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The Vintage Modern series of amplifiers and
cabinets inherit their tone directly from the golden
years but with the capability of delivering far more
dynamic range – crystal clean to creamy overload
and all points in between!
Right: The 100 Watt head featuring the KT66 valves.
Below: A view of the underside of the100 Watt head.
Introduction
Vintage and Modern – These are two words that don’t
normally sit comfortably together unless you’re talking
guitar amplification. The concept is really quite simple,
100% genuine vintage tone with modern features as
required by today’s players. The cosmetics are a
carefully crafted hybrid of styles from both periods as
well as being unique in their own right.
The Vintage Modern Series is a brand new UK made
all-valve range spawned from the success of our
Handwired re-issues. Manufactured on PCB, the
classic and hot-rodded versions of the original tone
that started it all, have now been coupled to a set of
features commonly found on our more contemporary
amplifiers. This range is simple and flexible, as well as
production and service friendly in design.
Background
The power amplifier is heavily based on the first
Marshall amplifiers to be produced and boasts KT66
output valves which inherently yield a substantial fat
and smooth tone. Many of the guitars heard on now
legendary recordings are the sound of these early
Marshalls owned by iconic guitarists who played
through them. Some personalised their amplifiers with
a little circuit modding. Later, players who wanted to
capture these tones for their own recordings had the
unenviable task of sourcing these earlier models from
the secondhand market – until now.
An intuitive and straightforward panel layout is
provided for players who just want to ‘plug and play’.
The Vintage Modern Series is simplicity itself, with a
selection of controls that will be familiar to virtually all
genres of guitarist from blues players to classic hard
rock. This is an amplifier which is meant to be set, then
left alone. The various sonic changes during a
performance will almost exclusively come from the
player and their guitar controls.
Specification
The Vintage Modern Series comprises of the
following models:
2466: 100 Watt Head
2266: 50 Watt Head
2266C: 50 Watt 2x12 Combo
425A: 100 Watt 4x12 angled cab
(stereo switchable)
425B: 100 Watt 4x12 straight cab
(stereo switchable)
Overview
The Vintage Modern is an all-valve single
channel amplifier with the facility to engage an
extra gain stage either by footswitch or front
panel switch. This provides for an extensive sonic
palette offered in two ‘dynamic ranges’ – High and
Low. The Low range equates to the performance you
would come to expect from a stock vintage Marshall
amplifier in terms of tone and available gain. The High
range moves the sound into the realms of high gain
heaven, facilitating those classic British hard rock
tones of the seventies. Add to this, the ability to
dynamically interface with your instrument’s Volume
and Tone controls and the experience translates into a
truly expressive and organic feel in performance.
Pre-amp
Two ‘frequency selective’ Pre-amp Volumes (Gains) –
Body and Detail – facilitate greater flexibility of tonal
shaping for individual guitars and styles. The secret to
a great sound on this amp is nailing your optimum
settings of these two controls, they should be set to
deliver your gain preference and tonal spectrum
whatever your chosen dynamic range. It is possible to
set them so that clean, rhythm and lead tones are all
available at varying degrees of the guitar volume
control. A Mid Boost button is also included for players
who like that really thick fat tone. This and the
Body control together can enable a heavy
punch synonymous with some of our more
aggressive users. If the Mid Boost button is
left out, then the tone is more akin to a
traditional vintage response. The traditional
Marshall tone controls on these amps should
only be required to fine tune the sound after
the Pre-amp Volumes have been optimally
set.
Master Volume and Reverb
The Master Volume controls the global output
level of the amplifier and is implemented after
the phase splitter in order to allow full saturation
of all four pre-amp valves for maximum
gain dynamic. It is wise to set this first as
it largely dictates the setting of the
other controls. Finally, a Reverb
control sets the amount of reverb
signal to be mixed with the direct
signal. This on-board pro-
prietary plate reverb was
developed in keeping with
classic vintage sounds.
A Series External FX Loop on the rear panel is
provided for those players who like to further
personalise their tones with outboard effects.
A -10/+4dB level switch is included as well as the
facility to completely bypass this feature if it is not
required.
Speakers
The speakers used throughout this range are the
brand new G12C 25 Watt Celestion Greenbacks.
These were specifically developed for the Limited
Edition Jimi Hendrix Super100JH stack. They are
voiced to give that rich and balanced harmonic timbre
that complements vintage tone perfectly.