Product: TopHat A-100 Ambassador Head
Price Paid: US $1500 used
Submitted
01/07/2004
at
07:05am
by
Chad Briner
Email: pdguitarplayer at hotmail<dot>com
Features
:
10
This amp has two inputs: High and low, it has 2 switches: one switches between clean and fat, and the other switches between normal and bright. It has bass, mid, treble, volume, master volume, and a "Cut" nob, it cuts out the super high frequencies. it also has reverb with a send and dwell control. On the back it has 2 speaker outs, an effects loop, and empidence selector 4,8,16. and an adjustable line out.
Sound Quality
:
10
I play indie rock, and play a 72 Gibson SG throught this monster, and it sounds amazing. It is primarily a clean amp, but can overdrive if you push the channel volume. I a/b this head with a modded marshall plexi (the tophat for clean and the marshall for gain.) I run it through a new mesa cab with vintage 30's. This is the lushest sounding amp I have ever heard, its like wrapping yourself in a beautifully articulated warm blanket. It is the most resoponsive amp that I have played, ever nuance of your playing just chimmes through this sea of warmth. The headroom of this baby is amazing, it is completly responsive to your playing you get a beautiful bit of breakup when you increase your attack, and smooth crystal almost chime-like notes when you decrease the attack. The reverb on this is the best I've heard, I love fender reverb, but this is much better, fuller, tighter, beautiful, and with the send and dwell controls, you can get just about any reverb sound you want.I would compare this amp to a matchless dc-30 but in head form, but the top hat is much warmer and the headroom hands downblows the matchless out of the water,and has reverb. a truely amazing amp
Reliability
:
10
As long as you replace the tubes and re-bias her when that every 6 months arrives, its fine
Customer Support
:
10
Brian at Top hat is a great guy, any repair or mod you want or need, he will be there at your request. And the guys on the Top Hat forum are a great group of fellow TopHat owners,and knowledgable and will usualy answer any question you have before you even need to talk to Brian.
Overall Rating
:
10
I've been playing guitar for about 10 years, and though I may not claim to be a veteran, I have played many boutique amps: Matchless,Bogner,Bad Cat, Dumble, Matamp... and this is the lushest sounding and best souding clean amp that I have ever touched.
