Thinking on Phaez

[El_Rey]

Hi, I'm looking for the best sound bedroom-recording amp and do it on my needs, so my question is:

How many of you would say that your phaez is one of the most oustanding amps you have ever tryed in front of other boutique amps??? or do you think it's only a really good amp for the money flexibility and customisation???

[wrc73]

Originally Posted by slash_fan

Hi, I'm looking for the best sound beadroom-recording amp and do it on my needs, so my question is:

How many of you would say that your phaez is one of the most oustanding amps you have ever tryed in front of other boutique amps??? or do you think it's only a really good amp for the money flexibility and customisation???

I would say all of the above, but of course I haven't compared it to every boutique amp out there. My JTM 18 is the best amp I have ever played/owned and I have been playing for about 30 years. There are a lot of great amps out there right now, it just depends on what you want. To me Phaez is by far the best bang for your buck, but that doesn't necessarily make it better or worse than a 65 amps, Fargen, Metro, Ceriatone, Germino, Fuchs, etc, etc, etc... There are lots of great options out there right now, just depends on what you want to pay and what features you want. Alot also depends on how brand concious you are, some people just need the big name recognition, otheres just need great tone. I would say that tonewise, IMHO, Phaez is in the same league as any other high end boutique amp out there.

[redking]

Originally Posted by slash_fan

Hi, I'm looking for the best sound beadroom-recording amp and do it on my needs, so my question is:

How many of you would say that your phaez is one of the most oustanding amps you have ever tryed in front of other boutique amps??? or do you think it's only a really good amp for the money flexibility and customisation???

This is a loaded question....Troll worthy in fact... however, I will bite...

Phaez is one of many builders that are building great amps right now.... I'm not going to blanket compare them to anything because I have never A/B'd my amp to anything other than another Phaez really.

What I like about Phaez is:

1. "Killer tones for low bones" as Rosco would say
2. Randy's skill as a circuit designer is phenomenal and allows him to do custom shop amps for his customers for very little upcharge (for now).

I would emphasize that Phaez is really not a bedroom amp. If that is what you want, I would buy a 1 watt Marshall... Even Randy's 8 watt amps put out gig worthy volume. That being said, the master volume on my JTM is really great and fine for low volume practice - but honestly I'd rather play it cranked....

[matmont1305]

WRC73 summed it up perfectly.

What tones are you chasing?

tone springs to mind.

[El_Rey]

Originally Posted by matmont1305

WRC73 summed it up perfectly.

What tones are you chasing?

tone springs to mind.

I love slash but I thought in a All marshall territories amp with some specific things

[Ferosferio]

My 18 watt Jackal is AWESOME and really, really loud for 18 watts. Really loud! At home I use an attenuator when I want to turn it up without destroying buildings. --R

[matmont1305]

Daisycutter FTW

[singlecut]

i will have a 18 watt dc for sale soon.
selling to finance another phaez build.

2 daiseycutters is more than i need

give me a hollar if you need it

[Shai`tan]

Here is my experience.

I was on the fence between a Ceriatone Expression.... or buying a Phaez. The Phaez Jackal was not out at the time. I looked hard at player reviews on both Amps and sound clips via youtube. Phaez was earlier getting a bad rap here and there of some early build wiring pics. Ceriatones wiring was impecable.

On the other hand, I couldn`t find ANY youtube vids of a Ceriatone Expression that impressed me. I chalked it up to peeps not knowing how to record a good clip or set up the amp well. But just about every Phaez vid I watched sounded pretty decent.

I ended up taking a chance and going for the Ceriatone Expression. And I wish I had gone for the Phaez instead in retrospect. To date I have changed out the stock Ceriatone trannys to Heyboer.... but I still can`t seem to get a sound I like out of it. Got it in again and hoping redoing the caps to Sozos will help. The cleans ARE nice, but this amps dirt is harsh as it gets.

Ok, so Randy brings out the JTM18. And in the demo vids it immediately grabs my ear. But after trying the Ceriatone with no Loop, I was looking for something with a Loop to add a smidgeon of Reverb. Soon after out comes the Jackal. A JTM18 with Loop. I think Roscoe released some demo vids, and THAT was it for me. I ordered the Phaez Jackal.

And the real kicker was this.... ya know when ya hear a vid demo and how it sounds on vid is not necessarilly what it will sound like inperson? The Jackal sounded exactly inperson what it sounded like in Roscoes vids. I dialed it in, and with my VL III loaded Bartlett EMCT Kit, 97 Flying V, and 71 BB Custom...... the Jackal delivered that thick dripping tone I have always looked for but never found.

Very happy I went with the Phaez. The Ceriatone? Not so much. Between the 2, there was just no contest. Gotta be honest.

[redking]

Originally Posted by Shai`tan

Here is my experience.

I was on the fence between a Ceriatone Expression.... or buying a Phaez. The Phaez Jackal was not out at the time. I looked hard at player reviews on both Amps and sound clips via youtube. Phaez was earlier getting a bad rap here and there of some early build wiring pics. Ceriatones wiring was impecable.

On the other hand, I couldn`t find ANY youtube vids of a Ceriatone Expression that impressed me. I chalked it up to peeps not knowing how to record a good clip or set up the amp well. But just about every Phaez vid I watched sounded pretty decent.

I ended up taking a chance and going for the Ceriatone Expression. And I wish I had gone for the Phaez instead in retrospect. To date I have changed out the stock Ceriatone trannys to Heyboer.... but I still can`t seem to get a sound I like out of it. Got it in again and hoping redoing the caps to Sozos will help. The cleans ARE nice, but this amps dirt is harsh as it gets.

Ok, so Randy brings out the JTM18. And in the demo vids it immediately grabs my ear. But after trying the Ceriatone with no Loop, I was looking for something with a Loop to add a smidgeon of Reverb. Soon after out comes the Jackal. A JTM18 with Loop. I think Roscoe released some demo vids, and THAT was it for me. I ordered the Phaez Jackal.

And the real kicker was this.... ya know when ya hear a vid demo and how it sounds on vid is not necessarilly what it will sound like inperson? The Jackal sounded exactly inperson what it sounded like in Roscoes vids. I dialed it in, and with my VL III loaded Bartlett EMCT Kit, 97 Flying V, and 71 BB Custom...... the Jackal delivered that thick dripping tone I have always looked for but never found.

Very happy I went with the Phaez. The Ceriatone? Not so much. Between the 2, there was just no contest. Gotta be honest.

Very cool...

I would chalk this up to the fact that there are lots of guys out there COPYING old circuits, and if you do so without all the primo NOS type parts, you are going to get a different sound.

With Randy - he starts with the sound that he wants and builds the circuit from there and borrows a little bit of this and that and sprinkles some pixie dust on it and voila.. it's a Phaez amp - not a clone...

[bufbills]

Cant go wrong with a Phaez. Ive been through all the big brands, and wasnt happy until I got my JTM18. So happy, I bought a Daisy cutter.

[iamjoe]

Originally Posted by redking

Very cool... it's a Phaez amp - not a clone..

That about sums it up, perfect comment.

[Led Zep Fan]

The responsiveness of my Phaez is unmatched by any other amp every ever played through. It makes the recently made Marshalls I've tried sound like a toy.

[Deftone]

Originally Posted by singlecut

i will have a 18 watt dc for sale soon.
selling to finance another phaez build.

2 daiseycutters is more than i need

give me a hollar if you need it

My advice would be to jump on that offer. I have two Phaez amps myself, including a Daisycutter.

Read WRC's post for the rest of my response, I agree completely.

[eaglewolf]

Aside from what else has already been said, Randy will build you whatever you want within reason. I discussed building a 1W amp and he said he could do it if that is what I wanted. Wouldn't save that much money over an 8 or 10W amp, but if I needed less power that wasn't a problem. It all comes down to what you need.

As for my Phaez being one of the most oustanding amps I ever tried in front of other boutique amps, it's definitely up there. Not everyone feels the same way, though they definitely have their following on this site and elsewhere. To be honest, to date the best sounding amp that I ever played was a cranked JTM-45 and through a Marshall 1960 4X12 cab. Too bad it couldn't maintain that at low volumes or that amp would be in my home right now. But that is totally subjective, and many others would completely disagree with me. Besides, since I didn't bring the amp home I have not done a side by side comparison of the JTM-45 and the MLP-35. If I did, I might find that the one I like best would change.

If your primary question is that you want the absolute best amp without considering cost, that is too subjective to answer for everyone. I always saw it as you get a great sounding amp for a bargain price. You can add enough options to make it cost as much as more expensive amps, but for a reasonable price you can get a great sounding, incredibly touch sensitive amp designed to your specs that is sure to please. Could you find something else you like better? Probably, since others have. However, in most cases the amps I've heard of that were liked as well as or better than the Phaez cost considerably more. If you have the money to burn and the time to check them out, you could probably find something you like better.

In other words a Phaez is not a budget amp, it is a great value. Great tone, great price, and custom designed to your specs - what more can we ask for? A Phaez isn't the only amp I own, but I have one now and will have more in the future. They are definitely worth considering if you are in the market for a new amp.

David

[dspelman]

Originally Posted by slash_fan

Hi, I'm looking for the best sound bedroom-recording amp and do it on my needs, so my question is:

How many of you would say that your phaez is one of the most oustanding amps you have ever tryed in front of other boutique amps??? or do you think it's only a really good amp for the money flexibility and customisation???

At the risk of sounding a bit trollish, I'd like to note one or two things. For some reason this particular (MLP) forum has a lot of heavy Phaez conversation. That doesn't repeat itself in the industry in general. That doesn't mean Phaez isn't good stuff, just that you need to be aware of its overall place in the boutique industry. If you get to attend something like the NY Amp Show or the LA Amp Show (I'm there every year), you'll get a better idea of the kinds of things that are available out there. Educate yourself well *beyond* what you read on the internet. It's not all here. In fact, not even a little bit of all of it is here.

One builder in particular had a rabid group of followers on TGP for a short time. It turned out that some of the rabid group had never owned one of his amps, but they were referring to him as a "well-respected manufacturer." The truth is, he was building an occasional amp out of his garage, and farming out the cabinet construction. When I spoke to him, he was delivering his 16th amp (to a repeat customer) and all but one of his clients were within 50 miles of his home.

About bedroom amps...

I have fifteen or sixteen tube amps, from 100W on down, including a couple that could be classified as boutique. Probably half again that in solid state stuff, with most of that gear (and all the big iron) in storage. I live in a townhouse and even though I have neighbors who love music, some of whom have drums and guitars and will actually come over and hang out and play, they have babies and home offices and family TV time and all of that. And they don't appreciate my blasting away at all hours, even with a 5W EVJr. So I went looking for a headphone amp, and came away with both a Korg Pandora (I have three of the buggers now) and a Pod XT. Over the last few years, I've added other Pods (including a Pod HD and a Bass Pod XT).

I now have three Atomic Reactor amps -- these are tube power amps inside speaker cabinets that were designed specifically to incorporate Pod-type modelers (others from Vox, Behringer, etc.) to produce what amounts to combo amps. I have two 112-18s (18W EL84 in a closed-back 1x12 cabinet with a 200W Eminence speaker) and one 212-50 (50W 6L6 in a 2x12 closed-back ported cabinet. The bean-shaped Pods mount into a hot-swappable module that drops into the amp. You can walk into a room with one of these, plug the unit into the wall, plug your guitar into the unit, flip the switch and play. If you want pedal control, you grab an ethernet cable, run it to an FBV Express or Shortboard and you're done. Both have tuner displays, expression pedals, bank switching, tap temp and all of that built into the board. It doesn't come much simpler OR much more sophisticated in terms of what can be done.

The result is that I can crank the Pod as much as I like, while keeping the actual output of the Atomic very low. When gigging, I can tailor the output to the gig (I've never actually run all three at once, but I have run both of the 18s together). The sound doesn't change. And I can run the Pods direct to the FOH system while using the Atomics onstage as well, and there really isn't a change in the sound.

The point is, there are some solutions out there to the bedroom amp issue. I'm not sure that even a boutique tube amp is one of them.

[Deftone]

There are well over 50 MLP members who own and swear by Phaez amps, some of them (myself included) own two or more.

MLP Phaez Family Tree - Current/Past owners please contribute!

[dspelman]

Originally Posted by Deftone

There are well over 50 MLP members who own and swear by Phaez amps, some of them (myself included) own two or more.

My point exactly. MLP has a Phaez infestation <G>. But there are a LOT of boutique amps out there. While I have no intention of trashing Phaez amps (I think they're excellent), it's simply worth noting that MLP is one of the few places you'll hear this much chatter about them.

Favoritism within a particular forum or website isn't unusual -- Talkbass.com is one of the few places you'll hear a lot about fEARful, fEARless, BarefacedBass, EAD, AudioKinesis and similar "super cabs" for bass players. They also have a notable thing for Jules "Monique" preamps (Jules also makes some amazing guitar amps on boutique basis) and REDDI tube-based DI boxes, most of which is completely foreign to the bass players who shop at Guitar Denter.

It's not until you back away from these sites that you can get a better worldview regarding what place each has within the pantheon of available products.

[V2]

Originally Posted by matmont1305

Daisycutter FTW

or the Railgun, which is based on the Daisycutter but with more gain and some tweaks for AFD tone (from what I hear).

[logen99999]

i think dspelman makes a fair counterpoint. and note he's not trashing phaez, he's just pointing out the large fanbase here.

i can speak on my experiences only i recently bought a phaez 25 watt daisycutter and it kills. it's simply the best amp i ever played. for perspective i played a ton of the low wattage production line amps, peavey classic 30, egnater tweaker, tiny terror, blackstart ht5 and a few of these amps really were fantastic, but the DC made them look like toys.

the only amp i would say is comparable to the DC in terms of tone quality is something like a 65 amps london pro. they both sound classic as hell and can clean up really well. i'm sure other ~2000$ amps can compete as well.

i paid around 700$ for mine. that's a hell of a price for an amp like this.

[Deftone]

Originally Posted by dspelman

My point exactly. MLP has a Phaez infestation <G>.

I was responding to your comment about TGP's "rabid following" of non-owners. This is not the case here.

And the reason Phaez amps have a "rabid" following on MLP, is because they are that good, and very resonably priced.

Originally Posted by dspelman

At the risk of sounding a bit trollish, I'd like to note one or two things. For some reason this particular (MLP) forum has a lot of heavy Phaez conversation. That doesn't repeat itself in the industry in general. That doesn't mean Phaez isn't good stuff, just that you need to be aware of its overall place in the boutique industry. If you get to attend something like the NY Amp Show or the LA Amp Show (I'm there every year), you'll get a better idea of the kinds of things that are available out there. Educate yourself well *beyond* what you read on the internet. It's not all here. In fact, not even a little bit of all of it is here.

One builder in particular had a rabid group of followers on TGP for a short time. It turned out that some of the rabid group had never owned one of his amps, but they were referring to him as a "well-respected manufacturer." The truth is, he was building an occasional amp out of his garage, and farming out the cabinet construction. When I spoke to him, he was delivering his 16th amp (to a repeat customer) and all but one of his clients were within 50 miles of his home.

[onioner]

All IMO and all, and I've said it all before, but I don't think any tube amp is gonna be the best for serious low volume playing. If you can't at least get up to 'loud TV' levels, in my experience, modelers can wipe the floor with even the best tubes. Sad but true. The alternative is to have a complicated reamping system, where you take a line out of a tube amp and feed it through a speaker emulator and a power amp and reproduce it with more speakers (like the Atomics mentioned above). That can sound good, but is complicated, with the associated expense.

As far as Phaez in particular, Randy has a great MV, so that helps the low volume player, but I can't say he does much else with the low volume player in mind. Oh, sure, he'll build it if he can, but it's not really his thing.

Just really depends on what you mean by "low volume." If a cranked Champ is low volume to you (and it is to many), then heck yeah, go for a smaller Phaez. If you need to not disturb folks in the same room... in all honesty, I'd look beyond tubes.

Also, I think it's fair to say that the Phaez owners on MLP are pretty rabid... I know I am.

[alligatorbling]

people are so crazy over randys amps for one reason.... they sound damn good.... imho, the best.

i had high hopes when i got my daisycutter 14, very, very high expectations, as the reviews i had read, clips i had heard, people i had talked to that owned a phaez, it all made me think i was in for a real treat....

and i was..... i was blown a way!

my expectations were met, and then some, and then some.

a phaez amp will deliver "that sound" you have been chasing after.

i know some folks probably raise an eyebrow and are skeptics.... to them, i say try one.... you will then understand.

[DrakeZero]

I use to recommend phaez amps as bedroom amps, but not anymore. Even with Randy's lowest model (which I believe is 8 watts) the amp can fill a room in no time. So to those that want an amp that they purely want to play in their bedroom without waking people up then I suggest going for amps that are 1 watt or 5 watts range even though Randy's master vol does a great job of lowering it.

However if you are like me and live in a standalone apartment with sounding proofing well you can go for more

The two things I love about phaez amps are the fact the are very touch sensitive to your strumming but also to your guitar volume. As well how low you can get the master volume while still sounding good.

The only other amps that I have had tried that feel the same as the phaez amps are the Dr.Z amps. In fact I would have to say (sorry other phaez owners) the Dr.Z amps have a bit more touch sensitive then the phaez amps, but not by much.

However, the things that phaez amps have it going over Dr.Z is three things:

Variety -

Randy has a variety of amps with different flavors to choose from and if their isn't an amp on the list you can always contact Randy directly and he will build an amp just for you. Dr.Z or Two-rock don't do this unless you are ready to fork over big dollars.

Low Price -

Now I have heard some using the term on phaez amps as "Best Bang for your buck." It is true, but at the same time some people take that term as a cheap amp that sounds okay for its price point. This is something that I disagree greatly as phaez amps can be comparable to Dr.Z, but the reason for the lower price point is that Randy doesn't have large overhead as much as larger companies do. Also Randy sells the chassis by itself, and doesn't use expensive cabinetry or tubes with his builds like Dr.Z does.

I imagine if you took a Dr.Z amp and sold it without the head cab, and higher grade tubes it would be right in line with phaez amps pricing.

Master Volume -

The one thing I noticed different between Dr.Z and Phaez amps is that most of Dr.Z amps use non-master volume. This great for musicans wanting to play at gigs and get that tube saturation they desire. However, this also causes the amp to be too loud for home use, and the requirement of an attenuator to get the amp dirty. Of course they do have models that have a master volume, like the MAZ, MONZA, and Mini Z.

With phaez amps you can have a master volume on all the models, and this master volume will still give out an impressive sound even at extremely low volumes for home use, but also gig use as well.

Now of course this is just my opinion and in no way I am dissing Dr.Z amps. In fact I would love to own a Monza with a master volume, but in my opinion for now phaez amps are priced better, and offer just a bit more variety then Dr.Z amps. And for me personally, besides Dr.Z and perhaps Two-Rock I haven't found an amp that has impressed me as the phaez amps have in these past few years.

[Deftone]

I use pedal output level for volume control. Even my 35watt Phaez is no problem in the house.

[V2]

random musings about low volume:

- Some Champ owners get more gain by removing the negative feedback loop. The DC10 does not have a negative feedback loop, so it has more gain and volume than low-wattage amps that have NFB.

- you can get much better low-volume tone through a tube amp when power scaling is installed to lower the voltages to the power tubes. You'll also need a MV along with power scaling - otherwise you'll get more distortion at low PS setting. With this arrangement, you won't push the same air through the guitar speakers, and so it won't sound identical to the loud-volume tone. But the amp will pretty much do what it does at loud volumes.

[singlecut]

i don't think he's trashing phaez at all.
he's right when he says there's more out there. and there is.
we live in the golden age boys.
guitarist have never had it so good.

and i agree that phaez isn't for everyone. nor should it be.

why it's popular here? who knows.

i chose to use them. nobody made me.
not to sound like an ass, but my kids are gone, my house is paid , my truck is paid and i make good $
i could really get any amp i want.

and when i find another builder that offers such tones for low bones, then i will try them out. until then, i'm enjoying my phaez amps.

got 1, was impressed , got another, more impressed. and now own 6.
but i also own 12 other amps.
now there is a group of players that want what they know and see their idols using.
thats great
thats what places like musicians friend is for.

there are always going to players who believe if they get the same setup as their fav then they are going to sound like them.

me, i don't and don't want to sound like anyone else
i don't want billy gibbons tone, or slash tone .

thats why i love my phaez amps
ME TONE

[bufbills]

Originally Posted by Deftone

I use pedal output level for volume control. Even my 35watt Phaez is no problem in the house.

Yep.

[matmont1305]

Its also worth noting Randy's customers are spread a lot further than 50 miles from his house. I'm not sure how far Brisbane Australia is from Windsor Ontario but its a damn site further than 50 miles.

Oh, and I have three of them.

I was sure I was gonna keep my Marshall Studio 15 when I got my first Phaez, a Daisycutter. No way, it sounded cheap after hearing the DC, I quickly sold it to fund another. And the proceeds paid for a Jericho, international shipping, a head cab and some nice vintage tubes. Winning? Damn straight!

[eaglewolf]

Originally Posted by singlecut

there are always going to players who believe if they get the same setup as their fav then they are going to sound like them.

me, i don't and don't want to sound like anyone else
i don't want billy gibbons tone, or slash tone .

thats why i love my phaez amps
ME TONE

Love that post!

David

P.S. Still, I'd take Billy Gibbons' tone - that truly is to die for!