Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Elliot on February 27, 2006, 09:52:49 PM

Title: Session Amps - awesome
Post by: Elliot on February 27, 2006, 09:52:49 PM

I just had my 20 year old Session Rockette 30 repaired by the good people at Andy's and all I can say is wow!

It has been in my Dad's loft for 15 years with a broken powerstage - now it's fixed and despite being mosfet powered has all the richness and warmth of a valve amp.  In particular my Mother's Milks have that Fender 'spank' tone on the cleans and the Mississippi Queen has a fat jazzy sound.  Shadows and surf stuff just rolls out of the clean like it was a Vox or Tweed Fender.

OD channel - the mule sounds very AC/DC and the MQ very Robben Ford (I have a Esprit which is RF's guitar).

Are modern Sessions this good?

Title: Session Amps - awesome
Post by: Tinus on February 27, 2006, 11:06:16 PM

Guitar Magazine (UK) had a feature on Stuart Ward, the man behind Session, a few months ago. He also owns the new Award-Session company. I found his views on the transistor vs. valve debate refreshing (stating we basically tend to compare high-end valve stuff with low-end cheaply made transistor gear). As he is still the main tinkerer behind the newer amps I presume the quality should be pretty much equal, although I never heard a newer one. I am familiar with the sessionettes 'though and always thought of them as the most musical tranny combos out there.

Title: Session Amps - awesome
Post by: HJM on February 28, 2006, 08:11:52 AM

A lot of jazz players love transitor amps. The way Mosfets work is very similar to a valve power stage - just they're expensive and most solid state amps don't use MosFets for this reason :(

Title: Session Amps - awesome
Post by: The amazing Phil on February 28, 2006, 08:55:27 AM

What are mosfets?

Title: Session Amps - awesome
Post by: Tellboy on February 28, 2006, 05:22:37 PM

Quote from: The amazing Phil

What are mosfets?

It's a looooong time since I did my HNC in electronics but mosfets are "metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors". Used a lot in integrated circuits. Said to have a more pleasant valve-like sound than standard transistors when used in guitar amps but more expensive.

I played in a band where the other guitarist had a Session combo - it had a very good sound for a transistor amp.

Title: Session Amps - awesome
Post by: Ratrod on February 28, 2006, 06:41:10 PM

My car stereo has a mosfet. Sounds way better that a normal tranny.

I tried some Marshall mosfet amps but boy do they suck.

Title: Session Amps - awesome
Post by: Kilby on February 28, 2006, 07:18:32 PM

Mosfets are used in amp simulators too.

HH used to do some nice mosfet amps in the 80s and I think Trace Elliott often use mosfet

Not quite as nice as valve but very robust and reliable

Rob...