Halowords Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 So, you might remember I was looking for an amp to compliment my Marshall Vintage Modern a while back. http://www.heritageo...ace-a-marshall/ I ended up getting one from our very own kbp810, the KBP ODS, 50-watt version. It's a D-style amp (hint: it starts with "D" and rhymes with "umble"), but personalized. I think it's the same as the Overdrive Special on his webpage. I can take pics too in the near future. It looks pretty cool. But more on that later. I've only had the thing for a few days, but here's my preliminary impression(s). First, kbp is a joy to work with. Granted, that might not mean much if his amps were not good, but it is a nice perk. He even added more gain to the OD channel per my request, which was cool and works really well by the way, and did a great job with his communication and packaging the thing (I think we were both a little worried about shipping an amp, but it turned out great and was very secure in its box and packing). If you're thinking of buying an amp from him, he's got my backing. For whatever a stranger promoting somebody on an Internet forum is worth for you. Still, it was a very positive experience and I hope to do business with him in the future. Second, overall sound impressions. The ODS seems to be a bright amp. Not in a bad way, but it seems bright and like it would cut through in a band situation. I do not own a Fender amp, but it seems to have that clean, bright character. It's also a two-channel, and the two at first did not sound radically different until I started playing with the knobs. But you can get a very nice clean sound and a very overdriven sound. I'm still playing with it (you might read that more than once in this post). I suspect there will be a LOT of shaping of the sounds and playing with the knobs. You can also get some nice overdrive out of the "clean" channel. I read in an article** that the clean channel w/ mid boost has a purer and punchier tone and I could see that being useful for leads, playing with the volume to go from clean to overdriven lead and the OD channel for more or the dirty/rhythm/less-focused sounds. So again, I suspect there is a lot of range and more than one way to set this up and use what's available. The Good: It compliments the Marshall nicely. It's capable of cleaner sounds than a Marshall head (although the Marshall DOES clean up pretty well all things considered), the ODS run clean just seems, not necessarily chimey like a Vox, but clean, bright, articulate, and responsive. Responsiveness and diversity are worth a mention. The Marshall Vintage Modern (VM) pretty much sounds like a Marshall. You can shape it, but it's more of a plug-and-play and I can't really get a bad sound out of it unless it's my playing. The KBP ODS seems MUCH more diverse. First, the knobs. There are not a ton, however they seem to really be capable of changing the sound of the amp dramatically. It's not a Mesa, so there seem to be fewer knobs to figure out and it does not seem hard to get a great sound out of (Mesas being known for a lot of knobs and being a bit finicky). However, I can see myself needing some time to really get this to my ideal sound out of it. I was also able to adjust the overdrive. At first, the two channels sounded very subtly different, at least to me. That was just how it was set up. Playing with the knobs got me into a radically different type of sound. It gets a decent amount of overdrive/gain, but still seems more articulate or focused on the notes. The second thing I noticed was the responsiveness. This is one thing I really missed from my old Vox AC15 (Chinese edition from a few years back). The amp is great at going from clean with lighter strumming/picking to breaking up nicely when you play harder or dig on on the notes and chords more. I like to go being able to control that (to an extent) with my picking style, and this does it better than the VM. I'm not sure it does it quite as good as the Vox, but I'm not sure it doesn't. I'm still playing with the knobs. The Bad: . . . Well, that was short, eh? O.k., nothing is perfect and everything has their quirks. As a disclaimer though, none of this is actually bad (see below), just things that did not really fit into the "Good" per se, and are largely based around myself more than the amp. That said, I want to be balanced and there are some things of note. I still need to figure out what all the knobs do and how they all work together. Three volumes (Preamp, Poweramp, and Master), an Overdrive Trim, and a "Ratio"? I might have to break out the calculator for this. This might take some time to really get to know the amp and work to not only GET what I want out of it, but to even know exactly WHAT I want to get out of it given the options. I have also noticed the amp seems much less forgiving. By that I mean, probably as a result of it being a more articulate amp, my mistakes shine through more. I'm not terribly sloppy, however I'm not great at the technical stuff yet, and the Marshall will cover some of that up a little more. Again, not necessarily bad, but something I noticed as playing and a small adjustment. Not Inherently Good OR Bad: Mostly clarification on the "Bad." The amp settings will need some work. Not bad as it just means I need to sit down and work on how to get it to what I want it to do and what will work/sound the best with my equipment and sound room. The articulate nature means that I get to hear every note a bit clearer and more defined also means I need to eliminate the mistakes or flaws that are shining through. Not inherently good as, well, who wants their mistakes highlighted? However, not bad either as it just means I have to correct my flaws that are already there. It's not all that extreme, just something I suspect has developed from just not noticing it while playing on my Marshall. It also has switches for Bright (on/off), Mid (on/off), and Rock/Jazz. There's nothing wrong with them, I just haven't gotten around to using them or figuring out how to incorporate them yet. In reading about the switches**, it sounds like the mid-boost might make it more Marshall-y (which on one had is kinda cool, on the other there's a Marshall sitting right next to it in my case) and people have luck using certain settings with the different channels/apps/etc./etc./etc. So, again, I'll be spending some time playing with the settings. The only other thing of note is, thus far, there have been very few chances to really crank it up. This isn't KPB's fault, or his amp. When I have, it sounded nice, but I run it through a Weber Mass attenuator so it is at reasonable volume for living in the suburbs. Played loud, it sounds nicer and really comes alive. Hence, I'm looking for reasons to send my wife & daughter to the store so I can pop in some earplugs and let it warm up for a while and then go to town. Thus far, really no complaints. I really, really like it. It does a nice clean, a pretty high-gain overdrive sound, more so on the OD/gain than I thought it would, very pretty sounding amp. It is very lively, and has a great amount of diversity and the potentially to really be defined and dialed in for a wide range of sounds. There is still a lot I have to go through to fully explore the options for finding out what sounds I want to get out of it and how to best use the channels. Eventually, I'll have to get another cabinet for this and then an ABY switch to go between the ODS and Marshall as well as play them together. I think it either are cool amps on their own and it will be a really cool setup. Really though, the ODS seems like it could be a nice amp set up to do quite a lot on its own. I'll try to give updated impressions after I've gotten to play with it more and settle down. I avoided jumping on here immediately after I got the thing inside the house to avoid the novelty swaying me, but I still like it. In fact, I'm pretty eager to post back AFTER I've gotten a firm grip on how everything interacts and have fine tuned things a bit more. Overall, it's been a pretty positive experience and I got a really nice amp out if it that seems to be doing everything I've asked for. * Aforementioned article here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hfan Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Sounds very cool. I love my kbd reverb deluxe and Brian is a great guy to deal with. I am a little jealous, sounds like yours came with more buttons. I was smart enough to order mine with the mistake cancelling / attenuation circuitry (patent pending I believe) so the clear tone articulation is not an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HRB853370 Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 What a nice review! That one should go on his website under "Reviews and Testimonials". When he adds that link to his website. Just out of curiosity, can you tell me what the length of time for a build is from the drawing board to the shipping date? Shorter than a custom Heritage order or longer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brentrocks Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 I would like to have one of Brian's amps someday... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halowords Posted October 5, 2011 Author Share Posted October 5, 2011 Sounds very cool. I love my kbd reverb deluxe and Brian is a great guy to deal with. I am a little jealous, sounds like yours came with more buttons. I was smart enough to order mine with the mistake cancelling / attenuation circuitry (patent pending I believe) so the clear tone articulation is not an issue. Yeah, a mistake attenuator would be nice. I might have to check Radio Shack or Guitar center for one of those. And you know what they say. Mo' buttons, mo' problems. But Brian was very cool to deal with, and it's a very cool amp. What's more, it's also a very pretty sounding and useful amp. I mean, lots of stuff can be cool but not really all that practical, and my best friend might be a cool guy but I'm looking to buy an amp from him. What a nice review! That one should go on his website under "Reviews and Testimonials". When he adds that link to his website. Just out of curiosity, can you tell me what the length of time for a build is from the drawing board to the shipping date? Shorter than a custom Heritage order or longer? I just figured it was worth writing a review. Brian can talk about the build time. It wasn't very long (although that's entirely subjective) and might vary by the amp type and if you have him do misc. specifications to personalize it. You'll see what I mean when I get pics, in addition to him upping the gain on the OD channel/trim for me. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it will probably be a lot shorter time-frame to get a KBP amp from Brian than a custom-order guitar from Heritage. Although, with various options, if you get something that requires hard-to-find part(s), his schedule is packed, or if I'm flat out wrong, that could obviously change. Generally though, Heritage builds (or custom guitars in general) take a LOT longer than my amp did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetroitBlues Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 I believe I demo'd your amp prioir to it being shipped. It was a nice amp to mess with for sure. There were a lot of settings to mess with, but Brian did all that for me while I just cranked out the tunes on his 157 Custom Deluxe and my Stratocaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrymclark Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Yeah, I just can't have a lot to mess with. haha. The one I am working on with him is just as simple an amp as they come (close anyways) in terms of control. haha. Gain (bypassable). BMT Fender-esque EQ. Volume. Reverb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koula901 Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Maybe Brian could create a little card, depicting amp settings for certain sounds, as Fender did for their supersonic, i.e. for a texas blues sound they show where to set the pots, for a british sound, indicate settings, etc. Its nice to have suggestions - I like getting these in the directions that come with new pedals, to get started. Congrats Halowords on your new amp!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TalismanRich Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Halo, that's a good overview. Some of the things you say struck a chord with me (BmDim7?) I've got a Marshal DSL401 and one thing I found with that amp was that it seemed to homogenize the sound. It didn't seem to bring out the character of the guitar very much. If it was set clean, it had a sound. Dirty it had a sound. Change guitar and the sound stayed much the same in character. That may be why people buy Marshalls. That's THE sound they want. When I got my Patriot, the FIRST thing I noticed was the responsiveness. It barks when you hit it, and rings pure when you let it. Change guitars and you get a completely different sound. My 140 and 535 are as different sounding as my ASAT and 535. After hearing Brian's amps at PSP, I agree that they sound VERY nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetroitBlues Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Yeah, I just can't have a lot to mess with. haha. The one I am working on with him is just as simple an amp as they come (close anyways) in terms of control. haha. Gain (bypassable). BMT Fender-esque EQ. Volume. Reverb. No worries, he's told me all about the BMC Starlite. Another amp I can wait to,*ahem*, break in..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrymclark Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 No worries, he's told me all about the BMC Starlite. Another amp I can wait to,*ahem*, break in..... I will expect a full tone report since you will hear it before me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetroitBlues Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 No problem! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HRB853370 Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 I will expect a full tone report since you will hear it before me! I'd do everything you can to keep him away Barry. He'll break it in allright. He'll drive that SOB on the highest gain and volume setting and punish the crap out of it just to see if he can break it. Then you end up getting a piece of used gear. Just my .02. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetroitBlues Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 That's the best thing about Brian's amp. It can take a lickin' and keep on tickin'! Besides, I'm rougher on guitar's then amps.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TalismanRich Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 Just turn the knob DB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrymclark Posted October 6, 2011 Share Posted October 6, 2011 We need a vid or recording of the new amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetroitBlues Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 He did some recordings of the ODS with me. Have to ask him though. But I don't expect him to be on the HOC for another day or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbp810 Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 Yeah, I did get a couple recordings during the QA session... but they were done on the fly and I didn't quite get the levels dialed in right. I'd do everything you can to keep him away Barry. He'll break it in allright. He'll drive that SOB on the highest gain and volume setting and punish the crap out of it just to see if he can break it. Then you end up getting a piece of used gear. Just my .02. Well, while it sounds like the QA sessions are all for fun - it's actually a test I take very seriously. If there's a potential problem, I want to make sure it's going to rear it's ugly head before it hits the road. Delivering a broken in amp is a whole heck of a lot better then delivering a broken one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrymclark Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 I'd do everything you can to keep him away Barry. He'll break it in allright. He'll drive that SOB on the highest gain and volume setting and punish the crap out of it just to see if he can break it. Then you end up getting a piece of used gear. Just my .02. Impossible. The KBP Starlite is unbreakable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbp810 Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 Here were few pics of the amp from just before it shipped out: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetroitBlues Posted October 7, 2011 Share Posted October 7, 2011 When I "broke" it in, it did was still just a chasis. So cool to see the real thing. I wonder though, does it come in Orange? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trouble Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Somebody post a link to the website I didn't even know KBP 810 had one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barrymclark Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Somebody post a link to the website I didn't even know KBP 810 had one! http://www.kbpamplification.com/kbp_amplification/Welcome.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
212Mavguy Posted October 8, 2011 Share Posted October 8, 2011 Having two 50w D-style clones from brand new one thing I have learned from my experiences is that D-style amps benefit from break in time, my Ceriatone HRM pretty much got there in 25-50 hours, my Marsh fsx-50 (ODS type) in about double that. There is a change in overall tone/feel after the break in process, becomes even more, ah, musical...new as well as broken in, each guitar sounds like "that" guitar through a D-style amp. The designator HRM is explained in two other wordings, Hot Rubber Monkey and Hot Rodded Marshall. For D-style amps especially, bias settings are a global tone control. To get more of a Marshally snarl out of the boosted dirty channel, I run vintage Siemens el34's (yes, the circuit is designed to run el34 as is the ODS) set a bit to the cold side of the spectrum, averaging about 30-31mv/tube. Using some nice euro pre's such as Amperex BB, Siemens, or RFT 12ax7's add to the M-mojo. I am not one of those that uses modern production tubes, although many users out there swear by JJ's, well, fine for them, but not me, IMHO, FWIW... On the 6l6 side of things, HAD liked Sylvania 6l6gc's and 7581a's. They are pretty damn spendy now. So I use Sylvania 6bg6ga's with adaptors, that tube has the same guts, wattage and sound as the 7581a's do. Since that tube is about the most powerful 6l6 around, I set bias hotter, around 38-41mv/tube averaged. GE 6bg6ga blackplates are a tad less for wattage rating. So I set those 33-36mv. RCA blackplate and other 6bg6ga's have the same plate structure as 6l6gb's, much lower wattage ratings, and so will not last well in a d-clone. I got my adaptors from ayumitubes on the bay, they fell apart upon removal from new amp's grippy power tube sockets from lack of adhesive in construction, when I used some gel type CA glue to re-cement they stayed together well. Almost forgot, the 6bg6ga's can be had for less than modern production 6l6's in many cases, and better tone... again, IMHO. I also like hemp cone speakers with my d-clone amps, got mine from a one-off custom rebuilding seller on the bay. Smoother upper mids/top end with great harmonic bloom in the dirty tones...sweet cleans. Search "speaker 12 hemp" to see what he does, some out of the box thinking customs for sure, all I know is that the redone Altec 600b's I got from him were very smooth and musical. Cheaper than TT's and the Eminence ones, and seller guarantees satisfaction. I have a JBL g125 that was bought used with a VC rub that I'm probably going to send him to redo in hemp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halowords Posted October 11, 2011 Author Share Posted October 11, 2011 So it turns out I was kinda using it wrong. Well, not really, but when I first tried it, I had it really low on the attenuator so my daughter would not go deaf or wake up or both (it was at night). Turns out it was too low for much of anything to come through channel 1 so it sounded like the first footpedal switch was an on/off. It didn't make sense at the time, but I just rolled with it. In other words, what I was actually doing was playing in channel 2 with the boost off then on and using my guitar volume knobs to go from relatively clean to dirty. So my old review still stands for the channel 2. Slightly amended impression . . . Channel 1 seems more Fender-y. Since channel 2 bypasses the TMB stack, it's brighter. I can get warm-yet-really-clear sounds from channel 1. Very pretty sounding. Channel 2 I can get the aforementioned high-gain sounds (probably not Dimebag Darryl high-gain or death metal, at least not with the pickups I'm using without a pedal, but VERY usable). I'm very happy with it. I just need to play it more and dial it in. I'm also doing the same with my new guitar. Expect a more thorough sound-review once I get it dialed in and try it more in depth with more than just one guitar (sorry, the Benford's been just about all I reach for since I got it, although I'm currently feeling drawn to the H-150). I'm still figuring everything out and have not had much time to fine tune the settings, mostly just plug-and-play. Still, thus far I really, really like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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