Congrats!  I just ordered a new OTS 50 watt head with the 1/2 power switch and the OD trim pot on the back panel.  I've owned an S&M and an OTS Combo and people love the sound, so I've ended up selling them to friends that don't want to wait 10 weeks to get one.  What's the basic tone difference of the OTS compared to the HRM model?  I never really had that great of a grasp of the subtle differences between the models until I got the S&M and compared it to my OTS combo, and there was quite a bit of difference, though the tones were basically same same.  I just need the head now though to use with my favorite cabinet, a Bogner Metropolis Duende.

I'm using a Wah, delay, reverb, chorus and noise gate with no problems at all.

With humbuckers (I use the Rio Grande Texas BBQ set in all my guitars) you can get decent tone at lower volumes, but as with any tube amp, the power tubes yearn to SHOUT!!!

I use my Kleinulator as sort of an attenuator to get more from my amp yet send less to the bartenders ears.  They like that!  To get the great sustain/feedback, it has to be somewhat loud, but not ear piercing. 

I've never had my S&M volume past 3 for a gig, and that was outdoors.  My OTS I've had up to 4 on outside gigs but normally between 1-2 in bars....

The OTS (all of them) use the same controls to adjust the volume between the clean and the OD channels.  You just adjust the ratio to balance the volume, but the S&M (I have one and am selling to get another OTS) has an extreme amount of OD available (especially if you move the OD trim pot to the back panel) plus it's somewhat "harsher" sounding? Thinner?  don't know how to explain it, but I can hear it.

I would say you need the S&M I'd say....

I do Santana, Robben Ford, SRV, Los Lonely Boys, Joe Bonamassa, etc. with the OTS just fine, but my S&M was a little heavy for that stuff, even with the OD dialed back.

After owning the OTS S&M for many months, I'm selling it to get a regular OTS... The S&M is fine, but has far too much gain, even when dialed down... plus it's harsh on the OD side compared to the clean side.

I own an OTS combo which is wonderful, but I need a head to take to gigs on when flying.

If you're not sure if you need the S&M's distortion, ask yourself one question.. .Am I a metal head or death metal player?  If not, the OTS has more than enough distortion and is thicker sounding.

I moved the OD trim pot to the back panel to make it easy to tweak when needed.  This trim pot can increase your OD by several times, putting it easily in the Marshall category.

Mine came from the factory set at about 9 o'clock which was perfect for what I do (blues, Santana, classic rock).  I have increased it a few times at gigs, but it gets to wild for me very quickly.

GREAT AMP!!!!

The amp should be thoroughly broken in (30+ hours of actual playing time) with a broken in speaker as well.  and like the other gent said... light touch... pick attack....

I don't see how anyone can say that the OTS 50w is not loud enough.  I play in amphitheaters, casinos, outdoor festivals, fairs, concert venues and am constantly being told to turn down on stage by the engineers, and I've never had the main volume turned above 11 o'clock.

I play through a Bogner Metropolis Duende 1x12 cabinet with an Eminence 50w Cannabis Rex speaker and the OTS SCREAMS.  I use my Kleinulator to help balance the volume.  Tried the pentode/triode switch fix.... TONE SUCKER.  Tried a couple of different attenuators.. TONE SUCKERS....  The Kleinulator is the best thing I've used so far to "fix" my volume excesses.

Still looking though!

Deafcat, I like what you said about the Celestions being lifeless. To me they sound like playing through cardboard... Totally lifeless, muffled and tinny. But a majority of players use them, so it must be our ears eh? 

If you're really going for tone, and not just loud, distorted sound, I also believe that The Eminence Patriot Series offers some great alternatives.

I also tried a Tone Tubby (don't understand the fascination with them?), and Scumback (an excellent speaker, but very heavy/expensive), JBL, and Celestions (3 different types). I went through a total of 7 different speaker combinations before I decided on the Cannabis Rex. The first night I used one, it was love at first sound. Mine aren't even broken in yet and they sound great.

I actually had a Texas Heat originally but it was just too damn loud! You get into some of these festivals/casino circuits and you have to control your volume and still get the tone/sustain/feedback you need. The "Rex" is a perfect fix for that.

Plus the hemp cone in the "Rex" is a nice touch on the high end. Makes it fatter and less tinny. You can get all the bite you want, but with Celestions it was all bite all the time, even with the highs rolled back all the way.

Another bonus? The Cannabis Rex is inexpensive ($89 including shipping is what I paid on eBay) and very light.

I've owned my OTS for a few months now using it at many concerts and festivals. It (for me) is the perfect amp. The distortion is more smooth and less harsh, but it is not for playing heavy metal. You'd need a distortion pedal.

It's got great blues distortion, classic rock and rock sounds. With the OD Trim Pot mod, you have 3 levels of OD to play with, and it's got cahones and tone. Being able to bypass the amplifier's tone stack with a footswitch is a great touch for soloing also.

The tone controls aren't as "responsive" as some would like, but with the addition of the 3 toggle "tone" switches and a presence control, it's not really needed. I set it and forget it. You can also do internal mods to it yourself (via this forum) to shape the tone more to your liking.

The best mod I did was moving the OD Trim Pot to the back panel for "on the fly" adjustments. I also replaced the filter caps to 200mfd and added a fan on the inside of the cabinet to help cool it. Mine doesn't get that hot unless it's in the sun, and it has been a couple of times, and still performed solidly.

I purchased and have been using the Kleinulator and it's a must for this amp (or for only $120) or perfect for any amp that does not have an active effects loop. It allows me to use my wah, reverb, delay and chorus.

On some settings it's a little noisy, but what real tube amp isn't? It's still sounds every bit as good as a M******** or a T** R***, etc.,  for under half the cost. I have to admit the tone of the OTS is a little different, and owning two of them (an OTS 1x12 50w Combo and a OTS S&M 50w amp head only), they each sound a little different. But it is fat, sweet, full, rich... use whatever superlative you want.

This amp sustains (with the right guitar/pickups) forever. I use Rio Grande Texas BBQ's in a PRS Santana III and a Gibson Les Paul  Double Cutaway and I also have an Ibanez Semi-Hollow Body (with Santana III pups). They all three sustain / feedback excellently.

I use Eminence Patriot "Cannabis Rex" 12", 50w speakers in both my 1x12 cabinet and the 1x12 Combo amp. This is a great complement for the OTS. Smooth, silky highs. Very tight lows and pronounced mids (but smooth). Also it's a loud combination. Playing many large outdoor events, I've never played with the amp over 2½, and that was LOUD (soundmen get pissed at about 1½), and this is using only 1x12. Using 2x12's is really LOUD! It's not just the volume, it's the fat tone that cuts through the mix.

My bandmates make fun of me at practice because I "only" use a Mesa Boogie Lonestar Special, 1x12, 30w for rehearsals (until I bought the OTS, it was my main amp). The Lonestar is one good sounding amp, but there is a world of difference in tone, the clarity and the pure "balls" in the OTS's sound and the Lonestar just can't even touch.

You also can bias the tubes very easily if you have a Digital VOM. It takes a minute or so to do.

Also it has an impedance selector switch (4 / 8 /16 ohms) on the back and though I experimented a little with impedance mis-matching, I really couldn't hear an improvment over the 50w amp being ran through a 50w speaker.

The only thing it doesn't have is reverb built in, but I'm not complaining, it's just a fact. I use a DigiTech Hardwire RV-7 Reverb which I prefer over most reverb tanks anyway.

Cost was not an issue as the OTS S&M was $2000 less that the other amps that I thought were in the same "class". Very clean P to P wiring, good packing job when shipped. No instruction manual included, but there is this forum and the diagrams that are available from Ceriatone. If you found this amp, you don't need instructions because you've probably been playing awhile and know you want a "better" tone. You found it!

It's built heavy duty, though the amp head cabinet is actually too lightweight for the amp. I bought a heavy duty real leather handle for my cab head. The head is very solid, probably 38 pounds or so (in a light cabinet).

I'm still experimenting with different 6L6's and 5881's as the output tubes. So far I like Groove Tube 12AX7s as the preamps and the stock JJ 6L6s and Tung Sol 6L6s. I use the Tung Sol 6L6s and just carry the stock JJs with me just in case. I've not had any problems (except an initial JJ 6L6 was bad when I received the OTS S&M, but Nik sent me a new pair with all the associated resistors, caps, etc.). No problems since. Just rockin'!!!

I played many festivals/concerts this summer, all of them having used the OTS S&M head and a 1x12 cabinet. We had a large gig in Chicago on Aug. 14 at the Woodstock tribute festival and they provided the backline, so I didn't take my amp head (MISTAKE). They had a huge backline selectionn of amps. 3 Mesa Boogies, Fenders, Vox AC30 and Marshalls. NOTHING came close to the tone I'm now used to, and I was jonesing for it that night.

I got home the next afternoon and immediately went online to Ebay and purchased an ATA approved road case for it! It cost $155 or so, but is a great heavy duty case and it will protect my head since I WILL be taking it to all gigs in the future.

So overall I give the OTS S&M and the OTS a 9 out of 10, and I've owned practically every amp imaginable at one time or another (except a Dumble). The knocks are the OD Trim Pot you have to modify yourself (this feature should be a part of the stock build) and the lack of an active effects loop.

Tone: 10
Features: 8
Volume: 10
Versatility: 9
Reliability: 9 (so far all is good but can't give it a 10 there, yet...)
Price: 10

Am I correct to "assume" (we know where that lead us!) that the mini-toggle you use in place of the FET input is a DPDT?

I have all the parts to do the mod, and I purchased a DPDT switch, and then got to thinking....

Thanks!

Exactly how did you mount the small pot to the back panel? Could I use a larger pot, Linear, 100K like the volume knobs?

What size wire did you use? 22/4 shielded good enough or heavier shielded cable?

Any special routing on the wiring?

I doing this because (even being extremely careful) I got zapped big time last night, even using a 100% non-conductive plastic trim adjuster.

Guess what? It HURT! It jumped about 3-5 inches to get to my hand.

I'd like to get a brown faceplate rather than the black one. Does anyone know where to get such an animal?

I'm using the DigiTech Hardwire RV-7 and I love the sound, and it was only $150.

I'm using the Klein-ulator with the effects loop though. It did not sound good in the effects loop without it and it sounded horrible in the front end.

I've got my pedal board set up so I can use my board with both amps effects loops (OTS S&M and a Mesa Boogie Lonestar Special) for all types of music I play.

I would like to play with no effects, but the OTS is dry and for what music I play I like to emulate the artists I'm doing, not just play the music, so I have reverb, delay, a Zendrive, wah and chorus on my board.

Oh contraire... There is no bias adjustment for the 12AX7 pre-amp tubes. They is what they is.

The biasing is required when replacing output tubes only (the 6L6's).