Straub Amplifiers Cantus Head

This review is on my Cantus (#003) built by Harry Straub. The amp is based on a "Plexi" circuit which Harry has "hot rodded" to include a Master volume and Boost switch. The faceplate is laid out from left to right with Power switch, Standby switch, Presence,Bass,Mid,Treble,Master,Booster switch,Volume and a single input jack. The case is beautifully crafted by Harry out of solid Mahogany and laser etched with his logo. The plexi faceplate is also engraved and backlit by a cathode tube(mine's purple)to a very dramatic effect. The workmanship is first rate and really must be seen to fully appreciate the craftsmanship and creativity that goes into Harry's work. I had my amp set up with KT66's and a solid state rectifier but it can be run with EL34's and a tube rectifier or any combination you choose.I have to give the amp an 8 on this feature because it's not a bizzilion channel "I can do anything" amp but what it does it does extremly well.

Now the fun part. How do you describe something so subjective as "Tone". To describe this amp with one very general statement I would have to say what you put into it you get out of it and then some. Play a Les Paul and you KNOW the tone,fat and crunchy as it should be.I'm not a big Strat player but I've been playing mine through this amp almost exclusively. The wealth of tones you can get out a Strat are magnified by ten with the Cantus. Every nuance comes to brillant life,every slight change of the pickup selector or turn of the volume knob is translated beautifully through the Cantus.
I'm putting my Cantus through an Avatar 2x12 cab with a Celestion V-30 and a Mojotone BV-30H in it. I've run a Les Paul Classic with SD pickups,a Deluxe Strat with Kinmanns and a modified Nashville Tele with Wolftone pickups, all of the guitars sound new through the Cantus. I've played around with various effects also with the same magnifing effect. You should hear the Strat through a Tone Pump and Mojo Vibe. Tonal Nirvana! The amp also has caused a severe GAS attack. I want to hear everything run through it. I dying to push a Les Paul junior with a p-90 into the Cantus and I'm sure I'll have one to try very shortly. This amp also has two dimensions to it. When you flip on the boost switch it turns into a fire breather. The amount of raw power that this amp has is shocking, of course you raise the noise floor a bit but it's a small price to pay for the incredible gain that's available to use. The Cantus can grind with the best of them. It's not your "scooped mid" Recto type of sound but a very classic Marshall crunch on steroids. To give you an idea of the boost in gain, I have to drop the master volume from 3 o'clock to 9 o'clock to maintain the same room level! One other aspect of the Cantus that I love is the wonderful "blooming" effect it has. Grab a note and you can hear it rise a bit in intensity and turn over to a sweet singing tone. Does it to chords too! To describe how complex the tone can be, I was able to hit the low E string hard to distort the note,then play lighter on the upper strings to get some chime and both sounds are represented and clearly heard. I've never experienced that in an amp before.Great amp and a great value for your dollar.

I have no worries about this aspect of my purchase. Harry builds these things right and if anything happened to go wrong I know it would be taken care of.

Again not a problem. Throughout the entire building process Harry dealt with all my questions and concerns in a very professional matter. He listened to my thoughts and ideas and turned them into an amp that I'm sure will serve me well and for a life time.I had a problem with a bad pre-amp tube and emailed Harry about it.He called me back within an hour and told me exactly what to do.Problem solved! He really cares about the amps and wants his customers to be satisfied 100%. My Son has even claimed the amp after I'm gone so I know it will be cared for and keep the family rockin'.

I've been playing for over 25 years and have gone through my share of amps. The Cantus will be with me always.The only complaint I have is the size and weight(damn those MM transformers). It's a big one to carry but pays you back for the effort with great tone.I'd like to thank Fretmaster for turning me on to Straub Amps. The man knows tone when he hears it. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to have Harry build another one for me(did someone say AC-30? come on Harry "you can do it!") it was a great experience all around and I learned a wealth of information about tube amps.

This is an all point-to-point, hand wired Marshall plexi style amp with the addition of a GZ34 tube rectifier and a switchable boost. BUT! let me make one thing very clear before going any further, you will never find a box stock Marshall Plexi that will compete with this amp! Not even close. Fifty watts via 2 ? EL34?s, a GZ34 rectifier and three 12AX7 preamp tubes. The rear panel includes two 1/4? speaker output jacks and a dial for selecting 4, 8 or 16 ohms. The front panel includes, from left to right, power switch, stand-by switch, presence, bass, mid, treble, master and volume knobs, boost switch and the 1/4" input jack. The control labels are laser cut into the front panel of the chassis and back lit with two banks of red LED?s. Looks very cool. The cabinet is a beautiful finger jointed solid Mahogany head with a solid Lace wood front panel into which the very nicely designed logo is burned. It?s a very beautiful piece. See Harry Straub?s site for pictures. This is the amp featured on the site. http://www.harrystraub.com/amps/cantus.html

This is where it?s at. It would take me 25 pages of ridiculous adjectives to try to put all the tonal characteristics and versatility of this amp into words. So I will try to keep it short and sweet for this review. OK, grab your Les Paul? here we go! The tone is everything from classic vintage Marshall to over the top hot rod Plexi. And I do mean HOT ROD! With the boost switch off it?s beautiful vintage low gain chunk to classic rock to killer blues while always very dynamic and responsive to pick dynamics and guitar volume changes. Nice crunch and killer chords with every note coming through. Plug in your favorite Strat and look out Texas!! Yeah baby, she loves single coils too!! That?s Dr. Jeckel now for Mr. Hyde?. Flip the boost switch and hold on baby! You?re in for the ride of a life time. With the boost engaged this baby comes on fire, everything from hot blues to the coveted ?brown sound? and beyond. This amp has more gain than anyone could ever need. With the gain rolled back it?s huge pumping and in your face. Amazingly quiet when the strings are muted and fantastically, effortless harmonic decay. Roll the gain up to about 1/2 and look out Eddie! This baby will do the VH-1 tone without breaking a sweat. Move past the 1/2 point and the gain will rival your best Soldano SLO-100. Going past the 3/4 point puts you into insanity zone. Let?s just say it?s more than I can use. There may be some insane gain freak out there that needs it but this is way beyond what I need for my style of playing. The beauty of it is it will do it if you want!! Very tight, thumping bass, rich complex midrange and all the super sweet treble and brightness of the best Plexi?s but without ever becoming an ice pick. Just sweet, sweet tone. Another unique characteristic of this amp is it?s a master volume amp with the tonal character of a non-master Plexi! I usually don?t go for master volume amps as I am a non-master sledge-hammer kind of guy. I crave power tube overdrive over preamp gain. But the Straub Cantus is NO preamp buzz saw. This baby sounds like a non-master plexi with huge, raw, powerful tone. Keep in mind that like a non-master amp this amp sounds best when you can let her breath. To me this is all good. I love it to punch me in the chest with every note. But if you?re looking for a bedroom amp you might want to think twice on this one. To sum it up, if you love all the best classic Marshall tones, Van Halen, Zeppelin, AC/DC, Satriani, ZZ top, Jeff Healey etc? this amp will make you smile the rest of your life. But more importantly this amp will give you the versatility to invent your own signature tone so good that everyone else will be copying YOU!

Comes with a 5 year warranty. Built with top quality parts and workmanship. Should last for years and years.

Harry Straub is a super guy at the top of his game. He is extremely accessible and more than willing to answer any questions or help in any way he can. He even sent me a schematic of my amp! He has answered every email I have sent the same and even offered his cell number so I could reach him any time. You can?t get any more cooperative than that.

I have been playing longer than most of the current pop, so called musicians have been alive. I have owned and still own an enormous array of boutique amps from virtually every notable builder in North America and beyond. Some with prices so high they should?ve been illegal. I play Les Paul?s, Stratocaster?s, PRS?s and several other unique pieces. I have an extremely eclectic playing style having studied everything from classical to blues. I would call my personal style some form of blues, jazz, classical, rock fusion. This amp is one that just pulls you in when you plug into it. You start out for a short jam and your concept of time slips away as you?re taken by the tone and versatility. Minutes turn to hours without even realizing. I have an extremely discriminating ear being used to the best boutique amps available. The Straub Cantus easily fits into the pack. It has tone to match the best boutique amps and better than most. The price I picked mine up for was ridiculous and a fraction the price of most hand wired amps. I have no doubt these amps will be among the most sought after of all time as more musicians get there hands on them. I am thankful I have mine. It?s one that will stay in my collection for the long haul.