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| | |-+  My Creme Brulee that Nik made me
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Author Topic: My Creme Brulee that Nik made me  (Read 10990 times)
sixstringsteve
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« on: November 28, 2007, 01:57:33 AM »

Ok, so I had a DC-30 kit from Nik, and I absolutely loved it, but I was running it at half power all the time, and it was still way too loud for the soundman.  So I emailed Nik about a million times with a million questions, and he assured me that he could make me an amp that sounds just as good at half power.

Here's what I wanted:

the EF86 side of the DC-30
2 el84's (I burn them up too fast, and I'd rather replace 2 than 4)
a half power switch, or pentode/triode mode (so I could run it at 15 watts and 7 watts, then run the preamp in pentode and triode)
6-way rotary tone switch
selectable impedance
2 inputs
a cut knob
bypassable master volume

Here's what I got:
the ef86 side of the DC-30
2 el84's
a half power switch
a boost switch (I assume this is the pentode/triode switch, but I don't even care what it is because it sounds so good)
6-way rotary tone controls
selectable impedance
2 inputs
a cut knob
bypassable master volume

and...
a 3- position bright switch
an effects loop


It may not seem like much, but Nik went above and beyond.  I have no clue how many prototypes he had to go through, but the end result is amazing.  It's all I imagined and more.  I love it just as much as my DC-30.  The master volume is far more usable and quiet than the DC-30.  The Creme Brulee can get 95% as loud as the DC-30 (which is still too loud for my sound guy).  It's just the perfect amp for me, where I needed a biting, voxy, spanky, punchy, in-you-face amp.  I'm thrilled.


Currently I"m having trouble with one of the pots.  As soon as I get that figured out, I'll post videos for everyone to see.  I have a feeling Nik will be building quite a few of these once the word gets out.


Now I'm wondering if I can justify building Nik's vibro-champ kit.



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sixstringsteve
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« Reply #1 on: January 30, 2008, 05:17:26 AM »

Here are some clips I made on Youtube:





Nik sent me a replacement switch, and I am thrilled with the tone!
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ChrisL
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« Reply #2 on: January 30, 2008, 05:53:57 AM »

I like it.  Very spanky.  I liked the strat match-up the best.  I'm going to have to build another ef86 amp one of these days.
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sixstringsteve
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« Reply #3 on: February 01, 2008, 07:26:53 AM »

Yes, It's very spanky.  The recordings are pretty dry, but i kinda like that sound sometimes.  It's a lot like a DC-30, but at a much more manageable volume.  I was surprised how much gain it had as well.  I love that strat, I think it sounds great.  I read somewhere that if you have a matchless amp, and you set the impedance for half of what you should (so, set it at 8 ohms with a 16 ohm cab) that it'll sound more like a vox.  I asked Nik if that's okay, and he said the transformers could handle it no problem.  I've got to say, it sounds more voxy.  I guess it's just a deeper, darker sound that seems more lo-fi.  I still can't quite get it to sound like my AC15H1TV, but it gets pretty dang close.
« Last Edit: February 01, 2008, 07:31:29 AM by sixstringsteve » Logged
ampkits
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« Reply #4 on: October 25, 2008, 04:57:10 PM »

Hello

Creme Brulee is slotted for release anytime soon!

Finally made the faceplates for it.

Will fit the same chassis and cab as my AFAL amp.

Thanks!

Nik
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lightice
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« Reply #5 on: November 06, 2008, 07:04:55 PM »

What is AFAL?

Is it the new name for the much less lightning?
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