NAD

[richard]

Well - just ordered the Yamaha 100 Dual head and 2 x 12 cab. Should arrive tomorrow. Very excited about this. This was what finally convinced me:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pqP7bmw2cM

[gwEm]

congratulations!

i've been checking those heads out and they do look good. 

[Telerocker]

I wonder if the head is loud enough to keep up with a band.

[AndyR]

Yep, congratulations!
That's the new THR thingy? (Can't follow youtube links at work - but I watched a bunch of them a while back and started feeling slight stirrings)

I'll be very interested to see how you get on - not sure I can justify getting one, though!

[Telerocker]

I find the TH100 quite expensive for a non-programmable modelingamp. Standalone it sounds not bad at all, but (maybe that's the vids I watched) typical modeling. Based upon the vids I miss the punch of a tubeamp. In that pricerange you can buy a good (new and used) tubeamp.

[38thBeatle]

Looks good. The Revstar guitar range looks interesting too. Thumbs aloft to Yamaha.

[richard]

Well folks, after a few hiccupsI now have my amp. Been playing and twiddling for a couple of hours and first impressions are that it's AMAZING. My gigging amp for the past 7 years is a Cornford Roadhouse combo which basically produces the tones you wish your Marshall did. So, in an attempt to replicate it, I headed straight for EL34s, class AB with the Lead pre-amp. I can replicate the sound of my Cornford to the point that I don't think I could tell the difference. A few years back I was using a Laney VC50 (great amp) and, by switching to 6L6 I can reproduce that amp as well. I've dabbled with the Clean setting and got some great Fenderish tones. The Crunch setting is awesome and I'm going to be exploring that a lot more. Modern is also great and has tons of gain if you want it.

This is a LOT of amp and I don't consider it be overpriced. What would you pay for a top of the line Boogie, Bogner, Soldano etc ? I've never tried a Kemper or Axe FX but I really like some of the demos I've heard. The Yamaha is in the same league easily but it's a very straightforward guitar amp that's easy to use and make instant adjustments on the fly. The Kemper and Axe FZ are too complicated for me and I'm sure the same goes for a lot of players.

Volume ? There's loads of it. Tube like ? Without a doubt. Niggles ? Only that I wish the cab (I've got the 2 x 12) had side handles because it's a heavy beast.

[blue]

It looks like a well thought out, simple but versatile piece of gear.  Congratulations, glad to hear you're very happy with it

[Slartibartfarst42]

Those amps seem incredible and I'd be sorely tempted to change my amp for one but as it's not programmable I can't change channels easily between songs as I can now. To me, this makes it a great amp that I can't use for gigs unfortunately.

[richard]

You can use it like a two channel amp with footswitchable boosts on each channel plus the option to combine them with the boost on or off on each channel. That's a lot of sounds - how many do you need ?

[Slartibartfarst42]

My apologies, I was referring to the THR100H not being programmable but I realise the dual channel version can do all that. However, that's £630 and that's an awful lot of money for a digital amp.

[richard]

Why the perception that digital amps should be cheap ? This is still a relatively new technology subject to ongoing R & D whereas most valve amps are replicas or slight variations of designs that have been around for donkey's years. The Yamaha sounds terrific - better than most valve amps I've played. Maybe a Soldano or Bogner would sound better, I wouldn't know as I've never been near one but then you're talking about thousands of pounds. The Yamaha sounds huge at low volumes whereas my Cornford needs to be cranked to reach it's sweet spots so the Yamaha is a hell of a lot more versatile in that respect.

I remember when the first Line 6 amps came out and lots of my friends were buying and raving about them as the best amp ever. I hated them - I thought they sounded REALLY bad. Same thing with the POD. I bought a Blackstar ID15 about 8 months ago and it's a great practice amp. It has quite a bit of the feel of a valve amp but, to me, falls short on the actual tones. The Yamaha nails it. Try one without prejudice. Take some time to dial it in. I've had my Cornford for about 8 years and it sounds great but I'm still finding new tones in it despite it having only 6 controls.

[Slartibartfarst42]

You make a fair point and I suppose I am a bit prejudiced. I don't want to be but years of trying digital stuff has left me that way, Truth be told, I'd LOVE to switch to a digital amp as it's lighter, it's more reliable, it's more consistent and doesn't have the ongoing maintenance costs but I've tried floor modellers from Boss, Line6, Digitech and Zoom and I've tried digital amps from Line6, Vox, Roland etc. but not one of them has come anywhere close to the quality of tone you get from a valve amp. I have an Orange TH30 head running into an Orange 1X12 through an attenuator so I can crank it a bit more and it sounds incredible. If the Yamaha can give me the same depth, richness, punch and harmonics as the Orange then yes, I'd be interested. Under normal circumstances I'd dismiss claims it's even remotely as good as a valve amp because I've heard all that before with Line6 etc. but you have me interested for two reasons. Firstly, anyone who has a Cornford knows about tone so you're making some pretty big claims for the Yamaha and secondly, you're on the BKP forum so I'm inclined to believe you know what you're talking about.

[richard]

Slarti - I wish you could spend some time with a Yamaha because I'd be really interested to see what you think of it. I'm a huge fan of the modern Orange amps. I really dislike their 'vintage' models because they have a horrible fuzz-boxy overdrive. Last year I spent a few months using a rehearsal studio that had a deal with Orange so I got to use a lot of different Orange amps. I LOVED the Dual Terror and came very close to buying one with a 2 x 12 cab. If the Yamaha hadn't come along I would definitely have bought the Dual Terror.

[AndyR]

Slarti, I reckon this amp will be pretty bluddy close.

I've had one of the THR10 things for a year and a bit now. I only play in the living room or on home recordings but, since getting the THR, I've stopped using my Line6 and Vox modellors, and I've stopped using my Vox and Laney valve amps.

The little THR10 does exactly what I want at manageable volumes, and it FEELS like I'm playing through a valve amp at decent "get over the drummer" volumes - and I can still hear the TV at the same time.

It has tiny speakers and is very sensitive to where you place it. It can sometimes sound a bit meh because of the surface you stand it on or near. But shift it around til it suits you, and you easily get this fabulous "I'm playing a real amp" vibe.

I saw the ads/etc for the new THR 100 amps. I loved what I heard, but I did wonder, at first, what they were trying to achieve. The glory of the original THRs seemed to be the "third amp" idea, and pretty cheap for what it was. The new 100s seemed to be pitching itself against something else - and it seemed SO expensive to me...

...but bear in mind I don't gig, and don't intend to. If I did, or if I was even thinking "I need something for a decent jam" - then I'd probably be all over this thing. In fact, I still might be all over this thing anyway (I've got a birthday coming, and I spent wa-ay more than that on her last birthday!! hehe )(and she does keep asking, well, what do you want??).

From my experiences with the THR10, I know that these new big boys will sound and feel extremely close to "the real thing". Physically, the THR10 looks and feels like a toy but makes these amazing sounds. From what I've seen of the THR 100, it looks like it will be more of an amp you could chuck in the van and gig with. (Btw, I've heard of folks gigging the THR10 - the headphone socket doubles as a line out, it's how I record it, just chuck that at the PA/Monitors, it'll work).

Yep... I'm starting to get more envious each time I look in this thread, richard!