quilter should be great for that. |
Maybe if I were a gigging musician it would make sense to keep it. I also added a popular negative feedback mod which cleans it up. It is a really sweet amp. Cool factor =10 fun factor=10 good for home use=not really. My hobbies are expensive and every once in a while I need to purge. I am worried I may want it back some day. I really would like to have Tweed Pro with octal preamp, or an EH-185, but Octal tubes sound like kind of a nightmare to deal with, not to mention expensive. This pedal really has me convinced solid state may be the way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iYgOUcaf_g
The pedal steel is shop made and pretty experimental it is all acoustic. I plan on posting about it when I hopefully get it working. I have another one I am building acoustic /electric that I want to set up with Bud Isaacs copedant. I will probably stick with lap and console steel for the most part. |
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