Great Site

[strat57]

Hey all, I'm new to the forum. I gotta tell ya there is some great information on here. If it not about the "holy Grail" of amps the Trainwreck, it about those wonderful singing Dumbles and the guys who make all this tone possible. Man, where else you gonna find that?

Anyway, been a musician for like the last 34 years and am still on that quest for the ultimate "tone" and still can't give up. My latest inquires have been over the Komet 60 or the Komet Concord. I guess there's some Louisiana mojo sprinkled in these cause they sound..... well, they "sing"! You know what I'm talkin bout! Guess only Holger Notzel, Mike Kennedy and oh yeah Ken Fischer really know.

So here's where I'm at..... got a "71" MF (Plexi) that sings if you can afford a cochlear transplant. (besides, at my age it's not fun anymore to make your ears "bleed" just for the sake of tone) Tried one of the Marshall Plexi reissues..... sorry not the same. I have to put some type of signal boost or distortion "additive" to get anything out of it. So I'll keep it and use it to sale when I finally break down and decide what to do. (besides, it might come in handy as a boat anchor during the next big hurricane)

Also got a old MKI Boogie..... but just never quite hit that elusive sweet spot for me. Don't get me wrong.... great amp and she'll sing but just not "the" tone I'm seeking. Got an old Twin too, first of the "master volume" ones and she's a sweetie for clean tones with a hint of drive when pick attack is increased. So she's a keeper too.

So I've checked out some of the builders on here and have been impressed with what I read. If it 's not something interesting from the likes of Mr. Fuchs..... it's pics of a great build like the one from "Allynmey" and his stealth "Komet"! (BTW.... beautiful work Allynmey) I have to tell you.... all you guys are artists!

I also have to tell ya my brother just joined too. He's into this shit way more than me. Heck I'm just a guitar player. So he's in the process as I type of building an 18 watt'r from CeriaTone and seems to be coming along just fine. It's basically complete and he's testing voltages now. Then it time for the tube test and then the real "tone" test.

That brings me to this point..... do I wait and see what he can create? Or do I break down and get the Komet Concord? Personally, It'd be great to have a one off personalized amp built by my brother that delivers every sweet tone I've ever heard in my head! But I figure this...... look at some of you guys.... still searching and with a brain full of wiring schematics and cap values to tap from.

So I guess I'll keep reading and trying to educate myself on the tone you guys "hide" in your 22" x 9"x 9" boxes. Milking what I have and keep dreaming of that elusive tone. Thanks for the forum space!

[Icetech]

Hi, nice to meet ya:)

The only thing i can really ad is that, for me at least, its not so much of a search for tone... its the journey, my first full build was a homemade 18watt... was nice.. then gutted it and made something else.. then the dumble.. and im sure a twreck is int he future...

My point is that i am 99% happy with the tone in my amp right now.. but its not playing the amp thats the payoff.. its that first time you flick that switch and nothing smokes.. and its not TOO noisy.. and guitar like sounds come outa it.. its a very good feeling of acomplishment. Plus you know whats in the amp.. if something does go wrong eventually you can fix it easily:)

I don't know what komets cost, but im sure its not cheap.. check out your bothers 18w first, great amps.. then move upto a twreck or something else.. you could prolly build 3-4 amps for the cost of a komet:)

Also comes down to if you have the time to spend, or if you get frustrated easy, its rarely just soldering the parts in and turning on.. quite a bit of troubleshooting/tweaking comes after putting together..

But for me its worth the effort put in:)

P.S. i also have a 100w marshall that is too loud to be near anymore... try a attenuator, not all of them sound bad and it tames the amp right down:)

[Allynmey]

Welcome Strat, you came to the right place for your tone search!!!

Allynmey

[strat57]

Thanks for the input and welcome..... I'll keep ya posted if I get the Komet Concorde. I'll get my bro to post pics of his 18 watt build too. He e-mailed me today and said he tested tranny voltages and all looked OK. Tubes go in tomorrow. He missed them from UPS today (had to be signed for) and he wasn't home.

BTW...... Is there some mod to my Marshalls to get them more touch sensitive and singing at a lower volume without using an attenuator ala Komet Concorde tone? It's a 100 watt'r. I know.... your typical noob type question right?

What about putting in a switch to cut the power to 50 watts and other tone mods or tube changes. I've always been impressed with Eric Johnson's tone. I've also seen the Concorde posts on youtube too, not to mention the Komet sound bites on their web site. So I'm thinking somewhere between as a baseline. Anyway.... any thoughts or comments appreciated! If I'm out in left field here..... tell me!

[Allynmey]

You could have the best of both worlds and have your brother build you a Concorde!

[strat57]

Allyn..... man I'd love that. But to be honest with ya I'd feel like I was robbing those guys at Komet. I'm sure they've put time and effort into R&D and would rather get the real deal and let them earn their keep. I can see cloning a Dumble or Wreck since they are out of production. Besides how would you get the goods on things like tranny brand and voltages???? I'm sure those are custom wound.

Again..... after seeing yours man that's sweet and tempting. I'd rather see him mod one of my Marshalls to similar spec's. If you have any tips though I'm open.

Heck you got me going now. Ballpark on your cost to clone? And who supplied your chassis, iron, components and cabinet work and face plates? That Concorde ain't cheap.

[Allynmey]

I'd rather help you do it yourself. If you have the money, by all means buy one from Komet. I thought you were interested in having your brother build you one because of cost!

Allynmey