Quilter amps for loud, clean music?

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telegraph1101
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Quilter amps for loud, clean music?

Post by telegraph1101 » Sun Jul 15, 2018 9:25 pm

I've been playing through a Fender Blues Junior for about 5 years now. I've never actually loved it, and now I think it's time to upgrade. My friends and I have been jamming together recently, and are getting more serious about gigging soon. We play a lot of songs by Rush and bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin etc. We also do a lot of loud, clean music (like the ending solo of Yes's Siberian Khatru), which calls for a loud, clean amp.

Portability is a real issue for me, so while I have been seriously thinking about the Twin Reverb (which has always been my dream amp and will basically never run out of headroom), I've also been considering the Quilter amps, specifically the Micropro Mach 2. But while the Quilter amps seem to be the perfect combination of powerful + portable, I'm worried that it's too good to be true; the portability will actually translate into a small/boxy sound and it won't live up to the hype. In any case, my next amp would be a pedal platform; all I want is a good, loud, clean tone.

I really want to like the Quilter. They're not as popular as the JC 120s or Roland Cubes, so I can't find too much information about them online. Does anyone here have any experiences with them? Is the portability worth any tradeoff in tone (if there even is a tradeoff)? Considering other people can deal with it, then I guess I too could tolerate the Twin Reverb's bulk and weight, in exchange for better tone.

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Igorilla
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Re: Quilter amps for loud, clean music?

Post by Igorilla » Mon Jul 16, 2018 3:23 am

I own Quilter Mini 101 and Micro Pro Mach 2 head and prefer Mini 101. While MP Mach 2 has more features and direct out, I like the simpler tone control of Mini 101. Especially the Tri-Q tone control works really well with JM and Jag to add some low mids/punch. Some people complain about the bassiness of Mini 101 but that can be dealt with via any OD/Boost with bass control or a EQ pedal along with an appropriate choice of speaker and cab.
The Quilters have good clean sound, the trick being to find the right cab and speaker. Both of them can sound really big and punchy (two settings on Mini 101 are rated 100 Watts RMS).

The feel is somewhat different to a good tube amp but it is easy to adapt to it. My references regarding tube amps are: 1964 blackface Bandmaster, 1962 6G6B brownface Bassman, and 1990 63 Vibroverb RI.
While I prefer Bassman, I like Quilters more than the Bandmaster and 63 Vibroverb RI.

The only real plus of MP Mach 2 is the limiter, which is great feature, and direct out.

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garyfanclub
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Re: Quilter amps for loud, clean music?

Post by garyfanclub » Mon Jul 16, 2018 3:31 am

Haven’t played a Quilter, but if it’s a Twin Reverb that you’re dreaming of, thats what you should buy. Compromises rarely lead to total happiness.

If portability is an issue, you could always look at a Vibrolux or Pro Reverb, which are slightly smaller. Casters or a dolly are also an option, which I would highly recommend if you’re carting your amp around a lot. If you’re really committed to the Twin, you can pull some tubes and one speaker and shave off some wattage and weight.

Twins also relatively inexpensive, so a decent SF example should only set you back around 600 bucks. That’s a good deal for a hand wired American made amp that’ll outlive us both of taken care of properly.

Practical considerations aside, a loud Twin is bliss. Accept no substitutes!

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Re: Quilter amps for loud, clean music?

Post by ludobag1 » Mon Jul 16, 2018 3:49 am

i have a quilter pro block ,and it is my amp to go ,i have a supersonic 60 head and a bassman 100 silverface too
for Moving Nothing compare ,i have a light cab to go with and it is reliable sound really good with 200 watt way more than i need the more i have put it is maybe 35 W ,normally i am at 20 watt only and will go Under if the drummer will be not so loud
it can be really clean and loud ,or also can crunch du to gain and limiter
seriously i Don't find any difference to play on this than playing a tube amp , my supersonic is going to be sale ,will keep the bassman for sentimental raison it have my age and also it is a good bass amp
try one if you can ,but for me i don' t find advantage to bring heavy material to play if you have the same sound with a little box that weight Nothing ;)

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