Who made this Amp??
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- čas přidán 22. 05. 2024
- If you're an guitar amp brand and you need a factory to build amps for you, there aren't a lot to choose from. I found one factory and bought a handwired Marshall plexi type amplifier from them to see what it was like.
The Grand website www.bestamp-guitar.com/e_prod...
0:00 Intro
2:12 The Factory
3:04 Handwired
5:13 Orange
5:45 Wait time
7:11 What is it?
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Also, don't forget that handwired amps are also easy to make yourself as a DIY project. I built one JCM 800 50 Watts clone and a Plexi 1959 100 watts. Took around 20-25 hours to make. It gives you also the opportunity to add custom features on it.
I’d love to try build one, but it’s a little daunting and there’s also the added dangers of accidentally touching a capacitor which scare me.
Love to but I'm crap at soldering and now need three of my guitars sorting because of my bodge soldering, so building an amp cool but not for me😁
@@KDH A capacitor shouldn't have charge in it from the capacitor factory, it will usually only be a danger once installed in a product and turned on
man I had a jcm 900 2100 it was stolen .................
wished I could make one like it
This is touching on what most guitarists seem to deny or ignore - they buy BRANDS, not gear. Guitarists (well, musicians in general, but particularly guitarists) are notorious for hearing with their eyes. That's why the legacy brands (Gibson, Marshall, Fender, etc.) are able to charge what they do - they've become luxury/status items and their value is not based on the quality of the construction, but on the desirability of the name.
Hate to bring them up again but Chapman Guitars is a prime example of how we have all watched this happen in real-time. They started out quite similar to your Grand amp here - they got an overseas factory to make a quality item for cheap and sold it primarily through word-of-mouth. Then they started building a brand - and now those same guitars made in the same WMI factory cost 2-3 times what they used to. Where's that extra cost going? The name on the headstock. It's not just a "generic" product anymore, and the name became "cool" with guitarists. You can buy a secondhand Dean Hardtail (made at the exact same factory to the exact same quality levels) for HALF the cost of a used Chapman ML1 Pro Modern, just because of the name.
There's nothing special about a Marshall - the electronics are basic (this technology has been around for 80+ years!), the circuit designs are publicly available (a quick google search will get you schematics all day long), and they themselves started off doing exactly what Grand is doing here (making cheap Bassmans for the UK market). Anyone with a box full of parts and a few hours' soldering experience can make one. What you CAN'T do is sell it as a Marshall or convince other people it's a "real Marshall." That's the difference.
There are some additional considerations too. A stable brand should "still be around tomorrow" A warranty might actually have meaning, and they _should_ have a predictable quality level. This in turn means you _should_ be able to expect a higher level of support, as they have more to lose in brand value by not continuing to give good service to their customers. Does this always turn out true? definitely not, but at least partially because we get hooked on brand (and there is nothing wrong with being loyal to a brand that's served you well in the past), and sometimes we don't vote with our wallets the way we should.
@@paulmdevenneyAlso resale value. Guitar players tend to cycle gear. So resale value is important for most of us.
Nah. Most of the American Marshall Forum users are very open to clones. Especially Ceriatone and metro, since they source higher end components. I found a used Ceriatone JTM45 for relatively cheap and it’s great.
Agreed on all fronts 👍
...Bonus points for the Deal Hardtail comment, I still love my 2007 Brazilliaburst. Underrated bargin.
Exactly. This is all 80 year old tech by this point and you can bolt together a better Fender for under $2k than anything they can sell you.
Speakers are a huge part of the tone for sure.
Absolutely. Glen Fricker is always pushing this.
It's hard to deny when you swap out the speakers/cab and the entire tone changes.
@@castleanthrax1833 Our reality man from the Windsors 🤘
Honestly, anyone who has ever spent any time in any kind of audio community would know that, right, lol? Like, there are communities where people fight about what headphones and speakers to use for listening, but guitarists never talk about the speaker in their guitar chain. But why would it be any different? Speakers can be radically different without EQ.
@@Billiamwoods absolutely makes sense to me now, but back when I first started, I would've had no idea about the speaker.. that being said, the channel a comment above mentioned SMG studios, Glenn divulges so much misinformation regarding speakers and where the tone actually comes from in gear, and he also makes quick work of idiot guitar players who can't begin to fathom that what they're actually paying for are brand badges and looks rather than actual tone quality,like you were saying about how important speakers are.. anyway, a long, winded way to say go check out his channel he's entertaining! Cheers.
I've been eyeing these for years. Thanks for finally showing light on em
Wow!!! What a great score. Thanks KDH 😮
Thanks for the content and Saxon riffs
This is a really cool find! Thanks for sharing!
It should be noted that a lot of people get confused about what it means when a manufacturer says hand wired. Really, any build can be hand wired, even pcb builds. What people are thinking of is point to point wiring and manufacturers know this. Some less... scrupulous manufacturers have capitalized on said confusion.
I study electronics and one of my professors (has a master's in electrical engineering) always suggests we get PCBs printed after the prototyping stage because of all of the benefits the provide. They're more compact and reduce parasitic capacitance due to their layouts.
I think mostly the fascination with point to point and dated tech comes from a misunderstanding of how electronics work.
Now the argument of amps being made to small/unfixable because of many PCBs and crammed space is fair but I believe that's a different argument because it's a design/layout issue vs. a point-to-point/PCB.
@@Bruce.t.thomasI'm a former avionics tech. Engineers are good for theory, not so much for practical applications. Some have never held a soldering iron. Listen to amp techs that actually play guitar.
It's hand wired turret board construction
@@qua7771yep definitely true! 100% mate. Knowledge is power. Practical application is key!
Like the recently relaunched Gibson amps designed by Randall Smith, which are labeled as "hand wired" (and priced as such) but have no point to point wiring whatsoever.
Gorgeous looking amp, sounds good too! Thanks for keeping it straight!
Nice One KDH! I Appreciated your knowledge on it's Contents and the Replies you Have Received Mate.Kindest Regards Mick.🎸👋
Thank you for this video.Ordered mine in orange too.6 weeks delivered to my front door.Amp is awesome.
Excellent and educational review. Thanks!
Strong Arm of the Law! Great sounding amp bro and killer riffs.😊
Love the colour.
Pretty awesome really. I think the insides look amazing
I love the green guitar. I look forward to the video about it coming soon!
@InjectBleach-em9tgwhat a sick bastard
747 coming in from the night; sounds great KDH, the Kawasaki green guitar is nice and love the referral to a Chappers and the Captain esc business plan 😊
Thx a million for this demo and also for teasing 747 - Strangers in the Night and Strong arm of the law. Classic Saxon is always welcome
Ceriatone. If you don't know who they are, look them up. Get them to make you one.
Or if you're a DIYer piece one together. Make sure you get good iron. That's the important bit. After that just piece the bits together from the plethora of great amp kit makers out there and tailor it to your liking. Sure it'll cost a bit more than a generic kit or heck, maybe even a new mass production amp, but it'll be YOURS. Which is a very cool thing indeed.
You are correct sir! I own a JCM 2204 and Son of Yeti. They are absolutely awesome amps. If one has the patience.
I have a King Kong wired as '68 JMP Ch1, and modified JCM 800 Ch2.
I couldn't agree more about getting a Ceriatone.
I had one of their early 50 watt Dumble clones, easily the “ best “ amp I’ve ever played through. I had a chassis only version that I built a head shell for.
I got a SoY and JTM45. No complaints
For some reason Ceriatone got a bad wrap for transformers a long time ago and you still hear people talk about it. I actually use their iron in builds where I got parts elsewhere. I tend to get transformers and chassis from Nik. I wish my builds were half as clean as Ceriatone though
Cool video and at that price I couldn't resist asking for a quote on an ODS 😄. Thanks!
Enjoy the show. I learned some good information.
I bought a Mojotone "Bluesbreaker" kit in 2000 for about $600. Its a combo with 2X12's. Handwired by me, but very simple with good instructions. It has hundreds of gigs on it and I have dropped it several times only denting the corners 😞. Same tubes and still rocks. DIY kits are great and you get learned too!
Loving the Saxon riffs
This video is awesome in so many ways.
@InjectBleach-em9tg It is. But you'd rather like fake paid reviews and affiliate links being shoved down your throat and up your ass instead. KDH took the risk of ordering a real tube amp from a sketchy Chinese maker so we don't have to and can confidently order ourselves one if we want.
Sounds awesome.
I build my own amps. I agree that the repair and maintenance on Point-Point or Turret/Eyelet are way easier to repair.
Nice little Plexi head! GOT the modern features you need like the PPIMV & FX loop! Sound slike RAWK! \m/
11:52 747... bruh! I was surprised to hear you play that. Who, besides me, ever gives Saxon any love?
Always liked the purple Marshall's myself.
Thanks for the tip! Thinking of one of their 20w combos as a practice amp. Don't have anything handwired.
That amp is great value for money save you the time of wiring a kit together. The third 12ax7s is likely the phase inverter. The other two 12ax7s have two sides each used as gain. If you're a little bit inclined to thinker with electronics you could build one for little cheaper loads of info out there about amp builds. The most expensive part of the build is sourcing decent transformers.
Wow! The demo sounded really good! I'm surprised.
Having grown up on vintage amps ,yes they burn up some times,i was really shocked to see the massive use of PCBs in modern Amps because i thought that they may last fine if never moved much, but going up down stairs bumpy roads thrown about in vans they will not last 2 years even,also difficult to repair, ,if problems do occur ,good video great find and happy it was good story for you despite the wait
Nice SAXON! Sounds like a cool amp.
I've always used the , I find the head works very well with my style of playing.
I ordered a 1959/jcm800 50watt version from them and they are 800.00 now with a custom color tolex. They also now in short boxes. They do have used demo ones available sometimes that are cheaper.😊
Having a ppi master volume on a plexi sounds really nice. I have an ori50c (It's not a real plexi but similar) and even on the 5w setting you got to crank the shit out of it to the point of hearing damage If you want the distortion sound of that amp. I really just need to get a torpedo captor for that amp.
I've got an Origin 20h, and I bought a Bugera PS1. If you're not bothered by its "cheapness," the PS1 does the job.
I really want you to review one of the NK headless guitars now. They look great, get great reviews, but you have a certain honesty that is not a common thing in reviewers.
Looking forward to your review of folk acoustic with a rubber bridge😀
This kinda has me intrigued
i picked up my aftermarket head shells from a company called Sour Mash Guitar Cabs - i too like orange!
i have had sourmash build me a few headshells, bob does amazing work!
It would be super interesting to hear it with a different preamp into the fx return sounds like. Would be a super cool inexpensive platform for a bedroom amp, just throw a load box on it and have some preamp variation. Synergy modules?
cool, maybe i'll pick one out later.
My main amp atm is a handwired 15W 2204 clone running on a pair of 6v6 tubes, best thing I've ever bought and it was just $150 from a music shop
thank youvery much damn interesting!
Shenzhen - been there done that. Beautiful modern city, was created as the gate-way into China from Hong Kong. Many start-up companies from all over the world go there because if you want something built/specialty part made - that is so easy. One Vid i saw a USA guy had moved his startup there for R&D/development because the wait time for parts manufacture was like hours in comparison to in the USA getting a shop to manufacture was several months
Your video gave me the impetus to purchase from them a Bassman clone from them. I must say they are very responsive, once they answer the initial message for a quote. I get answers sometimes within minutes. I'm expecting mine within the next few weeks.
Those tones at 11:49 nice man 🔥
Wow, this is a serious game changer!
As always - Entertaining and Informative -👍
I dont need another amp - However, cant help myself - going over to have a look.
This could cost me ..😆
Like KDH says, repairability is a big factor. But so is modability. I built myself an Orange OR120 clone, but with the following changes: Master Volume (pre phase inverter in my case), presence control, switchable B+ voltage for a variable power setting, effects loop, bright switch, and because i don't play out.... an 18 Watt power section (two EL84 tubes).
I'm also thinking about putting a switch for variable biasing on the 2nd (or 3rd stage, I forget which) that gives the characteristic 70s orange fuzzy overdrive, and give the option to make it more open and Marshally. Also maybe an eq bypass for full extreme gain doomy noise.
I could see a use for going with a hybrid wiring scheme. PBC for all of the electronics (transistors, caps, diodes, resistors, etc) and hand wiring all of the interface components (pots, jacks, switches, etc). The parts that wear could be easily repaired without all of the labor involved in soldering the smaller components that are unlikely to fail.
Sounds like putting a distortion pedal of preference in front of the amp gets the gain feature on a huge clean overhead channel amp head is what makes crunchy.
Psionic audio made a point that really opened my mind up when it comes to amps. Hardwired ≠ good. Hand wired by who? How good is the circuit to begin with? A good circuit, on high quality PCB will smash a poorly designed circuit, hardwired by an idiot any day of the week.
Manufacturers like to throw around words that entice people and make us think that the more expensive option is best when that’s not necessarily the case
I trust a well made PCB over a poor handwired circuit anytime of the day.
Lyle has also brought up the point that certain workflows and practices of 1950-1980 are no longer allowed today for some various safety standards, and so some manufacturers have to actually add things to their circuit that may affect the tone of the amp just to meet safety standards. The one he was referring to in the video was a Fender HW that needed to meet some INTL/EU electrical safety standards.
What a sick guitar what brand made you this beauty❤❤❤❤
There was a while these intrigued me but just couldn't find enough legit sounding feedback to feel comfortable about it. Wangs stirred immediate discussion. Ceriatone was quick to become a hot topic. It just didn't figure at that price folks weren't talking about Grand Amps.
it seems to sound better than alot of the existing marshalls
Oh man. I have 100w (4 power wattage modes) and I didn't think I needed another big amp. These are very tempting for the money.
I need to do some thinking 😂
The reason tubes were so popular is that they were the best technology available for TVs and amps at the time.
It had little to do with popularity. There simply wasn't a better choice.
That is actually one of the cleanest hand wired jobs you can expect nowadays, it's very neat and tidy. Just don't compare it to the old Hiwatts, those are in a league of their own.
"Long Arm of the Law" - a real Saxon treat!
I like it in orange. Might as well get a custom color.
Another great option for people to try. also seems like a good platform to experiment with, or beat up on doing gigs with, but still do a good job. take it out on a death trip with an Epiphone and if they come back, they come back.
Wow, fascinating. Thanks for sharing! It's going to be interesting to see how this pans out over the next decade or so - I wonder whether the negative perceptions of Chinese-made gear will change as more stuff like this becomes more well-known internationally. For instance: I've heard good things about the Eastman brand of guitars, and wouldn't be surprised if they become a desirable and respected brand in the next few years like Japan-made brands like Ibanez and Yamaha did. If this amp maker can get some brand recognition, they could do very well. And going on what's in your video here, they deserve to!
It's generally only Americans who have a negative view of Chinese quality... at least that's how I see it. In fact, Americans seem to view everything that's not "made in the USA" as inferior to them. The Chinese have the same skills and can build anything to a high quality. You just can't expect that high quality if you're not paying for it.
How are those Hufschmid pickups? What's the difference from the wire coils? What's the DC resistance? Is it on all the same and the difference in output comes from the size of the magnet, which I guess is that black thing?
Just before the financial crisis hit in 2007 I wanted to create my own line of classic electric guitars and semi hollow jazz guitars. I ordered several prototypes from China and they initially told me it would be 30 days. I ended up having to wait 4 - 5 months and that was only because I was constantly contacting them for updates. Smaller business owners aren’t a priority for large manufacturers, not when they have big contracts to fulfill.
I'd love to see an A/B comparison with that and the Orange.
That is pretty cool. Hard to make an argument for buying one from a Western company for $3000-4000 when you can get one direct from a manufacturer for a fraction of that. I could see myself buying either a dumble-style, hiwatt-style, or maybe the ENGL Steve Morse clone they have.
Just some food for thougths: The amp has no marks for certification whatsoever, not even a CE mark as far as I can see(?), so not sure how it's in England nowadays, but in the EU importing it would technically not be allowed. There are certain safety standards that have to be fullfilled, meaning extensive heat, transformer testings and markings on the amp etc. in order to be allowed to sell in Europe and the US. I'm not sure how much the Chinese manufacturer can be trusted as there's not consequences for them in case of a problem (and testing costs are usually substantial). That might be different when buying from a "western" company that's actually liable for their products, even if those product are manufactured by somebody like Shenzhen Grand.
There's also the question of worker safety and pay: how much are the folks hand-wiring those amps getting paid a day? What are their working conditions? Are they being abused, forced to work extra hours? Such low prices often come at a high human price. Not to mention the environmental price: what kinds of environmental regulations are the factories abiding by? There are reasons why products made in China are cheaper; and there's more at stake than a short-term good deal.
The question is how reliable are they and how safe is it.
@@josephsdsu1How much do Fender pay their American workers? Answer, less than kitchen workers in fast food joints (Phil McKnight recently proved this). Many people say they won't but Chinese products because they disagree with 'slave labour' and probably believe by buying American products they are helping to provide a good wage to Americans. Fact of the matter is Chinese workers get paid less because the cost of living is much lower and probably enjoy a better standard of living than 'skilled' Fender employees getting $21 an hour. It ain't as black and white as you make out.
@@josephsdsu1
If their website can be believed, they're already distributing to the US and Europe, as well as many other places around the globe.
KDH, You need to show those guitars in the rack some love! Their looking pretty dirty! LOL!
Interesting stuff. Point to point hand wired amps have been available in this $300 to $800 price range for quite a while if you really look for them. I got a point to point hand wired 50W two channel tube JCM-800 style head from a builder in the Ukraine fully customized to my specs for under $800 delivered to my door. He did use all Chinese made parts, but so do all the amp makers including the so called boutique factories in the states. He builds his own head shells, fabricates the chassis, screen prints the front and rear panels, winds his own power transformers and output transformers and still manages to make a profit. He actually sends you photos of each stage of the custom made to order builds. The same amp would cost about 4 grand if bought from one of the boutique shops or a Canadian or American builder. Most things are made in China these days, and for the most part are just fine. Why there still persists this odd notion that made in China means poor quality or bad is beyond me. Make it in China and slap an American or British famous company name on it and it's great. Get the same thing without the famous name on it and it's subpar, of lesser quality to some people. I don't even play a tube amp anymore. It looks like one, so I get plenty of compliments from guitar players on my tone and they ask what kind of tubes are in the thing that make it sound so good. None, you are hearing an digital IR out the back of a digitally modelled amplifier. Anyway, I still have plenty of tube amps and I do like them for what they are regardless of what bits and bobs might be making the magic inside them. I wonder if this same company makes the Bugera amps? Seems like there might be some similarities. I had a Bugera 1960, the 4 hole marshall '59 super lead copy and it was a really fantastic amplifier. Very well built and rock solid.
Crab amps from Ukraine?
dynamics my son. you have the attack of a sledgehammer. ;)
Don't forget a single 12ax7 is basically two valves in one .plus with your phase inverter valve aswell
In the UK, Ampmaker is your friend in DIY amps, their 18w is brilliant.
He has closed shop
Walker is my favorite band
KDH: Who made this amp.
People. That's who.
@KDH I am interested in their 5e3 model and reached out to Grand best amps at their website. When you ordered, did you work with someone via email or did they have some kind of online order form? They gave me pricing and then asked for my shipping info once I said I was interested.
This sounds suspiciously like it's actually Wang's. The descriptions of the amps, that they're handwired, the great quality level, the performance and sound, all great.
And if it is Wang's building them for you, I couldn't imagine anyone in China (or any other offshore or US site) doing a better job in the first place and then at their price points, well you just can't beat it for something you really enjoy playing.
I got one of their 5W minis and through a couple 8" monitors it rips pretty good for ~250 USD, it's a cool looking little unit, and it's well built, as well...
I believe Wangs is based in Shanxi whereas this factory is located in Shenzhen, so pretty far away. Also seems like this is a much bigger operation than Wangs.
@@shreddyz Unless they use Wangs for the handwired production, and in house for the PCB production
@@caetanosilveira153 I don't think that's very likely, the two are located on opposite sides of the country and Wangs makes it very clear they use all Japanese and European electrical components while Gran Tech looks to use other Shenzhen manufacturers for components.
neat guitar
Re: the quad inputs…can you jumper them like a classic Plexi and if so, does the amp respond to the jumpering as a classic Plexi would respond…at least in the sense of the proverbial ballpark?
Yes
I'm not sure, but 1969 is probably referring to a year since 1968-1972 are roughly the dates of the most desirable Marshalls being produced with a bit of variation for the black flag super leads at the beginning and I think in '73 or '73 they switched to PC Boards.
All of the Marshalls with different schematics had different models such as 1959 for the late 60s/early 70s 100W superlead. I want to say there is a model that's a 1968, 1969 or something like that. I thought it was a Marshall Super Bass of some type, but when I looked back through some Schematics the closest I found in a couple minutes of searching was a Marshall Major which is model 1966.
In any case, this is a cool video.
Like Skip Simmons from TAVA says: Building amps is like cooking. It's not just about the recipe, it's about the quality of the ingredients too. This especially counts for the transformers and the capacitors.
Second a PCB has to be in spec for the amount of current it handles. There are a lot of PCB amps out there that aren't, that will burn out on the high filament currents the tubes require.
And third, one of the nastiest problems in a tube amp is oscillation due to parts orientation. This is easier fixed in a point-to-point wired amp than in a PCB amp. And yes, those issues can occur in a PCB amp.
All right ,I'm sure you went over this but I haven't found it yet. What is that gtr and what are the pups innit? I know I've seen those somewhere else
The iceman is a Hufschmid guitar with Lace Sensors (here’s my video about it czcams.com/video/_mnoCCj6jCg/video.htmlsi=-hbROxdTNpClmrTJ
The green guitar is a new Vola Kenne Machine with fishman fluence moderns.
There will be a video about it out next week
Yo, how did you get that sustain to happen at 1:25? the trem on that was smooth as fk. Proper nuanced.
Seems to tick the boxes!
747 coming down in the night. Nice
@KDH i reached out to Best Grand amps and am interested in purchasing their 5e3 model. Did you just communicate via email to work through your purchase or was there some kind of order form you filled out?
I just emailed via their website.
Contacted them today about getting a hand wired JTM45 shipped to Canada... the price was pretty reasonable
the website doesn't list prices, how much was this amp? they have some nice looking classical guitars on the site too.
How would U describe the difference between Fishman Fluence Modern and Lace Deathbar? Thanks.
I built what is pretty much a jtm 45 with a few tweaks back 2012. I still use it but its louder than god
A PCB can still be a hand wired amp, you're thinking of a point to point amps.
People think than with non master volume amps, it's the power tubes that overdrive when they crank out. They do, but so does the phase inverter and that contributes to the sound. A normal master volume is before the PI, so if you install a master volume, even if you crank the master volume, it won't sound like a non-master amp cranked up. It's why PPIMVs but they're are drawnacks to them
I have a 5W bugera amp. Nice little amp but I wanted to brighten it up by changing a cap. easy? no. Probably would have taken me an hour or two just to get to the cap and I wasn't confident that I'd be able to get it back together. My 1872 traynor would have taken me 20 minutes to get it apart..
Get an equal pedal
Post - After
Phase Inverter - The third pre-amp tube in a vintage Marshall
Master Volume
Allows you to drive the pre-amp hard without the crazy volume from a non-master volume vintage Marshall
Any reason you don't use the effects loop more often?
How do you feel about those Lace Sensor pickups btw?
I've always seen it as PPIMV.
It's quite impressive what you get for your money! I guess they save costs by using cheaper components and not having the amps go through approvals. No sign of CE certification, RoHs compliance, Met or Intertek, UL compliance, CSA etc. This would save them an absolute fortune. If you were to import these to re-brand and legitimately sell in the UK for example, you would have to get this done and you'd see how quickly the cost goes up!
Is the "in front" Master Volume actually the Gain?
which pedals do you use? Am I hearing the pedal or the amp?