TopHat T-50EM Emplexador 50

Dcent features 2 voicings.

This amp does a decent plexi tone. Not as good as my 1959 SLP RI modded by Toneman (don butler). I have a MArshall Silver Jubilee that i love and this amp, in the modern mode, actually sounds almost the same. which was cool, however the jubilee has a useable clean channel and effects loop. THe Effects loop on the emplexador was unuseable. I am a big delay guy, and have to have it in the loop, however the emplexadors effects loop was very dark. It cut a tone of treble out of the signal. Even when i used the loop with just a patch cable i had this problem. So it was not the pedals i was using. May hve been a faulty loop but that was just my experince and the reason i sold it and kept the jubilee.

You cant find anythig about the wiring of these things online. I wish i could post a pic. Different than any marshall that i have opened up. Instead of having a "board" There were 2 tracks that had all the caps etc wired accros them. The work on the inside seemed very neat. An overall well built amp.

I talked to the main guy at tophat about the loop and he suggested that it may be my pedals, which it wasent becuae i have a true bypass pedal and also had the problem with a cable running between the loop with no pedals. No real help from them. But i got the amp used so i just sold it off. paid 1150 for this on ebay and a week later it sold for 1650?! noo idea why. I think i just sold it at the right time but you dont see too many of them pop up. I would suggest getting a used one though incase you arent happy with it. You can at least get your money back - shipping as long as you get a good price. rember they are around 1900 new i think, a good used price is about 1200-1400. good luck

As dicussed before, this is a straight ahead tube tone head with very few frills. Two voicings (vintage and modern) with a "boost" switch and a "treble/fat" switch. Other knobs are; Gain, Master, Treble, Mid, Bass, and Presence. High/low inputs and adjustable ohm outputs. Plain and simple in practice, this leads to nothing but yummy, complex, and easily found tone.If you're looking for alot crapola knobs and footswitch thingies, look elsewhere. If you are looking to own the last amp you will ever want to own, like I was, then check this baby out! I'll give it a "9" because it doesn't have alot of junk onboard, but really, it deserves an "11" because it doesn't have alot of junk onboard! This amp and cab are all I will ever need, period....end of story.

I'm not gonna list a bunch of crap about what guitars I own and play. Just know that every one of them sounds better thru this amp. This is a sonic joy to play thru. The notes seem to jump out, then begin a rich, harmonic swell that when held turn into the most devine tones I've had the pleasure of experiencing. Low volume or high, it sounds great. The only down side is I've noticed I want to hear them louder, then a lil' louder, then a lil' louder.......awesome. Also this is thru the 2 by 12 matching cab w/ celestions. Thru a 4 x 12? Whoa!

With no problem to note, having met Brian, and just seeing how this amp is made, I can't imagine this NOT lasting the rest of my life and maybe a couple more lives on top of that. If the '68 plexi's are still fireing, then this is good to go past 2050 with ease.

If everyone cared for the customer as well as Mr.TopHat does, then this question would not even have to asked. Unfortunately, that doesn't happen in todays world, and thats what makes this Company that much more special.

Playing rock for 30+ years, I've come to appreciate some things. Sometimes old really is better. And old done better is great! I'm parting out everything else I own now, not that it's bad, it's just that I don't need the other stuff any longer. Really, this is all I need (along w/ a couple of pedals- the TopHat "Wonderboy" being one of them). Not everyone will agree w/what works for me, and that's cool. But I feel at ease knowing I got some of the best tone out there, and the search can stop. Nothing left to do but pick and grin!

I love the simplicity of this head, Vintage side or modern side depending on what your needs are, Vintage can dial up beautiful clean to vintage blues and alot of shades in between via the VERY ACTIVE TONE CONTROLS. Modern channel is something I've been looking for all my life. Hi or lo inputs, optional fx loop that remains passive if your not using it. Treble mid, bass presence gain and master volume. All I need in a great tube amp. Mine is a 2001 model, black tolex with gold piping and gold tophat logo, Beautifully made amp. Point to point wiring, no cheap tone sucking features.

This amp suits my style of playing perfectly. I love the vintage marshall sounds and this amp delivers and then some! I play a black custom les paul and a white shecter strat style. It's amazing how each guitar has such a different sound, yet both sound magnificent. Imust say I prefer the power the les paul generates, but the sound shecter puts out is awesome in it's own right. Back to the amp.
Tophat does make other amps that excell in clean sounds, believe me I've heard them, however this amp is no slouch at creating beautiful sounds on either channel. One of the things I love about this amp, is the ability to control it from the guitar volume. You can be playing a searing lead and then back off the volume and it cleans up beautifully. I play mostly on the modern side, because let's face it, if you bought this amp you're not a country twanger. This side I was initially skeptical about before I actually played it. When I pushed the gain to 10 and the master to around 5 or 6, I was floored by it's incredible power and absolutely gorgeous tube sound! 50 watts? I sold a marshall 9200 dual monobloc amp (100 watts per side) a digitech 2120 preamp and a 1960A marshall cab to buy this amp! That's how good it is. The system I just mentioned was a fabulous system but at high volumes it lost response, pick attack and musically fumbled the ball. The Emplexador does your bidding at any volume, just ask and ye shall receive! I played out for the first time with it and it buried the other guitar players marshall JCM 900 100 watt head. I wasn't trying to be louder, but it's such a huge sound and sounds so much better. I should mention I play out of a Marshall 1960A cab with celestion 75's. I am thinking about vintage 30's but why? It sounds just great now. I've been playing for well over 25 years and am picky about tone, but I'm satisfied with what I have. This is by far the best sounding stock (no effects) amp you can get your hands on for the price. If any of you has upwards of 6000.00 dollars to spend, than go ahead and buy a dumble amp. More power to you! But most professionals don't just play stock, so my next purchase will probably be a dejavibe pedal and maybe a clyde wah pedal down the road and that will probably be about it. Keep it simple and learn how to use your hands for tone, you'll be happier you did and so will your wallet. Get a great tube head like this one and you're pretty well finished shopping. I wish I would have known this alot sooner, I could have saved mtself alot of time and money. This amp, as with all TopHat amps are a 10 in my book.

In a world where everything is mass produced I certainly feel safe with the quality of this amp. Anything which is made by hand with the best components available and the best customer support available, you can't go wrong!

These amps are built by Brian at TopHat and I have discussed a few things with him and he takes the time and then some. All my emails have been answered quickly and with great care. This company wants to be successful and will because of the high degree of devotion to produce the best tube amps in the world and the devotion to their customers. Lifetime warranty on any defects in workmanship, what more could you ask for

If it were stolen or lost I'd go on a weeklong drinking binge then
set out on a vigilante mission and catch the S.O.B. and make him watch ten consecutive Lawrence Welk shows. Seriously speaking I would buy another in a heart beat and maybe a TopHat cab to go with it. Iv'e heard and played many high quality amps and this one was the best for me, It hangs with mesa, matchless, victoria, bogner you name it, it belongs in ther best of the best catagory period.

I'm writing in for the second time on this amp. I've had it for a little over 4 months now and I've had lots of time to fiddle with it at home, as well as use in in practice sessions and gigs with my rock band. The amp features are the same as in my first review (December 2000). The only change I've made is to replace the tubes with NOS types: three Telefunken 12AX7A's in the preamp section (matched triodes in V3, the phase inverter, driver tube) and a matched pair of early 70's Mullard EL34's in the poweramp. The sound of the amp is excellent with the original tubes, but the NOS replacements have most definitely enhanced the sound by adding additional clarity, dynamics, and "refinement".

I play various rock styles and use an A/B box (the new Framptone Amp switcher - an absolute godsend compared to the old Morley!) to switch between the TopHat for its beautiful overdrive tones and a Roland JC120 for clean tones. I use a new-ish Lone Star Strat and a 1975 Les Paul Custom (original bridge pickup is replaced with a coverless 9K Ohm Lindy Fralin humbucker). The Emplexador is being played through an 8 Ohm 2x12 Mesa-Boogie Recto cab (closed back) loaded with new-ish Celestion "Greenbacks". I really prefer the sound of the 'Paul through the Emplexador, but the Strat sounds good too. Playing the 'Paul with the Emplexador set to the "Modern" voicing, mini-toggles set on "normal" and "treble", the tone controls dimed, presence control "off", and the gain and master volumes at ~2 o'clock: watch out! This amp SCREAMS overdriven vintage Marshall tones that are dynamic (sensitive to pick attack), thick, harmonically rich, not excessively shrill, and most importantly - incredibly musical sounding! Sometimes, when I'm experimenting with the amp at home, I just start laughing because I can't believe my ears. In my 35+ years of playing, I've never had tone this good before. The band members and audience have all reacted very positively to the sound of this amp, too - it's not just me.

With the amp set on the "Vintage" voicing option, excellent loud clean tones can be had by maxing the master volume and bringing up the gain to playing levels. With the 'Paul I prefer the mini-toggles on "boost" and "treble" with the bass tone control rolled back somewhat and the presence control in the 3 o'clock or higher position. Increasing the gain will get you back to those thick overdrive tones again, but with unbelievable in-your-face punch. A little TOO much punch, so I prefer the "Modern" voicing setup described above for the thick overdrive sounds.

The only downside I've experienced with this amp is that it can be a bit noisy (60 cycle hum and tube hiss) with certain setups. For example, in the "Modern" voicing I really don't ever use the boost/normal mini-toggle in the "boost" setting - just too much noise. But that setup is a little to aggressive in the upper frequencies for my taste, anyway. If that's the sound you're after (metal shredder types), I doubt this is the amp for you.

To reiterate, this amp excels at overdriven Marshall-type tones. The amp works well with either single coils or humbuckers, but I'm partial to the latter. You can dial in just the right amount of preamp and power amp distortion with the gain/master controls to arrive at thick, harmonically rich tones with enough agressiveness to cut through the mix and satisfy those good old rock-n-roll desires within. Very pleasing loud, clean tones are also possible, especially with single coils.

The amp is only 4 months old. I've probably logged ~50 hours of playing time, so I can't really comment meaningfully on its long-term reliability. What I can say, however, is that it is very well constructed. I've had the chassis out of the cabinet and thoroughly inpected the innards - VERY neatly hand wired (point-to-point) using top quality components throughout. Something approaching a work of art inside there! I can't imagine anything going wrong with this amp for a long, long time.

Brian Gerhard at TopHat is a great guy. The business is still small enough that he gives you personalized service!

Today's guitarists are very fortunate to be living in a time when there is a quite large selection of very well-built, great-sounding amps available. TopHat amps are most definitely in this category. Brain at TopHat knows his craft and makes superb tube amps to satisfy a variety of styles. I am extremely enthusiastic about the Emplexador and would recommend it without reservation to anyone seeking a high-quality amp that can deliver vintage Marshall-type tones.

Haven't checked what year this was made in yet but I'd bet it was made in 1999 or thereabouts. It's not the new version with the extra controls. It's the older version with a Vintage and Modern channel and one input, as well as the regular gamut of tone/presence/gain/volume controls. No channel switching, but I I bought a Fulltone Fulldrive 2. More on that later... I use this amp in our practice space. It is the loudest amp I've ever owned. It is the most sonically-true amp I've ever owned. May solid-state forever be excommunicated from my world (I used to own a Valvestate)! There are only two features that I consider luxuries that I would like with this amp: 1) built-in channel switching and 2)an effects loop. #2 is available and I've been told that I can send it in and they'll do it for $50. Wow... TopHat really cares about customers... a rarity these days. Now, there is one feature that I wish it had that might be more my 'taste' than something that would work well with this amp, and that is a real "clean" channel. You can cut the gain down and pull up the master but it still breaks quickly when you play loud (at least for me). But again, that's maybe more my taste than what this amp was made for.

I'm using a stock 1994 Fender Mexican Stratocaster and a late '90s semi-hollow Gibson ES-135 Limited Edition (the 135's P100 pickups range from a 335ish bell tone to a crunchy Les Paul sound). The music I play with the band is a range from shoegaze.... blissfully heavy, sonically-dense pop/rock... to math-rock (if bands like My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Idaho, Low, DeathCab for Cutie, Starflyer 59, Hum, and Weezer ring a bell, then you get the idea). This amp can crank it like the best of the Marshalls but it's definitely got a different tone than a modern lineup of 800s, 900s and others. It's a bit darker than these guys and because it occupies the same "sonic range" as the other guitarist's Marshall, I do find myself often wondering if I should get a class-A type amp like a Matchless or Vox so that my sounds will stand out. But that is a subjective review. Objectively, standing alone, this amp has some of the best sounds I've ever heard... I sat around at a music store for 2 hours listening to Bogners, Marshalls, Fenders, Matchless, even Soldano (yuck...) and I kept coming back to this guy. Master up and gain down, you get a very nice and strong "clean" tone... not like a JC120 but typical of a plexi. Gain up and Master down you can crank it in Modern mode and approach Boogie and JCM territories... but not quite. I'm convinced that the Marshall contour knob is really what "brightens" up the sound (a sound I'm not particularly needful of, but it'd be nice to have to cut through a second guitar in the band) and the TopHat remains darker. The lightly-overdriven sounds are more pixelated than the modern Marshalls... more granular. But as you move up and louder, they smooth out and you can really hear your guitar like you've never heard it before. This is what really attracted me to this amp. It's what sets it miles apart from the others... that killer response and fidelity.

Since there is no channel-switching, I use a Fulltone Fulldrive 2 to drive my amp that is set (like a clock) Master 1:00, Gain 9:00. This gives me a clean tone that breaks up a bit when I'm really digging into the strings. Then I hit the on-switch of the Fulldrive and I get a great overdriven Tubescreamer sound. Another hit on the boost-switch and it boosts the sound to cut through when I need it. Perfect combination. Highly recommend the TopHat / Fulldrive 2 combination....

It's never acted up, totally reliable so far and it's been sitting in a cold Boston practice space in a warehouse for 2 months now, used 2 to 3 times a week. Going from cold to hot to cold to hot can't be all that great for it... I probably should replace the tubes as I've had the amp for about 5 months total now and I'm using the same tubes from when it was on the store floor.

I've talked to Mrs. TopHat once before and she said it'd be easy to get an effects loop installed, just send it in and they'd be happy to do it. I've also talked to Mr. TopHat (Brian?) and he said that if I buy the amp (which I did) that I was inquiring about that I should send in my name and stuff because they wanted to know who was using their amps and stuff and keep us updated. I thought that was great to hear someone really concerned with their craftwork. Super people.

I've been playing for roughly 14 years. I've always nickled-and-dimed my equipment until 6 months ago. Enough was enough... started to look for stuff with the intention that good stuff is worth good money. The TopHat is worth every penny. As for other gear, my current lineup in effects is Fulltone Fulldrive 2, Boss CE-2 Chorus, Ibanez AD-9 Analog Delay, Zoom 5000 Hybrid Distortion pedal (can't find this anywhere anymore), Digitech PDS-1002 Digital Delay, Ross Phaser, CryBaby Wah, and a GSP-21 Legend effects rack that I use just for more delays and reverbs. The TopHat really accomodates all these effects quite nicely. One of the things I LOVE about this amp is that that it really knows how to create a great environment for feedback. When I get my delays going and my Wah is rocking and that feedback starts swelling, the rest of the band is like.... YES... MORE.... MORE.... it's the best thing... this amp has helped DEFINE my sound, helped me FIND my unique style.

Beautifully constructed 50 watt amp hand-wired with high quality components throughout (built fall of 2000). Front panel: hi/lo inputs; vintage/modern voicing rotary switch; master volume; normal/boost and fat/treble mini-toggle switches; gain, treble, mid, bass, and presence knobs; on/standby and on/off toggle switches; amp on indicator light. Back panel: line out jack with volume knob; 4/8/16 ohm impedance selector knob; two speaker out jacks; (passive effects loop is optional - mine does not have one). Tube compliment: three 12AX7's in the preamp (Ei V1, Edichron V2 and V3); two EL34's in the power amp (Electroharmonix). Solid state rectifier.

In terms of it's layout, quality of components and construction, I'd give this amp a perfect 10. However, I give it "only" a 9 in this category because I believe the amp's versatility would be improved if it were a channel-switching amp. It delivers GREAT clean and overdriven tones (see below).

This amp was designed to emulate Marshall amplifiers from the 60s and early 70s era. From 1972-1974 I used a 100 watt Marshall Super Lead "stack", and by golly, this Emplexador pretty much nails the sound of that amp (I am using the Emplexador with a 2x12 closed-back Mesa-Boogie recto cab loaded with Celestion Vintage 30s). With the additional voicing options and gain/master volume setup, however, the Emplexador offers a lot more sonic diversity than my old Marshall. With the amp set on "vintage" voicing, absolutely spanky clean tones are available, even at high volumes (sounds just like my old amp!). Switch the mini-toggle from "normal" to "boost", increase the gain, and nice tight, slightly crunchy tones are available, particulary when you "dig in" with your picking hand. With the amp set on "modern" voicing, even at moderate gain settings the tones are nice and tight and crunchy. Increase the gain to deliver thick, singing distortion tones, but still with amazing clarity. Beautiful! The tone controls are all voiced very well. As with the old Marshalls, the mid control when cranked dominates the overall sound. Turn the mid control down and you will hear more of an effect with changes in the treble and bass controls. It is very easy to dial in the sound you want with this amp. My favorite setup is to use a Lone Star Strat with an A/B box. For shimmery clean tones I'll send the guitar signal to a Roland JC120, and for sizzling leads I'll switch to the Emplexador (modern voicing) with a wah pedal. The single coil neck pickup on the Strat through the Emplexdor sounds just awesome - a bright, slightly distorted tone. Flip the pickup selector over to the bridge humbucker to get a fat, singing distorted tone with tons of clarity and sustain. Beautiful! I also use a 1975 Les Paul custom. Between the Les Paul and the Strat I can easily emulate the sounds of Eric Clapton during the Cream era and Dicky Betts with the Allman Brothers. The higher gain available with the Emplexador, however, allows one to go even further with the degree of distortion. The amp does it all - overdrive pedals not needed to deliver awesome classic rock tones! In terms of the amp's ability to deliver the sound of 60s/early 70s Marshalls with additional gain possibilities, I'd have to give this amp a 10.

TopHat amps are extremely well built with high quality components throughout. This amp is no exception. I haven't owned the amp long enough to comment meaningfully on its long-term reliability.

I've spoken to Brian Gerhard at TopHat on the telephone a number of times. He has always taken time to thoroughly respond to all of my questions (and then some - I've always learned something about amp design whenever I've spoken to him). Although I have no direct experience, it is my impression that Brian will stand behind his products in terms of servicing, warranty issues, etc.

I've been playing guitar for 35+ years and have owned many amps along the way. For a variety of classic rock tones, TopHat amps are some of the best I've ever heard (I also own a TopHat Club Royale for lower volume venues - simply an amazing amp!). TopHat amps are expensive relative to other mass-produced amps, but in return you get an extremely well-built hand wired amp made with top quality components, and most importantly, top quality SOUND. The Emplexador is designed to and succeeds in delivering exceptionally authentic, pleasing 60s/early 70s Marshall tones. With it's additional voicing options and master volume, however, fantastic overdriven tones are also possible. Brian at TopHat tells me that a channel-switching version of the Empleaxdor is on the drawing board. Because both the clean and overdriven tones available from this amp are so darned good, a channel-switching option would truly be icing on the cake (a perfect 10 rating) for this already sweet amp!

This amp was made in 1998. It is all hand-built, and I am certain that it will far outlast me. Absolutely excellent craftsmanship with only the best components. Take one apart and you will see what I mean. Outstanding.
As far as features go, I am kind of in a predicament as to what I should say. Since this is a two channel amp with channel switching capabilities one would ideally hope that it would have two separate sets of tone controlls. However, this amp has only one set of everything: channel select, gain, volume, treble, mid, bass, and presence. Given any channel these controls are more than enough, yet it would be ideal to have two sets.
However, I cannot say enough about the tone controlls on Top Hat amps. They are simply the best "frequencied" controlls I have used. The frequencies that they affect are perfect for each amp (I also have a Club Royale), and on either channel they provide for plenty of variation.
The two channels are designated Vintage and Modern, the former being a 1968 Plexi-type and the latter being more Mesa-ish in nature. Back to the channel stuff again, I have noticed that, leaving all the controls the same, the Vintage channel is significantly louder than the Modern channel. Here is where another set of volumes would come in handy, and well enough you have one, except it is on the back pannel. There is an external footswich jack with a "clean" volume control and through this (I am assuming, as I do not yet have a footswitch) you can adjust the level of the Vintage channel.
As for other features, there are two external speaker outputs, a line output with level control, and optional effects loop, and a speaker impedance switch that lets you select from 4,8, and 16 ohms. Mine is the 50 watt version with EL-34s, and I am told that there is only 3db of difference between this and the 100 watt version. Plus, I was also informed that the transformers on the 50 watt versions are also different, and most people have been drawn to the tone of this lower watt model. This amp is a straight ahead tone monster that does not even bother with any tone sucking extras; a refreshing and welcome idea, in my opinion.
In short, for this section my only complaint is the lack of separate channel controls. Yet when one considers the overall quality of this amp then you realize that this is really not a big deal at all. Read on...

As far as tone goes, one is hard pressed to find a better amp manufacturer than Top Hat. This amp has an extrordinary ability to create monster distortion sounds, yet it is always "refined" and "organic" sounding. It is hard to explain, but I will try. (I should mention that for this review I have been using a stock Fender Tele with 11s, and a Top Hat closed back 2X12 with a Vintage 30 and a Weber Blue Dog. The review on the cabinet is comming.)
Take, say, a Mesa Tremoverb head, a Marshall (any model), and a VHT (these three are the biggies in this arena). The Top Hat does not have the gain of a Mesa, but it comes close. Plus, the overall quality of sound is much better than any Mesa I have heard. The Top Hat "Modern" channel can come close to the saturated sound of a Tremoverb, but the Top Hat always retains the clarity of chords and individual notes. One gentleman with whom I have talked mentioned that, compared to the Emplexador, Mesa distortion sounds like "a running motor." An apt comparison. The Emplexador Modern channel has plenty of bass, a VERY versatile mid control, and plenty of clear highs that do not take you head off.
As for a Marshall, the "Vintage" channel on the Emplexador comes close, and in some people's opinions, surpasses that of a 1968 Plexi. I must admit that I previously did not dig this type of sound, but after playing this amp I understand. VERY powerful, but not a lot of gain. However, turn this channel up to about 3 o'clock on the Master Volume and you will know what all those people are talking about. I am certain that this channel would sound excellent with a Les Paul. The Modern channel has a great mix of tone between a Marshall and a Mesa; perfect for my tastes.
As for VHT, I have not heard much about them, but I do know that they are constantly being described as "brutal" amps. The Emplexador is a different animal. Think of it as a very normal-looking fellow who throws you down, and then courteously helps you up again. While the distortion comming out of this amp will make you fall over, it does so with a clarity and smoothness that I have found in no other amp. Extraordinary.
I should mention two things here: 1) this amp is exceedingly quiet, even on its highest settings and 2) there really is no clean channel, yet if you turn the gain down on the Vintage channel then you get a Marshall-type clean. HOWEVER, this amp is simply the best at allowing you to control the gain from your guitar, a thing I have been liking very much lately. I think that I actually prefer this method (at least for my playing) over having a footswitch. On either channel, this thing really cleans up when you back up on your guitar's volume.

I cannot make any statement on the reliability of this amp as I just purchased it, but judging from 1) the quality of construction 2) the experiences of others I have talked with and 3) the company itself, I feel completely comfortable with this amplifier. As long as one uses their head, acts responsibly, and changes the tubes regularly there should be no problem with reliability. However, things do happen, but it would only be the responsibility of chance that something would go wrong, as this amp is build exceedingly well.

Quite simply, Top Hat has the best customer support of any company I have ever dealt with. Period. I can call and talk to the owner about my amp, and have done so! Brian Gerhard (the owner) is not only a great amp builder but a great customer service guy. He answers e-mails and talkes with you over the phone; how many other company owners do that? Truly one of the most helpful and courteous companys out there, and that is what one would like to see in a small company. Hopefully they will stay this way as they grow.

If there is an inordinant amount of mistakes in my grammar I must apologize, as it is 12:20 pm right now and I am a little tired. Let it be known that this is an extraordinary amp and, without a doubt, worth every pennny. Anyone seriously considering an amp of this type owes it to themself, and Brian Gerhard, to check one out. It never hurts. I am glad I did.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I purchased this thing without ever hearing it. Yes, I did not hear it until it arrived at my house. The only information that I had came from other people who had recommended it to me. I usually do not do that, but man was it worth it. Stupid, maybe. A great amp, absolutely.