DetroitBlues Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 I saw a post on Craigslist for a AXL 18watt 1x12 tube amp. I have a AXL guitar and I'm really impressed with it. For $250, an 18watt all tube, hand-wired amp sounded too good to be true. Doing a little research, the AXL brand of amps was changed a few years ago to VHT. So that let me to the VHT website where I discovered, they are clone makers of vintage low watt amps. They have a Classic and Standard series that are based upon Marshall and Fender amps. The Standard 12 is a Fender 5E3 Tweed Deluxe and the Standard 18 is a Marshall 1974x with a master volume mod. Supposedly, the Standard series are hand wired in the US and the Classic series are hand wired in China. The price range is from $400 to $900 from what I can tell. The Standard 18w comes in a combo or head cab. I really thought about buying one of the 18 Watt Standard series, but I need reverb in my amps for it fit my style. I've seen a few used Classic series for $400, which does have the Accutronics full size reverb. I think if any of us are really interested in those old vintage style amps, VHT might be a cheaper alternative. http://www.vhtamp.com/index.php/products Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitArtMan Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 VHT was started years ago by Steven Fryette who now runs Fryette Amplification. I'm not sure what transpired that he lost the VHT name, but his (Fryette's) amps have been a favorite among hard rockers/metal guys for quite a while. The Pitbull, Deliverance and his power amps are all in high regard. I have a Memphis 30/18 combo that is one of the best sounding and versatile amps I've owned. Why this one sails under most peoples radar is beyond me. I guess maybe because it was a departure from the traditional Fryette line. I have no clue about the new VHT other that seeing the booth at NAMM and a bunch to people posting about a lower power head they made that could be had dirt cheap and was easy to mod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmac Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 Checked these out too. They also have a special 6 that gets rave reviews.I might search a used one on craigslist.. There also seems to be quite a few mods available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t0aj15 Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 IIRC I seem to remember a story about Fryette losing the VHT name because he failed to copyright it and the chinese fake company seized the opportunity to steal the name in order to attempt to gain some credibility for their cheap knockoffs. Fryette was then forced to rename his company. I may be wrong though so don't quote me on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetroitBlues Posted June 27, 2013 Author Share Posted June 27, 2013 I heard about something somewhat similar, but Fryette defaulted on a loan and the naming rights were bought by AXL. AXL had begun to import their own, then bought the naming rights and used VHT because the brand had a good reputation. Regardless, I haven't heard anything bad with new VHT amp line since it came out in 2009 either... But none of the VHT amps are designed after Fryette's original designs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noonesperfect Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 I have the Special 6 combo, which I love. However, although the build quality is very good, and it is easy (for someone who knows what they are doing) to mod, it is still a 6 watt amp. They also make the 12/20 if you need more power. The 6 is an an interesting compromise with a Princeton style fixed tone stack in triode mode and a tweed style tone control that bypasses the tone stack in pentode mode. For the price, I really like the Special 6, but you might want to look at the head and cabinet instead of the combo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetroitBlues Posted June 28, 2013 Author Share Posted June 28, 2013 I was very close to buying the AXL 18 Watt today for $275... But its not like the VHT Standard 18, so I didn't pull the trigger... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmac Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 I went to a party last night that had a live band.. One of the guitarist had a VHT Classic that he loved.. He said he replaced the stock speaker with a WGS Veteran 30 and the amp sounds fantastic. Must be something to these VHT amps. Might have to pick one up on Craigslist.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DetroitBlues Posted June 30, 2013 Author Share Posted June 30, 2013 I went to a party last night that had a live band.. One of the guitarist had a VHT Classic that he loved.. He said he replaced the stock speaker with a WGS Veteran 30 and the amp sounds fantastic. Must be something to these VHT amps. Might have to pick one up on Craigslist.. I think the come with a Celestion V30... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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