Product: Cornford Hurricane 212 Combo
Price Paid: 800 (uk pounds) used
Submitted
02/01/2005
at
06:22am
by
Mark
Features
:
10
well broken in october 2001 version in excellent condition.all the features I would ever need.surprised it hasnt got a standby to protect the valves and for between sets at gigs but I trust cornford re the valve life aspect.Personally I dislike too many controls and the ac30 approach of 1 vol 1 tone is fine by me. I dont use the effects loop.
Sound Quality
:
10
Ok this is where I may get carried away .. If so i apologise.I play bluesy funky stuff but occasionally harder stuff and sometimes cleaner country oriented stuff,covers and originals.I have some nice strats including 2 originals,a '62 and a '65.For humbucker sounds I use an Historic r/i '60 les paul.I am very into gear and im constantly swapping and changing and trying different stuff.I wasnt initially very excited by what I read and heard about cornford as I thought they were aimed at metal heads.Also they aren't "vintage" as such,and they look a bit boring.However I tried one and was absolutely floored.Simply put this is the best all round amplifier I have tried in over 30 years of playing.It ISNT just a metal/distortion amp.Its Clean sounds are unparalleled.its the only thing ive ever heard that sounds as good as my all time favourite,my'66 blackface deluxe reverb.notes pop out and bloom beautifully.there is total pick control..harmonics sing and you can lean back or dig in even at the lowest volume level.turn it up and you can play with that "on the edge" clean/just breaking up/full distorted edge all day.full up and its marvellous as expected.I have a ts808 and fulltone fulldrive and voodoo lab sparkle drive and they sound great here too but they are icing on the cake.sorry but absolutely a 10 here.
Reliability
:
10
no problems so far and the build quality as unequalled.the finest components.all tag board,hiwatt/vintage vox style construction.Id never gig anything without a back up though so it goes in the boot of the car with the BF deluxe reverb.
Customer Support
:
10
havent yet dealt with them so going on hearsay mainly
Overall Rating
:
10
playing 35 years with a 6 yr gap in the early 80s.If i lost my entire collection This and a good strat would be the absolute first things id get.I love the sound and portability and build quality.the looks are so so...now maybe i could get a hellcat combo in red with proper grill cloth hmmmmm.I compared it with the matchless lightning [great but the cornford clean sound is better] top hat club royale.[mine sounded harsh for some reason ..everyone else raves about them..beautifully made and look good]mesa subway blues [great but VERY noisy and electrics sealed in epoxy so couldnt fix it]I have owned at least 40-50 amps over the years and I currently have 6 other great valve amps but this is overall the best of the bunch.Im sorry if this sounds glowing but Im really excited by this amp.I am not associated in any way with the company.Sound is VERY subjective so you must try one for yourself but I would definately recommend you do so before buying your next amp ..good luck and I hope you found this review helpful.I have been reading these reviews for years but this is the first time ive been impressed enough by something to write one.
