Splawn Quick Rod âĄď¸ ZEN Amp Vault Ep17 âĄď¸ Modded Marshall Madness
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- Äas pĹidĂĄn 2. 08. 2024
- Welcome to the amp vault at Zen Amplification in sunny Sydney, Australia. R&D for our very own tube amp is in full swing (more on this below) - but in the meantime we thought we'd have a little fun and invite you into the vault.
đ§ What to Expect:
Good friend and Aussie guitar legend Leon Todd will host what will become an entire series directly from Zen HQ. Leon and a bunch of other great players will showcase every amp in our collection with a minimum of fuss or distraction. No reviews, chatting or zaney clickbait antics here - just pure tube tone, from super clean through to metal.
We'll feature mostly raw samples, plus some full mixes and double-tracked clips for kicks.
Check out Leon's awesome channel if you haven't already: / leontodd
đ Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:43 - Full Mix
REFERENCE CLIPS
02:03 - Ref A: PAF Crunch
02:53 - Ref B: Will It Shuck?
03:42 - Ref C: Holt's Day To Die
04:25 - Ref D: Double Barrel
RAW CLIPS
05:16 - 1. P90 Rocka
05:56 - 2. UFO Sighting
06:42 - 3. Evil Dreams
07:16 - 4. Angry Tele
07:55 - 5. Theme from LT
08:44 - 6. Boosted Metal
09:26 - 7. Sweet Strat
10:21 - 8. Tele Time
10:39 - Recording Info
11:15 - Player Comments
đź About 'Reference' Clips
A reference clip is a consistent one that will be used across different videos via the magic of re-amping, i.e. nothing in the chain will change but the amp. This is a good way for those interested to compare amps until we get around to collating them all into a mega shootout.
Typically each video will feature 3 or 4 reference clips of appropriate styles highlighting the signature tones of the amp.
đ´Our Mantra:
In short - tubes still rule.
In an endless sea of digital promises, we firmly believe that traditional tube circuitry still offers so much that simulators just can't. Punch, depth, immediacy, interactivity and attack are some words that come to mind. Not to mention the simplicity and the tactile advantages of real amps.
For us, the feeling of playing through a great tube amp is inspiring, distraction-free and simply brings joy. When this tonal trinity occurs, great music is made and good times are had - and that's what it's all about.
đŚđş We built a wall - to keep bad tone out:
The vault houses modern classics from companies such as Wizard, Friedman, Diezel, Bogner, Soldano, 65 Amps, Landry, Splawn, Mesa, Orange, Rivera, Divided by 13, Tone King and Peavey. And of course there's a number of vintage stalwarts around the studio from Marshall, Fender, Vox, Hiwatt and more.
To top it off the vault also houses a similarly impressive selection of vintage and modern guitars from Gibson, Fender, Gretsch, Suhr and PRS.
đ¤ Analogue Recording Gear:
⢠4x12 cabs close mic'd with a Shure SM57 / Sennheiser E906
⢠Combos and open cabs close mic'd with a Shure SM57 / SE VR1 ribbon mix
⢠Pair of Neumann U67 room mics 4.5m back, mixed in just a touch
⢠Neve 1073 preamps for close mics
⢠API 3124 preamp for rooms
⢠Little Labs Redeye3D DI (some clips reamped)
⢠KHE amp switchers to manage the wall, Mogami cabling, Neutrik connectors
đĽ Digital:
⢠Recorded via an Apogee Symphony A/D converter
⢠Waves reverb added to some clips
⢠Minimal post-processing - just a LPF and HPF to better reflect how it sounds in the room
đ The Zen Amplifier:
We can't reveal too much right now but there is a very special amplifier design underway in the Zen workshop. It is an all-tube design that incorporates some next-generation innovations, enabling it to compete with the versatility of digital - whilst retaining the responsiveness and punch of traditional tube amps of course.
More details to come later, but sufficed to say we're very excited about this project and can't wait to share it with you.
Thanks for checking out our channel, and don't forget to subscribe to keep up-to-date with all things Zen.
Special thanks to all our amazing guitar playing friends that helped out - Leon Todd, Joel McDonald, Ryan Thomas, James Norbert Ivanyi, Dave Bleus, Cale Storer, Dave Longo, Voya Milutinovic, Ned Koncar, Odin Wolf, Jesse Turner, Daniel Willington, Alex Wichello, Tim Maxwell, Seb Bartels, Jimmy Lardner-Brown & Cameron Henderson. - Hudba
Splawn make some of the best Marshall style heads on the market, thanks for the demo!
My favourite amp so far behind the 50w JMP. I've never heard a Splawn before. Its unreal.
This video kills! UFO, LP Juniors and an orange Splawn (my fav color) Iâm now re-interested in Splawn!
I love how you guys show settings as well as try different approaches to tones from the amp
And again, superb!
Jeeeezzzz - This one sounds great
Awesome stuff guys! :D
Friedman - chocolate.
Cameron - coffee.
Splawn - mocha.
Wizard - Espresso
@@Tiger1016. Marshall Ristretto
JTM45 - Raw beans
This is my new favorite channel for listening to amps. Love your approach, thank you guys!!! đ¤đť
Our pleasure, keep rockin B2Rockin!
@@zenamplification đ¤đťđ¤đťđ¸đ¤đťđť
Leon, that amp suits your playing style perfectly
It's hard to believe you can get a pretty respectable PAF Crunch/Schuck and that James Norbert Ivanyi metal part out of the same amp. This one's spicy!
Just picked one up today.. fkn kick ass amp
Sounds great guys
Love when a new vid pops up! Tonal ear candy.
Thanks Ricky, more to come!
woah. They should have named it quick Roar... Second favorite after the Cameron
I'm impressed with this amp for heavy gains also the classic rock tones. For the money - compared to boutique amps - it cuts the mustard. Excellent review of it. For me, the BE100 is still leading as the best overall amp: clean, classic rock, heavy rock...and early thrash but it's a fair bit more expensive than the Splawn and something worth noting.
Agreed. Like a few other small companies Splawn really delivers, just never had the widespread 'fame' of others like Friedman, Bogner etc.
@@zenamplification Steve Stevens used splawn before Friedman tempted him with the endorsement money
Oh Hi Leon. (I thought I didnât click on the right video according to the thumbnail hahaha)
Every Splawn clip I've ever heard sounds incredible, and this is one of the best examples. I've always been scared away by supposedly how stiff they feel, but it's really hard to argue with the sound; I might like it better than the BE-100 clips you did. Also, love the "Playing God" riffing!
They feel great to play, and are pretty good value for money. And well done on spotting the Ragdoll riff đ¤
I've been playing a Splawn QR since about '08. I have an original version 2006 and a 2022 model with all the mods. It definitely is a "clean" gain kind of amp that will improve your playing as there is nothing to hide behind lol. I love the feel of both of them. The upper mids cut though any live mix very similarly to my Friedman JJ Jr. but without any harshness. Excellent value especially considering it stands on its own when played next to the Friedmans and Bogners etc. đ¤đ¤đ¤
@@mhoff7722 especially cos friedmans are 1000++ on the splawns for price
Such a well made video. Really enjoyed that lads. Next time I'm in Sydney I'll have to bang on the doors for long enough until you'll let me in to have a shwang...... :)
Bang loudly, the SPL in here is crushing đ¤
I like the p90 tone . I play a marshall satriani ,Bogner goldfinger , and a few blackstars, and tbh I feel thereâs something about the blackstar midrange I gravitate towards, they arenât super hairy on top but have a denser midrange and focus on the fundamental of the note more than the other more harmonically rich amps.
I feel like this somewhat sounds somewhere in between the blackstars thick mid focus (especially on its first gain stage where it retains a fatness) while adding some extra harmonic content .
I wonder if this feels tighter than a blackstar? Or about the same?
I fee like the marshall I have just has too much hair sometimes and isnât tight or clear enough sounding, but with the blackstar I can be more percussive and clear, kinda reminds me of an old school cranked plexi without a lot of distortion , kinda like angus young sounding .
No amp works as well with boosters as a Quick Rod. Especially the older circuit Quick Rods. They are quite stiff but that's why they go so well with a booster in front of it. They are not going to sound very compressed like many other high gain amplifiers. It all remains as tight and punchy. Some just want that extra compression to make it feel more easy playing. Not me. In my opinion, that comes at the expense of punch and aggression.
Liking purely because Black Shuck was played!
As good a reason as any đ¤
My favorite amp! Been waiting to hear this one and you guys nailed it, sounds pretty dead on. You really had the volume cranked up judging by those settings! Were you using the loop volume or anything else to tame the volume? Sounds killer as always!
Thanks for the kind words, appreciate you following our channel. No volume taming, loud and proud all the way!
@@zenamplification Wow, impressive levels of volume! Thanks for doing this series, really love it.
I have a newer quick rod and I really want to compare it to a 2203 side by side. I really like the amp, but that Marshall bark has be curious. Lol I had a Friedman JJ100 and def prefer the Splawn.
I have a new QR and one of the older ones. The older one has more of that plexi midrange bark. Very clear and cutting. Def a non forgiving amp. Makes you play better đ¤đ¤đ¤
Great video!!!!!!!!!!
What year was this head made?
Thanks
2011 we think đ
Great videos. Question: I notice the neck pickup in the LP Silverburst is turned around. I figure there is a good reason since you guys clearly know what you are doing. I wonder what it might be. Thanks.
Keen eye you have there! This axe was put together as an Adam Jones replica of sorts, and thatâs how his pickup is oriented. Donât think it makes any real sonic difference though.
@@zenamplification My eyes can't be that keen, I never noticed it on Adam Jones's guitar. Just went down the rabbit hole. He said he did it for tone. Guess I'll try it. Thanks.
â@@drosspunterhe learned that from King Buzzo from the Melvins.
Do you have a Germino
No, they're pretty rare down under.