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I went a bit nuts last weekend and bought two new amps.
Div 13 RSA 23 and a Div 13 FTR 37.
After a 6 hour round trip from Calgary to Edmonton and back I had a 6 hour gig (that’s not a typo!) that night. I tried out both amps. The FTR 37 was first. It sounded great in the store but in the small club we were playing at, it was too much. Even at half power I couldn’t get comfy with it at the volume we were playing.
I switched over to the RSA 23. Whoa! The best description I can give is that the clean channel, which isn’t all that clean, sounds like a Komet K-60 but at a useable volume. Then the click channel sounds like a Komet Concorde but again, it won’t rip your face off.
I didn’t use any OD pedals, just my standard tuner->trem->echo->Switchazel->amp. Using the LIFT (clean boost like a ZVex SHO) turns the amp into a two channel + two sounds on each channel beast.
I left the club that night thinking the RSA 23 might just be the best amp I’ve ever played. Course, it’s a new amp and I am still in the honeymoon period.
Took it to rehearsal on Tuesday and yup, the sound was still there. One of my favourite “tone” records is Jeff Beck’s “Truth”. I was fooling around doing the riff from “Rock My Plimsoul” when the guys joined in. NAILED that tone. Absolutely NAILED it. We added the tune to the list.
Gonna give it a good run tonight at the Red Onion. And I’m gonna drag a Les Paul along. I was using my Swiss Army Knife guitar, a PRS 513 before. Can’t wait to hear it with a real Lester.
I can’t see needing an OD pedal with this amp but I’ll put one in the signal chain tonight just to see.
Div 13 RSA 23 and a Div 13 FTR 37.
After a 6 hour round trip from Calgary to Edmonton and back I had a 6 hour gig (that’s not a typo!) that night. I tried out both amps. The FTR 37 was first. It sounded great in the store but in the small club we were playing at, it was too much. Even at half power I couldn’t get comfy with it at the volume we were playing.
I switched over to the RSA 23. Whoa! The best description I can give is that the clean channel, which isn’t all that clean, sounds like a Komet K-60 but at a useable volume. Then the click channel sounds like a Komet Concorde but again, it won’t rip your face off.
I didn’t use any OD pedals, just my standard tuner->trem->echo->Switchazel->amp. Using the LIFT (clean boost like a ZVex SHO) turns the amp into a two channel + two sounds on each channel beast.
I left the club that night thinking the RSA 23 might just be the best amp I’ve ever played. Course, it’s a new amp and I am still in the honeymoon period.
Took it to rehearsal on Tuesday and yup, the sound was still there. One of my favourite “tone” records is Jeff Beck’s “Truth”. I was fooling around doing the riff from “Rock My Plimsoul” when the guys joined in. NAILED that tone. Absolutely NAILED it. We added the tune to the list.
Gonna give it a good run tonight at the Red Onion. And I’m gonna drag a Les Paul along. I was using my Swiss Army Knife guitar, a PRS 513 before. Can’t wait to hear it with a real Lester.
I can’t see needing an OD pedal with this amp but I’ll put one in the signal chain tonight just to see.
