Ok so after pouring over every scr@p of information I could find on the internet about this amp, I was finally able to play it. This review is pretty long, but this amp has so many channels and features that I'm just scratching the surface! (skip to the last two paragraphs if you just want a condensed review/my final verdict):
First of all, this amp has a ton of features, and so I'm not going to go over all of them here. It basically is a three channel amp with three distinct modes per channel, effectively making it nine amps in one. While that is perhaps a bit of an overstatement, as all of these channels share power tubes, etc, it does give you a lot of tonal options. Anyway, on to the important part, the tone.
To start off with, this amp has some excellent clean channels. Channel One in the Clean mode is pristine, clear, and balanced. Basically it is a very neutral tube driven clean channel that you can eq to taste. In my opinion, it is one of the best clean channels I have run across. Channel One with the Fat mode engaged is basically the Clean mode, but with more prominent lows/low mids. It was great for fattening up clean single note playing, and I liked it even better than the Clean mode. Unfortunately, I didn't actually use the Tweed setting, so I can't help you there.
On to Channel Two. This channel is mainly a mid gain/crunch channel. The first two settings are Edge and Crunch. Edge has a very lean distortion that seems to be more focused in the high mids. It does a good Marshall crunch sound. Crunch moves the emphasis from the high mids to the low mids, but it still covers the same ground when it comes to the level of gain. Finally, there is the Mark I mode. This is my absolute favorite mode on the amp. It is thick, full bodied, and very smooth. Tonally, it is very dark and present in the lows/low mids. I liked it most with the gain all the way up to create a beautiful lead tone. It was almost too dark for me though, but with the EQ engaged, I was able to tame the lows and add high mids/highs to balance it out, making it into an incredible lead channel.
My main problems with this amp are mostly centered around Channel 3. Moving from the thick, full bodied Mark I mode to the Mark IIC+ was a real shock. All of a sudden, the distortion was thin and compressed sounding, with the high mids/highs drowning out the lower frequencies. The Mark IV mode was better, but not by much. The same went for the Extreme mode. It was possible to balance each of these channels out using the EQ by boosting the lows/low mids, but Channel Three is so middy that you practically need to scoop out the middle slider to tame it, but then you're entering the stereotypical mid-scooped metal zone, and I don't like that either. It just was hard to find a good balance. I still found a good spot for all the sliders, but even with the EQ set to my liking, the distortion still felt too thin and compressed. To be fair, another way to describe it would be articulate, clear, defined, tight, etc, but I feel like it just went too far in that direction.
This leads me to my main problem with this amp, (besides the overly compressed (to my ears) nature of Channel Three's distortion): both Channels Two and Three require use of the graphic EQ to make them sound their best. However, the ideal EQ settings for both these channels are quite different, so you can't get the best out of both channels at any one time.
The condensed version:
Channel 1 has excellent clean tones that should make anyone happy.
Channel 2 has good mid gain crunch tones (both British and American) and one of my favorite lead tones ever (the Mark I with graphic EQ engaged).
Channel 3 is too compressed and thin, and it overly accentuates the mids (mainly the high mids) over the other frequencies, but can be improved with the graphic EQ.
My final verdict:
This amp is one of the most versatile amps out there, and it has a lot of potential. However, the fact that it is nearly impossible to bring the best out of Channels Two and Three simultaneously due to the shared graphic EQ makes this amp fall short of its promise. Also, the highly compressed nature of Channel Three is a fatal flaw in my opinion, though that is completely in the ear of the listener. Overall, this amp is great for pure versatility, and it does achieve excellence in its first two modes, but it just doesn't it for me in its third channel.So although this amp is not the one for me, I would recommend trying it out for yourself. And don't be fooled by all the metal players using it and raving about it, this amp can be used convincingly for just about any style.
