Hey all,
I just finished off my Stray Cat build this afternoon. Plugged in some junk tubes I had lying around to run some tests. Everything's firing up fine. Voltages look good. So, I plugged in my SG Standard (with custom wound P-U's) and...
I am absolutely FLABBERGASTED!
I started with the clean channel. Nice, dark & warm with the SG. A bit of creamy overdrive when wound out, but never super dirty. Kind of sounds like a Bassman but with a touch more compression (EL34's there I guess). Very sweet.
Then I plugged into the Gain channel and instantly found myself in high gain Nirvana. I started with all the "tone" controls at noon with the gain very low and it sounded good, but a little noisy and a tad too edgy. I lowered the Edge (duh) to about 8:00 and this thing just came ALIVE. With the Edge at that level, gain pushed between 10:00 & noon, Bass & Treb at about 1:00, brilliance at noon, level dimed & master around 10:00 this thing is unbelievable.
This may be the best gain channel I've ever heard in my life. I haven't heard an actual Hot Cat in person (just recordings & live through a PA a couple of times) so I can't compare it, but I can't imagine it's much better than this. The amp just does everything right. Punchy, smooth, responsive, percussive, and still retains clarity & detail. I can't ask for more than that.
This is the 9th amp I've built. That includes 3 Marshall clones, several Fenders (Tweeds & BF's) and a low-powered Hiwatt clone. I also have a Laney GH100TI and a Traynor Custom Special 100. I can see the Stray cat will be my favorite, especially for that amazing gain channel.
My hat is off to Nik & the gang. Having something this sweet for this kind of money is just unbelievable. Job well done my friends.
Darrin
to keep the forums alive.
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