Product: Red Iron Amps Evolution
Price Paid: USD 400.00
Submitted
05/06/2009
at
03:28pm
by
Carl B.
Features
:
10
This is a new amp, 2009, one of the "Evolution" series. The amp is very versatile, goes from country-clean to heavy crunch, all with your guitar's volume knob.I play pretty much all styles, depending on who hires me, but mostly country.It's a single channel amp, 2 - 6L6, cathode biased, puts out around thirty watts, but sounds like sixty.It has all the features I need, I use a pedalboard for all my effects.It's plenty loud to gig with, though I haven't yet, but it has unbelievable power. It's a Class-a circuit, true point-to-point wiring, no boards.
Sound Quality
:
10
I use mostly a B-bender Tele with DiMarzio pups. This amp would suit virtually any style, from country to crunch. I have three other boutique amps, and this one is the quietest of the bunch.As I said, the amp goes from clean to crunch with your guitar's volume knob.The distortion is of the creamy violin-like variety, very desirable, with effortless harmonic feedback, if desired.
Reliability
:
10
The amp was a little too noisy when I first got it. A friend drove over to Lockhart and Paul went through it, had to replace the rectifier tube, and got it idling very quietly ------ no charge. The way these amps are built, I would use it w/o a backup, though that's something I seldom do.Paul's a fantastic guy to deal with, a real sweetheart, and we've become good friends.
Customer Support
:
10
Paul has been incredibly helpful, and the only repair done was free of charge. He's a good friend, he's close by, and he stands behind his builds 100%. He simply said, if it ever breaks, bring it back and I'll fix it --------- 'nuff said.
Overall Rating
:
10
I've been playing for 46 years, every imaginable style at one time or another.I own twelve guitars and four boutique amps, some of them vintage early-builds.If it were stolen, I'd replace it immediately - it has the best sounding power tube overdrive of any of my amps. I don't hate anything about it. I LOVE the fact that it has a footswitch for the pre-amp that allows you to toggle between 12AX7 for clean, and EF86 for more of a Brit overdrive sound, which I think is an industry first. Either one sounds pretty much incredible, lots of sparkle, detail, note separation and crunch. It will join my Dr. Z Rx as one of my go-to amps.It's cathode-biased, true Class-A, and I've never heard this kind of tone from ANY 6L6 amp. It's amazing.
