The Doom Room: ILF Edition

[emptyparadigm]

Thanks for the Galaxicon love, folks. We technically split months ago, but I never made an official announcement until today. It sucks but was inevitable -- I live 1000 miles away and was the primary songwriter/booker/general dude in charge. It was never gonna work as a long distance band.

It's all good though because I'm totally pumped on Khemmis. It's a different beast altogether, and it's a situation wherein we are four grown dudes who are all on the same page in every way. We are just having fun while it lasts with no delusions and total appreciation for being in a fun band playing fun music. I hope that comes through on this album.

Also, Jake, is that Austin's amp? And how do we not know each other? We should remedy this with beers at TRVE soon.

[Jäke]

We've met, Ben. I'm the dickhole with the novelty-sized orange beard. And you are correct about that being Austin's amp.

Insofar as to whether or not I would take a Hovercraft Falcon over pretty much any coveted vintage amp, I absolutely would. Let me be more clear as to not upset anyone that may think I'm being disingenuous. I've owned a great deal of what are certainly regarded as desirable vintage amps—because I'm 40 and have had GAS since the mid-90s. So if I were to belt out a list it might seem like, 1. I'm bragging or 2. I'm lying. And don't even get me started on guitars. I'm truly a sick person.

That being said, I've got a great deal of firsthand experience making heavy music with a wide variety of gear. So I'm not just basing my comments on others' opinions or info I've gleaned off the innernets.

But at the same time, please don't take my opinions as an affront to your tried and true vintage powerhouses. I'm never going to stop loving the 70s OR80, the '68 Plexi Superbass, or the tweed Twins of the world. I've just decided that I'm going to chase this dragon, too.

[chillerthanmost]

Fun amp party at the show tonight. Black Cobra and Wolvhammer rocking Hiwatts while I my Sound City. Show was a banger, and I just finished this stupid fucking essay. Sleeping for a couple hours until class in the morning.

[Iommic Pope]

Holy shit Chiller, you now own fucking life dude.

Well done.
Well fucking done.

[samzadgan]

Chiller...that sounds like a hell of a show...and the fact that you did your essay...is extra special...it kinda reminds me of cheesy 80's movie, when it all comes good in the end!

Jake...i'm not knowledgeable on the Hovercraft amps at all...but I do remember them starting with modded Jet City amps...do they still do that for their new amps? or are they now building amps from scratch? I think maybe the stigma of being a company that mods cheap amps maybe something hard to shake off, which is why some people may doubt your comment about that amps being as good/better than some of the vintage stuff.

personally, i have no opinion on hovercraft, never played one and will never own one as i dont live in the US and shipping costs would put it out contention, but the fact that Mike Scheidt is using it, would tell me that they must be doing something right...

[conky]

Walked in the door this morning and there was an Ape Blaster sitting on my counter. Just hooked it up and got to mess around with it for a few minutes. I can already tell it will be a keeper. I had a Super Hard on before and I liked it but it wasn't heavy enough. The AB reminds me of all the things I liked in the SHO with everything in it that I felt the SHO was lacking. Fuzz from hell but string clarity is paramount. Nice, thick and brighter (not harsh at all though) on one setting and flip the switch for even more fuzzed out low end. Can't wait to get this thing in the space to see how it goes in the full band setting. Haven't tried stacking it yet but I'm sure it will play nice.

Holy shit, that was fast! I went to the PO after hours on Thursday so I figured you'd get it today. I'm glad you're feeling it! And yeah, that thing is pretty well impervious to any guitar's volume knob. That's what I meant when I said if you want it to shut up you have to step on it. It's also funny that you mention the SHO right away because the final stage of the Ape is pretty damn similar to a fixed gain SHO. So did you play it with the Black Winter? I'm thinking of picking up an axe that has EMG's in it so I'm contemplating what they'll be replaced with. Black Winter seems like a good one for the neckhole.

Conky, the AB, I find, really likes a clean amp with some brightness and the presence dialed up..

I'm loving it with SLO (the 'clean' channel of that is just a plexi for all intents and purposes) but it was tweaked around my Bassman 135 which is a fantastic clean machine. I can't even fucking wait to get it going with this Prince amp I've got coming.

Yeah, Darren made a fucking unicorn when he put that thing together. Just so fucking good.

Oh you! I'm blushing. Seriously though, it's monkey simple inside the thing. If I can make a swell fuzz that floats my boat and other people like too, then anybody can. I believe that 100%.

Haven't played it with the ESP with the Black Winter yet. I only messed around for a few minutes with my Jazzmaster. It sounds really similar to the ESP though. I'll try to get a little demo video recorded playing around with it. I do a lot of rolling off of my volume with distortion and a ducked delay when transitioning into clean parts (kinda simulates how overdubbed clean passages are started with a dirty guitar sustaining as it fades out on recordings) and I gotta figure out how to get around the pedal having a seizure when I roll it all the way down. Seems like a minor thing though since it sounds so fucking good.

[Ancient Astronaught]

You get the gun, I'll get the shovel.

So that amp Jake posted on the previous page. I have plenty of firsthand insight that would preclude me from ever going near one of those. I know they sound fine and everybody loves the things and I'm definitely not here to argue. But with money? I wouldn't. Ever. Well okay, everybody has the potential for growth so I should say that I'd never unless I see a fucking a shit-ton of new pictures that contradict what I've seen with my eyes.

Okay this is the part where I finally get to play guitar. It's been two days!!!

I've seen the gut shot pics before (the ones that have been removed because Nial didn't want them posted online). Atleast now he's upgrading the transformers as well but I'm with you, I wouldn't go anywhere near them unless I saw new gut shots. Now his 6x12 cabs.... I had been GAS'n for one of those pretty hard until I realized two things, 1) they are way undersized 2) I only wanted them to get a green tolexed 6x12 for a decent price. Then I bought my Randall setup and stopped caring.

This isn't to say that Hovercrafts don't sound great, but I value transparency, especially when your modding existing amps. Yes they are open and honest about them being recycled / upcycled, but apparently he flips out if you try to post gut shots. If I'm buying something custom I want to know what I am getting, especially after I had a JCA20 Verellen mod that I paid an extra $150 over a regular JCA20 for, only to find out it was literally one wire and one resistor added....

[Jäke]

Let me be categorically clear: I did not, and would not under any circumstances say that Hovercraft amps are "better" than any other type of amp. I did say that I would take one over another type of amp, but that very specifically applies to myself.

Not knowing anything about the guts of this amp, besides the visible Mercury Mag transformers, keeps me from a position of commenting about it. I couldn't tell you about its potential longevity, technical oversights, component shortcuts, etc. And although it seems like many of you might have amp servicing experience and/or real field experience troubleshooting amplifier failures, you'd really just be guessing yourselves.

Seriously not trying to generate a flame here. But this is one of the best and seemingly most versatile amps I've heard in a long time. And I like to consider myself a student of tone.

[samzadgan]

FUCK...SLK...I missed your post on that Laney...that sucks man...on 2 counts...1 because you got screwed...and 2 because the fucker who sent it had no respect for the amp at all to send it like that!

good luck with sorting this out...

also...can all you AB owners stop bigging this pedal up...im getting itchy paypal fingers!

[D.o.S.]

Let me be categorically clear: I did not, and would not under any circumstances say that Hovercraft amps are "better" than any other type of amp. I did say that I would take one over another type of amp, but that very specifically applies to myself.

Not knowing anything about the guts of this amp, besides the visible Mercury Mag transformers, keeps me from a position of commenting about it. I couldn't tell you about its potential longevity, technical oversights, component shortcuts, etc. And although it seems like many of you might have amp servicing experience and/or real field experience troubleshooting amplifier failures, you'd really just be guessing yourselves.

Seriously not trying to generate a flame here. But this is one of the best and seemingly most versatile amps I've heard in a long time. And I like to consider myself a student of tone.

I'm pretty sure you said Hovercrafts are the best amps ever and that they're basically The Doom Dumble (the Doomble, if you will) all wrapped up in some nice vintage-y tolex. You would put a Hovercraft in your Ferrari. That's a direct quote.

I mean if it works for you that's rad I'm just trying to drink my coffee and take the piss over here.

I still haven't been able to look at the SLK pictures. I get so scared of that happening to me every time I buy something that needs to be shipped.

[BoatRich]

Let me be categorically clear: I did not, and would not under any circumstances say that Hovercraft amps are "better" than any other type of amp. I did say that I would take one over another type of amp, but that very specifically applies to myself.

Not knowing anything about the guts of this amp, besides the visible Mercury Mag transformers, keeps me from a position of commenting about it. I couldn't tell you about its potential longevity, technical oversights, component shortcuts, etc. And although it seems like many of you might have amp servicing experience and/or real field experience troubleshooting amplifier failures, you'd really just be guessing yourselves.

Seriously not trying to generate a flame here. But this is one of the best and seemingly most versatile amps I've heard in a long time. And I like to consider myself a student of tone.

I've been heavily considering grabbing one of these with my bonus this year for the "guitar" side of my rig. What does it sound most similar to? I'm looking for loud and Matamp esque

EDIT: My other idea is a JCM800 or AC30 head? Or maybe another bassman if I can get my old one back.

[ryan summit]

you dont have to explain yourself homey
the conversation has begun
its weird though
i never heard all this anti hovercraft stuff
doesnt schnike rock a dual dwarvenaut rig?
bottom line is if you like it...fuck everyone

that laney bust is a fucking shame
that looks like it was dropped
but from like really high
maybe out the back of the ups truck
you know how hard it is to bust a joint like that
that wasnt a question
you guys these fuckers are built like tanks
im not sure bubblewrap would have saved that
that looks like extreme abuse
maybe dude was wearing jncos when boxing it
read your anti-bigpants hatespeach slk
wrapped it with a sledgehammer

[Jäke]

Doomble! Yes!

It kind of has its own thing. But depending on when you set it, it can do the big, hairy bottom end thing of an old T, with the lower mid bark of a classic Orange. But imagine those with extra gain stages available and a few extra knobs and mini toggles to tweak/change voicings.

But I don't really know squat about the diff't models of Hovercrafts. I just know that this one (again, not mine) is a twin KT88 Falcon w/ Merc Mag iron. And from the toanz it shits out, that it's also been blessed by Satan and other dark forces.

[Ancient Astronaught]

Let me be categorically clear: I did not, and would not under any circumstances say that Hovercraft amps are "better" than any other type of amp. I did say that I would take one over another type of amp, but that very specifically applies to myself.

Not knowing anything about the guts of this amp, besides the visible Mercury Mag transformers, keeps me from a position of commenting about it. I couldn't tell you about its potential longevity, technical oversights, component shortcuts, etc. And although it seems like many of you might have amp servicing experience and/or real field experience troubleshooting amplifier failures, you'd really just be guessing yourselves.

Seriously not trying to generate a flame here. But this is one of the best and seemingly most versatile amps I've heard in a long time. And I like to consider myself a student of tone.

Hey man your allowed to like what you like, no need to defend yourself!

Well Darren (D-Day) the one who commented on his insight of the amps, works / worked at Soldano. I trust his experience and knowledge when it comes to amps. As far as the longevity and reliability, really the amps haven't been out there long enough for anyone to know, even Hovercraft themselves. I mean they are using good components (atleast as far as whats visible) but the pics I saw when they first really started producing amps led me to believe the cost saving measures were done where its not as visible, and he gets upset and demands pictures be removed if gut shots are posted. That's my only real concern, other than claiming something is Orange / Matamp "inspired" or sounds like one, but then it doesn't have a BAX tone stack which IMO is vital to that type of tone. Or saying that it sounds like a Model T, that's a bit more believable atleast preamp wise, but unless its running 6550's in ultra linear its not gonna have what makes a Model T a Model T. Maybe I'm just nitpicking but that totally seems like a sales pitch / gimmick to me.

Your not starting a flame war dude no worries, we try to be pretty open and debatable around here.

[BoatRich]

Doomble! Yes!

It kind of has its own thing. But depending on when you set it, it can do the big, hairy bottom end thing of an old T, with the lower mid bark of a classic Orange. But imagine those with extra gain stages available and a few extra knobs and mini toggles to tweak/change voicings.

But I don't really know squat about the diff't models of Hovercrafts. I just know that this one (again, not mine) is a twin KT88 Falcon w/ Merc Mag iron. And from the toanz it shits out, that it's also been blessed by Satan and other dark forces.

This is basically what I want? Two KT88's is 50 watts..? I know basically nothing about how amps work.

Unrelated, my V4 died? I was playing the other day and reasonable practice volumes, realized the switch was on two ohms, turned the amp off, flipped it to 8 for the cab I was using, it hummed a bunch when I turned it back on, I hit one note, there was a pop, and it died. Any idea what may have happened/where to take it in NoVA/MD/DC to get fixed..?