Okey Dokey,
Single channel amp with a footswitchable gain boost so your knob compliment is volume, gain, boost and 3 band eq. Multiple extension speaker options which I've never used. 3 tube pre-amp, 2 x EL34 power stage which is the same as the 50 but the 50 is fixed bias whereas the 30 is cathode biased. I got the 30w because that's as much power as I need and I like to be able to change the tubes without any faffing around. Single V30 speaker in a deep cab that really helps spread the sound. I've just had a power tube fail which is the only issue I've had in 3 years. I've put in Tung Sol 34Bs which are really good.
Sound - without the boost engaged it stays clean until about half way up on the gain when it morphs really nicely into overdrive giving you lots of different flavours. At full gain it's very similar to a 50w 70s Marshall combo I used to own but it can achieve the same effect with a lot less volume and the EQ is a whole lot more effective. Engaging the boost is like kicking in the best overdrive pedal you've ever heard. It doesn't change the basic tonality a lot but just gives you MORE.
The boost will give you more volume but it depends how the amp is set up. If you have the first gain very low and the boost set high the increase in volume will be way too much. If you have the gain set high then the boost mainly provides more saturation. When I was playing in a 2 guitar band I was using a graphic in the loop purely as a volume boost. Now I'm in a 1 guitar line up I don't bother.
I play mainly bluesy, 70s rocky type stuff so I have it set up for a crunch to lead sound and if I want clean I'll either hit the guitar more softly or turn it down.
Up until a few months ago I was mainly playing an old SG with a JB in the bridge but recently I took to playing my Firebird Studio with the standard 490/498 set. I got fed up with these pups and replaced them with Rebel Yells. The amp sounded great before but now it sounds ten times better. The difference is really astonishing. The Gibson pups and the SD would mush up after a certain amount of gain (and I'm not a gain freak) but with the RYs you can keep piling it on and they retain their clarity while aquiring monstrous amounts of BRAAANG and sustain.
I'm an old git of 53 and I've owned some nice amps over the years including various Marshalls, Laneys, Musicman etc. The Roadhouse is head and shoulders over anything I've owned before. I've played quite a few Boogies and they don't come close. I played my first gig with my Rebel Yells a couple of weeks ago and the sound was mind-numbingly good. Although the amp sounds great at low volumes if you get the chance to turn it up half way this is where some special magic starts to happen. This is why I went 30w instead of 50w because I'm mainly a pub player and there's not many places you can crank a 50 watter. Whenever I've played bigger places I've been miked up anyway.
Negatives ? I really can't think of any. This amp and BK pickups are the best things that have evrr happened to my sound.
Any questions ?
