thanks for the replies ! I didn't know the s&m was the first versions released.. Can someone give me history lesson? On log page of nik's site it said the s&m was release nov 2008?
Hi, I am not an authority on this, but after following the forum for over a year, here is my impression of the history of the OTS:
The S&M version is, in fact, the original. I purchased one that was built late March / early April 2008. This version is the one most people heard on the Sami & Marin videos and then purchased the OTS based on what they heard there. However, some people felt there was a certain "harshness" (I think they are saying sort of a thinness and sharp bite) that needed to be removed. As a result, a significant amount of mods were made to the "stock" OTS give a "smoother" output or have more fullness. There were several contributors to the mod specs, Zucker being the main proponent, with several others contributing their thoughts and/or experiences. The interest in these mods eventually got the attention of Nik, who instituted the mods in the newer OTS and also inspired him to come out with the HRM, Blues Master and 100W versions. I guess things finally came full circle and enough people thought the original OTS (aka S&M) version was not so bad after all. So it is now available again.
I am personally fascinated by the efforts people have gone to to change this amp, but beyond recognizing some people just love to tinker and want to see what they can come up with in the never ending quest for tone, I don't get all the angst.
Part of the angst, I am sure, is caused by the fact that certain people have a particular sound that they want to emulate (e.g., Ford, Carlton, etc.) which they are basing that on a particular recording that they like. I use the OTS playing with a band that plays blues and rock & roll. There is a lot of variety in the music and I have to vary my tone quite a bit. Dialing in a perfect Robben Ford tone (although I love that sound) just isn't practical for me.
The way I get the most "on the fly" versatility out of the OTS is to use pedals. I rarely use the OTS Overdrive on stage and when I do, it is usually to boost my leads or add a little "hair" when appropriate. The pedal that I use the most is a Visual Sound RT66. Not because it is any better than any other TS808-based box, but because it combines a compressor on the same pedal. That compressor thins my rhythm p.u. tone for me when I need it. The other pedal on my board is the Zendrive. It truly is a "Dumble in a box". The Zendrive sounds killer (no "harshness") through the OTS and much better than through, say... a blackface fender. I can find a Dumble-like tone using just the OTS OD and other settings set-up properly, but I lose my flexibility. The cool thing with the OTS clean channel boosted by a TS808 style pedal, is that you get that added harmonic detail that Dumbles are famous for, on top of the tubescreamer tone. I use this set-up for the bridge p.u. on rock & roll numbers (think Johnny B. Good). Having said that, I'll use the Zendrive anytime I can get away with it.
It is certainly possible to get the "harshness" that people complain about with the "S&M" , but it has not been noticeable to me with my normal "live" set-up. Just get your settings right to avoid it.
So what does all this rambling mean, you may ask. Well just that, IMO, you don't need to sweat which version OTS you get. They will all sound good, including the S&M. If you have a certain sound in your head, you could be disappointed with any version you have, but I am confident you can find a great tone if you work at it a little. The amp has a lot of variables that change things dramatically.
P.S. Anyone else who has a better handle on OTS history please feel free to correct anything I've written above
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