something i noticed about my TT

[logen99999]

i've never owned a legitimate british amp before. so far i've been a fender guy. i bought a broekn TT for 175$ hoping i could fix it since i heard so many good things about it. long story short a tube and fuse swap got her back and running again.

the biggest thing that stood out for me about the amps tone was how tight and dry it was. the cleans are nowhere near the cascading and blooming cleans you get from a deluxe reverb. they're much more tight and compressed almost. as you crank it up you start to get into straight up classic rock arena riffage territory which i love. BUT even when your cranking it the tone is still very tight. on a fender amp you can be hitting the strings extremely hard and to tone would sort of just turn into a messy loose jumble or notes. on the TT the no matter how hard you hit the strings the notes are stern and tight. this makes it perfect for hard rock and metal. also i noticed how touch sensitive the TT is. you can have it cranked and strum the string very lightly and get a clean signal out of it, hit the strings hard and the overdrive takes over and you get massive breakup. on a fender amp this isn't the case.

how do these amps produce such different feeling tones? i guess you can say that a fender and orange are almost of the opposite ends of the spectrum.

for my taste the TT feels too sterile and tight. BUT at the same time i feel it's better suited for different types of music, which is why i want to hold on to it for now, and possibly replace it if i find something better.

 

[colchar]

I can't comment on what you have said but it is interesting to hear you say it as I was talking to a guy in the music store today who does sales for a boutique builder and he was saying that they thought the TT was sterile as well and that one of the models they have in their pipeline is what they hope will be a TT killer or, to put it another way, their entry into that segment of the market.

He gave me his card and told me to shoot him an email when I am ready to buy a TT (I was planning on grabbing one sometime over the next year) because he said theirs will cost a bit more but he is certain that I will prefer it over the TT. If that is the case then I will jump into the boutique market.

 

[Splattle101]

The difference in attack - the way the Fender 'jumbles' notes - may be to do with the solid state rectifier in the TT and the valve recto in the Deluxe Reverb.

 

[Penny Dreadful]

Don't shoot the messenger here, but TT's are not made in the UK.

 

[colchar]

Don't shoot the messenger here, but TT's are not made in the UK.

Good point. I meant to mention it in my post but forgot to do so.

 

[logen99999]

right i knew that, they're made in china or korea i think. they're still british themed amps though. at least that's the tone they're modeled for.

i'm enjoying it, but its definitely a dark sounding amp. i feel like i want to diel the tone control for to the right for added treble.

 

[nutsauce]

I had the TT and DT head a while back. They also felt a bit dark and sterile to me through the Orange 1-12 cab, V30 I think. I tried them through a 1-12 cab with a Clestion Gold and it brought those amps alive for me. Just my .02

 

[logen99999]

i finally got to crank the TT and at low volumes its a lifeless amp. but once cranked iut comes alive in a devastatingly massive swell of pure monster rock.

 

[Splattle101]

It also sounds better on 15 Watts than on 7 Watts.

I know it's a bit old school to say this, but if you haven't turned the volume up to 60%, you haven't really heard the amp, whatever amp it is.

 

[logen99999]

yup. and you're also right about 15 watts sounding better.

i dont understand how some people say that a TT is a good "bedroom" amp. this thing is as loud as my peavey classic 30 and almost any fender combo i ever played. sure you can play it at TV level volume but the tone will be lifeless and dull. this thing needs to be cranked. i would NOT recommend it for an apartment at all.

a good apartment amp is a vibro champ xd. solid state preamp guarantees nice tone, and the 6v6 in the power section warms it up. ideal home amp. the tiny terror is a monster.

 

[logen99999]

OK so it's been over a week and i feel i can write a good review of the tiny terror.

Overall it's a dark sounding, high gain, monster of an amp. the portability is awesome, the gain available is great, and it can really do a nice 70's crunch with an LP or SG.

BUT overall it's not the most amazing amp for 500-600$. for starters it's not what you would call a "versatile" amp. granted if you're willing to play with it you can get nice jazzy sounds from it, or overdriven blues tones, but overall it's best suited for big thick riffs. it's the Wolfmother, Parlor Mob, early Black Sabbath (look them up) tone that this thing nails. so if you're a fan those bands this is the amp for you. the TT also doesn't have an effects loop which further limits it's tonal possibilities.

i played it through an avatar cab with a v30 and a g12hh. I then took my stock Peavey Classic 30 and played it through the same cab. i was surprised to hear that the classic 30 sounded better. hitting those big A and E chords sounded more natural and organic then the TT. the TIny Terror's tone was just less concerned with sounding articulated and harmonic, and more concerned with sounded huge and bold. i would compare the classic 30s tone to something between a jtm45 and a late 70s JMP but without that midrangy sweetness Marshall has. still a fantastic tone for a 400$ combo amp. the TT did sound more directed though, as if it thought it was being played through a closed back cab. the peavey sounded more round, as if it wasn't shooting air at you, but rather just pushing it out and filling the room.

another drawback of the TT is that it doesn't sound good when played on low volumes. your really need to get the volume and gain nobs around noon before it really opens up and starts sounded like a rock monster. this alone rules it out as a good bedroom amp. there are MUCH better low volume amps that sound great played at TV volume levels (fender vibro champ xd for example)

now before you start thinking of going for a classic 30 over the TT realize there's a reason i played the classic 30 through the 2x12 cab. the stock speaker in the classic 30 is an absolute dog. it's really muddy and horrible. it's just a huge turd and i finally realized it when i bought my cab and played the peavey through it. i highly recommend you swap out the peavey's blue marval piece of shit with a g12h or greenback.

so overall the TT is a good amp, but there are better and more versatile amps for equal or less money.

my next acquisition will most liekly be an egnater tweaker. i've heard SOOO many good things about. it has tons of tonal variety, and an effects loops. on paper it looks solid. i'll most likely sell my TT and buy the egnater.

 

[twitch]

Are we talking Orange or Laney here?

 

[LesPauI+SG=Win]

Any Orange amp is made to be ran hard. The reason that people say they sound "Fuzzy" or "Fizzy" is because they are afraid to turn that volume knob up. That is where Oranges come alive.