I'd just like to say that I've spoken with the builder of the Volt amp, and exchanged several emails with him and also the guy who helped him design it. I have no doubt that these guys are entirely genuine and truly believe in their product, which itself appears to be excellent, though I haven't yet tried it. I've more or less decided not to go the Dumble type route for the time being, but the Volt amp would be a very strong contender if I change my mind. I agree the Doubletone is not as convincing for several reasons, including the ones mentioned here.

That's  reassuring. I A/B'd the one I tried with my own Fender Tweed Twin, and it seemed to have plenty of volume and headroom for anything I do. You know, the usual pubs, clubs etc. 6V6's sound sweet, I agree, but I like 6L6's, and the Fuchs I tried came with a pair of TAD 6L6's fitted. You can fit either 4 6V6's or two 6L6's without rebiasing, I believe. I know there are other options, and cheaper ones, but I'm really taken with that amp; just struggling to justify the expense of buying that amp plus splashing out for a cab (probably 2x12) as well!

Pickmaster, do you remember noticing whether the Fuchs had that much less available clean headroom or overall volume than your OTS?

I believe you are right, though it didn't seem a problem when I tried the ODS 30. It was one of those amps where I plugged in and got a good sound straight away, though of course it's only when you start gigging with it when you discover any shortfalls, and this would be an expensive mistake.

Pickmaster, you are most welcome, I appreciate your help.

Hey Pickmaster, I really appreciate you posting these, what a great and really helpful comparison! (I have to say, though,  that in my humble opinion the term "blues wankery" implies criticism, and is not needed here, especially as I've been guilty of the same thing for too many years!). I do love the tone you get through the Fuchs, though on further listening the 2x12 cab (presumably?) with the OTS definitely adds body and depth, particularly at the lower end, and it would be interesting to hear the Fuchs through that. There's some real soulful Albert Collins type stuff going on in that second clip which sounds excellent. The Crate sounds a little less distinct to me, but that could be due to any number of things. Also, I notice the guy playing the Strat also gets a good tone through the Fuchs, a good blues rock Strat sound with that on-the-edge type of break up; as a Strat (and 335) player I'd probably dirty it up a bit more, but that's just me. Anyway, thanks again, and I'll be listening to these some more, not just for the tones but also for the great playing.

Hi Pickmaster, yes I am considering it, and I spoke to the builder after you kindly responded to my email. I have a problem travelling up to try it at present. It's an unfair question, but how safe would I be in ordering one unseen, having tried the Fuchs and now also a Ceriatone HRM Bluesmaster? I also liked that amp, but it was 100 watts which I don't need, and I do like reverb.

yosemitespam, you're right, that Fuchs is over double the price of an OTS here.

I tried the Fuchs ODS 30 recently and loved it. No HRM, so would the standard Overtone be most similar, or another version? Has anyone tried them both? I'm guessing the Overtone 50 watt would have louder cleans than the 30 watt Fuchs, though I don't necessarily need that. Thanks!

That would be great, thanks.

I'd be very interested to know what you think of it, either here or as a pm, if it's not a problem.

That's interesting, have you tried one?

Can I ask, with your amp is it possible to get a more focused overdrive tone with more gain if you need to? I actually like the transparency of your overdrive tone, and the fact that it is similar to the cleans without, seemingly, too much mid boost, but for what I do I would also want more available "attitude". Is that possible? I play mostly blues rock, kind of RobbenFord/Johnny Winter/Rory Gallagher/SRV/Hendrix etc, if you can imagine that!

I'm just not convinced that the standard OTS, or even the HRM version, will do what I want. I'm also leaning towards 50 watts, as I rarely use pristine cleans (though I might if I had them available!), and I prefer to turn the amp up to make it work properly. 100 watts is usually too much; I recently sold my beloved 60 watt Vibroking for that reason. Was that recording done with low or high volume settings?

Sorry for all the questions, but the tone in your clip is really good, and if I can get that plus what I want in the drive department, then this could be the amp for me.

That's seriously one of the most informative Overtone clips I've seen yet; I've been wondering about this version of the amp for a while, and now I know. Thank you!

Excellent, helps a lot, thanks!

Thanks, this is a very helpful post for guys like me who are still undecided. It's been suggested to me that a Bluesmaster HRM would be most suitable for what I want, and I'm looking around for stuff like this. I'll probably go for a 50 watt head though, as my current 40 watter is fine for the gigs I do, and I prefer to turn the amp up and make it work.

Can you suggest any sound clips for the Bluesmaster?

Thanks guys; I hadn't considered a Bluesmaster, can someone explain the difference between that and a regular OTS? I actually use my Strat for 90% of what I do, but in a blues rock kind of way:-) The 335 gets used on about four or five tunes per gig.