tsp17

yep- they are really well made quality instruments. I've tried a bunch and bought and sold a couple. I did play one once at an old store called Buffalo Brothers here in San Diego County that I almost bought and probably should have (there's one that got away). I just haven't found one that I connected with like a Heritage, Guild or my Commons.

they seem like quality instruments to me. especially for the money. I've got a Korean made Comins that is one of the best made guitars I've ever played. Eastmans (Chinese made) on the other hand - are quality, but I've yet to play one that I thought had soul. Hopefully these Ascent H's will prove worthy of the brand.

with you there my friend. my list of things that I wish I'd kept, or should have snagged, lives in my head rent free. very happy with what I have now, but there a few items that in hindsight ....

the best part was this old English Bulldog snoring away on the tattered old couch while folks came in and out and played guitars. People were talking so you can barely hear him snoring due to the chatter in the room (if you listen closely at the end), but trust me- it was classic.

seems like a nice product for the money for sure, and yes- SOP now. makes me a little sad, but gotta remember: "Its not personal Sonny, its strictly business." I was in London recently and I always go down to Denmark Street and Soho when there to check out the old historic (and new) guitar shops and studios. Dawsons had both US and Ch. made Heritages. They told me that they are owned by the same company that owns Heritage Kalamazoo, so they are the London distributor for both factories. The Chinese ones were downstairs in the main showroom. The good stuff was upstairs in the “private” room that was roped off. Some very nice new production instruments from both places.

thanks guys. I knew i was asking the right crew. much appreciated.

i’ve always heard that amp wattage and speaker wattage capacity “shouldn’t” be too far apart. For a rough example and rule of thumb (subject to what you like to hear) a 35 watt tube amp would call for a speaker capable of 50-75 watts. just my non-tech understanding of the prevailing view. I have multiple amps mated to speakers (either in combo or cabinet) that will take up to 250 watts. I have a 2x12 cabinet with a pair of 250 watt 8 ohm speakers that sounds amazing with a 50 watt amp. So what am i not understanding here? I just put the same 250 watt rated speaker in a 35 watt combo amp (3rd Power Wooly Coats Extra Spanky). Sounds pretty good so far (needs to break in). Very touch sensitive, but really good first five or so hours on it. Thinking about experimenting with something lower wattage. I’m a big believer in Duke Ellington’s saying that “if it sounds good, it is good”, but curious about what difference it might make to more closely match the amp wattage to speaker capacity, e.g., try a 60-70 watt similar speaker. thanks, Tad

Last pic shows the new speaker installed. Not sure it is the right speaker for this amp, but sounding better the more i play it. Might try a Neo Creamback to warm it up a bit. Will give this one some more time to break in. VERY transparent, but needs to time to warm. We’ll see.

First gig last night with this little powerhouse went well. Sounded very good. Plenty room filling for a medium sized wine bar/restaurant. Saxophone player said: "great tone! I love that guitar." He didn't know that this amp was new and less than half the size/weight of my other rig (head/cab combined). I pulled the back panels today to try a different speaker. Eminence Neo Deltalite 2512. I've been using these speakers for a while in other amps. transparent, tight bass, maybe a little on the dark side, but pretty neutral. They take a little break in so we'll see how it goes. definitely sounds cleaner now. not sure better, but definitely more guitar sound and less speaker coloration. was good before, but not spot on, so I thought I'd try something that I like in other amps. Here's some interior pics to show the guts. it is roughly the size of a Princeton Reverb with beefier components for higher wattage and headroom, so the interior is super clean and very efficient use of space, tight! so much so that to get the speaker out I had to remove some tubes and the reverb tank.

gorgeous. I bet that plays wonderfully.

Interesting...my 550 has a beefier neck than any of my other H guitars. It is a joy to play (I am in my 60's). My main gigging instrument for louder gigs. Can also do quieter. Expensive- but Benedetto era Guild Artist Awards I've played have had had really nice feeling non-slim necks. Felt similar to my 550. I have wanted one for some time, but too big a price tag for me. Comins Craft series (Korea) are really great, excellent value for the first rate quality, and have nice wider necks. I have one of the chambered 14' models. Fantastic instrument., especially at that price point. The 16" laminate model is also really nice, light and comfortable to play. Both sound fantastic (to my ear) plugged in. Neither have a big acoustic voice. If've found that most 25" scale archtops have a more girth in the neck. @MartyGrass and @Gitfiddler might be good sources of information here...guys?

@dvnmjcNIcely Done! Some nice KB voicings there.

Very cool!

these pics give a little better sense of the color and the nice layout. some good user friendly details: bias points and pot on the back panel, tube dampening rings on the tubes, 2 4ohm outputs so i can add another cabinet (looking forward to trying that.)...Dylana Nova Scott founder and still tinkering owner of 3rd Power knows her stuff and what musicians need. I believe she's got a patent on the Hybrid Master. Really good feature, very useful. I'll pull the back off and post some interior shots later.

Thanks. I am liking it more and more. First gig with it is 3/14, so we will see how it performs. Sounds great in my living room. I think it will be my new go to gigging amp. It is definitely a buyer’s market. I made an offer on it and they gave me an even further discount (return customer good will i suppose) as they are having some trouble moving new amps right now. I didn’t order it custom, it came with nice upgrades: “buggy whip” (kind of wine color) tolex and cane grille. It is a cool look. It did not come with a cover so i just ordered a Studio Slips.

I wouldn’t dare lift 60lbs. Good for you for still being able to do it! Up until recently i was going with head/cab just to split up the weight. Around 40 lbs each. I’m very happy to have found a single combo package under 35lbs. Plenty loud for the venues i play at 35 watts.

Yep- I’ll be 65 this year and have a bad back. Still lugging a tube amp. Really glad I finally found a reasonably ‘light’ one that I like at sub 35lbs.

Wooly Coats Extra Spanky

LOL. Gives your tone extra flavor I did have a Line 6 Helix Light that i liked a lot, but not quite enough to keep. i still had to bring a cabinet if there wasnt a PA, and i was in option overload. Found a couple of settings that were very useable. The old Cyber Twin was cool. I havent tried the new Fender modelers, but I bet they are pretty good. Honestly - blindfolded, I might not be able to tell the difference... Still - nothing quite like feeling that fire, that organic ...whatever it is.

Yep - i dont get the name either except the “Extra Spanky”. It is indeed very spanky, kind of like a deluxe reverb, Speaker - WGS ET-65 12″ Speaker (8 Ohms) I didnt expect to like it, but after some break-in, it is great. plenty clean, not as midrangy as i thought. sweet high end.

I’ve tried multiple times and ways to be satisfied with modeling amps. Lots of benefits, and some are VERY good, but …it just doesn’t quite feel the same. I would have no problem using one at a gig if that’s all that was available, and I have done that. Sounded great through the PA.

Both terrific pieces of equipment. Well done. Enjoy.

Was really trying to sell my Dr. Z EZG-50 (great amp, but not quite right for me) before trying something new, but got an offer I couldn’t I couldn’t refuse on this Extra Spanky. It was very appealing as a Princeton size and less than 35 lbs clean high headroom black panel voiced 6L6 amp so I took the plunge. It has proven to be right on target. It is taking a little dialing in to get my sound, but I’m close now after a few days of playing it for 30 minutes here and there in the evenings. It arrived on Monday. Looking forward to this weekend when I’ve got a little more time. The patented Hybrid Master is a really good feature. Very effective at maintaining so close to the same sound/tone at variable volume. Seems like it will be highly useful for gigging depending on the room, crowd noise, band volume, drummer’s mood, etc. and at home for the sake of family harmony. Another great feature is that i’m not as scared that my back will give out when lifting it into the car. That was my primary motivation in looking for something in a package like the Extra Spanky. It was down to this one or an Allen Accomplice with the bigger transformer and 6L6 tubes. That is also a great amp, but this one is almost 10lbs lighter. I might put a neodynium speaker in it to save another 3-4 lbs. I use Eminence Deltalite 2512 in my other amps. Great speaker for a clean jazz sound.

nice find!

I have an acoustic image Clarus 2R. Great for reproducing the sound of your guitar. Paired with a Raezers Edge cabinet- there is nothing better for quieter, intimate, or semi acoustic gigs. For anything more energetic with the band - i still love tube tone, especially at volume. Tried some modeling amps, and i was hoping i could get what i wanted out of them….so close. Someday i will relent to the modern era, but for now my old school dna will not let go of that elusive organic tube on fire feel. Even well into my 60s, and so many amps come and gone,… still chasing it.