Tech 21 Trademark 30 Limited Edition

Just bought a Tech 21 30 Watt LE -
It is the warmest sounding, non-tube amp I have run into. It is very versatile and I am happy with all aspects.

I have used my Ovation Celebrity Deluxe and my Telecaster.
Seems to handle both very well.
All model choices and combinations sound great.
Haven't tried my Wolfgang special yet but I am really very impressed with this amp.

I haven't had it long enough to tell.
A friend of mine teaches at a local music store and found out about this deal. This amp belonged to one of the other teachers and he was needing more watts. Since there were only a limited quantity made, my friend was afraid it would turn over fast.
I traded an old acostic guitar for it plus $100.
The store was only able to get 2 of these when they were available - the owner has the other one.

Support has been great -
Since I bought this used - I have emailed Tech 21 a few times requesting info. They got back to me quickly and were very helpful.

This was a replacement for my practise amp but I will use it to gig as well. It's got plenty of power.

Single channel, 1x10, 30 watts.
"These handsome limited edition combos feature the effective simplicity of the Trademark 10 with a beefy 30-watt output and a custom 10? Weber alnico speaker. The crowning glory of this collectable model is the solid oak cabinet finished in a deep satin, mahogany red finish. A complex tonal character with a simple layout, the Trademark 30 brings a touch of class to the stage, the studio, or your living room with red carpet grade swank."
This is a direct quote from the Tech21NYc website and it has no exxageration whatsoever in it.

This amplifier absolutly kills. It does the Fender thing very well and the brit (marshall/vox) and calif (mesa) settings are close enough that combined with the 16 lb. weight of the amplifier there is no point in spending all that money for the real thing or using up all the energy required to lug the real articles around. The amplifier has a direct out for recording direct that is voiced perfectly and the Weber speaker has a very classy sound. I took delivery of the amplifier on May 27th and on May 29th, after familiarizing myself with it, I took it out on a gig. The gig was in a very large venue with an audience of approx. 2,500 and I walk in with a 16 lb. 30 watt single 10" speaker combo and an SG...Needless to say, I was met with a good deal of skepticism. I placed the amplifier an a stand in back of me and plugged the direct out into the house sound system. The amplifier was more than loud enough for me to get any "guitar/amplifier interaction" that I wanted and the direct input to the board routed to FOH and stage monitors took care of everything else quite stunningly thank you. By the end of the evening everyone was very impressed indeed with my "pritty little amplifier"

The amplifier is still new..too early to tell if it eill last but close examination shows that it is right up there with Tech21NYC's usual excellent standards of build quality and I do not forsee any problems down the road. I have been gigging steadily with a Trademark 60 for several years and it has never let me down. I feel it will be the same with the Trademark 30 LE.

Tech21NYC customer support is quite probably one of the best in the business. It's right up there with Crown International, JBL and people like that. Give them a call and ask them a question. You'll see what I mean.

I can find no fault with this amplifier. Enough said.

Tons of features. Look them up for yourself on their web site.

The clean Tweed channel with the British speaker sounds just like a Fender Delux Reverb! You could not ask for any better. The other's on hi gain sound excellent thru headphones and not quite there thru the speaker.

This amp is very small, like a Pathfinder practice amp. It is only 16 pounds so it's very easy to take it with you. It has a very nice classic beauty to is. Looks like a vintage tube amp!! Such a full sparkly sound from this little amp. I will be purchasing a 2X12 cabinet soon to really let this thing sing.

Basically the guts of the Trademark 10 but with power beefed up to 30 watts and a nice Weber 10 inch speaker. Nice oak cabinet, dimensions of the amp are quite small, about the size of the old Fender Champs from the 60s and 70s. As with the Trademark 10, you get three "character" switches as follows: amp (California, British, and Tweed), mod (hot, hi-gain, clean), and speaker (US, UK, and flat). For my purposes, no real problems feature-wise although footswitchability between the various amp and speaker modes would be a plus. One very cool thing is that this amp is only 16 pounds so it is very easy to cart around.

I mostly use a Les Paul Standard and an SG Classic (w/P-90s), sometimes a Tele. My approach is pretty much strictly old-school blues-based rock, although I do like to sprinkle some jazz, R&B and country riffs into the mix from time to time.

Overall for an amp this size the Trademark 30 responds well. I use the British amp and UK speaker emulations for the most part, mostly in the clean and, sometimes, hi-gain modes, rarely the hot mode. I like to keep the gain relatively low--that's a matter of personal taste but to with too much gain you tend to lose tonal definition especially with the Les Paul and SG. Using the British amp and UK speaker settings, with the gain at around 11 o'clock in clean mode, or around 9 o'clock in hi-gain, you get a good dynamic overdrive that puts you into 60s and 70s blues/rock territory, responds well to the touch and cleans up reasonably when using the guitars volume pot.

I care less for the Tweed and California amp characters, as well as the US speaker mode. Tweed clean with British or flat speaker settings yields a decent clean sound although it can be somewhat boxy and nasal sounding with the Les Paul and humbucker guitars in general; it responds somewhat better to Tele/Strat and P-90 single-coils although it still lacks the openness of classic Fender amps of yore. It gets you in the ballpark but not at the 50 yard line, so to speak. It is a workable clean sound all the same but it is perhaps limited by the small cabinet size. The California setting gives some thicker overdrive textures but to me generally lacks clarity in the high end and focus in the low, as does the US speaker option regardless of amp or mod selections.

So, there is a fair amount of tonal variety on tap here although for my tastes the British amp, clean/hi-gain mods, and UK/flat speaker modes offer the most balanced and responsive tones.

The reverb is actually quite good although I tend to use it sparingly. There is some background hiss at higher volume levels but nothing that really gets in the way too much. I myself do most of my playing at home and have to keep the volume quite low and I must say the Trademark 30 offers better low-volume tone (and I mean REALLY low volume, sometimes I have to play at little more than whisper levels)than just about anything else I've come across.

As I said before the amp is very lightweight and easy to cart around and overall seems solid. I've thrown it in the trunk of the car for jams and practice sessions now and again and it is robust enough if you aren't a complete gorilla with it.

I don't do a lot of playing out anymore, but in terms of gigability, I'd say it is possible with the Trademark 30, taking into account the obvious limitations given the size and power of the unit. It is a loud 30 watts and cranked the Weber 10 can move some air but obviously this little beast, in terms of keeping up with loud drums and bass, and larger venues, can only take you so far in and of itself. That said, get the Trademark 30 up onto a chair or amp stand, crank it and/or put a mike in front of it, use the excellent SansAmp direct out to the house PA or whatever, and you very well might be surprised.

I ordered direct from Tech 21 and the first unit sent to me did'nt function properly. At first I freaked but then I phoned them and they responded courteously and quickly, sent UPS to my door to retrieve the amp (at no cost to me) and then returned it less than a week later in fine working order. I haven't had any problems since. From my experience, Tech 21 customer service is excellent. They seem to stand proudly behind their products and in this day and age of shoddy customer treatment that really means something to me.

I've been playing a long time and have seen alot of gear come and go over the years. I won't bore you with details beyond that but I will say that this is a quality amp that offers alot in a very small package. I know I've criticized some aspects of the tone, but I'm extremely picky about that and I've encountered amps costing many times more than this one that satisfied me considerably less.

If lost or stolen I'd definately get another if I could find one. The Trademark 30 offers what I need, which is a decent-sounding small amp that can take me from the basement at home, to various jam and practice sessions, and I'd imagine even through the rare club gig, all with a minimum of hassle, and without breaking my back or my wallet.

Same feature set as the t-10. Includes a 10" speaker instead of the 8" in the t-10. Stained hardwood (oak) cabinet. 30 watts instead of 10. Includes a clear cover.

Pristine Fender clean to classic Mesa distortion - EQs need to be slightly different that the T-10

Used Tech 21 stuff for years without any problems. Due to a mistake on my part I blew the power amp on a T-10 - shippe dthe head portion back to NYC and they replaced it and shipped it back for a very nominal fee.

See above

I bulit a custom tweed cabinet for a T-10 with a 12" speaker for a fuller sound - this one needs nothing, plenty of depth and finally enough power. Through a 2x12 cab the thing has lots of presence. Haven't used it with a band but has great stage volume + xlr out to the board. Right now I have it down in my library next to a 30 yr old Alvarez acoustic and a Yamaha semi-hollow with P90s. Looks and sound great without going up to the studio

From the Tech 21 web site:
The Limited Edition Trademark 30 features a beefy 30-watt output and a custom 10? Weber alnico speaker in a handsome solid oak cabinet with a satin red mahogany finish.
Operationally, the 100% analog Trademark 30 is the same as the Trademark 10 combo, both of which are based upon the simple-to-operate format of the SansAmp GT2 pedal. For studio and live applications, Tech 21?s proprietary SansAmp technology enables you to go straight into the mixer of a recorder or PA system via the XLR Direct Output. Other features include 3-spring reverb, 3-band active EQ controls, effect loop, speaker output, and headphone output.
The Trademark 30 is equally at home on stage, in the studio and complements virtually any living room decor. A truly useful, multi-functional package weighing just 16 lbs., the Trademark 30 is capable of fulfilling a variety of needs, even as they change, throughout your entire career.

Features include:
Character section allows you to mix and match individual amplifier components and "architecturally" create your own rig in seconds
Drive control adjusts the overall amount of gain and overdrive
3-band, active tone controls, boost or cut ?12dB
Rich, full sounding Accutronics? 3-spring reverb
Other Stuff:
Custom 10? Weber alnico speaker
SansAmp XLR Direct Out for stage and studio applications allows you to go direct to any mixing console. For live gigs, you can run directly into the PA system. In larger venues, you'll be able to utilize the PA monitors to supplement your stage volume.
Effect Loop
Headphone output, which can also be used as a 1/4" direct out
Speaker output

SPECIFICATIONS:
Model Number: TM30LE
Input Impedance: 1MW
Nominal Input Level: -10dBu
Optimal Output Load: 8W
Power Output: 30W
Effect Loop Input Impedance: 1MW
Effect Loop Input Level: approx. -6dBu
Effect Loop Output Impedance: 1KW
Effect Loop Output Level: approx. -20dBu
XLR Output Level: approx. -20dBu
Maximum Power Consumption: 60W
AC Input Power: 117V only
Cycles: 50/60 Hz
Speaker: Weber Alnico Special Design, Model #2110-AL, 10?, 30W, 4 Ohms
Dimensions: 14.5?w x 13.25?h x 8?d
Weight: 16 lbs.

YES! But, in a word, same but "heartier" than my Trademark 10 practice amp.

n/a... better be great.

Absolutely tops for other tech 21 products I've purchased owned.

After I've owned for a while I'll post detailed thoughts about this li'l performer.